Alesis Surge Mesh Review – Why It Is a Must Buy

The music industry has not been left behind in terms of innovation in the current century. There are so many cool tools out there to make music more appealing to modern consumer tastes.

There is only one problem with the kind of innovation being experienced in the music industry. The most technologically advanced products also happen to be the highest-priced items. This leads to many artists being unable to work with the best instruments.

From my professional experience, drummers seem to suffer the most from this crisis. However, there is one product that can change this situation completely. The Alesis Surge mesh kit is a drum set that has it all yet is somehow affordable to all. I am talking about a kit that comes with drums with a mesh head that is usually only included in premium brands.

Before this kit hit the market, this feature was only present in drum sets, which are not affordable to everyone. There is much more to tell about the Alesis Surge kit. Keep reading on to learn about the even more exciting features of this product.

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Alesis Surge Mesh Kit: an In-depth Review of the Drumset

Electronic drums are among those innovations that are bringing positive change to the music industry. One particular brand that is doing enough to facilitate this change is Alesis. This is actually a company that has put so much effort into improving the quality of music without high production costs. The story began in 1980 when the brand came up with an award-winning semiconductor chip technology. This made a significant difference as it allowed artists to afford professional studio recording equipment.

Ever since they have gone ahead to make a difference with other innovative and unimaginably affordable products. I am talking about products such as the Midiverb, ADAT Multi-Channel Digital Tape Recorder, the DM series studio kit drums, the PercPad, and iO Dock. In addition to their extensive catalog of products, there is the Alesis Surge Mesh Drum Kit that we are going to look into extensively in this article.

Unboxing Alesis Surge Mesh Kit

To understand the level of innovation you can expect in this electric drum, let’s begin by looking at what makes up the unit. Each item contributes to the greatness of this set. Therefore, let’s have a pick inside the package and learn more about the accessories you can find inside.

The Surge Module

In an electronic drum set, the module functions as its brain. Everything now is about digitalization. That said, the drums have achieved it too with this simple yet innovative device. It makes the difference and ensures you get the right experience with this kit.

By description, it is a six centimeters LCD screen that contains the relevant hardware and software required for your drum set. The device contains forty drum kits. It also comes with 385 sounds that you can use for your music. This number extensively covers much of the music genre that the artists are looking to produce.

Based on the company’s history, Alesis has proven that it looks after the interests of upcoming artists. They seem to have not lost this trend when making this drum set. They have catered to their interests with sixty inbuilt MIDI tracks that can be played along. It also includes some inbuilt DJ effects and electronic sounds that are useful in music production and live performances. This module has also addressed other needs of a modern-day drummer. This is why it comes with a three-band equalizer and an inbuilt sequencer that comes preloaded with 80 songs.

How easy is it to use the module? The buttons fitted in this device have been laid down in a similar formation to the previous models. This makes it easy for the drummers to develop kits and allocate sounds as they play.

It also comes with ports that facilitate connectivity with external devices such as your computer. The ones that will excite you most are the extra inputs. This offers the drummers an opportunity to extend their kit when the need arises. The USB port, on the other hand, will be useful when planning to load the new software into the module. There is also the headphone jack. Amateur drummers will value this when they are practicing and want to hear if they are making any progress.

Another cool feature that drummers are going to love about the Alesis Surge kit is that the module contains a performance recorder. This will be useful once you start thinking of recording your own music as you play. Further, you can enhance your drumming skills by playing along to those songs that inspire you.

The stereo aux input of these modules allows you to connect an MP3 or a CD player that contains those tracks. You will also appreciate the stereo output ports that allow you to connect the module to an amplifier or public address system. These are important features for the time when you start using the drum kit during live performances.

Cymbals

These are concave-shaped round plates that make part of your drum kit. For this set, they are about three in total with a similar measurement of ten inches in diameter. The thing you will love most about the Alesis Mesh Cymbals is the ride, and crash ones can be choked. This is part of their effort to improve your music-playing experience.

Drum Pads

As a part of the package, you can expect to find five drum pads in the Alesis kit. As the name of this drum set suggests, these pads are made of real mesh heads. This includes a snare that is ten inches in diameter and three toms that each have a diameter of eight inches. This is one of the latest innovations in the making of electronic drums. The advantage of the mesh is that it can easily be replaced once they begin to show signs of wear and tear. The replacement mesh of the Alesis surge is very affordable and can easily be found even on Amazon.

The other advantage of the mesh heads is that they are easily tunable. This is a feature that drummers put a lot of consideration into when purchasing a drum kit. With the Alesis Surge, it is possible for you to determine how sensitive you want the drums to be. This attribute also gives you the freedom to customize the pad’s rebound. It is also worth mentioning that the drums have double triggers. Therefore, the drummer can play both the rim and the head. For such an affordable price, this is quite a huge bonus from the brand.

Chrome Rack

To top it up, the Alesis surge comes with a chrome rack where you can assemble all the accessories listed. The four stands are very light but offer solid support for your drum kit. You do not have to worry about any movement of the drums when playing. This applies even to those drummers who like hitting hard and moving their bodies a lot when playing. The rack is easy to assemble as there is a manual with a guide on what goes where. The rack is also strong enough; hence you do not have to worry about adding other accessories such as a tablet holder for your mic stand. Further, the fact that it is a chrome rack means that you do not have to worry about the rusting process. It is also worth mentioning that the shiny appearance complements the overall appearance of the drum set.

Rating the Sound Quality of the Alesis Surge Mesh Kit

If you are planning to buy this drum set, the first thing you would like to know is how well does it sound? Specifically, you want to be sure that you will have a great experience when playing the drums.

Analyzing this drum from a sound perspective may prove to be challenging. Electronic drums with modules usually come with preinstalled sounds. As for the Alesis Surge set, we have already established that it has 385 of these sounds. These inbuilt sounds are all programmed in similar conditions, which means that the quality may not be that far apart. Therefore, to establish how well Alesis Surge mesh fares against all other competitors, I am going to focus on the playing experience.

When I am looking at the drummer’s playing experience, I like to begin with the basics. On this front, I look at aspects like how easy using the Alesis Surge kit is. This drum set is one of the easiest to use. The hardware is straightforward to assemble and set up when beginning to play. Even for amateur drummers, the manufacturer has provided a quick setup manual to help fix each item where it belongs.

The surge module, on the other hand, minimizes the amount of effort required in practicing and perfecting your drumming. For example, there are already some inbuilt tracks that you can play along with to improve your skills. There is another reason why I would recommend the Alesis Surge for amateur-level drummers. The surge module incorporates a training mode. This system includes scores for every training exercise to help you check your progress and improve your playing speed. I would also recommend wearing your practice drumming gloves for a better training experience.

When it comes to the aspect of playing the drums themselves, there is that one aspect you will love about the Alesis Surge drums. I am talking about how they use mesh for their heads as opposed to rubber which is used by other drum kits within this price range. For a drummer, the mesh feels very natural when playing. For amateur drummers, natural can be as simple as having better control of your drumsticks. You will not be afraid of hard rebounds that make you lose your playing rhythm.

The idea here is that the mesh head gives you the freedom to determine the tension that suits you. This is something that drummers using kits with rubber heads cannot afford to control. Therefore, from an amateur’s perspective, the Alesis Surge mesh would be a good kit to help you improve your playing experience. Professional drummers also have a reason to love this electronic drum set. The mesh heads of the Alesis Surge kit have proved to be resilient enough.

There is something more the Alesis Surge kit offers to help you improve your playing experience. You can easily customize the sound each cymbal and drum produces. There are buttons on the surge module that represent each of the accessories available in this drum kit.

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Specifications:

• Total Number of Pads: 5 x drum pads, 3 x cymbal pads
• Included Snare/Tom Pads: 3 x 8″ Dual-zone Mesh Toms, 1 x 10″ Dual-zone Mesh Snare
• Included Kick Pads: 8″ Mesh Kick Pad Tower
• Included Cymbal Pads: 1 x 10″ Hi-hat, 1 x 10″ Crash with Choke, 1 x 10″ Ride with Choke
• Included Drum Module: Surge Drum Module
• Number of Drum Kits: 40 (24 presets, 16 users)
• Number of Instruments: 385 percussion sounds
• Module Trigger Inputs: 1 x 1/4″ TRS (tom 4), 1 x 1/4″ TRS (crash 2), 1 x DB-25 (cable snake)
• Module Analog Inputs: 1 x 1/8″ (aux in)
• Module Analog Outputs: 2 x 1/4″ TRS (main out)
• Headphones: 1 x 1/8″
• Module MIDI I/O: In/Out/USB
• USB: 1 x Type B
• Included Hardware: Kick pedal, 4-post Chrome Rack, Hi-hat pedal, Cable Snake

What’s included:

• Alesis Surge Mesh Kit

Storage of the Alesis Surge Kit

This may probably not be one of the greatest considerations when buying a drum set, but it still counts. You have to figure out how easy is the storage of the kit. During live performances, the storage of this kit is a logistical aspect you will have to deal with. Also, when working in an area with limited working space, you will need to store the drum set to create room for other activities.

On all these occasions, I would say that the Alesis Surge kit has been designed in a manner that addresses your concerns. For starters, the whole set weighs under 60 pounds. This is a reasonable weight considering all the items that make up a set. In terms of dimensions, the kit measures 27.6 by 47.3 by 43.3 inches.

So, to sum it all up, the Alesis Surge kit can easily be moved around or even stored away without too much stress. Further, for those people, who use a drum carpet, you will notice how well the drum sets sit on the carpet. There will be no sliding, especially on those slippery floors that you get to experience in certain live performances.

Is It Possible to Use a Double-Pedal with the Alesis Surge Kit?

One aspect that has made electronic drums not really preferable for professional drummers is the fact that most come with a single bass pedal. This minimizes the natural feel that you experience when playing a drum set. However, this may not be an issue with the Alesis Surge kit.

Even though it does come with a single bass pedal, there is extra room for alteration to improve your experience. You can acquire suitable double-kick pedals and use them instead. This is possible thanks to their wide diameters, which are either eight inches or ten inches. The only problem you will have is finding double drum kick pedals that are compatible with this drum set.

Other Accessories That Form the Alesis Surge Kit

In the previous unboxing section, I mentioned several items that make up the Alesis Surge kit. From the list of items discussed, it is obvious that my focus was on the major components of the kit. However, there are other accessories that are also very important when playing the drum set. These accessories include:

• Drum sticks;
• Power cables;
• Connection cables;
• Drum key;
• Bass pedal;
• Module mount.

Time to Rock With the Alesis Surge Mesh Kit

Being an artist is a career choice that people make based on different motivations. But choosing the right instrument is crucial for every musician.

For the drumming artists, there is a reason why you need to make the Alesis Surge kit a drum set of your choice. The affordability of this kit is one of the reasons why I suggest buying it. This set has so many unique features – usually, only drummers with the tools of premium brands get to enjoy them.

For those beginning a career in drumming, this kit will be a reliable tool to help you perform your best. You will love how easy the kit is to set up and use. Moreover, the surge module includes a training mode that helps you to keep a score during every training exercise. This effectively enables you to monitor your progress and find areas that require improvement.

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