Doraemon
Well-known Member
TLDR: it's very nice.
First of all, there's a list of places where you can see the kit (it can only be pre-ordered, I think they ship in June). I went to GC in Manhattan.
zildjian.com
I'm sure there are many differences, but this was the closest to the real thing I've ever played (which includes the DWe, VAD706, Strata), especially for the cymbals. Maybe it's a bit psychological that you see a moving shiny golden cymbal with a Zildjian logo while playing, but the sounds are really amazing. They sampled them well, with many variations, and you don't have to hit a certain area like on rubber cymbals. The bell is like a bell and choking by touch is cool. They're basically L80s. The drums feel and sound nice, too, but didn't amaze me. They trigger well, you can cross-stick on the snare, it has good dynamics, no hot spots.
I quickly went through all the menus and options in the module. It's easy to use, very intuitive. You can configure user kits, change what voice the instruments play (assign different sounds to zones), set some trigger and effect parameters. I suspect you can (probably) split the toms, since you can make the rim sound anything else, but not sure. 6 regular inputs (up to 4 toms) are really not enough in this price range imo. The touchscreen with the dial work well to navigate. There is also a rubber wheel with arrows on the left side that didn't do anything. The gold dial was acting a bit weird. When you turn it, nothing happens, you have to turn it faster, then it start quickly running through the list, but you cannot go step by step slowly and there is no connection between the rotation and the menu items, you just hope it'll stop or get to where you want it. Maybe it's just this one, but I hope they can fix this in a firmware update. It's one of those little unimportant things that can make it feel like a cheap thing.
Zildjian should really post the manual and some FAQ online for people who are interested, not just expect them to order one blindly!
What about compatible triggers, expansions, drivers etc.?
The kit is gorgeous. Especially the GOLD EX one. The cymbals are light years ahead of others (IMO). It can be a useful kit for those playing in quiet places like a theater and also a great toy for basement drummers with too much money (I wish I were one). But all this magic is locked inside the proprietary cymbal triggers (with RJ45 connectors) and the samples inside the module that you can only access if you buy the whole kit. What about recording? Ekit owners usually record MIDI, not audio. In this time and age I can't imagine them not releasing a software version of those kits. A midi interface could make the cymbal pack usable with other kits or VSTs, and could be a big hit. But then who would buy the drums? I wonder how they plan to break out of this conun-drum. I can't wait for their 2nd product launch in September, whatever it is. All in all it's an amazing new product that raises the bar for others, and these cymbals now erased all other kits from my edrum upgrade fantasies.
First of all, there's a list of places where you can see the kit (it can only be pre-ordered, I think they ship in June). I went to GC in Manhattan.
Zildjian ALCHEM-E Electronic Drum Kits
Shop the official Zildjian online store, featuring cymbals, drumsticks, and percussion mallets.
zildjian.com
I'm sure there are many differences, but this was the closest to the real thing I've ever played (which includes the DWe, VAD706, Strata), especially for the cymbals. Maybe it's a bit psychological that you see a moving shiny golden cymbal with a Zildjian logo while playing, but the sounds are really amazing. They sampled them well, with many variations, and you don't have to hit a certain area like on rubber cymbals. The bell is like a bell and choking by touch is cool. They're basically L80s. The drums feel and sound nice, too, but didn't amaze me. They trigger well, you can cross-stick on the snare, it has good dynamics, no hot spots.
I quickly went through all the menus and options in the module. It's easy to use, very intuitive. You can configure user kits, change what voice the instruments play (assign different sounds to zones), set some trigger and effect parameters. I suspect you can (probably) split the toms, since you can make the rim sound anything else, but not sure. 6 regular inputs (up to 4 toms) are really not enough in this price range imo. The touchscreen with the dial work well to navigate. There is also a rubber wheel with arrows on the left side that didn't do anything. The gold dial was acting a bit weird. When you turn it, nothing happens, you have to turn it faster, then it start quickly running through the list, but you cannot go step by step slowly and there is no connection between the rotation and the menu items, you just hope it'll stop or get to where you want it. Maybe it's just this one, but I hope they can fix this in a firmware update. It's one of those little unimportant things that can make it feel like a cheap thing.
Zildjian should really post the manual and some FAQ online for people who are interested, not just expect them to order one blindly!
What about compatible triggers, expansions, drivers etc.?
The kit is gorgeous. Especially the GOLD EX one. The cymbals are light years ahead of others (IMO). It can be a useful kit for those playing in quiet places like a theater and also a great toy for basement drummers with too much money (I wish I were one). But all this magic is locked inside the proprietary cymbal triggers (with RJ45 connectors) and the samples inside the module that you can only access if you buy the whole kit. What about recording? Ekit owners usually record MIDI, not audio. In this time and age I can't imagine them not releasing a software version of those kits. A midi interface could make the cymbal pack usable with other kits or VSTs, and could be a big hit. But then who would buy the drums? I wonder how they plan to break out of this conun-drum. I can't wait for their 2nd product launch in September, whatever it is. All in all it's an amazing new product that raises the bar for others, and these cymbals now erased all other kits from my edrum upgrade fantasies.
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