The Alesis Nitro is one of the best electronic drum kits available on the market today. As a matter of fact, it’s been among the top ten contenders for a couple of years now, thanks to its manufacturer’s impressive reputation when it comes to product quality and pricing. And when it comes to electronic drum kits from Alesis, the Nitro is inarguably one of the cheapest. Of course, better and higher quality alternatives have been produced with time but this has definitely come with a price. Nonetheless, even the most experienced drummer will tell you that Alesis Nitro is a force to reckon. But how true is this? What makes this electronic drum set really worth your time and money? How does it perform compared to alternatives such as the DM6? This brings as to the main purpose of this Alesis Nitro Review, which is to help you decide if the nitro is the way to look when buying an e-drum set. We’ll find out by taking a look at this drum set’s sound module, pricing, performance in terms of playing, practicing, and recording.
Pros
- Has an easy-to-handle module
- A wide range of sounds (285)
- 42 preset beats with guidance
- Usable with double-bass pedal
- Studier, more aesthetically appealing rack
- Durable hardware
- An expandable drum set
- Comes with impressive snare features
Cons
- Lacks certain advanced features
- Rack height and adjustability can be an issue
Package, Design, & Assembly
The Alesis Nitro electronic drum set comes complete with the sound module and 3 10-inch cymbals (hi-hat, crash, and ride). It is a 5-piece drum set, meaning that it features a total of 5 drum pads, which include the kick drum, dual-zone snare drum, and 3 tom drum pads. These are all 8-inch drums. It also features a kick pedal and a kick pad tower as well as a hi-hat pedal. Other accessories in the box include drumsticks, the 4-post rack made from aluminum, drum key, and assembly accessories such as wrap strips, snake, and power supply.
One of the best things about the Alesis Nitro is its easy-assembly design and use. It also comes with 2 user guides, one for kit assembly and another one for the module. There is also a safety and warranty manual in the box. Thanks to the large kick pad, you can comfortably use a double bass pedal on the Alesis Nitro kit. Looking at what’s in the box and the fact that it comes with user manuals, it means that this kit can be used straight out of the box, easily with only a few minutes spent on assembly.
Once assembled, the nitro takes between 15 and 25 sq.ft of space depending on the positioning you prefer. It’s a fairly large, sturdy piece of art that most people looking for a budget electric drum set will adore. You may need a set of headphones or amplified speakers to hear yourself play
Sound Module
The Alesis Nitro’s sound module is a rather interesting one. It comes with a total of 385 onboard sounds, which include percussion, drum, and cymbals sounds and to make a good 40 presets. For an electronic drum kit of its price range, this Alesis product outshines most of its competitors in the market. It also makes it a fine option for playing live gigs regardless of being a highly affordable drumming kit. It comes with a total of 11 MIDI kits and effects such as us 3-band equalizer and reverb. The module features an LCD display as well.
Playing the Nitro
For its price range, the Alesis Nitro is one of the best electronic drum sets in term s of sound quality and playability. The amazing range of sounds, effects, and presets only add to this convenience. Just with the press of a button, you can also use this kit to play your favorite songs from an external device such as your smartphone. In simpler terms, the Nitro allows you to hear the sound of your drumming as well as that of your favorite songs in tandem. You can play along. In addition, this kit also comes with a good 60 play-along songs onboard, ranging from Jazz, rock, pop dance, and much more.
Practicing With the Nitro
Every professional drummer will tell you that you need to put in the work before you can consider yourself a drummer, let alone be able to entertain a crowd. You need to practice often, like really practice. This kit comes with something called as the ‘Learning Mode.’ as a matter of fact; it’s among the very few kits with this feature, not forgetting that most of the other ones are much more expensive. This makes it easier to learn and practice drumming, sometimes even without necessarily having to hire an instructor. On the learning mode, you can either provide drum sounds to complement the unit’s provided rhythm/pattern or play along to a certain pattern/rhythm. You record what you play and you can come back, listen to it later. And another good thing about this unit, it isn’t as noisy as most other units I know of, making it a fine piece of art to practice your drumming with.
Recording
As earlier stated, you can record your music with the Alesis Nitro drum kit by simply pressing the record button. You can either record music to the drum kit’s storage or connect it with an external audio recording device. You can also use the MIDI-USB or Midi outputs and connect the drum kit to your computer. If you have a recording software program such as Ableton or Garageband installed on your computer, you’re good to go in this case.
Alesis DM6 Vs Nitro
If you’ve heard about the famous musical instrument brand, Alesis, you’ve probably also come across some of their other drum sets such as the Alesis DM6. Of course, the Nitro is the more advanced, costlier version that is more recent. Despite sharing a couple of similarities, there are some differences between the two kits, with the Nitro being a winner. Alesis DM6 vs nitro, the Nitro is more suitable for training or practice, thanks to its onboard training features such as the learning mode. The nitro also has more onboard sounds (108 vs 385) and more space for presents (15 vs 40). Additionally, the Nitro can accommodate an additional tom and cymbal without the need for a new cable snake. It also has additional ports. However, there’s also a more advanced option known as the alesis dm6 nitro kit. Plus the cymbals, this is the complete alesis nitro 8-piece electronic drum kit that both beginners and drumming pros can highly appreciate.
Conclusion
The Alesis nitro is inarguably one of the best electronic drum sets we’ve seen in a long time. The price and performance are more than fair. It makes a nice kit for playing, recording, and drumming practice. Whether you’re a beginner or a pro, or you’re just considering taking up a new hobby in drumming, this kit can be an amazing option for you. hope this Alesis Nitro drum kit review was helpful.
