Product: Tama TC 306
Price Paid: US $50 used
Submitted
09/07/2001
at
12:56pm
by
gregory
Email: zifcak<at>hotmail dot com
Ease of Use
:
6
the presets are dated sounding. editing is as easy as twisting the knobs. getting what you want takes a little experimentation, once you learn how to make what you want, the rewards are astounding. pounding techno is entirely possible.
Features
:
10
there are six voices, each with a trigger in, no midi, no sequencer. i sequence mine (and some simmons modules) with a yamaha rx5 (12 outs and sounds that can be edited down to short clean bursts). there are 4 tom sounds, a synth sound and a clap sound. each has a row of knobs to control pitch, noise pitch, noise/tone mix, attack (click) level, pitch bend up and down, decay, and emphasis. the synth and clap have slightly different controls
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
9
the sounds are not realistic in the least. they can be very good with practice. good for techno, electro, new wave, anything experimental.
there is varied response to the trigger signal's volume: a stronger signal increases the pitch and volume of the sound. the synth has a pitch lfo with a depth control (the speed might also increase with the depth, hard to tell), noise bend up and down, mix between tri and squ wave, and an incredible pitch range. the pitch can only only be controlled with the pitch knob and bend, melodies aren't technically possible, but experimentation yields some very strong textural possibilities. the clap is nice, with pitch control, reverb level, and reverb length. and the sensitivity changes the number of attacks to sound like more hands! the toms are easily tuned to sub-audible frequencies, hard high kicks and soft deep ones are possible, combining them produces techno stomps. nice smooth single notes and quirky sounds are natural and easy.
Reliability
:
7
it's a strong metal box. the knobs feel nice and there's lots of room between them. seems a little more sturdy and refined than the simmons modules. mine's pretty tough considering the abuse it appears to have sustained. sometimes the pitch of one of the toms fluctuates. i can't afford backups.
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
Overall Rating
:
10
i would really need to have another one if i lost it. i had a 305 (bass, snare, rim, 3 toms) stolen from me and it almost ruined me. that's when i got the simmons modules. this would be a greater loss because of the clap and synth. bass, snare and rimshot sounds are all possible on these toms.
