Yamaha DTX-Multi 12

Let me start by saying that, yes, the menu system is awful. A 2-line display is not enough to reveal the power that this machine has.

Now that that's over with -- this is by far the most powerful drum multi-pad available. This is the first multi-pad with features comparable to a full e-kit module. Because Yamaha gives you full control over the MIDI layer, you have capabilities not even conceivable on other multi-pads. You can hook up a trigger-to-midi controller and play additional sounds per kit (i.e., sounds that aren't assigned directly to pads). You can hook up a MIDI keyboard and play an entirely different sound set (on a different MIDI channel -- for example, you can have a drum set assigned to the pads on channel 10, then plug in a keyboard and play a grand piano sound simultaneously on channel 1).

It has more pads, more inputs (including a 3-zone snare input), full MIDI capability, hi-hat functionality, and can playback your own samples. 64MB isn't a lot, but honestly, for drum sounds, that's a LOT of time. If you DO need more sounds, because you have access to the MIDI layer, you can control an external sampler directly from these pads (including program changes / control changes).

To be short -- this is a RIDICULOUSLY powerful machine, orders of magnitude more powerful than any other multi-pad available. If you can look past the rough interface and limited on-board sample space, I _highly_ recommend this!

I was a bit disappointed at the beginning, it is very complicated to set it up and maneuver the menu. I think that with an IPad and the dedicated application works much better and easier.
Now i am a bit more fluent in maneuvering it and setting it as I want, but for me it is not that practical.
Now given the features in it, it has some really cool features and effects, but at the end it is only a MIDI controller, so if you are looking to do some live looping, sampling and applying effects live then this is definitely not your option.
The build quality in general is good except the volume knob and the screen

I’ve used the drumpad both as an addition to my acoustic drum kit as well as a stand alone percussion kit. The last four years, it has proven to be an incredible asset.

The biggest selling point to me was the amount of pads (12 in total) and the ability to play with the hands. The twelve pads give plenty of room to map an entire drumkit (including two different crashes, a separate ride bell, rim click and a cowbell) or scales of melodical notes (i.e. marimba, piano, vibraphone …) to play melodies.

The pads are responsive and musically expressive, albeit the border pads need a little more force than the middle pads to trigger. With some tweaking of the settings, I was able to get the trigger response just right for me. I use the hand playing mode not only for hand playing, but also for stick playing. That gives me a nice dynamic control and the ability to play ghost notes and rolls (note: I am not a hard hitting drummer). The pads are soft rubber: perfect for the hands, a bit getting used to for sticks (but to me not a deal breaker).

The built in sounds are fine and are tweakable (pitch/attack/reverb/distortion …). There is a large selection of (exotic) percussive sounds, which is nice to have. There are also general MIDI sounds (piano, bass, trumpet …). I find those especially useful in combination with a MIDI keyboard (with 5-pin MIDI connection). When you connect the keyboard with the pad via MIDI in, you can play those sounds of the pad via the keyboard. I have gotten lots of mileage out of a layered glockenspiel-vibraphone sound, the timpani and the tubular bells. As the drum sounds are a bit few, I imported recorded samples of my own drumkit. 64 MB storage is very little in today’s standards, but when you use that room efficiently (no long samples) you can fit quite a lot in it.

A downside of the pad is the navigation system. Prepare to push buttons … a lot. There is only a small screen for a labyrinth of functions and menus. However, when you take your time to discover all those menus, you will discover the power and versatility of the device. There is an iPad app to help with some of it. The app is handy for quick testing and assigning of sounds, adjusting velocity curves, tweaking effect parameters such as attack, reverb, chorus, distortions etc. (the last two I would not recommend trying on the device itself). For other actions, such as working with imported wav. files and patterns, you will want to work on the device itself. The app does not adopt de name of the wav. or pattern files you assigned on the device, instead just referring to them as ‘wav 1’ or ‘pattern 6’, which makes keeping track of the sounds or patterns you want to assign very difficult. Also, if you want to record your own patterns, you will not be able to do that via the app. I personally went through the learning curve of navigating on the device itself and honestly, I get most things done faster that way than via the app.

Build quality is solid, except for the physical turning knobs. The main volume knob sometimes causes a friction sound when turning while the device is playing a sound. Sometimes I hear only through one in-ear and I only get stereo sound when I jiggle the headphone volume knob a little bit.

Despite the few shortcomings, this is a very powerful device, if you take in account that it takes some time and maybe frustration to get to know the full potential. One last tip: be sure to explore the layering and mute switch options: they wil open a world of possibilities.

I am using the product purely for midi triggering, so I cannot comment on the built-in sounds, let alone all the other features related to stand-alone operation.

What I can say is that the options for adjusting the dynamic response are very limited. You can only chose between presets (trigger wide, -normal, -narrow, hands, fingers). There are no velocity curves. The 'trigger wide' setting is good for soft playing but you have to hit VERY hard to get the maximum response. The 'hands' setting is too sensitive for sticks since a moderately hard hit will saturate the velocity.

EDIT: There is a way to edit the sensitivity after all. My mistake, didn't find it in the manual first time round.

You should also be aware that the pads are very soft so when you play them with sticks you get a weak bounce.