Last Updated on January 13, 2022 by Danny
The Sample Pad Pro is Alesis’ cheaper alternative to the more premium Roland and Yamaha percussion and sample triggering instruments. It costs about half of what those do and has still managed to pack a lot of features. So, where have the corners been cut to reach this low price, and is it worth it? Let’s look into that!
Alesis Sample Pad Pro Review
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The Alesis Sample Pad Pro comes with eight drum pads, with six large ones in the central area and two smaller ones on the top section. These pads are dual-zoned and velocity-sensitive so that they can express the nuances in your playing.
It comes packed with over 200 sounds and various kits from multiple music styles. You can expand these with your custom sounds using an SD card. You can also use sounds from another electronic drum set just by putting a memory card and loaded into the drum pad.
The IO is excellent in this. It has inputs for two trigger pads, a kick pedal input, and a hi-hat pedal input, giving you endless possibilities. It also has MIDI support, USB connectivity, AUX inputs, and stereo outputs.
Overall, this is a great budget sample pad that is miles ahead of the cheap options. It has many features, and the sound quality is good. While it lacks the shine and quality of more expensive options, it is ideal for beginners with a limited budget.
- Value for money
- A lot of connectivity options
- Easy to use
- Great triggering expandability
- 200 inbuilt sounds
- Custom sampling is possible
- Has some crosstalk
- Loading time for drum kits is a little long
Alesis Sample Pad Pro Key Features and their Benefits
Eight dual-zone pads are fun to play on and very sensitive.
The pads are what make or break sample pads. It doesn’t matter how good other features are; the pads are key. Thankfully, the Alesis Sample Pad Pro shines in this area. Alesis has somehow managed to fit eight fairly large pads in quite a compact space.
There are 8 fully responsive and velocity sensitive pads with active blue led pad illumination so that you can assign two different sounds to each pad. The pads are also velocity-sensitive, so they can recognize how hard you are hitting the pad and change the sound accordingly. These also have a blue LED that looks quite good.
Expand with more Pads, Pedals
It is effortless to expand your arsenal of drum pads and pedals in the Alesis Sample Pad Pro due to the numerous inputs. It comes with two trigger inputs and inputs for a kick drum pedal and a hi-hat pedal. This gives you endless possibilities. You can convert this minimalistic sample pad into a full-fledged electronic kit!
200 carefully-crafted drum, cymbal, and percussion sounds
This sample pad comes with over 200 high-quality sound samples and ten ready-to-play drum kits. The sounds are from a variety of styles, from acoustic and world music to electronic sounds. The best part is that in addition to these 200 sounds, you can also download sound samples of about 500 MB from Alesis themselves that are prevalent across all their products.
Adding new sounds via SD storage
It is effortless to add new sound samples to the Sample Pad Pro. All you need to do is load your custom sound samples onto an SD card and plug it into the SD card reader. Just set the sample location to the ‘card,’ and you can begin using your custom sounds.
You can use up to a 32GB SD card, which can accommodate 512 sound samples and 89 custom kits.
MIDI and USB and a lot of connectivity for one small unit
This sample pad has MIDI in and outs, ⅛” aux inputs, ¼” stereo outputs, a headphone jack, and another foot control jack. The aux input comes with level control, and the headphone jack has volume control. If you need to connect something to this, there is a high chance that you will be able to. This connectivity is even more incredible when you consider how compact this whole kit is. There is so much IO packed into the back. You also connect it to a computer using a USB cable.
Very easy to use pad unit
This is one of the best things about this! It has a straightforward interface that is not clogged with a million buttons. If you need to change a sound, tweak EQ, or load new sounds, it is straightforward. There is very little clutter, if any, as all the dials on the playing surface have been moved to the sides.
Alternatives to the Alesis Sample Pad Pro
The Roland SPD-SX would be a more expensive option than the Sample Pad Pro. It has a better build quality and more features. If you have a bigger budget, the SPD-SX should definitely be on your radar. The Yamaha DTX Multi-12 is another excellent option with many more features but is again slightly more expensive.
If you want a cheaper option, the Avatar HXW PD705 is a similarly priced option that is worth considering.
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This drum pad is best suited for beginners as it has a couple of issues like crosstalk that will prevent more advanced users from using it. It is also better for studio work rather than live performances as the triggering can have minor issues at times and the loading time for kits is a little too long.
For anyone on a budget who wants the best bang for their buck, the Alesis Sample Pad Pro will be perfect for them. Even though it is not free of issues, it has many features that you cannot find in other similarly priced options.
How do you use Alesis Sample Pad Pro?
Here is the detailed tutorial video of how you should use this amazon Percussion and Sample-Triggering Instrument Alesis Sample Pad Pro.
Final Verdict
We hope you liked our review of Alesis Sample Pad Pro. It is a fantastic tool that packs many features for a reasonable cost. The options from Roland and Yamaha are expensive, and most people simply cannot afford them. This provides an affordable entry point!
[amazon box=”B00IOQADYU” image_size=”large” button_text=”Check Latest Price”]If you are a beginner, you cannot go wrong with this. While there are a few issues, none of those are deal-breakers for a beginner.