Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

To all;

I went through both manuals page by page and here is a summary:

Changes between the Dtxpress II and the Dtxpress III modules.

1. The number of trigger presets increased from 9 to 11:

  - There are three trigger presets for the Standard kit.
  - There are three trigger presets for the Special kit.
  - The existing trigger preset for the DT10/20 remains.
  - User trigger setups are 8 through 11.

NOTE: There is an error in the Dtxpress III PDF manual on page 11, 
which says the User Triggers are between 6-9. There is also an error 
in the Dtxpress II manual, which says the User Triggers are between 
8-11 (I never noticed it.)  Which means Yamaha new about these 
changes in the Dtxpress III before the Dtxpress II was even released 
well over a year ago. The numbers have been swapped between the two 
manuals. The Dtxpress II should be 6-9, the Dtxpress III should be 8-
11.
 
2. Zone 9 is labeled as crash 2 now.

3. There is a midi driver available for transmitting data between 
module and PC computer at:

  - Locate driver at www.yamaha-xg.com

4. The pad types setup have completely changed:

 - Many of the older pads have common pad types.
 - All the new pads are listed.
 - Snare Pads options for left/right handed drummers.

NOTE:	Something else we all missed in the Dtxpress II manual is 
not only did it list the new PCY150 that was not suppose to exist, 
it also list the RHH120 pad which is for the Hihat pad. This changed 
from the RHH120 to the RHH130.

5. The [Hi-Hat Offset] was moved from [UT SYSTEM] to the trigger 
setup area.

6. The [TRIG Common: In Excg] has settings for: Normal, 9<>10, 1<>9, 
as oppose to just: Normal, 1<>9.

7. In the Alt Group, Key Assign Mode there are now settings for the 
ALT key range for: off,pdl, HH, 1-15.

8. The biggest change to the menu is that the existing 
Sequencer/Click group has been split into two separate groups: 

-Click Group has: Voice Set; Voice; Volume, Tuning; Note, number; 
Mode; Out Select.

-Sequencer Group has: MIDI Control; Count Switch; Sync Mode; Use 
Temp.

The basic voice set for the Click group is: Metronome; Wood Block, 
Percussion, Agogo, Stick, Vocal, User Voice.

9. In the DRUM VOICE LIST in the reference section the following 
changes were made:

- K: Accoustic Kick; Two new voices were added.
- k: Electric Kick; Fourteen voices were deleted, eighteen voices 
were added.
- S: Acoustic Snare; Two new voices were added.
- s: Electric Snare; Five new voices were added, fours voices were 
deleted.
- T: Acoustic Tom; No changes.
- t: Electric Tom; No changes.
- C: Cymbal; Twenty-five voices were added, three voices were 
deleted.
- H: HiHat; Twelve voices were added.
- P: Percussion; Twenty voices were added, twelve voices were 
deleted.
- E: Effects 1; Eleven voices were added.
- e: Effects 2; Eleven voices were added, Eleven voices were deleted.
- L: Drum Loop; No changes.
- m: Misc. Voices; No changes.

Note: In some cases were voices have been deleted and then added, it 
may turn out to be just a name change (i.e. Frag14->Frag2). 

10. In the GM keyboard Voice List: No changes.

11. In the Preset Drum Kit List: Five kits were added, five kits 
were deleted.

12. In the Preset Song List; Four songs were added, four songs were 
deleted.
  

So in summary, just a few menu changes; alot of new cymbal sounds, 
hihat and effects have been added; and no hints as to what maybe 
coming out next.
(Unless somebody know why the Alt Group as options for 1-15 added??)


OGD

--- OGD wrote:
> I went through both manuals page by page...

Thanks for this...

> - C: Cymbal; Twenty-five voices were added...
> - H: HiHat; Twelve voices were added.

Yum.

Stewart

Hi Stewart,

What I wonder about is, how many of these voices were slated to be 
in the DtxpressII module, but were left out because of the 
PCY150/RHH120 not being ready. 

Clearly, from the OOPs by the Yamaha Tech. writers, several items 
were left in the original DtxpressII manual, that were not suppose 
to be. 

They left in the references to the PCY150, the RHH120 and the 8-11 
Trigger Setup Numbers reference.

They must have expected to market two versions of the dtxpress II 
then: the Standard and the Special. 

Obviously, somebody or something caused the delay and only one kit 
was released.

And this is not just speculation on my part.

The DtxpressII manuals had to be completed and printed up at least 
several months before the actual shipping date of the original 
DtxpressII kit to the distributors. Looking on page 35, section 6.2 
of the original Dtxpress II manual that shipped with the kit, it 
clearly says "User Trigger Setup number (8-11)".  Thus settings 1-3 
for the standard version, 4-6 for the Special version, 7 for the 
accoustic triggers and 8-11 for user assignable settings.

The Dtxpress III manual states 6-9 as user trigger settings (i.e. 
the mistake in the manual, which is what caught my attention.) The 
actual settings for the Dtxpress III are:

1- Standard Medium
2- Standard Dynamic
3- Standard Easy
4- Special Medium
5- Special Dynamic
6- Special Easy
7- DT10/20 Acoustic triggers
8-11 User Assignable

The Dtxpress II manual states 8-11 as user trigger settings. The 
actual DtxpuII module only shipped with 5 presets and 4 users 
settings:

1- Medium
2- Dynamic
3- Easy
4- HH-BD
5-DT10/20 Accoustic triggers
6-9 User assignable

It certainly would have been nice to have had this available back 
when I bought my two original kits and all of the extra cymbal pads.


OGD

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "moosetication" 
<moosetication@y...> wrote:

> --- OGD wrote:
> > I went through both manuals page by page...
> 
> Thanks for this...
> 
> > - C: Cymbal; Twenty-five voices were added...
> > - H: HiHat; Twelve voices were added.
> 
> Yum.
> 
> Stewart

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "oldguydrummer" <rdamon@m...> wrote:
 Looking on page 35, section 6.2 
> of the original Dtxpress II manual that shipped with the kit, it 
> clearly says "User Trigger Setup number (8-11)".  > The Dtxpress 
III manual states 6-9 as user trigger settings (i.e. 
> the mistake in the manual, which is what caught my attention.) > 
> OGD
> 


Part of the mystery is solved. According to Yamaha, the reason the 
Dtxpress II manual had (8-11) listed as user inputs instead of (6-9) 
is because the Dtxpress I had (1-7) presets and (8-11) user settings 
and they simple forgot to change it when the DtxpressII manual came 
out intially. I must have gotten corrected before the DtxpressIII 
manual came and was changed from (8-11) to the correct numbers (8-11).

The mistake then happened again when they put out the DtxpressIII 
manual, by not updating the (1-5) presets/(6-9)user to the correct 
listings of (1-7)presets and (8-11).

They simply made the same mistake in the same location twice.

The mystery of the PCY150/RHH120 being listed (and the PCY130S/PCY130 
not being listed) in the Dtxpress II manual still exists and was not 
addressed by Yamaha. Perhaps when we have the fireside chat with Jim 
Haler, he will be able to share with us the reason for it not being 
released with the DtxpressII.

OGD