Yamaha DT50 Triggers

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riggering drum sounds used to be

frowned upon by purists, revered

by pedal-heavy metallers, and

pretty much ignored by everyone

else outside the world of pop sessions. These

days, however, triggering hasn’t just become

‘more acceptable’, it’s pretty much a standard

practice for drummers of all genres. There’s

no getting away from it (not that we see any

reason why you’d want to), ‘hybrid drumming’

– that is, mixing up electronic sources with

your acoustic kit sounds – is here to stay. With

this realisation comes advances in technology,

and Yamaha, Roland and Alesis all offer

boxes that allow us to bolster the authenticity

of our live sets with the ‘correct’ samples.

But you still need a way to ﬁ re off that extra

level of sophistication. With two new DT50

models just launched, the safety’s off, let’s

pull the trigger…

Build

Yamaha’s certainly not new to triggering

electronic sounds, it’s been in the e-kit game

for decades, but in recent times, its focus has

been directed towards pads and brains,

rather than triggers for acoustic drums. Its

DT-10 and DT-20 models are designed for

single-zone, internal mounting directly on

heads, but the new DT-50 models are a

different breed. Straight out of the box we’re

met with a sturdy lump of chrome, weighty

with its die-cast construction.

Hands On

The triggers ﬁ t to the rim of your drum, and

fasten with a thumb-screw to keep them in

place. The 50S is designed for snare or toms

and contains two piezos, one activated when

you hit the head of the drum, and one for the

rim. This translates to two separate sounds

from the one trigger (although you’ll need to

plug it into a compatible socket on your

module). The 50K, on the other hand, is a

single-zone unit, and is designed to be clipped

in the same way to your bass drum’s hoop.

Of course, triggers themselves produce a

pulse signal rather than actual sound, so we

tested the DTs on a supplied DTX502. A

common problem with triggering (particularly

multiple zones from the same drum) can be

crosstalk, where hitting one surface causes

another to trigger. But we’re pleased to report

that we experienced very little of this, and

once we got our module settings right,

complete separation between the rim/head.

They’re sensitive too, picking up every nuance

of our buzzrolls without mistriggering or

dropping notes.

Current Yamaha module owners might

need to upgrade their ﬁ rmware to get the

most from the DTs, but we also tested

them successfully on a Roland TM-2, so

you’re deﬁ nitely not bound by the make

of your module.

PRICE

DT50S, £55, DT50K, £59

ZONES

DT50S: two-zone;

DT50K: single-zone

FIXING

Metal thumb screw

SOCKETS

Trigger output (¼" jack)

COMPATIBILITY

(FOR YAMAHA

MODULES)

DTX502, 700, 900,

900M, DTXTREME III,

DTX Multi12

CONTACT

Yamaha Music Europe

0844 811 1116

uk.yamaha.com

Essential spec

KICK

The DT50K is a single-

zone model, ideal for

clamping to your wooden

bass drum hoop

SNARE & TOMS

The DT50S is designed for use on

metal-hooped drums, and contains

two piezo pickups offering both

head and rim zones

VERDICT: Yamaha isn’t necessarily

doing anything the market hasn’t seen

before, but it’s a welcome addition,

and it’s done it well. For £55 (plus a

module), it’s just another great

reminder of how easy and affordable it

is to ‘go hybrid’. Not having to ever clap

at the start of ‘Carwash’ again is worth

the ticket price alone.

BUILD QUALITY

PLAYABILITY

VALUE FOR MONEY

RATING

£55-£59 Feeling trigger happy? Settle down

and let Yamaha give you the DTs

YAMAHA

DT50 TRIGGERS

WORDS: STUART WILLIAMS

RHY267.gear_yamaha.indd 91 23/03/2017 19:27