Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "epvk_jahoe" <yahoo@e...> wrote:
> The message that woke me up is the "magic box"  being sort of ready 
for shipping. This 
> allows extra inputs such as... a mesh head pad (or other better 
pad) for snare that 
> hopefully will decrease chances of having another RSI attack (I 
guess). 

Not being medical people and not being apprised of your whole 
situation, we can still hazard a guess that the rubber pads might 
have contributed to your strain. But poor technique might also have 
been a factor. You might try using Zildjian's anti-vibe sticks, less 
force, and a looser grip.
 
> The options are: 1) The DTXTREMEII snare (much better rubber, feel, 
>etc I read in the posts)

This is a great rubber snare, with a much more forgiving feel than 
the traditional ones, but even drummers playing this kind of rubber 
or other kinds suffer from repetitive injuries, arthritis, etc.

> 2) A Pintech snare

The Pintech snare comes in a 10" ConcertCast version, which will just 
make it into a separate stand, and the AX14S, which resembles an 
acoustic chrome snare, and at 14", is a perfect candidate for a 
stand. The Hart snares are 13".

> 3) An acoustic snare with mesh head & trigger (e.g. Yamaha DT20 or 
so). 
> 
> I tend to choose #3 because I can always use it as an acoustic 
snare, and I want the extra 
> snare on a seperate stand (is this possible for the Pintechs?) to 
avoid cross talk. But I'm a 
> bit afraid I will run into trigger problems for that option, such 
as the trigger being too 
> sensitive or insensitive. Perhaps with the integrated trigger in 
the Pintech pads, this is 
> much easier to set up...

You can certainly try to trigger an acoustic snare with one of 
Yamaha's triggers, or ddrum's, but the DTXpress isn't the best module 
for this sort of thing. You also run into the difficulty of losing 
the quietness that rubber and mesh provide, unless you're willing to 
swap an acoustic and mesh head depending on circumstances--a genuine 
pain in the neck (the swap may require other changes to the interior 
of the drum). You might as well get a big mesh head snare and stick 
with it.
 
> Another point is the hihat. My guess is that not any (reasonably 
priced) electronic hihat is 
> as subtle as a real one. So I'm thinking about buying an acoustic 
hihat. Again, if you have 
> any thoughts on this, I would be interested. 

No electronic hi hat is as sensitive and subtle as an acoustic one. 
The Roland TD-20 version is pretty good, as is the ddrum, but neither 
is compatible with a DTXpress out of the box, and maybe not really at 
all, despite existing adaptors. An acoustic hi hat with an electronic 
kit is a major mismatch IMO. Balancing its level with the rest of the 
kit will require it to be miked by itself, at least in performance.  
You might be able to get away with it in your practice space if you 
play through an amp, but you won't be able to use it easily with the 
kit via headphones. 

Ed