Home > Consumer Reviews > Pacific Digital DX-100 DrumXtreme USB Digital Drum Kit

i recently bought pacific digital's drumxtreme with all intentions of using this product as a beginner's tool. i hate to say that i am dissapointed with it though. for starts, the software that comes with it hardly works, meaning the "music game, etc." doesn't work, so therefore one cannot play along with music. all it basically does is let you bang on the drums and try to figure out things for yourself. so why not get real drums instead? this product promises a good beginner's experience but does not deliver it. the sound is not good quality, and the toms are barely audiable. not to mention that this model doesn't come with a hi hat pedal, leaving the beginner to use their arm - which complicates things in the beginning and could leave one frustrated. sure, there are other models that offer this, but for one who is on a budget and just looking to begin drums, this one seems like the best bet. i personally wish i would've kept my money and used it on real drums instead, which i am going to have to do now. so save yourself the trouble, if you want to begin - begin on real drums and get the real experience, dont be fooled by this product.

I bought the DX-150 (DX-100 with extra hi-hat pedal and pad) 2 months ago after did a lot of research before decided to buy this set since I was trying to save money (I'm a student). I have not been disappointed at all. I'm not try to compare with $500 e-drum. All I'm saying is that the quality of the set with the price I paid, I really have to give it 4 starts. The set-up with the rack is awesome and nicely done. I initially run the system with my very old soundcard and the sound was terrible. But after I upgraded my soundcard to 24-bit Audigy, this thing came alive. However, the system doesn't provide that many choices in terms of sound. Hopefully, there will be an upgrade version of the program (then I can give 5 stars). The delay of the sound after hitting the pad could be disturbing for experienced drummer. I ended up plug the system into my drum module (Alesis D4) with some modification on the base pedal. And it works like charm. I put a thin gum-rubber on each pad to reduce the nagging sound when you hit the pad. It works great without loosing the sensitivity. Really recommend this set if you have low budget.

Initially pretty happy with this purchase for my son. Better feel than electronic drum pads, and he could play with headphones. Unfortunately, drum unit died after just a few months. I tried contacting vendor's (Pacific Digital) customer support. But they will not answer. (Pacific Digital itself appears to be OEMing these for some unknown Asian manufacturer.) Went on to Pacific Data's "Live Support" (chat) feature on their Web site, but it is in fact off-line. I had bought these at pre-rebate price and even ordered upsell kit from vendor Pacific Digital. Now we're left with $400 doorstop, and we're obvously extremely disappointed. ...

Do not buy!!!! This item had potential. The rack mount is good and the setup was fairly easy but the lack of customer support from PD makes it almost useless. The interface software included with the kit is just plain awful!!! For the low price I wasn't expecting much, but believe me, I got even less than expected.

I always wanted to learn to play the drums and was really excited about electronic drum sets. I live in a condo, thin walls, where playing a drum is just not going to go over.

But I was not able to afford the sets I saw online and at the music store. I could not figure out why the Pacific Digital set was so much cheaper until I realized it does not come with the computer hardware the other ones come with, and you have to use a computer hardrive you already have. Not a problem for me. the only problem is that I have sound drivers and software on my computer that are not compatible with what they sell you. So, I can't play the games that come with it. It still works for playing drums, though. The music they sell for you to play along with is stuff I have never heard in my life but I can't use it anyway so I guess that does not matter.

Set up is simple if you read the instructions. It is solid, pieces are made out of real metal with a strong feel and a good finish, and the rubber pads are durable. The stand does not walk around, and the pads stay put reasonably well. You do have to tighten once in a while, and I am thinking about maybe putting some of that rubber drawer lining they sell now between the clamps and the metal rods to help them stay put.

The lesson section on the CD was okay for the first two days, but then I was glad to get the Sandy Gennaro Ultimate Basic Drum Lesson DVD I had ordered as a back up. That guy is great!

So, I will play with this for a while and have fun. If I really take to it and I think it is worth it, I will get a nicer set. In the meantime, it meets the need.