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Product Description
Amazon.com Product Description
The DM10 drum sound module contains true drum, cymbal and percussion sounds, built from real samples of classic studio drums and prized cymbals. Drummers will find some of the most in-demand acoustic drum sounds from legendary drum brands, a huge arsenal of top producers' go-to snare drums, real American, Canadian, Chinese, and Turkish cymbals, and a choice selection of classic drum machine and electronic percussion sounds that have fueled the biggest hit records. You can also load new sound sets via USB connection from your computer, so that your drumming sounds never go stale.
 Alesis DM10 Pro Kit combines the DM10 drum module with RealHead drum pads, SURGE Cymbals, and an ErgoRack mounting system (see larger image). |
 The Alesis DM10 drum module. |
 The back ports of the DM10 (see larger image). |
Key Features
- DM10 drum module with 12 trigger inputs and mixer
- RealHead acoustic-feel 8-inch and 10-inch dual-zone drum pads with real heads
- SURGE Cymbals are alloy acoustic cymbals with triggers
- 12-inch SURGE Hi-Hat, 13-inch SURGE Crash with choke, 16-inch SURGE Ride with choke
- Ergonomically curved, chrome-plated ErgoRack
- Premium instrument library sampled from real drums and cymbals
- Dynamic Articulation changes sounds' timbre along with dynamics for realism
- Sound-set loading and use with software drum modules, both via USB
- Play along and record yourself with the sequencer
- Mix input for practicing with CD and MP3 players
RealHead Drum Pads
This Pro Kit includes acoustic-feeling RealHead pads in eight and 10-inch sizes, and these dual-zone pads feature real mylar drumheads and real triple-flanged counterhoops for an excellent drumming feel. The snare and tom pads are dual zone, enabling you to perform rimshots, rim clicks, or assign other sounds such as wind chimes, cymbals, gongs and cowbells on the tom rims. You can use virtually any single or double kick pedal with the RealHead Kick Pad, or split the DM10's kick input with a Y-cable and connect an optional second kick pad for the pedal feel you prefer.
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Surge Cymbals
The best choice in electronic cymbals, the Pro Kit includes the following SURGE cymbals: a 12-inch SURGE Hi-Hat, a 13-inch SURGE Crash with choke, and a 16-inch SURGE triple-zone Ride Cymbal with choke. Comprised of a genuine alloy cymbal coated with a clear sound-dampening layer, SURGE Cymbals feel like acoustic cymbals because they begin life as just that. The Crash and Ride cymbals feature large choke strips on the undersides for even more attention to accurate cymbal control. The SURGE Ride also features multiple-zone triggering on the bell, face and edge. The SURGE Hi-Hat Cymbal offers continuously variable control using the included pedal.
ErgoRack
Putting it all together is the Pro Kit's ergonomically curved, chrome-plated ErgoRack, which is large enough to enable you to add on additional drum pads and SURGE Cymbals. You can even mount acoustic drums, cymbals, and percussion instruments on this roadworthy system.
The ErgoRack employs standard one and one-half-inch tubing for compatibility with virtually all drum manufacturers' rack hardware. The rack features quick-release, metal clamps for fast setup and tear down. The Crash and Ride cymbals mount on large, knurled boom cymbal arms that are height adjustable right in the rack down tubes. The DM10 Pro Kit comes with tom mounts that enable freely adjustable mounting. Drummer-friendly wing-screws are present on all important rack clamps and pads for ease of adjustment without reaching for a drum key.
DM10 Inputs and Outputs
The DM10 module has 12 trigger inputs, perfect for creating custom configurations. You can use it with virtually all drum and cymbal pads and acoustic drum triggers thanks to easy-to-configure trigger settings. The DM10 also has full MIDI implementation so if 12 trigger inputs aren't enough to accommodate your giant setup, just add the optional Trigger I/O.
The DM10 accommodates both continuous and switch (open/closed) hi-hat control pedals. You get full MIDI implementation including both MIDI In and Out for working with traditional MIDI gear along with the USB jack, which can also send MIDI to your Mac or PC. The DM10 also has a stereo Auxiliary input for connecting line-level devices like a CD player or iPod so you can play along.
The DM10 has two stereo pairs of 1/4-inch outputs for main and auxiliary feeds, so you can send separate mixes to the house and monitor systems. This enables you to send the metronome or a loop to the monitor mix and not to the audience mix. There's also a high-powered headphone output with its own volume knob. For managing everything easily, there's also a top-panel mixer.
Dynamic Articulation
Discerning ears will notice that each sound is actually a series of different samples; multiple dynamic-level samples and articulations are all built in so as you play harder and softer, the drum or cymbal changes its timbre, not just its volume. This engineered realism is known as Dynamic Articulation, an Alesis exclusive.
This results in sounds that respond accurately not only to dynamic changes, but also with the appropriate timbral and color changes you'd expect from their acoustic counterparts. You can play with or without reverb for different room sounds and enjoy a wide variety of rimshots, rim clicks and different stick-placement sounds on the cymbals. The Random Sample feature also ensures you don't get the same sound twice for further creative realism.
What's in the Box
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Specifications
Playback
Audio and Trigger I/O
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Sound Types
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Product Description
Customer Reviews
I rated this 4 out of 5 stars only because I did have an issue with the Surge 16" ride cymbal; the bell trigger didn't appear to be working. I called Alesis and got excellent help after a short wait. It turned out I had to go in to the settings (hit the "ext trg" key), select the ride bell trigger and change its input type from 'switch' to 'piezo'. This could have been set at the factory or been detailed in the user's guide for the cymbal, and save Alesis Tech Support and me some time. Also be sure to disable write protection on the module, so you can save this setting and any others you make. Instructions for this are in the user's manual which brings me to my next point.
The only documentation that came in the carton were the quick start guide (QSG) to assemble the set and the QSG's for the Surge cymbals. I had to download the user manual (among others) for the DM10 module from the Alesis website. It seems to me that you would rate a hard copy of the manuals for the price of the system.
Overall its a great system and I would buy it again if I had to do it over.
However, if you're a serious musician looking to record with it, there are many big problems you really need to be warned about before dropping $1000 bucks on this kit. First of all, the factory settings are truly atrocious. I can't believe they thought the trigger settings installed as defaults were what any consumer would want. You have to pummel the toms just to hear them. Even worse, there's not much of a line in trigger sensitivity between "wow, that sounds weak" and "it's so loud it's creating a lot of distortion." This problem is especially true on the toms in my experience. And the trigger settings are global, but different drum sounds react with the trigger sensitivities in widely divergent fashions. I toyed with it for weeks without getting a truly satisfactory setting across all kits.
The trigger issues would be somewhat bearable if they had better drum sounds. I bought this kit for one reason alone: because my acoustic kit was disturbing my neighbors. I'd take an acoustic kit anyday for recording. Only a handful of drums here sound anything close to a real kit, mainly some of the Ludwig approximations. The only way I can get a satisfactory-ish sound is by layering various snares underneath the Ludwig snare to change the timbre. Even then, on recordings, it ends up still sounding kinda like a drum machine. The built-in drum kits that sound best are actually the fully electronic drumsets (built for synth pop/rap/techno). But I could have installed Propellerhead or bought a decent drum machine if that was what I wanted.
Weak drum sounds might not have been a big deal if you could design and load your own kits from samples, which they seem to imply in much of their marketing. Alas, you can only load sound sets they build and charge you for...that override all your presets and that can't be mixed with built-in sounds. As of now, there is only one product available (Blue Jay) and it sounds only peripherally better than the built-in sounds and lacks gradient hi-hats - they're open-closed-click only, unlike the built-in high hats which have degrees of variation. Hopefully someday soon they'll build better sounding add-ons, but it is disappointing you can't build your own using some utility.
It works well as a midi controller for software like Addictive Drums and Superior Drummer 2.0, which (for an extra $200-300) is probably the best bet if you're trying to get a good sounding drum set that doesn't wake your neighbors. But these can be used with a regular midi controller keyboard or programmed manually, so you really don't need a $1000 electronic kit unless you insist on playing your specific style.
Designwise, there are major flaws as well. While the frame itself is pretty sturdy, the fasteners to hold the drums are fairly flimsy plastic. I cracked one just playing my floor tom. Also, if you play on a carpeted floor, the velcro fasteners on the bass drum come unglued very easily. Mine came off on the first day when I tried to move it and now won't stay attached, so the bass drum and pedal just slide around when I play. Also, since they make that nice alloy cymbal for realism's sake, it would have really improved the feel of the drums significantly had it come with mesh heads.
If you're looking to manually perform electro drum sounds live, or are looking for a fancy midi controller for drums, or just want a quiet kit to screw around on and have $1000 to burn, it's probably a good tool for those purposes (after you've "fixed" the factory presets). It's a fraction of the price of a Roland, which did sound better but not worth the money you pay.
If, like me, you're trying to replace an acoustic kit due to volume issues, I would advise against buying this, since it will never sound like an acoustic kit. Take your $1000 and buy one of those acrylic drum booths that cut the drum sound by 70-80% or whatever. Side by side, I'd unfortunately take my mediocre, somewhat-tuned drumset with old heads in a mediocre acoustic environment over this plugged in direct any day. If you're going to buy anyway, I'd strongly suggest getting one of the drum software plug-ins like AD or SD2 because the built-in sounds are so unsatisfactory.
UPDATE 8/3/11 - A week or so after writing this review my bass pad quit working. At the Alesis drummer forum dmdrummer.com (a very useful site), others reported the same problem. I emailed Alesis and they sent a tech support number. Have called repeatedly for the past couple of weeks and twice waited over 30 minutes, but no one ever picks up. My followup email was not responded to. According to the dmdrummer users, you have to wait over an hour usually to get someone. That's ridiculous. We pay a thousand dollars for this kit and they can't even hire a few more people to answer the phone to support it? I wasted more money in cell phone minutes than it would take for me to go to Radio Shack, buy a piezo and solder it on myself. I know my problem is as simple as that, but then the warranty is void. Guess that's what I'm going to have to do. I don't want to waste any more time with this company. They will receive no more of my money ever again.
I would have given the kit 5 stars if the module had been ready to play out of the box. This a very sturdy kit, and the mylar heads are very close to an acoustic feel, and the surge cymbals are as close as you will get to an acoustic feel. However, this set is not exacly silent to others when you are playing through head phones (think practice pads and hitting plastic cymbals). You can convert the heads to mesh if you desire using the techniques found on dmdrummer.com. This makes the heads quieter, but the cymbals are still audible. If you don't mind messing with the small details of sound processors you might think this kit deserves 4 stars. Most drummers are not that patient.
1. The amount of tweaking required to get levels and sounds is rediculous. Read more
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