I recently bought this Alesis Debut Kit. Just for, after a lot of years, trying out the electronic drumkits of today. I knew it was mostly for kids. (And for beginner drummers it said on the site where I bought it.) I just turned the two toms on the rack upside down to get a little more height out of it. Which was not great, being that the triggers are now also on the other side. I did not care at all about the internal sounds, I was going to trigger software drums via USB/ MIDI on my laptop anyway. But I had not paid attention on what kind of 'pedals' were included. And you're right. Those are REALLY freakin' AWFULll!! And I even modified them a little, after only a few days, so that I had to push them in a little harder. And that worked... ..Wel, for a while anyway. 😎Before I just had my foot very lightly on the hihat'-pedal' and it sounded like the fastest hihat solo you've ever heard. They both mistriggered a lot before my mod. But then after maybe only 2 WEEKS I broke the one I used for the basdrum. It is extremely simple inside. There's just a rubber knob with a piece of graphite [or something else] underneath , which you push, and that closes the connection on a tiny circuit board. Almost like a doorbell ringer knob. But the ring of rubber that holds it in and makes it that it springs back, just ripped through completely and that was the end of that. 2 WEEKS (of a lot of drum playing) ONLY! Then for a while I used my 'swell' pedal for the piano on my keyboard as a bassdrum pedal, which already was WAY better.😄But the rotten cherry on top of this burned cake is that, [pay attention here], THE BASSDRUM AND HIHAT PEDALS have NO touch sensitivity! And NOBODY that does a review even mentions that! I thought it was just because of the pedals, but I tried some other things on it and the circuit in that module does not have that build in. So every time the basdrum is volume 127 and if you close the hihat that also is at that same volume. So that's the bad... for now. I tried a lot of VST drums that were almost as bad as the build in stuff. And some marginally better. But then I came across the Steven Slate Drums 5 sampler and was amazed beyond belief! It is just one drumkit which is around 2,5 GB, and when you buy the whole thing you can download another 19 GB! But that one kit is already really amazing. You can tune every piece of the set individually, set an initial volume, change how sensitive it is, if a signal goes to the overhead mikes or roommikes too, and a lot more. That's how I found out that the rest of that Alesis debut kit surpizingly is really, really good, 👍and has way- way- way more touch sensitivity then al the build in kits. One of the good things on that Alesis hardware is that you can tune the snare and toms. Not for the tone of course but for the bounce and the feel of the kit. So anyway, how did I 'resolve' my pedal situation? Well, I bought a second new electronic drumkit of course. 😁 And from another brand that has a real bassdrum pedal, and the pedals are like....you know.. like real drum pedal size! That 2nd kit is the Fazley DDK-040, which by the way also has no usable sounds in it. That's just great, isn't it? 🙃 So then at first I just triggered from 2 modules, the bassdrum pedal and hihatpedal [and hihat] connected to the Fazley, bacause that does have touch sensitivity for the pedals. But the hardware is not tuneable, unlike the Alesis. And at first I thought, same as you, that the Alesis drumrack was not that bad. It maybe even slightly good. But when the Fazley came, (which was mostly for the pedals, the rest of the hardware (snare, toms and cymbals) was worse then the Alesis) But it became very clear that that has a far more superior drumrack. Realy sturdy, and a lot heavier too. And the Alesis actualy was a piece of crap. I put all of the Alesis stuff on the Fazley drumrack and that is way more solid then the other one. But then I had a thought; I have all this extra hardware, can't I trigger some extra stuff. Not really, this hardware does not support extra cymbals or toms. But then I just put the free Steven Slate Drums 5 sampler on a second laptop, with one of the drummodules. So now I have almost everything triggering through the Alesis module. Minus the pedals and hihat, which are on the Fazley along with a second crash and a 4th tom. (The hihat and the hihatpedal couldn'tg be on 2 different modules.) So now I have the extended hardware drumkit I wanted in the first place. On a way better drumrack. And stil not that expensive, even on the cheap side. It was like 270 euro for the Alesis Debut Kit and 300 euro for the Fazley DDK-040 kit. One of the laptops I bought second-hand for 100 euro, and the other one I got for free. And the fantastic sounding software drumkit from Steven Slate was also free. And the thing that made me go for that one was that it said it would work for always. So no demo which would stop after some weeks. Great Thanks Steven Slate.🙂And the thing on that Alesis hardware is that you can tune the snare and toms. Not for the tone of course but for the bounce and the feel of the kit. So... The cheaper electronic drumkits really don't have to SUCK as hard as they mostly do. If instead of putting '10 kits' or '15 kits' in those modules, they would provide only one but a really good realistic sounding drumkit, that could be a game changer for the electronic drums. I know now that most of the cheap hardware can really do amazing touch sensitivity, even if it can't do that on its own drummodule. Which is crazy by the way... And the inside of the 'snare' and toms (which are al the same with the Alesis) and the cymbals too, are really, really simple. There is only a round piezo eh 'thing' (yes that's a technical termin them between to pieces of foam. And the topside of the foam touches the underside of skins of the snare and toms. And a wire that runs to the [mono]_jack underneath. Extremely simple and cheap. I'm very glad that electronic drumkits with mesh-heads came down in price a lot, so even I can affford it. And I'm sticking with the free software drumkit from Steven Slate. Nothing comes even remotely close to the realism of this one kit. No 'Superiour Drummer' or 'Toontrack EZDrummer' or whatever you might think of. Even compared to the sounds of a really expensive Roland module & kit. Really, the Steven Slate one is that good. 👍 (Because he is a drummer and a producer/ [mixer? Not sure.] And he knows how it sounds as a drummer. And he knows how to record it.) Anyway.... Short story very, very long.😉Greetings from the Netherlands. Peace! ✌
This is being promoted right now and I only hope other parents find this like I did! A poor instrument is the easiest way to ruin your kids love of making music, and I don't imagine my kid would stick with it through the frustration of all that misfiring and how messy it sounds. Definitely seems worth going a step up even if you have to save up for a bit to invest in your kids musical joy
Thanks for the comment, good question, I haven't tested it out but I will put that on the list to do, they're the same module so I think you can swap out the Debut pedals with the Turbo Mesh pedals, while still not great they're a lot better than the ones on the Debut kit. Unfortunately the Debut module does not support the pedals from the Nitro Mesh and up.
Can these triggers be used with other alesis modules? May have an opportunity to pick one up shockingly cheap on a auction site, (less than the cost of a single trigger) just wondering if I'd be able to add on to a higher tier kit with pieces of this kit.
Bought for daughter (7) but the pedals, as the review states, are shocking. Yes should have upgraded but unsure where/how to source an upgrade pedal, any guidance please?
I’m not sure if these will work but Avatar pedals hh161 I think they are called replaced my stock pedals for my Alesis compact kit 7.I’ll link a video for you.These might work I’m not sure for the debut but I’m hoping so.
Hi, thanks for the comment, the pedals from the turbo mesh kit -might- work although they are still just pedals on the floor which is not ideal, please note a kick tower with a pedal will not work with these kits, the module does not support that type of pad. Unfortunately I don't have the Debut or Turbo anymore so I can't test swapping their pedals out, please let me know how you get on. Good luck.
Never cared for the sound or the action of electronic drums. The ONLY use I see for them is if you live in an apartment and use it for practice.. Playing a real drum kit is fun. Electronic drums suck.
e-drums are reaL the word is acoustic and apparently, you've NEVER played a Quality e-set(over $1500) as they have the same action and you can tune the heads. These Alesis kits are bottom line entry into drumming and you should be glad, as a drummer ( which I really don't believe you are) others have this cheap option The advantages of an e-kit is the facts you have midi and you don't have to mic your set, they fold up to store, PLUS the fact it's quiet for practice. do yourself a favor and actually research before you criticize
You have never played a high quality electronic drum kit. As a former acoustic drummer, I play my custom ekit all the time. Shells are same size, cymbals are same size as acoustic. Sounds are triggering superior drummer with high quality kits.
This kit is awesome as a travel kit.I use this to teach 4year old kids and I take this lightweight FOLDING kit with me.I bought a travel bag for it and it is aces. Alesis did a great job making this kit.I love it.
Probably watch a couple videos of high quality e-kits that aren't $300 and meant for literal children before you make a blanket statement like "Electronic drums suck" as it makes you look quite foolish. I can most definitely assure you that they do not, especially the higher end models.
i'm just going to get a cheap elect kit so i can stop being a finger tapper and maybe take some acoustic lessons once a week, but it won't be this one, hopefully the next ones up aren't too much more lol
I recently bought this Alesis Debut Kit. Just for, after a lot of years, trying out the electronic drumkits of today.
I knew it was mostly for kids. (And for beginner drummers it said on the site where I bought it.) I just turned the two toms on the rack upside down to get a little more height out of it.
Which was not great, being that the triggers are now also on the other side.
I did not care at all about the internal sounds, I was going to trigger software drums via USB/ MIDI on my laptop anyway. But I had not paid attention on what kind of 'pedals' were included. And you're right. Those are REALLY freakin' AWFULll!! And I even modified them a little, after only a few days, so that I had to push them in a little harder. And that worked... ..Wel, for a while anyway. 😎Before I just had my foot very lightly on the hihat'-pedal' and it sounded like the fastest hihat solo you've ever heard. They both mistriggered a lot before my mod. But then after maybe only 2 WEEKS I broke the one I used for the basdrum. It is extremely simple inside. There's just a rubber knob with a piece of graphite [or something else] underneath , which you push, and that closes the connection on a tiny circuit board. Almost like a doorbell ringer knob. But the ring of rubber that holds it in and makes it that it springs back, just ripped through completely and that was the end of that. 2 WEEKS (of a lot of drum playing) ONLY! Then for a while I used my 'swell' pedal for the piano on my keyboard as a bassdrum pedal, which already was WAY better.😄But the rotten cherry on top of this burned cake is that, [pay attention here], THE BASSDRUM AND HIHAT PEDALS have NO touch sensitivity! And NOBODY that does a review even mentions that! I thought it was just because of the pedals, but I tried some other things on it and the circuit in that module does not have that build in. So every time the basdrum is volume 127 and if you close the hihat that also is at that same volume. So that's the bad... for now.
I tried a lot of VST drums that were almost as bad as the build in stuff. And some marginally better. But then I came across the Steven Slate Drums 5 sampler and was amazed beyond belief! It is just one drumkit which is around 2,5 GB, and when you buy the whole thing you can download another 19 GB! But that one kit is already really amazing. You can tune every piece of the set individually, set an initial volume, change how sensitive it is, if a signal goes to the overhead mikes or roommikes too, and a lot more. That's how I found out that the rest of that Alesis debut kit surpizingly is really, really good, 👍and has way- way- way more touch sensitivity then al the build in kits. One of the good things on that Alesis hardware is that you can tune the snare and toms. Not for the tone of course but for the bounce and the feel of the kit. So anyway, how did I 'resolve' my pedal situation? Well, I bought a second new electronic drumkit of course. 😁
And from another brand that has a real bassdrum pedal, and the pedals are like....you know.. like real drum pedal size! That 2nd kit is the Fazley DDK-040, which by the way
also has no usable sounds in it. That's just great, isn't it? 🙃
So then at first I just triggered from 2 modules, the bassdrum pedal and hihatpedal [and hihat] connected to the Fazley, bacause that does have touch sensitivity for the pedals. But the hardware is not tuneable, unlike the Alesis.
And at first I thought, same as you, that the Alesis drumrack was not that bad. It maybe even slightly good. But when the Fazley came, (which was mostly for the pedals, the rest of the hardware (snare, toms and cymbals) was worse then the Alesis) But it became very clear that that has a far more superior drumrack. Realy sturdy, and a lot heavier too. And the Alesis actualy was a piece of crap. I put all of the Alesis stuff on the Fazley drumrack and that is way more solid then the other one.
But then I had a thought; I have all this extra hardware, can't I trigger some extra stuff. Not really, this hardware does not support extra cymbals or toms. But then I just put the free Steven Slate Drums 5 sampler on a second laptop, with one of the drummodules. So now I have almost everything triggering through the Alesis module. Minus the pedals and hihat, which are on the Fazley along with a second crash and a 4th tom. (The hihat and the hihatpedal couldn'tg be on 2 different modules.)
So now I have the extended hardware drumkit I wanted in the first place. On a way better drumrack. And stil not that expensive, even on the cheap side. It was like 270 euro for the Alesis Debut Kit and 300 euro for the Fazley DDK-040 kit. One of the laptops I bought second-hand for 100 euro, and the other one I got for free. And the fantastic sounding software drumkit from Steven Slate was also free. And the thing that made me go for that one was that it said it would work for always. So no demo which would stop after some weeks. Great Thanks Steven Slate.🙂And the thing on that Alesis hardware is that you can tune the snare and toms. Not for the tone of course but for the bounce and the feel of the kit.
So... The cheaper electronic drumkits really don't have to SUCK as hard as they mostly do. If instead of putting '10 kits' or '15 kits' in those modules, they would provide only one but a really good realistic sounding drumkit, that could be a game changer for the electronic drums. I know now that most of the cheap hardware can really do amazing touch sensitivity, even if it can't do that on its own drummodule. Which is crazy by the way... And the inside of the 'snare' and toms (which are al the same with the Alesis) and the cymbals too, are really, really simple. There is only a round piezo eh 'thing' (yes that's a technical termin them between to pieces of foam. And the topside of the foam touches the underside of skins of the snare and toms. And a wire that runs to the [mono]_jack underneath. Extremely simple and cheap. I'm very glad that electronic drumkits with mesh-heads came down in price a lot, so even I can affford it. And I'm sticking with the free software drumkit from Steven Slate. Nothing comes even remotely close to the realism of this one kit. No 'Superiour Drummer' or 'Toontrack EZDrummer' or whatever you might think of. Even compared to the sounds of a really expensive Roland module & kit. Really, the Steven Slate one is that good. 👍
(Because he is a drummer and a producer/ [mixer? Not sure.] And
he knows how it sounds as a drummer. And he knows how to record it.)
Anyway.... Short story very, very long.😉Greetings from the Netherlands. Peace! ✌
Thanks for getting to the point. I’ll buy the real ones.
This is being promoted right now and I only hope other parents find this like I did! A poor instrument is the easiest way to ruin your kids love of making music, and I don't imagine my kid would stick with it through the frustration of all that misfiring and how messy it sounds. Definitely seems worth going a step up even if you have to save up for a bit to invest in your kids musical joy
Thank you, what I needed to know
If i occasionally play for some solo material in ableton. Would this suffice if i can get it for $100? I really only need it for one song right now.
Great video . Shame I noticed it after I got one for my sons Xmas present !
Are there any kick and high hat pedals you
Could recommend as an upgrade ?
Thanks for the comment, good question, I haven't tested it out but I will put that on the list to do, they're the same module so I think you can swap out the Debut pedals with the Turbo Mesh pedals, while still not great they're a lot better than the ones on the Debut kit. Unfortunately the Debut module does not support the pedals from the Nitro Mesh and up.
Have you had a chance to test another pedals. Wanted to change basic one and would like to confirm if it is compatable@@RhythmRoomMusicSchool
Avatar pd705 pedals work great with this kit.I teach 4 year old kids on the debut kits and these pedals are a great improvement.
Can these triggers be used with other alesis modules? May have an opportunity to pick one up shockingly cheap on a auction site, (less than the cost of a single trigger) just wondering if I'd be able to add on to a higher tier kit with pieces of this kit.
Hi there, do you have a recommended kit for kids with a kick tower? I'm in England. Thanks!
Hi, thanks for the comment, I recommend an Alesis Nitro Mesh or a Roland TD02-KV, hope that helps!
Bought for daughter (7) but the pedals, as the review states, are shocking.
Yes should have upgraded but unsure where/how to source an upgrade pedal, any guidance please?
I’m not sure if these will work but Avatar pedals hh161 I think they are called replaced my stock pedals for my Alesis compact kit 7.I’ll link a video for you.These might work I’m not sure for the debut but I’m hoping so.
ua-cam.com/video/I4ERyon1Eeg/v-deo.htmlsi=92tBX4nI6l8HGYjR
Hi, thanks for the comment, the pedals from the turbo mesh kit -might- work although they are still just pedals on the floor which is not ideal, please note a kick tower with a pedal will not work with these kits, the module does not support that type of pad. Unfortunately I don't have the Debut or Turbo anymore so I can't test swapping their pedals out, please let me know how you get on. Good luck.
Never cared for the sound or the action of electronic drums. The ONLY use I see for them is if you live in an apartment and use it for practice.. Playing a real drum kit is fun. Electronic drums suck.
e-drums are reaL the word is acoustic and apparently, you've NEVER played a Quality e-set(over $1500) as they have the same action and you can tune the heads. These Alesis kits are bottom line entry into drumming and you should be glad, as a drummer ( which I really don't believe you are) others have this cheap option The advantages of an e-kit is the facts you have midi and you don't have to mic your set, they fold up to store, PLUS the fact it's quiet for practice. do yourself a favor and actually research before you criticize
You have never played a high quality electronic drum kit. As a former acoustic drummer, I play my custom ekit all the time. Shells are same size, cymbals are same size as acoustic. Sounds are triggering superior drummer with high quality kits.
This kit is awesome as a travel kit.I use this to teach 4year old kids and I take this lightweight FOLDING kit with me.I bought a travel bag for it and it is aces.
Alesis did a great job making this kit.I love it.
Probably watch a couple videos of high quality e-kits that aren't $300 and meant for literal children before you make a blanket statement like "Electronic drums suck" as it makes you look quite foolish. I can most definitely assure you that they do not, especially the higher end models.
i'm just going to get a cheap elect kit so i can stop being a finger tapper and maybe take some acoustic lessons once a week, but it won't be this one, hopefully the next ones up aren't too much more lol