Drum Related

Products: Yamaha DTXTreme III Special Kit

At the music live show this year I got a chance to play on a Yamaha DTXTreme lll. This kit wasn’t actually for public use but seeing as I asked nicely…!

I was really impressed with the stuff it could do! The guy – Simon if I recall – had set up the pads so that he could play entire tracks using just the kit with no external CD or soundtrack. All the separate sections of the track were allocated to different triggers around the kit. He showed us “Ain’t no other man” by Christina Aguilara – A song I love playing to – and Stronger by Kanye West…. Both very impressive! Some people would watch something like that and say “yeh, it’s alright but the drummer ain’t really doing anything…. he’s just hitting the pads at the right time to make the next bit play.” As true as this is in part, it’s not the case. I had a go and let me tell you, it ain’t as easy as it looks! Not only have you got to hit the right things in the right place in the drum at the right time. You’ve gotta remember where to hit, when to hit it, and the order in which to go round the pads as well as keep it all relaxed and in time with the click – which to be fair, is something I don’t struggle with - Not to mention holding back when you play – something which I DO struggle with! -  Once the triggers are set up you then can’t use the kit in the way you normally would… there are things you CAN’T hit otherwise it triggers the wrong bit of the track in the wrong place!

His demo was really impressive and it did actually really make me want to go out and buy one of these kits. Or at least the brain and some trigger pads just so I can add them to my acoustic set up. I think this is the way forward.

Anyway, here’s what Yamaha have to say about their kit:

DTXTReme III Special Set - Your Style, Your Sounds!
Introducing the new DTXTREMEIII Special Kit, an electronic drum kit like no other. Coming from a long and illustrious line of Yamaha electronic drum kits, the DTXTREME III features a brand new brain that’s based upon ‘Motif’ AWM2 sounds.
The DTXTREME III has an outstanding sampling capability (with optional memory installed) and a powerful sequencing engine. With USB MIDI on board, the DTXTREME III is not only a standout stand-alone instrument, it can function as the front end of a complete music production system embracing live performance, rhythm training, music creation and studio recording.
The DTXTREME’s preset kits and voices are just the beginning. You also have full WAV/AIFF sampling capability that lets you store your own sounds and compile your own kits, and a MIDI sequencer to drive new beats.
The 6 individual outputs make the DTXTREME III the perfect instrument for live- and studio performances as you can mix each channel (as e.g Snare, Toms & HiHat) separately for your individual sound.
The digital output (S/PDIF) enables you to send a signal in digital quality to any external recording device.
With the AUX IN/SAMPLING IN jack, you can attach any CD Player or audio device and jam along with your favourite songs.
The Special Set is equipped with the 4-leg HexRack system that guarantees absolute stability.
Components…
•  DTXT3 – Module
•  HXR4L – Rack System Pad Set:
•  2x PCY135 ( 3- Zone Cymbal Pad)
•  1x PCY155 ( 3- Zone Cymbal Pad)
•  1x KP125 Kick Pad
•  1x RHH135 HiHat Pad
•  1x TP120SD ( 3-Zone Snare Pad)
•  3x TP100 (3-Zone Tom Pad)
•  2x CH750 (Cymbal Holder)
•  1x SS652 (Snare Stand)
•  1x HS650 (HiHat Stand)

Even though there weren’t anywhere near as many exhibitors at drummer live this year I did spot a new company (to the UK market) by the name of Trueline. They have come up with some innovative new designs for sticks which they’re letting loose on the nation. The Power Grip series is meant to allow better grip for the hard hitters but having a ball like element in the shaft of the stick where you place your fingers.

Here’s there info on this particular range:

http://www.truelinedrumsticks.com/Power_Grip.asp

I’m gonna try and get hold of a pair to let you know my verdict.

I saw these new pedals last year when in my local drum shop and didn’t really pay them much attention, but I was talking to one of the guys I teach today and he said he’d played one and it was GREAT for speed and that I had to try one out! So I got all the bumf from their website about how they’re unique and fantastic and what not for you guys to read, and then I’ll give you my verdict when I’ve tried one!
Our Pro 1 – V is manufactured from aerospace materials, (titanium, aluminum, stainless and hardened steel) and machined on the latest state of the art CNC equipment.
When we began designing the Pro 1–V, we wanted to build a pedal unlike anything ever made, with never before seen features that are truly useful to today’s drummers.  The Trick Pro 1 – V takes the worry out of whether or not you’ll make it through the show. It is so infinitely adjustable, that we’re sure it will satisfy every drummer’s individual needs, regardless of their playing level or style!
Highlighted features of the Pro 1-V Detonator Bass Drum Pedals include:
 
Beaters - Universally adjustable, our patented Pro 1-V Bass Drum Beaters can be easily moved to any height/angle along the titanium shafts within seconds
by using a standard size drum key. Hard/Soft surface
change out options are also included with beaters.
(beaters are also sold separately)

Footboard – The Pro 1–V footboard is machined from solid billet aluminum. The Pro 1 – V footboard is fracture tested to 12,000 pounds per square inch. The footboard is attached to the heel plate using a pressed-fit, hardened, solid steel pin. Attaching the two components this way has proven much more reliable than a hinge and uses fewer moving parts that could breakdown over time.
 
Compression Spring Technology – The Pro 1 – V utilizes an internally housed compression spring. Compression springs are vastly superior to expansion springs used in many of today’s pedals, because compression springs have the ability to “cycle” faster and utilize energy more efficiently.
With the Pro 1 – V’s compression spring and profiled cam follower, another industry first, you will feel less spring tension build-up as the beater approaches the drum head.
This is one of the reasons why the Pro 1 – V feels smoother, faster and more responsive then any other pedal ever made. The Pro 1 – V’s spring tension is adjustable while you’re playing (if need be), simply turn the spring tension dial conveniently located on the main housing.
This feature is patent pending.
 
Base Plate – The Pro 1 – V base plate is machined from solid billet aluminum, this provides the Pro 1 – V with an ultra sturdy platform on which everything else is built. Say goodbye to thin stamped-metal base plates, and Detonate Your Sound from a position of Strength*
*tensile strength certified to withstand over 12,000 PSI Slide-Trac - Rapid Release Hoop Clamp – This multi-purpose feature streamlines your set-up time. To connect the Pro 1 – V to your bass drum, simply hold down on the spring loaded lever, slide the pedal onto your hoop and release! No more fumbling to screw and unscrew wing nuts. When it’s time to pack up, simply squeeze down on the lever to disengage the clamp, remove your Pro 1- V pedal, and hit the road! The Pro 1-V Slide-Trac has three memory set-screws so you can pre set your hoop size and distance from the head for fast set up and tear down, time after time.
It also allows the Pro 1 – V to fit snugly and perfectly on any brand of bass drum hoop regardless of the width or thickness. This feature is patent pending.
Independent Split-Cam System – Trick’s fully independent split cam system let’s the player infinitely and independently adjust the beater from the drive cam angle with a 360˚ range of smooth yet solid settings. This system also allows for immediate conversion of the Pro 1 – V into a cocktail kit pedal or a triggering pedal. Because of the split-cam systems design, the player can now change the attitude and attack of the pedal in seconds. This feature is patent pending
Stroke adjustment cluster This three position cluster is an integral part of the sophisticated geometry at work on the Pro 1 – V. It gives the player separate adjustments to the footboard angle, as well as, the pedal’s action, throw and overall feel. This feature is patent pending.

http://www.trickdrums.com/toppages/pro1vbassdrumpedal.htm

What’s best to spend money on, shell pack, hardware or cymbals???

If you intend on gigging it, but want a pretty good sound from the kit I’d recommend spending money to by a separate snare drum, a nice set of hi hats and a nice crash. The bass and toms can be tuned to sound half decent without being top quality, but as the snare and hi hats are used more frequently it’s worth spending a bit more money on these. With crashes, even though you may see drummers with hundreds around them you only need one to start with, and if you don’t have a ride it’s not devastating to begin with either. For this kind of set up obviously you’ll be looking at buying pretty much all the bits separately so looking in second hand shops or somewhere like “eBay”. On eBay people sell drums, shell packs, hardware and accessories all separately. So again, if the budget is £400 I’d spend £100 on a snare, £100 on some hi hats, £50 on a crash and £150 on the rest. Even if you have buy a whole cheap kit to bin some of it, you’d probably still get a better set up than if you brought the whole thing directly from a shop.

Obviously shopping on a budget isn’t always easy, so be prepared to put some time and effort in, don’t be afraid to shop around and know what you’re after before you buy!        

What’s best to spend money on, shell pack, hardware or cymbals???

Well, to be truthful, there aren’t many people who AREN’T on a budget of some sort and as much as we’d love to spend endless amounts of cash getting the perfect kit it’s very rarely the case. I’m giving an example budget of £400 here.

To answer that question you need to ask yourself the following question and come up with an answer:

“What do I need this kit for??”

If it’s just gonna stay in one room and it’s purely a starter kit then you needn’t get a kit with fantastic hardware (stands and tom mounts. Basically….. metal!). The actual shells (drums) don’t have to be fantastic as you can get a relatively “cheap” kit, skin it and tune it to sound half decent. For this instance I’d be more drawn to spend my money on the cymbals. “Cheap” cymbals are basically “nasty” cymbals! (Or at least they are for the most part anyway!) Cymbals are a massively important part of the kit and are very commonly overlooked. If you have nasty sounding cymbals it can throw the whole kit off and make you not want to play it as often. So, our budget is £400. I’d get a cheap starter kit for $150-200 and then the rest on some half decent cymbals. Hi hats being top priority, then crash, then ride. That’s done in terms of usage.

If you intend on “gigging” the kit, or at least taking it up and down and moving it around, then I’d recommend a kit with better hardware. I recently purchased a kit for a school I’ve just started working in. As it’s a primary school, and little kids can be mischievous little darlings at times, I figured I’d get a kit with some extra strong hardware incase they decided to go “exploring” on it! I went for an old Pearl Export kit as I knew the hardware that came with those kits was near on bomb proof! The cymbals weren’t fantastic by any means, and the drums themselves aren’t of the highest quality, but it does the job. I had enough money left in my budget to re-skin the kit so I managed to get a pretty decent sound from it. My budget was actually around £600 but I did it for £400.

At drum related we try to bring you a review a week. If there’s ever anything you want a second opinion on, let us know and we’ll do our best to check it out! On the other hand, if you ever want to write a review, let us know and we’ll make it happen.

Now, with drum sticks it’s each to their own. If you like them and they work for you, great, go for it! However, because “Ahead Metal” sticks are so drastically different as far as I’m concerned I thought I’d say a word about them. I find them unusually weighted in all the wrong places. I personally don’t use heavy sticks, and so don’t like the overall weight of these sticks either! Ahead also, I feel, slightly over price these sticks. I’m sure the manufacturing process isn’t cheap, but with these sticks I don’t really feel you get value for money. Having said that they are supposed to be relatively indestructible so I guess you’d only need the one pair. Though having said THAT, if they don’t break like a wooden stick would, surely over time they’d end up damaging your beloved kit?!?
Although they are SUPPOSED to be indestructible (ish) I have had two reports from guys who I teach having broken them, so it IS do-able!
Another thing that’s worth adding is that they make your drums sounds quite noticeably different. Because they have a different consistency to wood, they make the drum sound rather muffled.
Try ‘em for yourself, if you like ‘em, you like ‘em. But don’t just buy them for the novelty factor.

Unfortunately I had to pay for my own cymbals at the weekend, but I think I got a good deal. Stagg, a make you may not be massively familiar with, are known for making products at the cheaper end of the market. However, as I mentioned in a previous post about cymbals, I brought some last year and was really happy with them. I needed a new ride and crash this year and so headed straight for the Staggs! I quickly picked out a “Furia” 16” rock crash and a 20” rock ride.

Straight away I heard what I wanted to hear. Nice solid, bright tones. I got the two for £160, (plus a free t-shirt!!) which I thought was pretty good value.
When I got them back to my studio and tried them out properly I was not disappointed! They sounded great! As I said, when buying cymbals, buy with your ears, not with and expectation of what a brand should deliver. I’d rate these cymbals better than some more expensive Sabian HH cymbals I have. They sound just right in my teaching studios.
So if you’re looking out for cymbals and don’t want to pay really high prices, check out Stagg cymbals and see what you think. I personally love ‘em! Stagg, if you’re listening, chuck a few more my way please!

As previously mentioned, I got given this practice pad at Drummer Live to firstly review and secondly to aid my practice for the UK’s Fastest Drummer competition.
I’ve now used this pad and can say I don’t know why I didn’t get one sooner! I live in an apartment block and therefore can’t really have a drum kit at home. I always say to all my students that just a simple thing like practicing your hands for 10mins every day will improve your playing.

This pad has two sides to it, one side that’s REALLY bouncy, and the other is pretty solid and dead. The latter is the one I’m most interested in using as it’s more like the competition pads for the UK’s fastest drummer competition. I was surprised at just how solid they were when I did a run on Saturday. It was like playing a wooden table! So using this pad I’ll be able to practice generating more of my own bounce and hopefully do better next time!
I’d recommend these pads to anyone as they’re a great practice aid. They’re solid and durable as well as being a good sturdy coffee table!!
RRP: £35
www.hqpercussion.com/real_feel.htm

People often ask me about cymbals & what I recommend etc…. So here’s the simple advice I give.

Let’s say you have a starter kit, and your quite happy with the sound of the drums, but the cymbals seem to made of tin foil and are all bent out of shape and the hi hats turn inside out when you press hard with your left foot!
You’ll probably want to be looking at getting some new cymbals, but which ones??

Well, I’d always start with the hi hats as they’re played more than any other cymbal. Set yourself a budget, I’d say at least £70 for hi hats, and get yourself off to your local drum shop. Try out a load of hi hat cymbals to see which sound you like the best, don’t worry about price. If the shop has a room in which you can try them out, don’t be shy, go for it. Try them out as you’d use them (so taking a pair of sticks with you is a good idea.) You can’t get a true sound of a cymbal until you use it properly. It’s like taking a car for a test drive. Once you’ve identified the sound you like, try to find a set with a sound as close to that which you like but that fits your budget. Personally I always buy from the shop as opposed to over the internet because you can hear what the cymbals sound like before you buy, and if EVERYONE buys over the net, shops will lose business and may not be there for use try out stuff in the future. Plus, once you add in postage cost and waiting time I’d say you get just a good a deal.

Once your hi hats have been bought, a crash should be next on your list. To get the best crash I recommend taking your hi hats back to try the crash out along side them. A crash can sound great on it’s own but it has to gel well with the other cymbals you have. Everything must be complimentary. The same applies to any other cymbal you wish to add to your set up, take other cymbals you own along to see if they work well together as a set.
When buying cymbals buy with your ears, don’t just buy them for the brand. All cymbal manufacturers sell some great sounding cymbals, but they are all guilty of selling some nasty ones too! For example, “Stagg” are known for there “cheap” gear, but last year I bought a crash made by Stagg ‘cos it sounded awesome! I now have a crash and splash from Stagg and couldn’t be more pleased with the sound I get. I’ve heard cymbals double their price that don’t even sound half as good.
Cymbal buying is all about personal choice. What works for you may not work for someone else. Another thing to bare in mind is that, the bigger the cymbal, the bigger the sound. So if you play your kit in a small room, big cymbals, as nice as they may have sounded in the shop, may not be the best bet. On the flip side, a cymbal may sound great in a shop, but if you gig relatively big venues and the cymbals aren’t amplified, they may not carry their sound to the back of the room. Always think about the situation for which they’re intended. More expensive doesn’t always mean better, and my golden rule is TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!

Even though this piece of kit has been on the market for quite some time now, I always get asked about metronomes or “clicks” as some drummers (including myself) like to call them.

The Tama RW105 (Rhythm Watch 105) is basically a fantastic machine and I think every drummer should have one!
It has everything you could need from a metronome… It’s so easy to use and a pretty tough piece of kit (I’ve dropped them a few times!) I have one in every one of my four studios and have never had a problem with any of them. You can get an adaptor to plug it into the mains, but if you were at a gig without a socket you can use batteries. It has a headphone socket so you can either use headphones or get a small jack lead and plug it straight into your stereo. It also has a speaker so you can plug it in and press play, and the volume is loud enough to hear over the sound of a pad though you would need headphones or further amplification if you wanted to hear it while playing an acoustic kit. The L.E.Ds can be really handy if hearing it is an issue. It has a thread in the back so you can attach it to a cymbal stand easily to allow for versatile positioning. It has options to turn on or off, and adjust the volume of different types of notes to make it easier to play to. You can also program in different tempos and time signatures into its 30 memory settings so that if gigging you can switch from one to the other in the blink of an eye. It also has a “tap” mode so that when you hear something you can tap it in to find out the tempo. This comes in VERY handy for teaching.
I’d say it has only two slightly bad points:

1) It only goes up as high as 250bpm (Beats Per Minute). Having said that, 250bpm is high enough for most people, and with a quick bit of maths you can actually make it go faster by halving the time signature and turning on the 8th notes.
2) The price! For most people £110 is pretty expensive, and maybe if it was a bit cheaper more people would get one. But having said that I do think it’s worth the money. You can get cheaper metronomes, but I do believe you get what you pay for.

I know it might sound like it, but I don’t actually work for Tama selling these things! However if they want me to endorse their product I’d be happy to ‘cos I really and truly rate it!

Apparently they’re cheaper in America, so if you have a friend going over there, see if they can bring you back a few! And if you already live there, happy days!