--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "fatsmaclean" <chris@h...> wrote:
> Hi, I am a drummer who wants a electronic kit to practice on only,
due to neighbours and
> family. I have an accoustic kit for live gigs. After being self
taught for the last 10 years I
> want to get lessons and improve technique.
>
> I am considering a DSXT10 as it's on sale for $AUD3500, can anyone
comment if it's a
> good kit? Why was it discontinued and is it a loud kit given that
it has shells?
Hi Chris,
Nice to have you with us. The first DTXtreme kit was flat-out good.
The hardware and the drum pads were topnotch for an e-kit (and
arguably never surpassed), though the cymbals, including the hi hat,
were relatively weak. If I were to get the old DTXtreme now, I'd
replace the pie-slice ride and crash cymbals with Yamaha's upcoming
round ones and the hi hat--controller and all--with the upcoming hi
hat on a traditional stand. The module was also solid, with its own
strong advocates. It was user-friendly, heavy on the inputs, and had
the requisite bells and whistles. How its sounds stacked up to those
of other modules was, as always, a subjective matter. The kit was
discontinued mainly because it didn't sell well, and it had pretty
much run its course by the time of its demise. It didn't have the
support in the market relative to the Roland Session kit. One of the
reasons that it fell short in some people's estimation is that it
came with mylar heads, as opposed to Roland's quieter mesh ones,
though, in truth, the Yamaha was equipped to perform with mesh heads
as well. Regardless of the shells, the DTXtremeI was as quiet as
anything else when used with woven heads. If you decided to buy the
DTXT10 pads and module, you'd be sacrificing the latest wave of
Yamaha's sounds and features (sampling, USB connection, et al.),
which by all accounts seem to mark a genuine advance. One way around
the problem would be to buy the kit, sell the old module, and pick up
a newer Yamaha module.
> I would like some advice on which would be the best kit in terms of
quality and value for
> money. I am considering buying a roland TD-3, TD-6 or yamaha DTXII
or yamaha
> DTXTREME. I am most after a kit that will offer the best feel and
sound pound for pound. I
> don;t mind paying a little bit more for the kit as long as it's
worth the extra money.
If I had a little money, I'd bypass the TD-3; the DTXpressII and
IIISTD cost only a fraction more but still outclass it for features.
Personally, I'd take the DTXpressII, IIISTD, or IIISP over the TD-6
as well, even though you can make a good case for the quality of the
TD-6 module. Roland equipment simply costs too much for what it is,
and Yamaha is far more accessible for customer support than Roland
is. Management has been responsive to this group and sensitive to
issues that we've raised. If I had a little more money, I'd spring
for Yamaha's latest DTXtremeIIS--lock, stock, and barrel--and never
look back, or I'd buy the just the module, using pads from other
companies (Pintech being a strong candidate) or, as I said, the
original DTXtreme with it. The DTXtremeIIS module is still a bit of a
wildcard, in that we don't know for sure how well it will match up
with other available components. But my suspicion is that it will
handle anything that we can throw at it.
The sky's the limit for someone with a little money to burn, but
Roland's equipment will burn up more of it for a given set of options
than any other company's. Chances are, the more you research the more
likely you are to be satisfied with whatever purchase you make. The
best approach is to learn as much about the market as possible and
then decide based on what you want and how much you're willing to
spend for it. To my mind, you never have to pay top dollar for high
quality, but if you can't imagine buying anything but Roland's top of
the line, that's exactly what you'll pay. But with companies like
Yamaha and Pintech (and I haven't even mentioned ddrum), you have
excellent alternatives.
By the way, as quiet as e-drums are relative to acoustics, they are
not totally silent. You may have to consult us, or others, about
further noise reduction if family/neighbors are located directly
beneath or beside you.
Ed
