Customer Reviews

Alesis Control Pad USB/MIDI Percussion Pad Controller

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you have software to emulate drums sounds over USB, this is the potential full drum kit for you! I use Toontrack EZdrummer Multi Layer Drum Sampler under Sonar 8 (x64) and under ASIO Win 7 x64 drivers, there is ZERO latency!!

The sensitivity and feel is spot on. Great feedback and altough you have to wail pretty hard to hit 127 MIDI levels, you can easily configure it to automatically max out to 127 on any hit which is nice when you don't need to record such delicate playing.

The best part of this pad is that you can easily add on an external kick, hi-hat and 2 extra triggers. Using all of these would open up all 8 pads to pretty much a full set including all cymbals, toms and maybe even more cowbell.

Another great feature is that when hooked up via USB, the MIDI IN/OUT acts as a MIDI interface. I have an old Yamaha pf70 piano hooked up to the control pad and Sonar can receive input from the piano!

Several reviews warn, and I will do the same again. This is not a drum module and contains no sounds! It is simply a control pad only (clever name), so it will require software over USB or a standalone midi drum processing module for audio.

This product was a good idea, but the execution of its construction is poor. It is responsive, does what it says, works relatively well as a controller. Problem one was the power, I actually had to send it back to alesis because there was a problem with the jack on the unit. Not a big deal. But the pads, while responsive, are a pain to adjust. The two bottom right pads on mine trigger at the same time (when you hit one, the other triggers too), and I've spent more time trying to adjust this (following the directions) than actually playing the darn thing. Even when I got it, I spent hours adjusting the other pads so they didn't trigger all at once, but those last two I can't fix. I can't even trigger them separately in order to adjust them! After having this for about two years with light use (and, to reiterate, more time adjusting it than actually playing it), I've basically given up on those two pads ever working right.

You get more than you pay for with this Alesis ControlPad. It's an excellent addition to an electronic studio or a drum set. The rubber drum pads are velocity sensitive and offer a realistic bounce. It can be used with software over USB (such as BFD lite, which is included) or it can be used with a hardware device that accepts MIDI input.

I've been very impressed so far!

Unlike many drum pads, this one does NOT come with built-in sounds.... just so you all understand. It ONLY triggers them. I was able to quickly get this to trigger drum sounds in both Propellerhead Reason 4 as well as Ableton Live 8. Both programs make use of WAV files so you can load up ANYTHING you can put on you PC or laptop, giving you thousands and hundreds of samples for an endless variety of drum sounds...... compared to limited built-in and cheap-sounding midi drum files found on most beat-box-type machines.
I wanted a portable drummer for both LIVE as well as studio work, so this works well since the unit powers from the USB port... output from your laptop soundcard into a PA or amp. When I outputted it into my home theater receiver there was a noticeable delay, but NO delay thru headphones or directly into an amp. The pads bounce drum sticks pretty well. This unit is just a bit large and will NOT fit into most laptop cases/bags, so expect to transport inside something else for protection.
Remember that Win 7 users will have to use ASIO-4-All to compensate for delay in programs, which can be awkward at best and sometimes a bit temperamental.

I sent the unit back the day after I received it.

Sensitivity and threshold were impossible to set. Crosstalk was horrible.

My Yamaha DD-55 had WAY better pad sensitivity.

I plan to spend more and get something playable. Currently looking at the Roland Octapad.

Now that I own this MIDI Control Pad, I'm not so sure. I was really excited by the various videos on youtube and reviews I had read. But the responsiveness is just like every other electronic drum set out there. Not enough sensitivity. I mean, ideally, it should be able to detect any impact with it in anyway, much like a condenser mic. I wasn't expecting THAT, but I was expecting more. It's really not terrible. I'm not going to just throw it up on ebay. It's usable. At least for getting down some basic ideas without plugging away by hand in my DAW.

I purchased the Alesis Control Pad about year ago and have been more than pleased with the functionality, quality and sound of the drum pad. I mainly bought this since I did not like programming beats or using my fingers on a sequencer. The sensitivity of the pad works great to get a real sound, which is my favorite aspect of this pad. There have been some reviews that mention problems with the sensitivity saying that 2 pads cannot be hit at the same time which is true at certain settings. However, if you work through the sensitivity settings a little bit, this can be easily fixed. So I see this as more of a user error than a problem with the pad itself. I have also seen issues concerning external triggers, so I decided not to use any of these and just play on the pad itself which works for my purposes. For quality and durability, I tend to play pretty hard but have not seen much wear on the control pad over the past year. Although there are some limits to this product, I would highly recommend it, especially for its price under $200. I play keys, guitars, sequencers, etc. but find this to be one of my most used and favorite tools/instruments. For anyone buying this, keep in mind that it does not come with "built-in" drums sets, but you need connect it through a midi source such as a MIDI keyboard (With sounds) or software program. For example, I started using this with Garage Band software drum kits and now use it with Logic, getting good use from each software drum source.

Works great! I use it to control my band stage lights from my drum kit! Just had to set the sensitivity down.

I use it with Alesis SR16 drum machine. Love it. Great response. No delay. Will take hardware over software setup any day.

Completly Satisfied with the USB & Midi flexability!! The drum pads are easy to use and controllable!! Compact but delivers a Big sound!!