June 1985 dealer advertising identifies the SDS400 as Simmons’ four-tom system. The September reviews describe a playable pitch-run facility, alongside its conventional tom voices.
Four toms on one panel
The SDS400 gathers four analogue tom channels into a pad-and-controller system. Simmons advertised it as a self-contained set or an addition to another kit. The channel count describes four tom voices; the SDS800’s bass, snare and two-tom arrangement belongs to the neighbouring model.
Simmons SDS 800 Series dealer advertisement ↗ The New Simmons SDS 800 Series ↗
Set the pitch run in motion
Reed describes the SDS400 and SDS800 run generator operating on Tom 1. Threshold sets activation strength; Step Time and Run Time govern each pitch’s duration and the whole movement. The other three toms remain separate voices.
Strike every note
In his companion review of the SDS800, Bob Henrit emphasises that the drummer still plays each beat while the run shifts pitch. That is the useful distinction for the shared facility: a player can move through a succession of tom pitches without the machine taking over the strokes. It rewards a performed fill rather than supplying an automatic rhythm.
Place the toms in the mix
Reed lists individual, mono-mix and stereo outputs on the SDS400, plus a five-pin connection for SDS6 and computer-sequencer systems. The account describes trigger facilities; a DIN socket alone does not establish MIDI.
The 1986 buying decision
The May 1986 buyer’s guide lists the SDS400 at £550, compared with £315 for the two-channel SDS200. Its four tom channels and run generator made a distinct proposition at that date. Those British guide prices describe a market moment; they do not settle first shipment or every export package.
Sources
The visual archive