The 5 Best Alesis Electronic Drum Sets (2024)

Alesis has massively improved its range of electronic drum sets in recent years. They are great for practicing, recording, and performing live. If you’re not sure which set you should opt for, this round-up shortlists the best Alesis electronic drum sets that you can get for your money.

The best Alesis electronic drum kit is the Alesis Strike Pro SE Kit. It offers amazing value for this price point and it includes one of the best drum modules in the industry.

The best budget Alesis electronic drum set is the Alesis Nitro Max Kit. This is the ultimate beginner-friendly kit with a bunch of features and sounds.

The 5 Best Alesis Electronic Drum Sets (2024)

1. Alesis Strike Pro SE Kit
Top Pick - Great size, sounds, and feel.
2. Alesis Nitro Max Kit
Budget Pick - Affordable, easy to use, and comes with play-along songs and free lessons.
3. Alesis Surge Mesh Kit
Sturdy, easy to get up and running, and comes with mesh dual-zone pads.
4. Alesis Turbo Mesh Kit
Plenty of sounds and excellent build quality at a low price tag.
5. Alesis Command Mesh Kit
Solid build, great module, and robust tube rack system.

Let’s look at them in more detail.

1. Alesis Strike Pro SE Kit

Top Pick
Great size, sounds, and feel.
View Price at SweetwaterView Price at Guitar Center

The Alesis Strike Pro SE Kit integrates a snare, a hi-hat, 4 cymbals, and 4 toms, in addition to a 20” kick drum, which is the star of the show. The kick drum closely resembles playing acoustic drums, making the transition much smoother for you.

Pros

  • Great module
  • Realistic mesh heads
  • 3-zone triggers
  • High value for the money

Cons

  • No hi-hat stand
  • Build quality is not reported to be as good as Roland or Yamaha (though the SE edition of this kit is far more solid than the original version)

The SE here stands for “special edition”, and it’s far better than the original Alesis Strike Pro Kit from the perspective of build quality. Additionally, the Strike Pro SE comes with a sturdy rack that lets you adjust your set effortlessly, just like how you’d adjust an acoustic drum set. 

One of the things that makes the Strike Pro SE Kit stand out from the crowd is its innovative module. With 45,000 samples forged from 1,800 instruments and 136 custom kits, nothing out there even comes close to what this drum set has to offer.

Moreover, the Strike Pro SE features mesh heads that provide an authentic acoustic drum experience. Oh, and did I mention that the toms and cymbals integrate 3-zone triggers? That’s right; these are no longer exclusive to high-end kits, and the best thing about them is that they’re quite durable.

2. Alesis Nitro Max Kit

Budget Pick
Affordable, easy to use, and comes with play-along songs and free lessons.
View Price at SweetwaterView Price at Amazon

Considering its low price tag, the Alesis Nitro Max Kit is one of the best value-for-money electronic kits you can get your hands on, especially if you’re a beginner drummer.

Pros

  • Practice-friendly kit
  • Great factory sounds and presets
  • Budget-friendly
  • Versatile recording capabilities

Cons

  • Might be too compact for some users

The Nitro Max module is packed with 32 factory kits and the option to add 16 user preset kits. The included BFD Player comes with 441 sounds, 80 built-in songs, 60 play-along tracks, and to top it off, a free Melodics subscription for drum lessons.

On top of that, the module is MIDI compatible, allowing you to utilize external sample recording and triggering by connecting the kit to your PC. It can also be quite handy when performing live or even practicing since you can connect the kit to a PA or drum amp to spice things up a bit.

Considering all of the above, the Alesis Nitro Max makes for a worthwhile e-drum kit for beginners.

3. Alesis Surge Mesh Kit

Value For Money
Sturdy, easy to get up and running, and comes with mesh dual-zone pads.
View Price at SweetwaterView Price at Amazon

The Alesis Surge Mesh Kit flaunts mesh heads that provide a natural feel and make playing on them much more comfortable. 

Pros

  • Mesh dual-zone pads
  • Easy to set up
  • High-quality and lightweight four-stack construction
  • Plenty of sounds to play with

Cons

  • Noisy hi-hats
  • Adjusting the rack can be challenging for taller drummers

One particular complaint from most drummers is how rubber heads strain their wrists. And while rubber heads are generally considered more durable than mesh heads, mesh heads aren’t that far behind, even if you’re a hard hitter.

The dual-zone pads are very useful for adding extra effects and sounds. Only the heads are dual-zone, though; the three cymbals are single-zone.

The set is pretty easy to set up, thanks to the lightweight four-stack construction. The good news is that the overall hardware quality isn’t negatively affected by the lightweight design. The pads and pedals hold their positions pretty well, even if you hit them hard.

It’s also worth noting that the module comes with a wide range of software tricks to modify your sounds, with a capacity of 40 presets, 16 user kits and 24 out-of-the-box presets. In addition, you get a whopping 385 individual instruments that allow you to get creative with your performance. 

The dynamics of this drum kit are so-so, but you won’t have much of an issue if you’re a beginner or intermediate player.

4. Alesis Turbo Mesh Kit

Affordable
Plenty of sounds and excellent build quality at a low price tag.
View Price at SweetwaterView Price at Amazon

The Alesis Turbo Mesh Kit sports a great module that has 10 different kit presets, in addition to 4 electronic drum presets, 4 different acoustic drum presets, an African/Cuban sound set, and a Chinese sound set.

Pros

  • Excellent module
  • Uses mesh heads
  • Coaching feature
  • Sturdy aluminum rack

Cons

  • A limited number of kits

What’s more, the module supports MIDI I/O and ¼” and ⅛” I/O, allowing you to produce a wide range of sounds by programming the processor. There’s an LCD display that houses the digital knobs and buttons, which are easily accessible. 

The kit itself has a 1×8” mesh snare drum and 3×8” mesh toms, a kick, 3×10” cymbals, a hi-hat pedal, and a durable aluminum rack. And just like many of Alesis’ recent models, the Turbo set ditches the rubber heads for mesh heads that not only sound better but also feel more natural.

Another notable feature is the built-in coaching function that utilizes a metronome with a set of different rhythms for you to play along with.

5. Alesis Command Mesh Kit

All-around
Solid build, great module, and robust tube rack system.
View Price at SweetwaterView Price at Amazon

The Alesis Command Mesh Kit configuration encompasses 8-inch tom pads, a 10-inch snare pad, and an 8-inch bass drum pad which also doubles as a mesh head.

On top of that, you can assign different sounds to the rim and head of each pad, thanks to the dual-zone function. This also means that you can produce as many as 8 voices from this setup. 

Pros

  • Uses mesh heads
  • Dual-zone pads
  • Excellent tube rack system
  • Customizable presets

Cons

  • Springy hi-hats
  • The bass pedal’s mount is not amazing

In addition, the kit includes 10-inch cymbal pads that include hi-hats, crash, and ride. I’m also a big fan of the robust 1-1/12-inch tube rack system that comes with this set. It reminds me of the systems found in higher-end kits from Roland and Yamaha.

What’s more, the Command Mesh utilizes mesh heads that are 10x better than the rubber ones found in older Alesis models.

As for the module, you’ll find lots of acoustic presets from dozens of genres like jazz, funk, and rock. Plus, you get some electro standards and presets that you can customize by integrating snappy snares, 808 kicks, handclaps, and other effects. Percussions are included, too.

Are Alesis Drum Kits Any Good?

Alesis makes some pretty capable electronic drum kits, and even though they don’t sound that great compared to other higher-end kits, they’re a nice choice for beginners and intermediate players.

What Is Better: Roland or Alesis?

Generally speaking, Alesis targets budget-minded musicians who want to get capable electronic drum sets at reasonable prices, while Roland focuses on providing high-quality sets regardless of the price tag.

However, things have changed quite a bit in recent years, with Roland offering some value electronic drum sets and Alesis providing some high-end drum sets.

And while Roland is known for its cutting-edge pad sensitivity and triggering, Alesis offers much more bang for your buck.

Your best bet is to compare individual models based on your budget and needs instead of comparing the two brands since each of them has broad offerings.

Summary

So that was a brief overview of some of the best Alesis electronic drum sets you can find on the market. Almost all of them are affordable, so if you’re still testing the waters, this is where to start.

The Alesis Strike Pro SE is hands-down the best Alesis electronic drum set.

Alternatively, you can opt for the Alesis Nitro Max if you’re on a tight budget. It’s super easy to use, comes with built-in play-along songs, and free lessons. 

Images – Courtesy of Alesis

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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