Yamaha has been one of my favorite makers for electronic drums and other items for a while now. The DTX920K electronic drum set is their flagship e-drum kit.
The kit comes with a lot of great features and improvements. It features a better response and more playability.
As with most of the high-end kits from the company, it is quite costly, although this may not be a problem if you are looking to invest in a high-quality drum kit.
The DTX900 drum module makes it worth the money. It is all a drummer needs to succeed in the business.
In this article, I will be looking at some of the best features this Yamaha drum kit has to offer, and who should buy it. I will also give a few pros and cons about the product before presenting my unbiased view.
Why do you need an electronic kit?
Before we get into the Yamaha DTX920K, it is important to set your needs right. Not everyone needs an electronic set, but you might need it for the following reasons:
Quiet practicing
Acoustic drums are quite nice in terms of sound production. They are designed for striking with peace.
Unfortunately, they don’t have volume control. This means they will just sound as loud as you hit them. Even those that tend to be softer can still be loud in specific environments.
For that reason, you cannot practice them in a quiet environment (without a soundproof studio). For instance, if you live in an apartment, then you may never get enough time to practice.
Electronic kits, otherwise known as e-drum, solve that problem. Like the DTS920K in this comes with knobs for controlling sound on each pad.
Better yet, it comes with an AUX output you can use to connect your headphones or earphones. With this, you are free to practice without interrupting anyone.
The only sound anyone near you will hear the soft thudding of sticks hitting the drum or cymbal pads. If you are using a beaterless kick pedal, the volume is reduced to almost a whisper.
Having total control over the volume enables you to practice anytime and anywhere. As such, you don’t have to struggle with finding a quiet place away from people.
The coaching function
It is tough to tell someone they are playing ‘out of time.’ Electronic drums allow you to record yourself with a metronome, so you know where you have missed the mark. You can tell whether you are speeding, slowing, or playing on the right side.
Besides, most drum modules, like the DTX900, come with USB connectivity. You can use this to connect to your computer or record directly into your favorite DAW. This allows you to alter different sounds. These kits allow you to install free applications for excellent recording experience.
Built-in exercises
E-drum modules come with built-in training and learning resources. This is a valuable practice feature that lets you perfect your skills while having some fun. A module may have features like:
- Metronome. This is one of the best tools. You can play while listening to the click of the metronome, allowing you to follow the rhythm.
- Play-along songs. The pre-recorded songs in the set offer a wonderful training experience.
- Training modes. The training function helps a drummer become a better player.
Compact and portability
Do you have issues with the size and weight of your acoustic drum set? Getting a quality e-drum will resolve this issue.
You can set the drum set in a limited space and still enjoy great performance. When you are finished with your day, you can wrap up everything in a closet or under the bed.
Besides, most of these drums now have advanced technology to sound better. The DTX920K, for instance, is designed to look and sounds more like a real acoustic drum set.
About the Yamaha DTX920K
Yamaha Dtx562k
The Yamaha DTX920K electronic kit achieves an excellent feel and high level of playability, just like in an acoustic kit. It comes equipped with a tone generator that produces high-quality music.
It is a 5-piece drum module that comes with Yamaha’s 3-zone DTX-pad. This provides an exceptional feel with the snare and 3-zone cymbals. They can produce varying sounds according to where the stick lands.
Quick facts about the kit
- Real playability. The DTX920K drum module is built with high-end technology allowing its product to have the sound quality of an acoustic kit. The DTX-pad technology used on the snare and the tom pads makes them exceptionally great.
- Excellent performance. You get a wide range of sound collection covering any varying music styles inspired by real acoustic, expertly engineered, and percussion sounds. It can be used for different needs, including live stage performances.
- Sampling and adding original sounds. The drum kit enables the user to load external sources onto the module. You can do this through AUX IN jack, or by sample playing.
- Hi-tech DTX functions. One of the things I really enjoyed on this kit is its powerful capabilities. Particularly, I found the Stack Function, which layers many voices on a single pad quite applicable. Also, there is the Alternate Function, that changes the voice with each pad strike,
What is in the box?
- DTX900M Module
- One XP120SD
- One XP120T
- Two XP100T
- One cymbal holder – CH755
- One hi-hat stand – HS740A
- Two 3-zone cymbal pads – PCY135
- One 3-zone PCY155 cymbal
- One 3-zone RHH135 hi-hat
- KP100 Kick drum pad
- Two CH720 cymbal holder
- SS662 snare stand
- RS700 Rack system
Who should buy the Yamaha DTX920K?
The DTX920K is one of the most expensive e-drum kits on the market. For this reason, it is not recommended for a beginner (like most Yamaha drum kits). Although it comes with some helpful functions, like coaching tools that are important for beginners, the price may not be worth it.
This kit is designed for expert and professional drummers. The home recording functionality allows them to create a home studio. It has quality sound production, just like a real acoustic, therefore it’s great for stage performances too.
Pad and Hardware
This is a five-piece drum set that comes with larger drums than the earlier module. It is an improvement from the Yamaha DTX522, the DTX720K, and the DTX700 series in general. It comes with a 12-inch snare, ten-inch toms, and twelve-inch floor tom.
These pads were created for professional drummers. That is why it comes with a more natural and comfortable feel.
· The snare and toms
The toms have a different response from the snare. The snare offers a harder response closer to what you would hear from a regular drum snare.
The toms are slightly softer, with a more cushioning effect on the play. Unfortunately, the pads do not allow for tuning with a drum key. This means their tension is not adjustable. This is perhaps a missed step on the company’s side since most would expect such a high priced drum module to come with everything they need.
The snare is free-floating, and it comes with a stand. This makes it more flexible than rack-mounted drums. It can take the stains of vigorous playing much easier.
The 12-inch snare is made with a silicone drum head and is playable even on the rim. With this, a player can juggle between rims and drum heads, creating a realistic-sounding kit. You can also reassign the edges on all the toms to create more room for adding sounds.
· The drum pad
There is a control knob to the side of each drum pad. This gives the player exposure to different aspects of their drumming experience.
For instance, one can use the knob on the snare to control the strainer. It is more realistic, just like you can do with a normal acoustic snare. The tom knob can be used to change each drum’s pitch.
The control knob also serves in the tempo and effects control. This is quite useful, especially in live performance situations with limited time between songs. Also, you can scroll down through different sounds on the module.
The bass drum comes with the KP100 kick pad. So, it is a stable bass drum tower, with a beautiful cloth-type head for the best drum absorption. It will stay in the same position even when you play in high volume.
· The Cymbals
The cymbals consist of a hi-hat, a ride, and two crash cymbals. They may seem a bit small at first glance for the price. Also, the bell on the ride cymbal is a bit small compared to competitors like Roland and the Alesis flagship models.
The RHH135 hi-hat on this kit comes with a Yamaha HS740A stand. The pad feels quite great when you play and carries a very responsive feature in all positions. It can even pick up the foot pressure when closed, more like a real hi-hat and pedal.
The additional features of ‘pre-choke-able cymbals’ add another level of realism to the module. You can use this feature by gripping the cymbals as you strike the drum pad.
· Hardware
The DTX920K comes with its own Yamaha RS700 rack stand. It is a strong four-post rack that holds cymbal boom arms and tom mounts. Each tom mount comes with a ball clamp to help you set the drum in any position.
Yamaha gives three stands to hold the drum, cymbals, and the module. The hardware ‘kit’ is more like the common ones found with popular kits today, and it is more flexible.
WS860A stands for holding two toms on each cymbal arm. This means you can place the whole setup on the three stands.
Sounds
The DTX900 module comes with 1326 sounds or voices built-in. This means you can get up to 100 drum kits. You can also edit each kit and effects to improve your sound. Besides, there are 51 variations on effects onboard, so you should not have any issues with this module.
Also, the module carries nine different mater effects. These effects can be used for an overall sheen on the sound. There’s a 5-band equalizer that allows you to tweak the sounds, among other features. I enjoyed boosting the bass frequencies, cutting mid or high rates, and cleaning your sounds.
The DTX900 module can work as a sampler, as there are 100 drum kits and more. There is a stereo input that also works as a line-in MP3 play-along song and sound sampler.
And if you wish to stack multiple sounds on the module, this kit allows you.
Other notable features
Other great features on the DTX900 module include individual faders that allow easy manipulation of sound in each instrument. At the back, you will see six outputs that would enable easy mixing. Together with these is a digital output, a USB, as well as 15 pad inputs.
If you have any modern DAW like Cubase or Pro Tools, here is a kit that lets you use it with ease. The built-in sequencer is great in controlling MIDI files with mutes as you play along. Plus, there are several training drum tutorials, which can help you improve timing and accuracy.
Alternative kits you may like too
Roland is another drum manufacturer that has been making great solutions for drummers. And their TD-30 and TD-50 is quite amazing. They tend to have better sounds than what you get on this Yamaha drum kit. But they may not be the best when referring to triggering.
The Alesis Strike Pro is another great drum set you may want to check out. It comes with more drum pads and more cymbals. However, it goes close to half the price of the DTX920K by Yamaha.
My verdict
Comparing the DTX502 and the DTX700 series, it is clear that Yamaha is dedicated to offering the best. But the DTX900 series where the DTX920K falls is a whole new level of technology.
It is among the latest products from the company, though on a higher price side. Generally, it is an excellent module. Though, a bit overpriced, it is of value to professional drum players.
