Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

> Hi,
> 
> I've been subscribed to the list for a long time but I've never 
> really posted before - unfortunately for me drumming is a hobby to 
> which I don't have much time to dedicate as for now.
> 
> Now, I own a dtxpress II and I was wondering about buying a mesh 
> headed snare to improve the feeling of the drumset - Any 
> recommendations? I've played a Roland concert kit in a drumstore 
and 
> really liked the feeling.
> 
> I'll be happy to read any input from you guys on this - which 
models 
> will fit the dtxpress II module?

Hold on a second. I'm still working on the drumming test. I thought 
that chewing gum and walking were hard, and now Stephen and OGD drop 
this bomb on me. Maybe I should take up the guitar. Oh, bother.

Hi Yoav,

The first mesh head of choice for Xpress owners seems to be the 
affordable Pintech CC102ST. It's dual-zone, meaning that it requires 
two inputs, or one stereo cable into dual input 9/10, for body and 
rim. It's reasonably priced ($100-120), well made, and a nice 10" in 
diameter. The Roland counterpart is too expensive, and its rim signal 
may be attenutated through the Yamaha module. It does have the 
advantage of size at 12", but Pintech also makes a 14" model that 
many of us also like--the AX14S--though it may be too big incongruous 
with the 8" toms on the XpressII rack. The Hart 13" may be in the 
ballgame, too, at a price between the Roland and the Pintech, but too 
many Yammy people have reported problems with Hart triggers to win it 
a recommendation. It, like the Roland mesh, works nicely through 
Roland modules (as do the Pintechs).

The sacrifices in getting a dual-zone mesh snare are, first, the loss 
of Yamaha's three-trigger capacity and, second, figuring out how best 
to connect it. If the snare is your first addition, then you'd be 
advised to reserve input 2 for the body and input 9 or 10 for the 
rim. That configuration will allow you to switch relatively easily 
between preset and user kits. Some people, however, plug dual-zone 
snares right into 9/10, throwing caution to the wind, leaving input 2 
vacated for a stereo pad. 

If you install a dual-zone snare into input 2 and 9, your next new 
trigger will have to be mono, for input 10; you'll have no more 
inputs for a stereo or dual-zone drum or cymbal. If you've kept input 
2 vacated, however, you could use a mono, a stereo, or a Yamaha three-
voice pad. These scenarios bring you right to the brink of needing 
more inputs (see all the posts about buying a second module or MIDI 
device). But there's always the Pintech single-zone option w/o rim 
(CC101ST, $90-100) for those strapped for cash and loathe to provide 
new input sources.

Ed