Alesis DM6 USB Kit Five-Piece Electronic Drum Set

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $699.00
Sale Price: $389.00
Today's Bonus: 44% Off

• Five-piece electronic drumset with DM6 drum module; 5 realistic-feeling drum and cymbal pads translate hits into message data translate hits into message data, which is played back as a drum sound by the DM6 drum module
• DM6 module contains 108 top-notch drum, cymbal, and percussion sounds
• Includes kick, snare, (3) tom, (2) cymbals and a hi-hat pad and a hi-hat pad, kick pedal & hi-hat controller
• Dual-zone 8-Inch snare pad expands expressive playing freedom with multiple sounds per pad
• USB-MIDI output for sending MIDI data to virtual instruments & software on your computer
• DM6 drum module features an aux input for practicing with an external audio source
• 15 programmable drum sets

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I've had my Alesis DM6 drumset up and running for a couple days and I must say I am pleasantly surprised. Up until now any electronic drumset in the $500 range was nothing more than a toy. Because I know that Alesis knows how to make great electronic drumsets I was hoping that their experience making higher end kits would trickle down to this brand new DM6 line. It did. This drumset is fabulous when you consider the price point and, in fact, has no real competition that I could find.

Pros:

Everything is included. I've looked at a lot of drumsets and many don't include everything you need like bass drum pedals and more. This has everything you need to play right our of the box, even a pair of drum sticks. OK, a couple things not included you will need and that's a set of headphones and a throne (chair) to sit on.

Sturdy, well made components. The natural rubber drum heads are quiet but have a very good feel and rebound to them. The rubber cymbals are not as quiet as the drum heads but do what they are supposed to do very nicely. All metal hi-hat and bass pedals. Wide diameter aluminum frame rails and compoents.

Very realistic sounding drum samples.

Dual zone snare. You can make the snare sound like a rimshot when you hit the rim. Or program it for a cowbell when you play "Don't Fear the Reaper". Or make it sound like any of the other drum sounds included.

Ability to interface with your computer via USB. This opens up a world of options including MIDI and recording your performances on your favorite recording software. I don't know of any sub $500 kit of this quality that does that.

MY FAVORITE THING is I just plug in my iPod into the DM6 module and I can play right along to my favorite songs.

You can buy an ION Drum Rocker module (I was able to get one on eBay, not sold by Alesis) and use this kit for your Rockband drumset. You'll need 8 new cables too, so while there is extra expense, it's possible

Cons:

Some kits, including mine, were delivered with firmware that was less than perfect. I, and others I have heard, would sometimes have problems with the snare drum triggering properly. I had to hit it harder than I thought I should to get it to trigger. A quick and easy firmware update totally fixed this problem but I know some people have problems updating thgings like this.

The Botton Line:

Everything I've said in this review is under the caviat, "...for the price." If you are new to drumming this would be a great first set. But if you are and experienced drummer on a tight budget you will not be disappointed as long as you aren't expecting the DM6 to be a Roland Pro high end drum kit. The bottom line is this is the best $500 (street price) electronic drumset ever made.

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I recently bought this set and I LOVE IT. In the past I've had a full-size Tama set and another set as well. I also had a Roland TDK-7 that I could never get adjusted to suit me.

This kit, however, is so much better and more responsive than the Roland set. The rack was very easy to setup, and my only gripe would be that it would have been nice if the connecting cables had been a bit longer. I was nervous with the standard setup that had the control module between the toms. Even though it sets back a bit, I had visions of whomping on it and decided to make some adjustments. I put the clamp for the crash symbol on the back bar instead of the left side bar, and moved the clamp for the module to the left side bar. That put it totally out of harm's way, however, it was a stretch for the 'floor tom' cable to reach the pad, but with a little adjustment it got there.

Everything you need is in the box except for a seat. The rack is there, all the electronics and cables are there, and even the drum sticks are included. Updates to the module can be done from your computer after downloading them from Alesis; you will need a USB cable to do that (not included, but a standard easily found cable).

The pads have a strange 'sticky' feel to them but they have a nice natural-feeling bounce and are fun to play. The symbols look and react like metal cymbals and the sound is very realistic. The pad used for the snare is a dual function pad, with the rim of the pad being slightly raised and producing a different sound. In the standard kit it sounds like the 'rim shot' that you would expect.

Others have made observations about the pedals creeping, but I'm not having that issue. I have an area rug with a rubber back that is on a laminate floor with the drums on the rug; no creeping so far. The pedals are very responsive and the adjustments for the pads are great. I was up and running very quickly. I do agree that several of the pre-programmed kits sound a whole lot alike and it would have been nice to get more variety.

I read about some issues with the snare missing some hits and the ride cymbal going to the bell a little too quickly and downloaded the recommended software update. Although that went well, the instructions had a few omissions and a couple of errors that I reported to Alesis. For your average computer-savvy person, it would not be a huge problem and I was able to figure it out.

I've seen this set for as low as $399, and it's totally worth it. I paid well over $1,000 for the Roland TDK-7 and I like this one just as much. Relatively small investment for big fun.

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My 8-year-old daughter told me she wanted a set of drums for Christmas. I instantly knew that they had to be electronic to maintain the peace. I also knew that I couldn't justify spending more than $500 on a kit. So, the search began. I came away with the understanding that the DM6 is the best value out there, but that Alesis was still working out some bugs. I also read that a firmware upgrade purportedly fixes the known bugs.

I decided to go with the DM6, and I am very pleased that I did. The build quality is great. Like other reviewers, I noticed some quirks (like missed hits). I already knew that I might need to update the firmware, so I did and the quirks went away. All you need is a computer (Windows) with a USB cable. The instructions for upgrading the firmware are not as clear as I would like, but it was fairly straight forward. You might want some help from a friend if you have never done this before.

The sound is incredibly realistic. There are certainly better drum kits out there, but none come close to the value of the DM6! If you or a child want to explore the world of percussion, then get the DM6. It should have a decent resale value should your interest wane, or if you outgrow it. When my daughter plays it with headphones on, all I hear is the pitter-patter of the rubber pads---SUCCESS!

I should also note that the pedals are designed to be used on carpet. Velcro lets the pedals stick to the carpet. The pedals will scratch wood floors unless you place a mat (like I did) underneath. It needs to be big enough so the throne (stool) is also on top the mat, so the pedals (and mat) do not walk away as you play.

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Let me start by saying that if this kit functioned perfectly, then it would have been a fantastic value for the money. In fact, when it's not malfunctioning, I have a lot of fun with it. The hardware is durable, the kits are fun, and it looks nice. However, buyers should know that not only are there several problems that people tend to experience, but Alesis customer service is horrendous. Their wait times on the phone are long, and they basically did nothing to help solve my issues.

The first problem I had was with the snare not registering properly. This was easily resolved by downloading the new firmware on Alesis's site. Next I experienced a problem that is detailed in several forums if you do a google search:

Basically, when playing faster beats that incorporate lots of hi-hat and snare, the hi-hat won't register for most hits. This renders the kit useless for heavier forms of rock such as metal, hardcore, and punk. If the module had "crosstalk" settings, then perhaps the issue could be resolved.

I wish I could say positive things about this kit, but it tends to be defective for many of its users. Also, the module is rather limited; I get the sense that Alesis intentionally made it this way so as to incentivize people to buy more expensive models. In other words, I don't think it would have been much more expensive to provide more a more comprehensive module system.

I wish I would have done a more thorough internet search before having bought it, because I'm not the only person to have experienced these problems.

I used to play on an acoustic set, however, I'm living in an appt now, so I got an electric set to keep the noise down. My experience with electric drums is basically limited to trying out a few in the store. I would highly recommend that you try out a few sets before you buy. Overall, I was very impressed by these. The best thing I can say about them is that when I'm playing it sometimes feels like I'm playing an acoustic set.

Good things:

-Sample quality is greatthe sound is very realistic.

-Handy metronome.

-Hardy build quality.

-Great quality-for-the-price.

-Easy assembly.

-Real bass drum hammer.

-Surprisingly good high hatalthough the pedal isn't connected to the cymbal, it feels connected (you can splash it and everything).

-Decent software configuration options (for example, you can change the snare pad to a piccolo snare pad).

Bad things:

-Rim shots on the snare pad don't really work correctly. They trigger when you hit the plastic casing for the snare, not the raised rubber edge of the pad.

-The ride cymbal has an odd "feature" where when you hit it hard, it sounds like your playing on the bell, and will only sound normal when you hit it softly. I can't find a way to make it stop doing this. Although if you pay attention, it's pretty easy to control.

-You can't do rim clicks (unless you change the sample that the snare pad makes to the click sample, but then it will activate even when you strike the center of the pad).

-Crash cymbal doesn't sound right if you hit it softly.

-Snare drum sounds the same all over. It should sound quieter and more echo-y towards the sides. Although this is probably asking too much for such a cheap electric set.

-The triggers on the cymbals generally only trigger at a minimum impact, so its very hard to hit them very softly.

Also, I've heard some rumblings about a firmware update. However, I haven't tried loading it, so I can't attest to it solving any of these problems.