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Alesis SR18 Pro Drum Machine
Our Price: £199.00 (subject to change)
- Large, 32MB sound set with percussion bank and bass synth
- Built-in Effects- Reverb, EQ and Compression
- 24 voice polyphony
- 100 Preset Patterns and 100 User Patterns
- Pattern Play Mode enables different patterns to be triggered from the pads directly
Alesis SR-18 Drum machineReview date: 2010-01-20 Rating: 8 out of 10Now I've got used to how it works I'm finding it very useful especially for my Christian song arrangements. Through the church's PA system the sounds are stunning. The only problem I've found is that no introductions or endings are provided in the preset patterns; you have to progamm these yourself or use a second drum machine.
ReviewsHuge Sound - and no drummer or bass player to payReview date: 2009-07-24 Rating: 10 out of 10This is just a huge sounding drum machine. Forget what they used to sound like years ago - this sounds like a real drummer - and a very good one at that. With the basslines added this machine can be used to back a singer / guitarist / keys player and you could go on the road solo (what I plan to do).
It can be complicated if you want to go the whole mile and programme it rather than use the sample tracks, but it comes with a very thorough instruction manual. Plan to learn how to do most of the good things during a month of tinkering with it in your spare time. I bought it with two Yamaha FC5 pedals to work it 'live'. (But it does work with other on/off pedals like the Yamahas as well.) This allows me to start stop and switch between A / B fills and A / B rhythms. You'll need pedals like these if you plan to use this box in front of an audience - but you won't need it for practice.
This is a great tool. And better than a drummer because it doesn't have an ego, doesn't need beer to fuel it, and I get to keep all the money from gigs. (I'll do a video review soon.)
If you're on a tight budget or want something a bit easier to programme, try the SR16 - but thta's only drums, no bass line.WingbongReview date: 2008-10-13 Rating: 10 out of 10Alesis SR18 Pro Drum Machine
The weekend has just finished and I've only just started discovering the joys of the SR-16.
I'm completely new to drum machines, am in no way a drummer, and yet have found after just a few hours' practice, that many of the functions on this lovely machine have become instinctively easy to remember.
I am now programming patterns that sound like real drum sequences (well, almost), as well as keying in bass riffs. When I jam along with my guitar, the sound is pretty complete, like having a solid-sounding R&B section, but in a little box on the table. I can't wipe this stupid grin off my face.
The SR-18 has also got me looking up drum music online, so that I can learn more drumming theory. This in turn has got me counting beats like a slightly mad person in the corner of my living room.
Having read many reviews of this and the old SR-16, I must say I was still surprised by the fidelity of the SR-18's drum samples and the simplicity of programming in rhythms. And yet there's still so much more to master and discover.
Although I paid more than I would have done for a metronome (which I originally intended to buy to accompany my guitar playing) I am delighted I forked out that extra cash for this piece of kit.
The delivery service was excellent too - ordered Wednesday, arrived Friday.
Very happy.Superb sounding drum machineReview date: 2008-06-26 Rating: 8 out of 10First the good news: The SR18 has 500 excellent drum and percussion sounds covering a wide range of musical genres. These samples really do sound good. The SR18 additionally provides reverb, EQ and compression, and this represents a great leap forward from the earlier SR16. The 100 preset patterns, together with 50 additional patterns stored in user memory are varied and interesting, and a great starting point for inventing your own patterns. There are probably too many patterns dedicated to rock styles for some people's taste, although that happens to suit me just fine. The bass synthesiser is perhaps of limited use for rock/jazz/blues/country but is wonderful for dance music. I particularly like the Mini Moog sounds.
Now the not so good news: It's not easy to play patterns in real time on the key pads - I find I need to use the step edit function to clean up my real-time patterns. Also, I'm still struggling to understand the key sequences to adjust some parameters, and I find myself referring to the manual regularly. If there's a logic to it then I can't see it. I expect that these key sequences will gradually become second nature, but until then this is a niggle. It would be a great enhancement to be able to link to a PC with a full screen editor. For example, the editor for the Line 6 Pod range is excellent.
Conclusion: Buy it for the excellent sounding samples and useful onboard effect.A great little device!Review date: 2008-06-17 Rating: 8 out of 10Purchased from Amazon on Wednesday and arrived by Friday morning, so great service (fathers day present). The Alesis SR-18 is the new model with all the bells and whistles! Its probably got more features than I'll ever use. Still having plugged in a set of ear phones and connecting 6 pencil batteries it didn't take long to figure out the basics whilst wandering around the house.
If you plan to use just the preset patterns this unit will be a breeze. If however you want to add the built in bass and rhythm functions and use this unit seriously your going to have to sit down and start reading the manual. I did look briefly at the manual but i don't have the time or focus at the moment to give the Alesis unit the time it needs to be used at its full potential.
In conclusion this new model looks great, sounds great and is a great improvement on the previous Alesis SR-16. I'm looking forward to having the time to seeing just how useful this device can be. I can see this being a very good new work tool for many working musicians.
Product Details/SpecificationsRecording label: Alesis Manufacturer: AlesisModel: SR18EAN: 0694318010570Binding: ElectronicsUniversal product code (UPC): 694318010570Batteries included: 1Brand: Alesis
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