Alesis USB Pro Electronic Drum Kit with Surge Cymbals
Includes Trigger|iO pad-to-USB interface. Brass-alloy Surge cymbals. Requires a computer for operation, is not stand-alone hardware.
Overall User Ratings (based on 15 ratings)
Submitted January 13, 2009 by a customer from planetgemini.net
"Quality of a VPT kit at only half the price!"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
I must admit. If you are buying this product with the intention of using the included BFD2 Lite software you may find yourself being dissapointed. However, if this is paired with the FULL version of the software or even better a product from Toontrack (EZ-Drummer or Superior Drummer) there is no way you can tell this is an electronic kit by listening to it. The sensativity is very nice and I think that the Trigger I/O and VPT (Virtual Percussion Technology) are truly the next step in drum recording. But, don't take my word for it. Do some of the drum research I have done and I'm sure you'll agree. While this kit is technically an entry level kit into the world of VPT drums. It is a very very solid kit to start off with. You'll be laying down grooves in no time.
Sound
It's an electronic drumkit there-fore it has no sound. But, the feel of the heads are very nice. They give off great rebound they are completely tunable (to tighten the rebound to your liking). The cymbals have a nice feel to them. They have been deadened quite a bit and while they do make a "clack" sound when you hit them. I don't think that you'll be bugging your neighbors (if indeed you live in an apartment building).
Features
The Trigger IO interface has very little features. It just basically converts your hits to Midi notes. The features here are all in the software and to be completely honest I found the BFD2 lite to be... well.. bad. They should have worked out something to put the full version in there. Even if they had to charge a little extra. The lite version gives you about 3 or 4 kits. It's great for someone who's just looking to play but, if you're looking to lay down drum tracks you'll need more.
Ease of Use
Setup was a breeze and I had the whole kit up and running in about an hour of opening the box.
Quality
Surprisingly this thing feels very heavy duty. The rack is not cheap plastic and it feels very sturdy when assembled.
Value
In my opinion this is really one of the best electronic kits on the market in this price range. The next step up from this would be an RET kit and that goes around $3,000. This kit is sturdy, it feels durable and most importantly, when paired with the correct software and hardware it WORKS!
Musical Background:
Sound Engineer, Producer
Musical Style:
Rock, Country, Jazz, Metal, Industrial..etc
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