Banging Out the Bits

May 1, 2001 12:00 PM, By Gino Robair

There are plenty of reasons why musicians use MIDI percussion controllers. Some use them to record natural-sounding drum patterns into a sequencer. Others use percussion controllers to supplement or replace an otherwise acoustic live-performance setup. For example, pad controllers, such as the Alternate Mode trapKAT, are lighter, are easier to set up, and require less miking than a full drum set enhanced by a complement of percussion. Of course, you can also place triggers on acoustic drums in situations where you want a mix of real and virtual instruments.

A GOOD FEEL

MIDI percussion is the one category of controllers that doesn't require the player to be a specialist on the acoustic version of the instrument. Anyone can play a percussion controller. The rhythmically challenged can clean up the data in a sequencer later.

If you are a nonpercussionist looking for a simple MIDI device you can play with sticks or mallets, an inexpensive controller will do the trick. On the other hand, if you think your MIDI requirements will expand as you get deeper into an instrument, consider acquiring a full-feature controller that you can grow into.

Percussionists' concerns are slightly different. For you, the primary consideration when choosing a percussion controller is the feel and response of the pads. The smoother the transition from acoustic instruments to MIDI controller, the better, especially if you are going to use the acoustic and electronic instruments side by side.

Fortunately, manufacturers are keenly aware of performance considerations, and they continually improve their instruments' playability. For example, percussionists need to be able to choke a cymbal sound by grabbing the cymbal pad, and most controllers on the market have this capability. Likewise, mallet players should have the option of dampening a note on the mallet controller by softly touching the mallet to the playing surface after the note is struck, just as you would with a vibraphone. The better the controller responds to traditional technique, the easier it is to play right out of the box.

PROGRAMMING FOR RESPONSE

The degree to which you have to adapt your technique depends on more than just the pads. For instance, you may be able to tweak the trigger's threshold levels to alleviate unintended double-triggering problems, but you may also need to play double strokes more crisply to get the best results.

Much of the feel in a percussion controller has to do with Velocity response. The more Velocity curves the controller offers, the more likely you will find one to suit your technique. Some controllers give you limited choices in this regard, in which case you may have to find a sound module that gives you greater options in Velocity control.

Before buying a controller, decide what you want from it. For example, begin by determining whether you need a controller with internal sounds and effects or just a MIDI controller because you already have a sound module. Think about the kinds of projects you may do in the future, and try to estimate the impending technical requirements.

Once you understand your own needs, you can match them to the controller with the most appropriate feature set. At this point, you may not need multitimbral and sound-layering capabilities or the ability to send out Control Change messages, but that doesn't mean you won't want them in the future. Many controllers can layer multiple sounds per pad and let you assign an independent MIDI channel to each layer. Once you begin experimenting with this feature, you may find that you can't live without it. But not every musician needs this kind of power. Sometimes a simpler controller is the better fit for a particular application.

BEYOND TRIGGERING

Using gestural control methods with electronic percussion instruments is a challenge. Foot pedals and ribbon controllers are often inconvenient and impractical for sending MIDI messages because percussionists use both hands and both feet when playing. One solution is the breath controller, which can be held in the teeth while hands and feet work away. Another solution, used by Roland throughout its product line, is the Dimension Beam (DBeam). More esoteric solutions include MIDI theremin and the I-CubeX sensors by Infusion Systems. (For more information on alternate controllers, see “The Outer Limits” in the August 2000 issue of EM.)

To get the controller to behave in a way that feels natural will require you to spend time programming and tweaking parameters. The more time you invest in customizing your instrument, the greater the rewards will be.

THE BIG BANG

MIDI controllers in the percussion category include electronic percussion instruments with built-in MIDI capabilities, percussion systems that include triggers and a MIDI sound module, and MIDI sound modules with trigger inputs. Various companies specialize solely in percussion triggers for use with third-party sound modules; because their products do not have immediate MIDI output capability, they are listed separately in the sidebar “Mainly Triggers.”

Alesis

The Alesis DM Pro ($899) is a percussion sound module with a trigger-to-MIDI interface (see Fig. 16). The DM Pro has 64-note polyphony, is 16-part multitimbral, and includes 1,664 16-bit sounds with a 24-bit DAC. Until recently, Alesis offered the module as part of the DM Pro Kit, which married the module with a set of Hart Dynamics drum pads. Unfortunately, the DM Pro Kit was discontinued, leaving it up to you to choose your triggers.

The DM Pro has ten trigger inputs, five of which are TRS jacks that accept dual-zone pads and are useful for snare-drum and ride-cymbal pads. The remaining trigger inputs include one for the hi-hat controller and four for single-zone pads. The module also sports six ¼-inch TRS outputs; a headphone jack; MIDI In, Out, and Thru; and a pair of RCA input jacks for monitoring an external audio source while you play. The module also includes a PC Card expansion slot for memory expansion.

The DM Pro includes two independent effects buses — Reverb and Effects — that can be run serially or in parallel. You can run the multi-effects processor's output through the Reverb, but not the other way around. The effects palette includes delay, overdrive, EQ, and stereo flanging.

The DM Pro is a great-sounding module and a powerful MIDI interface with a host of useful features. The module has 15 Velocity curves to choose from, and can send and receive Control Change, Program Change, System Realtime, and SysEx data. The Modulation Matrix lets you assign modulation envelopes to alter the Pitch, Filter, and Amplitude of each sound (or Drum, as Alesis calls it). You can also modify the four settings of the Trigger Parameters for each envelope. As you customize your sounds, you can audition them from the front panel without using MIDI or triggers. However, you don't get Velocity control over sounds played from the front panel.

A feature sure to appeal to gigging percussionists is the Trigger Setup Select, which lets you save four user-defined trigger setups. Those are handy for the musicians who play in a variety of styles and situations and require different instrument setups for each.

Although the DM Pro has no internal sequencing or sampling capabilities, the module is bundled with Alesis's cross-platform SoundBridge software. SoundBridge lets you import sounds and sequences you created on your computer into the module. The files are sent to the DM Pro through MIDI SysEx and saved to the PC Card for future use.

Alesis also offers the DM5 ($499), a trigger-to-MIDI sound module that features 548 16-bit sounds and 12 trigger inputs, 4 of which accept dual-zone pads. The DM5's front panel looks similar to the DM Pro's but lacks the PC Card slot. This means backups must be done using SysEx. The DM5 also lacks many of the DM Pro's powerful features, such as the ability to edit filters and envelopes. In addition, the DM5 is unable to recognize Aftertouch and most Control Change messages. However, the DM5 costs half as much as the DM Pro, and its relative simplicity makes it useful for percussionists looking for an easy, inexpensive trigger-to-MIDI sound module.

Alternate Mode

Among the most popular percussion controllers are the various KAT instruments distributed by Alternate Mode. KAT controllers use force-sensing resistors (FSR) covered by gum rubber, providing a comfortable playing experience with sticks, mallets, or hands. In addition, the FSRs give the pads a uniform sensitivity throughout the surface area. Consequently, KAT controllers don't require percussionists to alter their technique much.

KAT controllers feature multiple footswitch and trigger inputs and often include a breath-controller input. None of the KAT instruments have data wheels, cursors, or knobs. Editing is done using footswitches and pads.

The malletKAT Pro resembles an acoustic mallet instrument and comes in two varieties: the malletKat Pro WS (“with sounds”; $2,645) comes with an internal sound generator; the standard malletKAT Pro ($1,875) is a MIDI controller only. Both malletKATs are four-foot long, three-octave instruments that can be extended to four and five octaves. The malletKAT is General MIDI compatible. Additionally, the 128 Factory Setups in both MalletKAT Pro controllers are General MIDI compatible. Many User Setups in the MalletKAT Pro WS are set up around the sound set of the internal Yamaha DB51 XG synth.

The padded bars are raised above the surface of the instrument, which makes them easy to strike. Unlike an acoustic mallet instrument, the bars of which become gradually smaller as the pitches get higher, the malletKAT's bars are the same size throughout.

The malletKAT features MIDI In, two MIDI Outs, three footswitch inputs(two for sustain and one for Edit mode), two control pedal inputs, and a dedicated breath-control input. The foot controllers can be assigned their own MIDI controller numbers. Audio I/O on the malletKAT Pro WS includes two inputs, two outputs, and a headphone jack.

The malletKAT Pro can layer a maximum of three sounds and split the keyboard into two controllers. The split point can be set so that the end notes overlap. You can configure the controller to work like a traditional mallet-percussion instrument or as a keyboard controller. For example, in Dampen mode, notes are silenced by pressing softly into the bar. In Normal mode, the note is sustained by holding the mallet to the bar, the way you would sustain a note by holding down a key on a synth. In Aftertouch Mode, pressing on the bar sends MIDI Aftertouch messages. Once you know what you want the malletKAT to do, the rest of the work is in the programming.

Alternate mode also sells a mallet controller with real hardwood keys called the Xylosynth ($4,040 for three octaves; $4,995 for four octaves). Like the malletKAT's, the Xylosynth's bars are all the same size. In this case, they are 1¼ inches wide and 5¾ inches tall. Each bar and its trigger is mounted separately to the instrument's frame. Because the bars are a uniform size and are mounted independently, you can carry extra bars with you and swap out malfunctioning or broken ones.

The Xylosynth allows three keyboard splits per patch, but it is not multitimbral, so you cannot layer sounds. Alternate mode provides a collection of stereo samples in the E-mu EOS format that includes 23 instrument setups, among them vibraphones, xylophones, marimbas, orchestral percussion, and tuned effects.

All connections are made on the front of the control unit, which sits below the bars. The Xylosynth includes input jacks for a patch change pedal, and a sustain pedal, an XLR audio output jack, and a MIDI Out jack.

The Xylosynth has five performance modes. These include Roll mode, which increases the instrument's tracking speed; Damping mode, which lets you dampen a note by softly touching it with a mallet; and Quiet Mallet mode, which gives full Velocity even when the bars are struck lightly. The Xylosynth is made to order only, and additional performance options are available on request.

The four percussion controllers offered by Alternate mode are the dk-10 ($440), the drumKAT 3.8 ($945), the drumKAT Turbo 2000 ($1,212), and the trapKAT ($1,075). Although none of these instruments have internal sound modules, each ships with a collection of FactoryKits, which are predefined MIDI setups for use with General MIDI (GM) modules. UserKits for storing customized MIDI setups are also included.

The dk-10 and drumKATs have a layout of ten playing surfaces in a shape resembling a Mickey Mouse hat. However, the controllers are quite different from each other. The drumKAT gives you a wider range of MIDI, controller, and performance options than the less-expensive dk-10. For example, the drumKAT 3.8 has two MIDI inputs, four MIDI outputs set in pairs, nine independent trigger inputs and a CV input for hi-hat, four momentary-footswitch inputs, and a breath-control input. You can play eight-note layers per pad, step through user-assignable or randomized note sequences with each pad in Alternate mode, and work with 32 MIDI channels. Each pad can be assigned individual settings for MIDI Note number and Channel, a Velocity curve, minimum and maximum Velocity values, and gate time.

The drumKAT Turbo 2000 is an upgraded version of the drumKAT 3.8 (see Fig. 17). Turbo 2000 has a faster processor, more ROM, and enhanced software. The controller allows you to program and play melodies of 128 notes using Alternate 128. Soundpath lets you assign volume and panning trajectories to a sound. Auto Play puts the Alternate mode feature under internal or external clock control. The Link feature lets you link three pads together so that one pad controls two additional pads. The Turbo 2000 can send Program Changes, Most-Significant Bit (MSB) and Least-Significant Bit (LSB) Bank Changes, and continuous controller messages.

By comparison, the dk-10 has fewer features and is designed for musicians who want a simple and inexpensive controller. The dk-10 has one MIDI In and one MIDI Out jack, two trigger inputs, two footswitch inputs, and one external controller input. The controller offers four velocity curves, and you get one note per pad.

Similar to the dk-10 in features but more extensive in pad layout is the trapKAT 3.0. It has 24 pads, one MIDI In, two MIDI Outs, four footswitch inputs, one trigger input, and a breath-controller input. The playing surface includes ten thin pads that line the sides and top of the instrument. In the FactoryKits, the side pads can be used to trigger preset groove sequences. However, you can assign your own sounds to all 24 pads and to the two trigger-pedal inputs using the UserKit selection, for a total of 26 sounds.

Like the drumKATs, the trapKAT includes Alternate mode for playing user-defined note sequences, note layering of as many as four sounds, and Velocity switching. The trapKAT was designed to be compact and easy to use but to provide sounds equivalent to those of a well-stocked trap table.

Clavia

The ddrum4 Electronic Drum System ($3,595) from Clavia includes the ddrum4 sound module, five Cast Precision drum pads, two Cast Precision Cymbal pads, a Cast Precision Hi-hat trigger, cables, and a steel rack that holds everything but the hi-hat controller (see Fig. 18). The sound module is a 16-bit sample player that holds 8 MB of compressed samples, which the company says is equal to between 32 and 48 MB of uncompressed samples. Clavia reduces the size of the samples at a ratio of 8:1 using a proprietary compression scheme.

Additional sounds are loaded into the ddrum4 through MIDI SysEx. The samples can be in the ddrum format or MIDI Sample Dump Standard format. No memory expansion slots or storage cards are available for the ddrum4, which is unfortunate because Clavia's new Mega Drumkits multisamples require more storage space than other samples.

The ddrum4 module has six audio outputs, MIDI In and Out, and ten trigger inputs, four of which accept two-zone triggers. The module sends and receives MIDI, but in a limited fashion; it ignores System Common, System Realtime, Pitch Bend, and all but one (CC 4) Control Change message.

The Cast Precision — series drum pads have aluminum shells that use standard tunable tension lugs to hold down the drum heads. All the drums have eight strike zones, with a full Velocity range, for use with multisamples. Of the factory preset sounds, only the snare multisamples can take advantage of the eight strike zones. Clavia's Mega Drumkit sound sets contain multisamples that allow full use of all zones on the other drums.

Remarkably, ddrum4 owners have unlimited access to the Clavia sound library on its Web site. The free availability of complete online sound libraries is a major attraction to the ddrum4 system for many drummers.

Each of the ddrum4 trigger pads has an XLR output jack, except for the snare, which has two (one for the head and the other for the rim). The ddrum4 system includes enough XLR-to-¼-inch cables to hook all of your components up to the ddrum4 sound module.

The Cast Precision Cymbal and Hi-hat are both 10-inch multizone metal plates with rubber pads covering more than 75 percent of their surfaces. The rubber pads provide a nice rebound and are fairly quiet. The Cymbal and Hi-hat have three zones, which include the choke. You can play the bell zone by striking near the top of the padded area. To choke a cymbal, though, you must grab more of the cymbal pad than just the edge.

In addition to the pads, two types of triggers in the ddrum line feature transducers utilizing Clavia's patented Vectored Amplitude Measurements (VAM) technology. The Acoustic Triggers (five-piece kit $320; bass drum $75; snare $85; tom $65) clip on to standard drum hoops, and their own drum lug secures them in place. Acoustic Triggers are available for toms, kick drums, and snare drums. The Snare Trigger includes a second sensor that tracks rim shots. All the Acoustic Triggers have XLR jacks, so you will need a cable with a ¼-inch plug on the other end in order to interface with the ddrum4 sound module.

The Red Shot trigger (bass drum $35; snare and tom $27) uses the same sensor as the Acoustic Triggers, but is housed in a less-expensive clip. Also, the Red Shot snare sensor doesn't include the rim sensor. The Red Shot is attached to the drum by running one of the drum lugs through it before the lug goes through the rim into the lug casing. This makes it more difficult to add or remove the Red Shot, but once it's attached it's there to stay. These triggers have ¼-inch jacks.

Nearfield Multimedia

Although the Marimba Lumina ($2,995) resembles a mallet controller, its capabilities go far beyond traditional expectations (see Fig. 19). The Marimba Lumina is a GM compatible, multitimbral MIDI controller with 32-note polyphony and a built-in Yamaha DB51 XG synthesizer. The playing surface has 42 bars, 10 pads, and 2 strips. Programming functions are performed from the bars, pads, and strips. The Marimba Lumina has two audio outputs, a pedal input, two footswitch inputs, a trigger input, and MIDI In, Out, and Aux/Thru.

The traditional mallet player will find the Marimba Lumina challenging for several reasons. To begin with, it doesn't have raised pads. Instead, the bars, strips, and pads are printed on the controller surface. Furthermore, the Marimba Lumina requires special foam-covered mallets that are exceptionally lightweight and don't rebound off the instrument in the usual manner.

The Marimba Lumina ships with the four color-coded mallets, each containing tuned circuitry tracked by a radio antenna embedded in the bars, pads, and strips. The antennas identify and track the mallets, including their position on the controller surface. The mallets can be given independent functions. For example, each mallet can be assigned its own MIDI Channel and gestural properties. You can program the controller so that a particular mallet sustains a note when the mallet is held down on a bar, and you can assign vertical sliding motion on the bar to change filter settings. At the same time, another mallet can be programmed to play a different note for every downstroke and upstroke of the mallet.

Control options go beyond individual mallet choices. The vertical position of a mallet on the bar or the speed of the notes being played can be used to generate MIDI data. You can also specify key maps, pitch sequences, layers, and keyboard splits.

Nearfield also introduced the Marimba Lumina 2.5 ($1,995). It contains its larger sibling's features but has an octave fewer keys. However, it includes two extra hexagonal pads, for a total 12 pads. This lets you assign the pad set as an extra octave of notes.

The Marimba Lumina 2.5 comes with only two mallets but includes two small shuffleboard-style “pucks” that generate MIDI information as they are moved around the instrument. (The two other color-coded mallets used with the larger Marimba Lumina are available and work similarly with the Marimba Lumina 2.5.) A dedicated transposition control was also added.

Although you can use the Marimba Lumina as a conventional MIDI mallet controller, its strength lies in the wide variety of unusual control possibilities it presents. Most players will have to alter their technique to play the Marimba Lumina like an acoustic mallet instrument. To tap the controller's full potential, you will have to invest some time and effort into tailoring the Marimba Lumina to your needs. However, for the adventurous player, it'll be worth it.

Roland

Roland has trigger-to-MIDI sound modules and MIDI pad controllers that fit almost any budget. The drum pads range from rubberized, practice pad — style surfaces of the PD-5 and PD-7 to the drumlike realism of the V-pads. The multipad sound modules provide complete MIDI percussion instruments, with internal sounds and effects, in a compact package.

The most powerful module on the Roland roster is the TD-10 V-Drums Percussion Sound Module ($1,895). The TD-10 combines an instrument modeling sound module with a pro-level trigger-to-MIDI controller and sequencer. When combined with V-Pads, the TD-10 gives you a realistic drum kit with positional sensing capabilities on the ride and snare pads. It even tracks brush strokes when used with PD-100 and PD-120 pads.

The TD-10 uses Roland's proprietary Composite Object Sound Modeling (COSM) technology to physically model many of the drum sounds. Roland refers to this as Variable Drum Modeling. Not all of the sounds in the TD-10 are modeled; only the instruments with the V prefix, such as the V-Snares, V-Kicks, and V-Toms.

There are three main categories of modeling parameters on V-instruments. Instrument models the drum's various elements, Studio gives you control over the room and microphone variables, and Control Room covers mixer, effects, compressor, and equalizer settings.

The V-Snares offer the largest variety of editable parameters. For example, parameters in the Instrument portion of the V-Snares include the drum shell's depth and material, the type of drum head, head tension, snare strainer tension, and muffling characteristics. This set of parameters alone offers a staggering amount of variety.

The Studio portion of the V-Snares edit list gives you control over room quality (for example, locker room, theater, or cave), room size, wall material (such as plaster, wood, or glass), and ambience-mic location. The final V-Snares parameters are under Control Room. This section gives you control over the relative volume of the drum in the mix, stereo location, compression level, and effects such as reverb, delay, and chorus. By comparison, the PCM waveform sounds, such as cymbals and effects, let you adjust simple parameters such as pitch and decay.

The V-Session set ($6,295) is an electronic drum set package that combines the TD10 with V-series drum pads (with red shells) and the KD-120 large kick-drum pad (see Fig. 20). The V-Session set adds the TDW-1 Wave and System Expansion Board ($350) to the TD-10. The TDW-1 gives you 50 new drum kits, 360 additional sounds, and enhancements to the pad controllers with extra features such as cross-stick control on the PD-120 dual-trigger snare drum pad and three-way triggering capabilities for Roland's new CY-15R V-Cymbal Ride. Without the expansion board, the CY-15R has a two-trigger response.

The CY-15R includes two TRS outputs. When used with the TDW-1 expansion board, the TD-10 lets you assign each of the three cymbal sounds to the CY-15R. The other V-Cymbals, the CY-12H hi-hat and CY-14C crash cymbal, are two-way triggers. All the V-Cymbals let you choke off the sound by grabbing the edge of the pad.

The V-Cymbals are made of heavy rubber and shaped like real cymbals. The material and density feel more realistic than those of other cymbal pads on the market. Although there is an obvious difference between hitting a rubber disk and a metal disk, the way the V-Cymbals behave when struck mimics a real cymbal quite well. The bell of the CY-15R, in particular, has a nice feel.

The next system in the line is the V-Concert set ($4,995). The V-Concert Set comes with the TD-10, but without the TDW-1 expansion board. The shells of the V-Concert pads are purple.

Both drum-set systems include redesigned clamps and T-fittings that let you move the instruments without taking the entire support structure apart. The fittings use standard drum lugs to hold the hardware together, so a drum key can be used for most adjustments. The ribbed aluminum stands on the V-Session allow the new hardware to attach firmly. The V-Concert set comes with powder-coated steel stands that seem a bit more rugged and may withstand the wear of a tour better than the aluminum stands.

The TD-8 V-Drums Percussion Sound Module ($995) is also multitimbral, GM compatible, and offers many of the same features as the TD-10, such as COSM-modeled, V-editable drums. The sequencer includes over 700 sequenced patterns — more than the TD-10 — with backing tracks. In addition, the TD-8 has more nonpercussion instruments than the TD-10, including guitars, basses, and keyboards. However, the TD-8 has only four individual outputs, a shorter selection of V-editable instruments, and fewer editing options. The TD-8 includes five dual-zone and five single-zone trigger inputs, a hi-hat input, and a footswitch jack.

The V-Custom Set ($3,295) comes with the TD-8, five V-Series drum pads, two cymbal pads, a hi-hat pad, the FD-7 hi-hat controller, and the rack. The V-Studio Set ($2,595) combines the TD-8 with Roland's rubberized PD-series pads.

Roland's line of percussion controllers with internal sounds includes the SPD-20 ($895), the SPD-6 ($295), and the HPD-15 HandSonic controller ($1,295). The playing surface of the HPD-15 features a 15-segment pad, two ribbon controllers, and a D-Beam controller. This instrument is designed primarily for use with hands and soft mallets. Roland recommends against using sticks as they may damage the triggering surface.

The HPD-15 comes with 600 pad-controlled percussion sounds, 54 backing instruments, reverb, multi-effects, and a 4-track pattern sequencer. It offers 160 preset patches and 80 user patches, and it has jacks for a dual footswitch, an expression pedal, a dual trigger, and MIDI In and Out/Thru. (The Out/Thru is more like a MIDI Out/Merge.) Each pad and control surface can be assigned a MIDI note, and the ribbons and D-Beam can send continuous controller data. However, the MIDI information is sent on only one channel.

Roland tweaked the HPD-15 to appeal to hand-drummers. Many of the patches are programmed to respond like the real instruments. For example, you can dampen many instruments by touching the pad with your hand, just as you would the real hand drum.

The SPD-20 has eight Velocity-sensitive pads, an internal sound module, and a multi-effects processor. Besides MIDI In, Out, and Thru, the SPD-20 includes four dual-zone trigger inputs for use with Roland PD-, FD-, and KD-series pads or acoustic drum triggers. The controller can be played with sticks or hands, and there is a sensitivity-scaling option for both. Each pad on the SPD-20 can have its own MIDI channel, and you can layer two sounds per pad.

The newest percussion pad in the line is the SPD-6, a simplified controller with six velocity sensitive pads. The SPD-6 has MIDI Out, includes two pedal inputs, and can be powered by six AA batteries. It includes a sensitivity button for setting the instrument to respond to hands or sticks.

The SPD-6 comes with 113 sounds, 16 preset patches, and 16 user-definable patches, and you can layer two instruments per pad. The trade-off is that the SPD-6 doesn't have a numerical display and can send on only one MIDI channel at a time. But at its price point, the SPD-6 is perfect for musicians who need an inexpensive and basic MIDI percussion instrument.

Yamaha

Yamaha's top-of-the-line percussion module is the DTXtreme ($1,295). This multitimbral module has 64-note polyphony, is GM compatible, and comes with 1,757 sounds, 90 preset drum kits, and 40 user-definable drum kits. The built-in 2-track sequencer holds 164 preset Songs and 32 user-definable songs. The DTXtreme accepts a Smart Media Card that can hold additional sequences in Standard MIDI File (SMF) format or audio files in AIFF. An additional 99 drum kits can be stored on each card.

DTXtreme lets you stack six notes per pad. You can also assign a sequence of as many as nine notes per pad. Each time you strike a pad with an assigned sequence, the next note in the sequence plays. The module can even send nine Program Change messages at a time.

The top panel has tape machine — style transport buttons for controlling the sequencer and ten volume sliders, one for each percussion-instrument group (for example, one slider covers all cymbals), headphone, click, accompaniment and reverb send, and main output. Five rotary controls are included for dialing in parameter changes.

Rear-panel I/O includes inputs for eight dual-trigger and eight single-trigger pads. There are eight audio outputs (a stereo pair and six individual outputs), a footswitch input, and MIDI In, Out, and Thru jacks. The To Host port lets you connect the DTXtreme directly to the serial port of a Mac or PC. This allows the DTXtreme to exchange MIDI data with your computer while the MIDI jacks are used with other MIDI instruments. A stereo audio input is also included, so you can play along with your favorite recordings.

The DTXtreme gives you control over volume, tuning, effects, stereo position, layering, filter, and EQ settings for most of the samples. The snare drums include a modeling-style editing architecture, with parameters such as shell type, snare quality, muffling, and strainer tension.

The DTXtreme is available in a five-drum (DSXT10: $4,300) or six-drum setup (DSXT11; $4,600; see Fig. 21). The additional drum on the DSXT11