The realism of a 'real' Drum set is the true and ultimate benchmark we're after Ian. I'm glad to see Yamaha has apparently further improved the drum kits on the T3. I say apparently because I'll have to wait and demo a T3 and a T2 side by side to get a better comparison. OR,
Yammie could put up some better Drum Kit demos online to help demonstrate and accentuate the T3 drums better, so the improvement(s) could be heard betwixt the two in a clearer way and would make it easier for a person to decipher the results without having to necessarily demo a T2 & T3 side by side.
For a comparison of Drum kits, listen to some Motif ES/XS drum kit demos and then go back and listen to the T3 demo(s). You will notice right away (at least my ears tells me) that the T3 drums lack the depth and realism of the Motif series by a big margin. Other Workstations on the market today also have noticeably better drum kits than what I am hearing from these Yamaha T3 demos.
Those with discriminating preferences who know what a real Drum Kit should sound like (not that you don't Ian but I'm just using as an illustration), we just want Yamaha (and the others) to give us AT LEAST what we currently find on the Workstations but of course preferrably even better and ultimately to have that "REAL LIVE REALISTIC SOUNDING REAL DRUM SOUND OF A REAL DRUM SET" at our fingertips.
We've quite a ways to go before we reach that pinnacle but since Yamaha is touting the T3 as a "digital Workstation" couldn't they provide at least the same quality Drum Kits as are found on the Motif series of Workstations? You're paying more for less when you buy a T3 i.e. the T3 costs quite a bit more than a comparable Motif ES/XS, but the Drums still don't seem to be up to snuff on the T3..
Yamaha has put 600MB of WAV ROM on the T3 while the Motif XS only has 355MB. Yet the Motif XS far outshines the T3 in the Drum Kit arena. It's almost like a double standard with Yamaha in that their traditional workstations get the goods with the gravy, whilst the arranger division gets the cold paltry leftovers for some reason.
Except when it comes to the SAV/2, Mega Voices, and some of the Cool!, Live!, and Sweet!, voices. But the Drums???
Uh.... I don't think so.
Best,
Mike
PS: I'm sure the T3 drums will be JUST FINE for a good percentage of those who purchase the T3. OTOH, audiophile purists will most likely hear the T3 drums and avoid it unfortunately. And they end up looking elsewhere in the arranger arena for something that suits them better - at least as far as their preference for Drum Kit sounds go anyway, in my opinion.