Electronic drum kits

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    Continuing the theme of using musical instruments at home, I will talk about such a wonderful thing as electronic drums .

    I've always wanted drums, the lack of space for installation and, most importantly, the calmness of those people with whom I live, stopped them from acquiring. Today, these items can be easily circumvented with electronic drums. Under the cut, the story of their appearance, the principle of operation and an overview of the two most suitable solutions for the home.

    How does it work?
    A hit on a pad is detected by a piezo sensor or pressure sensitive resistor (FSR).
    The received signal is transmitted to the electronic "brain", which converts it into a digital format and reproduces the sample associated with the transmitting pad. Each pad can be individually tuned and associated with different sounds or a sequence of sounds, which makes electronic drums a very versatile instrument that can adapt to any genre, be it rock, jazz or techno.

    When and how did they appear?
    The first serial electronic drum appeared in 1976. Its production was started by Pollard Industries and it was called Syndrum. This novelty immediately attracted the attention of many famous musicians, but did not become commercially successful. Syndrum consisted of a sound module and one or more pads.

    syndrum

    In 1977, Star Instruments launches its Synare product. The main elements of this device were similar to Syndrum, but Star Instruments brought its unique features (a custom filter, a modulator and pink noise). This tool quickly became popular among disco artists. The pads were built into the sound module, in the first version there were four, in the second, twelve. It is worth noting that the sound of Synare is not outdated today and many use it with emulators.

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    The next notable leap in electronic drum history was the creation of Simmons in 1978. Which later launched the following models on the market: SDS-V (1981) and SDS-7 (1983). SDS-V is considered to be the first full-fledged electronic drum kit.

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    Yamaha Home Solutions Overview


    Now electronic drums are released by many companies. One of the best, by right, are tools from Yamaha. It is about them that I will try to tell on the example of a portable Yamaha DD 65 station (~ 13 000 rubles) and a full-fledged electronic drum kit Yamaha DTXPLORER (~ 39 000 rubles).

    Yamaha DD 65

    For me, the main plus of the dd 65 is its compact size, which does not limit the functionality. The setup is equipped with 8 pads and 2 pedals, which allows you to tap pretty complex parts. Powered by a power supply or batteries.

    You can hit the pads with your chopsticks or with your hands. They are sensitive to pressure (sensitivity is adjustable), which allows you to maintain the dynamics of the game. In relation to the player, they are at an angle. The instrument stores 100 different songs (five demo songs, rhythm patterns and inserts) that can be used as accompaniment.

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    Two pedals. One is a hi-hat, the other is a bass drum. They are connected via a standard jack. Other voices can also be assigned to the pedals
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    On the front panel, under the pads, is the control panel and display. I will not describe the meaning of each button, for a deeper immersion in the subject, you can download the instruction in Russian here .

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    All inputs and outputs are located at the rear. Midi in, Midi out, two pedal inputs, headphone / monitor output, Aux in and a power supply connector.

    Thanks to Midi we can:
    • transfer performance data between the instrument and other instruments or computers that support the MIDI interface;
    • Transfer song data between the instrument and the computer.
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    A good option, for example, for guitarists or other musicians, in order to quickly drum drums on a computer through a midi output.

    Sound examples


    Short summary

    For playing at home. It takes up very little space. Affordable price. The first step to mastering drums.

    Page Yamaha dd-65 (photo, price, manual)

    Yamaha DTXPLORER

    The DTXPLORER is the most affordable Yamaha electronic drum kit available. It includes five TP-65 single-zone pads, two cymbal pads, one hi-hat controller pad and a pedal. It should be noted that only this installation is equipped with a pedal.

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    It gives a very low level of acoustic noise, so the installation is optimal for playing at home. The rack conveniently and compactly develops for storage.

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    The DTXPLORER module includes 32 drum sounds and 22 minuses. There is also a built-in metronome and several memory slots for loading your own tones.

    On the rear panel there is a midi output with which you can save your parts to a computer, and after editing them, AUX input and line output.

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    The DTXPLORER can be used with an acoustic drum kit if it is equipped with an optional
    Yamaha DX20 trigger kit and the sensors are connected to the DTXPLORER input connectors.

    Sound examples


    Short summary
    Suitable for those who are just going to learn how to play and those who play for a long time. It can be used both at home and at rehearsals, performances (a moot point of taste). Compared with acoustics, it saves space in the apartment and allows you to play through headphones.

    Yamaha DTXPLORER page (photo, price, instructions)

    Post Scriptum
    Switching from analogue to digital is a very “holistic” theme, not only in relation to muses. tools. That is why the sound in the note was not affected, so as not to stir up the anthill. Come to the store, knock, listen, make a decision. Although in a particular case (drums for the home), the electronic version is probably the only possible option.


    Thank you all, keep the rhythm.

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