Conference napalm::commusic_v1

    You guys will be getting sick of me by now. The DDD1 I saw was probably
    the best spec low end drum machine I've seen to date.
    
    18 drum voices
    4 insert slots for for optional rom cards (extra 8 voices)
    10 songs 100 patterns
    Also available is a sampling board offering 3.2 sec sampletime.
    seperate Audio outs.
    
    Price in U.K. 800 pounds
    
    				Paul

    I forgot the most important bit. The pads on the machine are velocity
    sensitive so the patterns can contain dynamic voice info.
    
    					Paul

    More... I want more detailed information.
    
    Dennis

    If you can hang on a day I have some of the blurb at home I will
    bring it in tomorrow and type it in.
    
    
    				Paul

    I saw an ad for the DDD-1 on KEYBOARD ... anyone know about how
    much this thing is gonna cost?  Anyone HEARD it?!
    
                  -Jim @ FGVAXU::LAING

    I just saw and heard the DDD-1 - I like it!  As mentioned in previous
    NOTES, it does have velocity-sensitive pads; I  found their response
    to be easy to get used to; there are 18 sounds (2 snares, 2 kick,
    2 hi-hat, 3 toms, crash, ride, rimshot, tambourine, claps, cabasa,
    I can't remember the others).  Nice feature - you can assign any
    sound to any pad!  So, you could have 5 or 6 toms, all different
    pitch and/or decay, all at once!  Or 2 snares for easy rolls, etc.
     And you can have up to 6 'setups' consisting of groups of pad
    assignments.  
    Has anyone else heard/played the DDD-1?  I'm curious to hear other
    opinions.  Are there any other machines out there (under $1000)
    that have vel-sensitive pads?
    
                        -Jim

    Yeah, a TR707 (~ $500) and an Octapad (~ $350) gives you the much
    same functionality for $850.  Only problem is you can't real time
    program the 707 from the Octapad.  Also, the DDD-1 takes its samples
    from cute little memory cards (Korg proprietary, they should have
    used a standard 3.5" disk), while the 707's sounds are wired in.
    Also, the 707 is 3 year old technology, while the DDD-1 is current.

    Are pitches programmable on the DDD-1?

    len.
    

Re: .6

	Now that you mention it, the latest KEYBOARD has an add for the KAWAI
R-100 at $795 retail.  It has eight velocity-sensitive pads, 12-bit resolution,
32 kHz sampling, 24 instruments, pitch and panning on each note, eight outputs 
(don't know about stereo), synch to MIDI, tape or other sources, memory for
100 patterns and 100 songs (chainable), overdub capability, and saving via cart,
tape, or MIDI.  

    RE .7
    
    Yes, tuning of each drum is possible, on a scale of 0-127.  Also,
    the decay can be programmed as well.  Somewhere I read that you
    can set the cymbals to 'overdub ontop' of each other, rather than
    a new cymbal 'hit' interrupting and stopping the 'ring' of the last
    cymbal 'hit'.  There are also 'flam' and 'roll' bottons; the 'flam'
    does what you expect' I couldn't find out how the 'roll' button
    does its thing.  I think there is stereo and/or separable output
    control programmable for each drum pad.
    
                        -Jim
    P.S. What prices are you seeing out there for this machine??

    
    See note 441 for information about the Kawai.  Yes it is velocity,
    and is very nice.  It has 8 programable outputs plus a stereo pair.
    Wurlitzers has one. see 441.19.                                   
    
    
    Where did you see the DDD-1?  Are there any ad's in recent mags?
    How does it sound?
    

    I saw/heard the DDD-1 at Daddy's in Salem.  I was surprised when
    they wanted almost list price for it, though!  Although their pricing
    may be a controversial issue, I've obtained what I think are reasonable
    prices on things there before; usually well below list - I don't
    know why they wanted list price.   Maybe just because it's so new
    and in hot demand (as was the case with the DX-7 for quite a while?)
    
    Re .10
    
    Back wo my reply to .10 note - I liked the way it sounded.  What
    I didn't do is 'comparison listening' which I intend to do - I have
    a Drutrax (Sequential Circuits) which has sounds I like but very
    limited in teerms of pad assignment and of course only RECEIVES
    velocity info, doesn't generate it.  I want to side-by-side compare
    these two.
    
    The DDD-1 has 2 snares, one is 'reverb/gated' and does have a very
    powerful sound.  The other is more 'typical' snare but I don't think
    it was quite as good (at least by my memory) as my Drumtrax snare.
     The other sounds were very good - cymbals that were not too short,
    very real-sounding toms.  The pitch AND decay progammability added
    flexibility
    
    All in all, I like the unit, but refuse to pay list price for it!
    
                                     -Jim

>    The DDD-1 has 2 snares, one is 'reverb/gated' and does have a very
>    powerful sound.  The other is more 'typical' snare but I don't think

One of the snares is gated?  It seems dumb that a company would put a 
gated snare sample with fixed gate time on a drum machine.  This would
mean that the sound could only be used on music with a tempo corresponding
to the gate time...

Sounds like a gimmick.  I'm unimpressed.

Todd.

    Fills at the touch of a button have been a feature of drum-machines-
    for-the-brain-damaged for some time now.  They are starting to appear
    on what would otherwise be considered "sophisticated" machines;
    I'm not surprised, given the way most people use drum machines and
    the rampant ignorance about what drummers do and how they do it.
    After all, everybody knows there's "nothing" to rock drumming, and
    for jazz, you just hit everything randomly.  How else could people
    seriously offer for sale tapes of "hot" drum patterns for drum machine
    owners?
    
    len.
    

Yea, I guess I have seen somthing like that (made by Seil?).  Very
nice looking unit.  I think the color of the box matches the red Radio 
Shack electronic organ keyboards too.

Gets kindof confusing pushing the correct drum-fill button and the 
correct one-touch-chord button at the same time tho.  A real heads-up
situation.

I'm glad they're finally using assembly line techniques to create art.  All
the human intervention gets in the way of the true expressiveness of
the paint brush...

Todd.

    
    Boy you drummers are flaming, no?
    The problem is not with the technology, its how its used.
    If I produce 'good' (however we define it) drum tracks,
    and if you then care *what* was used to produce them,
    and if you put it down afterwards if its a machine,
    then you are in "musical snob" territory.

    The DDD-1 solves the old Fehskens flame about 
    single/multiple strikes. You choose. Then there
    is also a exclusive mode that works with 2 sounds
    like open and closed hi hat....you want one or
    the other; cant have both; dont want a retrigger.
    Get the idea?
    
    The thing looks complicated to use tho....still researching.
    ron
    
        

    You dare accuse me, Mr. Drum Machine, of snobbery regarding synthetic
    drum tracks?  Give me a break.  All I was saying was that very few
    people understand drumming well enough to program good drum tracks.
    Everything I've ever put on tape was synthetic!  I was berating
    peoples' ignorance of drumming, not drum machines as a source of
    sounds.
    
    And yes, the DDD-1 does take a step in the right direction regarding
    the problem (it's a flame to complain about the most serious deficiency
    of most drum machines?) of premature truncation.  But there's still
    a ways to go.
    
    len.
    

>    Boy you drummers are flaming, no?
no, chuckling.    

>The problem is not with the technology, its how its used.
We all know that technology drives music.  Lots of music (especially these
days) is influenced by the current technology.

Of course we all argue and flame about how synths and drum machines should
not be compared to acoustic instruments because they are different and 
should therefore be percieved as such.  Then we go home and curse at our 
blasted drum machines because the cymbals decay sooner than acoustic ones...

Todd the_Friday_connoisseur.
        

    got *nothin* better to do today than
    give me a hard time, guys?
    
    Ex-drummer, moi, remember? Well, no matter,
    I seem to agree with your latest points.
    
    I musta missed the jist for a femtosec...
    
    Given the 'perfect' drum machine (your definition),
    now where do we stand on technology? 
    
    Ive heard lots of less-than-perfect human(oid) drummers.
    Does that make them better? Ok, we'll program that trait
    into the machine? Get the idea? Now, whats the problem?
    
    Ron_ratamaque_flamadiddle_13_stroke_on_a_friday
    

    Well, I drove to Nashua to check out the DDD-1 Saturday at Daddy's.    
    
    I find the unit to be very versatile and interesting.  The fact
    that you can plug in Rom cards with new sounds is great, hope 
    they are reasonably priced though.  One thing I discovered is that
    you need a RAM card in order to sample; wonder why they made it
    plug in and cost extra, unless its got its own backup battery or
    something.  They should at least have given you one since its required.
    
    The case is a bit dull looking, and the plastic rom door is easily 
    broken, especially there on the front edge of the thing.  Also,
    the pads are more like buttons since they have to be pushed (it
    has > � inch travel) instead of tapped; I think the Roland and Kawai
    pads may allow quicker action.
                          
    The velocity feature is nice.  The toms sound great, as does the kick;
    the snares are pretty good and the cymbals are ok though I think the
    Roland 707 and 505 are the same or better, and the Kawai's cymbals are
    better than  them all.  All the sounds have adjustable pitch and decay 
    time: the cymbal sounded best at its lowest pitch and just long enough 
    at its longest decay setting.
    
    Does anyone know the Sampling Rate and bit format for the DDD-1?
                                         
    The user interface appears straight-forward at first; theres a matrix
    of selections and you have to select a row and column.  You have to
    select the column before the row, and the column buttons cause it to 
    default to the top row, so you always have at least 2 button presses.
    
    There's a data slider for varying parameters, thats a lot quicker
    than "up arrowing" as required on the kawai.
    
    One reason that sampling is appealing, is that I would like to have
    a programable bass line, and I'm sure I will think of some additional 
    things in the future. 
                                         
    $995 is a lot!  Wonder what Roland's entry will be at the January show.
    

I've analysed the data and decided that I will pass on this one.  There are 
too many faults for $1K in today's marketplace.  Roland and Yamaha are BOUND 
to have superior products (and cheaper too) planned for early 1987.

I happen to like the 1/4-inch pads, though.  At least, in comparison to the 
Kawai R100.  The action was MUCH faster, and you could FEEL the action better.


				Mark

    
    Well I've (quote .-1) analysed the data and bought one. Thanks must
    go to Mr Muse of Reading U.K. for releiving me of the "old" Tr505
    this machine actualy only took 4 months to be obsolete from my
    needs/wants point of view.
    
    As to the DDD-1, so far so good. The user interface isn't as good
    as the Roland but better than the Yamaha. The sound (subjectively
    of course) is great. The Crash is my favorite of current low cost
    drum machines. The ability to tune the samples during a pattern is
    superb. You can play some great tunes with a cowbell and a data
    slider. As to one of the earlier comments .10 I think about using
    a gated snare. you can of course alter the gate time of the snare
    to fit the pattern and even alter it up and down within a pattern
    should you want to.
    
    Yuo can program the machine patterns over midi and also program
    the tuning of the samples over midi so when the sampling unit comes
    along I should be able to experiment with some N-n-n nice orchestral
    stabs (cliche's rule). All in all I'me reasonably impressed (after
    1 weekend) next thing will be an Octapad and a set of sticks.
    
    					Paul. 

    re: Daddy's and list rprice...I was in the Portsmouth store last
    week and they wanted $519 for an MSQ-100, I told the salesman that
    they had remaindered them and the price was very low ~$180 and he
    said "There are almost none left anywhere and we'll get this price"
                            
    
    Piss on daddy's
    
    dave

    re: .22--Why ``Piss on daddy's''?  That's the law of supply and
    demand.  If they were available elsewhere for $180 I'm sure
    Daddy's price would be similar.
        John Sauter

    Daddy's got them at a substantial discount, a newer model for about
    the same price offers increased functionality. This is an end of
    life product. There are still some available elsewhere for ~$180.
     
    Finally, I have never had a satisfactory experience in Daddy's in
    Portsmouth. Their prices are too high and unless the salesman knows
    you you cannot get a "deal" from them. It's always take it or leave
    it. They are a profiteering obnoxious outfit. 
    
    dave

    
    re .21
    
    Paul, congradulations on your purchase of the DDD-1.  A question
    or two, now that you've had time to play with it: 
    
    Can you pan the instruments in the stereo field?  Can you program the
    panning, so that you can say: vary the pitch of a tom, and vary its 
    apparent position in the panorama, so it sounds like you have a large 
    set of toms?
    
    Also, how does one program a song or sequence?
    
    Fredric
    
    

    
    Re.-1 
    
    Well after a whole week with this thing I've not regretted spending
    the bucks so far. It will be interesting to see how the sampling
    works out when it arrives.
    
    As far as panning and programming. You should perhaps think of the
    inbuilt sounds as a pallette of  samples available for use to the
    whole machine. You can assign any sample to any pad i.e. pads 1
    to 8 could be the same tom retuned or with a changed decay envolope
    and spread (7 assignments L3,L3,L1,C,R1,R2,R3) across the stereo
    field. This, as you would aprreciate, can produce quite a big sounding
    kit. You can also assign the instruments to any one of the 6 seperate
    outs for completely seperate panning and EQ. There are 16 pads vailable
    and the machine is delivered with 20 inbuilt samples. 
    
    You can also buy add on Rom cards each with about 6 samples on and
    up to 4 of these may be added to the "pallete" at any one time.
    I was given the "Electronic" ROM with the machine. I chose this
    because I always fancied an SDS 8 at home to play with and it sounds
    just the same.
       
    The one other option on the DDD which is not well publicised is
    the "Audio in" socket trigerring of an assigned voice. This allows
    you to play one of the pads from a remote Drum pad. I bought a cheap
    Simmons pad from my supplier and can now play hi-hat, or whatever,
    phrases (velocity sensitive) straight into the patterns with sticks.
    All I need now is the technique to go with the facility.
    
    As to programming songs. My original statement about the user interface
    being poor was a little unfair. It just isn't very well documented.
    Because it talks about patterns I assumed that it meant the same
    as waht Yamaha mean by patterns i.e. 1 Bar.
    
    In fact a pattern can be any number of bars long, up to 99 and a
    song is made up of a number of patterns. You can assign a different
    kit "one of 6" for each song, and you can even program in Ritts
    or is it Ralls? and have a tempo stored with each song. The other
    good feature which you couldnt get on either the RX21 ot TR505 was
    the ability to program nested repeats. E.G. pattern 00 times 4,
    pattern 01 times 4. repeat the whole thing 20 times. You can see
    how sophisticated my drumming is.
    
    				Any More ?
    
    					Paul.
                                                       
    
    
    

My feeling on the DDD-1 is that there aren't that many combinations that will 
sound "good" (as with the Roland TR-909), and thus the tuning ability isn't 
that big a deal.  Not to mention a few other features.

I will hold onto my Yamaha RX11 for now.  After January NAMM, who knows, but 
there will be more changes and the RX11 isn't that old so I don't think it 
makes much sense for anyone owning that unit or the newer Rolands to "upgrade" 
this soon.

Me, if I have any money left after my hi-fi upgrade, I'm thinking a good MIDI 
controller is a better investment.  Drum machines will eventually disappear 
anyway, as their function becomes integrated into keyboards, 
sequencers/computers/digital recorders and samplers.


				Mark

    re .26
    I took another look at this thing this weekend; the more I see it,
    the more I like it, except for the price.  By the way, the price
    at Wurlitzers was $895.  The rom cards are about $90.
    
    The capability to use an external pad is a nice one, I thought that
    an octapad was the only option.  How much did your pad cost?
    
    The visual interface a la the roland 707 is very helpful for us non-
    drummer types; how do you deal with the lack of visual feedback of
    what is in a sequence?  (or is there something I'm missing?)
    
    re. 27 (-1)
    I thought about that too, a sampler and a sequencer might replace
    the drum machine, but I haven't heard one with good cymbal sounds yet.
    Also, the drum machine is dedicated to drums and has features that
    make things easier. 
    
    Fredric
                                                            
    

I think that .27 was saying that as memory gets cheaper over time,
Samplers will have enough capacity to handle good cymbal samples, and
any other samples for that matter, thus in the future drum machines will
become extinct.  I agree 100%...

Todd.

    re .29 - I don't think drum machines will become extinct, I think
    they will all become sample based.  The reason is you play and program
    a drum machine differently than you do a keyboard, as any drummer
    who has used a sampling keyboard to produce drum sounds will testify
    to.  Most sequencers are poorly suited for programming drum parts
    (the MC500's rhythm track is a notable exception, and even it's
    got its problems), so most drum machines provide their own sequencing
    capabilities.
    
    So, just what are the differences?
    
    1) Percussive sounds like drums and cymbals each correspond to a
       patch, so what you need is ready access to a wide variety of
       patches, with only one (or at most a handful of) pitch(es) for
       each patch, rather than a handful of patches with several octaves
       worth of pitches per patch.
    
    2) The manipulative requirements for drum samples are different
       than for sustaining instruments.  There is no sustain portion;
       it's all attack and decay.  There's no need for looping in a
       sample.  There are different (specifically velocity dependent)
       pitch modulation requirements.
    
    3) The voice module assignment strategies for drums are different.
       Drums do not "retrigger" their envelopes when struck, but neither
       do they simply continue the envelope from where it was.  Successive
       notes on the same drum need to be assigned their own voice modules
       until they've decayed into the noise, at which point the voice
       module can be reassigned.  Also, certain combinations of voices
       must be able to truncate one another - e.g., closed hihat truncates
       open hihat, a cymbal choke truncates a crash.  I suppose you
       could do this with note off.  The new Korg SDD-1 makes some progress
       in this area.
    
    4) Drum parts are not sequenced as notes, but as strikes on successive
       instruments.  Also, given the repetitive nature of much drumming,
       the notion of patterns is particularly applicable.  Compare the
       sequencing functionality of just about any drum machine to that
       of just about any sequencer and you'll see what I mean.
    
    len.
    

    Len, how does the MC-500 rhythm track differ from any other on 
    a multitrack sequencer?
    
    Edd

    It's set up like a drum machine.  Each bar is assigned a pattern
    number.  You program the track in R-TRK mode (different from REAL-1..4
    and STEP-1..4).  You program the patterns in R-PTN mode;  you select
    the pattern number (1-99), assign a time signature, then select from
    32 percussion instruments; for each instrument, you select a resolution
    (e.g., 64ths, 8th triplets, etc.) then assign a velocity value (0-8)
    in each slot (like step time programming).  You then go on to the
    next instrument until the pattern's done.  Then you go on to the
    next pattern.  You can reassign the drum voice assignments, giving
    them a three character mnemonic and MIDI note number, and reassign
    the drum velocity assignments (i.e., exactly what MIDI velocity
    the numbers 1-8 correspond to) and the MIDI channel for all drum
    voices (really should be channel per voice, maybe next rev) using
    the FUNCTION mode.  Once these assignments are set up you select
    voices by name and don't have to remember note numbers or make sure
    the keyboard's set to the right channel.  You don't even use the
    keyboard; you do everything from the MC500 user interface.  Not
    quite as convenient as the TR707/727 programming interface (you
    can only see one part at a time, and changing part/voice requires
    an extra button push), but a whole lot easier than doing it based
    on note numbers.
    
    len.
    

    What Len, you can program a box?  Big Deal ;^)
    
    Dave

    How much pattern/song memory is in the DDD-1?  That is, I know that
    it holds 10 songs, and up to 99 patterns that are each 1-x measures
    long.  But how many 'note-on/note-off's or 'events' can be stored?
    
    I have a Drumtrax (Sequential) which has 99 songs, 99 patterns,
    but with most of the 99 patterns full of 1 and 2-bar sequences,
    and about 10-12 songs, I'm almost out of memory.  I guess what I'm
    asking is, "Does the DDD-1 have a LOT of RAM?!"
    
     -----------Jim--------------

    
    re.28
    
    You are right there is no visual representation of a pattern which
    must be a drawback if you are used to step time programming on a
    tr707 or 505. In fact the step recording process was so poorly
    explained in the manual, I haven't tried it yet. On thinking about
    it I guess a visual representation of the pattern must be useful
    in real time mode as well. The pad was a demo model the guy had
    lying round the shop so it only cost me buttons (15 pounds I think).
              
    re. 34
    
    From the manual 
    
    "memory 100 patterns (00-99)Max. Note Number (I think this is what
    you are wanting) 4400. 10 songs. Part number 255?."
    
    The whole manual is very poor !
                                                      
    re. 27
    
    I can't see much of a limitation, other than your imagination, on
    the number or type of combinations that you can have with this machine.
    It seems to me, and I guess I may be biased having spent the money,
    that with sampling, 50 different types of sample ROMS available
    that there must be some reasonable sounding combinations in there.
    And in fact (subjectively of course) I think I have found one or
    two already. Also with the dynamics of the pads Hihat patterns sound
    like real hihat patterns.
    
    As to the tuning. The ability to change the tuning of an instrument
    within a pattern is great fun and quite creative as well. Especially
    for latin type sounds like cowbells and congas (is a cowbell latin?).
    You can put in a fairly complex cowbell rhythm into a pattern, then
    tune it with the slider and it sounds like a Mexican with the hots
    (no offense to any Mexicans intended). and twenty five cowbells.
    Good Stuff !
      
               			Paul.

    The DDD-1 just got a rave review in the latest Music Sound Output.
    Their only complaint was that the sounds weren't that great (!!!)
    but they figured that wasn't an issue 'cause you could use it to
    control a sampler where you'd put really good sounds.
    
    len.
    

    
    Correct me if I am wrong guys but I think the sounds in this machine
    are O.K. I have upgraded from the 505 which also had sounds that
    were O.K. but different. 
    
    Neither machine sounds bad ! to me. Could somebody give me an example
    of a "bad sounding" drum machine. Besides the obvious cheapos. And
    even some of these sound good. Has anybody seen the new Boss machines
    I think they are ddr110 and 220 one accoustic sounds the other electronic
    both these would sound tremendous in the right environment. They
    are just not quite as flexible as some of the bigger machines. And
    I still love the sound of the old 606 (is that the one that Marvin
    used on Sexual Healing or wat it the 808?). I am hoping that one 
    of the DDD roms will have TR606/808 type electronic sounds.
                                       
    
    				Paul.
    

    ..It was the 808.. but if you feel like that, I'll WILLINGLY part
    with my TR606 that I'm trying to sell without too much success...
    
    
    Andrew
    

    
    If it was the 808 then it's the 808 I want. 
    
    How would I sync it from my DDD, and don't you like the sounds either ?
    
                                    Paul.

    Having never heard a DDD-1, I'm not prepared to pass judgement on
    its sounds.  I was just reporting what the review in MSO said.
    
    len.
    

    
    Sorry. That wasn't intended as a "why don't you". It's just that
    I have real difficulty in understanding what a "good sound" and a
    "bad sound" is. There may be sounds you don't like but I don't
    understand the other sorts. 
    
    And as I said most of the drum machines, and drummers for that matter
    I like the sounds of.
    
    				Paul.

    
    Well, in a fit of uncontrolled spending, I bought a DDD-1 this weekend.
    
    I'm even more impressed by it now that I have one.... but:
    
    One thing I do is alot of sequencing from a computer (a PC/AT).
    I thought I'd be able to program patterns into the DDD-1, and be
    able to send (via MIDI) commands to switch patterns, fills, etc.
    
    That way the DDD-1 would do its own sequencing, relying on the PC
    for the midi clock.  I've tried using program change, song select,
    and the position pointer to get it to switch patterns (while running)
    but nothing has worked yet (it is apparently feasible, since you
    can key in new pattern numbers to switch to while in RUN mode and
    it switches over at the end of the current pattern.  I just want
    to do that from software instead of the keypad.)
   
    
    Anybody have any thoughts/ideas/etc?

    /Mitch.
    

    ... doesn't sound unusual to me.
    
    The RX21 behaves just like that. While it will respond to data coming
    over the buss (if appropriate software switch is set), you cannot
    program patterns over MIDI.
    
    The ability to respond to either the internal sequencer or an external
    one (via the buss) is mutually exclusive.
    
    Edd

    I really don't need to PROGRAM new sequences, just switch them while
    the DDD-1's internal sequencer is running.  I think my ESQ-1 can
    do this -- I remember vaguely reading about how you can use song
    select to choose sequences as well as songs... anyways, even if
    that didn't work I could use the 'virtual keypad' function and push
    the right buttons...
    
    Oh, well... it would have been nifty to be able to switch patterns
    like that...
    
    On a different DDD-1 topic -- I do not have any of the ROM cartridges
    that go with the DDD-1 -- does anyone have cartridges?
    
    /Mitch.
    

    I'm a bit confused now...
    
    Do you want to be able to change patterns in a pseudo-random fashion...
    
             "Let's see, I'll try pattern X now. Noooo, maybe Y..."
    
    ... or do you just want to change to a predetermined pattern at
    a predetermined point in the song?
    
    Edd

    I want the second one.
    
    I have a program that I can key scores into (a "music compiler").
    I'd like to insert "pattern" changes at various points in the sequence,
    much like doing program changes when I want different instruments.
    
    Well..... that's the thing I can't figure out.  Guess I'll have
    to either teach the music compiler about drum patterns or program
    the patterns into a SONG on the DDD-1 (I've been doing the latter;
    it's tedious, and if I change the original score I've got to go
    back and fix the DDD-1 program to reflect changes...)
    Then again, there's always the DDD-1's sysex dump.  It's not
    documented, but it might not be too hard either...
    
    /Mitch.
    

    
    I just picked up a DDD-1 for $699 out the door (before tax) including
    the sampling board... (Guitar Center, Santa Ana, CA)  ...I DID hear
    rumblings that the model is being discontinued and rereleased with
    upgraded capabilities soon... but this deal seemed great and the unit
    is of superb quality for this price range..  [has anyone
    any additional info on the new model to replace it?]
    
    ...does this sound like a pretty good global price?  (I recently was
    almost-burned BAD on a Caso RZ-1!)  I think I did prety good, judging
    from current LOCAL advertisments..
    
    Mitch, what price did you end up with?  Did you also purchase the
    sampling board?  How do you obtain documentation on the DDD-1 system
    exclusive dump format?  (ideas?)  What region are you in?
    
    How do you enable an external clock pulse on the DDD-1 (outbound
    to other equipment, that is)? 
    
    If anyone out there is writing any custom stuff for the DDD-1 keep
    us posted.. I am writing a master-sequencing environment for the Amiga
    ( > SoundScape ) using this as my dm during my initial design
    (syncing tracks on the external clock, etc...) phase.  While I am
    keeping everything general case, it never hurts to hear info on
    specifics of this unit.  I eventually will write a plug-in module
    (into my s/w) which will support the DDD-1 system-exclusive stuff
    anyway, so this would be very usefull.
    
    We should develop a standard "COMMUSIC" technical-spec format to
    describe a piece of equipment, then deligate one note for each unique
    piece of equipment of general interest that is dedicated to obtaining
    the information for this "technical-spec" on the equipment, and
    then finally post the final finished technical-spec (summary) in
    the note on that product...  sort of like a quick-summary sheet
    on any given product for "reference" type use...  ok, enough soapbox for
    now...
          
  
    Thanx for the pricing and tech info..
      
         //
    TOM //
     \\//
      \/ 

    $699?!  Wow, you got a good deal (compared to what I paid, anyways)..
    and you got the sampler too...  Oh, well... I paid $850 here, but
    I got a free sound cartridge... (I looked around a bit.. guess I didn't
    look hard enough!)
    
    I don't know the format of the system exclusive, nor do I know if
    they'll tell you anything.  I was thinking about figuring it out
    -- it might not be TOO terrible (then again...)  Korg products seem
    to have easy to understand system exclusives -- at least the
    DW-xxxx synths do...
    
    /Mitch.