Alesis Strike Pro SE vs Roland TD-27KV – Which is Better? (2024)

The Alesis Strike Pro Special Edition is the flagship electronic drum kit from Alesis, while the Roland TD-27KV is a very impressive mid-range kit from Roland. Both of these drum kits have great features and are suited for pro drummers.

The Alesis strike pro se offers outstanding value for its price and it has an extremely impressive drum module. Alesis also made extensive improvements to the build-quality of the SE version in comparison to the original Strike Pro.

Roland adopted its usual quality-over-quantity approach for the TD-27KV, while going for a much more conventional V-Drums kit design. The best parts of this kit are its outstanding snare and ride cymbal, which pair very nicely with Roland’s very capable TD-27 drum module.

Let’s get to what really sets these two kits apart.

Key differences between Alesis Strike Pro SE and Roland TD-27KV

  • Looks, feel, and playability: The Alesis Strike Pro SE is made of hybrid wood shells that have tunable mesh heads, while the Roland TD-27KV has more of a traditional e-drum set design.
  • Sounds and kits: The Alesis Strike Performance Module comes packed with 1800 sounds as well as 135 different kits, while the Roland TD-27 Drum Module has 728 sounds and 100 kits.
  • Audio outputs: The TD-27KV has only two direct outputs and two main outputs (left and right) but it supports audio-over-USB recording, while the Strike Pro SE comes with eight direct outputs and two main outputs (left and right) but does not support audio-over-USB.
  • Price: The Roland TD-27KV is generally more expensive than the Alesis Strike Pro SE.
  • Alesis Strike Performance Module has a better display: The Alesis Strike Pro SE Module has a 4.3-inch color LED screen which displays all of the settings at a glance, while the Roland TD-27 Module has a graphic LCD with a resolution of 256 x 80 dots.
  • The Strike Pro SE has more drums overall: The Strike Pro SE comes with four dual-zone tom pads and three crash cymbals, while the Roland TD-27KV has three dual-zone tom pads and two crash cymbals.
  • The kick drum of the Alesis Strike Pro SE has much better stage presence: The Strike Pro SE comes with a 20-inch full-sized kick drum, while the TD-27KV has a kick tower.
  • Triggering and sensitivity of the TD-27KV is absolutely outstanding, whereas some of the drum samples on the Alesis Strike Pro module are among the best in the industry (though neither are as good as using great drum VSTs via MIDI).
  • The ride cymbal pad and snare pad of the TD-27KV are among the best in the market.
  • If choosing one as a MIDI kit to trigger drum VSTs, the TD-27KV would be better due to slightly better triggering.

Key similarities between Alesis Strike Pro SE and Roland TD-27KV

  • Drum pads material: Both of the e-drum kits come with tunable mesh heads that have tension rods for dialing in the feel of the drums.
  • MIDI connectivity: The Strike Pro SE, as well as the TD-27KV, have MIDI connectivity over USB and the more traditional MIDI 5-Pin connectors.
  • Effects and sound editing capabilities: Both of the drum modules have great sound editing capabilities as well as a lot of effects to add to the sounds.
  • Onboard recording: Both of the e-drum kits support onboard recording.
  • Both e-drum kits have a built-in metronome: Whether for practicing or recording, both of the e-drum kits have metronomes built into their respective drum modules.

Pros

  • Professionally recorded samples for the drum modules: All of the sounds in the drum modules are high-quality samples.
  • Larger pads and cymbals: These two e-drum kits come with pad and cymbal sizes that are pretty close to a real drum kit, therefore they have a natural feel to them.
  • High-quality mesh heads: Both of the e-drum kits come with mesh heads that have tension rods and can be tuned.
  • Great build quality: The Alesis Strike Pro SE and the Roland TD-27KV have great build quality.

Cons

  • The uninspiring stage presence of the TD-27KV: While amazing for studio recording, or home practicing, the TD-27KV is missing the stage presence that the Alesis Strike Pro SE captures.
  • Triggering on the Alesis Strike Pro SE is not the best in the industry: Triggering on this e-drum kit is not as accurate as Rolands’ TD-27KV and the latency is two times longer.
  • They don’t sound as good as top-quality drum VSTs: The drum modeling and samples used on both drum modules are great but they still don’t sound as good as drum VSTs such as addictive drums 2 or Superior Drummer 3. Though both kits have great MIDI implementations to trigger these.

Alesis Strike Pro SE – Price Comparison

Roland TD-27KV – Price Comparison

Alesis Strike Performance Module vs Roland TD-27 Module

The Alesis Strike Performance Module has a whopping 1800 sounds and 135 different kits and the ability to save as many user kits as the very generous SD card allows. The TD-27 on the other hand has only 728 sounds, 55 factory kits, and 45 user kits.

The Strike Performance Module is also superior when it comes to its display since it has a 4.3-inch color LED display which makes it easy to see all the settings quickly.

One of the things where the Roland TD-27 shines is when it comes to editing the sounds. It has more editing capabilities and effects than the Strike Performance Module. It also has a Bluetooth connection so you can stream music through your phone or iPad.

Another big advantage that the Roland TD-27 has over the Strike Performance Module is that it also acts as a built-in audio interface. This comes in handy while recording drums over USB.

Sounds

While every sound and sample is of amazing quality, professionally recorded on both of the e-drum kits, the Alesis Strike Performance Module comes with twice as many sounds and it’s one of the main selling points of this e-drum set.

The sensitivity and triggering of the sounds is better on the Roland TD-27KV, but the actual variety and quality of the drum samples from the Alesis Strike Module can be superior, so it’s very much a matter of preference on which one matters more to you.

Kick

The kick pad is the main difference between the two drum sets. The Alesis Strike Pro SE comes with a full-sized 20-inch kick drum rather than the 5-inch kick tower on the Roland TD-27KV.

A full-sized kick drum not only feels more natural but also has a great stage presence. The only thing a kick tower has over a full-sized kick drum is portability. And sometimes that matters a lot.

Snare and Toms

The Alesis Strike Pro SE has a kit configuration that is much closer to acoustic drums. The sizes of the tom pads on the Strike Pro SE are 8”, 10”, 12”, and 14”, while the Roland TD-27KV has three toms that are 10”.

The snare is better on the Roland TD-27KV and it’s one of the best e-drum snares available in the market. It is a three-zone snare, rather than the two-zone snare on the Strike Pro SE and it has better input latency, much like other pads on the Roland e-drum kit. Additionally, both e-drum sets have mesh heads with tension rods, meaning they can be tuned which is a huge plus.

Cymbal Pads

Both of the hi-hats on these e-drum kits are acoustic-style hi-hats. The most noticeable difference is the size. The Roland TD-27KV comes with a 12” hi-hat, while the Strike Pro SE comes with a 14” hi-hat which is much closer to acoustic drum sets.

One other big difference is the ride cymbal. While both of the ride cymbals on these e-drum kits are triple-zone, the CY-18DR which is Rolands’ ride is significantly better, while also being two inches bigger than the 16” ride cymbal on the Strike Pro SE.

Alternatives

Some of the alternatives to these e-drum kits are the Roland Acoustic Design VAD306, Yamaha DTX8K-M, or Efnote 3X e-drum sets. The DTX8K-M and the Efnote 3X have a rather limited amount of sounds and kits compared to the Strike Pro SE and Roland TD-27KV.

Is the Roland TD-27KV worth it?

The Roland-27KV is an extremely well-designed electronic drum kit. In fact, it is our top pick in our list of the best electronic drum sets. It is Roland’s mid-level flagship kit and in our opinion, offers the best value to price ratio of all Roland V-drums kits.

Is the Alesis Strike Pro SE worth it?

The Alesis Strike Pro SE is an extremely capable kit, and far better than the previous Alesis Strike Pro model. If you’re thinking of getting this kit, make sure to get the SE version as there were significant improvements to the build quality of the kit in this version.

Conclusion

Both of the e-drum kits are a great purchase for intermediate and pro drummers. The stage presence of the Alesis Strike Pro SE along with a plethora of sounds and kits is the best Alesis e-drum kit on the market. The value that you get from the Strike Pro SE is outstanding. However, if you are looking for an e-drum kit made with quality, sensitivity, reliability, and amazing triggering in mind, the Roland TD-27KV is a great choice.

Mike O'Connor
Mike O'Connor

I've been playing drums for over 18 years. I work as both a session drummer and a drum teacher, and I love to share my knowledge and tips on this site. You can also find me on the Electronic Drum Advisor YouTube channel.

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