Is it worth the 5300 euro's? (7500 dollars that is, don't know if that is what you actually need to pay though) I find it a very intresting table for a home studio, not that I'm going to buy one anytime soon, but I like gathering others experiences
I think I paid something like $4,500.00 for it, but don't quote me on that. I know it was under 5k.
Being in that practice studio has made it hard to for me to fully explore the board, partly due to the nature of that studio and partly due to time. So, I don't yet feel like I know it well enough to really comment fairly. The few practice recordings I've done bypassed most of the circuitry, going straight to Logic. Those were pretty nice, but I'm a ways out from having it dialed in.
When I feel like I've got a good handle on it, I'll probably write up something on my process and the equipment involved.
What application would you use the ratas for? presumably tribal type tom grooves?
Sure. That's certainly one.
The goal I had was to produce something with broader use applications than what you would get from regular Octobans. After all, when you have a kit as big as mine, space is at a premium. So I think it is important for each piece to be as broadly useful as possible. And when anything proves otherwise, I throw it out or replace it.
Anyway, I think DW hit the mark with these. They can certainly handle all the typical Octoban-like applications most are familiar with. But then they are warm and have more tone, and (unlike most Octobans, really) they can be tuned to recognizable pitches so you can do true melodic work with them. Then, at their lowest pitches, they are low and powerful enough to literally compete with and mix in with my other toms. Where my acrylic Octos are a contrast with the rest of my kit, these are more complementary.