Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

Hi.  I am looking to buy a DTXpress unit but I need an expansion card 
to burn my own sounds/samples.  Does this module have that 
capability?  If so, where can I find a decent (8 meg or so) card to 
use with it?  And if it doesn't have that capability, can you direct 
me to a drum module, besides the DMPro, that I can burn samples to?  
I'm having a hard time locating a moodule that can do this.  I have a 
DMPro now but it is going bad and it is very difficult to find 
support since they basically discontinued them. I want something new 
with the latest technology.  Thanks in advance for any help you can 
give! 


Chris

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "Chris" <bigal@k...> wrote:
> Hi.  I am looking to buy a DTXpress unit but I need an expansion 
card 
> to burn my own sounds/samples.  Does this module have that 
> capability?  If so, where can I find a decent (8 meg or so) card to 
> use with it?  And if it doesn't have that capability, can you 
direct 
> me to a drum module, besides the DMPro, that I can burn samples 
to?  
> I'm having a hard time locating a moodule that can do this.  I have 
a 
> DMPro now but it is going bad and it is very difficult to find 
> support since they basically discontinued them. I want something 
new 
> with the latest technology.  

Hi Chris,

Welcome. The DTXpress module doesn't have that capability. The 
current modules that do are the ddrum4 and the Yamaha DTXT2U (the 
DTXtremeIIS module). The Roland TD-20 will probably accept samples 
via the bay on its underside sometime in the future when the company 
decides to enable it (no doubt at a price). But none of the current 
sampling modules is state of the art in this respect. If you want the 
latest technology, a hardware sampler or a software sampler with a 
properly appointed PC and a trigger-to-midi interface of some sort to 
your kit is what you'll need. The ddrum4 is an extraordinarily good-
sounding module for around $1,000 to $1,500 these days, but it's 
almost ten years' old and has memory limitations. Besides its 
excellent triggering and sound, it has the advantage of literally 
hundreds of excellent downloads from the Clavia site. The Yamaha 
DTXTU module is new, has an 8MB SmartMedia drive, and escalating 
support from the company. Assuming that you like its on-board 
features and sounds (most people do), it might be the one for you, if 
the dedicated sampler route is too complicated.

Ed

Hi Ed.  Thanks for the fast response.  SO, hmmmmm....if I were to go 
with the Yamaha DTXT2U, would I be able to use the same PCMCIA card I 
am using with the DMPro?  If not, do you have any info on where to 
get one, or any helpful websites on the Extreme?  I do like the 
Yamaha interface and if it would allow me to burn my own and has just 
as many voices and drumkits, that would be perfect.  As far as the 
latest technology, I was leaning more towards hooking up the unit to 
my computer via USB or something and just throwing all my wavs, 
etc... into the module.  I don't absolutely need that.  I would be 
fine with the expansion csrd capability.  I'm just emotional right 
now because because my Alesis is about to die and I want something 
new NOW!!!!  : )  Have a new equipment bug.  A dedicated sampler is 
probably overkill for what I need it for.  Other than a handfull of 
songs, it's more of an effects toy.  Also, is the Extreme pretty much 
universaly accomodating as far as triggers go? 


Chris

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "emf" <liberatusvirus@y...> wrote:
> --- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "Chris" <bigal@k...> wrote:
> > Hi.  I am looking to buy a DTXpress unit but I need an expansion 
> card 
> > to burn my own sounds/samples.  Does this module have that 
> > capability?  If so, where can I find a decent (8 meg or so) card 
to 
> > use with it?  And if it doesn't have that capability, can you 
> direct 
> > me to a drum module, besides the DMPro, that I can burn samples 
> to?  
> > I'm having a hard time locating a moodule that can do this.  I 
have 
> a 
> > DMPro now but it is going bad and it is very difficult to find 
> > support since they basically discontinued them. I want something 
> new 
> > with the latest technology.  
> 
> Hi Chris,
> 
> Welcome. The DTXpress module doesn't have that capability. The 
> current modules that do are the ddrum4 and the Yamaha DTXT2U (the 
> DTXtremeIIS module). The Roland TD-20 will probably accept samples 
> via the bay on its underside sometime in the future when the 
company 
> decides to enable it (no doubt at a price). But none of the current 
> sampling modules is state of the art in this respect. If you want 
the 
> latest technology, a hardware sampler or a software sampler with a 
> properly appointed PC and a trigger-to-midi interface of some sort 
to 
> your kit is what you'll need. The ddrum4 is an extraordinarily good-
> sounding module for around $1,000 to $1,500 these days, but it's 
> almost ten years' old and has memory limitations. Besides its 
> excellent triggering and sound, it has the advantage of literally 
> hundreds of excellent downloads from the Clavia site. The Yamaha 
> DTXTU module is new, has an 8MB SmartMedia drive, and escalating 
> support from the company. Assuming that you like its on-board 
> features and sounds (most people do), it might be the one for you, 
if 

> the dedicated sampler route is too complicated.
> 
> Ed

Many years ago....

Yamaha made a drum module named the RM-50.
It had an option to fit a 512K RAM board in it, you could down load samples
into to it using MIDI Sample Dump, this meant;
1) You needed a sampler
2) It had to be able to dump samples via MIDI
4) Lot's of time, as it took ages.

You'll have difficulty in finding one these days, especially with the sample
board fitted (ebay watchers will see them pop up now and again).
It gives you an extra option...

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "Chris" <bigal@k...> wrote:
> 
> Hi Ed.  Thanks for the fast response.  SO, hmmmmm....if I were to 
go 
> with the Yamaha DTXT2U, would I be able to use the same PCMCIA card 
I 
> am using with the DMPro?  If not, do you have any info on where to 
> get one, or any helpful websites on the Extreme?  

The DTXtremeIIS uses 3.3V (3V) memory cards, not 5V; I don't recall 
what the DM Pro uses. For a while, Yamaha was giving away free 
SmartMedia cards with kits purchased from brick and mortar stores 
(not web stores). Even if that offer has dried up, any dealer should 
be able to get you what you need, even if you only buy the module. 
One problem, however, is that the module is available separately on a 
limited basis only at this point, since Yamaha is still bundling it 
mainly with the pads. Drumbalaya is one of the few webstores to 
advertise it a la carte. You should ask Ed Morin there about its 
availability, or try your local Guitar Center.

I do like the 
> Yamaha interface and if it would allow me to burn my own and has 
just 
> as many voices and drumkits, that would be perfect.  As far as the 
> latest technology, I was leaning more towards hooking up the unit 
to 
> my computer via USB or something and just throwing all my wavs, 
> etc... into the module.  I don't absolutely need that.  I would be 
> fine with the expansion csrd capability.  

I think that you can load wav. samples into the module via any input, 
including the USB one, but you have to store them on memory cards. 

I'm just emotional right 
> now because because my Alesis is about to die and I want something 
> new NOW!!!!  : )  Have a new equipment bug.  A dedicated sampler is 
> probably overkill for what I need it for.  Other than a handfull of 
> songs, it's more of an effects toy.  Also, is the Extreme pretty 
much 
> universaly accomodating as far as triggers go? 

I feel for you about the DM PRO, but the Motif voices on the DTXtreme 
module probably won't disappoint you, and the sampling capability 
seems just right for you (I recall that the kit comes with a CD-ROM 
of samples that you can download as well). I wish that I could give 
you complete assurance about its ability to accommodate all triggers, 
but we don't have enough data. I can tell you that it is backward-
compatible with all of Yamaha's other pads. Although Yamaha's modules 
have traditionally been relatively fussy with pads from other makers, 
I only know of only a couple of components that flat-out refused to 
work satisfactorily through them (all of them Harts). The fact that 
the module lists the RHP pads--the mylar DTXtremeI pads--in its 
trigger database bodes well, since the RHPs were capable of 
conversion to woven heads. Pintech meshes (and Rolands by extension) 
have always been popular alternatives for Yamaha's rubber pads, 
though not necessarily without a tweak or two, depending on users' 
tolerance level out of the box. Various people have been making noise 
about using the module with their Hart kits, and I plan to get the 
module to use, alongside my ddrum4, with a hybrid Pintech, Visu-lite, 
and Drum Tech kit.

Hope that helps,
Ed