Yamaha DTXtreme III Review

Apr 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Brad Schlueter

           
 

A NEW LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE IN ELECTRONIC DRUM KITS

These individual outputs are assignable, allowing you to process individual instruments externally. The stereo analog input is on a single -inch TRS jack. One USB 1.1 port connects to a computer and one connects to a memory stick or hard drive. The hi-hat control input can be used to transmit MIDI messages using the hi-hat controller. The DTXtreme III’s sound module has a nice complement of I/O, including stereo main outputs, a digital S/PDIF output, MIDI ports, and other features.

There are 50 factory kits and 50 user kits onboard, but this can be expanded with a USB flash drive, allowing you to create hundreds more kits. The factory kits include Rock, Jazz, Latin, R&B, Orchestral, World, Brush, and Electronic categories, as well as samples of Yamaha's Maple Custom, Oak Custom, Birch Custom, and Beech Custom drum kits (see Web Clips 3, 4, 5, 6, and 7). These latter kits use multiple samples per drum rather than just one tom sample that has been detuned to simulate smaller or larger toms. These were some of my favorite kits in the DTXtreme III because they offer a great deal of realism.

The DTXtreme III includes a variety of songs to play along with, and you can vary their tempo or mute the drum, bass, or accompaniment parts. The sound module provides elaborate click-track features with tap tempo and various click sounds. It also has some modes that help you improve your playing, such as Groove Check and Rhythm Gate, which allows your notes to sound only when they are close to the click.

It's a Hit

For any drum module to be considered truly professional these days, it must be able to sample or load user sounds. The DTXtreme III's does that, as well as offering tons of great sounds.

The improved pads, heavy-duty rack, and many innovative features make the DTXtreme III as good as any electronic drum set I've played. This is the finest electronic kit yet from Yamaha.

Brad Schlueter is a professional drummer, music teacher, and freelance writer. He is also a recovering Scottish snare drummer taking it one day at a time.

Xtreme Connections

FIG. 3: To load your own sounds or use the sampling capabilities of the DTXtreme III, you’ll need to purchase and install memory chips in the sound module. In this photo, you can see where the DIMM slots are located.

You can see that the Yamaha DTXtreme III is designed for professional drummers and studios by looking at the connectivity provided on the sound module. Besides the stereo output pair, six assignable ¼-inch outputs are included, as well as a S/PDIF digital stereo output on a coaxial jack. Aux In/Sampling In allows you to feed a stereo analog signal into the unit with a TRS cable. Along with MIDI I/O ports, there are two USB 1.1 ports, one each for a host (connecting to a computer) and a device (a memory stick or hard drive).

The module offers trigger inputs for a basic 6-piece kit (snare, kick, and four toms), with three cymbal inputs, a hi-hat input, and four additional trigger inputs that can handle 2- and 3-zone triggers. The hi-hat control input on the left can be used to transmit Control Change and other MIDI messages using the hi-hat controller.