Author Topic: Strike / Crimson compatibility and more...  (Read 513 times)

Strike / Crimson compatibility and more...
« on: March 08, 2021, 07:05:51 AM »
I have a number of questions. I currently own a Crimson II SE kit to which I added a 12” Strike tom (now in use as snare) and a Pro-X Hi-Hat (not yet present, but already in in travel luggage of my wife).

I love the compact size of the Crimson kit, but I am at the same time looking for an upgrade to another module (Strike comes to mind). So I am trying to set a migration path which allows me a staged path to using my Crimson kit with a Strike module.

1) I do not like the response (or better lack of response) of the ride. It is quite difficult to trigger the bell.
- Does an alternative 3-zone ride with a single cable connection exist which could replace the standard ride cymbal?
- Does the Strike module support a single cable connection for a 3 zone ride?

2) Does the Strike module support a Pro-X hi-hat?

3) Is the Strike snare 2 zones or 3 zones?
- If it’s 2 zones, then what is the difference between a 14” snare and a 14” tom?

Thanks in advance for any helpful answer.

Offline Chaser

Re: Strike / Crimson compatibility and more...
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2021, 03:05:25 PM »
I have a number of questions. I currently own a Crimson II SE kit to which I added a 12” Strike tom (now in use as snare) and a Pro-X Hi-Hat (not yet present, but already in in travel luggage of my wife).

I love the compact size of the Crimson kit, but I am at the same time looking for an upgrade to another module (Strike comes to mind). So I am trying to set a migration path which allows me a staged path to using my Crimson kit with a Strike module.

1) I do not like the response (or better lack of response) of the ride. It is quite difficult to trigger the bell.
- Does an alternative 3-zone ride with a single cable connection exist which could replace the standard ride cymbal?

Have you tried to isolate the bell to check if the switch is bad?..turn off the bow/edge zones and then dial in the bell.
The bell and edge are switch types and require a harder strike or to be "shanked" so if you are using the tip as I have seen many try to do
you will need to increase the sensitivity and lower the threshold..not all the articulations are the same.Some have a decent bell ..some do not.

The STRIKE 14" Cymbal is actually single cable 3 zone...for whatever reason Alesis doesn't advertise it.

Quote
- Does the Strike module support a single cable connection for a 3 zone ride?

No

Quote
2) Does the Strike module support a Pro-X hi-hat?

The Pro-X and STRIKE use the same bottom controller..the top cymbals are different.The Pro-X is Single Zone the STRIKE is Dual Zone

Quote
3) Is the Strike snare 2 zones or 3 zones?
- If it’s 2 zones, then what is the difference between a 14” snare and a 14” tom?

STRIKE 14" Drum is Dual (2) Zone...the snare does not have a rack mount.

EDIT:Added multiple links
« Last Edit: March 09, 2021, 09:38:34 AM by Chaser »

Re: Strike / Crimson compatibility and more...
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2021, 05:01:39 PM »
Have you tried to isolate the bell to check if the switch is bad?..turn off the bell/edge zones and then dial in the bell.
The bell and edge are switch types and require a harder strike or to be "shanked" so if you are using the tip as I have seen many try to do
you will need to increase the sensitivity and lower the threshold..not all the articulations are the same.Some have a decent bell ..some do not.

The STRIKE 14" Crash is actually single cable 3 zone...for whatever reason Alesis doesn't advertise it.

I can get the bell to trigger and I know I have to hit it quite accurately in the trigger zone with the stick (not the tip). But trigger success is way less than 50% (closer to 10% actually) and to me that is not acceptable.

The Pro-X and STRIKE use the same bottom controller..the top cymbals are different.The Pro-X is Single Zone the STRIKE is Dual Zone

That is in fact good news. The Pro-X is 12” so if / when I don’t like the top cymbal I could probably replace it with some dual zone 12” cymbal or something.

I’m not sure what my migration path will be. It doesn’t make sense to invest in a single connection ride, so probably the module upgrade will go first (until that lousy bell pisses me off too much). I can see me using the Crimson module for the ride only (for a short while) and connect the rest to a Strike module. I can connect both modules to a mixer and voila. (I have a 12 channel mixer with 4 stereo channels)

Meanwhile I’ll try to fumble with the trigger settings of the ride to see whether this helps.

Thanks for your answers, friend. I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

Offline Chaser

Re: Strike / Crimson compatibility and more...
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2021, 06:00:50 PM »

I can get the bell to trigger and I know I have to hit it quite accurately in the trigger zone with the stick (not the tip). But trigger success is way less than 50% (closer to 10% actually) and to me that is not acceptable.

Meanwhile I’ll try to fumble with the trigger settings of the ride to see whether this helps.

Thanks for your answers, friend. I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

I still have a Crimson module laying around (all are based off the Medeli DD650) and even the STRIKE 14" with a 360 switch in the bell needs a sharp hit.
Try raising the Rim Sens to 16..the threshold down to 2-4 (it's pretty high in the module...around 13) and change the Curve to 6.

Also if you want more overall volume the EQ's are at Zero (0)..except for the High (4)..raise then evenly..set low/mid at 8 ...High=12.
There is a more in depth manual with all the Kit/Instrument/song lists etc in the link...starting on pg 27