If I were the only one dissatisfied with Yamaha's drum sounds, I think you'd have a case for it simply being one person's opinion, Ian... But generally, for those that choose something other than Yamaha, the flatness of the drum sound is the #1 reason anyone picks anything else. Enough people with the SAME 'opinion' can make it a fact, Ian!

It seems a bit strange that Yamaha don't even offer an alternative, simply to scavenge sales they currently can't get. They have the tools to do it... an expansion area for both S950 and T4. Why those areas of RAM have never received an expansion pack that had a couple of great punchy drum KITS (which the ROM styles could be altered to use), and instead you get a somewhat poor selection of ethnic specialties http://www.yamahamusicsoft.com/en/category/VSE/catalog?currency=USD&nav=4 of extremely dubious value to most players NOT from those world areas. Where are the first class drum kits Yamaha are in a perfect position to make? The Tyros has FAR more than enough RAM to put in the entire soundset of the TOTL DTX drum module, should they choose. And the 64MB in the S950 is still more than enough for at least a couple of really detailed kits (drum samples are pretty short!).

But what do Yamaha try to flog us? Chinese, Balkan, Greek sounds... Now, no offense, players in those parts of the world really NEED those sounds. No problem with them at all. But where is the stuff for US? Where is the one thing that would address 90% of criticisms leveled at Yamaha by non-Yamaha playing arranger users?

Yamaha are asleep at the wheel. Can they not see the potential profit selling a really punchy kit Expansion Pack, not only to existing owners (I guarantee, were it available, most Yamaha users would buy it... they sure seem to like the new kits in the T4 and S950!) but as a way to remove objections from those of us that HAVE to use something else if we want realistic, live sounding drums to play along with..?