Drum Sets

Music learners hop from one stage to another with so much fervor and hence take gradual steps. A must requirement during this transition phase is the apt selection of accompaniment that can further mold their playing skills. With the advent of electronic instruments that are slowly replacing the conventional models, demand for good features are always on the rise. So any piece designed by the manufacturer and labeled as excellent is not a very good marketing trick these days. Staying in tune with customer demands is something highly crucial while designing such intricate musical instruments. Alesis, in fact never misses a beat to deliver variety of products to different market segments. Alesis DM7 USB Electronic Drum Kit is one such product exclusively designed for those who are in the changeover of becoming serious drummer from an amateur one. The instrument claims to be very supportive in bringing out the best in the user.

Overview:

With an undoubted majestic look, the DM7 Drum Set from Alesis serves a shimmering beat produced by eight drums and cymbal pads. It has safely slipped inside 400 additional sounds to enthrall the user. The product truly offers an excellent partnership with iPod, and using the USB it rapidly connects to the Mac and PC and is almost compatible with commonly used music software’s. The sound can be stopped abruptly in between with the help of crash with choke feature. The assembling part is somewhat made easier as it is pre-assembled and consumes less time for the initial setup.

Design:

Alesis DM7 consist of drum rack and three cymbal pads inclusive of Hi-Hat, Crash and ride. Drum pads includes snare, Tom 1, Tom 2 and Tom 3 along with the kick pad. The kick pad is firmly supported with screws. The kick pedal must be purchased separately. Once the initial set-up is completed, the drumset surely knocks off a majestic impression. The triple zone snare pads takes up a distinguished look and produces quality cross sticks sounds, rimshot and triggering head. The connection and set-up part is quite easy as each cable can be readily identified with the respective name of the pad on it. The drum set control lies on the display panel situated at the side of the cymbal pad. Using the display panel the user can maneuver all the features. The buttons are arranged in a semi circle fashion with the display screen in the middle. The screen size is considerable enough to support the user, however we highly doubt as whether the buttons would be clearly visible while playing at very low light setting. Something like an LED glowing would enhance the view. The rear side of the panel supports the power switch, USB jack and the headphone jack. The rubber pads are flexible enough to withstand heavy hits and do not annoy the surrounding environment. Another characteristic feature in DM7 is the “choke” operation. It renders an immediate halt just by gripping the pad using the hand, which is considered as a unique feature blended in to an electronic drum. The hi-hat pedal consists of three different sectors and each produces a different sound when hit at various positions. Adjusting the additional zone setting is not possible in the control menu. Changes made from the advanced menu screen gets automatically saved even if the user exits the operation. There is a minimal time period of 5 seconds for the drumset to get in to the reset mode. This is a nominal waiting period. Overall the DM7 adorns a serious and professional look and gains momentum when started to play on it.

User Friendly Setup:

The initial set-up time required for Alesis DM7 Electronic Drum Set is very minimal and can be done by just fastening some screws to it. Before plunging in to the dismantling and assembling part, the user must decide a permanent place for the drumset inside the house. As the set consists of several parts, moving it from one place to another is cumbersome unlike the mobility of compact designs. The set comes off with four-post preassembled racks and the user needs to just connect the basic settings. The 1 1/12 inch tubing is strong enough and meets up with the compatibility with wide range of components. The wingnuts must be loosened initially so as to adjust the positions. It must be later re-tightened once the set-up is finished. The left and the right legs must be inserted in to their clamps and the height should be adjusted accordingly. The user can verify as whether they are in same level. The clamps on the rack are moved to the respective location as applicable to the user and the wingnuts must be fastened tightly. The L-rods is neatly secured by rotating the same towards the respective position and can be tightly screwed. Finally the cymbal arms are inserted in to their respective clamps and later secured tightly. The wing nuts must be carefully tightened and it takes up less time than assumed. Not to mention, the flexibility is excellent in positioning the cymbal arms as it has mini-boom tilter feature. The kick pad is assisted with retractable spur so as to position it in place Once this set-up is completed the cymbals, drum pads, kick pads and drum modules are fastened. In all the afore-said arrangement, aligning the parts against its respective rods and appropriate positioning is required. Hence the assembling part would be less complicated if there is some assistance.

Features:

Stereo Sounds:

Alesis DM7 5-piece Drum Kit is integrated with 418 sounds, and each one is characteristic of its own. The sound varies from drum beat to cymbal and percussion instruments. It also permits the user to employ 50 preset kits with good sonic flexibility. The user can also create 30 sounds based on their creativity. The songs are classified in to two types viz 52 demo songs that can be used for playback and practise and 10 user songs for self recording purpose. The user can fine tune the speed of the song just by pressing the TEMPO button and the data dial is rotated till it is in the required speed. We liked the toggle feature that can be of good assistance while playing, as it is possible to filter the drum beat separately from the song. The availability of count feature will guide the user the rate at which they can strike the pads. The pad’s sensitivity can be altered in this case. This feature is advantageous for enthusiastic learners.
External Device Connection

Alesis DM7 USB Drum Set permits the user to transmit MIDI data to the computer using the USB connection. It is also possible to connect iPod with the help of ¼” line input and can play along with the song. The operating system supported includes Windows XP, Windows Vista and Mac OS X. The drivers are automatically installed and the module appears as audio device in the computer. The ¼” stereo headphones can be connected through headphone jack. Availability of line-in jack enables the user to connect audio device through the ¼” inch cable. The device sound gets mixed up with the drum module and thus rendering to play along with a CD player. The volume can be adjusted for the speakers though the main screen.

Metronome:

The metronome function offers the user to maintain a constant playing speed. The metronome’s activation is acknowledged through a counting sound adjacent to the tempo. The display gives an excellent metronome options. The volume and the metronome sound can be tuned to the user’s preference and it can be even saved in the device. The next time it automatically pops up when the metronome is activated. The metronome stores several languages inclusive of English and Chinese. The adjustments must be done by pressing the button twice, which can be avoided in the upcoming models.

Cross-Talk:

It is inevitable to design drum set with zero crosstalk. However, Alesis has aimed to deliver DM7 with negligible disturbance. Crosstalk happens due to the sensitivity of the pad over the hit of another pad. The pads can detect even the smallest vibration produced in the rack due to the hit of other pads. Alesis has embedded module crosstalk feature that is targeted to reduce as much crosstalk as possible. The procedure is simple as the user needs to choose the pad that gives the maximum effect either by pressing the display function or by striking the pad and then activating the same in the display. The dial function is turned to reduce the value from 0 to 100, the least the value the lesser would be the effect. Nevertheless, the calibration must be executed with care so as to avoid the assigning of least value to the pad. It can even hinder the basic sound generated by the pad. It is only possible to validate each pad at a time and simultaneous process is not permitted.

Performance:

The performance is more than expected from DM7. Specific features enhance the usability range of the drum set. Notable one is the Hi-Hat pedal setting. As stated earlier, it consists of 3 different zones and each setting offers different sound. When the pedal’s position is upheld, it produces an open hi-hat sound as defined by the open threshold. Whereas the closed hi-hat sound depends on the extent of pressure applied to press the pedal downwards and is determined by the closed threshold limit. Customisation of the open and the closed thresholds are possible by tuning the hi-hat pedal sensitivity. Similar to that of an acoustic drum, Alesis has blended in several points like the lowest of the numbers to generate the open hi-hat and the highest of the pedal point so as to create the closed hi-hat. In addition to the afore-said classification, the user can feel the pedal threshold that is set to the lowest value as against the closed threshold. Various factors clubbed together promote a good overall sound from the drum set. Characteristic features such as the equalizer; accompaniment & percussion volume and count sensitivity propagates a good playing experience. The equalizer is of 8 types ranging from bass boost, bass mid, bright mid and high and many more. It can adjust the global drum tone. The accompaniment setting further determines the volume of the accompaniment the user hears while playing a song.  The volume of the drums can be adjusted aptly through the percussion control. The pitch can be adjusted in either direction though the count sensitivity mode, though a much lesser sensitivity is highly recommended than the regular one. All these parameters when applied appropriately give out a quality performance. Besides, certain restriction such as the non-availability of adjusting the rim and edges within one setting option limits the usability to some degree. The user needs to exit the function and perform the tuning in the edit mode of the display. The sensitivity can be tuned to a range of 001-127, besides a higher level might produce re-triggering effect. Alesis DM7 gives an upper edge to the user’s limits as it contains the trigger curve feature. A curve can be selected from the preset list and the user can strike a balance between the force applied and the sound produced on hitting the pad. The curve can be altered till the desirable response is felt. Such options bang DM7 to an astonishing entertainment value.

Package Contents:

The drum contents consists of DM Rack Drum Rack, Kick Pad, Cymbal Pad, Drum Pad, Hi-Hat Control Pad, DM7 Drum Module, Module Mount, Drum Key, Screw driver, Software Coupon, Assembly Guide, Manual.

Warranty:

Alesis DM5 Pro Kit comes with one year warranty for parts and labour.

Verdict:

The best part of purchasing the DM7 is the extent of customisation it permits the user. Especially, the crash with choke feature gives a sudden halt when the user needs to stop abruptly in between the play. There are varieties of options that can enable a good control between the instrument and the player. This is a very important aspect in the case of electronic music instruments. Each striker has a different style and the instrument must be robust enough to offer the flexibility. DM7 is designed to grow along with the user. Embedded with many tuning and adjustment facilities, the user can get a good grip while playing the drum set. From budding learners to professional, the DM7 makes a good bond with the player, which is the most sought after requirement in any electronic drum set.

Read other Alesis Drum Sets Reviews in this website.

Alesis DM7 Electronic 5-piece Drum Set – Product Specification Table

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