From gacki@sax.sax.de Thu Nov 28 22:39:44 1996 29 Nov 96 01:38:55 +0500 29 Nov 96 01:38:32 +0500 Comments: Authenticated sender is 28 Nov 96 13:42:34 +0500 Thu, 28 Nov 96 19:22:42 +0100 Date: Thu, 28 Nov 1996 18:46:25 +0100 From: gacki@sax.sax.de (Malte Rogacki) Subject: Re: Simmons SDX >On Fri, 22 Nov 1996, Malte Rogacki wrote: > >> >These are the Simmons units that existed, AFAICT: >> >> At least one is missing: The famous SDX. With a bit of luck I will have one >> in my sweaty hands earlier next week and report. > >Yes, I skipped the SDC-200 and the SDX as they seemed indefinite as to >their release at the date of the book I pulled most of that info from. >The book says, > >"The very near future is covered too with a new drum set which after much >deliberation is to be called the SDX (It's original, somewhat more prosaic >title unfortunately had to be abandoned when it was discovered to mean >something unsavoury in a foreign language!) IT's to be a disc-based >[picture shows 3.5" floppy drive built in), 10 piece, digital drum kit >with 16 voices, including cymbals, its own integral V.D.U. and a unique >'Tracker Ball' [in the picture you can see what looks like a 1.5" recessed >trackball similar to laptops w/2 buttons] to control menu-driven programme >parameters adn the like. SDX will, I'm led to believe, offer an enormous >amount of sound options and player control....[] 'R and D' team have >invested an enormous amount of money and an astonishing total of 25 'man >years' [whatever hype! tsch!] in this particular product... [] 5000 >English pound price tag" - Bob Henrit (author and famous drum guy) > >The picture looks like some kind of expensive heart-monitoring device with >a 6" screen of LED "sliders" like an old video-game. Yes, that sums it up rather well. I meanwhile have it but haven't worked much with it. Mine is the stock 2Meg console (no pads - sigh) without hard drive. First close look shows that it can be expanded with SIPP modules up to 8Meg; an internal hard drive can be added, and there's an external SCSI port as well.. The design is rather advanced, with many graphical options (the user interface is completely trackball-driven). While it's primary mission is to be a drum sampler it can be used as a generic keyboard sampler as well. Many extremely well thought-of things (like the way different samples are assigned to different areas and sensitivities of the drum pads - point and click) and funny icons (all programs have an "icon" - a electronic drum set for drums and a keyboard for non drums; the "active" program has a player sitting on it!). Weird. Malte Rogacki gacki@sax.sax.de ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Don't forget to TURN ON THE SYNTHESIZER. Often this is the reason why you get no sound out of it." (ARP 2600 Owner's Manual) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------