Alesis Drums & Percussion

I am a drummer, bassist and guitarist that has been playing one instrument or another for over 17 years. My style varies from one instrument to another, though it is generally in the rock, funk and acoustic genres. I acquired this unit from Sam Ash (in store, not online) for $599 plus tax. I had chosen this unit due to my previous experiences with Alesis equipment, and the fact that it is, in my opinion, the best electronic kit within my price range. The price, first and foremost. Based on my experience and research, it seems to be the most bang for the buck. The set-up is also sturdy and the heads are not the hard rubber sort. A lot of tweaking is necessary to prevent crosstalk and noise. You are only limited to 21 banks to store kits (one kit per bank). The kit seems sturdy, with secure mounts and rack. Alesis seems to have come through for those wanting an extremely versatile kit for not a lot of scratch. The quality of the sounds, construction, and general conceptualization of the kit makes this a comparable to kits in the $1000+ range. Great for practice, home studio and even some gigging. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this for my drummer to use in the studio a few years ago. We probably used it for 2 years at least. We weren't happy with the sounds we were getting with his miced kit. I had EZdrummer a the time and later Superior. We wanted a simple bare bones interface to plug in via USB so we could record using EZdrummer. The price was alright so the purchase was made. Out of the box, it doesn't take long to get started. If you have a decent grasp of usb and midi it's not going to be a hassle. The software you use is your own device. I personally always used the toontrack products. They are very versatile and map well with the alesis. Depending on your drummer, you may have to adjust some velocity settings. Some guys hit harder or prefer a different attack. Fortunately the alesis has a good velocity to it. Which is good because if your hardware doesn't work, no amount of software settings are going to get them to function. My drummer really liked these. I also used them from time to time for rough ideas and tracking. The heads feel very real to the touch. Velocities are pretty easy to vary. The kick is nice too. We both felt that the cymbals lacked a human feel that you get with real ones and that's just the nature of things like this. It's not going to feel like a real kit. I'm aware there are some of these out there built in the form of a real kit, but in that case...wouldn't it be best to go ahead and splurge for a good miced full kit? I think so. Anyway, I would still recommend this kit if you have a good drums vsti you want to control. It feels decent. Takes a little of the humanity away but what can I say. It's $600? Go for it.

I've owned these drums for about 2 months.I love this kit! For the $$$$ it's a nice unit with great sound. This kit is very versitale and the module interface is simple and works perfect. All the drums are tuneable and adjustable like real shells. You can also dial in the pads so not to activate another drum. I use these drums regularly and feel they are pretty durable I go through more sticks than anything. If you can test drive these out before buying you won't be disappointed. Check them out I know you will be pleasantly surprised....