Alesis Strike Multipad First Impressions
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- Опубліковано 31 січ 2019
- The long awaited successor to the Alesis Sample Pad pro is finally here. Does it hold up? An is it as good as the Roland SPD-SX?
Link To The Alesis Strike Multipad On Amazon
amzn.to/308l0YX
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I bought one of these last week after having only recently learned about it. When I first tried it in the store for the first time I was like okay, this is awesome, I need this. So I anxiously waited for the next time I’d have some money on hand, and I ran down and bought it as soon as I did. All I can say is, it is a wonderful product and I agree with everything you said in this video. 😄 From the feel of the pads, to the layout of the menus, the buttons, the indent, the ability to play even when someone like me is not so good at aiming. I love it a lot 😊
Great 1st Impressions Video Justin!!!
Can't wait to pick this bad boy up!!!
Hey Justin! Good Stuff!
I bought one 2 weeks ago but I haven't had the chance to try it out yet. Thanks for the video, It will come in handy when I'm ready to get familiar with it.
I just bought one and I'm having a great time learning about it.... I'm new to electronics and this makes it easy... thanks for your vids
Great product from Alesis. Thanks you Justin for share with us this review. Have a nice weekend.
Great video as usual Justin. This is something that I would buy. This would so improve my little Roland kit...... Thank you.
Look forward to your full review:). You are in concert with all the other reviews so I will pick one up in the future. I’d like to see a your take on how to best utilize it as a traveling mini-kit including ideas on bass drum & HH trigger pedals, and outboard toms for different budgets, since you are the KING of “practical application” imho.
Cheers!
G'day Justin, great rundown of the pad. Definitely looks the business. Hanging out for them to make their way to Australia then the SPD-SX will likely be finding a new home. Looking forward to you getting your hands on one for a full review. Keep up the good work mate
Hey Justin. Great video!! I have had mine since Christmas. I have incorporated it into my Alesis Strike Pro Set and I LOVE it. I have played it everyday and it has performed perfectly. I have 2 8” strike pads and a cymbal connected to external inputs on the multipad and run them as rototoms and splash. Works great and still have all 9 pads left to put loops and samples on. This thing is a beast and can’t wait for your full review!!
great video as usual, Justin. have a good weekend!
Good to see Alesis didn’t rush this one like they have in the past. Now it’s paying dividends, look at all the good reviews and positive comments people are making about this product.
I’m seeing a lot of used Roland SPD-SX’s up for sale at the moment. I wonder if people are doing the ol’ switcheroo? I wouldn’t blame them based on this review 👍
It's always nice to have more options on the market. The SPDsx is still perfectly fine, I'd be cool to try them booth side by side for a vs video
Cool review!! Looks and sound good!!
I am about to purchase one in the next day or two. I'll give you my impressions once it arrives, but I am really excited about the possibilities! Nice vid bro!
how did it go? any crosstalk issues?
Thanks for this review! I was JUST looking at purchasing the SPD-SX and this overview has me wondering which sampling pad to go with. I appreciate your straight forward reviews and impressions/opinions.
Thanks Steven! It'll be an interesting choice, I'd love to play these side by side for while to see which is better
Nice review Justin !! if only I could afford this !
Nailed it once again! I'm glad to see those mad scientists at Alesis giving those other Multipad companies a nice kick in the rear to become more modern! And the price point is perfect! It would cost you twice as much to buy TWO Roland products to do the same thing with this one product! It's genius!
Alesis is stepping up their game man!
Owned it since Black friday. It is a very solid instrument. 3 months later and I'm still trying to master it, but there's a lot here to learn. Over all this is the best product Alesis has ever made. Roland and muiltipads are going to need significant updates to compete with the Alesis SMP.
Thanks for sharing. I'm practically convinced to trade in my SPD-SX for this. I've been searching for comments like yours and i I'm yet to read a "don't buy this".
I think this pad has killer sounds. Alesis did a very good job. Played this at my Guitar Center
This poor dude must’ve given that same demo a hundred times that week hahah. I saw him sitting there every time I walked through the Alesis room.
100 percent. The dude has a ton of patience, I didn't include the full demo because literally every other drum channel did, but he is a great presenter and explains it really well
Haha yeah man...he was cool. Alesis is really trying to step it up. Good on them
Bring the man a burger geeezzz
I just ordered this from guitar center today. Bought it used for 550$. Was basically same price as Roland spdsx. Can't wait to pick it up and start learning all of the in's and out's of the hardware
I just bought a multipad. I wasn't too fond of dropping $800 on it, but after a few days use, I was pretty impressed.. I still have a lot to learn about it, but its pretty badass!
Nice video, I appreciate you taking a look at it and I look forward to your long term review. I bought this back in November and I have to say as a multipad alone- it's fantastic. But the thing about this is it's way more than a multipad. I think this appeals to far more than just drummers, as it's sampling and looping capabilities make it a great studio and live performance tool- which is why I primarily bought it. Not only that, it's also a computer interface, has MIDI capabilities, and you can plug your guitar, bass, keyboards into it and create samples. I also really love the ability to make it a full blown drum kit by adding pads, a kick, and a hi-hat. This is easily one of the best pieces of gear to come out this past year- kudos to Alesis for thinking of everything and executing so well. Without a doubt it's easily worth it's $700 price tag- it's a device without equal in the market right now.
We're you a SPD-SX owner? Bout to buy my first and having trouble picking the right one!
@@mikealtier8816 No, I was seriously considering buying one. I've played around with them a bit and did research though. To be honest, I think it really comes down to what you want to do with it. But I also think that Roland is probably going to be coming out with a new version pretty soon. Whether it is an answer to the Alesis pad is yet to be seen. The reason I went with the Alesis pad is mainly because I use it as a studio tool, and it is really now my main device for creating drum tracks in the songs I create. I don't think the SPD-SX really competes in this space. It's more of a performance tool or add on to a kit. It's rock solid and proven, while the Alesis is not. But I am not afraid of this particular product from Alesis because quite frankly it is built solid- this is really a step up for Alesis into "professional" territory, but the price also reflects that.
Bang for the buck- I just feel the Alesis is way ahead of the other multipads out there. Just a ton of clever and useful features- along with a very good user interface that makes accessibility very intuitive. I love all things Roland, as I have owned a lot of their synths- but quite frankly the SPD-SX is just not up to par with the Strike at this point. In 6 months to a year though- maybe. I'm sure Roland is more than capable of offering something that exceeds the Strike. I just don't know if it will come in at the same price.
Hello from Russia! Justin, can you make a comparison of this alesis multipad and Roland's octapad and any other top multipads? (I think it's top, it may not be so :) )
I'm thinking of buying one of those and the main thing I'm looking for is live playing and improvisation. What are your thoughts? Have you played on other pads but alesis and do you have some stuff to share?)
Hey Justin, heres another idea. So in e-drums, Roland is objectively the leading brand. Can you do a video about the things Roland got right and why they're at the top of the e-drum game for the longest time
Trollstation123 they have been and Roland is great but alesis is really stepping up their game and is a true competitor!!! Sure they have had some issues but have faced them head on and customer service is TOP NOTCH!!!! Truly a front runner drum supremacy!!! To each their own and it all comes down to preference. Roland is great..... so is Alesis!!!!!!!!!!!
I really like it I’m actually a Roland guy for reliability. But Alesis features are awesome and useful.
Justin. Are the pads pressure sensitive like dtx multipad? Does it have the muting functionality where you can do like cymbal choking? Also how do The sounds compare to the dtx multipad? Thanks in advance
I want one !
Will it work with Roland Bass drum and HiHat triggers and V-kit meshhead pads ?
I think this is a great unit. It doesn't seem to have an accompanying software to map samples to pads like Roland does. I wish Roland's software auto-encoded samples to the correct format for you. Alesis could get another check in the plus column if they do that.
Seems like Alesis Is coming around with the strike line. Line module and now this pad
I just ordered one. It will arrive on Feb 20. Can't wait!
I think it will be a nice upgrade from the SPD-SX that I currently have.
Let me know how it works out for you!
@@65Drums I might record a short video highlighting the pros and cons (I think there's any) VS SPD SX.
I will upload photos to the Facebook group as soon as it arrives.
@@silhy37 How did this go? can I see what you found out? really interested!
@@Mikas_Emil Overall it's a great product. I've been loving it.
It has a couple of routing limits that I'm not that happy with.
The lightning interface it's just great, with lots of possibility of modes that will help identifying what you have in each pad, and what is sounding and what not.
You have to set sensitivity and threshold of the external pads in every kit, so that is a bit inconvenient..
I recently (a week ago) received an Strike Pro 10' tom, and HiHat (That I have as secondary HH with a remote clutch hardware)
I promise I will upload a video as soon as I can. I hope in the following weeks.
Mike Silhy those kind of real world usage review is incredibly helpful. Would love to hear more about the routing you talk about! And yes, please make a video! Would love to hear how it holds up. And no triggering issues in regards to crosstalk?
Nice!
Hey Justin, here is a question for you. I have a command, upgrading to a strike. If you wanted more zones than the strike has would you get a multipad or a second strike module (which I could trigger with my command pads). The multipad is smaller and I could still use some of my command pads, but the samples are single shot. What is your opinion?
I would like to see a side by side comparison with Yamaha dtx multipad and Roland spd sx, and this Alesis pad. The price difference is one to two hundred dollars
Is there a way to do kit-chain or set list mode ? If not, what are some ways to quickly change the kit order? Purpose is to match a set list for performances.
8,000 SOUNDS?????!!!!!! WHAAAAAAT...I need this in my life
let's hear the quality of all those sounds first, for example there is only one open triangle sound available which sounds like it got raped by Megatron at the time of recording...nothing a modest sample can help resolve, this product is still the best multipad on the market today for me. :)
looks really good, specs read excellent..i think each pad is dual layer (my yamaha dtx multi 12 is 4 layers) however they got a ton of things right
here with the massive detailed display, user color lights and how they display for samples, loops, bpm...looks good
nice video...good competition breeds innovation
This thing kicks ass. very nice i/o, 5 trigger inputs, recording inputs. the menu system will take some getting used to, but I like how it has dedicated buttons for important functions. feels great (better than roland and yamaha). also 32gb of memory.
one downside is that all samples you import must be in the root directory of a USB drive and it automatically loads a kit when it's highlighted for a second. I'd rather press a button to confirm it to load.
TalkShowHost sounds like you are really happy with it. I’m on the market I will consider
I've got a question which hasn't been covered by any of the videos on UA-cam so I'm really hoping you will read this :-). Let's suppose I want to load up the Alesis Strike with my own snare sample and I want it to have it's own velocity range depending on how hard I hit a pad with said sample on it. Would I need to upload 127 samples for each velocity or can I just upload one sample at a "normal" volume and the Multipad will do the rest for me?
Thanks in advance! :-)
I’ve seen that you can sample from an iPhone onto this directly from garage band app, but can you sample tracks that you’ve purchased from iTunes or would iTunes block that. Taking samples from the kaosilator app would be cool
I’m waiting to know if they are road worthy like the Roland spdsx
Can you layer two sounds on one trigger input? Like a bass drum with a cowbell....
Hello Justin I got an strike multipad base on this review, can you make a video on how to upload music from your phone? Thanks brother
I’ve been looking for a set and something that I can play as a drummer with no room and a guitarist that can use this as something to accompany me on piano. But can I use it as a extra percussionist in a band?
you never know with alesis.....some good products and some with issues
Hello is it possible to change the tempo on a loaded beat sample while playing the sample or can I change the tempo before i press play on a sample ?
Now...Are the pads pressure sensitive like on the DTX?
A friend of mine let me use his , within a week had to order my own...
How are the load times when you change kit numbers? Are they painfully slow like the last pad they made or are they now instantaneous? All the knobs and buttons are amazing for programming but I think will take up too much real estate on your drum set playing surface in live applications. They are also in the danger zone of a person hitting them with their sticks. I think they should have put the controls above the pads or did what Yamaha has done with the multi 12. You can wire your iPad to it to program, change patches and display what the pads do on the iPad plus the bonus placing the iPad away from harm.
The load times are extremely fast on this- much improved from what I've heard and seen of their old multipads. As one could imagine, the processor is much better on this one- but it should be for the price. As far as hitting the control panel- it can happen, but I don't think it's something that most will have a problem with. I've personally hit the screen a couple of times, but never a button. And if you're worried about the screen, they've have definitely beefed up it's protection. I'm not worried about breaking it. And like Justin mentioned, there is no track record of how it will hold up- but I have to say the build quality is very, very good and I really don't see this as being a problem.
I don't know from experience though shortly i will have experience since i have ordered one, but i did hear that the load times are much snappier than the strike pro e drum kits. so from what i have heard it isn't supposed to be out of line with other similar products.
can i add a real e drum high hat stand to one without
Please! Show, how Hi-hat pedal works with this. And does it works good with Roland extra pads?
It will be interesting to see how Roland responds to Alesis releasing a product as this. The Roland multi-pads are old and short on features compared to the Strike Multipad, so it might be the perfect time for Roland to bring an even bigger monster to the table. How about a multipad with TD-50 features and sounds, outputs for eight (8) external pads, the playability of the SPD-30 and the sampler build of the SPD-SX all for $1000? Which one would you buy?
I'm 100% sure they have been working on a new one, no idea when it will come out though
I have the sample pad 4 and 8 about to sell to get this
Awesome video! What are your thoughts on the control screen and buttons being put on the bottom of the unit instead of the side like the Octapad? And will Alesis ever make a unit similar to the Octapad with the screen and buttons on the side? The problem with the screen being on the bottom of the unit is that when placed within the environment of an actual drum set there's a much greater chance of accidentally hitting the screen and/or buttons with the drum stick. Given this, it seems like the Octapad was designed to as percussion add-on to an actual drum set, versus the SPD-SX which is made to be used more as a production add-on for a DJ setup, or as a stand-alone portable drum set. That's why the Octapad does not have nearly the sampling and looping capabilities as the SPD-SX. And let's face, this new Alesis Multipad is basically Alesis's version of the SPD-SX. But I really would like an updated Octapad since my main purpose for owning a multipad is that I just want it as percussion add-on for my drum set.
Peter, hello. If I'm not mistaken, you're saying that an octapad has less looping abilities than the spdsx. Can you tell me more about it? I thought of an octapad as it's a perfect tool for making live loops and improvise on stage without any other instruments involved. All because of its phrase loop function.
I'm not sure exactly what it's capabilities are because I've never actually used one but compared to the SPD-SX it definitely has less of the sampling and looping stuff. I'm sure it has something but it's main purpose seems to be a percussion pad for a drum set, in lieu of buying separate cowbells, wood blocks, etc, you can just buy an Octapad and you get a whole bunch of cool extra sound drum and percussion. If you're looking to do looping and sampling you should be researching the SPD-SX vs the Octapad and see which one meets your needs best. The SPD-SX might be overkill but I'm definitely not an expert.
Mine just quit working after only having it for 45 days. No sound output at all either through headphone or drum monitor. I was playing sound started to cut in and out and then nothing. No bueno. Anybody else experiencing this?? Thank god. I bought guitar center warranty. Will either get a new one or maybe switch to reliable Yamaha dtx multipad. Get some of my money back. Hmmmmm.
I sold my Rowland sx pad to get the new Strike Pad. I love it, however one of the things I found the Rolwand did the Strike is not able to do is put a list of songs together (a set list) which will move from song to song. The strike you have to change to the song you are going to play and the load time is SLOW.
Hey Justin - I really liked the Alesis multiped until I found out you can't export a sample to the flash drive. I looked in the on-line manual 3 times and it wasn't there so I called Alesis, and the tech support guy at first said you could but after spending some time looking into it he realized you can't. Why I don't know. Such a basic simple thing. I will go with the Roland sdp-sx. I've always used Roland and I trust their reliability. I'm kind of bummed though - I like the Alesis better.
Why would you need to export a sample from the sample pad? And if you really need a sound from it, press record, and just hit the pad once, wait 5 seconds and you've got a recording of that sound that you can export
@@65Drums Hey Justin - thanks for your response. I wanted to export to a flash drive so I can load samples into my td17 and play the kit from my TD17 kit. I see what your saying about recording but Alesis told me you can't export, you can only record into your daw and export from that. It works but its just another step. I'm just trying to make it as simple as I can. Thanks!
Unrelated to the pad, but I’m a drummer like most if not all of you watching. Some time in the past 3 weeks my hands have started to swell while playing. Now at first I thought it’s just cold weather, I’m in Ohio and it’s been a cold few weeks. I’m not sure that’s it tho, it’s mostly swelling mid forearm and behind but between my knuckles on each hand. I’ve made a dr appointment but is this a technique issue? If so do you recommend a specific way to learn proper technique? I have been playing since 2006 I’ve never had this issue. I’m curious if anyone else has had this issue themselves or maybe have insight on the matter. I love my drums and I’m down to only 20 mins every other day now bc they swell so bad I can’t keep my sticks in hand.
Honestly to me it sounds like a nasty case of tendonitis. That'd explain the location on the strains. Probably could be a mix of technique and maybe the weather. Some are far more responsive to severe weather in that way and could be pairing with related joint pain. I'm no doctor and honestly can't say I'm a good on technique, but it's probably best to just let your arms rest for a bit, maybe use a wrist brace while you sleep, etc. I'm sure your doctor will have more or something entirely different to say there, but ye.
Just some tips from a Midwestern drummer with terrible joint genes (thanks Mom)
So this is what a decent company does. Make tons of money off of the strike kit, then use that for r and d on this.. Now everybody should buy one of these to fund the strike 2 kit. Take notice edrum companies. Your days are numbered. Give cons3what they want or go away.
what??????
Can a keyboard controller be plugged into it to play sounds through midi?
Yeah I did it in a video once
I've never played drums before.
Have no room.
Limited funds.
But just wanna jam with a buddy.
Is this multi pad for me?
Hell yeah it is
I got one but returned it next day. Had some crosstalk and some pads were missing some hits.
Wow that sucks sorry to hear that
Wow, you're the first person I've heard say anything about cross-talk on the Strike MP. Wonder if you got a clinker?
@@thunderfoot11 maybe . I spent hours making sure it wasn't the sensitivity setting. Factory reset several times. The firmware version was 1.0 and there were no updates. Maybe just bad luck with that unit.
@@AndresBurgoa damn. All the specs in the world can't make up for crossttriggeren.. really hope it was a bad egg...
When I first got the unit I was having the same issue but realized that out of the box on certain kits the pads are grouped together. When you hit a pad 1 of 2 pads sound off and it’s not necessarily the pad you hit. Helps with for example a snare not sounding like a digital machine gun. Allows for 2 different samples to sound to help recreate more of a dynamic and human feel to the sounds. When I realized this I took the pads out of the groups and it was perfect.
Awesome product, have ir since a month right now, and using it as a portable mini kit, I Addy a Roland cymbal and a Bass drum pedal and it’s excelent, hopefully you can help me add the CY15 ride cymbal and the hi hat controller, cause right now it’s the only 2 things missing on this kit, please help me as soon as you got a sample kit at your home, Thanks bro
I would like to see someone demonstrate. this multipad with some real music
Still can't get the hit hats to trigger properly on the strike pro set after all sorts of febile attempts! Not so impressed!! Even received a new module which didn't do anything to correct the issue and exchanged hi hats and hi hat components multiple times. Has caused me so much recording down time!! With a channel like mine creating music videos with over 85 million views This really has caused me a lot of stress!
Send it to me. Ive gotten 3 supposedly faulty hhats to work just fine. No joke. 2 years on my Strike pro and its been awesome. Sits right mext to me td50kvxs and my acoustic Taye Pro x.
Also make sure you're on the 1.4 firmware. I haven't had to worry about my hi-hat ever since.
UNDERGROUND 360 Official UA-cam Channel go into the strike editor and adjust the velocity settings for each HH zone. Make the semi opens more of a span with the bottom semi open the most span and it works GREAT!!!!!!!! I have had the best sounding so far. Also make sure you have the new spring from alesis. They work fantastic!!!!
am i being thick here? at c.3'20" you say you can't import your own samples & loops, but i've heard that you can. (i think you said so later - can't face watching it all again!)
You definitely can import all kinds of samples and loops oh, that's the main feature of this :-)
@@65Drums thanks! i thought so!
What's the name of the man with the white beard? he seems nice
Texas Tim
I just wish someone would explain the names of the hi hat samples ARGGGGGGGH!
Have you some how used the Xtractpler tool to create samples from other VSTs or even hardware modules? Check it here: www.xtractpler.com
NO.
Just got SPD-SX Roland. Everything about Alesis looks cheap. Looks like a cheap toy. The pads look like they just glued it on top of the unit its
not flushed like the SPD-SX.
Guess you missed the part where Justin explained that the ENTIRE surface is covered in rubber...