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Alesis electronic drum sets are growing in popularity, and the brand is right there alongside Roland and Yamaha as of late. If you’ve ever been on the search for an e-kit, you’ll be hard-pressed to find better E-kits for the money. The brand is constantly evolving and coming out with new kits that have surprisingly low prices.
While the kits are a bit cheaper, they still offer everything you need from an electronic drum kit. We’re going to check out 5 of the best Alesis drum sets. The company’s product range is fairly diverse, so there will be an Alesis E-kit to suit everyone.
What are the Best Alesis Drum Sets?
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How I Tested and Selected the Best Alesis Drum Sets
Alesis has always been one of my favorite drum brands due to how affordable their high-quality kits are. I’ve played on all of their kits, and I’ve always been impressed.
When testing out these Alesis drum sets, I primarily looked at their sound quality and playability. I enjoyed checking through all the preset kits, listening to their tonal quality and range of kits to choose from.
I first looked into the module’s ability to replicate realistic and dynamic drum sounds. I assessed the authenticity of tones, responsiveness to various playing techniques, and the overall fidelity of the electronic kit.
I then examined the responsiveness of drum pads and cymbals, evaluating how well they mimicked the feel of acoustic drums. The dynamic response and sensitivity to nuances in playing were essential elements of this evaluation.
Build quality was also an important factor, to ensure these electronic drum sets could withstand practice sessions and live performances. I scrutinized the construction materials, hardware, and overall sturdiness of the kit.
Alesis Drum Sets Reviews
Alesis DM10 MKII Pro Electronic Drum Set
Alesis DM10 MKII Pro Electronic Drum Set Review
The Alesis DM10 MKII Pro doesn’t seem to get as much recognition as it deserves. It’s one of the most affordable electronic kits on the market that comes with 4 toms and 3 cymbals. It’s an intermediate kit that is packed with useful features for everyday practice.
All the drum pads have mesh surfaces and are tunable. They’re incredibly soft, making noise complaints a non-issue.
The drum module has 50 preset kits with 30 more spaces to store your own custom ones. It also has a nifty onboard sequencer that lets you play through different patterns. You can get quite creative with it.
One of my favorite features of this kit is the metal rack. While most e-kits have plastic ones, this one feels a lot sturdier and more comfortable.
In summary, it’s one of the stronger Alesis electronic drum sets that beginners and pros alike can use.
Pros
- Large electronic drum kit setup at a surprisingly affordable price compared to other options available
- Ultra-soft mesh heads that are quiet and responsive, giving you great playability and minimal playing volume
- Onboard sequencer is great fun to play around with
Cons
- Onboard sounds aren’t amazing compared to other electronic drum kits with similar price tags
Alesis Command Mesh Electronic Drum Set
Alesis Command Mesh Electronic Drum Set Review
The Alesis Command Mesh is a fantastic electronic drum set that is competitively priced and boasts a huge array of quality features and sounds, much like the Alesis DM10.
The most impressive thing about this kit is that all the mesh-head pads are dual-zone pads, meaning I can trigger two different sounds when I’m playing.
This is a feature that you just don’t find many kits under $1000.
The Command Advanced drum module also has 50 preset drum kits loaded onto it. With over 600 onboard sounds, you have the freedom to explore, tweak, and create your own custom kits as well.
I found the module fairly simple to learn and understand how to use. There are a few practice features on there that are quite helpful to follow as well as 70 play-along tracks to drum to.
The toms are only 8 inches each, which is a bit smaller than the ones on the Alesis DM10.
Pros
- Dual-trigger pads at an affordable price compared to many other kit options
- Drum module is loaded with useful features, and it’s very easy to learn how to use
- 70 play-along tracks on the module, giving you different songs to practice your drumming with
Cons
- Ride cymbal pad doesn’t have two trigger zones, so you can’t play a bell, which is disappointing
Alesis Nitro Mesh Electronic Drum Set
Alesis Nitro Mesh Electronic Drum Set Review
The Alesis Nitro Mesh is without a doubt the most popular kit on the Alesis product line. It’s an incredibly affordable kit that has a range of useful features you won’t find anywhere else for a kit of this price – such as all-mesh drumheads across the kit.
I mainly love the kick tower that comes with this kit. It is large and sturdy, and I’ve yet to find one as good on a comparable affordable e-kit.
Other kits in the same price range typically have a kick drum trigger pedal instead of a dedicated tower for a kick pedal.
The Nitro module has 40 drum kits loaded onto it along with around 385 sounds to create your own kits with. It also has 60 tracks to play to, all covering a vast array of musical styles.
Overall, the Nitro Mesh kit is the best option to get if you’re looking for something very affordable. It’s ideal for beginners, but it works relatively well for more experienced players who need a cheap practice tool.
Pros
- Ideal for beginner drummers and advanced drummers alike to use as a practice drum set
- Most popular electronic drum set offered by Alesis
- Very compact, making it easy to fit in tight spaces
- Easy to transport to different venues
- Great option to use as a USB controller for a DAW
Cons
- Drum sounds aren’t too great
Alesis Strike Pro Special Edition Electronic Drum Set
Alesis Strike Pro Special Edition Electronic Drum Set Review
The Alesis Strike Pro SE is the flagship module from the brand. Alesis electronic drums don’t get any better than this. The best thing about this kit, though, is that it’s the most affordable high-end electronic kit on the market.
The biggest feature it has is the acoustic drum shells that make it look like a large acoustic kit. These shells are topped with high-quality mesh-head pads that are impressively responsive.
This is the one Alesis kit that feels most similar to an acoustic drum set. I’ve found that the look and feel just make playing it a far more enjoyable experience.
All the shells and pads are sized the same way an acoustic drum kit would be from top to bottom, giving you the authentic feel of playing down a drum kit.
The cymbal pads are just as impressive. The ride cymbal is large with 3 trigger zones and the hi-hat pad mounts onto a proper hi-hat stand.
The Strike Pro module comes loaded with over 130 custom drum kits as well as an impressive 1800 onboard sounds. These sounds can be heavily edited, giving you complete freedom to create your desired kits.
Pros
- Huge drum set compared to most other single electronic drum kits
- Most impressive drum module that Alesis offers
- Closest kit on this list that feels like an acoustic kit
- Great aesthetics compared to every other Alesis set
Cons
- Although it’s the cheapest high-end electronic kit, it’s still expensive
- Doesn’t match up to the sounds and playability of high-end Roland and Yamaha kits
Alesis Turbo Mesh
Alesis Turbo Mesh Review
The Turbo Mesh is one of the cheapest kits you can get from Alesis. It’s mostly an excellent kit for beginners to get started on the drums.
It has a full set of mesh-head pads along with single-zone cymbals that all feel fairly decent to play on. The bass drum is a trigger pedal instead of being a pad with a kick pedal.
The module is fairly basic, having 10 preset kits and just over 100 sounds to play around with.
The main thing I’ve noticed about this set is that beginner drummers don’t get overwhelmed by the module, which I think is a fantastic quality.
The kit folds up incredibly easily, making it a breeze to move around or store somewhere when not being used.
If you’re looking for an electronic drum kit for a beginner drummer, this is a great one to consider.
Pros
- Excellent choice for beginners, as it’s inexpensive and very easy to set up
- Small setup makes it ideal for kids who are too little for larger drum kit setups
- Folds up easily, so you can store it away without any hassles
- One of the cheapest kits with a full set of mesh drum pads
Cons
- Not a viable option for experienced drummers
Alesis Drum Kit Buying Guide
Alesis Drum Kits for Beginners
Alesis drum kits are highly regarded as the best electronic drum sets for beginners. The biggest reason is their affordable price points. Buying an expensive electronic set is something that most beginners aren’t too keen to do, so getting a functional one for $300 is always going to be the most attractive option.
If you’re looking for your first drum kit, an Alesis Nitro Mesh or an Alesis Turbo Mesh are two of your best options. You could spend a bit more to get something better that will still end up being more affordable than most Roland and Yamaha kits.
Alesis Drum Modules
All of the Alesis drum modules come packed with the typical features you’d expect electronic drum kits to have. Things like practice tools and play-along tracks are fairly common. You just need to be aware that the sample sounds on Alesis drum modules arguably aren’t as good as the ones from Roland or Yamaha.
So, you’re sacrificing sound quality for affordability when it comes to most Alesis kits. This is especially true in the lowest-priced ones. However, there are ways of getting around this such as connecting the module to a VST on a computer to get better sounds.
Electronic Drums vs Acoustic Drums
If you’re thinking of whether to buy an electronic or acoustic kit, there are a few things you should take into consideration. The first and most obvious is noise levels. Electronic kits are softer, making them excellent kits to have in places like dorm rooms or apartments. You can easily turn the amp volume down or connect headphones to the module.
The trade-off between electronic kits and acoustic kits is that electronic kits don’t have the same authentic feel that acoustic drums have. The Alesis kits like Alesis Command Mesh do their best with the mesh heads, but they still don’t fully live up to the organic feeling of an acoustic drumhead.
Another thing to think of is pricing. It’s much cheaper to get a fully electronic kit like the Alesis DM10 MKII Pro or the Alesis Strike Pro Special Edition than it is to get a full acoustic kit. You always get everything you need with one electronic kit purchase. Alesis kits, in particular, are also very affordable.
If you want to get a high-quality acoustic kit, you’re going to need to buy a shell pack along with a set of hardware and cymbals. The cost adds up quite quickly when assembling a full setup.
Final Thoughts
Alesis is definitely a brand you should check out when searching for an electronic drum kit. While most of their kits aren’t as high-quality as Roland and Yamaha when it comes to sampling sounds, they’re the most affordable electronic drum kits that are fully equipped with mesh heads.
You could always hook an Alesis drum module up to a DAW with something like Superior Drummer if you want higher-quality sounds!
