Drum.InstrumentalLive.com

Well Worth It
This little drum machine is quite worth the money spent. I wanted something with midi, live audio, and foot pedals and this unit more the covers the bases.

I was actually experimenting with playing the drums while playing guitar and not only do the foot pedals lend themselves to that purpose, but the pads themselves can be played the feet when the drumset is set to "handperc". It is awkward to do, but it would actually work.

The "live audio" sound quality is just fine, and plenty of volume for at least acoustical instruments, which is what we were doing. I have used the Midi out to drive sequencing software which works fine. Assigning sounds to pads also works well using the thumbwheel.

The only shortcomings I have observed is that it should come with a power supply, rather than having to buy one separately, and it would be nice if you could save a few custom kit setups, rather than just the one "CU" that is built in.

All in all, I am very pleased with the purchase.

Quick delivery.
Product was delivered fast. there is a scratch on the cover but the drum function is fine.

For Intermediate Drummers:
I purchased this product about a month ago and I am very pleased with it. The features are amazing and I love the fine tuning details. I've read other reviews that only comment on bad sound quality, but I consider the sound quality to be amazing. Although you can't expect much out of the unit's speakers, headphones or other external sound systems (such as amps) make the sound quality amazing (the speakers are great for practicing though). I've also read that people are unhappy with the low volume of the crash speakers. I addressed this problem by lowering the volume of all the pads except the cymbals, and then just raise the main volume. Many people think that this kit would not be good for a stand alone performance kit. I whole-heartedly agree. That's why I made a set up with my real hi-hat, and my bass drum, and put the dd-55 in the middle. I've played in two concerts like this and it has been a hit. I changed the hi-hat pad into a china cymbal (or a ride bell). I put a splash on the hi-hat pedal and a cowbell (or anything else you want) on the bass pedal. This setup worked great. I also figured out a way to rig the bass pedal so you could hit it with a real bass pedal. In one of the songs, I threw away my sticks and started to play the bongos! Everyone loved it! I'm glad Yamaha made such an affordable proffesional quality drum pad set and I'm sad when I see that most people can't use it to it's fullest potencial!

This drum system cannot be beat!
As a solo artist and song writer, I depend on this piece of equipment almost as much as my guitars. I've recorded 4 succesful albums using the Yamaha DD-55 and it has never let me down. It's simple to use, durable, and dependable. Don't buy a cheap drum machine from Radio Shack if youare serious about your music, invest some money and you'll see the investment pay off as you start cutting tracks. It's the next best thing to a live drummer in the studio.

3 reasons I like this drum set
1) Perfect for practice. As a non-drummer, buying a full acoustic or digital drumset is too much of a commitment. This little digital set gives a good simulation of the feel of a full kit (with some limitations) for learning new rhythms. Someday I'll buy a full kit but for now this guy will do.2) Jamming. Sitting around with some friends and some guitars, it is really nice to pull out some backing drum sounds quickly and painlessly. The hand drum sounds are excellent as well for this.3) Recording MIDI. This guy goes MIDI out to the computer for recording MIDI events and playing them back with the sound card's drumset or anything else you want. As a MIDI drum controller it is very handy. I have also recorded the on-board drum sounds (run through a guitar amp with mild distortion and reverb) and the results were pretty cool.