hello

since the dtxplorer doesn't have multiple outputs i'd do it like this:

record your performance as midi.

play it back and adjust the volumes of the individual sounds in the dtxplorer to your liking (especially the cymbals and the toms). at this point i would leave all the sounds dry. no reverb or anything.

then mute everything except the kick drum on the sound module, play back your midi recording and record the kick to a (mono) track. now you've got your kick track as audio in your daw.

now do the same with the snare.

then the hi-hat.

you should record the cymbals (crashes, ride, splashes...) together to a stereo track. you could record the ride separately for more control, but that's not necessary most of the time.

do the same with the toms.

that should leave you with about 5-6 tracks you can mess with in your daw.

WAIT! I just saw that it has no midi in... and no internal sequencer... well, that doesn't leave much choices. either you record everything on a stereo track or you use your recorded midi track with a plug in sampler like battery, bfd or ezdrummer.

Wow, very elaborate information, thank you sir!

Now I also read that it's a good idea to use a drum synth like BFD... would you also think this is a good idea to use with the DTXplorer? I hear the output kind of sucks with this set; but then again I haven't had hands on recording with it yet.

it will definitely sound better. the dtxplorer doesn't really sound realistic. as far as i know bfd and superior drummer have key assign presets for many e-drum sets, which means you can play them with the drum kit without having to manually assign the midi notes to the appropriate sound.

it's worth considering but not cheap.

Hmm, that sounds like it might be worth it though. BFD is a pretty thorough program from what I've read. And like you said, the fact that I would be able to assign key notes thru midi would probably be a lot less hassle.

Playing through a Monitor with this set really sounds like balls, but with headphones it sounds like heaven. Which of course you're always gonna get a fatty sound thru phones anyways... but I would really like to get that quality output from this eKit or at least as CLOSE as possible.

you can always work with effects, eqs and compressors to make it sound better. just try it. connect the outputs of the dtxplorer with the inputs on your interface and record that. just watch your levels so you don't clip in your daw. but don't set it too low, either. try some eq and compessor. a nice reverb can make a big difference, too. maybe that's exactly what you're looking for.

i don't know how much experience you have in recording. using the sounds of the yamaha is the easiest way, but not flexible at all. on the other hand bfd or superior drummer can sound really great and real, but you need some experience to get a really good sound out of them. it's like having raw drum tracks that need the right tweaking to sound the way you like them and to sound good in your mix.

i hope this makes any sense... ;-)

good luck!

heya

yeah im def a noob on recording, but we've been with a handful of different producers and really have kept a close eye on how they work and such. It will be a learning experience, and I surely don't expect to get this tweaked over night :P

I'm just going to work with patience and learn with trial and error; Seems to be the best way to learn... Oh, and from getting sound advice from people like yourself :D

Thank you very much for all your advice; The people on this forum have been great for helping us beginners, rather than talking down to us for being the noobs we are!

I use a dtxtreme IIs to record, so I might be of some assistance. There is good news and bad news. The bad news is that there is no layering available and that you'll need to go MIDI if you really hope to get any sort of pro sound from the module. The good news is that it's a great kit for MIDI, haha. Well, you could record in stereo, but with only one layer, unless you're going for a rather vintage sound, it isn't the best idea. Like ouzo77 said, you'll want to replace the MIDI notes with better samples. Now if you got the xtreme then MIDI could go roll up in a hole and die. Good luck and God bless. :D