| An excellent choice in electronic drum sets for price-conscious drummers and aspiring players, this Alesis DM6 Kit combines the compact DM6 drum-sound module with an electronic drum set with extremely realistic playing surfaces and rugged rack system. The DM6 drum module features a completely new sound-set with 108 quality drum, cymbal, and percussion instruments as well as a sequencer with play-along tracks, metronome, recorder, mix-in jack for playing along with your iPod, and more. | Like all Alesis drum sets, the DM6 Kit features realistic, natural-feeling playing surfaces with rubber drum and cymbal surfaces to reduce vibration feedback. This five-piece kit gets you started on a dual-zone snare pad for two-sound compatibility. You can dial in a snare drum sound in the center and a rim click, rimshot, or something totally different like a cowbell on the rim. The DM6 module features an internal collection of top-notch drum, cymbal, and percussion sounds that will blow you away. You can edit and save your drum kits for custom sounds. You get 10 presets and 5 custom slots. In addition to the sounds in the DM6 module, there's a USB output that sends the notes you play out as MIDI signal, so you can use the DM6 as a trigger-to-MIDI interface with drum-module software such as BFD, Toontrack, or Reason for a limitless collection of sounds. The DM6 Kit mounts on a heavy-duty aluminum rack with standard 1-1/2-inch tubing that works with other brands' clamps and mounts. The kit also comes with a full set of mounting hardware and cables, as well as rugged kick drum and hi-hat pedals. Key Features - Five-piece electronic drumset with DM6 drum-sound module
- DM6 module contains 108 top-notch drum, cymbal, and percussion sounds
- Realistic, natural-feeling playing surfaces
- 15 programmable drum sets
- Dual-zone snare pad for rim click and rimshot capability
- USB-MIDI output for use with drum-module software
- Connect your iPod or CD player and mix it in with 1/8" input
- Velocity sensitive for natural, musical response
- Comes with bass drum pedal and drumsticks
Specifications DM6 Kit Pads
- DMPad Kick Pad with stand (with pedal)
- DMHat Pedal hi-hat controller (open/closed)
- DMPad 8" Dual-Zone Pad (snare)
- 3 DMPad 8" Single-Zone Pads (toms)
- 3 DMPad 12" Cymbals (hi-hat, crash, and ride)
DM6 Module
- Kits: 10 Preset, 5 User Kits
- Patterns: 40 Preset, 1 User
- Sounds: 108
- Inputs: 1/8" stereo mix-in, 25-pin D-sub for cable snake
- Outputs: 1/8" stereo master, 1/8" headphone
- USB for trigger-to-MIDI interface
- Power: 9V AC, adapter included
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The DM6 drum kit (see larger image). 
The DM6 drum module. | |
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 Best Sub $500 Electronic Drumset EVER. |
| Review Date: December 17, 2009 |
| Reviewer: D. Nutt, Snoqualmie, WA USA |
I've had my Alesis DM6 drumset up and running for a couple days and I must say I am pleasantly surprised. Up until now any electronic drumset in the $500 range was nothing more than a toy. Because I know that Alesis knows how to make great electronic drumsets I was hoping that their experience making higher end kits would trickle down to this brand new DM6 line. It did. This drumset is fabulous when you consider the price point and, in fact, has no real competition that I could find.
Pros:
- Everything is included. I've looked at a lot of drumsets and many don't include everything you need like bass drum pedals and more. This has everything you need to play right our of the box, even a pair of drum sticks. OK, a couple things not included you will need and that's a set of headphones and a throne (chair) to sit on.
- Sturdy, well made components. The natural rubber drum heads are quiet but have a very good feel and rebound to them. The rubber cymbals are not as quiet as the drum heads but do what they are supposed to do very nicely. All metal hi-hat and bass pedals. Wide diameter aluminum frame rails and compoents.
- Very realistic sounding drum samples.
- Dual zone snare. You can make the snare sound like a rimshot when you hit the rim. Or program it for a cowbell when you play "Don't Fear the Reaper". Or make it sound like any of the other drum sounds included.
- Ability to interface with your computer via USB. This opens up a world of options including MIDI and recording your performances on your favorite recording software. I don't know of any sub $500 kit of this quality that does that.
- MY FAVORITE THING is I just plug in my iPod into the DM6 module and I can play right along to my favorite songs.
- You can buy an ION Drum Rocker module (I was able to get one on eBay, not sold by Alesis) and use this kit for your Rockband drumset. You'll need 8 new cables too, so while there is extra expense, it's possible
Cons:
- Some kits, including mine, were delivered with firmware that was less than perfect. I, and others I have heard, would sometimes have problems with the snare drum triggering properly. I had to hit it harder than I thought I should to get it to trigger. A quick and easy firmware update totally fixed this problem but I know some people have problems updating thgings like this.
The Botton Line:
- Everything I've said in this review is under the caviat, "...for the price." If you are new to drumming this would be a great first set. But if you are and experienced drummer on a tight budget you will not be disappointed as long as you aren't expecting the DM6 to be a Roland Pro high end drum kit. The bottom line is this is the best $500 (street price) electronic drumset ever made.
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Drum on!
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| Review Date: March 20, 2010 |
| Reviewer: michibilly, Rustic Michigan |
I recently bought this set and I LOVE IT. In the past I've had a full-size Tama set and another set as well. I also had a Roland TDK-7 that I could never get adjusted to suit me.
This kit, however, is so much better and more responsive than the Roland set. The rack was very easy to setup, and my only gripe would be that it would have been nice if the connecting cables had been a bit longer. I was nervous with the standard setup that had the control module between the toms. Even though it sets back a bit, I had visions of whomping on it and decided to make some adjustments. I put the clamp for the crash symbol on the back bar instead of the left side bar, and moved the clamp for the module to the left side bar. That put it totally out of harm's way, however, it was a stretch for the 'floor tom' cable to reach the pad, but with a little adjustment it got there.
Everything you need is in the box except for a seat. The rack is there, all the electronics and cables are there, and even the drum sticks are included. Updates to the module can be done from your computer after downloading them from Alesis; you will need a USB cable to do that (not included, but a standard easily found cable).
The pads have a strange 'sticky' feel to them but they have a nice natural-feeling bounce and are fun to play. The symbols look and react like metal cymbals and the sound is very realistic. The pad used for the snare is a dual function pad, with the rim of the pad being slightly raised and producing a different sound. In the standard kit it sounds like the 'rim shot' that you would expect.
Others have made observations about the pedals creeping, but I'm not having that issue. I have an area rug with a rubber back that is on a laminate floor with the drums on the rug; no creeping so far. The pedals are very responsive and the adjustments for the pads are great. I was up and running very quickly. I do agree that several of the pre-programmed kits sound a whole lot alike and it would have been nice to get more variety.
I read about some issues with the snare missing some hits and the ride cymbal going to the bell a little too quickly and downloaded the recommended software update. Although that went well, the instructions had a few omissions and a couple of errors that I reported to Alesis. For your average computer-savvy person, it would not be a huge problem and I was able to figure it out.
I've seen this set for as low as $399, and it's totally worth it. I paid well over $1,000 for the Roland TDK-7 and I like this one just as much. Relatively small investment for big fun.
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Perfect gift for aspiring percussionists.
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| Review Date: December 28, 2009 |
| Reviewer: R. Page, Texas, USA |
My 8-year-old daughter told me she wanted a set of drums for Christmas. I instantly knew that they had to be electronic to maintain the peace. I also knew that I couldn't justify spending more than $500 on a kit. So, the search began. I came away with the understanding that the DM6 is the best value out there, but that Alesis was still working out some bugs. I also read that a firmware upgrade purportedly fixes the known bugs.
I decided to go with the DM6, and I am very pleased that I did. The build quality is great. Like other reviewers, I noticed some quirks (like missed hits). I already knew that I might need to update the firmware, so I did and the quirks went away. All you need is a computer (Windows) with a USB cable. The instructions for upgrading the firmware are not as clear as I would like, but it was fairly straight forward. You might want some help from a friend if you have never done this before.
The sound is incredibly realistic. There are certainly better drum kits out there, but none come close to the value of the DM6! If you or a child want to explore the world of percussion, then get the DM6. It should have a decent resale value should your interest wane, or if you outgrow it. When my daughter plays it with headphones on, all I hear is the pitter-patter of the rubber pads---SUCCESS!
I should also note that the pedals are designed to be used on carpet. Velcro lets the pedals stick to the carpet. The pedals will scratch wood floors unless you place a mat (like I did) underneath. It needs to be big enough so the throne (stool) is also on top the mat, so the pedals (and mat) do not walk away as you play.
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Great starter kit
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| Review Date: February 6, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Michael J. Waskiewicz, Fort Wayne, IN USA |
I bought this for my son as a starter kit. It turned out to be a great little kit.
First, the kit was difficult to put together as the instructions, frankly, sucked.
Second, I couldn't find this information anywhere before I bought it, so let me say it. The pads on this kit are pretty cool. Although they are hard pads, they use a softer rubber head that reduces wrist- and arm-fatigue. These pads are fantastic!
Third, this set plugged seamlessly into our Mac as a MIDI controller and it also worked flawlessly.
Fourth, this set should really be viewed as a starter kit. As such, don't expect too much from the drum controller. There's only 15 (or so) kits, most of which you'll never use.
Saying this, I recommend heartily this drum kit for anyone who is starting out!
NOTE FOR PARENTS: Although this is not as loud as a "real" drum set, it's still pretty loud when being played on. |
Alesis DM6 Set Sounds great!
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| Review Date: January 7, 2010 |
| Reviewer: D. Bigger, |
We purchased this set for our 12 year old son for Christmas. Was a little worried it wouldn't sound good, but I was totally impressed with the sound. When he plugged it into his Ipod I was amazed at how it all sounded too.
We know nothing about drums. The set was easy to set up and worked great. Only problem we had was one of the clamps came stripped and wouldn't hold a drum on the frame and we live in another country, but we give it 5 stars for sound, quality and ease in set up. Believe the clamp issue was just a fluke.
Amazon did a great job shipping this overseas and very quickly. Very impressed with Amazon, as always!
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