My First E-Drums

Alesis DM8 Drum Kit listing

2011-08-11T13:36:00.000-04:00

Several people have asked for a list of all of the default drum kits that come with the Alesis DM8 module. I'm assuming this list is the same for the DM8 USB and DM8 Pro. The DM8 has 200 kits - 100 are preset from the factory and their are 100 blank kits for the user to customize.

0 Fusion
1 Big Mellow
2 CableSnare
3 Bop Brush
4 Big Wet
5 Clav Jam
6 Wood Pop
7 Dry Rocker
8 Big Rocker
9 Crank It
10 Trig Samp
11 Evil Drums
12 Absolute
13 Ballad
14 Big BackBt
15 Dry Honk
16 ClassicR&B
17 Dead Snare
18 Deep Dish
19 Rocker Jam
20 JungleVerb
21 Deli World
22 Trash Funk
23 Fat Back
24 Africa
25 Latin Set
26 NuAge Perc
27 Latin Kit
28 Keystone
29 Rnd Latin
30 Elec Tech
31 Elec Hop
32 Electro
33 Ethno Tek
34 9 OH 9
35 Flim Flam
36 SquareBdge
37 Old SKool
38 Hiss Hop
39 Nu Jack
40 Pop Brush
41 PingySnare
42 Mini Me
43 Thick Rock
44 Levee
45 Deep Jam
46 Picc Verb
47 Slick Jazz
48 Picc Funk
49 Thick Thin
50 Indo Ethno
51 Studio
52 World 1
53 FunkBigKik
54 RingyMetal
55 Mello Snap
56 8 OH 8
57 Trad Hop
58 CountryRok
59 Handrums
60 PowerBlues
61 Orchestra
62 Picc Punk
63 Reggae
64 Piano Rock
65 Comedy FX
66 Fat Attack
67 OG SIM
68 Guitar Jam
69 Techno
70 VocalDrums
71 Med Room
72 Funky Drmr
73 ConcertTom
74 World 2
75 FunkRinger
76 Latin Jazz
77 12" Funk
78 Fuse Hop
79 ThickBlues
80 World 3
81 Orch Traps
82 Paisley
83 Funk Pop
84 Funk Snap
85 80s Stndrd
86 Hi Fusion
87 Hi Round
88 Brush Room
89 Cavern
90 Kick Click
91 Funk Bop
92 Phi Gospel
93 NoFrontHd
94 Super Kik
95 Samba
96 Thonk
97 Pop Idol
98 Far East
99 World 4

Adding an ION Expansion Cymbal kit to my Alesis DM8 USB drum set

2011-08-03T11:11:00.000-04:00

The Alesis DM8 USB Kit kit comes with a hi-hat, 1 crash and a ride cymbal. Coming from my acoustic kit where I had 5 or 6 crash cymbals, it was sort of limiting to have a single crash so I've been looking for the cheapest way to add another cymbal trigger to my kit.

You can get a single Alesis DMPad 12" Crash cymbal and then locate some mounting hardware, but in my case I decided to try an Ion Drum Rocker Cymbal Expansion kit (The IEDO7C ). ION is the company that makes the Drum Rocker kit for Rockband and Guitar Hero. And it seems the same company makes both the Alesis cymbals and well as ION cymbals. You can get an ION 12" crash complete with mounting hardware for about $50 on Amazon. Great deal! The Alesis-brand mounting hardware alone would probably cost more than $50 plus you'd still have to buy the pad with is $50-60 by itself.

The DM8 module has two stereo 1/4" jacks on the back for expansion purposes. One is Perc1 and the other is Perc2. (I think on the DM8 Pro Kit, one or two of these jacks might already be in use because of the triple-zone ride cymbal. Not sure.) These inputs show up in the module as Prc1Hd/Prc1Rim and Prc2Hd/Prc2Rim. Since each input is stereo, you can trigger two different sounds from each input for a total of 4 additional triggers. If you had a dual-zone pad, you could connect it to one input using a stereo cable and trigger both the head and the rim. If you had two single zone pads, you could connect those to the same input by using an "insert cable", which takes a 1/4" stereo TRS cable and splits it to two 1/4" mono cables. In my case I just used a single 1/4" mono cable because the ION cymbal is a single zone.

Here is my latest Youtube video that covers the unboxing, mounting and module configuration...

Ordered some new audio equipment for better videos

2011-07-19T17:27:00.000-04:00

Rather than strictly using my Creative Labs Vado HD with it's built in mic to record my videos, I thought I would get a new pocket camera with an external input jack. I wasn't really thrilled with all of the reviews, though the Kodak PlayTouch Zi10 almost made me pull the trigger. Instead, I've decided to try using my iPhone 4. I did a few sample runs just for video testing purposes and it works really well - even better on on the up-close macro-type shots of the Alesis console. You can actually see the display very well - where as they up-close shots were a bit blurry in previous videos.

So now for the audio - I found this company KVConnection that makes a cable specifically to bring mic level or line level inputs into your iPhone. So I ordered the line level version of this cable. Link is here.

So that gets the audio INTO the iPhone, but where is it coming from? I've also ordered a little clip-on lavaliere mic. The Audio-Technica ATR-3350 Lavalier Omnidirectional Condenser Microphone. Really good reviews for a $20 mic. It's has a 20 ft cable attached. I'll be connecting that cable into my mixer, an Alesis MultiMix 8 USB FX. Then I'll be able to bring audio out of my mixer into the iPhone which will have the sound from my little mic as well as the audio coming out of the Alesis DM8 module.

Hopefully this all works out well. I'll post some more videos when I have all of the gear.

My Alesis DM8 USB Kit has arrived! Setup videos included!

2011-07-16T15:16:00.000-04:00

I'm so hyped to have my new Alesis DM8 USB Kit! It arrived 2 days ago. I shot video clips along the way and made a series of 3 Youtube videos entitled Alesis DM8 USB Kit Unboxing and Setup, Parts 1,2 and 3. I've embedded the videos below.

My early impression is that I'm very happy with my purchase. Everything was packaged very well and it was easy to assemble. The rack itself comes pre-assembled (aside from 2 poles) with all of the clamps and pad mounts already installed. That probably saved an hour or so right there.

The sound quality is outstanding and the module seems to be very flexible in terms of allowing you to create your own custom kits and custom sounds.

I'll be doing more in-depth reviews shortly. But here are the videos to get you started.

Alesis DM8 USB preview video

2011-07-12T13:57:00.000-04:00

There aren't many videos out there yet, but here is a video preview of the Alesis DM8 USB Kit from the Winter NAMM 2011 show. It has an overview of the basic features and then a quick demo.

Alesis MultiMix 8 USB FX

2011-07-12T13:26:00.000-04:00

I've also ordered a small mixer to be used with my new Alesis DM8 USB drum kit, in case I want to combine vocals, guitars, keyboards, etc. I chose the Alesis MultiMix 8 USB FX. It has 4 mic/line inputs and 2 sets of stereo imports (one for the drumset, one for the keyboard). It also features basic onboard effects. I really like that it has a USB connection. I'll be able to connect it to my PC and record everything digitally. This version will record 2 tracks at a time. If you step up to the USB 2.0 version (the Alesis MultiMix 8 USB 2.0 Mixer) then you can record all 8 tracks simultaneously. I should be receiving the mixer in a few days and then I'll start posting my reviews and experiences.

Welcome to My E-Drums!

2011-07-12T12:55:00.000-04:00

I wanted to start a blog to chronicle my experiences with my first set of electronic drums. I've just ordered the Alesis DM8 USB Kit. I didn't find a ton of information and reviews out there just yet so I thought I'd try to help out the community by sharing my experiences. My drums should be arriving tomorrow. Can't wait!