Roland vs Yamaha vs Alesis?

kenntho

Junior Member
So i am going to buy a kit , but cant decide which one. My budget is around 1000£
I really like the Alesis DM10 cause its got so many pads, but i have read some bad things about it.. is it really bad and should i go for something else?
I have also been looking at the Roland TD11K and the Yamaha DTX530.
What should i go for?
 
From past experience with all Alesis products (that are not being hit with sticks) I would stick with either Roland or Yamaha. Some Alesis products I've used were not built robust enough and had issues over time. I can only imagine what would happen if it was now being beaten daily with sticks.

Of Roland or Yamaha, I've personally owned the Roland V-Drum TD10 kit and loved it (back when it was the flagship of the series), so I'm biased towards Roland. But lots of people think the Yamaha stuff is great too.
 
There is no beating the expandability of the Yamaha series. A roland (if I'm not mistaken) allows for 1 additional pad. That's it! The DTX 500 module allows for 4 additional pads (which I have personally put to very good use), with just the purchase of 4 splitter cables (around $7 each.

Peace, Defender
 
Yamaha and Roland make instruments. Alesis makes toys. Go from there.
 
Okay so i am going for a Roland or Yamaha then.
Does anyone have any experience with the DTX530 or the TD11K?
I like the hi hat rack and that you can add many more pads on the DTX, but i cant decide which im going to go for.. if anyone could help me out it would be great!
I play mostly hard rock and metal if that matters
 
Hi,

I would suggest looking at the DTX502 Series kits since it features the new DTX502 module. This module contains may new sounds, groove tools, expandability and you can import you own samples into the module. There are three versions of the kits: DTX522K, DTX532K, and DTX562K.

Here is the link to the product page for more details.

http://usa.yamaha.com/products/musical-instruments/drums/el-drumkit/dtx502/?mode=series

Let me know if you have any questions.

DTX Product Specialist
 
The Alesis is not that bad, but it's really loud. I guess people buy electronic sets for practicing at home, and the DM10 is terrible at that.
I've played both Yamaha and Roland kits (not the ones you mention, unfortunately) and I'm in love with the Rolands in general. I'd say go for a used set; for your money you can probably get a TD20, and these things can take a beating. My drum teacher uses a TD9 to teach, 8 hours a day, every day, for the last 6-7 years. He only had to replace a cymbal that broke.
Don't you have the option to try them out in a store and go with your own preference?
 
Well acoustic sound doesn't really matter.
Well yeah i have been looking at an used TD-9KX for about 850£ but i could probably ask to lower the price a bit more. The only problem about them though is that they are 5 years old, so i am a little afraid of buying them when i can't test them. But he does say that they are barely used though.

No i cannot really test them because almost none of the stores got drumsets out to test :(.
 
Yamaha and Roland make instruments. Alesis makes toys. Go from there.


That may be more true now, but in the past, Alesis made some really top notch gear.

But currently, for e-drums, I'd agree with the others - Yamaha or Roland.
I have multi-pads from both companies, and am pretty satisfied with both.
 
I went thru similar thoughts. More drums does not make you better - it's what you do with the drums that makes the difference - my own thoughts. On price, there are huge margins on drums. There is a internet store called http://www.rmcaudiodirect.com/ this place has good prices (and get another 10-15% off by asking) - no tax, no shipping. I recently purchased the Roland TD15KV - everyone selling the $3000 list kit for $2500, they were 500 below this.. and I'm out the door with HH pedal, double bass, throne, for $2170 (us) - I'm sure there are better prices out there - but look around and don't take the listed price and what you will have to pay.

Good luck.

Scott
 
I use Roland gear, but Yamaha makes nice stuff too. Most of the magic in electronic kits are in the module, so most people say to buy the best module you can afford. If that means you get a Roland TD-11k vs a used Roland TD-9KX2, well, this may be the way to go. As someone who owns a TD-30KV (and a lot of add-on's) I may be biased towards Roland, but I gave the Yamaha DTX line a good long look before deciding on Roland. In the end I felt the TD-30 was better than Yamaha's DTX-900 module.

I still think Roland's offerings are a bit better than Yamaha, but there are many who believe the new DTX-502 module is the second coming of Christ. I don't see it, but its all in the eye of the beholder I suppose.
 
Well, yes, Roland for sure. i bought an Alesis dm8 usb kit which, to put a not too fine spin on it, fell apart when I hit it at some points during the first month of playing, first one pad then another. The Roland TD-11 beats it soundly (no pun intended), especially when you download something like the VEX kits.
 
Most of the magic in electronic kits are in the module, so most people say to buy the best module you can afford.

It depends on your situation. If you connect to a PC and use something like Addictive Drums, etc., then the module is almost irrelevant. You're just using the set as MIDI triggers.
I think personal preference about how the pads feel to you (TCS vs mesh vs rubber) and price are still very important concerns.
 
It depends on your situation. If you connect to a PC and use something like Addictive Drums, etc., then the module is almost irrelevant. You're just using the set as MIDI triggers.
I think personal preference about how the pads feel to you (TCS vs mesh vs rubber) and price are still very important concerns.

I'm with you there, if you go down the VST route, the module sounds become irrelevant. However, VSTs can be a bit of a pain to setup and some people just don't have the patience, the computer and/or the knowledge to get it work, so make sure you're up to wasting, er... spending time with your computer rather than your drums.
 
I'm with you there, if you go down the VST route, the module sounds become irrelevant. However, VSTs can be a bit of a pain to setup and some people just don't have the patience, the computer and/or the knowledge to get it work, so make sure you're up to wasting, er... spending time with your computer rather than your drums.

Sure, hence the ever-important qualifier: "It depends on your situation." Some of us are pretty good with computers. In my case, much better than I am with drums ;p
 
Don't know if you purchased yet but if not, hope this helps. When I came back into the drumming world 3 years ago my stored 46 year old Ludwig kit was 200 miles away and I needed something quiet for my second floor apt. Hadn't picked up a stick in 30 years, and had no idea what was what . After looking at Simmons and Alesis and Yamaha,my long, boring journey took me to Roland , and I went td 9, then td 9 rocker then slowly made my td 9 rocker a td 20 and went all the way to the top to the td 30 module which was way too technical for me and eventually sold it . What I realized after all was said and done is this. I missed real drum sounds and real drum sizes, so without altering my Ludwigs I put internal bolt on triggers in my old Ludwigs and bought some cymbal triggers and most importantly, r I bought a 2 box module and it's drums sound are awesome. I know this is very long, but I just want to add this . To do it all over again, I would go out to different music stores and fellow electronic drummer's kits and try everything out there and not rush into anything .If you ask somebody else their opinion, you are going to get it! Make your own informed decision! As a matter of fact, I wish I bought a used Dw or Gibraltar practice pad rack and just worked on my technique and stopped asking other people what do they like! Just my HO.
 
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at my band's rehearsal space we have a Roland TD-11 kv with all mesh pads. It's good, I've grown to like the mesh pads, but the hardware has a tendency to slip a bit. And I'm not crazy about the built in sounds. It's not my kit so I'm not going to get into reprograming or tweaking it.

At home I have an older Yamaha Dtxtreme IIS which I picked up used for $1200. Totally different league to me. Actual real Yamaha rack and Hardware. The drums are all are rubber 3 zone pads, so on the tom I get a tom sound, on the lower rim I get a rimshot tom sound, and on the high rim I can have a cowbell or any other sound that's in the module. I also prefer the sounds in the yamaha to the ones in the roland. My only complaint about the yamaha is the rubber snare tends to give me blisters on my left hand after a long session of playing with the band. I don't get them on my right hand or when practicing alone. I really like the new yamaha TCS pads. I prefer them to the Rolands mesh, but this is different for everyone.

The best recommendation is to try the different pads and see what you like the best. The snare pad is the one that makes the biggest difference to me. For the rest rubber is fine if you want to save some money. Expanding - the yamaha has more inputs, and the add on toms and cymbals are generally cheaper as well.

I haven't used a modern Alesis kit so have no opinion there.
 
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