At Musikmesse 2011, Yamaha unveiled a new lineup of DTXdrums electronic drum sets, which will be available in DTX500 and DTX700 series configurations.

All but one of the new kits feature the DTX-PAD with Textured Cellular Silicone (T.C.S.) playing surface, which Yamaha says provides a natural feel and response and allows for the development of acoustic drumming techniques.

Starting now, Yamaha will be using a numbering system to designate its different series of electronic drum kits based on the drum "brain" used in the configuration -- all the kits in the 500 Series feature the redesigned DTX500 Drum Trigger Module, and all the kits in the 700 Series features the DTX700 Drum Trigger Module.

The DTX500 Drum Trigger Module includes 427 drum, percussion and effect sounds, along with 50 preset drum kits and 20 user-editable kits. It also offers onboard practice tools, play-along and recording functions, MIDI Out, and 12 trigger inputs compatible with a the full range of DTX-PADs and cymbals.

The 500 Series kicks off with the new DTX500K, a five-piece kit based on the DTXplorer, and while it is the only kit that does not have a DTX-PAD in the box, it is the only one that includes a real Yamaha bass drum pedal. Next in line, the DTX520K sports the new three-zone XP80 8-inch DTX-PAD snare, the new three-Zone PCY100 10-inch crash cymbal, and the RS500 rack system.

The DTX530K includes the same drum pad configuration but adds the RHH135 vertical motion hi-hat system and the three-zone PCY135 13-inch cymbals for ride and crash. Finally, the top model in the 500 series, the DTX560K, features three new XP70 7-inch DTX-PAD toms for a full DTX-PAD play experience all around the kit.

For the intermediate 700 Series of instruments, all models feature the new DTX700 Drum Trigger Module, which delivers 1,268 drum sounds, DSP effects, and 128 keyboard and melodic sounds drawn from the flagship Motif-XF synthesizer workstation. In addition, drummers can import their own audio samples into the 64 MB of Flash-ROM for customizing the sound set. The DTX700 module includes a USB port for storing and loading files, as well as a USB-to-Host port for sending MIDI In and Out to the included Cubase AI software.

The main kit in this series, the DTX700K, uses the same pad, cymbal and rack configuration as the DTX560K; however, the DTX750K steps it up a notch with three-zone DTX-PADs for the snare and toms, two crash cymbals, and a larger PCY155 15-inch ride cymbal all on the RS700 rack with real drum hardware. Likewise, the DTX790K uses larger DTX-PADs for all drums, including a large kick pad, and each drum has a control knob for adjusting the tone right from the pad.

According to Yamaha, DTXdrums allow drummers to express their passion for rhythm just as they can on an acoustic kit. These drum kits are said to be perfect for quiet practice, playing live, or as a controller for VST instruments.

Prices (all MSRP) for the new drums are as follows:

• DTX790K: $5,752
• DTX750K: $4,825
• DTX700K: $3,467
• DTX560K: $2,637
• DTX530K: $1,800
• DTX520K: $1,507
• DTX500K: $1,055

For more information, visit yamahadrums.com.