Alesis Strike Multipad - 9-Trigger Percussion Pad with RGB Backlighting, Sampler, Looper, On-Board 2-In/2-Out Soundcard, Sample loading via USB Thumb Drives and Radiant 4.3-Inch Display

Product Information

The pad makes a quite stable impression. The casing is plastic like most of its competitors (except a few like the Drumkat and Nord Drum 3P). The pads have a really nice feel and re-bounce. The looping functionality is great and the ability to overdub samples in real-time from the unit standalone is superb. Use the ‘Play’ button to see how you did editing. If the volume seems a little low, you can use the normalize function to bring it to the level of all the other samples.

Need on-the-fly tone changes? The Strike MultiPad has Alesis A-LINK infinite rotary knobs that you can map to any EQ or effect parameters. Intuitive Functions Nord’s version of the electric drum pad is a little disappointing in our view. Like other Nord products, it has a clunky knob interface ( just our opinion), with an old-school digital display that gives minimal information to the user. I much prefer the design of the Alesis and Roland SPD-SX displays. The Nord Drum 3P is Not a Drum Sampler – It’s a Synthesizer Testament to Alesis's continued support and improvement of their products, the Strike Multipad firmware is to be updated to v1.1. Upon loading the unit up, you’ll find 30 preset loaded kits available to choose from and 70 empty user kits for you to customize. I found the included samples to be very impressive and usable. There’s a well-rounded diversity of sound samples: lots of electronic, acoustic, orchestral, world and more.

Another great aspect of the Alesis Strike MultiPad percussion pad is how well it transitions from the stage to the studio. The Roland SPD-SX and Alesis Strike MultiPad are the two big hitters vying for the top percussion pad spot. The former has been the go-to for a number of years thanks to its intuitive design, CD sound quality and perfect integration into v-drum setups or working as a standalone instrument. Once you’re ready to sample, press ‘Arm to record’, hit ‘Record’and play your sample. When finished, press ‘Stop’. Editing samples on the Strike Multipad EDIT your samples and loops with the radiant 4.3-inch colour screen, easy-to-use selectors & encoders, A-Link controls and the five built-in effects processors - tweak, shade, colour, EQ and compress to your heart’s content. Your sounds will really be your sounds, and no one else’s. This electronic drum pad used to compete with the Roland SPD-SX for features and usability, at half more than half the cost. The new winner is the Strike MultiPad. Overview of the Pads and I/O – Alesis SamplePad Pro

I honestly couldn’t get over the number of trigger inputs that are available on this pad. You can have a major setup with controlled all by just this one unit. However, the SPD-SX benefits from excellent velocity-sensitive pads and two external drum trigger inputs. This lets you incorporate the kit into an acoustic setup and spread your samples over more than nine slots. The pads themselves are very (and I mean very) robust and durable, this thing takes a beating nearly every other day and I'm yet to find any dents or hit marks on the pads.

Note: This is not a drum sampling pad. It is a drum synthesizer. We decided to include it in our post because it commonly is mistaken to be a product like the SPD-SX or Sample Pad Pro. There are no internal sound samples and you definitely are not able to load your own in. Maybe this product doesn’t totally fit this post, but I wanted to include it since Nord is such a well-known brand. The big thing to remember is that it is a percussion synthesizer. The unit is not a sampler. Therefore, all the sounds from the unit are made inside the unit using synthesis. Is this a good or bad thing? It’s really up to you. Modes of Synthesis with the Drum 3P Timpani is an orchestral patch with, you guessed it, timpani. I suppose it’s useful if you want to add a few orchestral elements to your set. When the blue Firmware screen appears, let go of the buttons, and press the main encoder to start the firmware update. Audio sources can be connected via the two 1.4” TRS audio inputs for all your sampling needs too. Great for Stage and Studio

Some users are claiming that single pads on the unit are going dead after just weeks of use. Others complain that the headphone output is not functional and the power switch doesn’t work. Sample Mamager - Get complete control of your sample library and browse, play and delete any samples you have saved to the Strike MultiPad. You also get the option to export samples from internal storage to an external USB drive! Roland does offer a special edition model of the SPD-SX that has considerable amount of more memory (16GB), but it is more expensive. Let’s face it—electronic drum pads are becoming more and more common in drummers’ setups, specifically the Roland SPD-SX Pro. A drum sampling pad can offer a drummer a range of sounds that cannot be normally achieved with just a standard acoustic drum set. The Strike Multipad comes complete with 30 curated presets to get you started, and 70 empty User Presets. You can easily copy and paste preset kits to user slots to customize.With its impressive range of inputs and outputs, the trike MultiPad can be easily integrated into your existing setup. Offering everything you need to create, recording, mix and perform, the combination of Abelton Live Lite and the Alesis Strike Multipad delivers endless musical possibilities. The version that comes with the Strike Multipad is a special Pro Tools | First Alesis Edition which includes an exclusive plug in bundle that’s only available from Alesis. The Alesis Strike MultiPad also comes with ProTools | First – a complete DAW that gives you the essentials of the world-famous ProTools software. In addition to its large storage capability, the drum pad ships with 8,000+ pre-loaded samples which are both pitched and percussive.

I don’t believe the looper function quantizes your performance to a grid-like Ableton Live does, so make sure your playing is on point. Inputs and Outputs In this guide, we will show you how to update the firmware on an Alesis Strike Multipad. These updates are released periodically and will often add new features and optimizations on the devices internal software. Follow the sections below to get started. Yes. Record samples direct to the Strike Multipad using a microphone, phone, computer, USB input or virtually any other audio device to capture live or pre-recorded samples, even off the internet.USB Drive Supported Format: FAT32 Supported File Type: 16-bit, mono or stereo .WAV files, 44.1 KHz Sample Rate One of the greatest features of the SPD-One is the ability to run the power off of a battery or an AC adapter. This is huge for those of us who hate clutter on stage! Sounds The Strike Multipad has really changed my on stage and off stage work flow. From tour prep to nightly workhorse it’s made our real time sampling and show so much more dynamic and reliable. 5 stars."