Author Topic: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?  (Read 6473 times)

Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« on: September 23, 2010, 09:34:12 AM »
Hi All!

I apologize if this question was already answered somewhere else in this forum (i was trying to search but I didn't find any posts):

Regarding the DM10 Pro and Studio kits: are all parts manufactured in the US (except the pads, since they are Medeli DD602)?

It doesn't really matter for me if they aren't (since I live in Europe/Hungary) but I'm still interested.

I am seriously considering to buy a Studio kit for home practicing and recording, have read almost everything about it on the internet (this forum, hellfiredrums, reviews, youtube videos) and one thing I am sure of: the DM10 module rocks. I think the hardware is also fine, and I'm almost sure that those pads are good - and the mesh upgrade makes the more better in terms of noise reduction - and maybe trigger(piezo) upgrade will improve sensitivity. DMPad cymbals are great.
I'll go to a local dealer tomorrow to try the DM10 Studio Kit (luckily the have RealHead and mesh upgraded version as well), and in the same place I'll have the opportunity to compare them with some other brands like Roland, Padtech (Hungarian brand!:) ), Millenium, 2Box, D-Tronic, XM.
I know already that Alesis DM10 drums beat all the others in terms of quality and value for money - especially DM10 Studio. I only want to try how it feels to play on, want ot hear the acoustic noise level and the overall responsiveness...

I'm really excited about trying the kits. I was playing only acoustic kits since I'm in drumming (more than 12 years now), and never tried any electric drums before.

I'll post my ipressions after I've tried those kits.

Regards to All,
-Omar-
-Omar-

Orangeblood

  • Guest
Re: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« Reply #1 on: September 23, 2010, 09:45:53 AM »
I would seriously doubt it. Nothing is made here anymore...not even Ford and Chevy

Re: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2010, 10:08:49 AM »
I would seriously doubt it. Nothing is made here anymore...not even Ford and Chevy

:| Well... that's probably true. I was just asking, maybe...
-Omar-

Online Hellfire

Re: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« Reply #3 on: September 23, 2010, 10:38:04 AM »
Welcome to the forum Omar.

I don't think the DM10 is manufactured here in the states. The module (I believe) is made in China but not by Medeli. The Alesis DM10 was truly designed by Alesis. The electronics inside the DM10 do have the Alesis name on it. How they went about that I don't know. Was it designed in house or did they hire some firm to do it for them that they work closely with? I'm not sure.

Anyway, welcome to the forum.

Re: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« Reply #4 on: September 23, 2010, 02:46:12 PM »
Welcome to the forum Omar.

I don't think the DM10 is manufactured here in the states. The module (I believe) is made in China but not by Medeli. The Alesis DM10 was truly designed by Alesis. The electronics inside the DM10 do have the Alesis name on it. How they went about that I don't know. Was it designed in house or did they hire some firm to do it for them that they work closely with? I'm not sure.

Anyway, welcome to the forum.

Hi!

Thank you for your reply! Nice to be here - you guys all do a great job by running this forum and doing other stuff (hellfiredrums', and Guinness' video reviews, tuts and articles). Two thumbs up!

cheers,
-Omar-

Re: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2010, 07:23:52 AM »
Hi to all DMDrummers!

As I told before, I was going to try the Dm10 Studio kit today at a local dealer, both the original RealHead and the modded mesh head setup.
Well, unfortunately they "only" had the modded setup which was modded not by applying the mesh head (Pearl) but also the triggering was fully replaced using Padtech (Hungarian brand) triggers. So basically the rims, the washers  and the shells were original Alesis, but the heads and the electronics were modded.

Here are my findings:
- DM10 module is very good, sound processing speed is perfect, kit sounds are great. However, when doing quick rolls on toms I always felt the "machine gun" feeling - I thought I've read somewhere that the DM10's multisampled instruments include alternating left-right hand sounds but for me it seemed way too "repeating the same sample rapidly" feeling
- The modded mesh head/Padtech trigger pads were acousically super quiet!! I loved them! I'm sure that I don't want to try the realhead since I don't wanna have it louder than it was with the mesh mod.
- Pad Responsiveness was perfect only in the center area of the pads (but there it was REALLY perfect!) - as I was going towards the rim there were some problems with dynamic. Really not dramatic but sometimes bothering that random notes are more louder when I'm playin the same smooth tremolo techniqe as in the center.
- There was some crosstalk when hitting the low toms, but I think modifying the settings could probably solve the issue.
- DMPad cymbals are good, feel good. Choking worked good - but u have to get used to it. I think all these "u have to get used to it" situations should be like playing electric guitar vs. acoustic. There are differences in the technique for an electrical intrument and an acoustical one, so I don't take it as a problem, but as a challenge to learn and absolve.
- RealHat pedal - well, I had to get used to it :)) . It is not too close to the real hihat pedal feeling, but once you adjust your technique a bit (e.g.: rapid open-close playing needs focus to step hard on the pedal, because sometimes it bounces a bit and thinks you left it open...)
I was able to try padtech pedals wich are mounted on a real hihat stand, and the sensor is just like a clutch, attached to that moving rod (sorry, I'm not aware of the real technical expression for that in english) of the hihat which is lifting the upper hat.

IN GENERAL:
Alesis DM10 Studio Kit gives a very high quality for an unbeatable price!
But for me, there were other, Padtech padded, Roland TD4, 9 and 20X brained kits that felt more realistic. Since the Roland modules are highly overpriced, I still have to think about what to buy. the only thing I can afford now is the modded mesh head DM10 Studio kit, so probably I'll go with that.
We'll see.

Anyway, I'll keep my eyes on this forum!

Regards and respect to all in the DMDrummer community!
« Last Edit: September 24, 2010, 07:28:28 AM by Omar »
-Omar-

Online Hellfire

Re: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« Reply #6 on: September 24, 2010, 08:59:41 AM »
Hi to all DMDrummers!

As I told before, I was going to try the Dm10 Studio kit today at a local dealer, both the original RealHead and the modded mesh head setup.
Well, unfortunately they "only" had the modded setup which was modded not by applying the mesh head (Pearl) but also the triggering was fully replaced using Padtech (Hungarian brand) triggers. So basically the rims, the washers  and the shells were original Alesis, but the heads and the electronics were modded.

Here are my findings:
- DM10 module is very good, sound processing speed is perfect, kit sounds are great. However, when doing quick rolls on toms I always felt the "machine gun" feeling - I thought I've read somewhere that the DM10's multisampled instruments include alternating left-right hand sounds but for me it seemed way too "repeating the same sample rapidly" feeling
- The modded mesh head/Padtech trigger pads were acousically super quiet!! I loved them! I'm sure that I don't want to try the realhead since I don't wanna have it louder than it was with the mesh mod.
- Pad Responsiveness was perfect only in the center area of the pads (but there it was REALLY perfect!) - as I was going towards the rim there were some problems with dynamic. Really not dramatic but sometimes bothering that random notes are more louder when I'm playin the same smooth tremolo techniqe as in the center.
- There was some crosstalk when hitting the low toms, but I think modifying the settings could probably solve the issue.
- DMPad cymbals are good, feel good. Choking worked good - but u have to get used to it. I think all these "u have to get used to it" situations should be like playing electric guitar vs. acoustic. There are differences in the technique for an electrical intrument and an acoustical one, so I don't take it as a problem, but as a challenge to learn and absolve.
- RealHat pedal - well, I had to get used to it :)) . It is not too close to the real hihat pedal feeling, but once you adjust your technique a bit (e.g.: rapid open-close playing needs focus to step hard on the pedal, because sometimes it bounces a bit and thinks you left it open...)
I was able to try padtech pedals wich are mounted on a real hihat stand, and the sensor is just like a clutch, attached to that moving rod (sorry, I'm not aware of the real technical expression for that in english) of the hihat which is lifting the upper hat.

IN GENERAL:
Alesis DM10 Studio Kit gives a very high quality for an unbeatable price!
But for me, there were other, Padtech padded, Roland TD4, 9 and 20X brained kits that felt more realistic. Since the Roland modules are highly overpriced, I still have to think about what to buy. the only thing I can afford now is the modded mesh head DM10 Studio kit, so probably I'll go with that.
We'll see.

Anyway, I'll keep my eyes on this forum!

Regards and respect to all in the DMDrummer community!
Thanks for the full report Omar. Yes, electronic drums are a slightly different instrument than acoustic drums. It is very much like the electric vs. acoustic guitar comparison. I wish more drummers saw it that way, but they do not. A lot of drummers for some odd reason expect electronic drums to be a perfect emulation of acoustic. I don't know why, but many do. Again, thanks for the full report.

Re: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« Reply #7 on: September 25, 2010, 03:07:51 PM »
Thanks for the full report Omar. Yes, electronic drums are a slightly different instrument than acoustic drums. It is very much like the electric vs. acoustic guitar comparison. I wish more drummers saw it that way, but they do not. A lot of drummers for some odd reason expect electronic drums to be a perfect emulation of acoustic. I don't know why, but many do. Again, thanks for the full report.

Yes, electric drums are another branch of drumming. It's like a different art, it takes a different way of thinking.
In some ways, I can understand those drummers who think the "orthodox" way of always comparing electric drums to acoustic ones, but yes, it is not the right approach.
However, I think if someone starts drumming, it is necessary to start on real acoustic ones to learn to master all the techniques. To learn drumming on electric drums will leave a lot of important areas unimproved (like real dynamics and hitting technique). So -in my opinion- besides that drummers should learn on real acoustic drums, learning electric drums is a great thing, and by moving forward in time it will be more common to use e-drums in studios and at home, and maybe even on stage.
-Omar-

Alesis

  • Guest
Re: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« Reply #8 on: October 09, 2010, 11:14:01 PM »
The DM10 module is manufactured in Malaysia. We designed it from scratch. The pads and hardware are manufactured in China, and SURGE Cymbals are made in Taiwan.

Hope this helps -- and sorry I haven't been around much lately!

Dan

Offline Guinness

Re: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2010, 01:25:48 AM »
Welcome back, Dan.  :)
 

Offline audiopat

Re: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2010, 04:48:23 AM »
no worries Dan! We all know you've been working hard on the DM8, DM20, and the triggerIO 2.0 :p.
so all is forgiven...

Alesis

  • Guest
Re: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« Reply #11 on: October 11, 2010, 01:26:43 AM »
 :-X

Re: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« Reply #12 on: October 15, 2010, 09:31:11 AM »
The DM10 module is manufactured in Malaysia. We designed it from scratch. The pads and hardware are manufactured in China, and SURGE Cymbals are made in Taiwan.

Hope this helps -- and sorry I haven't been around much lately!

Dan

Thank you Dan!

I really don't know if you can give info about this, but I'll ask:

- Can you tell me about the triggers built in the pads? Are they Alesis' own or you are using an OEM company? If the latter then which one? (If the pads are Medeli, are the triggers also?)

If you can not talk about this, I do understand it aswell.  ;)

cheers,
-Omar-

Alesis

  • Guest
Re: Are most parts of the Alesis kits manufactured in the US?
« Reply #13 on: October 16, 2010, 01:06:14 AM »
Omar,

We do not discuss our products' internal components and sources. Thank you for understanding.

Best,
Dan