Yamaha DD55 Pro

It's fairly easy to set up, also when it comes to MIDI. I usually just run the MIDI-out to my PC, where I use an array of software samplers. I don't bother re-assigning the MIDI-numbers of the pads, but just convert them on the fly using MIDI-OX, which is far more flexible.

The MIDI-capabalities are very okay. The pads are pretty sensitive, sometimes even overly so, but I did put them on their highest sensitivity level. The pedals are totally unlike the ones you'd use on a real drumkit, but somehow they work for me. But I might look into buying some more realistic pedals once my drumming gets better.

The onboard sounds are total crap, so I never use them. I use the device purely as a MIDI-controller, which works nicely.

I use this device purely in my studio. FOr live work I might look into those Roland pads more than this one, since I have my doubts about its sturdiness.

This is a nice device if you want a more live drum feel for your recordings. I'd recommend to use it as a MIDI-controller only and not use the internal sounds or the sequencer.

Easy to use...Manual written for newbies, so that's good. Was relatively easy to do monor changes.

I have no use for the pre-patterned features, that isn't why I bought it. Reverb is properly placed and has a decent tone, it's not adjustable. I don't need it midi'd, so I can't comment.

Sound are pretty good. They sound good recorded....That is why I bought it. I have tried and failed at live drum recording...I don't have the time to work with it. I wanted live feel on my recordings. This does pretty good. The triggering is very touchy. I cannot stand the occassional "did not trigger" when I'm trying to put something on a track. This totally annoys me, and I've wanted to throw this thing out the window more than once. You have to hit a very small place to have the expected results, and then sometimes notes still don't sound. I've had to play things several times, then cut in places....it's frustrating. I'm no stranger to sequencers either. I've been doing heavy sequencing for a long long time, before general midi, etc,etc...these pads strike about 80% reliable, the other 20% is either no sound, too loud, too soft....I have tried re-assigning the pads for hat and snare further apart...it helps. I think Yamaha should scrap the speakers and make the pads bigger and better, design it with stereo sum outs, or kick/snare/tom/cymbals outs (total 4) that would be very useful. I"d also like to see 4 trigger ins. so you could use a few pads along with it. I think if you could separate the vibrations, the triggering would be more predictable.And the pedals suck, just like everyone has mentioned. I'm either going to upgrade the pedals, or buy a new kit....not sure yet. I'd like to have a nice roland mesh set...BUT THEY ARE EXPENSIVE! This thing is really small, takes hardly no space, and is real usable. It has some flaws, but it's a great tool for 200.

I have had so much Yamaha gear, I can't remember it all....NEVER had a problem.NEVER. This goes way back, DX100,DX27,DX7,PF80,CP30,P60,Electric grand,Basses,Electrics,Acoustics,Saxophones,,mixers,powered heads,MD8,AW16G,PSR,TX....Speakers,monitors,POWER AMPS,....wow, I'm getting dizzy thinking about all the money I've spent.

Never had to call them, and that says it all....that's one reason I always look at their products.

well, If I upgrade I won't be sad to see it go. I've never been much of a "keeper" with instruments, I use them and trade them off pretty quick. I get bored with the same stuff. It serves my purpose for now, and has been a real eye opener into recording acoustic vs. digital. I love my acoustic drums, but recording them, mixing...too time consuming. With this , I've seen how easy it is. Now, I'll probably step up to a better set in time, but I'm getting some decent tracks with this unit. I really wish you had some separate outs to work with...I'd like to be able to manipulate snare/bass especially.

It's a pretty easy to use machine. There are a few operations like setting the pad sensitivity that use a combination of buttons to get into the correct mode to set stuff, but after you do it a few times you get the hang of it.

The manual is easy to read, and pretty well thought out, as well.

The polyphony of the pads is quite good. It seems to be ok with rolls and fast wipes. Once in a great while if you hit two pads at exactly the same time, one will fail to sound. But it's rare and not really a problem.

The built-in reverbs are excellent, but not tweakable. I usually use my own Alesis Nanoverb to get the exact effect I want, though.

There are different pre-programmed rhythms and other many other features that I don't use, so it is very full-featured.

Quality of the sounds are generally superb. Far better than you would think for the price. The crash cymbals are sometimes a tad fake on the decay, but cymbals are frequently very difficult to get right with digital drums, even some expensive ones. They're still pretty good. And performing or recording with other musicians, you're probably not going to notice it anyway.

The hand percussion sounds are amazing! The congas, bells, cuicas, etc. are stunning.

I'd say this unit is well suited for recording drum parts for about anything but acoustic jazz. Expressiveness is good considering what it is, but not really up to the task of playing "brush-style" jazz licks.

The two included pedals are the weak points of this unit in my opinion. They have no "feel" as a real kick pedal or hi-hat have. There is a Yamaha kick tower and a hi-hat tower you can add for professional feel and performance. I'm gonna try rigging up the regular included bass trigger to a standard acoustic kick pedal and see what happens. I see no reason why that wouldn't improve things dramatically. The included kick trigger, like the rest of the pads, is velocity sensitive. So that's a good thing.

I haven't had it that long, but it seems well-built. As long as you don't hammer the crap out of it, it should be ok. I've never had a problem with a Yamaha product, though.

Never dealt with Yamaha tech support, so I can't comment.

I think for the money, you'd be hard-pressed to do better. Don't expect it to be a good replacement for an acoustic kit, though. It's great for recording drum parts and hand percussion, which is why I bought it. You'll probably want to spring for the Quiklok stand for it. (around $40) I think it's an awesome product for the money.

This box is really easy to operate. The manual is more than adequate...skimming through it for the "unknowns". I read the other reviews.. I understand there are errors... they ALL have those. The single memory is not a good thing, but we knew that when we bought them... Presets for my liking are excellent. I bought it to program my Roland DR-770 and serve as a second drum machine for my project studio.

The 32 note polyphony is fine - I may never use it all. Reverb is good and you can turn it off if necessary. No expansion capability as we know, but I may try to go thru midi and a computer and see if it can be saved. Pads feel good to me - especially the "hands percussion" feature... that is a fun thing by itself.

As stated, I will use it for programmng a drum machine-- there was a tip in here to mount the foot switches and even put duct tape between the contacts on on the bass pedal sw. For the price, you cannot do any better... I am a keyboard player not a drummer which maybe why I approach this machine differently. The alternative is an Octapad & kick pedal with a trigger...thus more money. The sticks work for me - if they break, the stores have more.

Yamaha makes excllent gear...I don't expect it to break...if it does- there's a year warranty.

I have called Yamaha TS - on other items - when they call you back.. they are always helpful.

More than worth the price- is it perfect- no. Neither are the $3000 keyboard workstations out there, dependent upon use. I have 3 keyboards, 3 modules and a dr machine in my project studio... this piece completes my picture. I read the reviews here before I bought it and re-read them after I played with it. I concur with most of you although not being a drummer, I don't know what you guys need the piece to do. It more than fulfills a need here...and fits into a snare stand. :)

The presets on the DD-55 are quite useable to lay down some ideas or to just putz around with for fun. Fairly easy to use. The sticks included, must be immediately replaced. They mark up the pads and are very unbalanced. They just don't feel right. The placement of the small hi hat pad in the center between the snare and the low tom is very awkwark especially to a drummer. However with the flat service it may be best place for it. The hi hat and bass drum pedals are quite a challenge to get accustomed to, but do the job. I wish they were a bit heavier duty. The manual was quite easy to use. I use it to keep track of what # = what sound.

For the most part the drum sounds are pretty good, for what this product is. They seem very similar to the lower model full sized Yamaha kit/module (around $8-900 range). They work pretty well to work out and record an idea. Over the past 3yrs I owned mine I've recorded 2 cd's worth of original tunes http://www.soundclick.com/paulsabo They get my ideas across fairly well, however the sensitivity or lack of at times can be troublesome. Perhaps mainly do to the physical size and close quarters of the pads. Sometimes would get "misses". I usually turn off the reverb (which is good reverb), just so I can have more control in the mixing of my drum track. I've gotten mixed reviews of the sound of my drums. I've found that I must play in a way that makes me sound like Im just doing a good job programming my drum machine. So, yes it can become a little static. The cybmal sound are probably the most digital sounding of the sounds. The snare and bass drums are ok though. After using them and recording for quite a while.. I've found them to sound a bit canned. I will most likely move to using pre-recorded loops, but continue to use my DD-55 as a midi triggering device to add some of my own flavor to the drum tracks. The DD-55 has served it's purpose up until this point. It's was and is a nice place to start if you need drums on a low budget and live in an apartment.

The DD-55 seems fairly dependable. It can take a pretty good beating and still work fine. Have to be careful with the hi hat trigger though. It can make a swishing sound if you have a foot that tends to move around too much wile playing. Not sure I would take it on a gig. Would much rather have a drummer with a real kit. Or even a standard sized Yamaha kit.

Never needed customer support.

Overall the DD-55 has served me well. I have no regrets purchasing it. As long as one realizes the limitations along with it's usefulness, it can be a good tool to work with. As for overall sound, nothing beats real drums, (a little joke, get it..?) but for the money this is a decent product. I chose this product because of it's size, sounds and price. I live in a condo, and on a budget. When not in use I can easily store it in the closet. I do wish I could updrade some of the sounds, but I suppose using it as a midi triggering device with other sounds would do it. To a very tuned or picky ear, these sounds may not be quite up to snuff, but for most ears these drum sounds will do the trick. Examples of my songs using the DD-55 in streaming audio format are at: http://www.soundclick.com/paulsabo

I've been using this unit for about a year now and
have held off from giving it a review until I had
used it thoroughly. I feel it was created for a
wide demographic, so ease of use would have naturally
been high on Yamaha's list of features. The manual
is clear and to the point. Editing sounds/midi implementation
is straightforward and most sounds are excellent.
As a musician of over 30 years, I don't think I have ever seen a
piece of gear that could be characterized as a 'toy'
and 'pro gear' simultaneously...that is until now.

The features have been covered here extensively.
I feel it is a true 'bang for the buck' value.

Okay, this catagory tells the tale. My primary instruments are
guitar and bass, but I have been a gigging drummer on occasion.
I wanted a way to get drum sounds recorded with my little project
studio without the expense and size of 'real' drum kits.
I also wanted to play the drum parts myself, as I don't feel
right using sequences or loops in my original compositions.
This unit has a wide range of extraordinary sounds, many that
sound like expensive electronic kits and more that sound like
highly tweaked and balanced acoustic drum sets. Of course, there
are cheesy presets, but fewer than most VERY expensive synths I have
owned. As indicated by other reviewers, the footpedals are junk
unless you're a kid just stomping on them. I fixed this problem with
a trigger mounted to a DW5000 twin kick pedal for bass and an
Ensoniq sustain pedal for the high hat. With that problem addressed,
The DD-55 needs to be LEARNED as a unique percussion device. Most
drummers I've known would hate it because it does not respond well
to standard cro-magnon clubbing and attack. The pads do not need
to be pounded and they are closer and smaller than acoustic drums.
Played thoughtfully and with taste, it delivers every time.

After more than a year of heavy use, this unit has performed
flawlessly. I would definitely use it without a backup, but I
have never gigged with backups of my gear, so the point is moot.
I will say that a drummer friend of mine jammed on it for four
hours with standard pounding, missing pads and smacking the housing
pretty hard. I am sure he could have destroyed it within weeks.

N/A

If lost, I would replace it as it has become an integral
part of my studio setup. It is great for what I bought it
for and for the price, I don't know what features could have
been added. It looks like a toy, but it performs like a pro
and would suggest that others needing a percussion device like
this get over preconceptions and snap one up. BTW, although
I have not owned any, looking back across the years
I would have to say that the best sounding acoustic guitars and
pianos 'I' ever heard were Yamaha's. I guess I trust the company.

Well.. yes, you can plug it in and play. Main gripe here is that the hi-hat can't be double-sticked if you intend to use the snare ;) Ok, it's reassignable.. sort of. Here's the thing - while you CAN plug it in and play, and can "briefly" reassign pads, you can't - I repeat - CAN'T reassign the MIDI send number, meaning, if you want the pad that's the snare (Pad #1) to send MIDI voice 104 - hi-hat - you can't do it. It says in the manual you CAN reassign it - but I got off the phone with Yamaha about an hour ago, and they confirmed it doesn't work, and said Japan simply sent a memo saying the instruction manual is wrong. Easy fix, huh?

You CAN, however, change the pad's individual sounds on the unit, but apparently not the MIDI send number. I still don't know all the implications here.

What I'm hoping is to find a midi rerouting program to take care of this issue for me. It's basically the only reason I downgraded this rating to a 5.

The manual is OK, but wrong (misleading - I bought largely based on this "feature").

The pads themselves are really nice. I assume they are tough enough to handle amateur playing, meaning amateurs really whack away with no sense of dynamics. (Ok, most amateurs.)

Build-in sounds are really nice for the most part, but largely can't match the huge number of free synthesized and sampled kit and pad sounds. The sounds that are in the unit are pretty darn good, though...

And it has two pedals, hi-hat and bass drum, the latter of which is velocity-sensitive.

Regarding MIDI - well, read "ease of use" and you'll get an idea.

One MAJOR detriment - only one custom kit. I mean, come on. And it doesn't seem to hold it in its memory reliably. SUCKS.

It does have decent pad sensitivity - more on this below.

The sounds, again, are pretty good. What type of music does it work for? That's a silly thing to ask. (The review guidelines suggest that as a question to answer!)

Uh.. hmm... let me think.. I dunno, what kind of pictures can you draw with a pencil? ;)

Ok, seriously, though, the sounds are good and the reverb is good. The pad sensitivity is better than expected! I can actually hear ghost notes that sound realistic. Very surprising. However, the "snare" pad - pad #1 - is less sensitive, for some reason - and when I asked Yamaha about it, they seemed to suggest it was made less sensitive 'cause newbies will invariable whack the hell out of it. I ain't buying it; I think the tech guy pulled that one out of his butt. Nonetheless, the pads are why I bought this thing,

I do wish the hi-hat pedal had some trick up its sleeve to make it feel real; quite frankly, that's the only major disappointment I have, since the other things can be remedied. On/off and "pedal" (being the sound it makes when you snap the pedal down) don't quite cut it, but I guess can be made to work if you work around the limitations.

One thing I want to do is to assign a slightly more "open" sounding closed hat to another pad to sort of increase its dynamic range.

Just bought it... don't know. I don't know if I'd use it on a gig, but not because I don't think it would be reliable - it would, I'm sure.

More because you'd look family-size dorky unless you swung (in the groove sense) so much that the audience forgot you do, actually, look really dorky playing this dainty little silver thing.

Also, this not really being a reliability issue, the hi-hat is pretty limiting if have a dynamic hi-hat style.

Well... customer support was good in the sense they simply admitted the MIDI assign function doesn't work. They got back to me in about a day.

If it was lost or stolen, I'd buy it again since I got it just for recording into my computer, and at this price it's about the only game in town.

I've been playing drums for about.. no.. it can't be... 20 years. But you can't tell from my playing, trust me. I own a 6-piece 1969/74 Ludwig blue sparkle set but can't get a good wood block sound out of it ;)

What I love about it - I can get MIDI drum tracks into my computer, presto. Sensitivity is really good. Great I think.

What I hate about it - MIDI assign is bogus; hi-hat pedal, while OK, leans toward the hate side since it's so limited. One custom kit which doesn't stick in memory like it should.

I couldn't find anything comparable to this unit, so that's why I chose this one.

As I mentioned, I wish it had WORKING MIDI ASSIGN and about a 20-kit memory. Really, it's not that hard. Also I wish there was some better way of doing a MIDI hi-hat pedal.

Does it help me make music, or does it get in the way? Silly question. Next.

I didn't check if anyone else made a drummer joke here, but I guess I'll back off! Pretty easy to use, with good presets and a great manual. Most electronic gadgets take a little while to learn all the ins and outs of, but you can get started on this right away, and master the other stuff later.

Great samples of all sorts of percussion sounds, traditional and otherwise. Seven touch sensitive pads, a bass drum pedal and a hi-hat pedal. All pads can have other sounds assigned to them. General MIDI capability, nice reverbs, many, many "demo/practice" songs. Quite a package for the price!

Man, these sounds are really REAL! For what you're paying, this is a huge value. The pads have a nice level of touch sensitivity to them, so your playing sounds pretty authentic. The hi-hats are just a little funny if you try to do anything too fancy, but everything else is right on. The cymbals are much better than I expected. I play line-in to my soundcard,I don't use the MIDI. I wanted something that sounded more human than the programmed drums I was previously playing with. This is great for that! You've got tons of well-miked and mixed and panned kits, which makes things SO easy. The default reverb sounds are nice, and I'm actually leaving my drum tracks on my songs without any effects for the first time. If you playback the track solo, there may be moments where you'll say, "hey, that sounds a little fake." But that's rare, and in the mix, I am so surprised and happy about how real it sounds.

I have a refurbished unit, and I can tell that the more frequently played pads are just a little less responsive. This took a while to get used to and kind of made me hate the thing for a couple of days. But it seems very sturdy and well-made.

This is the best place for the cons, I guess. This will feel and play funny for you, even if you've played a real kit only a couple of times. Your landlord will still hear wooden sticks smacking on plastic and rubber and will call you to let you know. You'll curse at the pedals for a couple of days, 'cause they just don't feel right. You'll get a little grumpy at how all of the preset kits have just one drum that you'd like to change (luckily, you can customize any kit), and you won't like that you can't save your customized kits. I was actually angry and disappointed (the "refurbished" thing didn't help), until I had some free time to replace some old programmed drum tracks with DD55 tracks in some old songs I had. I put a little effort into it and got used to playing on them. I got realistic, human-sounding drum tracks that finally made my home recordings sound like real songs. Now I love it, and I'm really glad I didn't sell it impulsively. It's really cool to have such a versatile drum kit in such a convenient package. An amazing value. It may take awhile to get used to, but you will probably be immediately impressed by the sound quality.

I wrote a review almost 2 years ago and my DD 55 is still going strong. The bass pedal trigger started acting up, like some others here have mentioned. I had to really stomp hard to get it to sound, and it made playing smooth impossible. But I opened up the pedal and put a couple of layers of duct tape between the contacts. It has been working great every since this 'repair' over 8 months ago. The bass pedal is smoother and quicker this way.

Erg makkelijk apparaat intuitief.
Manual is duidelijk. Te downloaden bij Yamaha.
Plezierig om drums op te spelen zonder last te krijgen met je buren.

Gevoeligheid pads in te stellen.
Effecten zijn uit te zetten. Ik gebruik ze niet maar zijn opzich ok.
Ook local off mogelijkheid als je andere modules wilt triggeren.
XG synthesizer on board. Gebuik ik weinig. Ben niet zo kappot van XG synthesizers.
De vormgeving doet meer denken aan een stuk speelgoed maar schijn bedriegt hier duidelijk.
Ik heb het ding staan op een snarestand dat werkt goed.

Drums klinken goed tot zeer goed en realistisch
Dance rock etc kits aanwezig.
Vergeleken met de Roland SPD serie is dit een stuk goedkoper en heeft ook meer pads.

Nog nooit problemen mee gehad.
Al een paar keer laten vallen doet het nog steeds prima.
Er is 1 groot nadeel om dit ding live te gebruiken en dat is dat de draaiknop/toggle waarmee je de kits selecteert erg gevoelig is.
Als je op hand perscussie overschakelt dan raak je snel deze knop aan en voor je het weet klinken er ander drum klanken dan de bedoeling is.
Voor een livegig is het daardoor te onbetrouwbaar.
Daardoor geef ik het hier een lager cijfer 7.

Geen beroep op gedaan nog.

Als het gestolen was zou ik waarschijnljk een nieuwe kopen.
Ook te overwegen voor ongeveer dezelde prijs kan je een Akai MPD16 met meer pads kopen. Echter deze heeft heen klanken. Als je het alleen voor triggering gebruikt kan je misschien beter voor de Akai gaan.
Daarentegen moet worden gezegd dat de ligging van de Pads op de Yamaha als een drumstel is wat erg lekker speelt.
(Behalve zoals eerder ergens opgemerkt de hihat)