Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

Im afraid Im not a drummer, Ive bought a DTXpressII to use in my home 
studio. 

It seems great - so I now want to get rid of my old Yamaha rythm 
generator(DD11) - BUT - I cant seem to find a way to get the DTXpress 
to replace the simple things that the DD11 did.

Question: - Is there a way I can use the DTXpress as a simple rythm 
pattern generator to play along with when there's no durummer around?



Ive tried hooking the DTXpress up to my PC and Cakewalk Music Creator 
software and sending a one-bar pattern to record in one of the user 
song areas on repeat - but I cant seem to get the sync start message 
going, and my finger isnt fast enough to push the DTXpress record 
button without creating a timing gap.

All help gratefully received.

Roger

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "custom_elect" <custom_elect@y...> 
wrote:
> Im afraid Im not a drummer, Ive bought a DTXpressII to use in my 
home 
> studio. 
> 
> It seems great - so I now want to get rid of my old Yamaha rythm 
> generator(DD11) - BUT - I cant seem to find a way to get the 
DTXpress 
> to replace the simple things that the DD11 did.
> 
> Question: - Is there a way I can use the DTXpress as a simple rythm 
> pattern generator to play along with when there's no durummer 
around?
> 
> 
> 
> Ive tried hooking the DTXpress up to my PC and Cakewalk Music 
Creator 
> software and sending a one-bar pattern to record in one of the user 
> song areas on repeat - but I cant seem to get the sync start 
message 
> going, and my finger isnt fast enough to push the DTXpress record 
> button without creating a timing gap.

Roger,

Welcome to the group. You should be able to record a rhythm track 
into the on-board sequencer and play along with it. I don't have an 
answer to the specific query offhand, but I didn't want you to go 
unheeded before someone came up with a suggestion. Maybe it will be 
me, but not at the moment. I'm too busy to think straight.

Ed

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "emf" <liberatusvirus@y...> wrote:
> --- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "custom_elect" <custom_elect@y...> 
> wrote:
> > Im afraid Im not a drummer, Ive bought a DTXpressII to use in my 
> home 
> > studio. 
> > 
> > It seems great - so I now want to get rid of my old Yamaha rythm 
> > generator(DD11) - BUT - I cant seem to find a way to get the 
> DTXpress 
> > to replace the simple things that the DD11 did.
> > 
> > Question: - Is there a way I can use the DTXpress as a simple 
rythm 
> > pattern generator to play along with when there's no durummer 
> around?
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > Ive tried hooking the DTXpress up to my PC and Cakewalk Music 
> Creator 
> > software and sending a one-bar pattern to record in one of the 
user 
> > song areas on repeat - but I cant seem to get the sync start 
> message 
> > going, and my finger isnt fast enough to push the DTXpress record 
> > button without creating a timing gap.
> 
> Roger,
> 
> Welcome to the group. You should be able to record a rhythm track 
> into the on-board sequencer and play along with it. I don't have an 
> answer to the specific query offhand, but I didn't want you to go 
> unheeded before someone came up with a suggestion. Maybe it will be 
> me, but not at the moment. I'm too busy to think straight.
> 
> Ed

Thanks Ed, for your welcome and speedy response.

I have stuck at this point for about a full day now - so all 
suggestions are gratefully received.

So far I have managed to play a midi track from Cakewalk and record 
it as a user song - but there are two real difficulties:
1) DTXpress seems to want to store the metronome/click notes along 
with it and I cant turn it off.
2) Synchronising pushing the start buttons to record is very hit and 
miss for me.

Does anyone know of any software that can download the user songs - 
in the same sort of way that DTXchange can download drumkit settings?

Roger.

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "custom_elect" <custom_elect@y...> 
wrote:
> 
> So far I have managed to play a midi track from Cakewalk and record 
> it as a user song - but there are two real difficulties:
> 1) DTXpress seems to want to store the metronome/click notes along 
> with it and I cant turn it off.
> 2) Synchronising pushing the start buttons to record is very hit 
and 
> miss for me.
> 
> Does anyone know of any software that can download the user songs - 
> in the same sort of way that DTXchange can download drumkit 
settings?

Roger,

The Utility Mode area in the manual contains a section entitled 
Sequencer Group. I suggest that you read it--at least MIDI Control (3-
4), Sync Mode (3-6), and Click Mode (3-8). I may have the paragraph 
numbers wrong, but If I'm reading your complaint correctly, this 
section should help.

Ed

Still battling with this business of the metronome/click getting 
recorded along with external midi user song data - but I have found a 
few things out about the  business - posted here for info:

1) There are apparently different levels of DTXpressII firmware in 
use, as an upgraded kit in Yamaha UK's tech support doesnt suffer 
from this effect (using the same Factory default reset settings) 
whereas mine does. Apparently the only way to tell if you're up to 
date, is to check the lables on the chips.

2) After pressing Record you get the click in the first 2 bar lead-
in, - If you're careful and hit hit the Click button just once, 
within this two bars - the click doesnt stop, but it will as soon as 
the count-in is over and the recording begins, - so it doesnt get 
recorded anyway.

I still havn't managed to synchronise recording starts yet - but with 
practice, Im getting better at pushing the buttons at the right time, 
so my 1 bar repeated patterns are sounding better.

Anyone know what format the user song data is stored in, in the 
memory map when its upladed using the BulkDump? - I'd like to write a 
translator to load midi files in directly without recording.

Roger

I really don't know your answer to the starting and stopping of the 
recording but you should be able to keep the click out of the midi 
stuff by assigning in cakewalk (is that what you were using?)  I am 
not certian on how to do this but I imagine you could tell it to use 
a different channel or not to be mapped to the midi outs?  Then tell 
the dtxpress only to listen to the other channels (i'm just going off 
generic midi knowledge here so this might not work at all!)

As far as the recording start and stop the only way I think you could 
do it is if you were able to set up one of the devices (pc 
or "brain") to transmit the start and stop info via midi... it SHOULD 
be able to do this but again I'm just going off generic midi info... 
I still haven't gotten my DTXpress yet and like you said each 
firmware seems to be differen't so it might not be any help if I did, 
plus I'm getting the xpressIII.

Good luck,
Gilligan

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "custom_elect" <custom_elect@y...> 
wrote:
> Still battling with this business of the metronome/click getting 
> recorded along with external midi user song data - but I have found 
a 
> few things out about the  business - posted here for info:
> 
> 1) There are apparently different levels of DTXpressII firmware in 
> use, as an upgraded kit in Yamaha UK's tech support doesnt suffer 
> from this effect (using the same Factory default reset settings) 
> whereas mine does. Apparently the only way to tell if you're up to 
> date, is to check the lables on the chips.
> 
> 2) After pressing Record you get the click in the first 2 bar lead-
> in, - If you're careful and hit hit the Click button just once, 
> within this two bars - the click doesnt stop, but it will as soon 
as 
> the count-in is over and the recording begins, - so it doesnt get 
> recorded anyway.
> 
> I still havn't managed to synchronise recording starts yet - but 
with 
> practice, Im getting better at pushing the buttons at the right 
time, 
> so my 1 bar repeated patterns are sounding better.
> 
> Anyone know what format the user song data is stored in, in the 
> memory map when its upladed using the BulkDump? - I'd like to write 
a 

> translator to load midi files in directly without recording.
> 
> Roger