TAMA DS-200

Stewart Copeland regularly used a **TAMA DS-200** drum synthesizer for live performances with The Police from 1979 to 1984.

For the *Reggatta De Blanc* and *Zenyatta Mondatta* tours, Stewart had one TAMA DS-200, which was triggered by a Remo Rototom. By the time of the *Ghost In The Machine* tour, he had a couple of them, one of which was for triggering sounds off the toms etc. and another for enhancing the bass drum.

## Quotes about the TAMA DS-200

> "We still use the Tama Sniper drum synthesizer (TS-200J and those come with very small contact pickups that you can place anywhere on anything. The pickup triggers an oscillator which also has a built in sweep control. It can sweep down at a very fast rate or a very slow rate. We have pickups on some tom-toms where you get basically a Syndrum effect; a sweeping sound down. The other one is triggered by the bass drum mic' itself. I actually tune the oscillator to a very low sound so the live bass drum sound is actually mixed with the synthesised sound and you get a very deep bass drum effect. So the bottom end of the bass drum is actually artificially produced by this drum synthesiser. The effect is much like the Boom Box, which can't be used on a record. We get it down to around sixty or fifty cycles and you’re giving the bass drum a lower effect without doing it with equalisation at the PA board. But in a big hall, you’re dealing with the feedback of the room and if you try to get those low EQ's on the mic', you may get feedback from the room feeding back into the mic'. So we don't have to deal with that at all." (Jeff Seitz, Stewart Copeland's drum tech)
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## References

* The Police Countdown concert - Stewart triggers a Tama drum synth sound with the Rototom on "Walking On The Moon" as seen on camera at the 7:24 mark.
* Various photos
* *Modern Drummer*, October 1982 (quote)
* Police collector website listing Stewart Copeland's TAMA DS-200 drum synthesizers
* TRIGGER SOUNDS https://youtu.be/FrZD4OPfYnU?t=708   Cant stand  September 7 1979 trigger on Roto right https://youtu.be/PjcaYNE64Qk?t=2473 Nov 29 1979 NYC Beds Too Big https://youtu.be/44jGSEl5PVI?t=261  Cant Stand Losing You  1980 https://youtu.be/F4VjsqR5Vbc?t=2308  beds too big  Jan 11, 1980 trigger on Roto left https://youtu.be/Tak9CesN9tA?t=2958  beds too big Japan Feb 15, 1980     https://youtu.be/muZkzPYj\_-k?t=2597  beds too big   6. April 1980 Berlin https://youtu.be/-lnYTsUirNY?t=2199  beds  April 28, 1980 Newcastle https://youtu.be/Z\_p62quZL8k?list=RDQMOC9\_uGn85Iw&t=102 Shadows   10/18/80  Essen https://youtu.be/qkJJN5jk8gU?t=156 dont stand 1980 10/18/80 https://youtu.be/qkJJN5jk8gU?t=353 walking on the moon 1980 10/18/80 https://youtu.be/Z\_p62quZL8k?list=RDQMOC9\_uGn85Iw&t=160 10/18/80 https://youtu.be/Z\_p62quZL8k?list=RDQMOC9\_uGn85Iw&t=244 10/18/80 https://youtu.be/-V7qgM2X3xg?list=RDQMOC9\_uGn85Iw&t=84  world is running down 10/18/80 https://youtu.be/-V7qgM2X3xg?list=RDQMOC9\_uGn85Iw&t=213  10/18/80 https://youtu.be/qeYwho3hrjQ?t=1208  bring on the night Nov 23 1980 Detroit  w/ NEW Bring Night https://youtu.be/9RVrmnVpcc0?t=1628   2/8/84 Chicago https://youtu.be/9RVrmnVpcc0?t=4370   2/8/84 Chicago https://youtu.be/9RVrmnVpcc0?t=4399