Conference napalm::commusic_v1

    Does EM mention whether or not it has velocity? How about assignable
    channels and note values? This sounds almost too good to be true.
    
    						John.

    I'm hoping these show up at Lechmere or the equivalent sometime
    soon, but I don't understand about this MIDI-out business.  I actually
    believe that this isn't stupidity in the ad since some of the other
    Y-word "home" products have MIDI-out only.  So pointless.  Why should
    I care if it has MIDI at all if I can't use the sounds from whatever
    I'm storing the MIDI data in?
    
    It's about 1/6 the price of an octapad, but it has only 4 pads,
    so it's about one third the price of an octapad...  
    
    	Eirikur the budget-conscious
    

    Re: Pads with MIDI-out only...
    
        What would they do if they *did* have a MIDI in???
    
    Edd

    Doesn't the MIDI-in on the Octapad serve no uesful purpose, short
    of allowing you to chain Octapads together??  Sounds pretty good
    to me. MIDI out is fine, since I have a drum machine to work with,
    and I've only borrowed an Octapad to load data. $99.00 sounds pretty
    good to me (I can always fix things in the sequence if things are
    slightly off).
    							Jens

	It sounds like the implication of no MIDI IN refers to the pad having 
sounds of its own to access via other controller (sequencer, keyboard...).

	Am I right?

	Dan

    > ....how flexible, who knows,
    > probably not very....
      
    If it's like the Synsonics, the whole arrangement is probably TOO
    flexible.  It'll give out under a half hour of neanderthal ritual.
    
    I still like Todd's ``pad'' (it feels like a solid chunk of wood).
    
    Steph

    re .5:  Yes, this thing has sounds in the box.  The "positioning"
    of this thing as a home unit suggests that it will mostly be used
    on its own.  I don't understand that really, most toy keyboards
    and the new toy guitar-synths all have rhythm machines.  I suppose
    this lets drummers get in on the act.
    
    I find the idea of a cheap percussion controller with sounds to
    be appealing.  Not having access to the sounds via MIDI means that
    it isn't really a good fit into any MIDI scheme that I know of unless
    you expect to have a seperate sound generator tied up doing percussion.
    I don't have anything that does perscussion sounds at the moment...
    
    	Eirikur
    
     
    

    Yes, the OCTApad MIDI in is only useful for chaining two OCTApads.
    It might have been used as a way to load state (the OCTApad stores
    a lot of data reflecting its configuration) via SysEx (e.g., pad
    to note number assignments, channel numbers, dynamics curves, etc.).
    Note also that the OCTApad will also take 6 external pads of any
    type and store the same information about them, as well as providing
    pad-to-MIDI function for them.  SO it's really a 14 pad controller,
    if you've got 6 generic pads laying around.
    
    len.
    

    
    re: len .-1
    
      I dunno. The MIDI in does accept MIDI in, it just seems to merge
    channels.
    
      As for the pad inputs: We tried a fairly crude experiment at the
    studio. Took a normally open footpedal (ensoniq variety), a couple
    of �" connectors and a AA battery, and voil�! Instant kick drum
    pedal. A bit bouncy, but I can fix that by building a one-shot circuit
    for it (and going to a real logic voltage level too). Of course,
    you don't get sensitivity but kicks generally don't have much of
    that, and besides, I'm recording to a sequencer that can edit that
    sort of stuff. cost is about 15 bucks for _everything_...
    
     Yes, the Octapad is really a decatesserapad.
    
    /pjh

>    If it's like the Synsonics, the whole arrangement is probably TOO
>    flexible.  It'll give out under a half hour of neanderthal ritual.
I second that.  I've seen a whole lot of broken Synsonics.  Cheep.  
Of course a broken Synsonics unit is still better than a lost one,
right Dan?
    
>    I still like Todd's ``pad'' (it feels like a solid chunk of wood).
There are lots of drummers who would argue that, Steph.  Many drummers
complain that electronic drum pads are hard on the wrist.  I tend to agree,
but then again, so are wood blocks.  The trick to Electronic drum pads is
to play them with bigger sticks.  They tend to absorb the shock and
keep those knuckles from getting bruised.

ALERT!  Given that the Yamaha unit comes with sticks, I wonder whether they
are those cheezy plastic/aluminum things with the built in sensors (wires 
sticking out of them that plug into the box, like some of the Casio boxes 
have).  CAUTION!  You want to be able to adjust the sensitivity of each
pad.  LOOK OUT!  Can you adjust those MIDI channels or note numbers?

Todd.

    
    Re: .0
    
    News on the USENET that these machines have started to arrive in
    stores, mainly *department* stores (Sears, Toys'R'Us, etc.) with
    Sears charging full list and Service Merchandise offering some
    discount.

    

    Well, after reading .11 I went out yesterday and bought one of these
    suckers.  $79.95 at Service Merchandise.  
    
    The PCM sounds aren't bad, at least compared to a sysnsonics.  We're
    all HR-16 spoiled, but for a cheapo kit, it really isn't bad.  I
    got a neat effect by using the DD-5 (that's the name of it) bass
    drum layered over my HR-16 gated bass.  The handclaps are very good,
    at least better than the HR.
    
    The unit is sturdily built.  You can actually bang on the thing
    without fear of knocking a button off.  It has the Y-word logo on
    the back for all your groupies to see, and the MIDI out and line
    out and adapter jacks are all on the right side, not the back.
    The preset rhythms are kinda bland and vapid, but that isn't why
    I bought the thing.  I bought it for a MIDI drum controller.
    
    The sticks included are a joke.  Ultra light.  Blecch.  I got out
    my pro-marks, and I found out that a small bead seems to help me
    have a greater control of dynamics.  
    
    MIDI implentation is slim, but not too bad.  Pads can be assigned
    (in non-volatile memory) note numbers, and the whole unit is assigned
    either 1 channel or omni.  You can't, fer instance, assign one pad
    to one channel, and another pad to another one.  THe brochure states
    that there are 15 (or is it 16) velocities transmitted.  Only thing,
    the pads have to be struck fairly hard to get any response.
    
    The pads are about 3 1/2" around, with the top 2 at about a 10 degree
    slant to the bottom two.  Isolation is very good.  My major gripe
    is that the sensitivity cannot be adjusted.  You have to thwack
    the sucker pretty good to get a sound out of it.
    
    I plugged into the HR, and started going right away.  I was definitely
    please, especially considering I almost threw down $500 Sunday for
    an octapad.
    
    All MIDI drum controllers I have used show me glaring flaws in both
    1) their sensitivity to piano or pianissimo attacks, and 2) my
    consistency in striking the pads.  I still can't get the sfz sound
    I want, but that is limited by the technology, I guess. 
    
    As far as human-sounding fills on the HR, this unit does just about
    what I want.
    
    And for $85 including tax, and Service merchandise's 30-day refund
    policy, I figure I have another 29 days to determine if this will
    satisfy my requirements.  I think it will.
    
    Ashley

    Is this machine is available in U.K. yet ??
    
    I'm very interested ....

    
    
    Yes !
    
    
    					Paul.

    I was not overwhelmed after spending a day with the DD5, but now
    I've spent over a week, and I'm thrilled.  I may buy another, so
    I can have 8 pads.
    
    This is a different instrument, and must be 'learned' to be played
    properly and consistently.
    
    What I do now, is have percussion pads 1-4 on the HR-16 assigned
    to the corresponding MIDI numbers on the DD5.  You can't really
    have different 'kits' like the octapad, but for the most part I
    can get around that by setting everything up in the HR.
    
    I'm sold!  And this is my first Y-word equipment....arrrgghh.
    
    Ashley in smogland	

    Anyone know if these are available in Toronto? I dont like to buy
    what I can build unless they're cheap enough and these certainly
    are cheap! It'll also save me many evenings slaving over a hot
    soldering iron!
    Ken.
    

    Can anyone who's got one of these confirm it's got no MIDI in? I
    was getting really excited about this product as a super-cheap source
    of drum sounds to drive from a sequencer until I read the first
    few notes in this topic.
    
    Alex

	Can we get a list of the internal drum sounds?

	DAN

    I got one. *NO* midi in, and, IMO, ya' wouldn't want one.  To my
    ears, the drum sounds aren't much different from the ones on my
    kid's Casio toy keyboard, but I should listen to it through an external
    amp/speaker before I pass final judgement.  But the built-in rhythms
    aren't bad, as built-in rhythms go.  I copped a couple of 'em.
    
    I got it as a cheap drum controller, and it's not bad for that.
    It has two levels of velocity sensitivity, but with my [lack of]
    touch, I have a hard time telling the difference.  I usually end up 
    editing the velocity in the sequencer, anyway. 
    
    Be aware that it only transmits  twelve notes ("Universal Notes" or 
    something like that- I'd never heard that term before, can someone
    expound?), so I had to create a kit on my HR-16 that matched the
    notes on the DD-5. No big deal. Any/all of the pads can be assigned 
    to any of those notes.
 
    But I can now do fills that sound at least vaguely realistic, flams
    and all. If I remember, I'll bring in the manual on Monday to list the 
    sounds and give a full review.  I'll even listen to it through a real 
    speaker. :-).
    
    Rodney M.

    Yamaha DD-5 Digital Drums - Specifications
    
    Percussion Pads 
    	4 pads
    
    Auto Rhythm Patterns
    	8 Beat 1,2
    	16 Beat 1,2
    	Rock'n'Roll
    	Heavy Metal
    	Slow Rock
    	Swing
    	Ballad
    	Shuffle
    	Pops 1,2
    	Disco 1,2
    	Hard Rock
    	Reggae
    	Salsa
    	Cha-Cha-Cha
    	Afro
    	Country
    	Dixie
    	March/Polka
    	Tango
    	Ondo (???)
    	6/8 March
    	Waltz
    	Jazz Waltz
    
    Instrument Voices
    	Bass Drum
    	Snare Drum
    	Tom 1,2,3
    	Ride Cymbal
    	Conga
    	Hi-Hat Open
    	Hi-Hat Closed
    	Rim Shot
    	Cowbell
    	Hand Claps
    	Conga Low (Auto Rhythm Only)
    
    Controls and Indicators
    	Power Switch, Volume, Tempo, Start/Stop, Intro/Fill In, Pad
    	Assign,Power/Tempo LED Indicator, Rhythm Selectors
    
    Other Functions
    	Auto Rhythm Demonstration, Touch-Level Sensitive Pads, Midi
    	Capability.
    
    Auxiliary Jacks
    	DC 9-12 V IN, Phones/Aux Out, MIDI Out
    
    Main Amp
    	2.0 W(RMS)
    
    Speaker
    	10 cm, 6 ohms
    
    Dimensions
    	380mm (15") x 272mm (10 3/4") x 81mm (3 1/8")
    
    Weight 2.4 kg (5.3 lbs) excluding batteries (6 C cells)
    
    Original Accessory
    	Percussion Sticks
    

RE .20

	Thanks.

    
    BTW,
    
    When they say Percussion Sticks...they don't mean drumsticks.
    These things are like itty-bitty timbale sticks with acorn beads.
    
    Bleccch
    
    I use my 2S Dean Markleys, and they work just fine.
    
    
    Ashley

    re .23
    
    I'm no drummer, but they look and feel like drumsticks to me.  I
    use 'em and they work fine.  They *are* light, but they seemed
    to be 'regular' length.
    
    But like I said, I'm nobody's drummer...
    
    Rodney M.

    Just picked one of these up to use with my RX7. Contrary to something
    said in an earlier note it will transmit any note number. Use the
    pad select button and the vol up button then tap any pad. After
    this you can hold the pad select (I think thats the right name for
    it) and every tap on a pad will increment that pads note number.
    Unfortunately it forgets these setups when you power off.
    I'm writing some software for my spare Apple II to use as a through
    box that will allow to remember several patches and allow each pad
    a different midi channel. Using the game inputs I hope to add a
    base drum and hi hat switch and a switch that will allow you to
    flip to a new setup (eg 4 toms).
    If anyone will be interested in this let me know and we can work
    out how to get it to you when its debugged.
    Ken
    

    My last note send the s/w is being worked on. Its now complete and
    does this:
    	-Runs on an Apple II+ with a passport type interface and connects
    between the DD-5 and your drum machine(in my case an RX7)
    	-Gives an onscreen display of six pads, 4 from the DD-5 and
    two footswitches which are connected to the Apple game port. Shows
    percussion name, channel and note number.
    	-Allows ten patches each could have six different voices and
    channels.
    	-Each patch can have an alternate patch which is instantaneously
    selected when a third footswitch also connected to the game port
    is pressed. This allows a quick change to another set-up such as
    Toms etc.
    
    It should be easily customisable to any drum machine by modifying
    three sets of variables in the basic portion of the program.
    
    Sure it ties up an Apple while youre using it, but it turns the
    DD5 into a real usable tool for home recording.
    
    If anyone is interested leave note or call me on DTN 637 3499, if
    necessary I could help with the conversion.
    
    Ken.
    

    
    Possible ridiculous question:
    
    If the DD-5 has MIDI OUT only, does it pass clocking information out
    the port?
    
    That is, to slave my sequencer to the preset rhythms I would
    need both the MIDI clock and the start/stop message.  

    The DD-5 has *no* clock/synch capabality.  You cannot sync the internal
    rythms to an external synch, nor are the internal patterns echoed
    at the midi out.
    
    It's essentially a controller that sends note info (velocity & NOTE
    ON only) generated from the four pads out the midi port, with a little 
    drum box built in.  But whaddya expect for 80 bucks?  :-)
    
    Rodney M.    

    
    	Well, for 80 bucks, I decided to upgrade my percusion from
    handclaps and metronome.  Yes, I'd like a real drum machine, but
    this one will do for the short while. I even kind of like it, although
    there are certainly things I would like to see (like a crash cymbal
    for instance).
    
    	But now i feel real dangerous. Armed with a fresh printout of
    LenDrum, and the weapons that Yamaha refers to as drum sticks, watch
    out - i'm off to reinvent the 60's(musically). And since it has
    that midi-out port, even if i may never use it, i guess i could
    call myself a mididot - although definitly in whispered tones...
    
    
    				bs

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MPGS::PARTAIN "Chuck Partain, KA1MWP"                16 lines  26-OCT-1988 08:11
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    After searching for "yamaha dd-5" through the notes and not finding
    but one mention of one person owning this toy, I decided to ask if
    anyone has used/is using or plays with this thing?
    
    I was on sale at service merchandise and I liked playing to it last
    night through the pa. Helps with the nonexistant rhythm I was looking 
    for to practice with. Also it has a MIDI interface which is the only thing
    besides a few commodore computers I own that have interfaces. Can I hook 
    this thing to the commodore? What type interfaces are available if any?
    Am  I missing something about MIDI interfacing? Maybe that is a lesson
    in itself but looking for info and thought this was the place to start.
    
    thanks, Chuck

    
    
    thanks..
    
    now for some c-64 help?
    
    chuck

    What are you looking for in terms of help?  There are many aspects
    (well, not THAT many 8-) to using a C64 & MIDI. 

-b

    
    
    well I just want to play I guess. Not perform, but "play" with it.
    I am curious about what one can do with only midi out?
    IF I can hook it to the commodore(lets ask this backwards!), what 
    will I see with the proper software/interface ect.
    
    I havn't been active in a long time...real long..but maintained
    my instruments, bought this to play against and never saw the buzzword
    midi until I opened this notesfile, went to all the music stores and
    heard it being used, asked around. Now I get a bit of the drift and
    want to expierment with it to see what happens.
    
    So bottom line is, I have a commodore and a dd-5 with a midi port.
    What can I do with this?
    
    Novice....ya know? but learning I can still carry a note!~~~~

    Basically, nothing.

    If you have a software sequencer for your C64 and some kind of MIDI
    adapter, you can record whatever you play on the DD5 into the computer,
    but since the DD5 has no MIDI IN, you can't play it back.  To do that,
    you'd have to buy another SGU (sound generator unit, also called synth,
    see topic "Glossary" for details). 

    In other words, look to be spending some $$$ real soon now ... sigh.
    Another one bites the dust.  8-) 

-b

    and another joins the ranks of the Y-word consumers...bought one
    last night, am wrapping it up and marking it to dave from dave merry
    Christmas ...                                                     
    
    dbii

    Has anoyone ever done/created a list of the midi notes this thing
    defaults to? I seemed to only get 2 or 3 useable notes out of each
    pad with dead zones inbetween...I assume that my HR just wasn't
    set up to the notes the DD5 transmitted. The documentation being
    at best schetchy didn't list them anyplace I saw...it did give
    extensive velocity information though...warped...
    
    For those of you who are struggling to program your cyber-drummer
    like I was, I highly recommend this as an alternative to tap or
    step mode programming...I played for several hours last night and
    it's gonna be a real powerful tool once I get used to it. 
    
    dbii

You mean Santa came early to your house?  ;-)

Chad

    I've been using the DD5 with an RX7 and was able to get every note
    from each pad. I cant remember the exact sequence of events but
    you basically tapped the pad with one of the keys down to cycle
    through for each pad. The biggest problem was that it forgot the
    settings when you turned off. If you have an apple II I have some
    s/w that you can use to greatly increase the flexibility of the
    DD5, see an earlier note in this section.
    Ken
    

    Yeah I went through that scenerio, and got a number of steps (ie:
    hits on the pad with the pad select switch depressed) where no midi
    event was recognized by my HR...it'd be interesting to know the
    exact MIDI inplementation for easy reference.
    
    re: Santa's arrival
    
    Nah, I'll wrap it tomorrow and put it under the tree...
    
    dbii

    Dave,
    
    I had the same problem with mine.  I set it up with the HR-16's
    drum note mapping on the default settings, figuring that I'd just
    hold&tap until I hit the note each pad was set to.  Never happened;
    I got three or four, but I never seemed to get to the right notes
    for most of the drum pad notes/sounds.
    
    I then set up the DD-5 to record into my sequencer.  I tapped each
    pad several dozen times and recorded the results.  What I found
    was each pad transmitted the same 12 notes, and then repeated them,
    although according to the (somewhat confusing, IMO) documentation,
    *all* note numbers should have been transmitted.  Then (I think on the 
    spec sheet), it said something about the DD-5 transmitting in the "Universal
    Note" mode, whatever that means.
    
    What I ended up doing was mapping the HR-16's pads to those "Universal
    Notes".  I also put a reply in this topic saying that the DD-5 only
    transmitted  in UN mode; later someone corrected me.  I wasn't sure
    if they were basing it on the documentation or actual experience,
    so I didn't bother to refute it.
    
    What's *really* strange is that on occasion, it *does* transmit
    'all' note values as advertised.  I found out by accident when I
    was using it with a pattern that still had the default settings,
    and was able to get all the assigned sounds to play.  I don't remember
    the sequence of hold&tap, but I *thought* I'd done the same thing
    that *didn't* work before.  But I could be wrong.  When I get my
    HR-16 back, I'll figure it out.  Hopefully, someone else will figure
    it out before then.
    
    But it is still a neat toy/tool, especially for the price.
	   
    Rodney M.
     
    
       

    I'll check the manual on this when I get home, but I am able to
    get every note out of the pads. There are two methods of assigning
    notes to a pad, one simply circulates each pads through a pre-set
    sequence (shown on the front of the unit) and the other just kept
    adding one to the pad that you struck, making it possible to assign
    each pad to even the same note value. I'll verify this tonight and
    get back.
    Ken
    

    	O.K., I checked mine again and it does what it says. Check out
    page 6 of the manual (come on, admit it, did you really read it).
    Hold the Pad Assign *AND* the Volume button at the same time. Then
    tap a pad. You can let go of the volume button now but keep the
    Pad Assign button down whilst tapping the pad and the note value
    should increment by one each time. This can be done independently
    for each pad and it will eventually cyle through all the available
    note values.
    
    Hope this helps.
    
    Ken
    

    The thing outputs 12 notes via midi that I was able to detect, the
    volume pad (althoguh mentioned in the literature) appears to have
    *no effect* on pad assignments.   
    
    These notes are as follows:
    
    DD5 sound	Midi note
    Ride	63
    Conga	65
    Open Hi hat	59
    Closed HH	57
    Rimshot	51
    Cowbell	55
    Hand clap	54
    Bass drum	45
    snare	52
    Tom 1	53
    tom 2	50
    tom 3	48
    
    The power up defaults are:
    
    
    	57	63
    
    	52	45
    
    AS you step through the DD5 sounds using pad assign they go in thhe
    order I listed above...I started with the upper right hand pad on
    ride and stepped through the entire range of assignments.
    
    Since I do not have a sequencer to help with note
    detection/identification I simply assigned notes to a sound on my
    HR and stepped through until I ID'd all the assignments. If the
    DD5 does in fact output *all* midi notes (127 each right?) it must
    use the volume button somehow but I was unable to get much out of
    the thing using the volume button.
    
    perhaps this will help somebody?
    
    dbii

    re-.43
    When I said all available notes, I meant 127, not the 12 that it
    would output normally. If you cant get the full range, perhaps your
    pad assign button is not working or maybe there's even a ROM code
    difference in mine, but believe me, I can get 127 notes out of each
    pad.
    Ken
    

    Hmm I'll have to try to figure this out by experimentation.
    
    Using the volume and pad assign buttons eh? Are they sequencial
    ie: 1, 2, 3...127?
    
    this would be considerably more usable than the 12 note defaults
    that I've been getting out of the machine...
    
    dbii

    Yes, the notes increment sequentially by one (if you hold the Pad
    assign and tap a pad) or by 10 I think (if you press the vol up
    button). Remember that you have to get it in this mode first by
    holding Pad assign and Vol up at same time then hit any pad. I'm
    not sure what happens when you get to 127, whether or not it rolls
    over to one again.
    	If anyone needs more info on this you could call me on DTN 631
    7135.
    Ken
    

    I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that something like a Roland
    Octapad would greatly reduce my drum programming time, which seems
    to be the biggest bottle-neck for me in terms of getting things
    DONE.  (First question is "has that been anyone elses experience and
    has getting an Octapad-type helped?").
    
    It would seem that used Octa-things go for around $300-$450 (Daddy's
    has about 4 used Octa-things right now).
    
    Roland seems to have several different variety of "Octa-things".
    Could anyone give me an overview of how they differ?  Or suggest
    alternatives.
    
    Some background info:
    
    	o I'm using this SOLELY to program a drum machine - I'm not
     	  a drummer, thus I'm not going to incorporate this into a
          a drum kit.
    
    	o *I* think I only need about 4 pads.  I generally program bass
          and snare in one pass, toms in another, etc.
    
     	o I want something that has BIG pads (much smaller than the Octapad
          is not acceptable)
    
    	o It has to have good response to velocity.
    
    	o Hopefully it has no speed problems (it can do flams and stuff
    	  like that.
    
    	o I don't think it's necessary to have much (or perhaps "any") in
    	  the way of storable configurations as long as I can change the
    	  note assignments pretty quickly.
    
      db

    Dave, it would be worth your while and money to check out the DD5.
    If you can live with the small pads it's a great deal for the $80
    they cost. There is no doubt that the Octapad is probably a much
    better product but for 5 times as much?
    
    I'm not a drummer either. I still find it easier to program the
    HR with my DD5 than manually. The DD5 does respond to velocity but
    is a bit sluggish on the low side (soft hits sometimes don't generate
    a note on). I'm finding that most of my playing results in velocities
    of 6-8 (HR-16) when I inspect them in step-program mode so low end
    sensitivity isn't a big deal at this point. I've also done some
    manual velocity editing to make up for my lack of drum chops. the
    biggest problem I've found is the quantizing errors that occur when
    I play (poorly) as my timing isn't great.
    
    Yes the DD5 helped me speed things up, however, I find that sometimes
    I just wanna bang aroudn playing drummer and not work seriously,
    another toy to distract me from my real goals...
    
    dbii

  Dave, (.-2 Dave...)

   I can say that the Octapad has DEFINITELY helped my productivity, especially
since I do all my programming to the KCS and never use either drum machine's 
internal sequencer.  It is MUCH easier to use than the keypads, and you can get
much better "feeling" percussion because of the enhanced velocity sensing. 
(enhanced in this case means "better than the keypads").

   I can't say anything for the DD-5 pads, since I have an "original" Octapad,
but if they do the same (out 1 channel, key selectable, etc) then they're 
probably a good place to start.

   I looked at the improvements made to the Octapad, and I don't believe I
need them. I have no need for 64 programs in the pad, having standardized my
keymaps ages ago. I use all four patchbanks in the pad-8 though, one for
kick/snare/hihats/cymbals, one for toms/perc, one for perc, and one to mung
with. 8*4 = 32, last time I checked, and generally I can do a one-to-one map
for a key on either the HR-16 or the DDD-1 to the pad. 

   I don't know if it would save time for you if you (a) don't have a keymap
standard set, or (b) you use the drum machine internal sequencers and you
are into step-mode programming.

   Oh yeah, one other thing. I have these clear Lucite sticks made for drum pads.
They work really well - I believe they're called Rok-Sticks or something like
that. They seem to work better with the pads, which DON'T feel like drums or
practice pads.

Hope this helps.

/pjh

    
    
    I bought an octapad last spring, and don't know how I did anything
    without it!  Its made programming MUCH easier AND more realistic.
    I'm not familiar with other makes, but one of the advantages to
    the Octapad is its expandability.   It allows up to 6 trigger
    inputs via 1/4" jacks on the back.
    
    I went the one step further with my set-up and bought a used
    Tama techstar electronic pad kit.  I've never used the brain
    that came with the Tama.  Instead, I have all six inputs on the
    octapad filled up with the drum pads.   In essence, I've got 
    a five piece kit with 9 additional triggers for cymbals, latin
    stuff, etc. from the HR-16.  Makes things much easier!
    
    Ralph
    
    

    I tried out an Octapad (ok, actually a PAD-80 which is the newer one)
    at lunch.
    
    I'm sold on programming drums via pads.  There's just a zillion
    drummer-like touches (rolls, flams, etc) you can do SO EASILY
    (i.e. almost without thinking, even accidentally sometimes) with
    pads that are tedious to do without a pad.  In essence they remove
    one excuse for not having more realistic drum patterns.
    
    I looked at the DD-5.  It's a great bargain.  If I felt I couldn't
    afford an Octapad, I'd definitely get it, but I think I can justify
    the additional expense (in time saved, and the fact that my drummer
    can use it at gigs).  I found I just couldn't play riffs "freely"
    with the DD-5.  I guess my "aim" is poor, and I ended up hitting
    the metal too often instead of the pad, which also had the effect
    inhibiting my "freedom" to "find the groove" (may seem like esoteric
    bullshit but if I have to worry about hitting the pads too much,
    I don't feel like I can play by letting "muses" take over).
    
    Thanks for the input.
    
    I'm going to try to find a used Octapad (original model).  Daddy's
    usually has them (not at the moment) for around $399.
    
    	db
    
    Anyway, I can see why pads are so popular among drum programmers.
    
    	db

>Anyway, I can see why pads are so popular among drum programmers.

    .. you can also enter dynamite, very fast serial music this way.
    Just ask Francesco Zappa..

    
    Just want to throw in that I, as a drummer, find programming drums
    on my MC-500 in step time (i.e., by button, not by pad) the fastest
    and most flexible way.
    
    len (the contrarian).
    

    I don't know about the HR-16's sequencer, but the MMT-8 (probably a
    similar system), can't keep up with the data rates that an average or
    even slow drummer can create with ease. In this case (the ESQ-1
    sequencer works very well, while the MMT-8 doesn't), an OCTAPAD, or
    even the DD5 would be realitively worthless for programming. You tend
    to have to quantize almost all of the drum parts. For a while, I
    thought that it was my poor playing skill, but even my 4 year old has
    a better sense of time. When I tried to program using the ESQ-1
    sequencer, I had no problems at all. The funny thing is that If I use
    my TR-505 to drive the MMT-8's sequencer (when I'm storing a sequence),
    I have few problems. Anyway. These inexpensive drums look pretty neat
    for the price, but I'd advise testing them with your system first to
    see if your sequencer actually can deal with the data.

								Jens

    < Note 1353.55 by TYFYS::MOLLER "Halloween the 13th on Elm Street #7" >
>......If I use
>my TR-505 to drive the MMT-8's sequencer (when I'm storing a sequence),
>I have few problems. 
    
    Think it's because the incoming MIDI events are pre-quantized ??

    I do quantize all my sequences and occasionally have to erase the
    track and try again due to errors in timing, however, it's still
    considerably easier to program triplets etc. using the pad rather
    than in step mode, possibly because I'm so un-literate drumming
    wise. If  I spent a great deal more time programming in step mode
    than I do now perhaps I'd get faster and better but I am spread
    pretty thin time wise with an active band and all these kids....
    
    dbii (so there Len :-))

    re: .54
    
    > I find programming drums in step time the fastest and most flexible
    > way.
    
    Len, does this mean that you can actually program something faster
    in step time than you can play it?  Don't be insulted, but I've
    seen you play drums; know you're a good drummer and sorta find this
    a surprising statement.
    
    I think it's probably easier for you because you know whats going
    on when you play.  When I play drums, I confess to having no concept
    of what note values (1/16, 1/16 tripletes, etc.) I'm playing nor
    where exactly they fall in the measure.
    
    re: .55
    
    Jens, yesterday I hooked a Roland Pad-80 into an HR-16 and hit record
    and tried various fills including rolls and stuff like that.  I didn't
    have any problems with quantization set to "off".   I made some
    experiments with quantization on to see if I could "even out" the rolls
    and found that I COULD do it, although it took a couple of takes, and
    also a little time to realize what note (time) values the rolls had
    to set the quantization right.
    
    	db

    Dave are you saying that with quantize off you were successful?  Hmm
    I had great difficulty but only tried for a very short period of
    time...since drum chops are not my speciality perhaps the fault
    was mine....
    
    curiouser and curiuoser
    
    dbii (who also confesses to the same difficulties that dbi has with
    drum programming)                   

     Actually, now that I think of it.  There were a few glitches.
    
    I was never sure though if they were my fault, or the machines
    fault.  I had just presumed they were mine.
    
    BTW, when I say glitches, I mean the machine not playing back what
    I "thought" I had played.
    
    I'll have to make a note that business of using the ESQ-1.  Problem
    with that is that you can't erase a particular drum.
    
    BTW, I've been thinking about how to add a drum pad into my MIDI
    rig and have come to the conclusion that I would probably need
    (yet) ANOTHER MIDI merge device.
    
    I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that if you changed ALL my MIDI
    THRUS to be MIDI MERGEs it wouldn't cause me ANY problems and would
    SOLVE a lot of current problems.
    
    Anyway, I believe that anything that is both a SGU and a controller
    (synth, drum machine, etc.) should have MERGE as an option.  I'm
    gonna write a letter to my MIDI congressman.
    
    	db

    re 58 re 54: yes.
    
    First of all, it used to be the case that the MC-500 rhythm patterns
    could not be programmed from the MIDI input.  That has been fixed
    in the new S-MRC-500 software. However, the "bookkeeping" and setup
    necessary to make it possible to program a pattern via the MIDI
    input blows away any time advantage over step programming the pattern.
    So, no, I can't program faster than I can play, but I think I can get the
    total job done faster this way.  Secondly, I almost always write
    out the drum parts to songs that I sequence, and by step programming
    I am sure I get exactly what I want.  Yes, I could play it, I'm
    just used to step programming it.  When my MC-500 comes back, maybe
    I'll try the new software and programming patterns from the Octapad.
    Step programming may be just a habit rather than a real advantage.
    
    len.
    

    Len,
    
    Given what you've said... errr... you wouldn't be interested in
    selling me your Octapad would you?
    
    ;-)
    
    	db

    Relating back to why the TR-505 works. Last night I tried to record to
    my MMT-8 with the TR-505 supplying the MIDI clock - worked fine. When I
    disabled the midi clock (using an MX-8) - messed up timing. Maybe the
    midi clock (or rather that the MMT-8 didn't have to supply it while it
    was recording data) has something to do with it.

    Dave, the errors that entering drum data give are often just a few
    notes slightly out of place. When I had a pro drummer come over (a rock
    steady and quite excellent drummer) and use an octapad to enter
    patterns, he couldn't believe that he made such bad errors, and I
    guarentee you that he didn't. When we slowed the patterns down, most
    of the major errors went away. When he tried anything fast, you
    wouldn't recognise the pattern. Originally, I had tried the octapad
    on a friends SQ-80 - no problems at all. Not so for the MMT-8. I don't
    know about other sequencers. The data sounds fine while it's being
    played (the data is being recorded and then sent to the MIDI out of the
    MMT-8 at the same time to my MT-32), but not quite right when being
    played back.

    A friend of mine who has an HR-16 says that it doesn't seem to record
    his drum sequences quite right either (he enters using the pads on the
    front of the box), subtle, but incorrect timing errors.

    I think the idea of MIDI drum pads are great, but I think that it may
    not be the solution to many drum entry patterns because of potential
    sequencer limitations.

							Jens

    re .63 - no, my Octapad is not for sale.   It's useful to have
    something handy in the studio that's designed to be hit.
    
    len.
    

    re: .64 My HR seemed to have trouble using the panel pads in tap
    mode...subtle and not so subtle timing errors occured....similar
    if not the same as the errors I got with quantize set to off...
    A portion of the problem is in how the machine quantizes, if you
    select 1/24 quantize mode and try to play something that requires
    1/48 you'll get some less than useful results...
    
    A pad will speed many programming tasks up, it may not be a fix
    for *all* circumstances.
    
    re: .65...especially something that doesn't hit back! git players
    have frustrations too....
    
    dbii

    
    I bought a DD-5 a couple of days ago. Generally, I'm very very pleased
    with it. It has already saved me a lot of time. Great easy way to
    get flams, rolls, etc. Especially useful for humanizing hi-hat parts!
    Had no problem getting all 128 MIDI Notes out of each of the pads.
    
    RE: .47  Messing around last night, I found out that the DD-5 DOES
    NOT roll over to MIDI Note 0 after getting to 127. Minor bummer
    that can be worked around. 
    
    The major problem I have with the DD-5 is that the MIDI Note-to-Pad
    assignments are volatile.  It's definitely a drag having to set
    these up every time. Perhaps a battery can be hooked onto the RAM?
    Or maybe a Non-Volatile RAM (with a battery built in) could be
    substituted? Wish I had a schematic. But at any rate, I'm not going
    to mess with that until the warranty runs out.  
    
    RE: A comment Dave Bottom made several replies back...
    
    I noticed that when holding down the Pad Assign button and tapping
    the pad to increment the MIDI Note number, it seems that the 1st
    tap doesn't do anything to change the MIDI Note number---it's the
    SECOND tap that actually starts incrementing. So, for example, if
    you want to increment the MIDI Note Number by 3, you have to hold
    down the Pad Assign button, and hit the pad FOUR times. Let me know
    if anyone else can verify this also.
    
    Another annoying thing is that I can't seem to get the Volume UP/DOWN
    buttons to increment/decrement (respectively) the MIDI Note Numbers
    by 10 on a reliable or predictable basis. I can get it 
    to work, but I can't really predict with any certainty how far up/down 
    the MIDI Note number will go, even though I've  tried various combinations
    of pressing Pad Assign, Vol Up/Down, and tapping pads, etc. I'll
    experiment further and post results.
     Has anyone else had trouble with this ? (Dave Bottom, I thought I 
    remembered that you said you did)  Has anyone determined a 
    reliable/predictable combination or sequence of button pushing and pad 
    hitting that will accomplish this? (Ken Hitchmough, maybe?) 
    
    Mike D

    Mike, I agree with all your comments regarding the DD-5, particulariliy
    with the volatility of the memory..thats why I wrote some code for
    my Apple II (either youre going to have to get one or I'll have
    to start doing it for the pc  vis the Polaris Librarian).
    As for the unpredictability of the volume button incrementing it
    by 10, I seem to remember the same thing but never used the function
    enough to decide wether it was me or the machine. My curiosity is
    going to get the better of me and I'll probably check as soon as
    I get home!!
    I also found the velocity response was better in the alternate mode
    (I think you hold a button down on power up, and I've got it
    permanently taped down), have you tried it?
    
    Ken
    

    Mike I had the same difficulties with the increment by ten function.
    I asumed it was me as I seemed to have trouble with just about
    everything at first.
    
    how I'v handled the problem of volitile memory:
    
    I mapped each pad's note assignments (see some other reply) I then
    built a 'kit' in my HR-16 that used those notes for the sounds I
    usually use. I re-assign the notes at the HR to facilitate using
    the more obscure sounds.  It's a pain but I use the pad for programming
    purposes only, once programmed who cares what notes are what since
    I use the internal sequencer on the HR.
    
    Still a nice toy for under $100.              
            
    dbii

    
    RE .68 Ken, yes, I tried the alternate velocity setting (holding
    the button while powering up). I thought that in general all the
    alternate settings were scaled down volume-wise, which I didn't
    really like. Maybe because I was just using the internal speaker
    on the default setting when I tried this. I never checked to see
    if the alternate velocity scaling was actually better when using
    the sequencer, it very well may be. I know that when put through
    a real amp and speakers (as opposed to the internal speaker), lack
    of volume is not a problem, and some of the internal PCM sounds
    in fact sound pretty good!
    
    RE .69 Dave, one of these days I'm going to buy an HR-16 and join
    the rest of the universe. Sometimes, not having an HR-16, I feel
    like a backwoods rube living in a log cabin with no phone!! I am
    going to investigate further (sounds like Ken is going to also),
    and I'll try to make sense out of the seemingly unpredictable nature
    of the infamous +/- 10 function.
    
    Mike D

    
    RE .68  Ken, I'll have to keep my eyes out for a used Apple II
    in the Want Ads (do you have something analogous to that in Canada?).
    I wonder how cheap I could get one for??
    Until then, you know I'd never dissuade you from writing code for the PC
    (vis the Polaris Librarian)  ;-) !! 
    
    Mike D

    I think I've finally sorted out this little beast. The PAD/VOL
    combination does what it says in that it increments or decrements
    by 10 (all numbers will be in decimal, not hex), except that it
    does it with some strange quirks.
    
    When you first go into the pad assign mode by holding the PAD/VOL
    UP buttons and hitting a pad, the note # has already incremented
    by 10 so the first note # you get is 10. You can then inc by ones
    by holding the PAD button and hitting the appropriate pad. If you
    keep the PAD button down and press then release the VOL UP button,
    the note number jumps up to the next highest multiple of 10, e.g.
    if you are at 25 and do it, the next note # will be 30. Repeating
    this will give you mulitples of 10, all the way up to 120 at which
    point it wraps around to 0.
    
    The exception to this is that if you've incremented by ones and
    crossed a multiple of 10 boundary, it jumps DOWN to the next lowest
    multiple of 10. For example, you start at say 21, increment 12 times
    to 33, then do the PAD/VOL UP combo, it jumps down to 30, subsequent
    PAD/VOL UPs will then go up to 40, 50 etc...weird eh?
    
    Now, if you use the PAD/VOL DOWN combination, it always seems to
    go down to the NEXT lowest multiple of 10. So if you're at 45 and
    do PAD/VOL DOWN, it will go down to 30, then 20 etc. It will wrap
    around to 120 after 0. Funny how it wraps around like this but not
    when you inc or dec by one.
    
    Just for the fun of it I tried a PAD/VOL UP/VOL DOWN combination
    and the thing did some weird jumping about that I couldn't follow.
    
    Well, that's about it..a good exercise for checking out MIDI MONITOR
    that I got from MET730!!
    
    BTW Mike, I checked back to my old Apple II code for the Polaris
    librarian and was very surprised to see how much code I had to write
    to get the patch dumps. A much bigger task than I had remembered.
    I'm going to try and see if there's an easier way..its not much
    fun these days compiling C code on a sslloooowww PC when my MAC's
    sitting here   ;-(
    
    Ken
    

    Just thought I'd mention that I saw an ad in Sunday's paper, Fretter's
    is selling these things for $69. That's the cheapest price I've seen so
    far, may just have to pick one up.
    
    Rob

Hot off the USENET! Sensitivity mod for the DD5, I'llprobably try this
    sometime soon...
    
    dbii
    
    
    Newsgroups: rec.music.synth
Path: decwrl!purdue!haven!uvaarpa!hudson!vivaldi!pmy
Subject: DD5 modifications, take 2
Posted: 16 Feb 89 20:53:11 GMT
Organization: University of Virginia, Charlottesville
 
Apparently, the first attempt at posting failed. So, here again is
an open letter to all DD5 owners regarding modifications to increase
pad sensitivity:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Hi,
 
Here's a description of the DD-5 mods. Naturally, undertaking this
operation will void your warranty, but what the hell. Also, I'm
assuming you have at least a very basic knowledge of electronics and
know what resistors, capacitors, etc. look like. If not, let me know
and I'll try to sketch things in ascii as best I can.
 
First, turn the DD5 upside down and remove all the screws you can
find. The bottom part should come off easily (the batteries will
fall out, too, if you've installed them), leaving you with the top
part, with a circuit board bolted to it. There's no need to remove
the circuit board from the case. Arrange things so that you're
looking at the circuit board, with the speaker-side of the case
nearest you. 
 
Step 1
 
If you look at the left side of the board, you should see four, small,
identical resistor and diode layouts labelled PAD1, PAD2...PAD4.
As you've probably guessed, these sections are fed by the pads themselves,
which I imagine to be some sort of piezo-electric devices. In each
section, looking left to right, there are two resistors, 3 diodes,
a disk cap, another resistor and a 3.9V zener diode. The two resistors
on the left are 47-something (yellow, purple, can't remember) and
22k (red,red,orange). The 22k resistor feeds the 3 diodes in series,
which drop ~2-3V. The diodes prevent very small signals from coming in
from the pads, so here's one place where you can increase the sensitivity. 
Solder a jumper from the bottom lead (one nearest you) of the 22k
resistor to the top lead of the capacitor. This will bypass all 3
diodes. If perhaps you want to leave 1 or 2 of the diodes in the
circuit, then solder the other end of the jumper to the bottom lead
of the diode nearest (for 1) or next-nearest (for 2) the capacitor.
 
Step 2
 
The third resistor (to the imm. right of the capacitor) is 100k (as I
recall) and functions in conjunction with the 22k as a simple voltage
divider (my guess, anyway). You can further increase the sensitivity
of the pads by replacing this resistor with a bigger one (I just cut it),
or decrease with a smaller one. Or you could replace it with a pot,
for variable sensitivity. You may have to remove the circuit board
from the case to replace the resistor.
 
FYI
 
The zener diode seems to be there to clamp the final signal, which is
then routed through a 1k resistor to some custom IC. There's probably
some good reason why the signal is clamped to 3.9V, so it might be
wise to leave the zener alone.
 
After bypassing the 3 diodes and clipping the 100k resistor, I found
that I could play the full velocity range of the pads with just my
fingertips, except the highest velocity, for which I needed a stick.
 
Finally, I disconnected the internal speaker by clipping one of its
leads. I figured this would save a lot of battery juice, and who wants to
listen to that wimpy little speaker, anyway? Of course, you can still
tap audio from the phone jack on the side of the box.
 
Drop me a line if there are any problems or questions.
Feel free to distribute this info to anyone who may benefit from it.
Oh! And don't forget to put the box back together.   :-)
 
	- Pete
 
Peter M. Yadlowsky
Academic Computing Center
University of Virginia
[email protected]
 
 

    

    
    Re -1 This is great!! Now if someone would only detail how to modify
    the DD-5 with a non-volatile RAM, so that we (DD-5 owners) wouldn't
    have to set up all the MIDI note assignments on the pads at the
    beginning of each session. That, IMO, is the biggest problem with
    the DD-5, not the velocity sensitivity.
    
    Mike D

Re: VRAM --> NVRAM
    
    The difference between Volatile RAM and NVRAM is a battery.    ;^)

    It *may* be as simple as inserting a small NiCad between the regular
    power/ground leads on the RAM... [for *God's* sake, get the polarity
    right :^) ]   That should help the RAM last thru power-downs... Just in
    case: maybe even put in a protection diode too, lest the NiCad try to
    charge up while the AC is plugged in...{pop! fizz...} 
    
    Why this might not work:

    1.  DRAMs may be a little trickier to handle than a simple SRAM
        (refresh circuitry and all that junk...) 

    2.  If the ROM routines clear  RAM at power-up (a good idea in most
        applications..), then the battery would have to *also* keep
        the controller logic powered up.    Otherwise, you could have
        preserved your RAM just fine, only to have it clobbered as soon 
        as you plug in your AC adapter and fire up the controller...
    
    Go for it... it's only money...  It's not even *my* money :^))
    
    /doug
    
    
    
    
    

    I don't think we're even certain it uses RAMs yet....
    
    dbii

    
    Assuming it uses RAMs (and as -1 said, it hasn't been established),
    isn't there a nonvolatile RAM that has a battery built into in it?
    I pretty sure somebody makes one, though I don't know who or what
    it's identifying numbers would be. Sure would be nice to find one,
    and have it be a pin-for-pin replacement for the volatile RAM that's
    in there now.
    
    Am I wishful thinking today or what??
    
    Mike D

    I realized that you can't just slap a battery on some RAM, unless yo
    umake sure that it won't have to power the rest of the circuitry when
    you lose the AC power...
    
        >    Assuming it uses RAMs (and as -1 said, it hasn't been established),
        >    isn't there a nonvolatile RAM that has a battery built into in it?

    Yes.  Our friends down at Active Electronics in Westboro, MA sell two
    flavors of NVRAM from Dallas Semiconductor: 
    
    Active Part#  Cost	   Description
    ------------------------------------------------------
        21128	  $13.08   16k (2kx8), On-chip bat. backup
    	
    	21129	  $32.75   64k (8kx8), On-chip bat. backup

/doug         

    

    Uhm, I'm not a hardware guy, but I suspect that a lot of this "cheap"
    RAM is dynamic RAM, which means it has to be continually scanned
    to remember things.  So just hooking up a battery won't help, because
    the scanning logic powers down when you turn the unit off.
    
    len.
    

    Means you might have to hook a battery to the controller as well as the
    RAM.  You might as well hook it up to an external battery pack along
    with the wall bug and never power it down.
    
    Steve

    
    In most low cost products, the RAM is not *dynamic* because DRAMs
    require controllers, for one or two chips it makes more sense to
    use static RAM.  The Dallas NVRAMs fit into standard SRAM sockets
    but have a lithium battery which supplies enough power to hold data
    when power to the chip goes away.  A small diode in series with
    the DC supply will prevent back leakage of the lithium battery voltage.
    
    What would be more difficult to work around would be if the memory
    is resident in the microcontroller, anyone opened up theirs yet
    and taken a look at what's inside?

    But what if it uses counters or registers? Typically this is an
    even cheaper alternative than any kind of ram....
    
    dbii

    Some of the nicer microprocessors (i.e. the Z-80) have a built-in DRAM
    controller/refresher.  It's just a register that keeps counting and
    doing read cycles even when the CPU is in the halt state.  The only
    thing that stops the refresh unit is stopping the clock- which is why
    most Z-80 development systems do NOT have variable-speed clocks; the
    clock must run at normal speed just to keep RAM refreshed.
    
    	-Bill 

    Opened mine up out of curiosity. Looks like custom chips so RAM
    is probably on board the controller. I may be wrong here but it
    makes economic sense to do that.
    Most of the controllers that I know of have RAM, ROM and I/O but
    no facility for non volatile memory (NVM). 
    
    Ken
    

    If it's using memory on the controller then it would seem that my
    suggestion about inserting a lithium battery (with some protection
    circuitry) between the regular power leads would work.   That way the
    controller itself would never really get powered off and memory
    wouldn't get clobbered by any "clear memory" commands at program
    initialization time.
    
    Again, the only real problem is that you *don't* want to power the
    LEDs/LCDs or anything else with the lithium cell.

        /doug
    

    
    well, mine sprouted wings in the midst of a domestic discussion,
    and i am willing to donate the corpse to any local to lkg enterprising
    ee! Ah, i should say semi-dead - i can get it to make some sound,
    but i can't really use it!
    
    bs

    
    
      Bought one Saturday. It died Sunday. Just stopped transmitting
    Midi in the midst of a six hour sequencing session. Under Ac power,
    no less!.
      Glad the wife let me try out this Christmas present early.
   
                    Hope it's replacement can take it.
                                    Rich
    

        re 88 - i'm suprised - mine had even survived a 25 yard flight
        with extremly rough landing - broken case, guts hanging out,
        but it still keeps a tick tick ticking...
        

    re: .89
    
    C'mon.
    
    You can't drop a hook like that and not expect us to take the bait.
    
    How did your DD-5 manage to take a 25 yard flight?
    
    	db
    
    p.s. If my S-550 keeps crashing like it's been doing recently,
         it's going to become a "frequent flyer".  ;-)

        your not married now, are you dave?
        
                bs
                

    I'm not married, but none of my girlfriends were capable
    of sending a DD-5 on a 25 yard hop on their best days.
    
    If your spouse can throw a DD-5 25 yards the Patriots might well
    be able to use her.
    
    ;-)
    
    	db

Hmm they get stronger once you marry them :-)

If anyone is planning on installing the sensitivity mod that came off USENET I 
have the following suggestion: Install part of it and try it out, if You still
think you need more then install the rest (1 part consisits of bypassing some
diodes that drop volatage, the other part involves raising the value of or
cutting a resistor to get even more sensitivity) I'm gonna have to undo part of
the mod on mine as I max out the velocity with my fingertips...

dbii

    
    
      Oops.......Correction....
    
       My dd5 didn't die.
    The MMT8's soft through did!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
      Last night I tried out the dd5. I couldn't get the midi message
    lit on the d110 so I bypassed the sequencer and went straight from
    the drum pads to d110. Worked like a champ. Power cycled MMT8....
    still nogo. Did a soft reset on the MMT8, and it's back up and still
    working. 
       I see a new (and different) sequencer in my future.
    
                                      Rich
    

    Re:93
    
    I did the mod last night and also found it too sensitive. I installed
    the jumper to bypass the diodes but left the 100K resistor intact. I
    found all four pads would trigger if you struck the case. To fix it I
    resoldered the jumpers to the middle diode and viola, just right.

    Well thanks I'll meke the adjustment this weekend...similar to what I
    was going to try...
    
    dbii

    
    A brief mention was made in GUITAR notes by a UK Noter who had gotten a
    DD-10 for 99 pounds.   From what he said, it sounded a lot like the
    DD-5, but get this...foot pedals for bass drum and hi-hat!!!
    
    Keep your eyes peeled....
    
    
    						Brian

...but no dynamic pads and no MIDI out !!

	Richard

I saw the DD10 while in Europe (I'm back as of today).  Basically a bunch 
of hard plastic buttons about the size of the old silver dollars or perhaps 
a tad bigger.  Very uninterseting.

Chad

    From USENET, some talk of the DD5 being dropped in favor of a new
    version with *no* MIDI.
    
    From: [email protected] (The MIDIman)
    Subject: Buyer Beware: Yamaha DD6
    Date: 3 Aug 90 20:48:31 GMT
  
I haven't seen any mention of this yet, so I thought I'd mention it before
someone else does this too.
 
A friend of mine called up some mail order place to buy the Yamaha DD5 drum
pads.  The person on the phone mentioned that they have the Yamaha DD6 for
$20 more.  So my friend decided to go for the DD6.  Well what a disappointment.
He says there is NO MIDI!!!!!  I haven't actually checked it out myself, but
what a disappoinment.  I can't figure out why it would be $20 more than the
DD5.  Any clues?
 
 
-- 
[email protected]         Steven R. Seidman    "The MIDIman"
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"When I had first heard electronic music, it had affected me so strongly
        I just knew I had to play it."  -  Steve Roach
    
From: [email protected] (Pogo Joe)
Subject: Re: Buyer Beware: Yamaha DD6
Date: 3 Aug 90 22:46:08 GMT
 
The DD6 Has twice the velocity sensitivity and much more acceptable sounds
than the DD5.  I really don't understand why they left out MIDI.  Maybe
because they didn't feel the average consumer would ever utilize it.  I just
bought a DD5 at Service Merchandise on clearance for $60.  It is an excellent
deal.  You can take it apart and use the piezos to make your own full-sized
pads.  I have one problem though, when I try to reassign MIDI note numbers,
it makes my MIDI program crash on my Amiga (Bars & Pipes.)  I have yet to
figure out why, because when you change MIDI note number, it should be
an internal function, and not send out any MIDI info.  Any ideas?
 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jeff Axelrod                 | "If you chose not to decide, you still have made
                             |  a choice" -Neil Peart, Rush   /// 
[email protected]     |                              \XX/ AMIGAUSER
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    There was a blurb in the new Keyboard (the one with Public Annoyance on
    the cover) about a DD-11 that is released or soon to be released with
    8 pads and MIDI.  
    
    It mentioned that Yamaha had noticed the interest in its DDD-5 pads,
    which I think was a misprint of DD-5.
    
    - Pat

Yeah the DD-5 is being remaindered at Service merchandise up here. The
new unit was a DD-6 (I think). It is actually much nicer looking and better
laid out than the DD-5. But it did lack that din plug we all know and love...

dbii