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Yamaha DD55 Drum Pad Customer Review
Feature:
It would be nice to include a deal with the travel case that's been created for it. overall the accesotries were fine
Quality:
this is a well built product with professional quality
Value:
yes I believe it's worth it's selling price
Desirability:
When I first saw it a 2nd hand music store i just had to have it cause the price was reasonable. Since I produce quite a lot of elctronic, pop, R&B and hip hop music. I really was considering utilizing it as a midi drum controller.
Sound:
Yamaha knows drums the sounds are great beacause there's a variety of sounds that the user can choose from.
Support:
Dealing with Yamaha has never been a problem great service and product knowledge.
Overall:
I'm sure the DD-55 will give me years of enjoyment. I love the sound quality of the machine overall. Portability is a great feature as well. Lastly for the price this product offers quite a real drum feel for the price. Utiliizing the pads as a midi trigger for software drums and synths is probably one of my main uses. however I've enjoyed and utilized the on board sound banks in my productions as well. just for a "live" unsequenced feel. If there was one thing I would hope for in the future from this product it would be to have control of some fine tuning details of the pads in example maybe a velocity sensative ride cymbal that allows you to hit it at certain velocity and here just the rim of the ride and maybe hit it just a little harder to get the bell sound.
It would be nice to include a deal with the travel case that's been created for it. overall the accesotries were fine
Quality:
this is a well built product with professional quality
Value:
yes I believe it's worth it's selling price
Desirability:
When I first saw it a 2nd hand music store i just had to have it cause the price was reasonable. Since I produce quite a lot of elctronic, pop, R&B and hip hop music. I really was considering utilizing it as a midi drum controller.
Sound:
Yamaha knows drums the sounds are great beacause there's a variety of sounds that the user can choose from.
Support:
Dealing with Yamaha has never been a problem great service and product knowledge.
Overall:
I'm sure the DD-55 will give me years of enjoyment. I love the sound quality of the machine overall. Portability is a great feature as well. Lastly for the price this product offers quite a real drum feel for the price. Utiliizing the pads as a midi trigger for software drums and synths is probably one of my main uses. however I've enjoyed and utilized the on board sound banks in my productions as well. just for a "live" unsequenced feel. If there was one thing I would hope for in the future from this product it would be to have control of some fine tuning details of the pads in example maybe a velocity sensative ride cymbal that allows you to hit it at certain velocity and here just the rim of the ride and maybe hit it just a little harder to get the bell sound.
"Has its place."
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:I am giving this a slightly low rating because although it comes with foot pedals (the key to allowing you to play it with the same skills an acoustic kit requires) they are really, really poor. You can use all sorts of third party pedals in place of the ones it comes with. I bought a Roland KD-8 kick trigger and a quality acoustic kick pedal and the difference was absolutely massive. Has a very solid feel on the right foot now. I am looking for a replacement for the hi hat pedal now.
Quality:
Mine has held up really well over time.
Value:
I'd say it's a decent value, but as the technology on electronic drum kits improve this will lose value over time. Considering that this has been around for quite a few years already, back in the day it was impressively before its time.
Sound:
It sounds decent. I play through a bass amp. It has nice variety with tons of unusual sounds like whistles and woodblocks. Obviously inferior to a well-miked acoustic kit, but I fool tons of people with it. I think the crash symbols are the weakest sound.
Ease of Use:
It really is easy to use. I record with it and it just goes directly into the sound card with very little noise. Just turn it on and start hitting stuff.
Overall:
I am a guitarist and I use this in place of software or a drum machine to get drum sounds on my home recordings. It's brilliant in that you can build up a ton of actual drumming skills while playing it, and it's incredibly easy to record with compared to an acoustic kit. It can also be extremely quiet (can play with headphones) which is a really nice feature. It helps that I am not a drumming looking for massive expressiveness... I am a guitarist looking for basic, solid drum rhythms on standard rock tunes.
"BUY... THIS... DRUM!"
Feature:
Too many to mention, but here are a handful: 1) I've always been jealous of guitarts, because they can bring an acoustic to a campfire and jam away, and I'm stuck with just some lame ass bongos. This thing is very compact, and it runs on batteries. 2) So many digitally recorded actual drum sounds, your head will explode. Hand percussion sounds excellent, too. 3) You can plug it straight into a recorder, just like a guitar, and it sounds awesome on the recording. Not fake at all. 4) Get creative! I plug it into my guitar effects pedal for insane sounds. 5) This is the biggest one for any drummer... PEDALS FOR THE HI-HAT AND BASS DRUM!!! The ONLY reason I bought this is because I didn't have to hit a pad to get a bass drum sound. Plus, if you don't like the feel of the pedals it comes with, or if you want to play double bass with ease, you can buy and use the foot pedals that Yamaha sells for their full size electronic drum sets, and use those.
Quality:
I'll keep it short. It's a ten. It would be embarrassing to play on stage with this, just because it can never duplicate the look of a real drumset in the minds of rockers. But, every drummer that has busted my balls while I was plugging this thing in for a quick jam, has dropped their jaws when they see how realistic this thing sounds and feels.
Value:
You want the feel and sound of a real set, with the ability to take it anywhere and jam with your guitar buddies, now you can. Buy this.
Desirability:
Couldn't care less about the "sex appeal". I'm a drummer.
Sound:
The sound on my 4 track recorder sounds like a perfectly mic'd drum. My only complaints are minor. There should have been more cymbal sounds. If you listen through headsets, they sound great. I personally agree that the sound is a little weak through the built-on speakers, but what can you expect from those things. I own a bass amp, and I plugged my DD-55 right into it like a guitar, and the sound is shockingly realistic. No buzzing or anything. Through the headphones or amp, the sound is a 10.
Ease of Use:
Plug 'n' play, baby. Manual is easy to understand. Move any drum to any pad. Adjust each pads volume, if you want. Very user friendly.
Support:
I haven't needed any, which is a good thing. I've beaten the hell out of it for going on three years now, and still haven't had anything go wrong.
Overall:
If there was a 20 to vote on this, I would have. One word of advice that I cannot emphasize enough, though. People always complain about the sound out of the on-board speakers... give it a rest! Spend $50 - $75 on a bass amp, you cheap bum, and you'll never complain again. Before, if I wanted to jam at my friends house, I had to lug my entire set over, only to have to play very quietly, because it was too late at night. Now I pick up and go in a flash, and can play as hard as I want, and all I have to do is turn the volume down. I love this thing.
Too many to mention, but here are a handful: 1) I've always been jealous of guitarts, because they can bring an acoustic to a campfire and jam away, and I'm stuck with just some lame ass bongos. This thing is very compact, and it runs on batteries. 2) So many digitally recorded actual drum sounds, your head will explode. Hand percussion sounds excellent, too. 3) You can plug it straight into a recorder, just like a guitar, and it sounds awesome on the recording. Not fake at all. 4) Get creative! I plug it into my guitar effects pedal for insane sounds. 5) This is the biggest one for any drummer... PEDALS FOR THE HI-HAT AND BASS DRUM!!! The ONLY reason I bought this is because I didn't have to hit a pad to get a bass drum sound. Plus, if you don't like the feel of the pedals it comes with, or if you want to play double bass with ease, you can buy and use the foot pedals that Yamaha sells for their full size electronic drum sets, and use those.
Quality:
I'll keep it short. It's a ten. It would be embarrassing to play on stage with this, just because it can never duplicate the look of a real drumset in the minds of rockers. But, every drummer that has busted my balls while I was plugging this thing in for a quick jam, has dropped their jaws when they see how realistic this thing sounds and feels.
Value:
You want the feel and sound of a real set, with the ability to take it anywhere and jam with your guitar buddies, now you can. Buy this.
Desirability:
Couldn't care less about the "sex appeal". I'm a drummer.
Sound:
The sound on my 4 track recorder sounds like a perfectly mic'd drum. My only complaints are minor. There should have been more cymbal sounds. If you listen through headsets, they sound great. I personally agree that the sound is a little weak through the built-on speakers, but what can you expect from those things. I own a bass amp, and I plugged my DD-55 right into it like a guitar, and the sound is shockingly realistic. No buzzing or anything. Through the headphones or amp, the sound is a 10.
Ease of Use:
Plug 'n' play, baby. Manual is easy to understand. Move any drum to any pad. Adjust each pads volume, if you want. Very user friendly.
Support:
I haven't needed any, which is a good thing. I've beaten the hell out of it for going on three years now, and still haven't had anything go wrong.
Overall:
If there was a 20 to vote on this, I would have. One word of advice that I cannot emphasize enough, though. People always complain about the sound out of the on-board speakers... give it a rest! Spend $50 - $75 on a bass amp, you cheap bum, and you'll never complain again. Before, if I wanted to jam at my friends house, I had to lug my entire set over, only to have to play very quietly, because it was too late at night. Now I pick up and go in a flash, and can play as hard as I want, and all I have to do is turn the volume down. I love this thing.
Yamaha DD55 Drum Pad Customer Review
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:I haven't tried them all, but it seems to have quite alot of features. Complicated to learn them all but i guess that's a good thing. Would be better if you can store more sets of custom kits
Quality:
As with most other owners say, it looks a bit flimsy, but after whacking it for a bit it proves it's durability. Pad's are made pretty well, though it still feels a bit awkward. The size is also many times bigger than what I expected. Chunky.
Value:
Would be better if the price included the stand as well, since having the drumset without a stand is pain in the ass to use. Slightly overpriced in my opinion
Desirability:
Could do with some others within the price range, but it's still pretty good for it's value
Sound:
the sounds pretty awsome, kickass realism. though, it is hard to get the exact sound combinations you'd want // compared to a set of real acoustic drums
Support:
no need for support yet
"Yamaha's best offer for starters has a new name: DD55"
Feature:
It included sticks, pedals and the power source but it didn't come with headphones
Quality:
I've only had it for 6 months but i play very hard metal and i can assure ut lasts very long
Value:
I think it is the best electronic set you can buy for this price and the relation price-value is great
Desirability:
I got it as a present but when i saw it on the internet i thought it was awesome
Sound:
I have owned this drumset for about six months and it is indcredible. It sounds like a real set and you can modify it so you can put reverb and loud volume and you can make your custom kits and change like over 200 sounds.
Ease of Use:
It is easy to play and you can modify the features, sounds and even kits very easily, you can have the best sound easily
Support:
never used it
Overall:
It is the best set you can buy for this price!!
It included sticks, pedals and the power source but it didn't come with headphones
Quality:
I've only had it for 6 months but i play very hard metal and i can assure ut lasts very long
Value:
I think it is the best electronic set you can buy for this price and the relation price-value is great
Desirability:
I got it as a present but when i saw it on the internet i thought it was awesome
Sound:
I have owned this drumset for about six months and it is indcredible. It sounds like a real set and you can modify it so you can put reverb and loud volume and you can make your custom kits and change like over 200 sounds.
Ease of Use:
It is easy to play and you can modify the features, sounds and even kits very easily, you can have the best sound easily
Support:
never used it
Overall:
It is the best set you can buy for this price!!
"Cool novelty for a non-percussionist."
Feature:
What sold me on this was that I could use my hands instead of the sticks. I was considering buying a Roland HandSonic, but the Yamaha DD55 did everything I needed at a fraction of the price. A shared ouput/headphone jack kind of sucks, but this doesn't matter to me. I get great sound running this through my regular system and playing through my studio monitors. This unit runs on batteries, but it can also run through a 12V adapter (not included).
Quality:
Ok, I guess. The foot pedals look cheesy, but they work.
Value:
I bought this barely used from someone for $100. Saved me from spending over $500 on a Roland Handsonic.
Desirability:
Other than the annoying problem I have with the drum kit dial, I like it. I wouldn't even mind gigging with it as a novelty.
Sound:
I am a keyboard player, not a percussionist, and I use this for latin percussion effects, and the sounds are very adequate for what I need. Of course, the pads aren't as responsive or dynamic as a true conga set, but I find it much better and a lot more fun than my workstation.
Ease of Use:
Very easy to use. My only real complaint is where they put the dial that controls which drum kit to use. I have a tendency to move that dial when I play using my hands. Nothing earth shattering, but it does get annoying.
What sold me on this was that I could use my hands instead of the sticks. I was considering buying a Roland HandSonic, but the Yamaha DD55 did everything I needed at a fraction of the price. A shared ouput/headphone jack kind of sucks, but this doesn't matter to me. I get great sound running this through my regular system and playing through my studio monitors. This unit runs on batteries, but it can also run through a 12V adapter (not included).
Quality:
Ok, I guess. The foot pedals look cheesy, but they work.
Value:
I bought this barely used from someone for $100. Saved me from spending over $500 on a Roland Handsonic.
Desirability:
Other than the annoying problem I have with the drum kit dial, I like it. I wouldn't even mind gigging with it as a novelty.
Sound:
I am a keyboard player, not a percussionist, and I use this for latin percussion effects, and the sounds are very adequate for what I need. Of course, the pads aren't as responsive or dynamic as a true conga set, but I find it much better and a lot more fun than my workstation.
Ease of Use:
Very easy to use. My only real complaint is where they put the dial that controls which drum kit to use. I have a tendency to move that dial when I play using my hands. Nothing earth shattering, but it does get annoying.
Yamaha DD55 Drum Pad Customer Review
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:The possible pad assignments are unbelievable and easy to do. I'm not sure the pads are in the best configuration. I would like the crash cymbal further to the right. The reach is a little cumbersome.
Value:
Easily worth the price.
Sound:
Cymbal sound is great but pads don't respond like cymbals.
Ease of Use:
Very easy to start using. All the features can be adjusted and used as desired.
Support:
Haven't needed any support so far.
"DD-55... nice little midi controller with decent onboard sounds as well."
Feature:
Came with an AC adapter and fairly lightweight (maybe 5A) unmarked sticks. I have heard that there are some units out there without AC adapters, so you may want to double check when buying.
Quality:
It's a pretty sturdy unit. Mine has probably 20 hours of heavy play on it so far, and everything works like it did when it was new.
Value:
$140
Sound:
The internal sounds of the DD-55 are surprisingly good. I use it as a midi trigger however, so the sounds coming out of Battery are even better ;)
Support:
haven't needed to.
Came with an AC adapter and fairly lightweight (maybe 5A) unmarked sticks. I have heard that there are some units out there without AC adapters, so you may want to double check when buying.
Quality:
It's a pretty sturdy unit. Mine has probably 20 hours of heavy play on it so far, and everything works like it did when it was new.
Value:
$140
Sound:
The internal sounds of the DD-55 are surprisingly good. I use it as a midi trigger however, so the sounds coming out of Battery are even better ;)
Support:
haven't needed to.
"Great for practice and limited studio use but not perfect"
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:VERY portable, which is great for drummers who are used to dragging around tons of stuff and spending time getting it set up. Just plug it in and you're ready to play. Of course you'll also need an amp if you're playing with others.
Quality:
Seems reliable, and pads are lasting well, but wouldn't go on the road - this is a practice and maybe cheap studio interface.
Value:
For $200 if you try hard enough you can get a real drum set used (starter set) or for $300 get a new Starion etc, which is better to learn on in my opinion. But if you want a very portable electronic kit with a Midi interface, its a great value.
Desirability:
Looks rather dorky. But does the job.
Sound:
Very good drum sounds, and lots to choose from. The hihat sound is usually mixed a bit low, but that can be tweaked if you take the time. Good dynamics (hit louder, sounds louder). Rolls get picked up correctly.
"A great tool for Hobby-Drummers (and beyond?)"
Feature:
Cross-faded drum samples with level of impact. Ease of use with outside systems - via 1/4" jack; MIDI jacks. My only complaint might be that there is only one 'custom' kit available, and setting these features is sometimes a little obscure - keep the manual close by.
Quality:
This little unit is indestructible. I had it at a summer camp to teach some of the kids the basics. It took loads of hard knocks and downright abuse from some very enthusiastic kids - and never missed a beat. One idea if anyone does something similar. The ladies at the camp put plastic baggies over the pedals to keep the sand out. That probably helped! ;-)
Desirability:
Now that I bought a snare drum stand for it and a proper drummer's throne - it looks very nice. I'll play it anywhere with anyone (assuming I have a good speaker/monitor output for the setting.) I personally find a 'real' snare drum stand looks much nicer and is probably more solid than the one sold by Yamaha specifically for the DD55.
Sound:
It's a great tool for the studio or for jammin' - so portable. I'm currently looking for a good powered monitor to use when jamming. Any suggestions? Something that can handle the highs and lows without distorting?
Ease of Use:
Very similar in concept to Yamaha's other 'professional' level Digital drums like the DTX series. Of course, due to the small pads, and constrained size of the unit, it does not have the dynamic 'physicality' of moving around a full-size kit. And the small pads mean that stick-accuracy must be right on to get a good 'hit'/trigger. Some sounds seem more critical than others. Since I reset the sensitivity up, this is better.
Support:
No support needed is the BEST support.
Cross-faded drum samples with level of impact. Ease of use with outside systems - via 1/4" jack; MIDI jacks. My only complaint might be that there is only one 'custom' kit available, and setting these features is sometimes a little obscure - keep the manual close by.
Quality:
This little unit is indestructible. I had it at a summer camp to teach some of the kids the basics. It took loads of hard knocks and downright abuse from some very enthusiastic kids - and never missed a beat. One idea if anyone does something similar. The ladies at the camp put plastic baggies over the pedals to keep the sand out. That probably helped! ;-)
Desirability:
Now that I bought a snare drum stand for it and a proper drummer's throne - it looks very nice. I'll play it anywhere with anyone (assuming I have a good speaker/monitor output for the setting.) I personally find a 'real' snare drum stand looks much nicer and is probably more solid than the one sold by Yamaha specifically for the DD55.
Sound:
It's a great tool for the studio or for jammin' - so portable. I'm currently looking for a good powered monitor to use when jamming. Any suggestions? Something that can handle the highs and lows without distorting?
Ease of Use:
Very similar in concept to Yamaha's other 'professional' level Digital drums like the DTX series. Of course, due to the small pads, and constrained size of the unit, it does not have the dynamic 'physicality' of moving around a full-size kit. And the small pads mean that stick-accuracy must be right on to get a good 'hit'/trigger. Some sounds seem more critical than others. Since I reset the sensitivity up, this is better.
Support:
No support needed is the BEST support.
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