Simmons (electronic Drum Company) - The SDX

The SDX

In 1987, after the SDS-9, Simmons decided to enter into the high-end professional market and created the revolutionary SDX. It introduced new features that were unheard of in other electronic drums such as "zone intelligence" and "pad layering". Some of these ideas were not revisited until nearly 15 years after the SDX. Zone Intelligence allowed for up to three samples to be assigned to different positional locations on a pad for a more realistic sound. With pad layering, up to nine different samples could be triggered via different strike velocities and positions, selecting samples from a 3 by 3 matrix. The samples could also be further manipulated by applying positive or negative values on a matrix, simultaneously effecting the following aspects of the sound : Volume, Pitch,Brightness,Panning,Noise element,Sample start point. All or any of these aspects of the sound, were both programmable and continuously variable dependent upon strike position and strike velocity and were user programmable in the extreme. The SDX was the first Simmons kit since the SDS-7 to support cymbal sounds, using pads called "Symbals" which simulated the swaying motion of real cymbals with a swivel rod. The SDX also included a built-in sampler with a floppy disk drive, internal SCSI Hard Disk Drive and optional external SCSI ZIP /Syquest Drives as the methods of data storage. The SDX also introduced a new way of modifying sounds. Rather than knobs and switches, it featured a 9" monochrome CRT screen with a GUI controlled by a trackball, similar to the early Mac OS. SDX OS allowed users to fully modify sounds with an easy-to-use interface. Sales of the SDX were limited due to its high price, costing around $10,154. The factory sounds included with the SDX did not match the quality expected for a system of such advanced technology, so many drummers chose to sample their own sounds.In 1988 the SDX software was updated to make SDX suitable for use with midi keyboards, thus offering a sound source rivaling the Fairlight CMI for a fraction of the price. Approximately 200 SDX Consoles were sold, of which few working models remain. Primary users of SDX included Bill Bruford with ABWH and King Crimson and also Danny Carey with Tool. The SDX also featured on Pip Greasley's 'The 5k Pursuit Opera' C4TV where it was played by Bruce Mason.