Thanks for all the wonderful feedback so far! First off, I'd just like to address a few things I missed in the video. During the demo of the presets, the mute group is not turned off for the hi-hat because I don't think you can save over the presets (without creating a user preset) and, besides the one custom user kit at the end, I was demonstrating the module "out of the box." It has also come to my attention that the newer Strike kits feature a Generation 2 snare drum that eliminates the problems of the piezo plate failing. Guess you can't be too careful. My next goal will be figuring out how to properly use VST instruments with the Strike module. Thanks all!
I’m a new drummer and I have the Strike Kit. So far so good. It looks incredible. I had some issues with the hi hat like a lot of people however I called Alesis, told them the issue I was having and they sent me a brand new hi hat, no questions asked, totally free. Would definitely recommend the kit.
Thanks Justin! I did my best to be fair. I do enjoy playing the kit and am very happy with it aside from my few gripes. No problem; love the videos you make! Cheers.
Thanks for the video. Even though the module settings can be a bit overwhelming at times, I really enjoy getting to know my Strike Pro. The kit is big, beautiful, and fun to play. ...happy drumming!
Wow Nick, a forthright and honest review. Thank you so much. I've been looking at this kit for the past couple of days and with Sweetwater's latest temptation deal, I'm really close to making a decision. This video has helped me and although I don't like starting out with known problems, I don't think I've ever bought anything that was perfect, and neither am I. Nearing 70 y/o, I'm sure it's not prudent for me to buy a new kit to replace my old Roland V6 kit. Anyway, I am most impressed with your review and thoroughness and wanted to express my opinion on it. I also enjoy those "65 Drums" videos.
I bought this kit some time ago and must say they sound incredible through my P.A or stand alone. Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones who has had absolutely no issues with the high-hat as i have read others have. Personally i could not be happier with this purchase and would highly recommend this kit over Roland in the same price range but if you have 8-10 grand to spare buy the Roland 50.
The Alesis strike pro SE is the best and real way to go, Alesis sorted out all the problems with this set and the new SE ranks with a lot of pro drummers for stage and studio work and is finding a real following.Does not get any better and is well worth the extra cost.And to top this kit off take a look at the new multi pad, I have both and it would blow you away.
Id buy a more expensive used Roland over Alesis anyday. Still to many comments about malfunctioning pads and customer service. I dont even know Rolands customer service number because Ive never had to use it. Roland and Yamaha are pro level. Alesis not quite there yet.
Although this video is 2 years old, and alesis has made a new version of the strike pro drum set... this is the best review of a drumset on YT. I litually watched this video every single day, while researching on the strike pro set. Best video on YT!!!!!
Has Alesus fixed any of these problems in 2023 or 2021 and up versions of this kit Great video im looking for a good electric kit with real drum feel ans size but really dont want to drop 5-6k
the problems were with the first generation kits that shipped but were addressed quickly if I remember correctly. it’s been a while now. The SE is a giant improvement as well
You'll regret it almost instantly lol save your money an get a Roland kit that is the industry standard and will also last a lifetime. One trip to the Alesis forum you'll see thousands of horror stories...meanwhile people still playing their 10 year old roland kit...
Thanks for doing a video on this. And you addressed my concern immediately. The response of the high hats. This is why I have never ventured into the electronic drum set. The feel of Cymbals are so important in my opinion that it's very hard to imitate real high hat, Crash, Ride and overall Cymbal dynamics. I am currently setting up my new strike pro. I will share what I discovered good or back in the Future! AGAIN, Thanks for the Video!!!
I was in an industrial band for a bit they supplied the old school rubber pad alesis kit. Coming from acoustic kits I found the size and timing incredibly frustrating. This mesh one looks a heck of a lot more advanced and forgiving. Thanks for the review I thought I was sold on this kit, but I guess I should just bite the bullet on a more advanced and pricy Roland kit.
Awesome review! I literally made the decision to purchase the Strike Pro from watching your video upon watching tons of other videos over the last week. I really like how you unboxed, yet kept the information going about the kit. I especially liked how you played the kits, several of them caught my attention and I was like, that's it! I am getting it! Coming from a DM10 owner since 2011, I can honestly say that it's about time I made the upgrade. Hitting those hard pads all these years has messed up my hands. :/ I look forward to the mesh heads and the bigger sizes!
Do you have the kit now? I also had the DM10 but sold it for its bad Hihat and samples cutting out constantly. The Dm10, although I completely changed it to Meshheads, was a frustrating disaster for me. Nothing quite worked as expected and playing just wouldn't feel right. Would you recommend the Strike pro? Because a lot of the critics in this video sound familiar to my experience with Alesis in the past.
@@SchmiddiJR Yes I did end up ordering the kit that night. And I have been using it, just not as often as I should. So, in my opinion I really really, dig this new kit. And let me tell you, a 10 year difference in Alesis technology is awesome. I had actually upgraded the DM10 stand to one of the chrome stands and even got a snare stand late 2017 but it really did not make too much of a difference. I also thought about just switching over to mesh heads on my DM10 and just upgrading the hi-hat but I ultimately decided on purchasing a brand new one. I am so glad I did. I really like the Strike Pro based on a couple of reasons. Firstly, I just really like the way the mesh pads feel and I am directly comparing it to the DM10 original heads. Secondly, given if you get the Strike Pro it is a big kit as far as e-drums is concerned. I really dig the realistic drum sizes given when comparing them to the DM10 and even the Roland and Yamaha kits. It gives me the feeling that I am playing on an acoustic set. The cymbals, when comparing them to the DM10 are WAY better. The ride cymbal now features a three-zone trigger which is fantastic and much more realistic. The hi-hat functions way better, and just having the hi-hat sitting on an actual hi-hat stand makes a huge difference as far as realistic feel is concerned. What would always irritate me from the DM10 was that it had a short pole to hold the snare and it just seemed unrealistic so I am glad that the Strike Pro has the snare on a stand. I also re-purposed the snare stand I already had and put one of the bigger toms on it instead of mounting it so it would feel even more realistic. The sounds will never truly sound like an acoustic, but they are pretty darn good for the price. You can always upload your own samples and change just about everything. I haven't gotten to that level yet, as far as uploading different samples so I can't say much on that process. Get it if you're looking for more of a budget bells and whistles kit. Not saying it's not expensive, but in comparison with other kits, this has overall more value for your money. It all depends on what you're going to use it for. There are some people who say it's not particularly good for recording yet I have seen some videos here on TH-cam of people in a studio recording a song as a band and it sounded pretty darn good. For me, I just have it to keep my drumming hobby alive, to keep practicing by playing along to songs, occasionally playing with other musicians just for fun, and hooking it up to my Xbox to play Rock Band 4, and maybe sometime in the future trying to record some stuff just to have a more creative outlet for myself. I hope this has helped you. :)
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I wanted it to be as thorough as I could make it - I haven't made too many videos like this before. Yes, the pads feel great on the Strike!
Nice video, very helpful. The kit sounds were better than I expected. I assume the sounds were out of the box, no adjustments, correct? And no, it wasn't too long a video, in fact I would have preferred longer with more of the kits shown.
Sorry it took me a bit to get back.. Thanks! The sounds recorded were right out of the box except for one of the presets at the end. Suppose I could have shown more, but wasn't sure. Thanks for the feedback.
I cant imagine how much time it took to make this video, but really great job. Im starting to research electronic drums and the info here is very helpful.
Im thinking about buying the strike pro, and i loved your honest review of this kit, but its now been 9 months since you posted the review how do you feel about the kit now?
I'm still kind of on the fence about it. I kind of wish I had spent a little more and went with something like the TD-27KV. Unfortunately, it wasn't out yet.
Save your money.. Buy Roland. I own the TD27kv and it blows this thing out of the water and will last a lifetime....head to the Alesis forums if you want to see thousansa of horror stories.
@@bobomchobo Unfortunately, it didn't for me. There is an alternative hh controller you can pick up that supposedly works MUCH better, but I haven't tried it. www.amazon.com/Goedrum-GHC-Electronic-Hi-Hat-Controller/dp/B00UBGYBTO
One note about cymbal pads. Nick says his pads dont fire consistently and can only be engaged by hitting the side away from the logo. Beg to differ. I have the exact same pro kit. One cymbal pad was missing often when I would strike it. I turned it around so I was hitting the logo side. Shazam, problem solved. Now fires every time. Also unplugging and then re plugging a cymbal may solve that same problem. Something about the connection not seated properly but this is rare.
"My electric guitar is NOT an exact replica of my acoustic guitar!!! Wahhhh!" Complained no guitar player ever. ;-) I just find it funny how (sometimes) too much emphasis is placed on this aspect of eDrums... Can't eDrums be a different thing - just like electronic guitars are NOT acoustic guitars? Just wondering. Great review. Thanks.
Yes! I’ve been saying this for so long! Finally someone else agrees! If you want an acoustic, don’t buy an electronic kit! I have an acoustic kit for acoustic sound and an electronic kit for electronic sound. Not shading the guy in this video-he did an excellent review and didn’t harp on it not seeming acoustic. My gripe is with most electronic drum reviewers seeming to need their ekits to sound and feel more like acoustic kits.
Some of us don't have a choice because we have neighbours. I can't play my acoustic kit at all at the moment as everyone is in lockdown and they would go mad.
Shaun Hill, totally understand. But how far from an acoustic kit are the acoustic sounds loaded in a Roland or Alesis module! Not far at all! Why are people so picky about how CLOSE to acoustic their module can sound?? Close should be close enough. I promise you if you need to record acoustic sounding drums for whatever track, you’ll sound great.
@@brohoop I was listening to p!NK tracks yesterday and I am convinced the sounds are electronic drums. The issue is people want the sounds and responsiveness to match a genuine acoustic kit.
I would have liked to have heard more rim shot demonstration and choking on the cymbals but man am I impressed by your playing and by this bombastic kit. I currently own an Alesis Burst that I'm at least trying to obtain a real bass drum tower to replace the hideous "switch pedal". But this demo makes me want to throw that kit in the trash. Hey it was a present from fiancee...she meant well. Lol! Actually I'm thoroughly enjoying it for my first e-kit. I also own acoustic kit that I've played since 1991.
Surely if you have to start adding tape to the inside of the snare when the product is brand new, this tells you something about the quality of the product you’re buying in the first place. Paying that much for a drum kit, I’d like it to work properly from the outset and also work well for a good few years. I wouldn’t consider buying anything that you had to take apart on purchase.
My triggering plates didn't start breaking for over 4 years. I cracked two. But I have the DM10. A new model like this should go with cones like the higher tier brands. No excuses.
I have the strike pro SE and I love it! It’s not perfect but I’m also not a drummer I bought it for the studio because I need a way to record drums without pissing off and wife and the neighbors plus I need a wide verity of sounds, I never know what kind of music I’ll be recording next I use the 8 direct outs and the main outs to add room reverb and I compress everything but the cymbals and the main outs to tape and I’d never get the sound quality from my studio with acoustic drums because I don’t have a sound controlled environment or the best microphones and plus I get to have any snare, kick, toms or cymbals needed for the song! I’ve had drummers complaining about the drums, being anti E drum people but after hearing the Finished song a few got a strike pro for them selfs and only a few purists care if an E kit is used on stage or the studio so I feel like I get more than I give up in my opinion with my drums
Best review i've seen so far. I'm contemplating trading in my ATV exs-5 kit for this. I'm seriously missing all the samples, modding en the extra cymbal/tom. ATV is out-of-the-box fine. I'm not too enthousiastic about the samples.
Nice Review. I've had a Strike since preorder, so about 2 years. Follow the 1.4 hihat pdf instructions EXACTLY and you'll be set. It's a good value kit. Once you dive into to Strike Editor and import VST, it's game on. The Strike module is a beast. No more laptop required to trigger VST. My Strike kit is still on the cover of the Strike Owner's facebook group although I left that group somemtime ago, just out grew it. I've been really happy with the Strike Strike overall. A good first step by Alesis into the flagship territory. For Reference I also play a td50kvxs and an acoustic Taye Pro X and Zildjian K's & Wahal Chinas.
My Roland td10 is 23 yo and still triggers perfectly. Play any Alesis set for a decade and get back to me. If you cant afford new Roland buy used. Still better than new Alesis. As long as item isnt obviously abused it will probably work fine.
Thanks Peter! The camera I am currently using is a Canon SL2. Most of the shots were taken with the stock lens, but I also used a wide angle for the time lapse section.
It might be possible, but could be glitchy. Haven’t tried it. And I don’t have any experience trying the Yamaha hats with the Strike Pro unfortunately.
So I just bought the Alesis Command X Mesh on Black Friday, and never having played drums before I feel it’s been a great fit. I’m serious about learning drums, and having not even been playing for a month yet I’m pretty sure I’m gonna want to upgrade in a year. Because I only know about Alesis naturally I’m looking at the Strike. Your honesty is greatly appreciated. Given what I just said would you recommend me continuing looking at Alesis or should I consider Roland? I’m looking to spend around $2k. Thanks for sharing!👍🏼
Great review, still torn over build quality and may go with Roland TD17 KVX, or may wait to see if there is a further update early next year to the Roland 25-30 line
Nick, Thanks for the indepth review. As someone who is awaiting his new kit to arrive, you have provided some insights that will prepare me for the work that lies ahead. One thing I did not get from what your demo is the amount of effort and time it took to get the kits to play to your satisfaction. You noted the bugs in the kit such as the hi-hat misfiring. However, in all of your kits demoed on this video, I did not seem to catch any point where that occurred. Do you have any recommendations for someone like me who is a drummer wannabe? My current kit is a Roland TD-15. I am changing kits for extra pieces and to acquire more natural acoustic sounding kits. Based on your video, the Alesis has several I really liked. Did they play that way out of the box?
They do play right out of the box like so. The audio demos are straight off of the 1.4 update. The hi-hat does feel a little wonky sometimes if you don't open it perfectly in time-that's when it can misfire. Also the edge trigger is a little strange too. Overall, not too big a deal, but some will definitely notice it.
@@NickCesarzDrums Thanks Nick! I wonder if that is the reason why the SE edition changed their hi hat to a single cymbal with a base attachment that allows for that flexibility. This is something for the real players out there like yourself. I am just getting my feet wet in percussion after playing guitar all my life and having always wanted to play the drums! Thanks again, Nick. Keep producing your insightful material. It us very appreciated!
Great review but I have some questions hopefully u can answer for me. First will Roland Cymbals work with the module??? I have a cheap acoustic kit I I converted years ago to an E-kit with triggers just like Roland uses. It's been a great kit and looks like acoustic but i have the Roland TD4 module which sounds are not great and also use Addictive Drums on laptop. But I'm interested in the newest Strike Pro SE but I have worries about the cymbals. That's why I'd like to know if my Roland CY-14's, 15, and VH-11 would be compatible with the Strike Pro Module??? Thank you for any advice
Thanks for the review, I'm very interested, as a older drummer who's brilliant, beloved, Gretsch drums are just to loud for family and neighbors. Seriously considering this kit because of size and feel, sounds great too. Not a tech head, so feeling reluctant, but all of the edrums seem to carry that warning. I just want to play, nothing more, and feel this kit will work. Am I right? Also why so dark? would have liked to see the mesh heads reacting to your playing. Thanks, nonetheless.
Thanks for the comment, sorry about late reply! I'd consider trying out some other kits in person if you can. The things I've had to deal with in setup are rather annoying. The mesh heads feel incredible, though. I wish I had done better on the lighting in the room when I recorded. When I got it into the editing program, I couldn't do much about it unfortunately.
@@NickCesarzDrums I know they sorted the hardware issues but was this only on the more expensive SE kits or was it on the newer 8 piece models as well?
Probably not. I cannot for the life of me get VST instruments to work properly with the hi-hat controller. The open doesn't send signal to the DAW. I can't recall if I mentioned that in the video, but it's definitely a problem. If anyone out there has a solution I'd love to hear it...
@@NickCesarzDrums I have been reading and hearing from other reviews that folks have been switching out the stock hi hats for the Roland version and it supposedly works A LOT better. I don't have one of these kits, but am contemplating on one......
omg it sounds AMAZING! I don’t understand the naysayers? The snares n kicks n everythin sound fantastic to me n I have a TD9. That "funky bass" kit oh man what fun :o) Mouth agape on that EDM hats thing oh wow!!! I must say I really love your playing 😍
If you're going to spend the money to upgrade, you may want to save up a little more and get something from Roland, to be honest. The hi-hat really was a deal-breaker for me over time.
Nick Cesarz I’ve down my research and I personally think roland is overpriced. What do you think about the alesis strike pro special edition ? It look like they fixed all the problems (hi hat, triggers)
It was real heavy; big box. According to Amazon, the shipping weight is 101.4 pounds for the regular Strike kit, not Pro. I had to open the box and bring the individual boxes in a few at a time.
Very nice review!! As a fella strike owner i can say you talked about all the important things the kit has. You have a gen 2 snare so you dont need to worry about the plate cracking as its never happend to anyone in the group. Also i noticed you havent turned off mute group and thats effecting the hi hats triggering its actually muting it and its seems the hi hat controller is broken but its actually just a setting in the module.
That's a relief! Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure if it was just a different clear material, but still suffered the same issues. Regarding the mute group, I should have mentioned that in the video. On my custom user kit I use, I have it turned off. Is there a way to turn it off on the presets and save it? So far I have no luck in doing that, which is why that happened during the demos. Thanks for watching!
The Strike suffered from bad plates of about 5% of all kits made during second year, first quarter. All known issues with the Strike have been repaired by the factory as of fall 2018.
They don't sound bad at all,run them thru a digital mixer and out thru a nice pa.But if they have issues and break down I'll pass,my old Roland TD6 kit still works fine,it's 15 yrs old now! I use it for practice in my townhouse. Nothing like playing a big acoustic kit though lol I 🤘🥁💙
You could always make your own flagship like I am by converting an cheaper acoustic kit using an Roland module and cymbals. I say cheaper becuase you only really need some good sized shells, mesh heads and triggers. 😁
damn i feel bad for the people who bought the old one the Strike pro SE is kinda better also beautiful white mesh heads (cant wait for my parents to upgrade my nitro mesh to this one this cristmas im dying for that 808 preset and that edm one)
How in the sweet juicy hotness of hell did you get your HiHat to trigger so well?!? o_O I've had this kit for over a year, and have fw1.5 installed...and STILL have trouble. That said, I'm no pro. I play around for fun...I also have a medical condition that makes playing painful if I do it for more than a song or two (which is worth it, btw! ...and yeah, that's with a pair of T3's and a vodka chaser ;) ). PS: The tape thing...I've heard of but haven't done. Think I might have a task to do tomorrow... :)
Good question.. I did upgrade the firmware, but I was playing rather particularly while recording. I managed to make it work, but it still had quite a bit of issues. I know that if you have a newer version of the Strike Pro, like after 2019, I think, you shouldn't have to worry about taping the plastic plates. They supposedly fixed that in the newer generation models. Cheers!
@@NickCesarzDrums I think the hats sound incredible!! I wish I could play hats like that. I have a Roland TD9 KV and love it but this STRIKE sounds shitloads better!!
@@robertlucas9867 look at the foam under the wire at the centeral plate its vertical and not parallel like the gen 1 snare. also there is some slack for the cable.
Hope I'm not stating the obvious, but try different cables to see if that's the issue. If not, you may have to contact Alesis support. www.alesis.com/support Good luck!
I love the look of the set but I would not buy it until they fix those issues. I own several Alesis products but Roland has never let me Down and having played every kit they make I can say from my experience Alesis is not there yet. I had never needed to fix or fiddle with anything ...only to set the kit sounds to what I liked or to use vsts ...automatically setup didn't have any issues. All that said the sounds in the Alesis are way better than any Roland kit...so... Vsts it is.....
Attention Alesis grimpé au niveau performance je trouve le son des toms très très proche de l acoustique par contre sur certains kits le son de la cc est pas terrible attention roland de ne pas se faire detronner pour l instant ça reste la marque précurseur concernant le progrès technologique alesis surf sur la vague de la presque perfection je trouve .Ils reviennent de loin voilà un conçurent direct pour roland c est chaud ze night
I only have a set of Mackie Thumps here, not the greatest PA speakers, but the kit sounds great through them. Also, it sounds awesome through my studio monitors (Focal Alpha 80s).
Electronic drum kits are more than just sound makers. They are full blown MIDI controllers cable of sending events to other drum machines. One of the first things I look for in an electronic drum kit's brain module is how well it plays with others. I realize most drummers need not concern themselves with such, but as the owner of NINE drum machines (including the classic Alesis SR-16) MIDI support is critical for me. Looking over the manual PDF I see that Alesis is very sparse on their explanation of MIDI capabilities: for example this is what they say about MIDI channels "This is the MIDI channel over which the module will receive MIDI data" ... nothing about SENDING data. Later, when discussing the MIDI Thru support Alesis tells us that disabling MIDI Thru allows "MIDI messages originating from the module itself [to] be sent out of its MIDI Out ..." which implies that all 16 MIDI channels are supported (and not just MIDI channel 10 which is defined by General MIDI to be dedicated to drum sounds). Do you have any idea if you can send MIDI events out of the Strike to any of the 16 channels? Thanks!
I would think this is possible, but I still haven't touched the MIDI in / out (only USB, which should send the same information) on the module yet. There are controls to change what MIDI note is sent for each pad, but I am unaware if you can choose the channel it sends out. I still have more research and tinkering with the kit. Thanks for commenting!
For $2500 you shouldn’t be having all these problems on first setup. The kit sounds sound amazing to me. But I not willing to do all that on first setup for $2500. Alesis needs to take this kit off the market until these durability and misfiring can be fixed. Alesis needs to watch all these video on this kit and stop bringing that thing to namm and advertising it like it worth the money. Nice video though. I appreciate your honesty
It definitely was an investment; one that, I agree, should not have quite as many problems as it has. I do love playing the kit, it feels great. The issues are annoying and hopefully will be fixed. I did my best to represent the review fairly, but remain critical to its flaws. Thanks, Brian!
All ekits at this level require setup. Mimic, Td50, Strike. Nothing is out of the box at this level, and those who have been doing this for a while known this. Just like buying acoustic, does it come ready to play? Nope. This is no different.
Bobby Pena but not this level of setup. Quality electronic kit do not require you to take the heads off and tape the sensor plate. You might have to tweak the sensitivity level but not as much as this thing. I can buy one of Roland $2500 kit and play it on the factory default setting. As a matter of fact I have an Alesis Forge kit and I didn’t have to do this much tweaking. This is just a rush expensive product by Alesis and it needs to be taken back to the drawing board. Come on man it’s $2500+ you know it should be better than this.
Only paranoid people tape the plate. There was a small production run first quarter of 2018 that had a 5% failure. They fixed it over a year ago. My Strike is all OEM as are 99% of the kits out there. We ran a poll in the Strike owner's group on Facebook and found that of all owners, less than 2% had any issue, of any kind. So we know it was a blip on the screen. I also play a td50kvxs and a Taye Pro X w/ zildjian k and Wahal Chinas. I've been in the edrum game for almost 25 years now. The Strike is a good respectable kit, but it is not for beginners. You don't just get in a race car when all you know is a Honda Accord and think you can turn laps. I adjusted my triggering in the Strike, my td50, and my mimic (before I sold it) in less than 30 minutes. Just my experience.
Bobby Pena then why you make a video showing how they fixed the problem. So people like me who are thinking about an edrum upgrade can seriously consider purchasing one of these kits. Because all I see is the sensor plate hack video on here. I’m a firm believer of what you see is what you get. I mean no disrespect in this comment but I really had high hope for this kits when I first seen.
No wonder your hi hat's not working properly, by the looks of the last part of the video you play it with the logo closest to you, it should be farthest away and readable when you play. Also, a goedrum hi hat controller takes care of the hi hat issues.
The Alesis two piece hi-hat is garbage. The plates are thick and unnatural, require two wires, and respond terribly. The rubber surface is also quite loud. The rack mounted DM10 hi-hat is softer rubber and quieter, and the two piece foot pedal is easier to manage. And as shown here, the Strike is still using the same triggering plate and foam post design my DM10 has. 4 years in and I have two pads with cracked trigger plates and I have no idea where to buy them.
I bought this drum set, it sucks, if you're a pro and not a beginner then this is not the kit for you, looks nice but way too many issues, too many problems out of the box, guitar center didn't help either, I returned it and spent a little more money and bought me an awesome Roland TD50, the best decision I ever made, great review tho
While your review was very fair and even-handed, your demos really condemn the unit. The sounds are okay, certainly useable, but the hi-hat performance is abysmal. No nuance to the in-between sounds. I’m no drummer, but that seems to critically hamstring an expressive performance by a real player. Perhaps a Roland module and hi-hat trigger system with a Strike Pro kit might make the most sense.
This thing is a giant piece of shit. Dominating the market? Have you been to the forums? Thousands of horror stories that you just don't see with Roland...Save your money you won't regret it when your Alesis is broken day 1 out of the box ill be playing my TD27KV for the next 10+ years issue free.
I've got one, nur it's the shittiest drumset,i've ever had. The Module is cheap thrash and the hi hat settings are a desaster. This drumset sucks I Sold it and bought a Roland !
Thanks for all the wonderful feedback so far! First off, I'd just like to address a few things I missed in the video. During the demo of the presets, the mute group is not turned off for the hi-hat because I don't think you can save over the presets (without creating a user preset) and, besides the one custom user kit at the end, I was demonstrating the module "out of the box." It has also come to my attention that the newer Strike kits feature a Generation 2 snare drum that eliminates the problems of the piezo plate failing. Guess you can't be too careful. My next goal will be figuring out how to properly use VST instruments with the Strike module. Thanks all!
How is the kit,I'm thinking about getting the strike pro se.
What are the little black knobs on the side of the drums for?
I’m a new drummer and I have the Strike Kit. So far so good. It looks incredible. I had some issues with the hi hat like a lot of people however I called Alesis, told them the issue I was having and they sent me a brand new hi hat, no questions asked, totally free. Would definitely recommend the kit.
Thanks. I will keep playing with it more to see if I can get it to a good spot prior to reaching out. I love the kit as well! Just a few minor issues.
That was a great review, I've learned this is a pretty delicate subject to tackle, I think you were pretty fair here. BTW thanks for the shout-out :)
Thanks Justin! I did my best to be fair. I do enjoy playing the kit and am very happy with it aside from my few gripes. No problem; love the videos you make! Cheers.
Hii i'm also justin but i'm just gonna start playing drums ofcourse i'm still picking edrums or acoustic sooo
Thanks for the video. Even though the module settings can be a bit overwhelming at times, I really enjoy getting to know my Strike Pro. The kit is big, beautiful, and fun to play. ...happy drumming!
Wow Nick, a forthright and honest review. Thank you so much. I've been looking at this kit for the past couple of days and with Sweetwater's latest temptation deal, I'm really close to making a decision. This video has helped me and although I don't like starting out with known problems, I don't think I've ever bought anything that was perfect, and neither am I. Nearing 70 y/o, I'm sure it's not prudent for me to buy a new kit to replace my old Roland V6 kit. Anyway, I am most impressed with your review and thoroughness and wanted to express my opinion on it. I also enjoy those "65 Drums" videos.
Thanks Gary, really appreciate the kind words!
I bought this kit some time ago and must say they sound incredible through my P.A or stand alone. Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones who has had absolutely no issues with the high-hat as i have read others have. Personally i could not be happier with this purchase and would highly recommend this kit over Roland in the same price range but if you have 8-10 grand to spare buy the Roland 50.
Thanks for this review! We all needed a lengthy one to cover all the ins and outs
Appreciate the comment, Christian!
20:17 this caught me off guard completely. What a great sounding preset and great homage.
Thanks!
Man this is a great review.
Thanks so much Kypro. I'm glad you found it helpful.
The Alesis strike pro SE is the best and real way to go, Alesis sorted out all the problems with this set and the new SE ranks with a lot of pro drummers for stage and studio work and is finding a real following.Does not get any better and is well worth the extra cost.And to top this kit off take a look at the new multi pad, I have both and it would blow you away.
Id buy a more expensive used Roland over Alesis anyday. Still to many comments about malfunctioning pads and customer service. I dont even know Rolands customer service number because Ive never had to use it. Roland and Yamaha are pro level. Alesis not quite there yet.
Although this video is 2 years old, and alesis has made a new version of the strike pro drum set... this is the best review of a drumset on YT. I litually watched this video every single day, while researching on the strike pro set. Best video on YT!!!!!
id give a limb to be able to afford on of these,, awesome!!
Has Alesus fixed any of these problems in 2023 or 2021 and up versions of this kit Great video im looking for a good electric kit with real drum feel ans size but really dont want to drop 5-6k
the problems were with the first generation kits that shipped but were addressed quickly if I remember correctly. it’s been a while now. The SE is a giant improvement as well
Im buying one tomorrow; thanks for the video man it solidified my decision.
You'll regret it almost instantly lol save your money an get a Roland kit that is the industry standard and will also last a lifetime. One trip to the Alesis forum you'll see thousands of horror stories...meanwhile people still playing their 10 year old roland kit...
Thanks for doing a video on this. And you addressed my concern immediately. The response of the high hats. This is why I have never ventured into the electronic drum set. The feel of Cymbals are so important in my opinion that it's very hard to imitate real high hat, Crash, Ride and overall Cymbal dynamics.
I am currently setting up my new strike pro. I will share what I discovered good or back in the Future! AGAIN, Thanks for the Video!!!
Thanks for the comment! I’d love to hear how you like the kit!
The review that I needed. Thank you!
Great comprehensive demo video. Thanks!
I was in an industrial band for a bit they supplied the old school rubber pad alesis kit. Coming from acoustic kits I found the size and timing incredibly frustrating. This mesh one looks a heck of a lot more advanced and forgiving. Thanks for the review I thought I was sold on this kit, but I guess I should just bite the bullet on a more advanced and pricy Roland kit.
I have too agree, unfortunately. I do like the kit, but I think it's got a few too many problems.
Awesome review! I literally made the decision to purchase the Strike Pro from watching your video upon watching tons of other videos over the last week. I really like how you unboxed, yet kept the information going about the kit. I especially liked how you played the kits, several of them caught my attention and I was like, that's it! I am getting it!
Coming from a DM10 owner since 2011, I can honestly say that it's about time I made the upgrade. Hitting those hard pads all these years has messed up my hands. :/ I look forward to the mesh heads and the bigger sizes!
Do you have the kit now?
I also had the DM10 but sold it for its bad Hihat and samples cutting out constantly.
The Dm10, although I completely changed it to Meshheads, was a frustrating disaster for me. Nothing quite worked as expected and playing just wouldn't feel right.
Would you recommend the Strike pro?
Because a lot of the critics in this video sound familiar to my experience with Alesis in the past.
@@SchmiddiJR Yes I did end up ordering the kit that night. And I have been using it, just not as often as I should. So, in my opinion I really really, dig this new kit. And let me tell you, a 10 year difference in Alesis technology is awesome. I had actually upgraded the DM10 stand to one of the chrome stands and even got a snare stand late 2017 but it really did not make too much of a difference. I also thought about just switching over to mesh heads on my DM10 and just upgrading the hi-hat but I ultimately decided on purchasing a brand new one. I am so glad I did.
I really like the Strike Pro based on a couple of reasons.
Firstly, I just really like the way the mesh pads feel and I am directly comparing it to the DM10 original heads. Secondly, given if you get the Strike Pro it is a big kit as far as e-drums is concerned. I really dig the realistic drum sizes given when comparing them to the DM10 and even the Roland and Yamaha kits. It gives me the feeling that I am playing on an acoustic set.
The cymbals, when comparing them to the DM10 are WAY better. The ride cymbal now features a three-zone trigger which is fantastic and much more realistic. The hi-hat functions way better, and just having the hi-hat sitting on an actual hi-hat stand makes a huge difference as far as realistic feel is concerned.
What would always irritate me from the DM10 was that it had a short pole to hold the snare and it just seemed unrealistic so I am glad that the Strike Pro has the snare on a stand. I also re-purposed the snare stand I already had and put one of the bigger toms on it instead of mounting it so it would feel even more realistic.
The sounds will never truly sound like an acoustic, but they are pretty darn good for the price. You can always upload your own samples and change just about everything. I haven't gotten to that level yet, as far as uploading different samples so I can't say much on that process.
Get it if you're looking for more of a budget bells and whistles kit. Not saying it's not expensive, but in comparison with other kits, this has overall more value for your money.
It all depends on what you're going to use it for. There are some people who say it's not particularly good for recording yet I have seen some videos here on TH-cam of people in a studio recording a song as a band and it sounded pretty darn good. For me, I just have it to keep my drumming hobby alive, to keep practicing by playing along to songs, occasionally playing with other musicians just for fun, and hooking it up to my Xbox to play Rock Band 4, and maybe sometime in the future trying to record some stuff just to have a more creative outlet for myself. I hope this has helped you. :)
Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the video. I wanted it to be as thorough as I could make it - I haven't made too many videos like this before. Yes, the pads feel great on the Strike!
Nice video, very helpful. The kit sounds were better than I expected. I assume the sounds were out of the box, no adjustments, correct? And no, it wasn't too long a video, in fact I would have preferred longer with more of the kits shown.
Sorry it took me a bit to get back.. Thanks! The sounds recorded were right out of the box except for one of the presets at the end. Suppose I could have shown more, but wasn't sure. Thanks for the feedback.
I cant imagine how much time it took to make this video, but really great job. Im starting to research electronic drums and the info here is very helpful.
Very nice playing, fills and grooves suited the voices :) quality
Thanks Lloyd!
I recently picked up the SE. I have had 50'S & MIMIC in the past and prefer the Strike.
Im thinking about buying the strike pro, and i loved your honest review of this kit, but its now been 9 months since you posted the review how do you feel about the kit now?
I'm still kind of on the fence about it. I kind of wish I had spent a little more and went with something like the TD-27KV. Unfortunately, it wasn't out yet.
Save your money.. Buy Roland. I own the TD27kv and it blows this thing out of the water and will last a lifetime....head to the Alesis forums if you want to see thousansa of horror stories.
@@NickCesarzDrums Did you find the new software patches solved the HH issues?
@@bobomchobo Unfortunately, it didn't for me. There is an alternative hh controller you can pick up that supposedly works MUCH better, but I haven't tried it. www.amazon.com/Goedrum-GHC-Electronic-Hi-Hat-Controller/dp/B00UBGYBTO
I'm thinking of just buying the module and use it for certain sounds along with my td17
Good Kits....
it's my drum kits...
Also the V1.50 upgrade firmware is very nice ......
Get try your upgrade as soon as quickly.....
One note about cymbal pads. Nick says his pads dont fire consistently and can only be engaged by hitting the side away from the logo. Beg to differ. I have the exact same pro kit. One cymbal pad was missing often when I would strike it. I turned it around so I was hitting the logo side. Shazam, problem solved. Now fires every time. Also unplugging and then re plugging a cymbal may solve that same problem. Something about the connection not seated properly but this is rare.
"My electric guitar is NOT an exact replica of my acoustic guitar!!! Wahhhh!" Complained no guitar player ever. ;-) I just find it funny how (sometimes) too much emphasis is placed on this aspect of eDrums... Can't eDrums be a different thing - just like electronic guitars are NOT acoustic guitars? Just wondering. Great review. Thanks.
That's a super interesting point.. I never even thought of it that way! Totally makes sense. Thanks!
Yes! I’ve been saying this for so long! Finally someone else agrees! If you want an acoustic, don’t buy an electronic kit! I have an acoustic kit for acoustic sound and an electronic kit for electronic sound.
Not shading the guy in this video-he did an excellent review and didn’t harp on it not seeming acoustic. My gripe is with most electronic drum reviewers seeming to need their ekits to sound and feel more like acoustic kits.
Some of us don't have a choice because we have neighbours. I can't play my acoustic kit at all at the moment as everyone is in lockdown and they would go mad.
Shaun Hill, totally understand. But how far from an acoustic kit are the acoustic sounds loaded in a Roland or Alesis module! Not far at all! Why are people so picky about how CLOSE to acoustic their module can sound?? Close should be close enough. I promise you if you need to record acoustic sounding drums for whatever track, you’ll sound great.
@@brohoop I was listening to p!NK tracks yesterday and I am convinced the sounds are electronic drums. The issue is people want the sounds and responsiveness to match a genuine acoustic kit.
Great upload, did enjoy it and your style, but the million dollar question is would you recommend it, cheers.
Thanks! I do recommend it! I just wish the hi-hat was a little better and VST implementation was easier.
@@NickCesarzDrums is their a decent warranty duration with this kit, and is there a way of telling the date of manufacture, cheers
Nick Cesarz vst issue any better now?
@@NickCesarzDrums great review! But what's the struggle/secret with getting the kit to work VST?
I would have liked to have heard more rim shot demonstration and choking on the cymbals but man am I impressed by your playing and by this bombastic kit. I currently own an Alesis Burst that I'm at least trying to obtain a real bass drum tower to replace the hideous "switch pedal". But this demo makes me want to throw that kit in the trash. Hey it was a present from fiancee...she meant well. Lol! Actually I'm thoroughly enjoying it for my first e-kit. I also own acoustic kit that I've played since 1991.
Surely if you have to start adding tape to the inside of the snare when the product is brand new, this tells you something about the quality of the product you’re buying in the first place. Paying that much for a drum kit, I’d like it to work properly from the outset and also work well for a good few years. I wouldn’t consider buying anything that you had to take apart on purchase.
My triggering plates didn't start breaking for over 4 years. I cracked two. But I have the DM10. A new model like this should go with cones like the higher tier brands. No excuses.
thanks for the review , the sound is very good .....
I have the strike pro SE and I love it! It’s not perfect but I’m also not a drummer I bought it for the studio because I need a way to record drums without pissing off and wife and the neighbors plus I need a wide verity of sounds, I never know what kind of music I’ll be recording next
I use the 8 direct outs and the main outs to add room reverb and I compress everything but the cymbals and the main outs to tape and I’d never get the sound quality from my studio with acoustic drums because I don’t have a sound controlled environment or the best microphones and plus I get to have any snare, kick, toms or cymbals needed for the song! I’ve had drummers complaining about the drums, being anti E drum people but after hearing the Finished song a few got a strike pro for them selfs and only a few purists care if an E kit is used on stage or the studio so I feel like I get more than I give up in my opinion with my drums
Wow,I'm glad I watched,l think I'll save up more for Roland,looking to upgrade from the ancient TD6
Thats still not a bad module. Would be great for vst use too.
I like the look of it but I think I'm going to roll with the Roland TD 17kvs with an extra cymbal.
Great choice, you should hopefully have an easier time than me! Haha
Great review!!!
Very nice review you deserve more views and subs
Thank you MurD!
Best review i've seen so far. I'm contemplating trading in my ATV exs-5 kit for this. I'm seriously missing all the samples, modding en the extra cymbal/tom. ATV is out-of-the-box fine. I'm not too enthousiastic about the samples.
Great review! Thanks!
Nice Review. I've had a Strike since preorder, so about 2 years. Follow the 1.4 hihat pdf instructions EXACTLY and you'll be set. It's a good value kit. Once you dive into to Strike Editor and import VST, it's game on. The Strike module is a beast. No more laptop required to trigger VST. My Strike kit is still on the cover of the Strike Owner's facebook group although I left that group somemtime ago, just out grew it. I've been really happy with the Strike Strike overall. A good first step by Alesis into the flagship territory. For Reference I also play a td50kvxs and an acoustic Taye Pro X and Zildjian K's & Wahal Chinas.
Thanks Bobby! That's my next step. I'm going to try importing them to the module.
Very Very well done on this review
My Roland td10 is 23 yo and still triggers perfectly. Play any Alesis set for a decade and get back to me.
If you cant afford new Roland buy used. Still better than new Alesis. As long as item isnt obviously abused it will probably work fine.
Woah this thing sounds awesome! 😎🤙🏽🤙🏽
Yeah, internal kits aren't that bad!
Nice setup, very clean. What kind of camera are you using here? I'm starting a channel and I have to figure the best camera to get
Thanks Peter! The camera I am currently using is a Canon SL2. Most of the shots were taken with the stock lens, but I also used a wide angle for the time lapse section.
Thanks for this great review. Can you use the module on other drums kit?
It might be possible, but could be glitchy. Haven’t tried it. And I don’t have any experience trying the Yamaha hats with the Strike Pro unfortunately.
Nice review channel! I'm subscribing to learn more from you!
Thanks for watching, glad it helped!
So I just bought the Alesis Command X Mesh on Black Friday, and never having played drums before I feel it’s been a great fit. I’m serious about learning drums, and having not even been playing for a month yet I’m pretty sure I’m gonna want to upgrade in a year. Because I only know about Alesis naturally I’m looking at the Strike.
Your honesty is greatly appreciated. Given what I just said would you recommend me continuing looking at Alesis or should I consider Roland? I’m looking to spend around $2k. Thanks for sharing!👍🏼
EJ’s Guitars look at something like a Roland td17kvx 👍🏼
Great review, still torn over build quality and may go with Roland TD17 KVX, or may wait to see if there is a further update early next year to the Roland 25-30 line
Roland td-27 or td 17 are currently the best bang for your buck
DO NOT GET A TD-25! Seriously, the TD-17 and TD-27 are much better.
Nick, Thanks for the indepth review. As someone who is awaiting his new kit to arrive, you have provided some insights that will prepare me for the work that lies ahead. One thing I did not get from what your demo is the amount of effort and time it took to get the kits to play to your satisfaction. You noted the bugs in the kit such as the hi-hat misfiring. However, in all of your kits demoed on this video, I did not seem to catch any point where that occurred. Do you have any recommendations for someone like me who is a drummer wannabe? My current kit is a Roland TD-15. I am changing kits for extra pieces and to acquire more natural acoustic sounding kits. Based on your video, the Alesis has several I really liked. Did they play that way out of the box?
They do play right out of the box like so. The audio demos are straight off of the 1.4 update. The hi-hat does feel a little wonky sometimes if you don't open it perfectly in time-that's when it can misfire. Also the edge trigger is a little strange too. Overall, not too big a deal, but some will definitely notice it.
@@NickCesarzDrums Thanks Nick! I wonder if that is the reason why the SE edition changed their hi hat to a single cymbal with a base attachment that allows for that flexibility.
This is something for the real players out there like yourself. I am just getting my feet wet in percussion after playing guitar all my life and having always wanted to play the drums! Thanks again, Nick. Keep producing your insightful material. It us very appreciated!
Great review but I have some questions hopefully u can answer for me. First will Roland Cymbals work with the module??? I have a cheap acoustic kit I I converted years ago to an E-kit with triggers just like Roland uses. It's been a great kit and looks like acoustic but i have the Roland TD4 module which sounds are not great and also use Addictive Drums on laptop. But I'm interested in the newest Strike Pro SE but I have worries about the cymbals. That's why I'd like to know if my Roland CY-14's, 15, and VH-11 would be compatible with the Strike Pro Module??? Thank you for any advice
So you can’t splash the high hat or do a mid open wash? That sucks! Wonder if the new hat module from the SE kit can be purchased
Thanks for the review, I'm very interested, as a older drummer who's brilliant, beloved, Gretsch drums are just to loud for family and neighbors. Seriously considering this kit because of size and feel, sounds great too. Not a tech head, so feeling reluctant, but all of the edrums seem to carry that warning. I just want to play, nothing more, and feel this kit will work. Am I right? Also why so dark? would have liked to see the mesh heads reacting to your playing. Thanks, nonetheless.
Thanks for the comment, sorry about late reply! I'd consider trying out some other kits in person if you can. The things I've had to deal with in setup are rather annoying. The mesh heads feel incredible, though. I wish I had done better on the lighting in the room when I recorded. When I got it into the editing program, I couldn't do much about it unfortunately.
@@NickCesarzDrums I know they sorted the hardware issues but was this only on the more expensive SE kits or was it on the newer 8 piece models as well?
My other question is can you use the Yamaha DtX6k3x hi hat with the Alesis strike pro without any issues?
Nice review, Nick. I'm guessing the UPS delivery guy was cursing like a longshoreman while delivering that box !!!
Yes, I'd imagine so! Haha.
Hi. Juz want to ask about the dynamic responsiveness of this kit. Are there any delays? Thanks
Hi Keith - there's no noticeable delay. The dynamics are very good, except on the hi-hat edge, something I cannot figure out.
Great review
So if I am looking for a larger kit to use as a hobbyist with Superior Drummer 3 and can get this for under $1k mint, is it worth the risk?
Probably not. I cannot for the life of me get VST instruments to work properly with the hi-hat controller. The open doesn't send signal to the DAW. I can't recall if I mentioned that in the video, but it's definitely a problem. If anyone out there has a solution I'd love to hear it...
@@NickCesarzDrums I have been reading and hearing from other reviews that folks have been switching out the stock hi hats for the Roland version and it supposedly works A LOT better. I don't have one of these kits, but am contemplating on one......
omg it sounds AMAZING! I don’t understand the naysayers? The snares n kicks n everythin sound fantastic to me n I have a TD9. That "funky bass" kit oh man what fun :o) Mouth agape on that EDM hats thing oh wow!!! I must say I really love your playing 😍
Thank you!
Very nice sounds but build quality is the issue. Most Alesis e- kits fall apart after a year or two. Roland's are bullet proof but cost much more.
what is the background music? I love it 😁✌️
Blunt by Andrew Huang: th-cam.com/video/obzhSK_zAjM/w-d-xo.html
I get the kick pedals and throne but no hi hat stand? Am i gonna buy it? Probably. Is it inconvenient? Yes. Lol
Right now I own an alesis nitro mesh kit and i’m thinking to switch on the alesis strike pro kit. What do you think about this choice ?
If you're going to spend the money to upgrade, you may want to save up a little more and get something from Roland, to be honest. The hi-hat really was a deal-breaker for me over time.
Nick Cesarz I’ve down my research and I personally think roland is overpriced. What do you think about the alesis strike pro special edition ? It look like they fixed all the problems (hi hat, triggers)
@@NickCesarzDrums Why didn't you just get a Roland hi-hat Nick?
Thank you for the video..can I combine the strike pro module with the alesis surge mesh drum kit? Are they compatible?
I found this kit on market place for $600 used like new. Is this a good price for this kit?
Seems like a GREAT price on that kit. Be sure to test it out if you can
Thanks!
How does does this compare to a Roland TD-50? I have a TD-25KV from 2016 that I'm thinking of upgrading.
Why is this guy only has 400+ subs?
What is an everage waight of the all drums before un pack
It was real heavy; big box. According to Amazon, the shipping weight is 101.4 pounds for the regular Strike kit, not Pro. I had to open the box and bring the individual boxes in a few at a time.
Could you share your user kit? It sounds good!
Sold the Strike Pro, no longer have the files. Sorry!
Very nice review!!
As a fella strike owner i can say you talked about all the important things the kit has.
You have a gen 2 snare so you dont need to worry about the plate cracking as its never happend to anyone in the group.
Also i noticed you havent turned off mute group and thats effecting the hi hats triggering its actually muting it and its seems the hi hat controller is broken but its actually just a setting in the module.
Its about time alesis released version 1.5 it sure would have fixed almost all the big software issues that 1.4 didnt fix.
That's a relief! Thanks for the info. I wasn't sure if it was just a different clear material, but still suffered the same issues. Regarding the mute group, I should have mentioned that in the video. On my custom user kit I use, I have it turned off. Is there a way to turn it off on the presets and save it? So far I have no luck in doing that, which is why that happened during the demos. Thanks for watching!
@@NickCesarzDrums unfortunately you cant globaly turn off the mute group on the preset kits. that is annoying!
The Strike suffered from bad plates of about 5% of all kits made during second year, first quarter. All known issues with the Strike have been repaired by the factory as of fall 2018.
They don't sound bad at all,run them thru a digital mixer and out thru a nice pa.But if they have issues and break down I'll pass,my old Roland TD6 kit still works fine,it's 15 yrs old now! I use it for practice in my townhouse. Nothing like playing a big acoustic kit though lol I 🤘🥁💙
You could always make your own flagship like I am by converting an cheaper acoustic kit using an Roland module and cymbals. I say cheaper becuase you only really need some good sized shells, mesh heads and triggers. 😁
damn i feel bad for the people who bought the old one the Strike pro SE is kinda better also beautiful white mesh heads (cant wait for my parents to upgrade my nitro mesh to this one this cristmas im dying for that 808 preset and that edm one)
Best video 👍
Thanks Johan!
What are the little black knobs on the side of the drums for?
Those are sensitivity controls.
@@NickCesarzDrums oh thank you kindly
Does it help to get a better hi hat? Like from Roland
I'm curious as well.. I haven't gone the route of trying a Roland hi-hat yet.
Hi
Can I ask you about Alesis DM10 please?
How in the sweet juicy hotness of hell did you get your HiHat to trigger so well?!? o_O
I've had this kit for over a year, and have fw1.5 installed...and STILL have trouble. That said, I'm no pro. I play around for fun...I also have a medical condition that makes playing painful if I do it for more than a song or two (which is worth it, btw! ...and yeah, that's with a pair of T3's and a vodka chaser ;) ).
PS: The tape thing...I've heard of but haven't done. Think I might have a task to do tomorrow... :)
Good question.. I did upgrade the firmware, but I was playing rather particularly while recording. I managed to make it work, but it still had quite a bit of issues. I know that if you have a newer version of the Strike Pro, like after 2019, I think, you shouldn't have to worry about taping the plastic plates. They supposedly fixed that in the newer generation models. Cheers!
@@NickCesarzDrums I think the hats sound incredible!! I wish I could play hats like that. I have a Roland TD9 KV and love it but this STRIKE sounds shitloads better!!
Nice job! What do you recommend for external sound -- Roland amp? Kat amp? Do you know anything about the new Alesis amp? Cheers!
Simmons are nice too.
Great job.
It looked like the snare is the first generation unfortunately. The plastic had the Smokey look instead of clear.
@@robertlucas9867 look at the foam under the wire at the centeral plate its vertical and not parallel like the gen 1 snare. also there is some slack for the cable.
Did this set come with the hi hat stand?
No it doesn't. I was wondering the same thing till I looked it up on guitarcenter.com
Hi everyone, I cant get the ride cymbal to trigger? Any ideas?
Hope I'm not stating the obvious, but try different cables to see if that's the issue. If not, you may have to contact Alesis support. www.alesis.com/support Good luck!
That’s just the Alexis strike, not the pro, pro also has different heads
Is this kit good with Brushes ?
I love the look of the set but I would not buy it until they fix those issues. I own several Alesis products but Roland has never let me Down and having played every kit they make I can say from my experience Alesis is not there yet. I had never needed to fix or fiddle with anything ...only to set the kit sounds to what I liked or to use vsts ...automatically setup didn't have any issues. All that said the sounds in the Alesis are way better than any Roland kit...so... Vsts it is.....
Attention Alesis grimpé au niveau performance je trouve le son des toms très très proche de l acoustique par contre sur certains kits le son de la cc est pas terrible attention roland de ne pas se faire detronner pour l instant ça reste la marque précurseur concernant le progrès technologique alesis surf sur la vague de la presque perfection je trouve .Ils reviennent de loin voilà un conçurent direct pour roland c est chaud ze night
How does it sound of the PA system or speakers?
I only have a set of Mackie Thumps here, not the greatest PA speakers, but the kit sounds great through them. Also, it sounds awesome through my studio monitors (Focal Alpha 80s).
@@NickCesarzDrums thanks
Electronic drum kits are more than just sound makers. They are full blown MIDI controllers cable of sending events to other drum machines. One of the first things I look for in an electronic drum kit's brain module is how well it plays with others. I realize most drummers need not concern themselves with such, but as the owner of NINE drum machines (including the classic Alesis SR-16) MIDI support is critical for me. Looking over the manual PDF I see that Alesis is very sparse on their explanation of MIDI capabilities: for example this is what they say about MIDI channels "This is the MIDI channel over which the module will receive MIDI data" ... nothing about SENDING data. Later, when discussing the MIDI Thru support Alesis tells us that disabling MIDI Thru allows "MIDI messages originating from the module itself [to] be sent out of its MIDI Out ..." which implies that all 16 MIDI channels are supported (and not just MIDI channel 10 which is defined by General MIDI to be dedicated to drum sounds). Do you have any idea if you can send MIDI events out of the Strike to any of the 16 channels? Thanks!
I would think this is possible, but I still haven't touched the MIDI in / out (only USB, which should send the same information) on the module yet. There are controls to change what MIDI note is sent for each pad, but I am unaware if you can choose the channel it sends out. I still have more research and tinkering with the kit. Thanks for commenting!
For that money I would buy a second hand Yamaha dtx 950k ,still the best e kit out there 2019,no question!
For $2500 you shouldn’t be having all these problems on first setup. The kit sounds sound amazing to me. But I not willing to do all that on first setup for $2500. Alesis needs to take this kit off the market until these durability and misfiring can be fixed. Alesis needs to watch all these video on this kit and stop bringing that thing to namm and advertising it like it worth the money. Nice video though. I appreciate your honesty
It definitely was an investment; one that, I agree, should not have quite as many problems as it has. I do love playing the kit, it feels great. The issues are annoying and hopefully will be fixed. I did my best to represent the review fairly, but remain critical to its flaws. Thanks, Brian!
All ekits at this level require setup. Mimic, Td50, Strike. Nothing is out of the box at this level, and those who have been doing this for a while known this. Just like buying acoustic, does it come ready to play? Nope. This is no different.
Bobby Pena but not this level of setup. Quality electronic kit do not require you to take the heads off and tape the sensor plate. You might have to tweak the sensitivity level but not as much as this thing. I can buy one of Roland $2500 kit and play it on the factory default setting. As a matter of fact I have an Alesis Forge kit and I didn’t have to do this much tweaking.
This is just a rush expensive product by Alesis and it needs to be taken back to the drawing board. Come on man it’s $2500+ you know it should be better than this.
Only paranoid people tape the plate. There was a small production run first quarter of 2018 that had a 5% failure. They fixed it over a year ago. My Strike is all OEM as are 99% of the kits out there. We ran a poll in the Strike owner's group on Facebook and found that of all owners, less than 2% had any issue, of any kind. So we know it was a blip on the screen. I also play a td50kvxs and a Taye Pro X w/ zildjian k and Wahal Chinas. I've been in the edrum game for almost 25 years now. The Strike is a good respectable kit, but it is not for beginners. You don't just get in a race car when all you know is a Honda Accord and think you can turn laps. I adjusted my triggering in the Strike, my td50, and my mimic (before I sold it) in less than 30 minutes. Just my experience.
Bobby Pena then why you make a video showing how they fixed the problem. So people like me who are thinking about an edrum upgrade can seriously consider purchasing one of these kits. Because all I see is the sensor plate hack video on here. I’m a firm believer of what you see is what you get. I mean no disrespect in this comment but I really had high hope for this kits when I first seen.
No wonder your hi hat's not working properly, by the looks of the last part of the video you play it with the logo closest to you, it should be farthest away and readable when you play. Also, a goedrum hi hat controller takes care of the hi hat issues.
Thank you, Leon! I will definitely be trying out the Goedrum controller!
shinny toy
If you use a drum key? Most drummer don't. lol
I want listen Hi-hat Half open.
The Alesis two piece hi-hat is garbage. The plates are thick and unnatural, require two wires, and respond terribly. The rubber surface is also quite loud. The rack mounted DM10 hi-hat is softer rubber and quieter, and the two piece foot pedal is easier to manage. And as shown here, the Strike is still using the same triggering plate and foam post design my DM10 has. 4 years in and I have two pads with cracked trigger plates and I have no idea where to buy them.
I bought this drum set, it sucks, if you're a pro and not a beginner then this is not the kit for you, looks nice but way too many issues, too many problems out of the box, guitar center didn't help either, I returned it and spent a little more money and bought me an awesome Roland TD50, the best decision I ever made, great review tho
Thanks Gonzo. Yes, unfortunately there are some issues. :/
While your review was very fair and even-handed, your demos really condemn the unit. The sounds are okay, certainly useable, but the hi-hat performance is abysmal. No nuance to the in-between sounds. I’m no drummer, but that seems to critically hamstring an expressive performance by a real player.
Perhaps a Roland module and hi-hat trigger system with a Strike Pro kit might make the most sense.
This thing is a giant piece of shit. Dominating the market? Have you been to the forums? Thousands of horror stories that you just don't see with Roland...Save your money you won't regret it when your Alesis is broken day 1 out of the box ill be playing my TD27KV for the next 10+ years issue free.
After hearing him pronounce "flanger" the way he did....I could no longer pay attention.
I've got one, nur it's the shittiest drumset,i've ever had.
The Module is cheap thrash and the hi hat settings are a desaster. This drumset sucks
I Sold it and bought a Roland !
You are high.