Yamaha DD55AD Touch-Sensitive Digital Drums with AC Adapter

by Yamaha

Product Features

• 7 touch-sensitive pads in authentic drum layout
• 100 built-in rhythm styles
• 174 assignable AWM (Advanced Wave Memory) percussion voices
• Digital reverb and chorus DSP effects built into voices
• MIDI compatibility

Product Details

Product Manual [1.65mb PDF]

• Shipping Weight: 25 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005K9CI
• Item model number: DD55AD
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,789 in Musical Instruments (See Top 100 in Musical Instruments)

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

With seven touch-sensitive pads, tempo control, and a hand percussion mode, the Yamaha DD55AD Drum Machine allows for expressive playing and creative control, even for the beginner. It features stereo speakers with a bass port and 174 percussion voices, assignable to any pad. Two assignable foot pedals are included for kick, hi-hat, and other voices.

The Yamaha DD55AD includes 100 built-in rhythm styles to accompany playing, 50 programmed drum kits, and one user-programmable drum kit to store a favorite setup. Reverb and chorus DSP provide effects built into voices. The DD55AD is MIDI compatible for computer connectivity. If you need to practice in privacy, the DD55AD features a built-in headphone jack.

It is powered by an included Yamaha PA5C power adapter or six optional D-cell batteries. The Yamaha DD55AD package contains two foot pedals and two drum sticks. Yamaha provides a one-year limited warranty on parts and labor.

Product Description

All Refurbished drum sets come with one foot pedal (instate of two pedals)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Lots of fun, but could be better. 3 1/2 stars is closer., January 1, 2003

By 

Steven L. Mason (Roanoke, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Yamaha DD55AD Touch-Sensitive Digital Drums with AC Adapter (Electronics)

The DD-55AD digital drum kit has both advantages and disadvantages. I have to admit it's a lot of fun with reasonably authentic drum sounds, but with some exceptions. It's great that it's so portable, so you can just grab and go anywhere you like for a jam session.
Things that could be done to improve the kit:
1. The 2 ride cymbal settings that are provided sound pretty pathetic. The hi-hat open/close "shick-click" sound is not easy to make sound right.
2. Yamaha needs to make more accessories available that are compatible with this set.
3. The hand drum setting needs some work.
4. I would like to see some of the drum kit pre-sets to be more specific. For example, have a setting for a 1960's Ludwig kit, or 1970's Slingerland.
5. Although it's really neat that it comes with the two pseudo pedals for the hi-hat and bass, it would be great if you could also purchase more realistic pedals similar to the ones in the top of the line Yamaha electronic drum kits.
Although the information is not in the manual, and it's well hidden on Yamaha's site, I have the following info from them: For a more realistic drum pedal feel, a Yamaha KP60, KP80, KP80S or KP120 Electronic Kick Tower Pad may be used in place of Pedal 1, and a Yamaha HH80 Electronic Hi Hat Tower may be used in place of Pedal 2. These alternative foot pedals add the look, feel and durability of real drum pedals.
IMPORTANT: The newer Yamaha HH60 and HH80A Electronic Hi-Hat Towers will NOT work with the DD55.
6. I haven't quite figured out how to hook it up to an external amplifier, and am not sure that it is possible. If it is, I suspect you would need some sort of pre-amp. The manual is not clear on this at all.
7. On the plus side, I intend to use this with an additional real snare drum, plus genuine cymbals with stands. This will give you a pretty great sounding kit that is still extremely portable. Now if I could just get those pedals ....

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good simulation, October 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Yamaha DD55AD Touch-Sensitive Digital Drums with AC Adapter (Electronics)

A pretty good simulation of a drum kit. The drum samples are high quality and sound very close to the real thing. Also includes assorted percussion samples, such as castanets, cowbells, and even turntable scratches. Overall, I recommend this to anybody wanting an authentic drum instrument, as opposed to a drum toy.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars GREAT! Plug into an amp or pa and stand back!, March 18, 2003

By 

Miles Morris (Somerville, Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Yamaha DD55AD Touch-Sensitive Digital Drums with AC Adapter (Electronics)

Almost everything about the dd55 is good. I wish they made these 30 years ago and I know I would be a better drummer. Any one who plays drums should have this machine, even if you own a huge set of acoustics. If your kid plays, you MUST have this machine, as he can learn more quickly, experience more diverse sounds, play with accompaniment, and play at a low volume level, which translates into more potential practice time, with less setup and hassle. Let's face it: acoustic drums are loud and obnoxious to most non drummers except when played along with other instruments. The dd55 snare sounds are great, the tom sounds are great, the kick sounds are great, hi hat great, ride and bell and other sounds are very good. Crash cymbals are weak, and too few. I would say with a few minor upgrades, this system could potentially become the "drums" of the future. I am in my 40's and played in bands years ago and know the "pain" of a huge set: set up, tuning, miking, sound check, tear down, hauling, cleaning, maintenance, and inconsistency of sound! (I always felt drummers should get bounus pay for all that!) My opinion for improvement: (1) better crash cymbal sounds. This is the only weakness I have found as the crash sounds are not rich and full, but rather sound short and a little "dirty".(2)at least 2 more "small" pads on the right side for bell and ride cymbal sounds. As it is now, if you want a 5 piece kit, you are limited to only 2 cymbal sounds other than hi hat. That means one crash, one ride, so what about a bell (cup), and a second crash, and even a cowbell, etc? To keep the unit small Yamaha could even make the cymbal pads a bit smaller if necessary. SUMMARY: I LOVE IT AND THINK THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF GREAT THINGS IN MODERN DRUMMING AND WILL MAKE DRUMMING A MORE ENJOYABLE EXPERIENCE FOR FUTURE PERCUSSIONISTS!