ddrum Percussion Controller

July 12, 1996 -- The world's most sophisticated electronic percussion system, Clavia Digital Instrument's ddrum, just got even better with the introduction of the new ddrum4.

The ddrum4 features a completely new concept in pad system design. The new pads, known as the Cast Precision Series, feature real drum heads used in conjunction with cast aluminum shells. Not only does the combination offer superb tracking, but the feel closely rivals that of acoustic drums. The first pieces in the Cast Precision Series include the Cast Precision Pads and the Cast Precision Kick, the latter of which features natural rebound, enabling it to play bounce on and off for even more nuance capabilities.

The ddrum4 percussion controller also features a number of significant improvements. The new unit now offers more than 500 different instruments that can easily be varied by using a special algorithm for up to eight variations of each instrument. Thanks to a new "ddrum Palette system", a further development of ddrum's "one-hand access system", the user is able to change individual instruments with just one touch--without changing a complete "kit" setup.

The electronic percussion system also features a newly-designed playback engine that allows it to simulate the behavior of acoustic percussion sounds in many new ways. Several dynamic filter algorithms have been developed to reproduce samples more naturally than ever before. Further development of ddrum's Drumhead Vibration Algorithm, now called "DVA version2", will change the relationship of overtones between every new stroke in a startlingly natural way.

People with Internet access will be able to expand their sound libraries free of charge. Simply connect the ddrum4 into a "Net"connected computer and download samples from Clavia's Web site into the ddrum brain via MIDI. Thanks to an innovative compression algorithm, downloading samples will be up to eight times faster than standard MIDI samples dumps while retaining the highest audio quality.

With ddrum4's Flashram and SCSI Option Package, sounds can also be loaded and saved directly from CD-ROM disks. A ddrum CD-ROM disk containing the entire ddrum Vintage Sound Library dating back to the original ddrumRack system will be available later this year. The disk will also contain several hundred megabytes of new percussion samples and loops. Perhaps one of the most attractive features about the new ddrum4 is its price. The previous model, the ddrum3 Turbo with a five-piece set of pads listed at over $5,300. List price on the ddrum4 (including five-piece pad set) will be closer to $3,000!

Armadillo Enterprises is the exclusive distributor in the U.S. for ddrum Electronic Percussion, nord lead virtual analog synthesizers, EBS Bass Systems, Neuser Basses, SSD Basses and Dean Guitars, with corporate headquarters in Clearwater, Florida.

For more information, visit their web site at www.ddrum.com.