BUILT FOR COMFORT
Because the 700 series features all DTX-PAD configurations they are comfortable for drummers to play, and we wanted to make the new DTX700 module comfortable for drummers to program. Many of the new features are “under the hood”, but just by looking at the front panel of the DTX700, those with a keen eye will notice this is the first DTX module to feature a dot-matrix display, along with three function buttons underneath. This is an advanced display that can draw sophisticated images, and the function buttons’ “function” is always shown above each button in the display, making basic operations very intuitive.
Directly to the right is a combination dial and push-button which serves as a data-wheel, navigation dial, and enter button. Without getting too heavy into technical design ergonomics, these two groups of controls are the one's you will be using a lot, so having them together with a clear display screen makes the DTX700 more easy to use. There are two recessed data entry buttons located in the lower right area, and these can be pressed with your sticks for easily changing kits, and the sliders on the opposite side allow quick mixing of the drum parts and click. When not in use, the upper ledge functions as a built-in stick holder.
Once you have selected your instrument you can use the function buttons to easily access the most common sound parameters that drummers like to tweak. The parameters change to match the instrument such as tuning and muffling for drums, and size and sustain for cymbals. The DTX700 makes it easy and fun to create your own great sounding kits.
IT’S SO YOU...
The DTX700 comes with 50 preset kits and 10 user kits, all of which can be overwritten. This is something new for DTX, and it basically means that you can program 60 kits that suit your personal taste. If you ever want to restore just one of the preset kits after you’ve “erased” it you can easily initialize just the kit you want back to the factory setting at any time without having to reset the whole module.
The song memory of the DTX700 has 93 song locations and is preloaded with 63 songs (2 demo songs, 44 practice songs, and 17 pad songs) and can also be overwritten. That gives end users a lot of flexibility to customize their own song content. For example, if you are a drum instructor with 9 students, you could record 10 weeks of your students progress. Or you could decide to load in 93 custom SMF (Standard MIDI File) songs of your choosing. That’s some serious power.
IT’S ALIVE...
The sounds of the DTX700 are new as well. With the DTX700, our approach to recording the internal samples was to capture a more “open” sound, preserving the natural qualities of each instrument. In addition to the standard Yamaha Oak, Maple, Birch and Beech Custom kits here are two completely new kits making their debut on the DTX700: Vintage 70s and Vintage 50’s. There is even more new technology inside the DTX700 that helps emulate the sounds of a “live” set of drums. We’ve added a resonance parameter that “resonates” the toms when you play the kick (snare buzz is a separate parameter), and you can control the rate of the “choke” for the cymbals. Yamaha used their experience in making acoustic drums and combined it with their expertise in digital sound technology to produce an electronic drum trigger module that sounds great and is easy to use.