Author Topic: DM10 mkii Pro disappointment  (Read 476 times)

DM10 mkii Pro disappointment
« on: October 16, 2021, 05:41:30 PM »
I've been playing a DM8 Pro for a while. It's a 10 year old module and I've been feeling like maybe I was missing something by playing on such an old piece of gear.

So I bought a DM10 MKii Pro and I'm disappointed. For one thing, the sounds don't really seem markedly better than the DM8. I haven't done an A-B comparison, but I'm pretty sure 95% of them are the exact same sounds as in my DM8. Most of them even have the same name.

And the DM8 had some really nice features the DM10 seems to lack. The DM8 let me layer sounds and mix them. So I could take two different kick samples and mix them together to get the best of both. The DM8 also had much more control over cross talk. Each trigger featured separate controls for XTalk send and XTalk receive. The dual triggers also included zone-XTalk. On the DM10 each trigger just has a single Cross-Talk setting.

The DM10 MKii Pro does have a few things going for it. It has dual triggers for every single pad, which is nice. And the DM10 has fewer "novelty" sounds (the stuff I can't ever imagine using). And the ability to recall your 3 favorite kits with a single button is nice. In general I think the DM10 is a little easier to use than the DM8. Separate volume controls for headphones, aux, and output is also a nice feature.

I'm just really struggling to understand how it is I find I'm preferring a 10 year old module to a shiny new one.
If I really want some new sounds, it might be better to go the midi route and just use the DM8 as a midi controller for some sound fonts or VST plugins. I was just hoping to avoid adding one more piece of tech to my band's setup.

Anyone else have a similar experience?

« Last Edit: October 16, 2021, 05:43:54 PM by Topper »

Re: DM10 mkii Pro disappointment
« Reply #1 on: October 16, 2021, 08:10:30 PM »
Since I really am not trusting my own ears on this, I decided to record the kick sounds from both modules. This also made me realize the DM8 has twice as many kick voices as the DM10.  :o

Both are linked below. I no longer feel like they are exactly the same sounds. Listening this way did reassure me that the sounds are not 95% identical after all.

But I still don't feel like the voices in the DM10 are really better than the DM8. At least not as much as I'd been hoping for after 10 years of technological evolution.

What do you all think? Do you hear a marked improvement in the quality and usability of the kick voices between the 2011 DM8 Pro and the current (2021) DM10 MKii Pro?

Honestly, I feel a little crazy preferring a 10 year old module over a current model.

DM8 Pro Kick Voices
DM10 MKii Pro Kick Voices

Online Hellfire

Re: DM10 mkii Pro disappointment
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2021, 01:01:49 PM »
Something to keep in mind. The DM8 is based on the original 2009 DM10. Also the DM8 was a watered down original DM10. If you really like the DM8 you should really consider getting an original DM10 module. It has a little more control and expandability. Since the original DM10/DM8 are really the same thing (DM8 just watered down alittle) the true upgrade to those two module is the Alesis Strike. Not the DM10 MKII Pro.

The DM10 MKII Pro was a bad attempt at marketing a newer cost saving module/kit with a familar name plate to get people to buy. It really has nothing to do with the original DM10/8 modules. Alesis did nothing but confuse the hell out of people with this little marketing trick. Don't get wrong, for the price the newer DM10 MKII pro module was okay but, they should have made a different name for the module (again, because the DM10 MKII Pro IS NOT based on the original DM10 module).

Re: DM10 mkii Pro disappointment
« Reply #3 on: October 17, 2021, 08:58:07 PM »
Thanks. I wasn't so much looking for a direct upgrade, just a more modern module with better/more recent sounds.

Grass is always greener on the other side, I guess. At least now I feel a little better about my DM8. I'm really pretty surprised it still holds its own (at least against the DM10 mkii Pro anyway).