Who uses a PCY80s?

[rus]

I'm looking to add two cymbal triggers to my v-pro... originally I was thinking a coupla pd-7 pads would do the trick, but now I'm thinking about using these yammie pads.

Anyone with a TD-10 playing them? Do they interface/trigger well with the td? What about acoustic noise? Are they rubber coated? Any problems with them? Are they pretty durable as compared to say, a pd-9 or 7? Finally, how big are they?

thanks loads.

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[This message has been edited by rus (edited January 29, 2001).]

[Boingo]

I filled out 11 and 12 with a PD-9 and Pd-7 so can't directly respond to the question, BUT, I would have thought YOU would wait for the new v-cymbals to start shipping, get two of them and move what you got into 11 and 12 spots. You surprised me! You would get floaters that are quiet, dual trigger and very much compatible. (God, how I love to spend other people's money!)

[spark]

Rus, I am playing one of those yammies, and I like it very much. It has a nice give to it, is considerably quieter than the pd's, tracks very well, and is VERY affordable compared to the roland pd's. I am looking forward to the v-cymbals (actually I can't seem to stop thinking about them) but even if they meet my highest expectation, There is still a place for the PCY80s, whereas the pd's will become effect's type pads, if the bastards stay at all.

Hope this helps.

[jag]

Rus,

It took me about 2 days to decide to get rid of my roland pads. I had them on my TD7 and never much cared for the feel. They were OK as a practice kit though.

When the VPro came out, I was so impressed with the feel and reponse of the mesh heads, I dumped the TD7 and my acoustics for them. But using the Roland cymbal pads in a 'live' situation where I tend to lay into a lot more, just wasn't going to cut it. My wrist were aching for hours after playing.

I tried the Pintech platic pads, figuring they would do the trick. I'll be nice and just say it is not a decent product line, even for the low price tag. The trigger response was awful and I was annoyed by the way it would sit cockeyed due to the trigger placement.

The Yamaha pads are not only cheaper than the Rolands, they are quieter, lighter, smaller, easier to pack/transport and have a better feel. Since there is some give to them, they are much easier on the wrists and feel as close to the real deal as I've yet seen in a rubber pad (even better than the hart pads IMO).

In addition, if you get a mix of single and dual zone pads (although I am not sure they still ship the single zone) you can use a Y splitter and go into 1 input, YES EVERYONE, YOU READ THIS CORRECTLY - 2 PADS AND 2 SOUNDS INTO 1 INPUT.

OK so it's not shear bliss since you must use the rim only of one pad as it will trigger both the rim and center sounds, some times tricky to hit just right and the second pad will play the center sound only and can not be choked.

I also use the yamaha bell cymbol pad, over my ride pad but do have to sacrafice a seperate input. For this reason, I may consider the new Roland ride pad when it hits the street, but for the price of the pads, I will probably stick with the Yamahas for the crashes.

Incidently, these pads have been around for over 3 years and I am surprised I have not come across more postings from people who are using them. I think they are the best alternative out there in low noise and a decent feel category.

I think the only thing I haven't compared them to are the pads that lay over the your existing cymbals. I've seen some tidbits in the forum on them so you may want to consider researching that path as well.

My only regret (LISTEN UP, ANYONE WHO HASN'T PURCHASED YET!!) is that I didn't just buy the TD10, hart mesh pads, Gibraltar rack and Yamaha cymbal pads. There wasn't much of a market for the Roland pads at the time so I would up trading them in for a big loss. And the Roland rack and pad price problems are well documented throughout this site.

I could have gotten similar or better quality by piecing it out than purchasing the VPro as a package.

Hope this helps,
John

[rus]

That pretty much cinches it for me... unless I find an AMAZING deal on a pair of pd-7, I'll prolly go with the Yammie pads in my aux inputs....Thanks guys. I'm so excited, I feel like a little girl.
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[This message has been edited by rus (edited February 01, 2001).]

[redarrow]

I currently use two PCY80s after trying PD-7's and Pintech's. The Yammies give the most bang for the buck in features and performance (IMHO). After much practice, and a little tweaking, I am able to hit the rim accurately wich means I effectively have two sounds on each "pad". They also come with a simple clamping device to keep them from spinning and mount on regular cymbal stands. They seemed expensive at first whem compared to the Pintechs but after using them, I would'nt switch.

[pete barnett]

I use PCY80S stereo pads for all cymbal triggers except the ride and hats..I still use pd9 for ride and pd7 for hats although I may well try the new Roland hats and ride when they become affordable (if ever)..
In the UK, the Yammies are the best deal with the best feel..they track well, pack well and have proper give to let you play through...they really are cheap..£40 odd ..still more costly than the US but there you go..

I will stick with them until a better alternative comes by..


keep smiling.

UKPete

[drmoze]

I agree with the positive comments above on the PCY80S's. I'm using one for my ride. Works fine, with the rim doing fine for the bell sound. (beats using the bell trigger and using up an entire input for it!) I would replace my other (3) cymbals with the Yammies but I'm too lazy to try and sell my PD-7's. I'd keep one for the hi-hat, maybe one other for an auxiliary conga/percussion pad. Never had sore wrists from playing the PD-7's (because I don't try to play them like acoustic cymbals!) but I do like the response and quietness of the Yammies, plus the straighter rim that's easier to strike.

[Thrak]

Yes, the PD7s and PD9s tend to make my fingers ache after a gig. I find myself involuntarily hitting the rims on them since that is less jarring to my hand than hitting the pad in the center.

Just so that I am clear, the Yamaha PCY80S does dual triggering and choking like a PD7/9 does when used with a TD10? If I plug one into my ride or aux1 input on my TD-10EX will the pad have dual sounds and choke capability? Or are you all talking about using them on the dual inputs of a TD8?

I guess I don't see how that is possible without the pad having both an FSR and piezo in it like the Rolands do.

[drmoze]

Yup, the PCY80S works just like the PD-7/9, stereo trigger and chokable. It has a piezo pad and a rim fsr. Why did you think that it wouldn't? $^)

As for sore fingers when hitting the pads, play them as pads and your fingers woin't get sore. They're *not* cymbals and can't be played that way! OTOH, you can get a nice dynamic range off the PD-7/9s if you do play them properly. The Yamaha pads should also be played this way--they won't act like real cymbals either, and your fingers might still get a bit sore if you don't adjust your playing style. (The PCY80S's are a bit more flexible, but not a whole lot)

[Thrak]

Yah, I need to try a PCY80S out now.

I actually thought that Roland had a patent on the FSR/Piezo dual trigger pad since I am not familiar with other manufacturers doing that.

I have been playing my V's live for about 6 months now and have been getting progressively better at not hitting too hard, I have always done this and used to really whack my acoustics. At first my fingers and hands really hurt and I had to wrap my sticks with that stick wrap stuff to take the edge off of the impact from the pads. I stopped using those now, but I guess acoustic drum habits die slowly, particularly for us dumb drummers. ;-) It doesn't help that we play 3 one hour sets.

Alexandria VA huh? Small world, I work right in Old Town.

[This message has been edited by Thrak (edited February 05, 2001).]

[jrcel]

Simmons was actually the first company to use FSR way back in 1987 with the Portakit and the SDX kit which featured postion sensing and a built in sequencer and full sampler. Then Kat used it starting in 1988 with the Mallet Kat and Drumkat. Very little new under the sun.

[Ectosan]

Not trying to be the one contrary person in this forum, but I actually started my setup with PCY80s for my crashes, and quickly found myself switching back to my ol' trusty Pd-7s. Something about the feel of the Yamahas turned me off, as well as something about the way the cable came out from the bottom of the pad. I agree that neither should be played like real cymbals, but for my money, I still prefer the Pd-7s and 9s.

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-Ectosan
"Yeah, but can you play REAL drums, too?"

[drmoze]

I'm using mostly PD-7's with a single PCY80S. I like the PD-7 for the hi-hat, and have gotten used to using them as crashes. I have my pads tilted forward enough so that normal (light!) hits on the pad trigger fine with good dynamic range, and all I do is drop my wrist a bit on the stroke to hit the rim.

BTW Thrak, I'm about 3 miles due south of Old Town, a stone's throw (about 500 feet!) from Route 1 near Beacon Mall... Small world indeed. $^)

[AviationAce]

Where to buy

Hey, I live in Germany so finding anything can be problematic. I have looked at a few web sites but can't find a place that has PCY80S in stock.

Any ideas?

Thanks.