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Simmons is an electronic drum brand, which originally was a pioneering British manufacturer of electronic drums. Founded in 1978 by Dave Simmons, it supplied electronic kits from 1980 to 1994. The drums' distinctive, electronic sound can be found on countless albums from the 1980s. The company closed in 1999 and the Simmons name is currently owned by Guitar Center. The SDS 5 (or SDSV; notated as SDS-5) was developed in conjunction with Richard James Burgess of Landscape and released in 1981.〔 The first recordings of the instrument were made by Burgess, on ''From the Tea-rooms of Mars ....'', "Chant No. 1" by Spandau Ballet, and "Angel Face" by Shock. After Burgess and Spandau Ballet appeared on ''Top of the Pops'' with the instrument, many other musicians began to use the new technology, including the following: Howard Jones, Jez Strode of Kajagoogoo, John Keeble of Spandau Ballet, Roger Taylor of Duran Duran, Darren Costin of Wang Chung, Rick Allen of Def Leppard, Thomas Dolby, Prince, Phil Collins, Neil Peart, Bill Bruford, Talk Talk's album ''The Party's Over'''','' Cameo, Jonzun Crew, Depeche Mode, and Vangelis. ==History== Single-pad analog drum synthesizers, including the Pollard Syndrum and the Synare, were introduced in the 1970s, but their unrealistic sound made them generally more suitable for use as a percussion effect than as a replacement for traditional drums. They became a popular element in disco records, especially after the release of music from ''Star Wars'', and can be heard on songs by The Jacksons and Rose Royce. Around 1978 while working for the company Musicaid in St. Albans, Dave Simmons developed a device with similar capabilities to the Syndrum and Synare, which he called the SDS-3. The SDS-3 featured four drum channels and a noise generator;〔 (manufactured by Musicad)〕〔 the SDS-4 was a functionally similar two-channel version. At this juncture, the drum pads were round, with wooden frames and real 8-inch drum heads.〔 (Mark 1 pads) rounded pads with real drum heads by Premier.〕 Musicaid was also the distributor for the Lyricon wind synthesizer as played by John L. Walters of Landscape. Walters introduced Richard James Burgess to Simmons and Burgess began using the SDS-3s and SDS-4s live, on stage, with his band Landscape. Recognizing the potential for a fully electronic drum set that could replace the traditional acoustic set rather than supplement it, Burgess began collaborating with Dave Simmons. They mocked up the sounds and flowchart using an ARP 2600 synthesizer. Since Burgess was using the instrument in a live setting, they developed the four customizable preset buttons. The distinctive hexagonal shape came about after triangles and bat-wing mock-ups had been tried. Burgess finally decided that a honeycomb shape would fit together ergonomically and be simple yet distinctive in appearance. A limited edition of what Simmons referred to as the Mount Rushmore Head sets were also built. Burgess has two of these sets. The basic descending tom-tom sound was modeled after the way Burgess tuned his Pearl single-headed concert tom kit on which he would loosen one tension rod, causing a wrinkle in the head and creating a descending pitch after the tom was hit. Burgess had recorded extensively with the prototype of the SDS-5 on the Landscape album, with Shock and Spandau Ballet before the SDS-V (5), was introduced commercially in 1981. The world's first fully electronic drum set, the SDS-V〔 (manufactured by Simmons, St. Albans. The rear logo seems "SDSV")〕 featured the famous hexagonal pads and distinctive "''dzzshhh''" sound heard in countless songs by 1980s bands, including Duran Duran and Rush. The standard configuration consisted of an expandable rack-mountable "brain", containing the various drum sounds, and pad modules for bass drum, snare, and three toms. Two spare slots are available so that cymbal or extra tom modules can be added; drummers may choose to use acoustic cymbals rather than the Simmons sounds, which have been compared to that of a trash can lid. Connections to the unit were by XLR plugs, and it can be interfaced with a drum sequencer. The SDS-V's biggest disadvantage was the solid polycarbonate heads on the pads. Simmons chose this material for its durability, but the heads' lack of "give" often resulted in wrist pain for users. Soon after, Simmons began shipping pads with soft rubber surfaces. The SDS-V became an instant hit, with Simmons endorsing several drummers, and the distinctive pad shape becoming an icon of the 1980s. In the USA, Simmons's rapid success was due largely to the work of UK session drummer Glyn Thomas. With the agreement of Dave Simmons, Group Centre Inc. became the sole distributors of all Simmons Electronics products in the USA. After visiting and demoing the SDS-V to music stores in New York, Washington, Los Angeles and Chicago, he secured orders from them all. Manufacturing was ramped up quickly in time for the NAMM Music Expo in Chicago and after staging a series of demos featuring Bill Bruford, dozens more music store owners from all over the country signed up to this electronic revolution, and that expansion quickly established the Simmons name in the rest of the USA. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Simmons (electronic drum company)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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