I have a Frankenstein kit with four controllers (two Alesis DM5's in a rack, a Roland TD-17, and a Yamaha DTXtreme II). I have them all MIDI'd together and each module controls a group, like cymbals on one and toms on another. I have pads and triggers from everywhere, from Dauz to Roland to Lemon. Cheap and easy to expand, thanks to eBay.
I got an Alesis Strike Pro SE for Christmas and it’s great! Now, I did have to tweak a lot of the trigger settings because they were just…well they were pretty bad out of the box but besides that I’ve been having a blast. Good video, and thanks for your honest input though! 👍
The screen is where roland saves in production cost would be my guess. I could live without the fancy screen just give me the ability to load multi layer samples. Then it's roland and I'm never looking back
I used the strike pro in my wedding band for a year. Had same issues with hi hats. Cymbals were very shrill. Toms,kick and snare were great. But the first 3 weddings this year was touch and go. Had to pull the trigger on the Roland 507. Its night and day with reliability. Sound guy's love this kit. Only down side is splitting the outputs. Alesis had it right with the direct ouputs for each trigger. Great content and subbed..
Thanks for this video. I purchased this Alesis Strike Module over the weekend. Should arrive tomorrow. I'm not even taking out of the box. Sending it right back.
You're not doing yourself any favours basing your decision on this test of the module alone. It is designed to work with the SE kit, and it does so far better than the above demonstration would have you believe. If you'd have had the patience to go through the forums to fine tune the kit settings, I think you would have been very happy with the kit.
I like many others bought one of these modules with high hopes. I will admit having the flagship features at a mid-tier price was too much to resist. In the end I came back to Roland. Having rock solid triggering for me reigns supreme. Nothing takes you out of the “moment” like crappy triggering and in my opinion nothing plays like a Roland.
I can understand that - I've been tempted to pick one up for developing kits many times before due to the price but I always ended up grabbing another Roland module for the ease of knowing the ecosystem. The triggering is a huge point and only a few companies have got it right (Roland being the obvious one, but the Mimic and eDRUMin both hold their own, for sure). It doesn't look like advanced trigger settings and compatibility were high on Alesis' list of things to master, unfortunately.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I am almost embarrassed to admit the amount of modules I have bought searching for that “sound.” I had to learn the hard and expensive lesson that great sounds, even VST sounds don’t mean much without great triggering performance. Although it was fun trying out most of the top brands offerings I learned why Roland can charge so much money. Their stuff just works. Flip it on, sit down, play and enjoy. I honestly want all brands to have this type of performance. I want the choices in the market and I am certainly rooting for underdogs.
this was also my experience. you unfortunately get what you pay for. though the module was better than the crappy failing original Strike Pro pads. talk about junk.
@@Garagedrummer Yeah, I couldn't even enjoy my Mimic Pro until I'd eventually dialled in the trigger settings. They really are the most important part of the puzzle.
i have a conversion kit with Pintech bar triggers. the Strike module was clearly designed with a single center trigger in mind. when i got the Strike, i just plugged in my existing cables. just like you, the rims didn't trigger. i then swapped my existing cables with the included Alesis cables and all the rims began to trigger correctly. doesn't make any sense, but it worked. i already had the DM-10 pro hihat controller paired with a 12" ATV, and it works perfectly. it's my understanding that the Go-edrum hihat controller has a variant specific to Alesis modules. i have one of your sample packs. i duplicated two of my favorite kit presets and layered those using your samples. works great for me. stay safe and healthy!
Ahh you know what, I totally forgot there was a specific version of the Goedrum controller for Alesis modules! I remember seeing them when I bought mine but it completely left my brain, thanks for pointing that out. It certainly seems like getting good rim triggering with any pads other than Alesis ones is awkward (I've read a fair few other accounts of this too). I'll have to try the Alesis loom, see if anything changes - sometimes different cables fit in certain trigger jacks a bit differently. Glad you've found good results with the sample pack, thanks for your support!
As someone who moved to the Strike Pro from a Yamaha brain (I still use the Yamaha pads) in a live environment, it's amazing. The sounds are compressed and they sound fuller live. I did notice a lot of double triggering though in the last gig which is a real problem.
Glad you like the sounds. I think they're the module's main strength, especially for the price range. Shame you've run into triggering issues though, especially in a live setting! I hope you get that dialled out!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I replaced all the Yamaha pads with Lemon ones and triggering looks good now, just getting a lot of crosstalk as the lemon pads do not have sensitivity settings on the pads like the Yamaha's do which is great when you need to switch things over quickly.
Great review. I'm glad I never bought one of these things. I almost did at one point, but this vid confirmed most of the fears I had regarding the settings.
Yes have to agree I was also considering this module but this makes it clear probably going to stick with my TD 17 Triggering Superior Drummer 3 and eventually getting a mimic pro
Just got back into drumming after 15 years, and your channel and Justin's 65 Drums channel have been IMMENSELY helpful in helping me navigate things. Really appreciate it 7:24 is PRICELESS BTW. Working on a custom "Growl Kit" for sale in the near future? :)
Appreciate the review. I have a version of a TD20 expanded set. It has vh12 hi hat, bunch of pd 105 tons, a 125 snare etc etc. I ordered a strike. It never worked well with my set. Hi hat never worked correctly. Tons of cross talk. I spend more time tuning than playing. Sent it back. Sold my 20x module and bought a 30. Happy happy.
I owned a td25 sold it, bought an alesis strike pro se and it was the biggest mistake of my life, spent q month in forums and trying to fix every issue under the sun, I took it back and got the Roland TD27KV and out of the box this thing was like a Ferrari compared to the children's toy alesis kit. I've owned my td27 for over a year now and it hasn't had a single hiccup just flawless playing and response... compare that to day 1 through 30 issues with alesis its a no brainer, no professionals rely on alesis gear, q sample padaybe but no pros are hooking up a strikee pro to play a show lol not one they're getting paid for atleast.
@@grxygxds I’m sure the Strike has its place. But I agree that the Roland is way more professional and better sounding. I’ve considered selling my TD 30 setup of the TD27. Just not sure if it’s worth it. Plus I now got 5 toms, 5 cymbals and the set sounds good.
@@RZLAND It's a shame you had a bad experience with the Alesis triggering. With Roland being the largest competitor for any brand, having a good level of compatibility with their pads just makes sense to me. The crosstalk suppression seemed to work quite well for me on the Strike with the pads I used, but most of my pads are quite isolated either on their own stands or only sharing with one or two others. I have a feeling I'll be mostly using it with MIDI from another source but I'll perservere for a bit first. Glad you managed to get what you wanted from the TD-30.
Nice, open, honest review! 👍🏻Looks like Alesis wants Alesis pads. I've just bought a brand new Nitro Max and it rocks! (sounds 10 x better than my Roland TD11KV) the ONLY thing my Roland has that the Max doesn't have is individual pad EQ. Boy I really miss that, but that's me being extremely fussy, most people wouldn't even notice - it does have 3 band EQ which is nice. I've listened to a lot of Strike Pro vdos and I'm very impressed with the sound quality - especially for that price. Edrums can be very frustrating for people who don't have a good ear, because almost all the modules need quite a lot of tweaking - there are very few factory kits that don't need some work - even the TD - 50, but damm they're worth it - Studio quality sound in stereo, plus scores of user kits! I'm actually quite surprised that the Strike module was so fussy.
I feel like a Strike Module 2.0 could be really special, even if they have to charge double the price. It has so many cool features but triggering and reliability is miles away. I nearly always had SSD 5.5 and EZDrummer 2 samples loaded in, but the past 5 months I’ve been triggering them (And moved to Superior Drummer 3 which is incredible) with a TD-17 and everything just works as it should with no headaches. It’s definitely worth the added 60 seconds to boot up a pc.
Yeah, I'm definitely interested to see what comes of the next Alesis module. This one is definitely a good template to work from so removing some limitations, improving the triggering and adding more kits like the newer ones which were added after release would definitely make it a strong offering. If the BFD acquisition by InMusic (Alesis' parent company) somehow got incorporated into the next Alesis module, it could be really interesting.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I wonder how many of the trigger parameters roland has patented? I wonder if it includes things like scan time and retrigger cancel for exampleas I know they had a patent on positional sensing I'm pretty sure it's ready to expire soon if it hasn't already tho. I'm looking forward to when other companies can offer positional sensing too.
@@ironblast5 I don't believe they have patents on things like Scan Time or Retrigger Cancel. The Strike has Retrigger Cancel in it and other modules like the Mimic Pro, GEWA G9 and the eDRUMin use Scan Time too, so I'm really not sure why it's not in there. I guess if you don't know what it's for you can mess things up, but maybe stick it under an advanced menu instead. I agree with the positional sensing - the new Yamaha modules can do it with their own pads, definitely interested to see how well it works.
If you take the time to upload the right cymbal samples from external sources, this can be a huge upgrade. A pair of Zildjian low volume hi hats are another option.
Love the strike module it's amazing, however big bird kit I don't like I noticed some issues with that preset. Never had any issues with it unless I'm using that kit. There are so many samples it's unreal you can sit there for hours setting up a custom kit.
Perfect timing. I just opened my strike pro module out of the box this morning, used it for 10 min and the large data wheel is not working or responding...... Needless to say build quality is an issue!!!! Guess I will keep my aD5 for now, might try the 2box.
Oh no! Sorry to hear about that. I was really expecting some possible problems like that after what I've read before. I guess I was one of the lucky ones. My first impressions of the 2box DrumIt 5 MKII are up on the channel if you want to check it out - not used it enough to form a proper opinion of all the features but it was a positive experience generally and the module felt solid. Hoping to dial it in a little better but that always takes time.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I will check out your review. Funny, even though wheel didn't work I did try the big bird kit (default) I got the same cross talk issues as in your video (using extreme triggers on a PDP new yorker). Such a shame, this has all the features and IO that are missing on the aD5, but even if the wheel started to work I don't think I could trust for a gig.
Just brought me back 10 years with all the same problems of the DM10. It took me months of research to fix that and unfortunately I got the defective resistor module. Even the sound is familiar
My issue with the Strike was it wouldn't recognize the manager from the computer, not just on the first Strike module but also from a new second one! I gave up and send second one back also. Far cry from Alesis's DM10 module capabilities of reliability. Sticking with my Roland TD-50!
When I bought my oasis strike pro I got home and the module did not work. Said it will take four months for me to get a new one. I returned it and bought a TD 50 amazing.
I think that you can't compare the TD50 with the strike modul. They are not even remotely in the same price category. TD50 2000€, Strike 800€. This difference in price is like comparing a Rolce Roys to an Audi. I simply expect a lot more settings and more perfect processing from a module at the price of the TD50.
Even when you compare the td17 to the strike, triggering, latency, and playability is leaps and bounds better. Even the Td9 is better. I've owned td9, strike, td50 and I have played td17 extensively.
@@daveseemerollin6357looks like the new Strata module from Alesis may have worked some of that out but I guess we won’t know unless it’s in front of us. Clearly Roland and Yamaha are king at triggering and reliability but that new strata module definitely sounds way better out of the box than anything Roland has.
I have a Strike Pro SE Kit and have noticed the double triggering as well, along with some other response issues I have trouble sorting out. It does feel more responsive when running it through a VST like EZ Drummer 2. I also get some triggers from the hi-hat causing crash noises from time to time though when using the VST.
That's a shame. I assumed that the double triggering might be because of the pads I'm using rather than an inherent thing with the module. Glad that it feels better through a VST though! You might be able to combat the hi-hat/crash triggering with the crosstalk settings.
I like this module. I have a hybrid kit with pintech internal triggers, and low volume cymbals with magnatrack cymbals. Oh, and the jobeky low volume hi hat (which is amazing). I don't notice any triggering issues when I play. Now here is a caveat ... I'm a piano/guitar player who has a drum set. I'm ok, but not great. So anytime I record and play back and hear something off I assume its because a crap drummer and play it again! That being said, I bought the drum-tec strike kits as a template for creating my own kits and its worked out great. I really think the sounds are good and you can do that 2 layer thing so its kind of limitless in that sense. For the control issues, I am fine with what I have at this price point. If Roland goes all digital, I may take out a second mortgage and go that route, but this is fine for my purposes now and could see them dealing with the issues and adding a bit more flexibility in a "Strike 2" module
So Luke I know you don’t like doing this but I’m planning on running an ad5 for cymbals and a mimic for hh and drums , not gonna hook up to a computer but going into a mixer what problems might you perceive? I know you already brought up this topic before but I’m not gonna record or use vst what problems could I run into ps great video and check out siren drums or at the source studios to get help with the strike you gotta get into the strike editor for additional trigger settings and you need to turn off the mute function on your high hat settings on the on board settings, what your thinking is double triggers on the high hat is actually the vibration triggering the mute function on the hh so please watch Josh’s videos and on the mimic I just can’t deal with the overly clean and compressed cymbals they sound like windows breaking with no sustained shimmer like the ad5
Thanks for the tips with Siren/At The Source's videos! I've watched his videos before, back when the Strike was much newer, and he does good work with it. I remember hearing something about mute groups now you've mentioned it so I'll go back and watch his videos, cheers! As for your dual module approach - I don't think you'll run into many major issues. I suppose with the aD5 you have to use the cable snake so you might have some free cables dangling about if you're not using all inputs. But otherwise, I think if you get the volume levels right between the two modules and you're happy with the triggering it will most likely work pretty well! I enjoyed the cymbal sounds on the aD5, probably my favourite part of the module overall. The feel of the overall sound might not be quite as cohesive between the two modules as they would if you used the sounds all from one module, but I think it'll probably be less noticeable between cymbals and drums (rather than drums on both, for example). None of the Mimic's sounds are compressed before you apply effects yourself, they're just recorded in a particular way in a particular room. But I can understand why you might not like the sound character. I like them personally but they've got a very "rock" slant to them. Hope you manage to find the balance you're looking for!
Very happy to see you got a strike module, hopefully some edrum workshop custom kits to follow in the future. The Alesis strike module if definitely a very good value for the money with on board sampler, direct outs, individual inputs, midi I/o , multilayer sample import, very large sound stock sound set, computer editing software for 800$ is a very tempting offer. The strike has its issues and Alesis has not updated in almost 2 years, 1.5 for strike multipad. It feels like they have given up on supporting hardware. I have my strike and a td-17 and that gives me all of the sounds features I want/need currently. My biggest issue with strike was the cymbal sounds sounding harsh and like cheap metal cymbals. Adding high pass filter really helped with that issue. It made them sound much much better to my ear at least
There will almost certainly be some kits coming! I definitely agree on the value if you can get it to do what you want. It's a shame about the Multipad too as I've toyed with the idea of getting one but seen a few too many of the usual quality complaints that follow Alesis gear around. I'm sure that there are many users that are happy with it (much like the Strike), but it's difficult to choose to invest in a piece of Alesis hardware over another when I see a lot of issues come up and have even experienced issues with the pads I've owned. If they can raise the bar a bit on the next release, it could be pretty great.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop The Strike multipad was so so close to being and amazing product. With a few changes it could have been a serious contender against the spd-sx. Unfortunately my SMP 2 of the 9 top pads not working, they will trigger via midi. The Ribbon cable inside I believe has come loose and just needs to be put back in properly. I’m waiting till after holidays to take it to repair shop and have them repair it properly and to fix my 1984 Peavy 200watt drum amp I bought this summer for 7$ at a church yard sale. The normal channel on amp very low volume not working, the bright channel works perfectly, I just had to play with the EQ settings to get it sounding it’s best.
the drumit5 does the 3zone snare triggering perfectly with the Yamaha setting and TP120 pad! It's okay with the XP120T or XP120S too, just not quite as good.
Ah yeah, of course! Always forget about those 3 zone pads. However, not being able to do it with the same detection style as the Mimic, eDRUMin and Roland modules is a shame, especially knowing you can have 3 zones in another way!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop yes I agree. Sorta along the same topic… ish. Zurmann drums made a prototype box that would use the Yamaha trig preset on 2box using a standard 12” piezo/piezo pad and a BT1 all on one cable to the module. Not sure if he went into production but the video of the prototype looked great.
“I have some Alesis Strike pads, but they all broke” bwahahaaaaa!!!! That was hilarious, man. But. To be honest, that thing sounds pretty darn good. When it works correctly… Update…I just bought one of these based on this video, and I’m going to be looking into some download packs as soon as it gets here. Hoping to have no issues with my Roland pads…
Weird timing because I opened my new Alesis strike pro se last week and have been quite enjoying it. I definitely had to mess with some of the triggers but after some tweaking I got it done well (I’m using the pads that came with it btw) and it’s been triggering very well for the most part. Maybe I’m just lucky? Because I haven’t experienced any major problems yet.
Glad you're happy with it! I believe the SE drum pads are improved and don't break as easily as the older versions and using their own pads definitely looks like the best way to get a decent response out of it. Hope you continue to enjoy it!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop Yeah. Only problem that i heard with se is the ride cymbal. But i heard too that Alesis do pretty good job with problems and send you new etc.
I use it with a external controller. the only reason I got it was to load in VST Drum samples. I use real cymbals with it so there is enough internal memory to get good sounds.
John, can you be more specific about which external controller you're using? I'm interested in using a Strike Pro Module with a sequencer, triggering samples via MIDI in. Unfortunately haven't been able to find much information about doing so.
....yep, it's a bit of a bitch this one, I've had it for an year now and somehow I keep using it live, mostly (only) because of the multi layer sample import option. It took a loooooong time to get it to respond with my Jobeky kit (never played an Alesis pad in my life) and Roland cymbals, but lately I'm kinda happy with it. I recently bought a TD-27 in hope of replacing the Strike, but I have a serious problem with Roland's open hi-hat sounds...so I'm sticking to the Strike for now. Nice video, Luke....and happy holidays.
Thank you! Glad you've been enjoying the Strike after you got the triggering up to scratch. Shame about the Roland open hats - I know what you mean with some of them. Happy holidays!
The fact that the td-3 that I have to study at home has better triggering options than this model says a lot. Alesis on paper is really good, but I feel like it’s a bait and switch.
Cause there's a lot of different opinions about this module. I think that maybe the price point plus individual inputs plus importing samples is something that makes people give it a try. As many I'm satisfied with mine with a converted kit, and yes it takes time to get it to work as close as you want. Of course if had the money I would get roland td27 with digital pads. At the end of the day Roland probably has the best triggering results. Though, efnote seems to have good reviews about triggering and sounds.
I was running software version 1.5 in this overview. I can't really comment on the hardware for the kit because I don't have it and haven't used it (other than a quick tap in a store). That's why this was focused just on the module and I don't believe the module hardware is any different between kit versions.
I explained in the video that I'm using an ATV 18" ride for this setup (I also went through the other pads). It worked with all 3 zones over 2 cables and seemed to play well, though it does sometimes suffer from additional "ghost" triggers after hitting which aren't that easy to dial out on the Strike without quite intense settings. It's a bit easier to deal with on a Roland or Mimic module, for example. However, not everyone will have the same experience. For more 18" ride ideas, check this video - ruclips.net/video/hs5jBaKfOkY/видео.html
I bought the Strike Pro kit. The value was too tough to resist. Should have resisted. Everything you say is true - the lack of true rimshots was seriously problematic. Rimshots are important! Also couldn't get the hats to register subtle hits, like, ever. Just not good enough. I eventually bought a used TDW-20 - a decade old at that point - and it played so much better. Upgraded to a TD-27 with new Roland pads and haven't looked back. Gonna stick with Roland at this point. Which is unfortunate because I wanted Alesis to bring some serious competition.
Glad you've managed to find what you were looking for in the end. I agree about the last point - when I found out about the Strike Pro, I was really interested in it and it looked like something that would really stir up the competition. I suppose it might have done in terms of sales (no idea) and I don't how much of Roland's newer kits like the VAD series are a reaction to things like Alesis, ATV etc or whether they'd been planned for a long time before that. I get the feeling things are in the works for some time with Roland. Either way, I'm interested to see how far I can push the Strike and where the next Alesis module will go.
Do the alesis pads work well with Roland modules? I have the same thinking. Couldnt resist the big kit, and I have fun playing it. But I am thinking of replacing the Module for an td27
I own the strike Pro, and I don't have any of these issues. It works solid. Only needed minor tweaking. I'm thinking potentially you've got to rein in your settings to compensate for whatever your triggers are putting out for a signal. Or maybe contact the company, they probably have some solutions to help you out.
Thanks a lot for focusing on the Alesis Strike module. Can you please consider the following.... Make a video that discusses the Strike modules ability to serve as a front end for triggering Drum Software. I am trying to advice our drummer on what e-kit to buy, and when you search online on Alexis strike and latency ... you get mostly information like "Crazy high latency" and "not usable for drum software" .... Hope you can utilize your extensive experience, and make us all a bit smarter on this subject .... In general ... the subject of latency is a bit of a black box, as very few people on RUclips talk about it, and the impact it may have on your playing. In my specific example, we are wondering if the Strike module (with Alesis Strike Pro SE Pads) is a fit for SSD 5.5 or not. Kind regards Nils.
I don't have a tonne of VSTs to test stuff (I tend to prefer triggering directly from a module, myself) but I'll try to cover this if I find anything notable enough to make a video on. Cheers!
The Alesis is not great for triggering VST. But I bought it because I could load samples onto it. I've loaded SSD 5.5 samples onto the module with no problems. The only thing is a full kit of 4 x toms (heads and rims), 3 x crashes (edge and bow), 1 x ride (edge, bow and bell), snare (head and rim) and kick can chew through the 200mb limit. I use acoustic hats so I haven't tried hat samples yet. The good news is the module will complain the kit is too big, but will load it anyway. This way latency isn't an issue, and I can use the kit live without dragging around a laptop and audio interface, and the potential for crashes and cable problems.
I'm so confused, I have the Alesis Surge which is the cheapest module. And each rim can be set as whatever sounds you want, I have been considering getting the bigger one but if that's the case forget that!
You can set the rims as whatever sounds you want on the Strike too. The 2 rim issues I had in this video were that I was struggling to get good rim triggering from my own pads, and there is no "true rimshot" detection which is about being able to access a third articulation by hitting the head and rim together. Hope that clears things up a bit.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop yeah I understand what you're saying, thank you for clearing that up! I'm even more interested after you showing that the cables come with the module, because obviously those are a necessity.
What kit do you think is the best in the around 5000 dollar price. I have been considering the VAD 506, but lately I noticed for a little more money you can get the TD50KV which also has a digital hi hat to go along with the digital ride and snare. and then I came across the new Yamaha DTX10 which is similarly priced. and it looks nicer. and has some really nice sounds right out of the box. I am mainly using for practice and fun in my condo. and after I get my home studio set up I will be recording with it. so the realistic sounds mean allot to me. although I could always get superior drummer down the road. and then there is also the choice of really spending money and buying a total high end kit. it seems like the Roland TD50KV is a total high end kit in a smaller package. but the Yamaha looks nicer. and maybe has better sounds out of the box. unfortunately where I live I can't just go out and test these kits for myself. and there are always allot of plusses and minuses with every choice, so I am watching allot of youtube videos on different electronic drum sets. a while back I was considering the Alesis Strike Pro. which I think is a nice kit for the money, but then decided I wanted a better kit. any opinions or advice between the three kits I mentioned ? or any other kit I didn't mention.
Ive played the digital pads. All very nice. Especially the ride. Lots of variation across the surface. You really cant go wrong with Roland or Yamaha. Both pro quality. If I had 5g it would be one of these 2 sets. I really want to play the Yamaha. Never tried the silicone pads they have as an option either.
I currently own the strike pro kit with this module and I am now getting into e drumming more because I would like to convert my acoustic kit to electronic. Starting off by using the strike module with the cymbals but then swapping the shells out for my own ones. I do plan on changing the module in the future because of the true rimshot issue you describe. Which modules do support this and what kind of triggers should I buy now to future proof these mods?
you mentioned that higher end roland modules can trigger the rimshot properly. Can you specify which modules are that? I desperately need a module that could do that. It is so hard to find that information online or in reference manuals. Does that work with custom samples and a trigger on an acoustic snare? Is dual zone trigger ok for that? It’s not working on a SpdSx Pro and rt30hr as I struggle to set it.
The Strike is def a tweakers module. I use mine with ATV pads, Roland Hihat, Pintech Visulite cymbals and a Pearl Emerge Kick. All works great. The rims won't trigger on non Alesis pads as the Strike pads use an attenuater knob to increase sensitivity. But you can split those off and use them for single zone pads. I am two years on with the Strike and LOVE LOVE LOVE them. I have all my VST samples loaded. And I love the way the midi filing system works. I can have different midi banks for different projects. The raw samples in the Strike to me are just that. Raw sounds that need tweaking. My best advice is use the highpass filter on the cymbals to take the honkiness out. For me there is nothing on the market yet that has tempted me to sell my Strike modules.
Great stuff, glad you're enjoying it! Will definitely be experimenting plenty. The MIDI stuff sounds interesting, will have a look through that! Cheers
I own one of these modules. After a year it started to freeze up, but Sadly I just got fobbed off by the drum-teq and Alesis with sorting it out. I like some of the sounds aren't bad out of the box and some sounds are better than the Roland ones. But Roland is better out of the box and requires a lot less tweeking. It's a joy to play, but I couldn't trust it to play Live with it. I've stuck with Roland.
That's a real shame to hear. I've read a fair few stories about the modules freezing so I'll see how that goes... I had a good experience with Alesis customer service by going direct to them in the UK (well, InMusic, the parent company) when I needed my first 14" tom pad and some cymbal booms replacing that I bought. However, as soon as the year was up, the cymbals also broke and I got the usual "out of warranty" treatment. This was also back when everyone's parts were failing constantly so they might have been in "damage limitation" mode!
This video really opened my eyes to the capability of the roland modules, they're insane. This video applies to the TD27 as well as some feature the td17 has aswell and will make your drums sounds amazing, turning on the dynamic enhancer that for some reason comes OFF I the stock mode which insane considering just how much ut changes the sound.
@@grxygxds The dynamic enhancer does a lot to the sound, for sure. However, I personally find it really abrasive and only use it for certain sounds (most likely as a layer rather than the main sound). It really hypes the transients which usually makes the sounds _feel_ so good. It can sound awesome in the headphones but sometimes it makes the sounds really weird played back on a recording so I tend to prefer my own samples for hyping transients with a more "natural" sound. Glad you enjoy using the feature though - anything that makes the kit feel better for you is a win!
I've got reviews of the 15" (that were marketed as 16" when I bought them) and 18" Lemon cymbals on the channel and I like them but they can potentially break (one of my 15" ones has, the other 15" and the 18" are fine). Any cymbal can technically break though! I haven't tried the hi-hats though.
Hi Hasan. I think I have just replied to you on Facebook but I may have misunderstood what you wrote. I don't have my kits available as a full backup, they are individual kits that must be loaded manually. You can purchase all of the kits I have created so far for the TD-50X here - theedrumworkshop.com/kit-collections/p/big-bundle-td50x
I'm curious on your opinion on how the Strike module compares to the Drumit modules. I think a lot of people cross-shop these two because, even though they're quite different in many ways, they're really the only modules that support import of multilayer samples. I tried a Strike a few months ago and ran into a lot of software compatibility issues, so sent it back. I just found a factory refurbished module straight from Alesis at a price that I couldn't pass up, so I'm going to give it another go. Nothing beats the triggering of my TD-50X, but I'm really eager to play with loading my own samples onto a module. For some reason, I've never found triggering VSTs very satisfying as compared to playing onboard sounds.
I haven't used the sample import feature on the Alesis yet as I've been diving into the DrumIt 5 so I can't really compare them yet. I think I'll probably do a video on the topic though once I have because I definitely think both are going to have strengths and weaknesses. Hope that you have a better experience with the Strike this time round and be sure to share your experiences if you can!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop my biggest problem with the Strike might be the rudimentary trigger settings they give you. Much less sophisticated than Roland in this regard, and of course less flexible than modules meant to work with 3rd-party pads, like the Mimic and aD5 (and I assume the 2Box). The craziest thing is that it looks like trigger settings for the Strike are linked to individual kits, rather than applied globally across the module. What the heck? Hod do you find the 2Box's universal trigger interface - pretty easy to get pads dialed in? I think sample import might be a much simpler affair on the 2Box as well. I do like the faders and much larger color screen on the Strike, and I think it sounds quite good, especially for the price. Something I noticed you did was send MIDI from your TD-50 to the Strike in order to get the benefit of Roland triggering. I tried that with my first Strike module but had horrible latency. I'm going to give it a go, but did you do anything other than hook up the modules and set p the MIDI mapping? It seemed to work much better for you. EDIT: Ok, so apparently trigger settings are in fact global, which of course makes much more sense!
Hey Bob! Apologies, your reply got filtered into the "held for review" section for some reason! I've found the 2box interface ok for dialling in pads. There are a couple of parameters I would expect that aren't there like the scan time, but what is there is generally very usable and I've managed to dial the majority of triggers in successfully now that I've got the hang of the Low Pass and High Pass functions on the rim triggering. I didn't really seem to have any issues regarding latency with the TD-50X into the Strike, no. I wouldn't say it feels as fast as the 50X alone but it's still pretty immediate feeling overall so I haven't had many problems. So no, I didn't do anything special, just assigned MIDI notes. The cymbal chokes don't work though because the Strike uses MIDI notes and the Roland modules use polyphonic aftertouch, and the hi-hat isn't perfect either, but functional enough for testing!
question.. when it comes to triggers why would a piezo/switches triggers from one brand trigger well but a piezo/switches from another brand cause problems..? i understand piezo can be different sizes and have different voltages and wired in reverse polarity...and mounting differences... but why would that cause such a problem in all of these modules...? my apologies if you've explained this in a video Ive not watched yet.
Did you update the firmware first on the alesis module(it's free isn't like roland that ask you cash when they do update the firmaware) and for the hi-hat you really need to use the one from alesis if I'm not wrong. I have the strike pro SE and the only thing i hate is the cage and I'm not a big fan of that when you are in a small place
It came with the most recent firmware installed (v1.5). Roland don't charge for firmware updates at all - they do only usually release firmware updates to fix bugs and change a few presets and things. What they have charged for is an upgrade to completely different software for the TD-50X. It's basically a different module, though not going as far as a different generation. I'll see what I can do with the hi-hat - I heard people have had success with Roland hats but I don't know how accurate that was so will test it plenty!
Hey Luke, Did running the Snare through the TD50 did that fix the rimshot issue when running through midi? I am wondering if an eDrummin 4 > Midi > Alesis Strike would create a more enjoyable snare experience. I have a DIY snare and can't find a good balance between Head/Rim.
Testing the module without the latest SE pads isn't a fair test. Adjusting between the inner and outer pad sensors using the dial on the pads can eliminate the double triggering. Many, if not all of the broken pad issues have been corrected on the SE kit. Being able to load better sounds like SSD 5.5 is a big selling point, and is a great improvement, particularly on snare samples. The cymbal pads are not great, but actually improve over time, maybe due to the rubber losing it's stiffness after repeated hits. Although I appreciate Roland has better play-ability, I can't stand the synthetic sounds and artificial sounding toms of the D50, it's ugly stage presence and it's ridiculous price.
I don't personally believe that a module should have to be paired only with its own pads in order to perform well and I don't think that's an unfair stance. All of the pads I used on the Strike module in this video have been used on Roland modules, a Pearl Mimic Pro, a 2Box DrumIt 5 MK2 and eDRUMin 10 to a mostly great standard of performance. I had a few issues with some parts on the 2Box module but it's got the tools to sort those out and I mostly resolved them (I made a similar video the week before this one for that module). I've never used an entire setup of only Roland pads with my TD-50/X, TD-27 or TD-17 modules - does that mean I haven't given those modules a fair shot? I don't think so - they perform well with what I throw at them. I don't blindly think every module should support every pad - Roland don't support Yamaha's 3 zone pads (or vice versa) and I see that as annoying but acceptable because they're wired very differently. But piezo/piezo pads are a very common design, as are standard piezo/switch cymbal pads and the Strike supports those wirings with their own pads, so I think it should have more tools available for dialling them in to a reasonable standard. I'm familiar with the Strike pads' sensor dial and I think it's a handy function for changing response of the pads but, again, I don't think it should be necessary for good performance on the module. I've seen that the SE drum pads seem to have done a better job of eliminating breakages though, yeah. The cymbals haven't changed design since the beginning though and I've got 3 of those broken in my studio too (2x 14" and a 16"). Their switches easily fail and it seems from the groups I frequent that the ride in particular is still a big offender. It's a shame because I liked using their cymbals - a bit chunky, but they performed well until they died. I had one of the 14" ones as a hi-hat pad on my gigging kit for a good 6 months and loved it for that. I couldn't cover all aspects of the module for what is effectively an unboxing, setup & first impressions video, but I'll be loading plenty of samples to see how it handles them for sure! Looking forward to that a lot and will make a proper review or some other kinds of videos in the future. I totally get why you (and many people!) dislike Roland's sound signature though. Thanks for weighing in!
I still own my strike, but my drumit has become the module i tend to stick with exclusively, it triggers a lot better which is something I could absolutely never get quite right even on strike pads. its got some pretty nice sounds for certain and having some effects and compression to play with are good features for sure. and as cool as the sample import seems, its a bit difficult to really squeeze all the samples into it with this limits, I found out though that (provided you use SDSE) you can export your sounds and use the max tune feature to pitch the sounds up and then pitch correct them in the module to save space. I felt it worked pretty well for me but it also may effect the way samples are mapped in the sound editor software, though honestly the software is a whole other bag of problems when it comes to mapping sounds, at least for me, it seems to map sounds with a really hot curve, whether i do the max tune trick or not, I always had trouble getting my imported sounds to feel right, since i've had the drumit i havent experienced any such issues.
I agree that having the FX on it is handy and I think it gives it a useful edge over the DrumIt modules, if it weren't for that pesky kit size limit! The pitching idea is an interesting one though I'd definitely worry about degredation of sample quality by doing that. Worth investigating though! Some say that the sample/kit size limit isn't a big deal and you can just go over it, but I want to hear for myself whether it seemingly drops any layers/round-robins like some others have said. Interesting about the software - it has an automap feature which seems useful but I guess it might still need tweaking. From my own use of some custom multi-layered samples, I've noticed that I needed to raise the volume of the lowest velocities (or just use some hits that were actually a little harder than I anticipated) as the dynamic range felt waaaay too wide otherwise. Thanks for weighing in, some useful info!
Sort of an off topping question but I have strike pro set and the module just stopped working out of the blue. When I say stopped working I mean the volume is barely audible on everything even with the volume on full with headphones or the Roland PM-100. Amy thoughts?
@@danalmas6600 I've heard of this issue being reported before in groups online. I don't really know what the solution is though, I think it might be a parts failure. Is it still in warranty? If so, I'd just go straight down that route. If not, the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is using a headphone amp to try to boost the volume. But that does seem like treating a symptom rather than the cause.
@@Ozterkvlt I've since sold off the kit but I did use my strike pads with the 2Box for a time and the snare and tom pads worked pretty decent from what I remember. I think the cymbal pads gave me some problems though. The ride I never got to work with the 2Box but I believe the crash cymbals did work. Don't know if the stock hi hats work as I had a goedrum controller.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop Very cool! I'm digging the half-size shell which is why I'm eyeing the VAD 306, but also considering doing what you did and converting an existing drum. Thanks for the helpful videos!
Would love to hear what you could come up with for custom kits. I've purchased both famous drummer packs vol. 1 and 2 for my Roland which sound amazing. Do you think the strike module will allow for samples at the same quality as maybe a TD-27 would? Looking to get some great kits from you for my Alesis as well. Great video as always🤙
From what I read, the strike and DM10 module both allow for custom .wav samples and there are plenty of sources for quality samples around. I found samples for the Meinl Byzance series on soundcloud haha
Hi. I don't know for sure because this is the first Alesis module that I have used and I've never owned a full Alesis kit. My guess would be that the Strike module would have better compatibility with another Alesis set than it does with pads from other manufacturers, but I have no way to test it to be certain.
This was a good review, and it kind of confirms my experience and suspicions. I started with an Alesis Surge, but started swapping equipment after about a year. First, I bought Alesis DM 10 Mk II cymbals, then I got a Strike module. Honestly, even the rims on Surge Toms never quite worked right. I have since upgraded to Roland Toms (PDX-10s), VH-10 hihat, and a DA120LS snare. The rims work so-so, but the Roland hardware feels so much better that I can live with it. I like the sounds okay, but I'm not wowed, but I just can't get the Strike module to really respond to dynamics (ghost notes are just lame). Now the Strike module is only $700, and I don't think it is a bad deal for the price, but at some point, I am going to want something more tunable and better able to reflect dynamics--and this feeling has only been getting stronger as I better at the drums. As it is right now, I'd say that Alesis is a fantastic company for entry eDrums, and for hobbyists who want to spend a little more, the Strike Pro is probably a pretty good option, but they still have a little work to do to get to the next level. That said, when I do get a Roland module (ideally, a TD-50X with all the digital triggers, or maybe the next generation, if I wait long enough), I might still keep my Strike for pads used to trigger electronic sounds (e.g. 80s sounding electronic toms and triggered samples).
I showed the screen as it booted up, it came with the latest firmware already installed (v1.50). I also explicitly mention it being the newest software version around 11:49. The first kit I played is also the Big Bird kit which is one of the new kits added in that firmware, so the answer to this was provided in the video multiple times.
Roland simply nails it on triggering. None better imo. Sounds tho? Eh...some good, a few great. But, I'll take great triggering everything. That's where the fun is.
I agree that triggering is the most important fundamental! I didn't even enjoy my Mimic Pro until I'd got the trigger settings right, it felt really underwhelming when I first used it.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I bet roland still has better triggering in the hihat category. You own td50x and a mimic. Do you swap between the two or is the mimic collecting dust? I'm thinking of expanding with the mimic tbh.
@@bruceperkins2921 I actually think that the Mimic potentially pips Roland on some of the hi-hat triggering once you get it right, though I haven't tried the digital hi-hat yet so can't comment on that. The open/close curve adjustments on the Mimic hi-hat settings mean you can calibrate the transitions to your own style and it works really well. The only thing I personally haven't dialled as well as on my Roland modules is the footsplashes. To be fair though, I rarely use them so it's not a huge deal to me and they work well, just don't feel quite as immediate. I'm using my Mimic quite a bit at the moment, just not that much in the videos. That's probably due to change next year as I've got some new ideas to cover!
I find that they typically work fine on the other modules I've tried them with if you're only going for 2 zones rather than 3. You need a module that supports their wiring for 3 zones (2box, ATV, Mimic Pro, GEWA, eDRUMin), but I have no issues with bow and edge on my Roland modules or using a standard 2 zone cymbal preset on other modules.
I have been working with E drums "Seriously" for about 6 months now. I really don't understand some of the issues you speak about in this video. I did decide to purchase a Strike kit and can say beyond all shadow of a doubt, I am elated by my choice. The issues you described are very easy to sort out with very minimal effort, and it does not appear you looked into them properly. For example, retrigger settings are spoken to, but trigger sensitivity is not. I understand you have a finite amount of time to sort stuff and get content out on time. However, you spoke to "machine gunning," and if you are having that issue on a Strike, you are doing something very wrong, as the internal round-robin algorithm makes this impossible unless you are using an imported sample with only one "1" tone. This would make sense as even a TD50 in the Roland lineup does not support that feature. I don't like to sound too critical, and I want to lean into objectivity, but I do not get the impression you properly prepared for this video. While you present some valid concerns with regard to the retrigger, you failed to recognize trigger sensitivity, and if you have machine gun issues at all, you have simply done something wrong, and that is plain and simply a user error. I hope you do a Strata Prime video as you are very skilled, and I like the custom trigger route. overall, it is a good video with the caveat that you did demonstrate and make comments that reflect a clear lack of understanding of the underlying functionality.
Hey. Thanks for taking the time out to comment on the video, I genuinely appreciate it. It's clear that our experiences differ from each others'. I'm glad you're enjoying the module! I think that suggesting a "clear lack of understanding" is possibly coming in a bit hot, so I'll explain why I disagree with a few of your points. I think there might be some fundamental differences in how we're using particular terms too, so it might be best to clear that up. To take your "preparation" point - the whole conceit of the video, from the title to the entirety of the content, is that I'm going in blind to this module. I'd never used it before at this point and it's a video that presents itself entirely as a "first use" situation - it's pretty much within the same day or maybe 2 days. If I had spent weeks with it beforehand, the video would be a different one. You don't have to like it, but it was an intentional choice to make the video this way. That said, I did adjust the sensitivity when setting up the kit (it's been a while so I can't confirm how much, but likely many times!) It's true that I didn't really explain this in the video. It may have been an ignorant/presumptuous thing on my part because I don't really see this as something that requires explanation. It's essentially the first thing I do with any triggers (sensitivity, gain, whatever that module/system calls it) and I regularly check in with it if I'm finding issues with performance. You can see around 10:37 that my snare sensitivity is reasonably low (39 out of 99) and I'm pretty sure that's lower than the stock values for that pad, though I'd have to check when I'm actually with the module. If it will help with clarity, I'll try to touch on it in future videos. When I reference "machine gunning" specifically at around 12:16 or so, I explain that there are limited bow and edge samples on some hi-hats. This isn't a sensitivity issue - this is a sample count issue. Their "round-robin algorithm" can't combat too few samples being used - this is definitely the case for some sounds (not all!) Have you opened up the instruments in the Strike Editor or checked the sample counts for each instrument? Some have very few samples in a layer which absolutely can produce a "machine gun"-like effect. Probably not "machine gunny" as a single sample, but some produce enough of that effect for me to call it machine gunning and I believe that's still an accurate term for this. At around 06:52 you can hear it - mid-range dynamics on a hi-hat sound with little to no variation between the hits. I play a completely different sound before this in a very similar manner and the problem isn't as evident - same settings, two different sounds with different behaviour. If it was sensitivity causing the issue, it would happen with both. It's the samples. To go one step further, if this is the term as we understand it, Sensitivity settings alone cannot produce machine gunning at all. It can create a situation where the triggers are too hot and higher velocities are triggered far too readily, but if there are lots of samples for that layer then it's still not a "machine gun" sound, it's just bad dynamics. If you're using the term to mean "blasting out higher dynamic samples when they're not intended" then sure, that would likely be a sensitivity problem. You can hear in the demos that I'm playing with a pretty wide dynamic range by the end of the trigger setup, so I feel it's quite clear that's not what I mean. There are definitely instances where medium-hard hits are hitting the top of the velocity range which I have since adjusted, but that's not what I'm referring to in the video at any point and contextually that's quite obvious. I also began sending MIDI into the module from my Roland TD-50 in order to acheive a better dynamic response from the samples than I could get with my pads paired with the module (as explained in the video, this was more of a pad/trigger compataibility issue rather than a playback one) and the same issues persisted. I don't show my TD-50 settings but I can assure you they're set up for a wide dynamic range too - that's what I try to achieve with any module/electronic kit. So I feel there is enough between my explanation of this process and the dynamic response you can hear yourself from the demo to rule out sensitivity as the culprit for what I'm talking about. I've used the module for over 2 years since this video. If I believed anything was truly innaccurate from my experience or if there were huge differences in how the internal sounds play back when using other pads/MIDI information then I would have released a follow-up video explaining this. I've created my own instruments with many round robins on the module and there are no machine gunning issues with those because the sample count is high enough. There are no issues with some other internal sounds because the sample count is high enough. I'm never going to rule out the chance I've misunderstood something - I've run into many things I didn't understand with many kits and had to learn about. But considering everything I talk about in the video, coming to the conclusion that a mention of machine gunning on particular samples is "plain and simply a user error" or accusations that I don't understand the basics of pad sensitivity are a bit odd to me. I try to streamline things so that I'm not constantly repeating the basics in every video, especially ones that I don't think really need them to get a point across. Maybe I'll re-evaluate that stance.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop understood, and well stated. Pardon my lack of candor and coming across forcefully blunt. I do have a problem with that and I am working on it. I concede the issue of low sample count can create a MG type response. However, the place this unit shines is the fact you do not have to use that low of a sample count. This is a feature, to my knowledge is lacking on Roland units entirely. It can also be completely randomized in addition to round robin. I think it does take more time to tune a Strike kit than it would a Roland kit. It is true of any kit that the triggers provided with it will work with less fuss then another vendor. Roland "IMHO" makes the best triggers. The Alesis triggers have their issues but do work exceptionally well when they do not break. I appreciate your measured response and clear explanation. Perhaps a review with more exposure is what I was expecting. I am not sure how many drummers with your level of experience would just go blind with a new unit in reality. I spend a lot of time with new gear to understand where it shines and where it is deficient. I did feel a little mislead, but that is my fault not yours. again a great video and I look forward to more content. Thank you again.
You lower sensitivity as well to stop the retrigger and possibly raise threshold slightly. You can tweak all of what your need in settings combined with some critical velocity settings per voice. Also under utility, you can lower (or raise) the over all sensitivity from high to low (utilities-trigger). Makes huge difference as Roland pads are much hotter than alesis pads. It’s a much deeper module than you think and reading the online user guide is a must. I can fix all your issues within 10 minutes as I understand this thing better than most. Ultimately, when set, there is zero machine gunning especially in the Tom’s. Trigger velocity curves are also critical innrhe riggr combination. Granted, out of the box, the kit needs tweaking. Watch my tutorials ! ruclips.net/p/PLWMSKolvMwTohPaxuN77iWmNKhSlare4k
Roland and Yamaha are professional level that will last decades if not abused. My Roland set is 24 yo and works perfectly. Far too many comments about broken Alesis stuff. Thats why Roland is expensive. But you can get it used for good prices.
It's a shame really. Sounds wise its far more realistic than the roland. Let's hope alesis make a 2.0 version , maybe charge a little more, and sort the issues
Roland sounds kinda suck tho :/ But yea their software is more expansive allowing it to branch out to other kits. The strike pro se module is damn amazing with its own kit though
@@johndef5075 sounds are not debatable, I’m sorry. Roland sounds even with all the editing you can do, are so bad it makes my ears bleed. I can’t argue their build quality, we all know that. But damn for the price and still good quality now with the kit being out for a while, it’s just a no brainer at least for home and recording use Alesis is it. Roland maybe for live but you best find a separate vst. Not to mention the customization to you can do with the module, and space to add in new sounds.
Why not just play an acoustic kit.......I've had both and I found playing an electronic kit made me a lazy drummer because of the triggering....I'm much happier back playing an acoustic kit
@@TheeDrumWorkshop well actually they don't....these drum companies strive to get the "real" drum sound when you will only get it from a real drum kit...why keep trying to copy???
Yes, they do. You can do emulation of acoustics to a certain extent, of course. But they also offer volume control for different situations, a different choice of sounds if you want them (I regularly use completely non-acoustic sounds, it just so happens that most of my audience prefer acoustic-style ones) and the ability to interface with other electronics in a way that you can't with acoustic drums (unless you use electronic augmentation). I love my acoustic drums and use them when I can or when I need to, but my electronic kit offers me many things that the acoustics can't provide. Just like the acoustic kit offers me advantages that the electronics can't. They are different tools with an (expanding) area of cross-over.
i bought this piece of shit,,,wow geeksville the sounds are ok ,but everything else,, i want my money back,,lol can you explain the loop,,,good luck i wish i saw your vid before i bought this,,thankx bro
The strike pro fans are insane with their promotion of this module and how it is the best module for the e-drummer. I bought one and the limitations and issues I experienced was numerous. Creating your own custom kits opened a whole new world of issues and the kit limitation size truly made the module in my experience useless. I sold mine and moved onto the Roland TD-50x. The stock Roland sounds while not to my taste and definitely not as good sounding as the Strike Pro sounds can easily be fixed by buying a few of your amazing sound packs. In my opinion this plus the increased latency made the Strike Pro overrated drum module.
It's quite funny that Roland fans get slated a lot for being zealous when there are numerous examples of other brands having similar fans in their communities! We all love justifying our purchases, I suppose! I remember you mentioning you had issues with the Strike, it's definitely a shame. I'm interested to see just how much of an issue the kit size limit becomes as my first attempt at a kit has already used 168/200mb with only one layered instrument. If they can fix some of the obvious problems/limitations, their next stab at it might be really good, but we'll have to see!
Keith Zwicker - It hurts my leg 🦵 where my WALLET IS AT - Just reading 📖 what you wrote down here….. 😢😢 Haha haha LoL 😆 So Let me FULLY UNDERSTAND Exactly what you wrote ? YoU sold Your STRIKE MODULE and bought a TD50 MODULE for $2,500 FREAKIN DOLLARS 💵 AFTER YOU SPENT $2,500 DOLLARS PLUS TAX ALMOST $3,000 DOLLARS 💵 The Sounds Sucked so Bad UNTIL YOU BOUGHT NEW KIT PACKS HUH? Haha haha LoL 😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 And You Admit the Strike Samples Sounded Really Good 👍 for only $799.99 Hhhhmmm…..?? Is the Some Sort of Gas ⛽️ Leak in here..??? Haha LoL 😂 Do PEOPLE read what they’ve wrote or…??? Haha LoL 😂 Basically my buddy just explained HE LOVED THE STRIKE SOUNDS but do to trigger stuff he sold it and SPENT ALMOST THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS 💵 ON A TD50 He says Sounds like Shit then had to SPEND MORE MONEY 💰 TO MAKE HIS $3,000 Dollar Module sound ok 👌?? OUCHIE GOD DAMN??? Haha LoL 😂 I’d rather have Really REALLY AWESOME SOUNDS and deal with a trigger problem here or there rather than spend $3,000 and have to buy more to make it sound good!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣❤️❤️❤️ People are nuts 🥜 man Nuts 🥜 Haha But Love ❤️ ya bro!
@@petergriffinelectricdrums4164 You can look at it they way you are but when my goals are recording with vst programs and latency of the strike pro is through the dam roof it makes everything in the time line for recording actually out of time. I recorded half my bands new unreleased album with a Roland TD-17 then switched to the Strike Pro. All of the new tracks where way out of sync when tracking them do to the strike pros massive increase in latency. To respond to your reply of spending more money as I found the Strike Pros stock kits better sounding that would be accurate. Cost me a total of like $40 to get several kits that sound much better then any of the stock Alesis Strike Pro kits. Triggering issues are a massive problem when your number one use of a eletric drum kit are for tracking drums. I wanted to love the strike pro as the cost is great but to many short comings made spending more not an issue for me. My hihat no matter how many hours I spent could never be properly dialed in with the strike pro. Plenty of false triggers would show in my recordings that should not have been there. Many hours of trying to dial out these issues and time spent editing midi notes just made using the strike pro a shit ton more work. Time is money and for me the Roland modules superior triggering is saving me hours of work that was required to clean up of all of my performances for songs tracked for our second full length album with the strike pro. Many of the issues I experienced with my hihat you have remedied by adding a second module and the icing on the cake here Peter???? You are using a Roland module. Also add in the fact that you paid money to go into a studio to have custom kits created for you as well and you actually spent money as the stock sounds did not meet your requirements either. Studio time + Strike Pro Module+ Roland module. Did you really save much more then me? And you will always have a shit ton of latency.
you said it bro they make it sound like more than it is problem,,, a geek problem their not drummers,,hire a friken drummer and get it rite assholes,,the sounds are good end of story
My ears must be bad because I thought all of the preset kits sounded fantastic. 1000 times better than any Roland kit. Roland has absolutely the worst drum sounds of any brand. I own one and I don’t like any of them and I can only tolerate 2 Tom and snare sample, 2 rides and 1-2 crashes. How anyone can like Roland sounds and think Alesis is just decent boggles my mind. Either I or the Roland lover has horrible ears
I compared the sounds pretty favourably towards Alesis - I concluded that most are better and more usable out of the box than Roland's sounds. I wouldn't go as far as you have to say 1000x, especially once you edit the Roland kits, but I agree that Roland's stock kits are mostly uninspired and the "good" stuff takes quite a bit of work to achieve. Some of the Alesis sounds feel limited (samples layers and articulations, rather than the tonal quality itself) and I thought that they didn't hold up that well compared to modules like the Pearl Mimic Pro, but that's a very different price point!
i own a mimic... but i must say i lost some respect for you on this video...i guess i dont like your none neutral starting point...you obviously dont want to like alesis.
Other than the title and "I often use Roland" opening line (which I chose more for attracting new viewers than any solid hypothesis), as far as I'm aware the actual content has no more bias one way or another compared to any other gear review or first impressions that I do. I really want to like this module and so far I've summised that there's a chance it's actually much better than expected, but I'm not happy with the trigger performance so far. If that doesn't come across in the content of the video, then ok.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I appreciate what you offer to us on this channel. You offer good info and help fellow musicians with said info. I have no intention of coming across as a jerk.This is the first vid you've offered that iv been just a little disappointed with...$700 module being compared to $2200 and $2500 modules seems wrong. The strike hits far above its weight class and should be measured accordingly.
No, I don't think you're coming across as a jerk at all (if you were, I'd probably have ignored the comment). I wouldn't want to turn off long-time viewers of the channel with certain content styles so I'd rather engage and understand the viewpoints more when I can! I personally think there's a case to be made that Alesis have positioned this as a flagship module (with a feature set that lives up to that too, on paper), so comparisons with other flagships can be valid, but I completely understand that some might disagree. I wasn't really aiming to say "look at how this £600 modules isn't the same as this £2000" one but if it comes across that way then I might have miscommunicated my points. The TD-17 triggers better with pads from the competition than the Strike does, for instance, and I could have used that module with these pads to send the MIDI out and got the same results as I did here, I just happened to have my 50 set up at the time. I tried to qualify a lot of what I said with "for the price" (such as the build quality near the beginning and my final points at the end) and I'll be going deeper with the module in the future with a potential full review so I will definitely keep your points in mind when working out how to put things across!
We always hear from Alesis lovers about how its a great value compared to Roland. It seems to me you get what you pay for. I wouldnt even consider buying an Alesis just from quality issues. Id take a td17 module for $500 over this.
Can you connect the Alesis strike pro module to any old Alesia drum or to any electric drum for that matter, like for an example the Alesis DM 10 electric drum?
I have a Frankenstein kit with four controllers (two Alesis DM5's in a rack, a Roland TD-17, and a Yamaha DTXtreme II). I have them all MIDI'd together and each module controls a group, like cymbals on one and toms on another. I have pads and triggers from everywhere, from Dauz to Roland to Lemon. Cheap and easy to expand, thanks to eBay.
Sounds like a great setup you've got going there! A lot of people are scared off by MIDI but it really can open things up when you get set up with it.
Any video showcasing that setup sounds dope
The one thing you missed to list was the amazing drum rack supporting all that
I got an Alesis Strike Pro SE for Christmas and it’s great! Now, I did have to tweak a lot of the trigger settings because they were just…well they were pretty bad out of the box but besides that I’ve been having a blast. Good video, and thanks for your honest input though! 👍
As a former owner of this module I will admit the color screen is pretty awesome. Come on Roland it’s almost 2022 hook us up with some color!
Don't know why I forgot to comment on that but yes, I agree!
The screen is where roland saves in production cost would be my guess. I could live without the fancy screen just give me the ability to load multi layer samples. Then it's roland and I'm never looking back
I just got my 50x. Come on Roland give me more than 100 preset slots.
@@LocaliLLocano Haha yes, the 100 kit slots thing feels so arbitrary!
@@LocaliLLocano funny thing is I never thought I would use the slots up but I'm getting close
I used the strike pro in my wedding band for a year. Had same issues with hi hats. Cymbals were very shrill. Toms,kick and snare were great. But the first 3 weddings this year was touch and go. Had to pull the trigger on the Roland 507. Its night and day with reliability. Sound guy's love this kit.
Only down side is splitting the outputs. Alesis had it right with the direct ouputs for each trigger. Great content and subbed..
Thanks for this video. I purchased this Alesis Strike Module over the weekend. Should arrive tomorrow. I'm not even taking out of the box. Sending it right back.
You're not doing yourself any favours basing your decision on this test of the module alone. It is designed to work with the SE kit, and it does so far better than the above demonstration would have you believe. If you'd have had the patience to go through the forums to fine tune the kit settings, I think you would have been very happy with the kit.
I like many others bought one of these modules with high hopes. I will admit having the flagship features at a mid-tier price was too much to resist. In the end I came back to Roland. Having rock solid triggering for me reigns supreme. Nothing takes you out of the “moment” like crappy triggering and in my opinion nothing plays like a Roland.
I can understand that - I've been tempted to pick one up for developing kits many times before due to the price but I always ended up grabbing another Roland module for the ease of knowing the ecosystem. The triggering is a huge point and only a few companies have got it right (Roland being the obvious one, but the Mimic and eDRUMin both hold their own, for sure). It doesn't look like advanced trigger settings and compatibility were high on Alesis' list of things to master, unfortunately.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I am almost embarrassed to admit the amount of modules I have bought searching for that “sound.” I had to learn the hard and expensive lesson that great sounds, even VST sounds don’t mean much without great triggering performance. Although it was fun trying out most of the top brands offerings I learned why Roland can charge so much money. Their stuff just works. Flip it on, sit down, play and enjoy. I honestly want all brands to have this type of performance. I want the choices in the market and I am certainly rooting for underdogs.
this was also my experience. you unfortunately get what you pay for. though the module was better than the crappy failing original Strike Pro pads. talk about junk.
@@Garagedrummer Yeah, I couldn't even enjoy my Mimic Pro until I'd eventually dialled in the trigger settings. They really are the most important part of the puzzle.
Me too.
Alesis looks great on paper. I was after a sample pad but after reading the reviews, forums etc went with Roland
Pearl Mimic. I hated the Alesis, and the Pearl sounds and capabilities blow Roland away.
i have a conversion kit with Pintech bar triggers. the Strike module was clearly designed with a single center trigger in mind. when i got the Strike, i just plugged in my existing cables. just like you, the rims didn't trigger. i then swapped my existing cables with the included Alesis cables and all the rims began to trigger correctly. doesn't make any sense, but it worked. i already had the DM-10 pro hihat controller paired with a 12" ATV, and it works perfectly. it's my understanding that the Go-edrum hihat controller has a variant specific to Alesis modules. i have one of your sample packs. i duplicated two of my favorite kit presets and layered those using your samples. works great for me. stay safe and healthy!
Ahh you know what, I totally forgot there was a specific version of the Goedrum controller for Alesis modules! I remember seeing them when I bought mine but it completely left my brain, thanks for pointing that out. It certainly seems like getting good rim triggering with any pads other than Alesis ones is awkward (I've read a fair few other accounts of this too). I'll have to try the Alesis loom, see if anything changes - sometimes different cables fit in certain trigger jacks a bit differently. Glad you've found good results with the sample pack, thanks for your support!
As someone who moved to the Strike Pro from a Yamaha brain (I still use the Yamaha pads) in a live environment, it's amazing. The sounds are compressed and they sound fuller live. I did notice a lot of double triggering though in the last gig which is a real problem.
Glad you like the sounds. I think they're the module's main strength, especially for the price range. Shame you've run into triggering issues though, especially in a live setting! I hope you get that dialled out!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I replaced all the Yamaha pads with Lemon ones and triggering looks good now, just getting a lot of crosstalk as the lemon pads do not have sensitivity settings on the pads like the Yamaha's do which is great when you need to switch things over quickly.
Great review. I'm glad I never bought one of these things. I almost did at one point, but this vid confirmed most of the fears I had regarding the settings.
Thanks! It's a shame as I think it'll be an enjoyable module to use otherwise (as long as I don't run into some other reported issues, but we'll see!)
Ive been curious about this module too. But coming from Roland I think it would be a letdown.
Yes have to agree I was also considering this module but this makes it clear probably going to stick with my TD 17 Triggering Superior Drummer 3 and eventually getting a mimic pro
Just got back into drumming after 15 years, and your channel and Justin's 65 Drums channel have been IMMENSELY helpful in helping me navigate things. Really appreciate it
7:24 is PRICELESS BTW. Working on a custom "Growl Kit" for sale in the near future? :)
Awesome, glad that your drumming journey has resumed! Thank you! I might have to have a think about some good novelty kits 😂
Appreciate the review. I have a version of a TD20 expanded set. It has vh12 hi hat, bunch of pd 105 tons, a 125 snare etc etc. I ordered a strike. It never worked well with my set. Hi hat never worked correctly. Tons of cross talk. I spend more time tuning than playing. Sent it back. Sold my 20x module and bought a 30. Happy happy.
I owned a td25 sold it, bought an alesis strike pro se and it was the biggest mistake of my life, spent q month in forums and trying to fix every issue under the sun, I took it back and got the Roland TD27KV and out of the box this thing was like a Ferrari compared to the children's toy alesis kit. I've owned my td27 for over a year now and it hasn't had a single hiccup just flawless playing and response... compare that to day 1 through 30 issues with alesis its a no brainer, no professionals rely on alesis gear, q sample padaybe but no pros are hooking up a strikee pro to play a show lol not one they're getting paid for atleast.
@@grxygxds I’m sure the Strike has its place. But I agree that the Roland is way more professional and better sounding. I’ve considered selling my TD 30 setup of the TD27. Just not sure if it’s worth it. Plus I now got 5 toms, 5 cymbals and the set sounds good.
@@RZLAND It's a shame you had a bad experience with the Alesis triggering. With Roland being the largest competitor for any brand, having a good level of compatibility with their pads just makes sense to me. The crosstalk suppression seemed to work quite well for me on the Strike with the pads I used, but most of my pads are quite isolated either on their own stands or only sharing with one or two others. I have a feeling I'll be mostly using it with MIDI from another source but I'll perservere for a bit first. Glad you managed to get what you wanted from the TD-30.
Nice, open, honest review! 👍🏻Looks like Alesis wants Alesis pads.
I've just bought a brand new Nitro Max and it rocks! (sounds 10 x better than my Roland TD11KV) the ONLY thing my Roland has that the Max doesn't have is individual pad EQ. Boy I really miss that, but that's me being extremely fussy, most people wouldn't even notice - it does have 3 band EQ which is nice.
I've listened to a lot of Strike Pro vdos and I'm very impressed with the sound quality - especially for that price. Edrums can be very frustrating for people who don't have a good ear, because almost all the modules need quite a lot of tweaking - there are very few factory kits that don't need some work - even the TD - 50, but damm they're worth it - Studio quality sound in stereo, plus scores of user kits!
I'm actually quite surprised that the Strike module was so fussy.
Thanks! Nice to know ATV and Lemon cymbals work with Alesis Strike without compatibility issues.
I feel like a Strike Module 2.0 could be really special, even if they have to charge double the price. It has so many cool features but triggering and reliability is miles away. I nearly always had SSD 5.5 and EZDrummer 2 samples loaded in, but the past 5 months I’ve been triggering them (And moved to Superior Drummer 3 which is incredible) with a TD-17 and everything just works as it should with no headaches. It’s definitely worth the added 60 seconds to boot up a pc.
Yeah, I'm definitely interested to see what comes of the next Alesis module. This one is definitely a good template to work from so removing some limitations, improving the triggering and adding more kits like the newer ones which were added after release would definitely make it a strong offering. If the BFD acquisition by InMusic (Alesis' parent company) somehow got incorporated into the next Alesis module, it could be really interesting.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I wonder how many of the trigger parameters roland has patented? I wonder if it includes things like scan time and retrigger cancel for exampleas I know they had a patent on positional sensing I'm pretty sure it's ready to expire soon if it hasn't already tho. I'm looking forward to when other companies can offer positional sensing too.
@@ironblast5 I don't believe they have patents on things like Scan Time or Retrigger Cancel. The Strike has Retrigger Cancel in it and other modules like the Mimic Pro, GEWA G9 and the eDRUMin use Scan Time too, so I'm really not sure why it's not in there. I guess if you don't know what it's for you can mess things up, but maybe stick it under an advanced menu instead. I agree with the positional sensing - the new Yamaha modules can do it with their own pads, definitely interested to see how well it works.
I 2nd that about the module. We have the Same setup. only difference is I am using an alesis trigger i/o with addictive drums
@@ironblast5 Maybe their patent on PS is for center cone, not 3 cone.
Ough... I've been waiting for that video.... gonna watch it and comment again 😅
If you take the time to upload the right cymbal samples from external sources, this can be a huge upgrade. A pair of Zildjian low volume hi hats are another option.
I really hope you would get to some really nice adjusments speaking of parameters. And maybe you could try the option of importing samples from vsts.
Love the strike module it's amazing, however big bird kit I don't like I noticed some issues with that preset. Never had any issues with it unless I'm using that kit. There are so many samples it's unreal you can sit there for hours setting up a custom kit.
What issues have you noticed with the Big Bird kit?
Perfect timing. I just opened my strike pro module out of the box this morning, used it for 10 min and the large data wheel is not working or responding...... Needless to say build quality is an issue!!!! Guess I will keep my aD5 for now, might try the 2box.
Oh no! Sorry to hear about that. I was really expecting some possible problems like that after what I've read before. I guess I was one of the lucky ones. My first impressions of the 2box DrumIt 5 MKII are up on the channel if you want to check it out - not used it enough to form a proper opinion of all the features but it was a positive experience generally and the module felt solid. Hoping to dial it in a little better but that always takes time.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I will check out your review. Funny, even though wheel didn't work I did try the big bird kit (default) I got the same cross talk issues as in your video (using extreme triggers on a PDP new yorker). Such a shame, this has all the features and IO that are missing on the aD5, but even if the wheel started to work I don't think I could trust for a gig.
Just brought me back 10 years with all the same problems of the DM10. It took me months of research to fix that and unfortunately I got the defective resistor module. Even the sound is familiar
My issue with the Strike was it wouldn't recognize the manager from the computer, not just on the first Strike module but also from a new second one! I gave up and send second one back also. Far cry from Alesis's DM10 module capabilities of reliability. Sticking with my Roland TD-50!
That's a shame! I've not tried it with my PC yet so I'll have to see how it goes.
When I bought my oasis strike pro I got home and the module did not work. Said it will take four months for me to get a new one. I returned it and bought a TD 50 amazing.
I think you have to have a specific goedrum controller for alesis👍🏻
I think that you can't compare the TD50 with the strike modul. They are not even remotely in the same price category. TD50 2000€, Strike 800€. This difference in price is like comparing a Rolce Roys to an Audi. I simply expect a lot more settings and more perfect processing from a module at the price of the TD50.
I’m glad I’m not the only one that gets annoyed when reviewers do this
Even when you compare the td17 to the strike, triggering, latency, and playability is leaps and bounds better. Even the Td9 is better.
I've owned td9, strike, td50 and I have played td17 extensively.
@@daveseemerollin6357looks like the new Strata module from Alesis may have worked some of that out but I guess we won’t know unless it’s in front of us. Clearly Roland and Yamaha are king at triggering and reliability but that new strata module definitely sounds way better out of the box than anything Roland has.
I still like the TD 17 a lot though.
I have a Strike Pro SE Kit and have noticed the double triggering as well, along with some other response issues I have trouble sorting out. It does feel more responsive when running it through a VST like EZ Drummer 2. I also get some triggers from the hi-hat causing crash noises from time to time though when using the VST.
That's a shame. I assumed that the double triggering might be because of the pads I'm using rather than an inherent thing with the module. Glad that it feels better through a VST though! You might be able to combat the hi-hat/crash triggering with the crosstalk settings.
I like this module. I have a hybrid kit with pintech internal triggers, and low volume cymbals with magnatrack cymbals. Oh, and the jobeky low volume hi hat (which is amazing). I don't notice any triggering issues when I play. Now here is a caveat ... I'm a piano/guitar player who has a drum set. I'm ok, but not great. So anytime I record and play back and hear something off I assume its because a crap drummer and play it again! That being said, I bought the drum-tec strike kits as a template for creating my own kits and its worked out great. I really think the sounds are good and you can do that 2 layer thing so its kind of limitless in that sense. For the control issues, I am fine with what I have at this price point. If Roland goes all digital, I may take out a second mortgage and go that route, but this is fine for my purposes now and could see them dealing with the issues and adding a bit more flexibility in a "Strike 2" module
Glad it fits the bill for you! I can definitely see why it has its fans.
So Luke I know you don’t like doing this but I’m planning on running an ad5 for cymbals and a mimic for hh and drums , not gonna hook up to a computer but going into a mixer what problems might you perceive? I know you already brought up this topic before but I’m not gonna record or use vst what problems could I run into ps great video and check out siren drums or at the source studios to get help with the strike you gotta get into the strike editor for additional trigger settings and you need to turn off the mute function on your high hat settings on the on board settings, what your thinking is double triggers on the high hat is actually the vibration triggering the mute function on the hh so please watch Josh’s videos and on the mimic I just can’t deal with the overly clean and compressed cymbals they sound like windows breaking with no sustained shimmer like the ad5
Thanks for the tips with Siren/At The Source's videos! I've watched his videos before, back when the Strike was much newer, and he does good work with it. I remember hearing something about mute groups now you've mentioned it so I'll go back and watch his videos, cheers!
As for your dual module approach - I don't think you'll run into many major issues. I suppose with the aD5 you have to use the cable snake so you might have some free cables dangling about if you're not using all inputs. But otherwise, I think if you get the volume levels right between the two modules and you're happy with the triggering it will most likely work pretty well! I enjoyed the cymbal sounds on the aD5, probably my favourite part of the module overall. The feel of the overall sound might not be quite as cohesive between the two modules as they would if you used the sounds all from one module, but I think it'll probably be less noticeable between cymbals and drums (rather than drums on both, for example).
None of the Mimic's sounds are compressed before you apply effects yourself, they're just recorded in a particular way in a particular room. But I can understand why you might not like the sound character. I like them personally but they've got a very "rock" slant to them. Hope you manage to find the balance you're looking for!
Very happy to see you got a strike module, hopefully some edrum workshop custom kits to follow in the future. The Alesis strike module if definitely a very good value for the money with on board sampler, direct outs, individual inputs, midi I/o , multilayer sample import, very large sound stock sound set, computer editing software for 800$ is a very tempting offer. The strike has its issues and Alesis has not updated in almost 2 years, 1.5 for strike multipad. It feels like they have given up on supporting hardware. I have my strike and a td-17 and that gives me all of the sounds features I want/need currently. My biggest issue with strike was the cymbal sounds sounding harsh and like cheap metal cymbals. Adding high pass filter really helped with that issue. It made them sound much much better to my ear at least
There will almost certainly be some kits coming! I definitely agree on the value if you can get it to do what you want. It's a shame about the Multipad too as I've toyed with the idea of getting one but seen a few too many of the usual quality complaints that follow Alesis gear around. I'm sure that there are many users that are happy with it (much like the Strike), but it's difficult to choose to invest in a piece of Alesis hardware over another when I see a lot of issues come up and have even experienced issues with the pads I've owned. If they can raise the bar a bit on the next release, it could be pretty great.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop The Strike multipad was so so close to being and amazing product. With a few changes it could have been a serious contender against the spd-sx. Unfortunately my SMP 2 of the 9 top pads not working, they will trigger via midi. The Ribbon cable inside I believe has come loose and just needs to be put back in properly. I’m waiting till after holidays to take it to repair shop and have them repair it properly and to fix my 1984 Peavy 200watt drum amp I bought this summer for 7$ at a church yard sale. The normal channel on amp very low volume not working, the bright channel works perfectly, I just had to play with the EQ settings to get it sounding it’s best.
Derek roddy like the all alesis pro strike drum
the drumit5 does the 3zone snare triggering perfectly with the Yamaha setting and TP120 pad! It's okay with the XP120T or XP120S too, just not quite as good.
Ah yeah, of course! Always forget about those 3 zone pads. However, not being able to do it with the same detection style as the Mimic, eDRUMin and Roland modules is a shame, especially knowing you can have 3 zones in another way!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop yes I agree. Sorta along the same topic… ish.
Zurmann drums made a prototype box that would use the Yamaha trig preset on 2box using a standard 12” piezo/piezo pad and a BT1 all on one cable to the module. Not sure if he went into production but the video of the prototype looked great.
“I have some Alesis Strike pads, but they all broke” bwahahaaaaa!!!! That was hilarious, man. But. To be honest, that thing sounds pretty darn good. When it works correctly…
Update…I just bought one of these based on this video, and I’m going to be looking into some download packs as soon as it gets here. Hoping to have no issues with my Roland pads…
Weird timing because I opened my new Alesis strike pro se last week and have been quite enjoying it. I definitely had to mess with some of the triggers but after some tweaking I got it done well (I’m using the pads that came with it btw) and it’s been triggering very well for the most part. Maybe I’m just lucky? Because I haven’t experienced any major problems yet.
Glad you're happy with it! I believe the SE drum pads are improved and don't break as easily as the older versions and using their own pads definitely looks like the best way to get a decent response out of it. Hope you continue to enjoy it!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop Yeah. Only problem that i heard with se is the ride cymbal. But i heard too that Alesis do pretty good job with problems and send you new etc.
What do you mean by “tweaking the triggers”. I want to get one but how can you teak triggers. I thought they worked well or didnt
I use it with a external controller. the only reason I got it was to load in VST Drum samples. I use real cymbals with it so there is enough internal memory to get good sounds.
Sounds like a good setup!
John, can you be more specific about which external controller you're using? I'm interested in using a Strike Pro Module with a sequencer, triggering samples via MIDI in. Unfortunately haven't been able to find much information about doing so.
Hi Sir, please also do a review on Lemon Modules. Im learning a lot on your videos. 😁
Nice… some of your playing around 9:00 reminds me of Ash Soan.
Thank you 🙏
....yep, it's a bit of a bitch this one, I've had it for an year now and somehow I keep using it live, mostly (only) because of the multi layer sample import option. It took a loooooong time to get it to respond with my Jobeky kit (never played an Alesis pad in my life) and Roland cymbals, but lately I'm kinda happy with it. I recently bought a TD-27 in hope of replacing the Strike, but I have a serious problem with Roland's open hi-hat sounds...so I'm sticking to the Strike for now. Nice video, Luke....and happy holidays.
Thank you! Glad you've been enjoying the Strike after you got the triggering up to scratch. Shame about the Roland open hats - I know what you mean with some of them. Happy holidays!
The fact that the td-3 that I have to study at home has better triggering options than this model says a lot.
Alesis on paper is really good, but I feel like it’s a bait and switch.
Always nice to hear a Yorkshire accent!!
Do you want the bad news? 😅
@@TheeDrumWorkshop lancashire?
Bingo!
You should test out the Alesis Strike Multipad. I really like it, but just like other Alesis products, reliability is kind of an issue.
I'd really like to give one a go but can't stretch my budget to it at the moment. Maybe at some point!
Please give me an advice ... If you were playing live with strike module what cables on main outputs did you recomand ? Thanks 🤗🤗🤗
do you have a first impression opinion of the new strata prime from alesis..?
Cause there's a lot of different opinions about this module. I think that maybe the price point plus individual inputs plus importing samples is something that makes people give it a try. As many I'm satisfied with mine with a converted kit, and yes it takes time to get it to work as close as you want. Of course if had the money I would get roland td27 with digital pads. At the end of the day Roland probably has the best triggering results.
Though, efnote seems to have good reviews about triggering and sounds.
Yeah, there are definitely a lot of things I haven't covered with the module yet so looking forward to getting stuck in!
What do you think of version 1.5 software update and other upgrades on the hardware?
I was running software version 1.5 in this overview. I can't really comment on the hardware for the kit because I don't have it and haven't used it (other than a quick tap in a store). That's why this was focused just on the module and I don't believe the module hardware is any different between kit versions.
Very nice!
Thank you for this video. Please can you tell me witch ride you use and if is full compatible with the alesis module?
I explained in the video that I'm using an ATV 18" ride for this setup (I also went through the other pads). It worked with all 3 zones over 2 cables and seemed to play well, though it does sometimes suffer from additional "ghost" triggers after hitting which aren't that easy to dial out on the Strike without quite intense settings. It's a bit easier to deal with on a Roland or Mimic module, for example. However, not everyone will have the same experience. For more 18" ride ideas, check this video -
ruclips.net/video/hs5jBaKfOkY/видео.html
I bought the Strike Pro kit. The value was too tough to resist. Should have resisted.
Everything you say is true - the lack of true rimshots was seriously problematic. Rimshots are important! Also couldn't get the hats to register subtle hits, like, ever. Just not good enough. I eventually bought a used TDW-20 - a decade old at that point - and it played so much better. Upgraded to a TD-27 with new Roland pads and haven't looked back. Gonna stick with Roland at this point. Which is unfortunate because I wanted Alesis to bring some serious competition.
Glad you've managed to find what you were looking for in the end. I agree about the last point - when I found out about the Strike Pro, I was really interested in it and it looked like something that would really stir up the competition. I suppose it might have done in terms of sales (no idea) and I don't how much of Roland's newer kits like the VAD series are a reaction to things like Alesis, ATV etc or whether they'd been planned for a long time before that. I get the feeling things are in the works for some time with Roland. Either way, I'm interested to see how far I can push the Strike and where the next Alesis module will go.
My td10exp triggers better than this and its 24 years old.
Do the alesis pads work well with Roland modules? I have the same thinking. Couldnt resist the big kit, and I have fun playing it. But I am thinking of replacing the Module for an td27
I own the strike Pro, and I don't have any of these issues. It works solid. Only needed minor tweaking. I'm thinking potentially you've got to rein in your settings to compensate for whatever your triggers are putting out for a signal. Or maybe contact the company, they probably have some solutions to help you out.
Thanks a lot for focusing on the Alesis Strike module. Can you please consider the following.... Make a video that discusses the Strike modules ability to serve as a front end for triggering Drum Software. I am trying to advice our drummer on what e-kit to buy, and when you search online on Alexis strike and latency ... you get mostly information like "Crazy high latency" and "not usable for drum software" .... Hope you can utilize your extensive experience, and make us all a bit smarter on this subject .... In general ... the subject of latency is a bit of a black box, as very few people on RUclips talk about it, and the impact it may have on your playing. In my specific example, we are wondering if the Strike module (with Alesis Strike Pro SE Pads) is a fit for SSD 5.5 or not. Kind regards Nils.
I don't have a tonne of VSTs to test stuff (I tend to prefer triggering directly from a module, myself) but I'll try to cover this if I find anything notable enough to make a video on. Cheers!
The Alesis is not great for triggering VST. But I bought it because I could load samples onto it. I've loaded SSD 5.5 samples onto the module with no problems. The only thing is a full kit of 4 x toms (heads and rims), 3 x crashes (edge and bow), 1 x ride (edge, bow and bell), snare (head and rim) and kick can chew through the 200mb limit. I use acoustic hats so I haven't tried hat samples yet. The good news is the module will complain the kit is too big, but will load it anyway. This way latency isn't an issue, and I can use the kit live without dragging around a laptop and audio interface, and the potential for crashes and cable problems.
I have the the strick pro se over 2 years, gonna trade in. Is just ok nothing really special for my needs.
I'm so confused, I have the Alesis Surge which is the cheapest module. And each rim can be set as whatever sounds you want, I have been considering getting the bigger one but if that's the case forget that!
You can set the rims as whatever sounds you want on the Strike too. The 2 rim issues I had in this video were that I was struggling to get good rim triggering from my own pads, and there is no "true rimshot" detection which is about being able to access a third articulation by hitting the head and rim together. Hope that clears things up a bit.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop yeah I understand what you're saying, thank you for clearing that up! I'm even more interested after you showing that the cables come with the module, because obviously those are a necessity.
What kit do you think is the best in the around 5000 dollar price. I have been considering the VAD 506, but lately I noticed for a little more money you can get the TD50KV which also has a digital hi hat to go along with the digital ride and snare. and then I came across the new Yamaha DTX10 which is similarly priced. and it looks nicer. and has some really nice sounds right out of the box. I am mainly using for practice and fun in my condo. and after I get my home studio set up I will be recording with it. so the realistic sounds mean allot to me. although I could always get superior drummer down the road. and then there is also the choice of really spending money and buying a total high end kit. it seems like the Roland TD50KV is a total high end kit in a smaller package. but the Yamaha looks nicer. and maybe has better sounds out of the box. unfortunately where I live I can't just go out and test these kits for myself. and there are always allot of plusses and minuses with every choice, so I am watching allot of youtube videos on different electronic drum sets. a while back I was considering the Alesis Strike Pro. which I think is a nice kit for the money, but then decided I wanted a better kit. any opinions or advice between the three kits I mentioned ? or any other kit I didn't mention.
Ive played the digital pads. All very nice. Especially the ride. Lots of variation across the surface.
You really cant go wrong with Roland or Yamaha. Both pro quality. If I had 5g it would be one of these 2 sets. I really want to play the Yamaha. Never tried the silicone pads they have as an option either.
I currently own the strike pro kit with this module and I am now getting into e drumming more because I would like to convert my acoustic kit to electronic. Starting off by using the strike module with the cymbals but then swapping the shells out for my own ones. I do plan on changing the module in the future because of the true rimshot issue you describe. Which modules do support this and what kind of triggers should I buy now to future proof these mods?
you mentioned that higher end roland modules can trigger the rimshot properly. Can you specify which modules are that? I desperately need a module that could do that. It is so hard to find that information online or in reference manuals.
Does that work with custom samples and a trigger on an acoustic snare? Is dual zone trigger ok for that? It’s not working on a SpdSx Pro and rt30hr as I struggle to set it.
The Strike is def a tweakers module. I use mine with ATV pads, Roland Hihat, Pintech Visulite cymbals and a Pearl Emerge Kick. All works great. The rims won't trigger on non Alesis pads as the Strike pads use an attenuater knob to increase sensitivity. But you can split those off and use them for single zone pads. I am two years on with the Strike and LOVE LOVE LOVE them. I have all my VST samples loaded. And I love the way the midi filing system works. I can have different midi banks for different projects. The raw samples in the Strike to me are just that. Raw sounds that need tweaking. My best advice is use the highpass filter on the cymbals to take the honkiness out. For me there is nothing on the market yet that has tempted me to sell my Strike modules.
Great stuff, glad you're enjoying it! Will definitely be experimenting plenty. The MIDI stuff sounds interesting, will have a look through that! Cheers
I own one of these modules. After a year it started to freeze up, but Sadly I just got fobbed off by the drum-teq and Alesis with sorting it out. I like some of the sounds aren't bad out of the box and some sounds are better than the Roland ones. But Roland is better out of the box and requires a lot less tweeking. It's a joy to play, but I couldn't trust it to play Live with it. I've stuck with Roland.
That's a real shame to hear. I've read a fair few stories about the modules freezing so I'll see how that goes...
I had a good experience with Alesis customer service by going direct to them in the UK (well, InMusic, the parent company) when I needed my first 14" tom pad and some cymbal booms replacing that I bought. However, as soon as the year was up, the cymbals also broke and I got the usual "out of warranty" treatment. This was also back when everyone's parts were failing constantly so they might have been in "damage limitation" mode!
ruclips.net/video/lfulD6BkS-A/видео.html
This video really opened my eyes to the capability of the roland modules, they're insane. This video applies to the TD27 as well as some feature the td17 has aswell and will make your drums sounds amazing, turning on the dynamic enhancer that for some reason comes OFF I the stock mode which insane considering just how much ut changes the sound.
@@grxygxds The dynamic enhancer does a lot to the sound, for sure. However, I personally find it really abrasive and only use it for certain sounds (most likely as a layer rather than the main sound). It really hypes the transients which usually makes the sounds _feel_ so good. It can sound awesome in the headphones but sometimes it makes the sounds really weird played back on a recording so I tend to prefer my own samples for hyping transients with a more "natural" sound. Glad you enjoy using the feature though - anything that makes the kit feel better for you is a win!
With the double triggers, I invested in a nicer midi USB cable. It made it go away.
It wasn't a problem with the USB MIDI, it was a trigger issue on the pads with the trigger inputs even without the USB plugged in.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop Oh well thats odd then. Btw would you so its worth getting lemon cymbals? Thinking of getting the hi-hat
I've got reviews of the 15" (that were marketed as 16" when I bought them) and 18" Lemon cymbals on the channel and I like them but they can potentially break (one of my 15" ones has, the other 15" and the 18" are fine). Any cymbal can technically break though! I haven't tried the hi-hats though.
"I do actually have some Alesis Strike 14" pads, but unfortunately, they all broke". That basically sums up why I went with Roland a few months back.
Not a problem with the new SE kit. The old kit really damaged their rep, the new kit is what they should have released first.
My 24 year old pd120s and pd100s still trigger fine. With original foam cones too.
Id like to see what an Alesis set would look like in 20 years....
I want to buy a roland td50X set backup
Hi Hasan. I think I have just replied to you on Facebook but I may have misunderstood what you wrote.
I don't have my kits available as a full backup, they are individual kits that must be loaded manually. You can purchase all of the kits I have created so far for the TD-50X here -
theedrumworkshop.com/kit-collections/p/big-bundle-td50x
I'm curious on your opinion on how the Strike module compares to the Drumit modules. I think a lot of people cross-shop these two because, even though they're quite different in many ways, they're really the only modules that support import of multilayer samples. I tried a Strike a few months ago and ran into a lot of software compatibility issues, so sent it back. I just found a factory refurbished module straight from Alesis at a price that I couldn't pass up, so I'm going to give it another go. Nothing beats the triggering of my TD-50X, but I'm really eager to play with loading my own samples onto a module. For some reason, I've never found triggering VSTs very satisfying as compared to playing onboard sounds.
I haven't used the sample import feature on the Alesis yet as I've been diving into the DrumIt 5 so I can't really compare them yet. I think I'll probably do a video on the topic though once I have because I definitely think both are going to have strengths and weaknesses. Hope that you have a better experience with the Strike this time round and be sure to share your experiences if you can!
@@TheeDrumWorkshop my biggest problem with the Strike might be the rudimentary trigger settings they give you. Much less sophisticated than Roland in this regard, and of course less flexible than modules meant to work with 3rd-party pads, like the Mimic and aD5 (and I assume the 2Box). The craziest thing is that it looks like trigger settings for the Strike are linked to individual kits, rather than applied globally across the module. What the heck? Hod do you find the 2Box's universal trigger interface - pretty easy to get pads dialed in? I think sample import might be a much simpler affair on the 2Box as well. I do like the faders and much larger color screen on the Strike, and I think it sounds quite good, especially for the price.
Something I noticed you did was send MIDI from your TD-50 to the Strike in order to get the benefit of Roland triggering. I tried that with my first Strike module but had horrible latency. I'm going to give it a go, but did you do anything other than hook up the modules and set p the MIDI mapping? It seemed to work much better for you.
EDIT: Ok, so apparently trigger settings are in fact global, which of course makes much more sense!
Hey Bob! Apologies, your reply got filtered into the "held for review" section for some reason!
I've found the 2box interface ok for dialling in pads. There are a couple of parameters I would expect that aren't there like the scan time, but what is there is generally very usable and I've managed to dial the majority of triggers in successfully now that I've got the hang of the Low Pass and High Pass functions on the rim triggering.
I didn't really seem to have any issues regarding latency with the TD-50X into the Strike, no. I wouldn't say it feels as fast as the 50X alone but it's still pretty immediate feeling overall so I haven't had many problems. So no, I didn't do anything special, just assigned MIDI notes. The cymbal chokes don't work though because the Strike uses MIDI notes and the Roland modules use polyphonic aftertouch, and the hi-hat isn't perfect either, but functional enough for testing!
question..
when it comes to triggers why would a piezo/switches triggers from one brand trigger well but a piezo/switches from another brand cause problems..?
i understand piezo can be different sizes and have different voltages and wired in reverse polarity...and mounting differences... but why would that cause such a problem in all of these modules...?
my apologies if you've explained this in a video Ive not watched yet.
now thats a frieken great question,,you know something about electronics
my bet no ones knows the answer to this one
Did you update the firmware first on the alesis module(it's free isn't like roland that ask you cash when they do update the firmaware) and for the hi-hat you really need to use the one from alesis if I'm not wrong. I have the strike pro SE and the only thing i hate is the cage and I'm not a big fan of that when you are in a small place
It came with the most recent firmware installed (v1.5). Roland don't charge for firmware updates at all - they do only usually release firmware updates to fix bugs and change a few presets and things. What they have charged for is an upgrade to completely different software for the TD-50X. It's basically a different module, though not going as far as a different generation.
I'll see what I can do with the hi-hat - I heard people have had success with Roland hats but I don't know how accurate that was so will test it plenty!
Hey Luke, Did running the Snare through the TD50 did that fix the rimshot issue when running through midi? I am wondering if an eDrummin 4 > Midi > Alesis Strike would create a more enjoyable snare experience. I have a DIY snare and can't find a good balance between Head/Rim.
I wonder why you would have so many different trigger types? It's like asking for problems.
Variety is the spice of life
You would mix only compatible spices if you don't want to ruin the recipe. @@TheeDrumWorkshop
What was your midi Numbers. I just got the strike module with my td 17 kvx. I cant get the closed hi hat to work with midi. Please help me.
Testing the module without the latest SE pads isn't a fair test. Adjusting between the inner and outer pad sensors using the dial on the pads can eliminate the double triggering. Many, if not all of the broken pad issues have been corrected on the SE kit. Being able to load better sounds like SSD 5.5 is a big selling point, and is a great improvement, particularly on snare samples. The cymbal pads are not great, but actually improve over time, maybe due to the rubber losing it's stiffness after repeated hits. Although I appreciate Roland has better play-ability, I can't stand the synthetic sounds and artificial sounding toms of the D50, it's ugly stage presence and it's ridiculous price.
I don't personally believe that a module should have to be paired only with its own pads in order to perform well and I don't think that's an unfair stance. All of the pads I used on the Strike module in this video have been used on Roland modules, a Pearl Mimic Pro, a 2Box DrumIt 5 MK2 and eDRUMin 10 to a mostly great standard of performance. I had a few issues with some parts on the 2Box module but it's got the tools to sort those out and I mostly resolved them (I made a similar video the week before this one for that module).
I've never used an entire setup of only Roland pads with my TD-50/X, TD-27 or TD-17 modules - does that mean I haven't given those modules a fair shot? I don't think so - they perform well with what I throw at them. I don't blindly think every module should support every pad - Roland don't support Yamaha's 3 zone pads (or vice versa) and I see that as annoying but acceptable because they're wired very differently. But piezo/piezo pads are a very common design, as are standard piezo/switch cymbal pads and the Strike supports those wirings with their own pads, so I think it should have more tools available for dialling them in to a reasonable standard.
I'm familiar with the Strike pads' sensor dial and I think it's a handy function for changing response of the pads but, again, I don't think it should be necessary for good performance on the module. I've seen that the SE drum pads seem to have done a better job of eliminating breakages though, yeah. The cymbals haven't changed design since the beginning though and I've got 3 of those broken in my studio too (2x 14" and a 16"). Their switches easily fail and it seems from the groups I frequent that the ride in particular is still a big offender. It's a shame because I liked using their cymbals - a bit chunky, but they performed well until they died. I had one of the 14" ones as a hi-hat pad on my gigging kit for a good 6 months and loved it for that.
I couldn't cover all aspects of the module for what is effectively an unboxing, setup & first impressions video, but I'll be loading plenty of samples to see how it handles them for sure! Looking forward to that a lot and will make a proper review or some other kinds of videos in the future. I totally get why you (and many people!) dislike Roland's sound signature though. Thanks for weighing in!
What about Yamaha
I still own my strike, but my drumit has become the module i tend to stick with exclusively, it triggers a lot better which is something I could absolutely never get quite right even on strike pads. its got some pretty nice sounds for certain and having some effects and compression to play with are good features for sure. and as cool as the sample import seems, its a bit difficult to really squeeze all the samples into it with this limits, I found out though that (provided you use SDSE) you can export your sounds and use the max tune feature to pitch the sounds up and then pitch correct them in the module to save space. I felt it worked pretty well for me but it also may effect the way samples are mapped in the sound editor software, though honestly the software is a whole other bag of problems when it comes to mapping sounds, at least for me, it seems to map sounds with a really hot curve, whether i do the max tune trick or not, I always had trouble getting my imported sounds to feel right, since i've had the drumit i havent experienced any such issues.
I agree that having the FX on it is handy and I think it gives it a useful edge over the DrumIt modules, if it weren't for that pesky kit size limit! The pitching idea is an interesting one though I'd definitely worry about degredation of sample quality by doing that. Worth investigating though! Some say that the sample/kit size limit isn't a big deal and you can just go over it, but I want to hear for myself whether it seemingly drops any layers/round-robins like some others have said.
Interesting about the software - it has an automap feature which seems useful but I guess it might still need tweaking. From my own use of some custom multi-layered samples, I've noticed that I needed to raise the volume of the lowest velocities (or just use some hits that were actually a little harder than I anticipated) as the dynamic range felt waaaay too wide otherwise. Thanks for weighing in, some useful info!
Sort of an off topping question but I have strike pro set and the module just stopped working out of the blue. When I say stopped working I mean the volume is barely audible on everything even with the volume on full with headphones or the Roland PM-100. Amy thoughts?
@@danalmas6600 I've heard of this issue being reported before in groups online. I don't really know what the solution is though, I think it might be a parts failure. Is it still in warranty? If so, I'd just go straight down that route. If not, the only thing I can think of off the top of my head is using a headphone amp to try to boost the volume. But that does seem like treating a symptom rather than the cause.
Does the 2box drumit work well with the alesis pads? Might consider upgrading to it in that case
@@Ozterkvlt I've since sold off the kit but I did use my strike pads with the 2Box for a time and the snare and tom pads worked pretty decent from what I remember. I think the cymbal pads gave me some problems though. The ride I never got to work with the 2Box but I believe the crash cymbals did work. Don't know if the stock hi hats work as I had a goedrum controller.
My snare, kick, and hi hat aren’t working right out of the box. Not even registering.
Ahh, that's awful 😔 Hope you manage to get it sorted!
Where did you get your half-size kick drum shell from?
It's a Tama Club Jam kick that I converted, I made a video about it a while back -
ruclips.net/video/S23Vhx4cRQk/видео.html
@@TheeDrumWorkshop Very cool! I'm digging the half-size shell which is why I'm eyeing the VAD 306, but also considering doing what you did and converting an existing drum. Thanks for the helpful videos!
Would love to hear what you could come up with for custom kits. I've purchased both famous drummer packs vol. 1 and 2 for my Roland which sound amazing. Do you think the strike module will allow for samples at the same quality as maybe a TD-27 would? Looking to get some great kits from you for my Alesis as well. Great video as always🤙
From what I read, the strike and DM10 module both allow for custom .wav samples and there are plenty of sources for quality samples around. I found samples for the Meinl Byzance series on soundcloud haha
Hey, I'm confused...is it possible to use the Alesis Strike module on another Alesis drum set like the Command X?
Hi. I don't know for sure because this is the first Alesis module that I have used and I've never owned a full Alesis kit. My guess would be that the Strike module would have better compatibility with another Alesis set than it does with pads from other manufacturers, but I have no way to test it to be certain.
This was a good review, and it kind of confirms my experience and suspicions.
I started with an Alesis Surge, but started swapping equipment after about a year. First, I bought Alesis DM 10 Mk II cymbals, then I got a Strike module. Honestly, even the rims on Surge Toms never quite worked right. I have since upgraded to Roland Toms (PDX-10s), VH-10 hihat, and a DA120LS snare. The rims work so-so, but the Roland hardware feels so much better that I can live with it.
I like the sounds okay, but I'm not wowed, but I just can't get the Strike module to really respond to dynamics (ghost notes are just lame). Now the Strike module is only $700, and I don't think it is a bad deal for the price, but at some point, I am going to want something more tunable and better able to reflect dynamics--and this feeling has only been getting stronger as I better at the drums.
As it is right now, I'd say that Alesis is a fantastic company for entry eDrums, and for hobbyists who want to spend a little more, the Strike Pro is probably a pretty good option, but they still have a little work to do to get to the next level.
That said, when I do get a Roland module (ideally, a TD-50X with all the digital triggers, or maybe the next generation, if I wait long enough), I might still keep my Strike for pads used to trigger electronic sounds (e.g. 80s sounding electronic toms and triggered samples).
And you didn't update the firmware I'm guessing - or all the great extra sounds
I showed the screen as it booted up, it came with the latest firmware already installed (v1.50). I also explicitly mention it being the newest software version around 11:49. The first kit I played is also the Big Bird kit which is one of the new kits added in that firmware, so the answer to this was provided in the video multiple times.
Roland simply nails it on triggering. None better imo. Sounds tho? Eh...some good, a few great. But, I'll take great triggering everything. That's where the fun is.
I agree that triggering is the most important fundamental! I didn't even enjoy my Mimic Pro until I'd got the trigger settings right, it felt really underwhelming when I first used it.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I bet roland still has better triggering in the hihat category. You own td50x and a mimic. Do you swap between the two or is the mimic collecting dust? I'm thinking of expanding with the mimic tbh.
@@bruceperkins2921 I actually think that the Mimic potentially pips Roland on some of the hi-hat triggering once you get it right, though I haven't tried the digital hi-hat yet so can't comment on that. The open/close curve adjustments on the Mimic hi-hat settings mean you can calibrate the transitions to your own style and it works really well. The only thing I personally haven't dialled as well as on my Roland modules is the footsplashes. To be fair though, I rarely use them so it's not a huge deal to me and they work well, just don't feel quite as immediate.
I'm using my Mimic quite a bit at the moment, just not that much in the videos. That's probably due to change next year as I've got some new ideas to cover!
yamaha cymbals are very picky when it comes to what modules they will work with
I find that they typically work fine on the other modules I've tried them with if you're only going for 2 zones rather than 3. You need a module that supports their wiring for 3 zones (2box, ATV, Mimic Pro, GEWA, eDRUMin), but I have no issues with bow and edge on my Roland modules or using a standard 2 zone cymbal preset on other modules.
I have been working with E drums "Seriously" for about 6 months now. I really don't understand some of the issues you speak about in this video. I did decide to purchase a Strike kit and can say beyond all shadow of a doubt, I am elated by my choice. The issues you described are very easy to sort out with very minimal effort, and it does not appear you looked into them properly. For example, retrigger settings are spoken to, but trigger sensitivity is not. I understand you have a finite amount of time to sort stuff and get content out on time. However, you spoke to "machine gunning," and if you are having that issue on a Strike, you are doing something very wrong, as the internal round-robin algorithm makes this impossible unless you are using an imported sample with only one "1" tone. This would make sense as even a TD50 in the Roland lineup does not support that feature. I don't like to sound too critical, and I want to lean into objectivity, but I do not get the impression you properly prepared for this video. While you present some valid concerns with regard to the retrigger, you failed to recognize trigger sensitivity, and if you have machine gun issues at all, you have simply done something wrong, and that is plain and simply a user error. I hope you do a Strata Prime video as you are very skilled, and I like the custom trigger route. overall, it is a good video with the caveat that you did demonstrate and make comments that reflect a clear lack of understanding of the underlying functionality.
Hey. Thanks for taking the time out to comment on the video, I genuinely appreciate it. It's clear that our experiences differ from each others'. I'm glad you're enjoying the module! I think that suggesting a "clear lack of understanding" is possibly coming in a bit hot, so I'll explain why I disagree with a few of your points. I think there might be some fundamental differences in how we're using particular terms too, so it might be best to clear that up.
To take your "preparation" point - the whole conceit of the video, from the title to the entirety of the content, is that I'm going in blind to this module. I'd never used it before at this point and it's a video that presents itself entirely as a "first use" situation - it's pretty much within the same day or maybe 2 days. If I had spent weeks with it beforehand, the video would be a different one. You don't have to like it, but it was an intentional choice to make the video this way.
That said, I did adjust the sensitivity when setting up the kit (it's been a while so I can't confirm how much, but likely many times!) It's true that I didn't really explain this in the video. It may have been an ignorant/presumptuous thing on my part because I don't really see this as something that requires explanation. It's essentially the first thing I do with any triggers (sensitivity, gain, whatever that module/system calls it) and I regularly check in with it if I'm finding issues with performance. You can see around 10:37 that my snare sensitivity is reasonably low (39 out of 99) and I'm pretty sure that's lower than the stock values for that pad, though I'd have to check when I'm actually with the module. If it will help with clarity, I'll try to touch on it in future videos.
When I reference "machine gunning" specifically at around 12:16 or so, I explain that there are limited bow and edge samples on some hi-hats. This isn't a sensitivity issue - this is a sample count issue. Their "round-robin algorithm" can't combat too few samples being used - this is definitely the case for some sounds (not all!) Have you opened up the instruments in the Strike Editor or checked the sample counts for each instrument? Some have very few samples in a layer which absolutely can produce a "machine gun"-like effect. Probably not "machine gunny" as a single sample, but some produce enough of that effect for me to call it machine gunning and I believe that's still an accurate term for this. At around 06:52 you can hear it - mid-range dynamics on a hi-hat sound with little to no variation between the hits. I play a completely different sound before this in a very similar manner and the problem isn't as evident - same settings, two different sounds with different behaviour. If it was sensitivity causing the issue, it would happen with both. It's the samples.
To go one step further, if this is the term as we understand it, Sensitivity settings alone cannot produce machine gunning at all. It can create a situation where the triggers are too hot and higher velocities are triggered far too readily, but if there are lots of samples for that layer then it's still not a "machine gun" sound, it's just bad dynamics. If you're using the term to mean "blasting out higher dynamic samples when they're not intended" then sure, that would likely be a sensitivity problem. You can hear in the demos that I'm playing with a pretty wide dynamic range by the end of the trigger setup, so I feel it's quite clear that's not what I mean. There are definitely instances where medium-hard hits are hitting the top of the velocity range which I have since adjusted, but that's not what I'm referring to in the video at any point and contextually that's quite obvious.
I also began sending MIDI into the module from my Roland TD-50 in order to acheive a better dynamic response from the samples than I could get with my pads paired with the module (as explained in the video, this was more of a pad/trigger compataibility issue rather than a playback one) and the same issues persisted. I don't show my TD-50 settings but I can assure you they're set up for a wide dynamic range too - that's what I try to achieve with any module/electronic kit. So I feel there is enough between my explanation of this process and the dynamic response you can hear yourself from the demo to rule out sensitivity as the culprit for what I'm talking about.
I've used the module for over 2 years since this video. If I believed anything was truly innaccurate from my experience or if there were huge differences in how the internal sounds play back when using other pads/MIDI information then I would have released a follow-up video explaining this. I've created my own instruments with many round robins on the module and there are no machine gunning issues with those because the sample count is high enough. There are no issues with some other internal sounds because the sample count is high enough.
I'm never going to rule out the chance I've misunderstood something - I've run into many things I didn't understand with many kits and had to learn about. But considering everything I talk about in the video, coming to the conclusion that a mention of machine gunning on particular samples is "plain and simply a user error" or accusations that I don't understand the basics of pad sensitivity are a bit odd to me. I try to streamline things so that I'm not constantly repeating the basics in every video, especially ones that I don't think really need them to get a point across. Maybe I'll re-evaluate that stance.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop understood, and well stated. Pardon my lack of candor and coming across forcefully blunt. I do have a problem with that and I am working on it.
I concede the issue of low sample count can create a MG type response. However, the place this unit shines is the fact you do not have to use that low of a sample count. This is a feature, to my knowledge is lacking on Roland units entirely. It can also be completely randomized in addition to round robin. I think it does take more time to tune a Strike kit than it would a Roland kit. It is true of any kit that the triggers provided with it will work with less fuss then another vendor. Roland "IMHO" makes the best triggers. The Alesis triggers have their issues but do work exceptionally well when they do not break.
I appreciate your measured response and clear explanation. Perhaps a review with more exposure is what I was expecting. I am not sure how many drummers with your level of experience would just go blind with a new unit in reality. I spend a lot of time with new gear to understand where it shines and where it is deficient. I did feel a little mislead, but that is my fault not yours.
again a great video and I look forward to more content. Thank you again.
was that even a review?
No, it was a first impression video.
I own this module. The worst part about it is the sounds lol
You lower sensitivity as well to stop the retrigger and possibly raise threshold slightly. You can tweak all of what your need in settings combined with some critical velocity settings per voice. Also under utility, you can lower (or raise) the over all sensitivity from high to low (utilities-trigger). Makes huge difference as Roland pads are much hotter than alesis pads. It’s a much deeper module than you think and reading the online user guide is a must. I can fix all your issues within 10 minutes as I understand this thing better than most. Ultimately, when set, there is zero machine gunning especially in the Tom’s. Trigger velocity curves are also critical innrhe riggr combination. Granted, out of the box, the kit needs tweaking.
Watch my tutorials !
ruclips.net/p/PLWMSKolvMwTohPaxuN77iWmNKhSlare4k
I love the Alesis Strike Pro SE and I personally dont see any downfalls that justify spending nearly double what the kit costs to go with a Roland.
Roland and Yamaha are professional level that will last decades if not abused. My Roland set is 24 yo and works perfectly. Far too many comments about broken Alesis stuff. Thats why Roland is expensive. But you can get it used for good prices.
@@johndef5075 lower end Alesis stuff sucks, no doubt. The Strike Pro Special Edition is an exception. It's amazing.
It's a shame really. Sounds wise its far more realistic than the roland. Let's hope alesis make a 2.0 version , maybe charge a little more, and sort the issues
All I heard him say is that Alesis just as good as Roland for a fraction of the Price.... Thats the truth anyway!
If it works for you, that's what matters!
Honestly just let the neck join its homies on the chest bruh!
😂
Roland sounds kinda suck tho :/
But yea their software is more expansive allowing it to branch out to other kits. The strike pro se module is damn amazing with its own kit though
The sounds are debatable. The quality isnt. Roland is pro level. Alesis isnt.
@@johndef5075 sounds are not debatable, I’m sorry. Roland sounds even with all the editing you can do, are so bad it makes my ears bleed. I can’t argue their build quality, we all know that. But damn for the price and still good quality now with the kit being out for a while, it’s just a no brainer at least for home and recording use Alesis is it. Roland maybe for live but you best find a separate vst. Not to mention the customization to you can do with the module, and space to add in new sounds.
"Roland pro" 😂
Every single alesis kit I’ve used broke . If spending 2k on a kit , get a Roland
Why not just play an acoustic kit.......I've had both and I found playing an electronic kit made me a lazy drummer because of the triggering....I'm much happier back playing an acoustic kit
Because they do different things
@@TheeDrumWorkshop well actually they don't....these drum companies strive to get the "real" drum sound when you will only get it from a real drum kit...why keep trying to copy???
Yes, they do. You can do emulation of acoustics to a certain extent, of course. But they also offer volume control for different situations, a different choice of sounds if you want them (I regularly use completely non-acoustic sounds, it just so happens that most of my audience prefer acoustic-style ones) and the ability to interface with other electronics in a way that you can't with acoustic drums (unless you use electronic augmentation). I love my acoustic drums and use them when I can or when I need to, but my electronic kit offers me many things that the acoustics can't provide. Just like the acoustic kit offers me advantages that the electronics can't. They are different tools with an (expanding) area of cross-over.
But even more importantly - they're fun 😂
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I don't deny that but try going back to an acoustic kit you'll be knackered after 15 mins!!
Glad i never bought this junk module
Crappy module
i bought this piece of shit,,,wow geeksville the sounds are ok ,but everything else,, i want my money back,,lol can you explain the loop,,,good luck i wish i saw your vid before i bought this,,thankx bro
The strike pro fans are insane with their promotion of this module and how it is the best module for the e-drummer. I bought one and the limitations and issues I experienced was numerous. Creating your own custom kits opened a whole new world of issues and the kit limitation size truly made the module in my experience useless. I sold mine and moved onto the Roland TD-50x. The stock Roland sounds while not to my taste and definitely not as good sounding as the Strike Pro sounds can easily be fixed by buying a few of your amazing sound packs. In my opinion this plus the increased latency made the Strike Pro overrated drum module.
It's quite funny that Roland fans get slated a lot for being zealous when there are numerous examples of other brands having similar fans in their communities! We all love justifying our purchases, I suppose!
I remember you mentioning you had issues with the Strike, it's definitely a shame. I'm interested to see just how much of an issue the kit size limit becomes as my first attempt at a kit has already used 168/200mb with only one layered instrument. If they can fix some of the obvious problems/limitations, their next stab at it might be really good, but we'll have to see!
Keith Zwicker - It hurts my leg 🦵 where my WALLET IS AT - Just reading 📖 what you wrote down here….. 😢😢
Haha haha LoL 😆 So Let me FULLY UNDERSTAND Exactly what you wrote ?
YoU sold Your STRIKE MODULE and bought a TD50 MODULE for $2,500 FREAKIN DOLLARS 💵
AFTER YOU SPENT $2,500 DOLLARS PLUS TAX ALMOST $3,000 DOLLARS 💵
The Sounds Sucked so Bad UNTIL YOU BOUGHT NEW KIT PACKS HUH?
Haha haha LoL 😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
And You Admit the Strike Samples Sounded Really Good 👍 for only $799.99
Hhhhmmm…..??
Is the Some Sort of Gas ⛽️ Leak in here..??? Haha LoL 😂
Do PEOPLE read what they’ve wrote or…??? Haha LoL 😂
Basically my buddy just explained HE LOVED THE STRIKE SOUNDS but do to trigger stuff he sold it and SPENT
ALMOST THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS 💵 ON A TD50 He says Sounds like Shit then had to SPEND MORE MONEY 💰
TO MAKE HIS $3,000 Dollar Module sound ok 👌??
OUCHIE GOD DAMN??? Haha LoL 😂
I’d rather have Really REALLY AWESOME SOUNDS and deal with a trigger problem here or there rather than spend $3,000 and have to buy more to make it sound good!!!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣❤️❤️❤️ People are nuts 🥜 man Nuts 🥜
Haha
But Love ❤️ ya bro!
@@petergriffinelectricdrums4164 You can look at it they way you are but when my goals are recording with vst programs and latency of the strike pro is through the dam roof it makes everything in the time line for recording actually out of time. I recorded half my bands new unreleased album with a Roland TD-17 then switched to the Strike Pro. All of the new tracks where way out of sync when tracking them do to the strike pros massive increase in latency. To respond to your reply of spending more money as I found the Strike Pros stock kits better sounding that would be accurate. Cost me a total of like $40 to get several kits that sound much better then any of the stock Alesis Strike Pro kits. Triggering issues are a massive problem when your number one use of a eletric drum kit are for tracking drums. I wanted to love the strike pro as the cost is great but to many short comings made spending more not an issue for me. My hihat no matter how many hours I spent could never be properly dialed in with the strike pro. Plenty of false triggers would show in my recordings that should not have been there. Many hours of trying to dial out these issues and time spent editing midi notes just made using the strike pro a shit ton more work. Time is money and for me the Roland modules superior triggering is saving me hours of work that was required to clean up of all of my performances for songs tracked for our second full length album with the strike pro. Many of the issues I experienced with my hihat you have remedied by adding a second module and the icing on the cake here Peter???? You are using a Roland module. Also add in the fact that you paid money to go into a studio to have custom kits created for you as well and you actually spent money as the stock sounds did not meet your requirements either. Studio time + Strike Pro Module+ Roland module. Did you really save much more then me? And you will always have a shit ton of latency.
you said it bro they make it sound like more than it is problem,,, a geek problem their not drummers,,hire a friken drummer and get it rite assholes,,the sounds are good end of story
@@TheeDrumWorkshop not me i know i fucked up
My ears must be bad because I thought all of the preset kits sounded fantastic. 1000 times better than any Roland kit. Roland has absolutely the worst drum sounds of any brand. I own one and I don’t like any of them and I can only tolerate 2 Tom and snare sample, 2 rides and 1-2 crashes.
How anyone can like Roland sounds and think Alesis is just decent boggles my mind. Either I or the Roland lover has horrible ears
I compared the sounds pretty favourably towards Alesis - I concluded that most are better and more usable out of the box than Roland's sounds. I wouldn't go as far as you have to say 1000x, especially once you edit the Roland kits, but I agree that Roland's stock kits are mostly uninspired and the "good" stuff takes quite a bit of work to achieve. Some of the Alesis sounds feel limited (samples layers and articulations, rather than the tonal quality itself) and I thought that they didn't hold up that well compared to modules like the Pearl Mimic Pro, but that's a very different price point!
i own a mimic...
but i must say i lost some respect for you on this video...i guess i dont like your none neutral starting point...you obviously dont want to like alesis.
Other than the title and "I often use Roland" opening line (which I chose more for attracting new viewers than any solid hypothesis), as far as I'm aware the actual content has no more bias one way or another compared to any other gear review or first impressions that I do. I really want to like this module and so far I've summised that there's a chance it's actually much better than expected, but I'm not happy with the trigger performance so far. If that doesn't come across in the content of the video, then ok.
@@TheeDrumWorkshop I appreciate what you offer to us on this channel. You offer good info and help fellow musicians with said info. I have no intention of coming across as a jerk.This is the first vid you've offered that iv been just a little disappointed with...$700 module being compared to $2200 and $2500 modules seems wrong. The strike hits far above its weight class and should be measured accordingly.
No, I don't think you're coming across as a jerk at all (if you were, I'd probably have ignored the comment). I wouldn't want to turn off long-time viewers of the channel with certain content styles so I'd rather engage and understand the viewpoints more when I can!
I personally think there's a case to be made that Alesis have positioned this as a flagship module (with a feature set that lives up to that too, on paper), so comparisons with other flagships can be valid, but I completely understand that some might disagree. I wasn't really aiming to say "look at how this £600 modules isn't the same as this £2000" one but if it comes across that way then I might have miscommunicated my points. The TD-17 triggers better with pads from the competition than the Strike does, for instance, and I could have used that module with these pads to send the MIDI out and got the same results as I did here, I just happened to have my 50 set up at the time. I tried to qualify a lot of what I said with "for the price" (such as the build quality near the beginning and my final points at the end) and I'll be going deeper with the module in the future with a potential full review so I will definitely keep your points in mind when working out how to put things across!
We always hear from Alesis lovers about how its a great value compared to Roland. It seems to me you get what you pay for. I wouldnt even consider buying an Alesis just from quality issues. Id take a td17 module for $500 over this.
Can you connect the Alesis strike pro module to any old Alesia drum or to any electric drum for that matter, like for an example the Alesis DM 10 electric drum?