This is list price not street price, someone called them and told would be near Roland TD25 Price range..let see
Sounds reasonable. But i'm a bit laughing @Steven Slate when he points out the "Top Level Burr Brown Converters". Alesis had them since the D4 or so? A better, pricier point should be the number of audio outs (with DB-25) in relation to the TD25/TD30 or the DTX950.
1999$ street price now
If the module allows you to output every single pad individually to a mixer (or a DAW) then that alone makes it great, as of now I think the TD-50 also has that capability. but question and this is because I just don't see why anyone would spend that much unless they are getting something great..
Why would you buy this module as opposed to a Strike module (load the Vsts to it) and play them from the module. I guess when this post was originally posted the mimic WAS a game changer, no computer needed to play VST quality sounds, but now you can do that with other modules and still also have the modules built in sounds... is it the touch screen??
This is a HUGE misconception about the strike. That you "put vst's into it". You in fact do NOT. Now, you can create .wav samples based on the sounds you are using in a VST program but the actual sound of a VST is only a fraction of what a VST does. You are putting all the capabilities of that VST into the module. And seeing the mimic takes the SSD5 VST and even improves on it further, smooths it out. Even computer based VST programs are not optimized for edrums. Sure you can trigger it via midi. But it will never play as well as the module does.
Plus there really isn't that much cost savings of buying a strike over the mimic. If you don't have a laptop or at the very least a computer that can be put next to your module you will need to invest in some computer of some kind to use the software required to even put samples in the strike. Its NOT a simple process. Even if you have pre purchased multi layer sample libraries the process to put them in the module is NOT a quick one. And those samples better be pre processed with all the eq and compression done to them because the eq and compressor in the strike is basic. Beyond basic really. They are global units and not very effective. But it doesn't stop there. You have strike and the laptop ($300 minimum investment and its going to run slow) but wait now you need to buy lustark software and maybe reaper. So there is another $60 for reaper and I think its another $30 or $40 for lustark. So tack on another $100. Now you have your strike, your laptop and your conversion software. Oh crap. We forgot you need VST programs to convert or even just buying sample libraries. That's more money. If you want to convert SD3 you are buying that $400 program. So now you are around a $1500 investement and for another $200 and some frugal shopping techniques you can buy a mimic. And have all your edits in the module in one place, no outboard programs or conversion process. You need to learn one single unit. Not 4 different things to have what will ultimately be a compromise with less desirable triggering results and that is if the sounds even come across the same as they did in the VST. Which brings me to the biggest reason I kicked the strike to the curb.
Imagine this nightmare scenario. You have your strike, laptop, software, samples VST program and you put all your sounds in the module and you go to play it. It sounds like garbage. What happened? Well that's ok I will just adjust the sound within the module. But wait you cant. You have a 2 band shelf eq. Which basically means you are either going to brighten or darken the overall sound of the kit. You aren't doing any major tone shaping here. Well how about compression. Just a threshold and makeup gain. Not doing much with that. So after all that hassle and effort and time. You create sounds that just aren't to your liking. What do you do? You start over. And that gets annoying after awhile.
Other advantages the mimic has over the strike. Just the bullet points.
1. More samples. There is more information in the snare of an average mimic kit than a complete kit in the strike.
2. More round robins and velocity layers. This give you better sense of dynamics and realism when you play. The strike cant ever use as many samples even on the 1.4 update.
3. The hi hat engine is better than any other module period. The TD50 and strike hi hat suck. The strike because even with aftermarket upgrades it lacks realism and accuracy. The TD50 because ever hi hat in that module sounds like an keychain sound maker. The mimics hi hat is a seemless fluid experience that can be incredibly realistic with great barking, accuracy and realism. When dialed in with a good hi hat (atv preferred) you get the best response of any Edrum hi hat. Even has the pitch increase with additional foot pressure.
4. Cymbal swells feel natural. Strikes suck. Especially if you have strike cymbals. Which I wouldn't use as a frisbee.
5. Rimshots are played by playing an actual rimshot. None of this assigning a rimshot to the edge stuff. You can if you want to. But you can also play a rimshot just like you would on a regular snare.
6. 24 bit sounds vs 16
7. Strike even with 1.4 update has a limit to how much data can effectively be used in a kit.
8. Reliability. I had my strike module replaced 3 or 4 times. Cant remember but it was at least 3. Never sent my mimic in for any reason. Yeah there was a hiccup with the mimic recently. But they were on it like gangbusters and they righted the ship in quick fashion.
9. Product variance. Of the 4 or 5 strike modules I have had in my possession no two modules sounded or performed identically. Some features worked on some. Another module not. And I know for a fact some modules sound much better and louder via headphones regardless of the resistor mod the factory is doing on early modules to repair headphone out failures. Some modules display improper recording times. Some modules cant use pedal curves on the hi hat. There are also a number of corrupted samples that were not mapped properly and if used as a layer on each other will literally lock the module and freeze it.
10. Virtually Zero support 1 on 1 from Alesis. The mimic is constantly evolving and they are committed to providing upgrades and a great experience for users. If you have technical problems with your strike, you will be on the phone with someone who is NOT a dedicated strike or even alesis employee. You will be talking to an In music customer service representative whos pinnacle of their skillset is reading the manual to you. I cant tell you how frustrating it is being on the phone for 2 hours with someone who knows a 10th of what you do on a product they are trained to troubleshoot. A LOT gets lost in translation.
11. Build quality. Use a screen protector on the mimic and you are good. Its case is made of metal and the parts are high quality. Drop your strike module and its not a matter of if its going to crack, just how bad. It makes the TD25 look like a challenger 2 tank.
12. Volume via headphones. The strike is weak sauce in this department. Even with extremely easy to power in ears that are known for being loud AF are just barely adequate in the strike. I could not even play the module without using the make up gain in the compressor. And even then it compromised sound quality. Had to use a headphone amp.
13. Ease of use. I know this will shock many because the mimic has a reputation for being hard to use. But I guess I just find others issues with it trivial. Is there a learning curve? Yeah. But there was a learning curve with the first edrum kit you ever bought. No one is born with divine knowledge of how these things operate. So yes the mimic does things differently. But once you are past the curve you really realize that most of the issues people have with using the mimic is over thinking things, not trusting their ear and/or just refusing to learn it. The strike if you are going to utilize the features that make it what it is require you to learn complicated slow software and what it takes to take a kit from SSD5 to module will take you hours where all I have to do is a few finger swipes.