Drum Sets

The OSP DD-502 Digital Electronic Drum Kit was introduced in the year 2006 and was a quick hit. The following review is on its next generation model, the OSP DD-502 MKII, which has turned out to be a great success too. The new version has got a lot of cosmetic changes and a lot of feature enhancements too. But this does not means that the price has been shot sky high.

Looks and parts:

The OSP DD-502 MKII Digital Electronic Drum Kit has an attractive aluminium framework which gives the set a high tech and sophisticated look. It sports a digital controller module with LED program and display. Its components include 3 Tom Drums, 1 Snare Drum, 3 Cymbals, Hi-Hat controller pedal and a Kick drum with pedal. The DD-502 MKII has an ¼” headphone that has been located on the side of the drums module. Hence, the kit can be either monitored using a headphone or an amp or PA system.

The main control panel and ports:

The control panel in the OSP DD-502 MKII Electronic Drum Set includes a volume knob, save button, start/stop switch, kit button, voice or volume button, three digit LED display, song button, metronome click, + and – button, pad select button and indicators, tempo management and tap buttons. The rear side of the unit has a MIDI out jack, trigger input jacks, output jacks, an Aux in jack, power supply jack and a power switch.

Set up of OSP DD-502 MKII:

The ease of use is great  in the kit as all that you have to do is have a look at the manual. It describes the set-up in detail. But you will be hardly having any necessity to  refer it as the set-up is quite straight forward.

Features:

OSP DD-502 MKII Digital Electronic Drum Kit has a set of components that would appeal to a wide spectrum players of every level with consistent quality and control. This consistency gives the drums set great value for money. Its wide range of feature will make the kit appealing for players of all kinds.

Something for everyone:

By the words that it would be appealing for a wide range of players we actually mean it. For beginners, the DD-502 MKII has got fifty full songs in contrast to just a few bars in most of the entry level kits. Each of these songs have various styles that help in developing the chops of the beginners. There are 20 kits that are already preset and for the intermediate players, they will be able to create 10 user kits from 215 voices in order to get the perfect tone. Seasoned musician’s piece of bread is that, the control module possesses stereo output for both recording and MIDI out. A red light in the middle of each drum trigger lights up on the controller so you can see what pads are being played while in song mode. That makes it even easier to learn how to play the drums and different drum styles like Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country, Latin, and R&B.

Performance:

The 8 inch drum heads are a little harder to hit accurately. The cymbals that are offered cannot be said to be the best ones around. They have a sweet spot that would give you full volume on a light touch. The kick is decent and the Hi-Hat controller does not have much to do as it is just a digital ON/OFF. Hence, there is no closing the Hi-Hat without making a full volume strike.

Package contents:

The box contents of OSP DD-502 MKII Digital Drum Set includes the drums kit, two drum sticks, 110 volt power adaptor, all the necessary colour coded , labled cables and an operational manual.

Warranty:

The OSP DD-502 MKII Digital Electronic Drum Kit comes with one year limited warranty.

Verdict:

While its pricing remains to be some thing of entry level, most of its features are the ones that can be found only with the expensive set of drums. The OSP DD-502 MKII Digital Electronic Drum Kit has a wide area of application such as working bands, churches, schools, students and even a few studios. OSP DD-502 MKII is outstanding value for quality, versatility and price. It is the cheapest electronic drums kit that resembles a real drum kit.

OSP DD-502 MKII Drum Set/Kit – Technical Specifications, Features

Manufacturer	OSP
Model Name	OSP DD-502 MKII Digital Electronic Drum Kit
Model number	DD-502 MKII
Product Type	Electronic drums
Body	Aluminum framework
Tom Drums	Three
Snare Drum	One
Cymbals	Three
Voices	215
Preset Drum Kits	20
User Kits	10
Preset Songs	50
Display	LED display
Controls	Power switch, voice or volume button, three digit LED display, song button, metronome click, + and – button, pad select button and indicators, tempo management and tap buttons
Connectivity ports	MIDI out jack, trigger input jacks, output jacks, an Aux in jack, power supply jack and a power switch
Package contents	The drums kit, two drum sticks, 110 volt power adaptor, all the necessary colour coded , labled cables and an operational manual
Power Supply	AC adaptor (DC 9V)
Warranty	One year

YDD-60 – 8 Pad Electronic Drum Machine from Yamaha

Yamaha rules the industry of musical instruments. The following review is on one of their digital drums, the YDD-60 which has proved to be a great starter kit for a beginner to get started or even for a professional who is looking for a practice solution.

Compact kit:

Yamaha YDD-60 8 Pad Digital Drums is quite compact and can be carried to your practice stages and moved about with ease. This portable digital drum kit has its dimensions as, 24.1 x 16.44 x 7.2 (H X W X D) and weighs 9.9lbs. It has two on-board bass ported stereo speakers of 8cm diameter, through which you can enjoy your music and you can also enjoy it privately with the help of headphones. The YDD-60 Drum Kit sports an auxiliary in jack that allows you to attach you MP3 or portable CD player to the drums and play along with pre recorded music. The personal USB MIDI and General MIDI I/O connections allow the YDD-60 to interface with computers or other MIDI-compatible instruments, and allow the user to download song data from the Internet.

Great deal of features:

The Yamaha YDD-60 Electronic Drum Set (YAC YDD60) has a number features that are built-in, having the potential to appeal a beginner, a casual musician or even a serious player. It features everything as a basic drumming kit with eight touch sensitive pads and hand percussion mode. The ultra-realistic sonic palette includes 230 stereo sampled voices, 50 preset drum kits and around 100 built-in songs.

A hand percussion mode brings both the sounds and the feel of international percussion to your fingertips and adds even more realism when played with the hands. Users can record up to five original songs which is up to 10,000 notes and view song information on the LED display. The YDD-60 Compact Digital Drum Kit can be used through the onboard, bass-ported stereo speakers, or through the privacy of headphones.

Performance:

Yamaha YDD-60 8 Pad Digital Drum Set brings the sound and feel of that of a full speed professional grade electronic drum kit. Having a collection of the world percussion instruments, into a package, it has been made as a package that anyone of any age can play the instrument right out of the box.

The package:

The package includes drum sticks, Yamaha power supply and a closed cup stereo headphones. The package also includes a pair of foot pedals that can be assigned to kick drum, high hat, or any other voice. The YDD60 operates on six size C batteries or even with the help of an AC adaptor. The battery does not come with the package and so, they need to be purchased separately.

Verdict:

The Yamaha YDD-60 8 Pad Digital Drum Machine offers pro level features at a fraction of a typical price. With great features like 8 touch sensitive drum pads, hand percussion mode, 230 Stereo sampled voices, 50 preset drum kits, and 100 built in songs, it’s a full electronic drum set that rests on a tabletop. We certainly recommend it to the beginners and as a practice kit for the advanced players.

Warranty:

Yamaha offers Yamaha YDD-60  Digital Drums a warranty of 90 Days Labour and 1 Year for Parts.

Yamaha YDD-60 Electronic Drums – Technical Specifications, Features

Manufacturer	Yamaha
Model Name	Yamaha YDD-60
Model number	YAC YDD60
Drum type	Digital Drum
Dimensions (H X W X D)	24.1″ x 16.44″ x 7.2″
Weight	14.8 pounds
Hand percussion mode	Yes
Speakers	Stereo speakers with a Bass port
Built-in tones	50 preset drum kits and 100 built-in songs Reverb and master EQ DSP effects
MIDI In / Out	Yes
Effects Reverb/Master EQ	Yes
Headphone jack	Yes
Voices	254
Compatibility	GM Compatible
Auxiliary in jack for connecting MP3 or CD player	Yes
Polyphony	32 Notes
Songs	100 + 5 User
Drum Kits	50 + 3 User
Sequencer	1 – Track/10,000 notes
Package	Drum sticks, 2 drum pedals, quick start DVD and power Adapter
Amplifier	5W + 5W (2 Channels)
Power Supply	PA-150 AC Adapter 6 ‘C’ Batteries
Warranty	90 Days Labour, 1 Year Parts

Gone are those days when you will find a big dent in your bank credit after you have purchased an electric drum kit. The electronic drum kits are now available in very affordable price ranges. You no longer need to pay prices that are extortionate to have an electronic drum that sounds good and also having good deal of features. The Alesis DM5 Pro Kit comes in this category.

Alesis DM5 Pro Kit: An enhanced version of Alesis DM5

The Alesis DM5 Pro Kit  is the successor of the Alesis DM5, which was an entry level electronic kit that had a rubber pad set-up, being harnessed to the Alesis’s long standing DM5 sound module. Alesis DM5 was not flawless, yet was a good value for your money. However, Alesis which believes in the fact that, improvements can always be made, improvised this model and manufactures the Alesis DM5 Pro Kit Electronic Drum Set. The pro kit retains the basic features of the DM5, and has included an impressive set of rack and pads.

The design tweaks made:

The rack sported by the original Alesis DM5 was a bit basic with a simple flat square design. Pro kit’s rack design is straightforward, having a look and performance that is better than its parent. The use of the curved front bar is one of the most significant single improvements that had been made. Though this change seems to be minor, it compliments the comfortable positioning of the pads that are attached to it, and overall even enhances the look of the kit. The reinforcing arms that runs between the curved bar and the feet uprights increase the stability over the standard DM5 kit. The middle part and the bottom rack bars are same as that of the original piece, where the bass drum pad and the pad were mounted initially. This kind of a set-up again contributes to the sleekness of the full kit. The kick pad and the pedal have been made as standalone units. The pads are supported by the straight legs and the pedal is attached in the usual clamping.

User friendly set-up:

Setting up the Alesis DM5 Pro Electric Drum Kit can be done in a breeze. Anyone who is familiar with the drums will not have to look at the instruction booklet even once. The instructions on how to put on the rack together is depicted very clearly in the booklet.

Once the racks are set up and put together tightly, the rack stands solid and would make you feel comfortable. Toms are then fitted into the racks, with just a couple of turns with the screws. You will not be able to notice any wobbles on the arms of the tom, which is superb. The wiring is done in a very neat manner with just the enough length for each trigger and this kind of a set-up reflects the uniformity of the whole kit.

Feels like and acoustic drum:

The pad, now comprise rims and also have the drum skins on them. When you start playing the kit, the immediate feel that you will get is similar to that of an acoustic  drum which is an advantage for the kit. The snare possesses dual triggers, where the rim acts as the secondary trigger. You must take a note that the rim trigger is not set to the standard “rim click” sound by default. Once you do a quick tweak with the DM5 brain, it gets done.

At a single glance, you would tend to think that the pro kit is having mesh head, which is not true, the pads are made out of plastic heads. The drums consist of a cast plastic chassis, a very short shell and triple-flanged hoops, so they feel like real little instruments. The four legs allow the heads to be tensioned which ensures that the response can be tweaked according to your taste. At the heart of the set-up remains the venerable DM5 module.

New cymbals:

The Alesis DM5 Pro Kit Drum Set has new cymbals that are well designed. The new cymbals do not miss a beat and they are very quiet. They are placed in a nice firm position. The bass drum pad is held upright with a floor plate and two of its legs are place in 45 degree angle. Some Velcro is placed in the bottom of the plate, so that is stays properly in its place. Since the pads are having a great deal of sensitivity, they do not miss even a beat, whether it is buzz rolls or any rolls. With that kind of sensitivity, you will find that the kit is very dynamic.

MIDI capabilities:

The DM5’s proven trigger to MIDI capabilities are as useful now as they ever were in both studio and live or rehearsal situations. Hooked up to an external hardware sampler that is filled with your own sounds, the DM5 Pro might well come into its own in a way that the standard DM5 kit never quite did. The MIDI converter works ultra fast with 12 trigger inputs, 5 programmable parameters for each trigger.

Replace the hi-hat pedal:

The hi-hat pedal switch feels a bit too chunky. You really need to take your foot of it to get the open hat sound, and this is an unnatural feel compared to the rest of the kit. We suggest you to buy a replacement standard DM5 hi-hat switch pedal.

Highlight features:

Alesis Professional DM5 module contains 540 sounds and 21 programmable drum sets recorded in 48kHz, true stereo, with ambient effects in a single rack space module. The Dynamic Articulation feature allows the drum sounds to change volume, tone, and pitch depending on how hard they are hit, exactly like the real instrument.

The package:

The DM5 Pro Kit from Alesis features a self-contained, 5-piece electronic drum set including a dual-zone snare, kick, 3 toms, with ride, crash and HiHat cymbal pads. Since there is no bass drum pedal supplied with this kit, you will have to find one from outside. All the necessary interconnect cables included.

Cost effective:

The Alesis DM5 Pro Kit is very competitively priced at less than over £100 than its potential competitors Traps E400 and the Yamaha DTXplorer. This is one of another main reasons why you could opt for this kit.

Alesis DM5 Pro Kit come with one year warranty for parts and labour.

Verdict:

The overall impression that Alesis DM5 Pro Kit is given is good. Having a very affordable cost, it gives you a feel of an acoustic drum when it is played. Except for the Hi-hat switch that is a bit bulky, we do not have nothing much considerable to complain about. The Alesis DM5 Pro Kit is a high quality, low cost solution for a complete electronic drum kit, with professional sound and familiar, comfortable playability. The flexibility of the DM5 Pro Kit functions insures that it performs equally well for recording or live gigs.

Alesis DM5 Pro Kit – Technical Specification Table

Manufacturer	Alesis
Model Name	Alesis DM5 Pro Kit
Drum type	Electronic
Dimensions (W x H x D) inches	19″x1.75″x6″
Weight	4.5lbs
Colour theme	Black
Audio Outputs	Four Two stereo pairs
Trigger input jacks	12
User adjustable trigger parameters	5 each
DAC Bit Resolution	18
Sample Rate	48kHz
Sound types included	Stereo samples with reverb, ambience and dynamic articulation
Number of sounds	Over 500
Polyphony	16 voice
Panning	7 position
User programmable panning	Yes
Velocity Response	127 levels of loudness via MIDI or trigger inputs
Kits memory	21 Memory locations with defaults permanently stored in ROM
MIDI jacks	In, Out or Thru
Headphone Jack	1/4″ TRS with variable gain
Switchable Footswitch Jack	1/4″ jack
Tuning Scheme	Coarse (chromatic) and Fine (cents)
Data Input	Data knob, front panel keypad
Power	9 VAC external transformer, UL and CSA approved
Warranty	One year