1. The Hi-hat cuts out every 3rd or 4th hit (even without my foot on the pedal).

2. Where does the second cable go for the Dual Zone Snare?

The manual spends too much time talking about remote triggers for other instruments. I understand the basics of changing voices and creating new drum sets. However, I’ve sent two requests through their website and I’ve never received a response and of course, no phone number for tech support. Oh and one more note: on two or three occasions, when playing two fast, the module freezes and I have to reboot. Like I said, I’d feel a lot better if I could get them to support their own product.
Rating: 3 / 5

I looked at the Yamaha and the Roland Sets, and they were good. Very Good. The Roland set that caught my fancy would have set me back $3,100. After a brief meeting with my wife, that plan was scrapped and I was reduced to looking at sub-$1,200 electronic kits.

Anyone that says this kit is “crap” as some reviewers claim is either misinformed, or expecting $3,100+ performance for about $550 and feel disappointed. It is definitely not “crap” and I think it felt better than the mesh Roland snare, or the rubber pads available from Roland and Yamaha sub-$1,200. Here is what is good;

(1) I like real drum heads. Still, just so there is not disappointment, they do not feel like “real” drums – not unless all your drums are 8″ and muffled. I’ve found that only acoustic drums sound like real drums. There is a rubber muffle pad directly under the Alesis drum heads that prevents it from proper-bounceback, but I still like it better than mesh, or rubber. Mesh under bounces, rubber over-bounces, the “real” head under bounces slightly. Change them immediately, the heads that are on the drums do not impact sound, but you will ding them up pretty good until you get some decent single ply replacements (I did not get a good “feel” with double-ply).

(2) The kit is sturdy. But, not Roland or Yamaha Quality namely because the clamps are plastic. Do not over-tighten! But, the kit is solid, and the rack is metal.

(3) The Alesis “Brain” is suitable for my needs where I rarely need anything other than the standard, jazz, rock or heavy-medal kits. My kids enjoy the crazy electro-kit sounds, but my needs are not much, so again, no need for me to drop more than $1,200 on a kit.

(4) Ease of construction. The kit is rather simple to put together – no more or less complicated than the Roland or Yamaha Kits.

(5) Relatively inexpensive, and plentiful replacement parts, additional drums and additional cymbals. I’ve added a 6th drum and a 2nd crash cymbal within a week for nominal expense.

Here is the “bad”.

(1) Alesis “brain” freezes up once every 15-20 minutes and must be turned on/off/on. No problem for me slogging away at the kit in the privacy of the “music” room, but if you do gigs, this could be bad. I’ve read reviews of the drum and this is a well-reported problem.

(2) Attaching my double-bass pedal securely so it feels solid when I play speed metal and solos is nearly impossible. I’ll figure something out, but for now, I hate how it feels coming off the pad – and the pad is so small that the second beater “floats” too close to the side.

(3) Plastic clamps – already mentioned.

(4) No ipod/MP3 input directly into the brain – but purchase an amp that has this – they are relatively inexpensive.

The feel of the DM5 is probably not any better or worse than the rubber pads of the competitive set under $1,200 – it is preference, but for about $300 less than the price of the other sets, spend $1,000, purchase an additional cymbal pad, purchase a decent drum amp like the SIMMONS 50W for $199 – and pocket the change.

Rating: 4 / 5