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Great all-in-one solution for drummers.
By: Steve from Pennsylvania
Submitted: 5/1/2013
4 people found this review helpful.
Product Rating
Your general opinion of this product.
Overall, I think that this is a great piece of equipment for what it is at this price-point. I checked out most of the portable digital drum sets that were under $500.00, and found this one to be the best of the bunch.
It seems pretty well made. The pads are good quality rubber and relatively expressive (like a practice pad). The plastic shell seems strong -- I dropped it on a wood floor getting it out of the box and it has worked without any problems.
The internal sounds are a huge plus. I used to have a drum pad set with an external a sound module, which required periodic programming, but the DD65 is easy to work with. One of the biggest reasons I liked this over its competitors, was the ability to make 3 custom kits. I also liked how natural the pad set up is -- it is just a mini kit -- and that I could use regular electronic pedals (which I already had) instead of switches. The biggest failing of the instrument is the pedals, which are really buttons, that come with it. A nice feature to add would be a USB port, so you don't have to buy a midi-USB adapter to hook it up to the computer.
Surprisingly, considering the price, the internal sounds are quite good. I would advise against using the speakers that are built in as they are not loud enough to cover the "tapping" of the sticks on the pads. But I use studio speakers and headphones and the sound is very good -- clear and realistic. The beauty is that I can upgrade the sound just buy purchasing software or a sound module, but, like i said, the on-board sounds are quite good.
For what I paid vs. what I get out of of it, I am quite happy. The sounds are very good, and it is perfect for someone like me who cannot have a full-sized or acoustic kit for space/noise-level reasons.
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Positive
By: Hafizi from Rochester, NY
Submitted: 7/26/2010
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A great place to start learning drums.
By: Benjamin Davenport from Snohomish, WA, USA
Submitted: 3/7/2010
It's pretty well made. Yamaha tends to do a good job.
It sounds pretty bad through it's speakers. I plug it in to my DAW, Logic Pro 9, using the midi feature, and that drastically improves it.
Yes, a very good value. Midi is GREAT for learning on, because I can just run it through Logic Pro 9 and have a metronome and see whether I'm triggering the pads at the right time. Great for practice. I probably wouldn't use it for a performance.
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Really good
By: Charlie
Submitted: 4/22/2009
made very well, no issues
Plug into the PA, and it sounds good at any volume level
through a PA, It's great
Your general opinion of this product.
love it
very good
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Subject
I may never mic drums for recording again.
By: Zach from Springfield, MO United States
Submitted: 1/31/2009
This product seems to be good quality. Obviously I can't predict how it will hold up long term, but I don't see anything that indicates it will be giving out any time soon. I've never had a Yamaha problem give out on me before.
The features on the DD65 suit all my needs. I primarily use it as a midi controller for recording. I just record the midi signal, edit and quantize in my software, then assign drum samples to it. I use IK Multimedia's Sampletank. The dynamic range on the pads is good. The DD65 transmits default midi notes for each sound, but you can specify a pad's midi note. One thing to look out for on this product is a hi-hat problem. The older versions don't send different midi notes for hi-hat open and closed. You can hear the difference on the DD65 itself, but the midi is the same. I contacted Yamaha support and they told me the new ones have been fixed. They said if I bought one without the fix they'd swap it for a new one directly at Yamaha. (I'd contact them ahead of time so you don't get surprised). I lucked out and got a newer one with the fix.
Don't expect too much from the built in sounds in this product. It definitely reminds me of your average keyboard drums. However, if you plug it into a good sound system rather than using the built in speakers it has a decent sound. If your looking at using it live on a long term basis I recommend you midi it into a nice sound module.
Your general opinion of this product.
I really like this product. It allows me to record perfect drums on my computer using virtual instruments and midi. It really doesn't feel like a real drum set, so I'm not sure I'd recommend it for new drummers, but it's quiet and portable.
Four drum pads, four cymbals, and two foot switches included. (You can use real electric drum triggers with it, by the way). You can't beat it. I've done the research. Nothing else offers this many features for the money.
Looks like digital drums.