Yamaha DTX-MULTI 12 Digital Percussion Pad 

Comments about Yamaha DTX-MULTI 12 Digital Percussion Pad:

As a drummer, I have always shied away from electronic percussion. I've played v-drums on a number of occasions and have always found them to be just, "bleh". A few years ago, I started playing percussion (congas, bongos, djembe and other noise makers). I realized that my rig was getting bigger and the loading/unloading was becoming more of a chore than it should. So, I started looking for some sort of drum pad to keep from having to keep buying intruments that I will only use once or twice which are crazy expensive and to keep my percussion rig from getting too big. So, I ended up narrowing it down between the Roland SPD-30 and the Yamaha DTX M12. I finally went with the DTX because it has such a variety of world percussion sounds and because it is designed to play by hand if required. I am SO glad I went with the DTX...this thing is incredible! Yes, there is a learning curve to really manipulate the sounds but once you get past some preliminary learning curve, this thing becomes your best friend. It's versatility, functionality and practicality are unmatched! And the samples are excellent. I am a conga player, so I know the difference between bad conga sounds and good ones. The DTX sounds amazing! I love the layer feature which allows you to have up to 4 samples per pad. Yes, the manual reads like a college programming class but I have found YouTube to be a great resource. I have had it for about two weeks now and I am totally in love with it. In fact, I am using the DTXM12 with a Roland KD7 kick trigger, a yamaha FC5 pedal along with a ride cymbal and tambourine as a full kit this weekend. I CAN'T wait to hear this thing with a full band! Buy it now, thank me later!

Comments about Yamaha DTX-MULTI 12 Digital Percussion Pad:

Highly under-rated unit. I own the Roland SPD-S, Roland SPD-SX and have owned various versions of the Octapads. Some of the reviews I've read regarding the Yamaha DTX Multi-12 complain of the sampling capabilities as compared to the SPD-SX. For me, the sampling capabilities are on par with the older SPD-S, but one needs to keep in mind that the Yamaha DTX Multi 12 is really more of a "rompler" in the style of the Octapad series. Simply put, it has "built-in" sounds/voices that in my opinion are much more useful than the standard Roland offerings. So with that in mind, understand that the sampling capabilities of the DTX Multi 12 are an added feature (a pretty decent one as well).
I've also read of complaints about the feel of the pads. One reviewer in this forum complained about the inability to do a "press roll" on the unit. Really? They're rubber pads. They're not a substitute for actual real drums so certain techniques unique to real drums won't apply to rubber pads regardless of the manufacturer or whatever the hype says about "real feel".
The pads do have some characteristics that one has to adjust to, but consider the fact that some patches/kits are designed to be played with hands and as such, those patches have dynamics that are controlled by techniques appropriate to hand drums.
Lastly, as a midi controller, this unit blows the pants of off anything that Roland offers hands down. The Stack feature (multiple voices and/or midi notes can be assigned to a single pad) is awesome.
Great unit. Very solid build quality. 12 pads in a small footprint. Expressive. Highly recommended.

Comments about Yamaha DTX-MULTI 12 Digital Percussion Pad:

The value is just not there at full price. I was looking for an all in one simple pad I could take to church rehearsals or small percussion gigs and cover drum kits and percussion. Something I could play with my hands or sticks.

While this is possible, the sensitivity just isnt good enough. I wanted to load my own sounds, but again I am disappointed in the load times, I have an old Mirage Sampler that loads faster from disks. I wanted to fill up the user kits but not enough sample space. by the way it uses 16bit wav samples.
in prinicple the features sound great, adjustable pads, sensitivity etc, however in reality the pads are only adjustable in groups, top, middle and bottom. Not a very good idea, cross talk is a problem and sensitivity is set in global these groups, the default setting for sticks is unplayable. Dont even think about trying a press roll. I have had to set the sensitivty up to finger mode to barely get it playable. It has been a very disappointing experience.

as for the sounds, they are pretty good, I was tired of the stock Roland offerings and thought I might like something different, the percussion sounds are excellent, but the stock drum kits are severely lacking, Yamaha does offer three free downloads, Asian set, acoustic set and electronic set. the asian set is spectacular for percussion, its very good. the Acoustic set is usable and the electronic set is a complete waste of time.

the reason I bought this was the ability to add my own samples, which works great except for the time it takes to load any sample set and the extremely limited storage. There is no way you can load samples during a live gig.

finally you must use the yamaha hihat pedal hh-65 I think, none of the others work with it. I was able to use Roland drum pads and bass drum pads with it. Programming the Hihat pad is a bit of a challenge and they even dedicate several manual pages to it.

the pads themselves are a thick sponge rubber and are almost sticky, it takes getting used to if you've never played on them.

the top 3 and bottom 3 pads have a lot of crosstalk problems, you have to hit them just right or you will trigger the large pads. Even programming the pads you must take care to make sure you are editing the pad you want, cause its very easy to hit one and get a completely different pad.

it doesnt come with a mounting plate, but I was able to use a Roland and an older one I had used for my DrumKat and they both line up, however you have to buy your own screws.
I'll give it a 5 on quality, its well built, looks nice and works well considering the technology seems old. You can plug in a USB drive and load your samples but it is slow, the potential is there to have a really good piece of equipment but it really seems like they gave up half way thru development and just said its good enough lets sell em now. It is really a shame.
at the list price it is way too much for what the un it actually delivers, if the features it lists actually worked well it would be a great value, but unfortunately they do not. Plus you must plan on spending more money to get the hihat pedal, which by the way is very difficult to find. Musicians friend did not carry them, nor did several other online retailers.

Comments about Yamaha DTX-MULTI 12 Digital Percussion Pad:

I am a composer/producer/engineer, and have been doing this for a long time. Long enough that when I shop for gear, one rule applies: I never pay full price. I don?t try to save every penny I can on a deal, because I like to have a working relationship with various stores, and "leaving some meat on the bone for them" is part of that cooperation. However, since I represent easy repeat business, I do expect to get a deal. We need to update our horribly outdated electronic drum kit. It?s an old Roland TD-7 brain and a strange collection of pads, most so old I don?t even want to say their name? It?ll mainly work as a controller for BFD, so to bring it into this decade, I decided to shrink it into a compact kit. This means using a multi-pad control at its center with fewer than half a dozen additional pieces for kick, HH, snare, and a cymbal or two. It came down to one of Roland?s Octopads, the Alesis Control Pad, or Yamaha?s DTX Multi 12 (they need to work on naming things better too). Despite its price, for use as a controller, the DTX still squeaked ahead and won as our first choice. This the point where the problem starts ? Yamaha doesn?t let their authorized retailers advertise their products at discounted prices. Because of this, there?s no "who has the best prices?" starting point to this purchase ? everyone has the same price. And it?s not just the unit, it?s also a stand and mount, which are horribly overpriced for what they are, let?s be realistic - the real street price of this unit not sitting on a table is $897.97. I said I never pay full price and mean it, so I waited for a sale of some sort (one always eventually occurs if you?re patient). When Musician?s Friend had a 15% off "whatever in this price range" sale, I said that?s the one, and pulled the trigger, ordering the unit, mount, and stand. Their shopping cart didn?t telling me it didn?t apply the sale?s coupon code, but it also didn?t tell me it did apply it, so I had to follow up. Eventually, I was told that my order went it at full price (no discount), at Yamaha?s insistence, so I canceled the order. Then they told me it had already shipped, so I?d have to refuse the shipment, so I will have to make a concerted effort to be ready to refuse it.In the past, I?ve found good deals on a few pricey units from Yamaha, but not this time. This serves as a good example of why they keep missing out on the cash I spend. It?s a nice unit, but not a "must-have". I would rather send Yamaha a message by buying something I like a little less.

Comments about Yamaha DTX-MULTI 12 Digital Percussion Pad:

The 12 pads are very responsive, very durable, compact design. I am a hard hitting drummer and it is very durable to wacking it. The controls are fairly easy and understandable. I like the recording abilities, and has tons of effects and sounds to make any genre of music lovers happy. Its rather pricey but I believe you get what you pay for. I am a loyal Yamaha user and was very pleased with this product

Comments about Yamaha DTX-MULTI 12 Digital Percussion Pad:

Nice to have 12 triggers plus several places to plug in midi, USB and USB host, although I think that the MIDI 1.0 standard is dated and limiting. The + and - buttons are nice and textured so you can feel them in the dark, but don't light up for some reason and I would rather tap with a stick. Tap tempo is useless, simply didn't work and kept turning on the metronome. Worst edge triggers ever. Although they are several inches wide, you only have an inch in the center that actually triggers. Even in hand mode, it is next to impossible to use the edge triggers. Plenty of sounds, but marching percussion doesn't include modern pitched basses or tenors. And the marching snare sensitivity is set so high, you need marching sticks to make it work. It is next to impossible to roll on the pads. The headphone jack and volume control for it is on the back, but a bit hard to get to quickly. Soft pads are great but hard to roll. Angled design is nice, but seems like they are trying to catch up with Roland. Get rid of the "YAMAHA" sample please.

Comments about Yamaha DTX-MULTI 12 Digital Percussion Pad:

This was a great addition to my acoustic and electronic set ups. Sounds are great, easy to use, layering is even better. Love it. I have used Yamaha edrums for years so and the controls on the DTX-Multi 12 are familiar to me so no worries there. Get it, you will love it.

Comments about Yamaha DTX-MULTI 12 Digital Percussion Pad:

I bought the Multi-12 thinking it's new and has to be better than the Roland SPD-S right?. WRONG! I was lucky enough to compare the two side by side. Even though the Yamaha has more pads and inputs, that's where it ends for me. The Roland is soooo much better and easier to use. In my opinion, save some money, buy the Roland SPD-S and have alot more fun. Hell, buy two for the price of the Yamaha!

Comments about Yamaha DTX-MULTI 12 Digital Percussion Pad:

I am using the unit to play my own sick percussion samples at live shows. Also as a midi pad-controller in the studio.PROS: Awesome unit in all respects. Spectacular sound, high quality D/A converters. I loaded in my own kick and a cymbal samples with a USB memory stick (very easy), and studio-tested them head to head against the same samples played directly through my computer/RMEsoundcard, ...EXACTLY the same!!!No perceived Latency (audio triggers on the mark!). Sweet for high speed drum rolls. Drum pads have excellent response to sticks and hands.CONS: The default sample library that comes with this unit is nothing special, and has slow attacks. At first I thought the unit sounded muddy and had horrible latency...But then I loaded in batches of my own DeadMau drum samples via computer to a USB stick, and wholly molley, this beast came ALIVE. It was the factory samples, NOT the machine! Now I have a deep sense of respect for this unit!!Gripe #2-You can ONLY load in 16bit/44.1kHz sample files(.WAV/.AIFF)up to 9sec long, so you must convert all your 24-bit or .mp3 files to this resolution on your computer with a sample rate converter.Also on the thin rim pads(1-3,10-12)you have to whack a bit harder, and drum-rolls don't quite come through...Fine for stick hits, cowbells...things at 1/2 beat resolution.Navigation through the menu is easy, a little slow with just + or - keys, a spinning dial would have been faster, but hey, less stuff to bash!!