Author Topic: Alesis Crimson 3-zone ride cymbal - is this normal behaviour?  (Read 5192 times)

Got my Alesis Crimson kit the other day.
Dissapointed with it.
Both 2-zone crash and 3-zone ride cymbals seem to be faulty.
Can hardly trigger bell unless I hit a certain spot in the inner middle of the cymbal.
Can't trigger edge at all. Same thing with the crash cymbal - edge hardly triggerable.
Maybe I'm just a noob and not hitting the cymbals "properly"?
Check out the video I took: https://youtu.be/o48zLJKC9-M Is the cymbal faulty? What can I do besides RMAing the cymbal? I was thinking using this faulty cymbal as crash2 and replacing it with some other cymbal, from Roland, for example. What are the options? What 3rd party cymbals are compatible with Alesis Crimson, so that all 3 zone would work?

Online AlanK

Re: Alesis Crimson 3-zone ride cymbal - is this normal behaviour?
« Reply #1 on: April 03, 2017, 10:59:38 AM »
Wow, ok, first off, I think we all get the point after 20 seconds of the video ;-)  that's a lotta dinging you recorded.. sounded like a pinball machine..

Which leads me to the second observation.. what kind of "voices" have you got set for the ride? (that WAS the ride, right?), certainly not set to the standard ride/cymbal type kit sounds.

So, did you initialize the module or run (check for) updates? Any chance there's an option for what type of set you've got you had to dial in? (ie on the DM10 there's an option for the module to be programmed for a DM10 Studio or DM10X, and if you don't pick the right one your triggers may be offset or missing some pads/cymbals).

Do you have the cables plugged in properly? I'm not familiar with the Crimson but for the DM10 you certainly have to make sure you've got the two TRS cables plugged in and going to the proper module inputs.

How's the rest of the kit? Do the rest of the pads and cymbals work ok?
DM10X with Addictive Drums 2, Pro X hi-hat, 4 crashes, foam cone conversion w Roland mesh heads, Laurin Drums snare and kick, Mapex P710W double kick pedal, Mapex 2 legged hi-hat, Behringer 8 channel USB mixer, Tascam 144MK AI, Samson Expedition Escape powered speakers

Re: Alesis Crimson 3-zone ride cymbal - is this normal behaviour?
« Reply #2 on: April 04, 2017, 01:34:00 AM »
Which leads me to the second observation.. what kind of "voices" have you got set for the ride? (that WAS the ride, right?), certainly not set to the standard ride/cymbal type kit sounds.
Didn't think the sound would rise questions. It's just the marimba preset for demonstration purposes. I selected it so that the zones would be easily distinguishable.

So, did you initialize the module or run (check for) updates?  Any chance there's an option for what type of set you've got you had to dial in?
No updates or such options that I'm aware of. There's just one version of Crimson Kit, as far as I know.

Do you have the cables plugged in properly?
One cable for each pad/cymbal. Yes, everything's plugged in correctly.

How's the rest of the kit? Do the rest of the pads and cymbals work ok?
The crash cymbal edge zone is hard to trigger as well.

Online Hellfire

Re: Alesis Crimson 3-zone ride cymbal - is this normal behaviour?
« Reply #3 on: April 04, 2017, 08:20:48 AM »
Got my Alesis Crimson kit the other day.
Dissapointed with it.
Both 2-zone crash and 3-zone ride cymbals seem to be faulty.
Can hardly trigger bell unless I hit a certain spot in the inner middle of the cymbal.
Can't trigger edge at all. Same thing with the crash cymbal - edge hardly triggerable.
Maybe I'm just a noob and not hitting the cymbals "properly"?
Check out the video I took: https://youtu.be/o48zLJKC9-M Is the cymbal faulty? What can I do besides RMAing the cymbal? I was thinking using this faulty cymbal as crash2 and replacing it with some other cymbal, from Roland, for example. What are the options? What 3rd party cymbals are compatible with Alesis Crimson, so that all 3 zone would work?

Welcome to the forum firsak!

Please don't take this the wrong way, but are you new to drumming in general?

The most glaring thing to stand out to me in your video was the way you were hitting your cymbal trigger. I don't know any drummers who strike the edge or bell of a cymbal with the very tip of a drum stick. Normally the edge and bell of an acoustic cymbal is struck with the "shank"/"shaft" of the stick. Since edrums are designed to be played like acoustic drums, I have a feeling that a slight change in your technique of playing might get you better results. I hope that helps and again, welcome to the forum.


Re: Alesis Crimson 3-zone ride cymbal - is this normal behaviour?
« Reply #4 on: April 04, 2017, 03:09:01 PM »
are you new to drumming in general?
Yes, I am.

The most glaring thing to stand out to me in your video was the way you were hitting your cymbal trigger.
I figured it all out. Kind of embarrassing, lol.  ;D
A friend of mine, a drummer, just visited my place and showed me how to hit cymbals like a man, not like a pussy that I am.

Since edrums are designed to be played like acoustic drums I have a feeling that a slight change in your technique of playing might get you better results.
In all seriousness, in my defense, since these are electronic drums, I thought that the zones would work as "buttons" - you press the button and it gives the 100% predictable result. I guess those piezo sensors are i bit more complicated than that.

I take my words back about being disappointed.

Online AlanK

Re: Alesis Crimson 3-zone ride cymbal - is this normal behaviour?
« Reply #5 on: April 04, 2017, 03:19:39 PM »
that's awesome, Firsak, glad it's starting to work out for you! don't despair, they don't always work as they should, as you can see here there are countless discussions about things going wrong or how do you make it work scenarios
DM10X with Addictive Drums 2, Pro X hi-hat, 4 crashes, foam cone conversion w Roland mesh heads, Laurin Drums snare and kick, Mapex P710W double kick pedal, Mapex 2 legged hi-hat, Behringer 8 channel USB mixer, Tascam 144MK AI, Samson Expedition Escape powered speakers

Re: Alesis Crimson 3-zone ride cymbal - is this normal behaviour?
« Reply #6 on: November 26, 2019, 10:28:46 AM »
Sorry for bringing this back to life. I'm new to the forum and reading all the good info. I'll have to try this when I get home, as I was also thinking the bell part of the 3-zone was tough to activate consistently. I'll try a firmer strike and see if I get better results.