in the extreme. The SDX is the first Simmons kit since the SDS-7 to support cymbal sounds, using pads called "Symbals" which simulate the swaying motion of real cymbals with a swivel rod. The SDX include a built-in sampler with a floppy disk drive, internal SCSI hard disk drive and optional external SCSI ZIP or Syquest drives as the methods of data storage. The SDX introduced a new way of modifying sounds. Rather than knobs and switches, it features a 9" monochrome CRT screen with a GUI controlled by a trackball, similar to the early Mac OS. SDX OS allows users to fully modify sounds with an easy-to-use interface. It also features a full 64-track real-time sequencer with the ability to nondestructively quantize recordings and sync them to MIDI. 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 250 SDX Consoles were sold. Primary users of SDX included Bill Bruford with ABWH, Peter Gabriel, Jean Michel Jarres' drummer and King Crimson and also Danny Carey with Tool. The SDX also featured on Pip Greasley's The 5k Pursuit Opera C4TV [1991] where it was played by Bruce Mason. Decline By the time of the launch of the SDX, the company had seen a dramatic fall in their sales as drummers abandoned electronics to return to their acoustic kits. Additionally, due to expensive R&D and manufacturing costs of the SDX, Simmons was losing money. Their final kit was released in 1989, called the SDS-2000, featuring sounds from the SDX library, digital effects, further refined pads, and a new company logo. Along with the SDS-2000, Simmons manufactured pads with real drumheads called Hexaheads, along with Minihexes, smaller-sized pads sometimes used as cymbal pads. This system saw a commercial decline in the face of competition from companies such as Roland and Yamaha, and the evolution of musical styles from the 1980s into the 1990s. During the 1990s, Simmons shifted their focus from drum synthesis to drum triggering and MIDI control, with products like the ADT (acoustic drum trigger)