A Few Things You Must Know

The Yamaha DTxpress comes in three different series of electronic drum kits. This series came out nearly 5 years ago and the most recent model is the DTxpress III and the DTxpress III Special Edition.

The III has over 1000 sounds, 128 voices, 80 different styles of music or drum kits, and it also contains 127 songs. You can plug in some ear phones when practicing so no one will be bothered with your drumming and the set can be connected to your computer with a midi connection. The Special Edition has all the same features but has a few extras. The rack is curved for ergonomic convenience. There is also a throne and bass drum pedal that not too many electronic sets come with.

The DTxpress IV sports over 420 percussion sounds and 22 keyboard type voices. You can record single track songs with this set or use the preset kits. No regular drum set can do that. It seems the IV model has even better sound than its predecessor.

The DTxpress IV has 3 single zone pads, a three zone snare pad, 3 zone cymbal pad, 3 zone ride cymbal pad, hi-hat with stand, rack, and more. There are 50 presets for different styles from Jazz to Rock or Rhythm and Blues. There is also a sequencer so that the switch between songs is smooth and quick. It comes with a metronome for practicing with a predisposed beat.

It feels like the pads are regular acoustic drums and they respond no matter where you hit them. Electronic drums are a bit smaller than having an acoustic set. This helps those that may not have the room for a large set up. The electronic drums give you more sounds than a large acoustic set. The sound is identical to a regular drum set so there is no reason to pay more money for one.

All DTxpress sets come pre-assembled. The wires are bundled and labeled so all you have to do is plug them in and go. With an acoustic set you have to take everything apart piece by piece and put it back together once you get where you are going. With the electronic sets you just unfold them and plug it in. There is no need to tune cymbals or drum heads so set up is a snap.

There are so many benefits to an electronic drum set it is worth the money. In a recording situation it is hard to tell the DTxpress drum set from an acoustic set.

Another advantage of any electronic drum set including the models by Yamaha is that one drummer can sound like an entire band. This gives unlimited opportunity for drummer/songwriters to record without anyone else around.