Yamaha DTXpress/DTXplorer/DTXtreme

finally about to upgrade my existing edrum setup, am considering 
using the dmpro as my main brain unit. only problem is i have many 
yamaha trigger pads from my dtxpress which i intend to 
use, and i dont know anybody who uses the dmpro with yamaha pads. 

firstly, is this possible? (i'm assuming it is) and secondly, for 
those of u who have tried/use this configuration, does it work well 
or have u encountered any problems? was there any need to buy 
additionals accessories (i.e. cables etc)?

any info would be much appreciated.
cheers pete

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "peterpan" <malakies2000@y...> wrote:
> 
> finally about to upgrade my existing edrum setup, am considering 
> using the dmpro as my main brain unit. only problem is i have many 
> yamaha trigger pads from my dtxpress which i intend to 
> use, and i dont know anybody who uses the dmpro with yamaha pads. 
> 
> firstly, is this possible? (i'm assuming it is) and secondly, for 
> those of u who have tried/use this configuration, does it work well 
> or have u encountered any problems? was there any need to buy 
> additionals accessories (i.e. cables etc)?

Hey Pete,

You can get the DM Pro really cheap now. I've seen it on ebay for 
$450 or so with Buy It Now. Considering what it is, it's a genuine 
temptation. Caveat: I've seen reports that its reliability is 
suspect. Whether the price drop is due to the company's misfortunes, 
an impending face lift, or quality-control problems, I don't know. So 
far as the Yamaha pads are concerned, the Pro is mono-input only. It 
is not compatible with the so-called "stereo" gum rubber pads--piezo 
plus rim switch(es)--that Yamaha, Pintech, and Roland feature; it 
turns them into single zones. If you've got a heavy investment in 
stereo pads, the DM Pro might not be for you. It does have a fully 
variable hi hat function, however. I'll let somebody who uses the Pro 
with Yamaha pads go into the tweaky details. But if you have a Guitar 
Center anywhere nearby, you might be able to connect a Yammy pad and 
see firsthand. GC also might give you a good price; I think they're 
trying to unload product these days.

Ed

thanks for the reply ed,

all i currently have is a dtxpress(I), and i want to run all the 
existing pads plus a hart pro snare and a few visu lites through a 
dmpro brain. i'm assuming that this should be possible. please bear 
with me on this next one as i'm not 100% clear on the differences 
between stereo and mono pads, at least i'm not sure if i know or not, 
if u know what i mean. 

are stereo pads pads that can trigger more than one sound? if that is 
the case then that makes my TP80S and PCY80S stereo pads, so dual 
pads is another way of saying stereo pads, am i on the right track 
here?

so by using a brain (such as the dmpro) that only supports mono 
(single) inputs means that all of the pads i use (mono or stereo) can 
only trigger one sound, is this right? 

if this is the case then i could trigger any dual (stereo) pads, like 
the hart pro snare and PCY80S, through the dtxpI which does support 
stereo pads, and all the other pads through the dmpro. does this make 
any sense or have i just got the fundamental difference between 
stereo and mono all wrong here?

cheers pete  






--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "liberatusvirus" 
<liberatusvirus@y...> wrote:
> --- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "peterpan" <malakies2000@y...> 
wrote:
> > 
> > finally about to upgrade my existing edrum setup, am considering 
> > using the dmpro as my main brain unit. only problem is i have 
many 
> > yamaha trigger pads from my dtxpress which i intend to 
> > use, and i dont know anybody who uses the dmpro with yamaha pads. 
> > 
> > firstly, is this possible? (i'm assuming it is) and secondly, for 
> > those of u who have tried/use this configuration, does it work 
well 
> > or have u encountered any problems? was there any need to buy 
> > additionals accessories (i.e. cables etc)?
> 
> Hey Pete,
> 
> You can get the DM Pro really cheap now. I've seen it on ebay for 
> $450 or so with Buy It Now. Considering what it is, it's a genuine 
> temptation. Caveat: I've seen reports that its reliability is 
> suspect. Whether the price drop is due to the company's 
misfortunes, 
> an impending face lift, or quality-control problems, I don't know. 
So 
> far as the Yamaha pads are concerned, the Pro is mono-input only. 
It 
> is not compatible with the so-called "stereo" gum rubber pads--
piezo 
> plus rim switch(es)--that Yamaha, Pintech, and Roland feature; it 
> turns them into single zones. If you've got a heavy investment in 
> stereo pads, the DM Pro might not be for you. It does have a fully 
> variable hi hat function, however. I'll let somebody who uses the 
Pro 
> with Yamaha pads go into the tweaky details. But if you have a 
Guitar 
> Center anywhere nearby, you might be able to connect a Yammy pad 
and 

> see firsthand. GC also might give you a good price; I think they're 
> trying to unload product these days.
> 
> Ed

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "peterpan" <malakies2000@y...> wrote:
> are stereo pads pads that can trigger more than one sound? if that 
is 
> the case then that makes my TP80S and PCY80S stereo pads, so dual 
> pads is another way of saying stereo pads, am i on the right track 
> here?

Pete,

Stereo pads and dual-zone pads are two different animals. The TP80S 
and PCY80S are indeed stereo pads. They have a main piezo in the body 
and an FSR on the rim. The FSR is completely dependent on the piezo, 
parasitically toggling a different voice through it when struck; it 
is incapable of sounding a voice by itself in a stereo pad. Stereo 
pads, which are typically gum rubber, only offer two voices when 
connected through a dedicated stereo input like those found on Yamaha 
and Roland brains. They will not split into two mono inputs such as 
9/10 on the dtxpress brain or any two on the Alesis to give you two 
voices. 
 
> so by using a brain (such as the dmpro) that only supports mono 
> (single) inputs means that all of the pads i use (mono or stereo) 
can 
> only trigger one sound, is this right? 

Right. Stereo and mono pads behave in exactly the same way when 
connected to Alesis modules because these modules don't have inputs 
capable of detecting the FSR on the rim of stereo pads. Read on.
 
> if this is the case then i could trigger any dual (stereo) pads, 
like 
> the hart pro snare and PCY80S, through the dtxpI which does support 
> stereo pads, and all the other pads through the dmpro. does this 
make 
> any sense or have i just got the fundamental difference between 
> stereo and mono all wrong here?

Here's where the distinction between dual zone and stereo applies. 
Those dedicated stereo inputs that I just described cannot pick up 
dual-zone pads because dual-zone pads are essentially dual-mono pads, 
meaning that they derive their separate voices from two piezos that 
act independently of one another. They need two mono inputs to work 
on the Alesis Pro. Inputs 9/10 on the Xpress are tailor-made for 
them, though the Xpress will also allow you to program their separate 
voices through two stereo inputs if you don't need them for stereo 
pads. The Hart Pro snare, the Hart Ecymbal II ride, the Visu-lite 
dual-zone ride, the Pintech AX14S are all dual zones that require two 
mono, or stereo, inputs to work. Obviously, if you have stereo pads 
from the Xpress that you want to use, you won't want to take up your 
stereo inputs with dual-zone pads.

Got it?

> Got it?


yeah fink so,

so for me to work a hart pro snare on a dmpro it needs to occupy 2 
mono inputs. how would i go about connecting a hart pro snare to a 
dmpro? seeing as it needs 2 mono inputs, does that mean the snare 
needs to be connected to the brain through 2 cables? one for each 
input? or is there a specific cable i need to use? i was under the 
impression that it only required one cable. 

as for the other yamaha pads i'm assuming that connecting them to the 
dmpro will be as easy as connecting them to the dtxpress, just plug 
and play as it were, right? and finally i'm assuming the same goes 
for the visu lites when connecting them to the dmpro, plug and play 
right? 

would the visu lites work fine with the dtxpress or does this create 
more complications, as i wouldn't mind using some of the cymbal 
sounds on the dtx brain with the visulites..

there i think thats it, i'm actually quite glad i've spoken to 
yourself about all of these issues sa i'm most probably going to buy 
most / all of these mentioned items from drumbalaya. it makes me feel 
much more comfortable ordering these items from somebody who knows 
what he's talking about.  

once again thanks for the help, being in the UK its quite hard (in 
fact practically impossible) to find reliable information on these 
products, let alone compatability issues! it's much appreciated.

i'll email u shortly in regards to my international order.

cheers pete

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "peterpan" <malakies2000@y...> wrote:
> so for me to work a hart pro snare on a dmpro it needs to occupy 2 
> mono inputs. how would i go about connecting a hart pro snare to a 
> dmpro? seeing as it needs 2 mono inputs, does that mean the snare 
> needs to be connected to the brain through 2 cables? one for each 
> input? or is there a specific cable i need to use? i was under the 
> impression that it only required one cable. 

Pete,

Some dual-mono pads have two mono outputs that require a mono cable 
for each mono input. If I remember correctly, the Hart Pro snare has 
a single TRS output, which would require a TRS splitter to access the 
two separate inputs with two mono (not stereo) cables. If you were to 
connect the Hart Pro to 9/10 on the Xpress module, however, you'd 
simply use one stereo cable, since 9/10 is a dual-mono (TRS) input.
 
> as for the other yamaha pads i'm assuming that connecting them to 
the 
> dmpro will be as easy as connecting them to the dtxpress, just plug 
> and play as it were, right? and finally i'm assuming the same goes 
> for the visu lites when connecting them to the dmpro, plug and play 
> right? 

Your Yamaha stereo pads will simply perform like mono pads when 
connected to the DM Pro, basically as plug and play, though the 
Yamahas may require some tweaking to get right, since they appear to 
have been electronically optimized for the Yamaha module.
 
> would the visu lites work fine with the dtxpress or does this 
create 
> more complications, as i wouldn't mind using some of the cymbal 
> sounds on the dtx brain with the visulites..

The Visu-lites positively love Yamaha electronics. Again, the dual-
mono ride would split into two of inputs 1-8 or into 9/10, and the 
mono crashes could go anywhere. The cymbals with chokes, I presume, 
would require a stereo input.

By the way, like stereo and dual-zone pads, Ed Morin and I are two 
different animals entirely. (Whenever he and I correspond, I always 
identify myself as Ed from Massachusetts so that he won't get us 
mixed up either). But you're right about Ed Morin; he really knows 
his stuff. 

Ed (from Massachusetts)

oh right, so there are dual zones, mono pads, stereo triggers, 2 eds, 
a dmpro, a dtx, visu lites, a hart pro snare and tweakin 2 go all 
around..  alrighty then i think that just about covers everything. 
thanks for all your help ed, you've been really kind. 

i'm still not sure whether to get a dmpro or a second dtx module. 
i've seen a second hand dtx pro v2.0 for sale but i've never used one 
before and they are pretty old. failing that there is always the 
option of gettin a new dtxpress II module. i better decide soon or 
i'm gonna go nuts. 

i just wanna clear one other thing up, i havent really considered 
roland as i've heard that they dont work very well with yamaha 
triggers, is that true? or could it be viable to consider a roland 
module as a second module.

thanks again pete








--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "liberatusvirus" 
<liberatusvirus@y...> wrote:
> --- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "peterpan" <malakies2000@y...> 
wrote:
> > so for me to work a hart pro snare on a dmpro it needs to occupy 
2 
> > mono inputs. how would i go about connecting a hart pro snare to 
a 
> > dmpro? seeing as it needs 2 mono inputs, does that mean the snare 
> > needs to be connected to the brain through 2 cables? one for each 
> > input? or is there a specific cable i need to use? i was under 
the 
> > impression that it only required one cable. 
> 
> Pete,
> 
> Some dual-mono pads have two mono outputs that require a mono cable 
> for each mono input. If I remember correctly, the Hart Pro snare 
has 
> a single TRS output, which would require a TRS splitter to access 
the 
> two separate inputs with two mono (not stereo) cables. If you were 
to 
> connect the Hart Pro to 9/10 on the Xpress module, however, you'd 
> simply use one stereo cable, since 9/10 is a dual-mono (TRS) input.
>  
> > as for the other yamaha pads i'm assuming that connecting them to 
> the 
> > dmpro will be as easy as connecting them to the dtxpress, just 
plug 
> > and play as it were, right? and finally i'm assuming the same 
goes 
> > for the visu lites when connecting them to the dmpro, plug and 
play 
> > right? 
> 
> Your Yamaha stereo pads will simply perform like mono pads when 
> connected to the DM Pro, basically as plug and play, though the 
> Yamahas may require some tweaking to get right, since they appear 
to 

> have been electronically optimized for the Yamaha module.
>  
> > would the visu lites work fine with the dtxpress or does this 
> create 
> > more complications, as i wouldn't mind using some of the cymbal 
> > sounds on the dtx brain with the visulites..
> 
> The Visu-lites positively love Yamaha electronics. Again, the dual-
> mono ride would split into two of inputs 1-8 or into 9/10, and the 
> mono crashes could go anywhere. The cymbals with chokes, I presume, 
> would require a stereo input.
> 
> By the way, like stereo and dual-zone pads, Ed Morin and I are two 
> different animals entirely. (Whenever he and I correspond, I always 
> identify myself as Ed from Massachusetts so that he won't get us 
> mixed up either). But you're right about Ed Morin; he really knows 
> his stuff. 
> 
> Ed (from Massachusetts)

--- In DTXpress@yahoogroups.com, "peterpan" <malakies2000@y...> wrote:
> i'm still not sure whether to get a dmpro or a second dtx module. 
> i've seen a second hand dtx pro v2.0 for sale but i've never used 
one 
> before and they are pretty old. failing that there is always the 
> option of gettin a new dtxpress II module. 

Pete,

My pleasure. The discontinued DTXv2.0 modules are really affordable 
now--the low to mid $200 range. My old pal Walt who owned a couple of 
them (and owns the DTX Yahoo list) always liked it a lot, but he has 
warned that it represents the oldest technology in the Yamaha module 
arsenal. That said, it is superior ergonomically and otherwise in 
many respects to the Xpress modules, and it would certainly make a 
viable second-string module for someone who didn't need the latest 
and the greatest. Xpress owners would probably be tempted to give it 
first place, if it weren't for the absence of the three-trigger snare 
and perhaps some triggering issues that I don't know about.

> i just wanna clear one other thing up, i havent really considered 
> roland as i've heard that they dont work very well with yamaha 
> triggers, is that true? or could it be viable to consider a roland 
> module as a second module.

I think that the Yamaha gum rubber triggers work easiest with Yamaha 
electronics, but I have never heard of any outright incompatibility 
between the two--certainly nothing on the order of the Hart/Yamaha 
problem that I and others have experienced and reported. Plenty of 
people have mixed and matched Roland and Yamaha--me included. I 
wasn't knocked out running Roland pads through Yamaha electronics, 
but I wasn't terribly unhappy either (though I've heard the rims on 
the mesh heads are severely attenuated). This is the kind of 
information that Ed Morin has at his fingertips. But, offhand, I'd 
say that if you ccome across a Roland module (TD-7, TD-5) or Roland 
MIDI device (TMC-6, PM-16) at a reasonable price, it would be worth 
serious attention. A TD-6, 8, or 10, either new or used, would have 
to become your primary module to justify the expense--at least to my 
mind. If you're going to buy from Drumbalaya, you should ask Ed or 
Charlotte their opinion about anything. They won't steer you wrong.

Ed (from Massachusetts)

On Wed, 03 Sep 2003 13:22:10 -0000, liberatusvirus wrote:
>\ufffdSome dual-mono pads have two mono outputs that require a mono cable 
>\ufffdfor each mono input. If I remember correctly, the Hart Pro snare has 
>\ufffda single TRS output, which would require a TRS splitter to access the 
>\ufffdtwo separate inputs with two mono (not stereo) cables. If you were to 
>\ufffdconnect the Hart Pro to 9/10 on the Xpress module, however, you'd 
>\ufffdsimply use one stereo cable, since 9/10 is a dual-mono (TRS) input.

That is correct. That's how I have my Hart Pro snare connected to my
DTXtreme module. TRS cable out of snare to input 9/10 of Xtreme (it's
the same as the Xpress in this regard).

Matt

cheers matt, thats cleared up that issue.


--- In DTXpress@...m, Matt Pobursky <ccsuser@m...> wrote:
> On Wed, 03 Sep 2003 13:22:10 -0000, liberatusvirus wrote:
> > Some dual-mono pads have two mono outputs that require a mono 
cable 
> > for each mono input. If I remember correctly, the Hart Pro snare 
has 
> > a single TRS output, which would require a TRS splitter to access 
the 
> > two separate inputs with two mono (not stereo) cables. If you 
were to 
> > connect the Hart Pro to 9/10 on the Xpress module, however, you'd 
> > simply use one stereo cable, since 9/10 is a dual-mono (TRS) 
input.
> 
> That is correct. That's how I have my Hart Pro snare connected to my
> DTXtreme module. TRS cable out of snare to input 9/10 of Xtreme 
(it's

> the same as the Xpress in this regard).
> 
> Matt