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April 22, 2020

Alesis Strike Pro Review – Does This Stand Up To Competitors?

Pros:

  • We love the look and feel of the Alesis Strike Pro Kit. The drums are responsive, and the sounds of the kit are nuanced. Wood shells enhance the look of this drum kit.
  • We are also impressed with the solid chrome rack that doesn’t flinch even while playing the hardest songs and moves. While this is an issue with many other kits, Alesis has done a great job here.
  • The best part is that all these kick-ass features come at a big fraction of the value.
  • However, this kit is designed for professionals. So, if you are planning to buy a drum kit for the first time, the Alesis Strike Pro Kit isn’t a great choice for you.
  • Amazing look and feel
  • Relatively cheaper
  • A sturdy chrome rack
  • Decent Sounding module

Cons:

  • Many drummers have complained about the functioning of the Hi-Hat controller. It doesn’t seem to work properly while doing closing or opening action with it. Problems involve double triggering, pedal firing erratically, or not triggering at all. Piezo plates are also found faulty in certain cases (however, the 1.4 firmware update reportedly fixes Hi-Hat problems).
  • Partial effects engine
  • Limited expansion
  • No dedicated studio interface

Alesis Strike Pro electronic drum kit is touted to redefine the realism and playing experience for electronic drums. With a full-sized 20” kick and mesh heads, this kit provides the versatility that very few electronic drum kits offer.

These features sound great, but are they real? To answer this question, we are going to review this product and list down everything you need to know. We are also listing features, pros, and cons to help you make an informed decision. This is what we found.

What’s Included With The Alesis Strike Pro Kit?:

The Alesis Strike Pro Kit is an electronic drum kit. It comes with a snare pad, four crash cymbals, a kick pad, four tom pads, and a hi-hat controller. As with almost all electronic drum kits, pads of this kit are also made from nylon mesh.

Other things included are strike performance module, buttons to control parameters, and an LCD screen.

Let’s have a look at the list of things included in this kit:

  • 14″ dual-zone snare drum pad
  • 16″ triple-zone ride cymbal pad
  • 12″ hi-hat cymbal pads
  • 14″ dual-zone crash cymbal pads (3)
  • 8″, 10″, 12″, 14″ dual-zone tom pads
  • 14″ kick drum pad
  • Chrome rack
  • Pair of drumsticks
  • Drum key
  • Strike performance module
  • Cable snake and wraps
  • Power supply
  • Assembly guide

Things that are not included in the kit are Hi-Hat Stand and pedal of the kick drum. You can use those from your existing gear or buy them separately.

Of note, if you opt for the eight-piece kit, you will get only one 14” dual-zone crash (instead of three) and won’t get the 14” drum pad.

The version ideal for you depends on your requirements. The quality remains the same for both models.

The mesh heads are large and designed to imitate that of actual acoustic drums. However, the cymbals are crescent-shaped and not full-sized.

Lastly, the kick drum is sizable. It gives great resistance to the pedal. The way it responds is one of the greatest strengths of the Strike Pro kit.

Features

  • 20” kick simulates acoustic bass drum feel and look
  • Large triple-zone cymbal pads
  • 3” full-color LED screen
  • 136 custom kits made using 1,800 multi-sampled instruments
  • Software editor
  • Wood shells in acoustic sizes
  • 16GB storage
  • USB/MIDI connectivity
  • Mesh pads and rubber hoop
  • Rack made up of steel
  • Special edition with black hardware and striking gold lugs

How Does The Alesis Strike Pro Feel?:

Many of you would be interested to know about the feel.

Well, hitting electronic pads is a bit different from the feel of a real drum, but with this kit, it is close. We love the flexibility, ability to replicate sounds, and the feel of real-acoustic drum kits.

Now, coming to the size, this drum kit has full-size, real-life pads, with the room of actual drumheads. The bell area offered by the cymbals is larger than the majority kits. This allows you to get a range of sounds and feel out of them, similar to the actual one.

Beyond the impressive size, we are awestruck how Alesis has managed to manage the excellent response. The mesh heads mimic the feel of a real acoustic drum.

So, like Roland, it is neither too responsive, nor too rigid like rubber pads. Alesis Strike Pro kit is right in the middle. Moreover, you can adjust the head tensions as per your requirement.

Overall, the feel of the drum kit is great. If you need an electronic drum kit with close proximation of actual kits, then Strike Pro can be a great option for you

How Does It Look?:

As we all know, electronic drums are compact and small in the majority of cases. For instance, Alesis Nitro is very small, and the transition to acoustic drums may be difficult. Read our complete Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit review.

But the Alesis Strike Pro Kit comes with a regular shell size. So, the ergonomic feel of this kit and the acoustic kit is similar.

Furthermore, the shells are made from wood that features a red sparkle finish.

Alesis Strike Pro

How Does It Sound?:

The Alesis Strike Pro Kit offers an impressive variety of sounds. It includes 110 distinct kits that have been assembled from 1600 instruments. Moreover, they are multi-sampled, which means multiple samples are taken from each instrument to provide accuracy.

The best part is that the kit is responsive and dynamic. The sound quality is also unparalleled. We feel that this may be the best feature of this kit. Anyway, here you can hear a preview.

The Strike Module

The Strike performance module features are worth mentioning. It sports a 4.3” color LED screen that plays vibrant and clear images. This feature may not help you play better but may motivate you to play more.

Moreover, the module can sample audio. The SD card storage and USB/MIDI connectivity are curated with professional audio production software.

Other Features Explained

  • Drum pads: All drum pads are dual-zone that offers you to play sounds from the rim and pad. You can also decrease or increase the responsiveness of mesh heads.
  • Electronic cymbals: The cymbals have a traditional hammered look, which is great. Moreover, the large bell supports playing various accents in the same piece of music. The cymbals have piezo only on one side. However, this is manageable as they have locking washers beneath them that keeps them straight. There is one triple-zone ride cymbal, which allows you to hit at either bow, edge, or bell of the cymbal. The rest of the cymbals are dual-zone.
  • The ins and outs: As mentioned above, the drum module has an 8GB SD card that allows you to add new sounds and samples. The USB/MIDI connections support the use of virtual instruments. The snake cable connects the pads to the module.
  • Strike Software Editor: It allows you to create new kits on the computer and not just use the knobs on the module.

Pros:

  • We love the look and feel of the Alesis Strike Pro Kit. The drums are responsive, and the sounds of the kit are nuanced. Wood shells enhance the look of this drum kit.
  • We are also impressed with the solid chrome rack that doesn’t flinch even while playing the hardest songs and moves. While this is an issue with many other kits, Alesis has done a great job here.
  • The best part is that all these kick-ass features come at a big fraction of the value.
  • However, this kit is designed for professionals. So, if you are planning to buy a drum kit for the first time, the Alesis Strike Pro Kit isn’t a great choice for you.
  • Amazing look and feel
  • Relatively cheaper
  • A sturdy chrome rack
  • Decent Sounding module

Cons:

  • Many drummers have complained about the functioning of the Hi-Hat controller. It doesn’t seem to work properly while doing closing or opening action with it. Problems involve double triggering, pedal firing erratically, or not triggering at all. Piezo plates are also found faulty in certain cases (however, the 1.4 firmware update reportedly fixes Hi-Hat problems).
  • Partial effects engine
  • Limited expansion
  • No dedicated studio interface

Is Alesis Strike Pro worth it?

After reviewing the features, benefits, pros, and cons, we have concluded that the Alesis Strike Pro electronic drum kit is definitely worth the price. The 20” kick and mesh heads provide you a feel of a real acoustic drum, features that a very few e-drum kits come with.

How do I update my Alesis strike pro?

You can update the eight-piece version of Alesis Strike Pro using Alesis’s expansion kit.

Features of the expansion kit includes:

  • Two 14” Crash Cymbals
  • One 14” Tom
  • Hardware required to upgrade
  • Matching finish for a uniformed look
  • Enhanced playing range

Is Alesis a good brand for drums?

Yes. Alesis is one of the leading brands in the electronic instrument market for the last few years.

At Alesis they aim at pushing boundaries to provide affordable and high-quality products that drummers are looking for. They have left no stone turned to produce modern products designed by high-tech and modern musicians.

What is the best electronic drum set?

Well, Alesis Strike Pro is an excellent option if you are a professional percussionist. This may not be a good option if you are planning to buy an e-drum kit for the first time.

For beginners, The Nitro Mesh kit is a great electronic kit option. It offers a module loaded with 385 sounds and mesh pads. It includes all the tools you may need to give your drumming journey a great kickstart.

Final Thoughts On The Alesis Strike Pro Drum Kit:

The Alesis Strike Pro Kit has raised the bar of electronic drum kits to a new higher level. Full-size drum pads and mesh heads provide the feel of a real acoustic drum kit.

Overall, the Alesis Strike Pro Kit has a great look and feel and is a high-quality kit. It can be an excellent option for all e-kit enthusiasts as well as acoustic players. With amazing feels and features, there is hardly anything that goes against this kit.

Other Alesis Kits:

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