Alesis DM5KIT Electronic Drum Kit with DM5 Module
Single rackspace module. Recorded in true stereo at 48kHz with ambient effects. Random sample feature. 5 playing pads.
Overall User Ratings (based on 117 ratings)
Submitted November 27, 2007 by a customer from chemdry.com
"Pretty decent sound for a great price"
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zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.
I'll wear this product out. It does what I need it to do and it's been easy to maintain so far (18 months).
Sound
For the price, the sound is quite realistic. The cymbals are not chokeable, but I wouldn't expect them to be at this price.
Features
Product came with a bass pedal. I've had to make small repairs to the pedal, overall it seems to be of decent quality. lots of different drum sounds to choose from, but I could use more cowbell. The kit comes with 7 pads (I think), but 12 available slots. I've added pads and now I'm up to 11 and it seems like a pretty complete kit.
Ease of Use
Pretty straight forward as long as the manual is in my hands.
Quality
This is probably the weak spot of the product. Most of the plastic tightening wingnuts have broken. I think Alesis anticipated this as they sent metal replacements ones with the kit. I've now replaced all of plastic wingnuts with the included metal ones. I've had 4 pads go bad, but 3 of them occured during the warrantee period and were replaced in a timely manner. The fourth went bad after the warrantee period, so I opened it up and fixed the broken solder joint (a very easy fix).
Value
For the price, I got a very good sounding drumkit that allows me to have band practice in my basement without having to blast the other instruments in order to "keep up" with the drum volume.
Manufacturer Support
I was very impressed with the customer service given for my broken pads. They replaced the broken pads no questions asked. They even shipped the new pad to me before they received my broken one (to minimize down time).
The Wow Factor
It's an electric drumkit, not a pretty or flashy acoustic set, so it's not much to look at, but it sounds good.
Musical Background:
Hobbyist
Musical Style:
Rock and Roll
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Submitted November 27, 2007 by a customer from sbcglobal.net
"Best elect. set for the money"
For the money the "new Alesis kit" Is a real deal. I wish it had chokeable cymbals & rim shots off the snare like the Roland V kits but they cost $3000 to $5000. As for sound, I think the Alesis DM5 is as good or better than anything on the market.
Sound
sound wise the DM5 is pretty good. You have to tweek it though.
Features
When I bought my kit it came with Pintech pads & rack which is better because the pads are mesh not the hard rubber. The new Alesis kits have mesh pads. I don't like the cymbals..Hard rubber again.
Ease of Use
once you get the hang of it, its pretty easy.
Quality
Well again I have the Pintech pads, however I'd rather have the new Alesis pads.The value knob/dial is weird. There all like this, they slip to another number. I like the sound.
Value
I payed about $1000 for mine. So to get the same kit with better pads & rack for $600 or $700 would be a deal.
Manufacturer Support
haven't used it. My kit is 5 yrs old.
Musical Background:
drummer/singer, recording Engineer. 40yrs Exp.
Musical Style:
rock, funk, pop, country.
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Submitted September 3, 2006 by a customer from yahoo.com
"Just barely.."
This is not an inspiring product.
Sound
Just better than the clak of a practice pad.
Features
No aux input to play along but it does have many inputs for extra pads.
Ease of Use
Its no more difficult than any other edrum brain I know of.
Quality
The brain seems reliable and the pads seem just OK, but the rack feels cheesy.
Value
The value compared to other ekits is OK, but judged on its own its not worth the price. As long as we keep paying too much for ekits, we can expect gouging. It should have metal clamps, another pad, an aux input, a WAY better foot pedal and less 150-200 in cost.
Manufacturer Support
No experience.
The Wow Factor
I wouldnt have one.
Musical Background:
Musician
Musical Style:
Rock
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Submitted August 11, 2006 by a customer from hotmail.com
"Not worth it"
Verified Purchaser
zZounds has verified that this reviewer purchased this specific product from us.
I would like to get another set already, 3 months later but will live this one out a little longer. I can at least practice on it, minus one tom not responding.
Sound
Overall sound quality is decent for the prize. It is a touchy for responsiveness at times.
Features
The foot petal doesn't work that well and the included bass drum pedal is cheap and not the easiest to work with. The overall frame needs constant tuning due to some parts breaking and others continually coming loose.
Ease of Use
It's playable, but the overall frame maintenance detracts from this.
Quality
Parts have broken already including a drum pad. In the 3 months of owning it so far. I'm not impressed.
Value
Not worth it. If it were dependable the price is worth it, but it's not.
Manufacturer Support
Despite saying there is a 1 year warranty, the company would not replace one broken drum pad without me paying to ship the whole unit. Service and friendliness on the whole was very much sub-par.
Musical Background:
Active Muscian
Musical Style:
Alternative
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Submitted November 25, 2007 by a customer from iname.com
"This is not a good value for the money"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
i am looking to replace it as soon as i can get the money
Sound
sound is ok but not that realistic. can't mute cymbals
Features
it was fairly easy to assemble. It camewith all the cables, screws, and hardware. used it a couple of times to sequence rhythm tracks via the MIDI out to my laptop
Ease of Use
it is easy to use with lcd display and rotate knob to select drum kits. a little difficult trying to change the factory voices.
Quality
the rack leaves a lot to be desired. I had to do a lot of jury rigging with additional washers, nuts and bolts from the hardware store. three of the mounts broke during use. Had to drill holes for set screws to keep pads from sagging during use. no matter how tight the original mounts were they still would not hold. had to replace the kick beater because the original would not remain pointed toward the drum pad
Value
this is the cheapest drumset on the market both in quality and usefullness i will never buy another alesis product
Manufacturer Support
they wanted me to send back the whole set when one pad quit, same with the sound module which failed a month after the warranty ran out.
The Wow Factor
looks ok the students were impressed to start with and still used it until the sound module failed. I am looking for a replacement drum module on ebay will not pay the 350 for it
Musical Background:
band/orchestra director, performing musician (pro clarinettist)
Musical Style:
classical, jazz, avante guarde, rock, christian contemporary
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Submitted March 28, 2009 by a customer from jetfuelonlyband.com
"Learn from experience before you spend your cash"
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zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Very dissatisfied. We didn't think it would be a real road worthy set for that price, but with care, we could keep it intact for a couple years until we could afford a real nice kit from Roland. This failed even our reduced expectations. Make your own choice, but hopefully we allow others to learn from our experiences.
Sound
Sounds are above average for this price range
Features
Needed Pedal and throne of course
Ease of Use
Easy to set up, stereo into my PA, no worries
Quality
The pads and hardware seem to fly apart. We have had some parts replaced, however they can't keep up with the demise of this kit structurally. We have done many things to try to keep this unit intact. The inserts in the back of the DM5 unit are plastic. Have broken one during normal upload at a venue. Treat it like glass. The rack is poorly designed for any real gigging. Put it in the corner of your living room and play it gently.
Value
Learn from my mistake, and spend more to get a good Roland kit. This was all we could afford at the time. We have had it for ten months, and have discovered it lacking.
Manufacturer Support
Begging the store where we bought the unit and many emails to Alesis have yielded either irritating interactions or nothing at all. They couldn't fix this kit fast enough, save an entire redesign of this system. The pads will strip their bosses and fall limp like leaves in fall. They shatter and scatter their parts about your feet as you use them. The arms fall off the rack, and the DM5 unit glitches at the worst possible times.
The Wow Factor
This has no sex appeal. It was useful to teach us what to look for in an electronic drum kit, however. Don't buy this kit. It taught us that, and we can pass this on to you.
The sheer genius of its design.... Well, they could use some of that inspiration in a redesign.
Musical Background:
active Musician, Recording Engineer, Director
Musical Style:
rock, Country, Black Metal, Alternative, Classic Rock
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Submitted March 25, 2009 by a customer from jetfuelonlyband.com
"Run Away if you value your money and time"
Verified Customer
zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.
Bought this 5 months ago. Drum sounds are superior for this price range, however that is damped by poorly designed hardware. Example: Look at the component that holds the trigger. There is only one boss to ensure the pad stays in place when tightened. These strip off quickly, and soon the pads hang limp. Have had to modify entire kit with large washers and larger threaded fasteners to ensure pads do not flop during use. The kit was put together by the pros at the store. If I had done it, perhaps I would have realized the issues that would emerge.
DM 5 module can be glitchy and unreliable. During a gig one output insert broke off during upload: They are plastic and very fragile. The rack is also poorly made. The arms will work their way out of the sockets with the most gentle of use. Support has been in the forms of email and and begging the store where purchased. Indications from the company that they will replace parts that break. The process has been so painful, between bugging the store and emailing many different people at Alesis that I have now given up, and will buy another kit, armed with my knowledge of what to look for in a substandard kit. Unfortunately those words do nothing to help in the middle of a gig or session. The problem is there is nothing they can do for this unit, save a complete pad and rack redesign and/or replacement which of course they are unwilling to do.
Sound
Glitchy and unreliable. Triggers swap sounds and functions during gigs. Always a pain to get to work. Honestly, it is going into the trash. Wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy.
Features
Parts fall off, fail and disintegrate at a rate that I cannot replace them.
Ease of Use
Again, glitchy and sporadic. THe sounds are fine, when they decide to work correctly.
Quality
I cannot rate this product any lower. It has fallen apart in a few months and become the bane of my existence. Cannot stress the poor quality of this unit any stronger.
Value
Garbage. Don't waste your money
Manufacturer Support
Random emails from unhelpful people. The store snubbed me... Not only unhelpful but downright rude and insulting. The perfect storm of poor customer service.
The Wow Factor
This product has caused so much anguish that it should be brought up on charges.
Musical Background:
Active Musician, Recording Engineer, Director
Musical Style:
Jazz, Rock, Country, Alternative
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Submitted March 28, 2009
"Learn from experience before you spend your cash"
Very dissatisfied. We didn't think it would be a real road worthy set for that price, but with care, we could keep it intact for a couple years until we could afford a real nice kit from Roland. This failed even our reduced expectations. Make your own choice, but hopefully we allow others to learn from our experiences.
Sound
Sounds are above average for this price range
Features
Needed Pedal and throne of course
Ease of Use
Easy to set up, stereo into my PA, no worries
Quality
The pads and hardware seem to fly apart. We have had some parts replaced, however they can't keep up with the demise of this kit structurally. We have done many things to try to keep this unit intact. The inserts in the back of the DM5 unit are plastic. Have broken one during normal upload at a venue. Treat it like glass. The rack is poorly designed for any real gigging. Put it in the corner of your living room and play it gently.
Value
Learn from my mistake, and spend more to get a good Roland kit. This was all we could afford at the time. We have had it for ten months, and have discovered it lacking.
Manufacturer Support
Begging the store where we bought the unit and many emails to Alesis have yielded either irritating interactions or nothing at all. They couldn't fix this kit fast enough, save an entire redesign of this system. The pads will strip their bosses and fall limp like leaves in fall. They shatter and scatter their parts about your feet as you use them. The arms fall off the rack, and the DM5 unit glitches at the worst possible times.
The Wow Factor
This has no sex appeal. It was useful to teach us what to look for in an electronic drum kit, however. Don't buy this kit. It taught us that, and we can pass this on to you.
The sheer genius of its design.... Well, they could use some of that inspiration in a redesign.
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Submitted January 21, 2008
"DON"T WASTE YOUR MONEY"
Sound
sound is not bad
Ease of Use
has broke twice since in a 3 month period
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Submitted November 28, 2007
"IF YOU PLAY YOU'll LOVE IT."
Not calling names but I also play a set of mesh heads the performance an durabilty is what I want but I also want the quality and longlasting ability to surstain travel and your set offers top quality towards that, if I lost my set I would buy another one .
Sound
the sound features a good quality with bass guitar licks I do a lot of recording and it"s hard to tell the difference between bass licks and bass drum licks by ear. ARSOME QUIALTY IN STUDIO.
Quality
Overall quality for someone with experience it will last a very long time.
Value
Yes worth it's weight in gold.
Manufacturer Support
I did get some replacement parts and I"am very pleased.
The Wow Factor
ARSOME only one draw back mesh heads I do perfer.
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