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Alesis SamplePad 4 Compact Percussion Pad

4-pad Electronic Percussion Instrument with 25 Sounds and 10 Kits, Expandable via SD Card Media, and up to 2 External Triggers
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Alesis SamplePad 4 Compact Percussion Pad
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Compact Trigger Pad Fits in Any Drum Setup

Whether you're an acoustic drummer looking to trick out your kit with electronic percussion or a songwriter in need of a more realistic way to write drum parts, the Alesis SamplePad 4 is the compact percussion instrument you've been looking for. Onboard, you'll find four highly playable percussion zones you can use to trigger 25 amazing onboard sounds, plus hundreds more when you add an SD card and load up your favorite samples. Onboard tuning and reverb let you get more from your sounds, and a pair of additional triggers lets you expand your setup into a mini electronic kit.

Alesis SamplePad 4 Electronic Percussion Instrument at a Glance:
  • Add electronic percussion to your drums
  • Program realistic beats in the studio
  • Create your own samples and drum kits
Add electronic percussion to your drums

If you play regularly with an acoustic kit, just think of what you could do with an Alesis SamplePad 4 in your rig. This compact percussion instrument makes it super easy to fire off samples as you play, allowing you to add classic electronic sounds and loops to your grooves, such as hand claps or continuous tambourine patterns. Cooler still, you can load up acoustic percussion instrument sounds you simply don't have. Need claves for one song but don't want to blow your budget on the real deal? Toss up a couple of clave samples and you're good to go. What's more, you can use acoustic triggers to fire off samples from your drums, allowing you to pull off classic studio tricks like triggering gated white noise with your snare or foundation-shaking '808 booms from your kick.

Program realistic beats in the studio

If you've tried drawing notes by hand or triggering drums from your keyboard or pad controller, but you just aren't getting the natural sound you're looking for, then the Alesis SamplePad 4 may be the answer. Many of the accomplished songwriters here at Sweetwater swear by drum triggers like the SamplePad 4, which lets you use sticks, mallets, or your hands and fingers to record MIDI drum parts over USB. And when you expand your setup with optional drum pads (sold separately), you can build up the perfect MIDI drum kit for your creative studio.

Create your own samples and drum kits

Based on years of providing digital drummers with the sounds they demand, Alesis loaded up the SamplePad 4 with a set of 25 of the most commonly requested drum and percussion samples out there, ensuring that you're off to a good start from the moment you plug it in. These sounds even come arranged into 10 useful preset kits. What's more, it couldn't be easier to add your own samples to your SamplePad 4. Just connect it to your Mac or Windows PC via USB, insert an SD/SDHC card up to 32GB in capacity, and you're ready to load up to 512 samples in up to 89 user-defined drum kits. And thanks to its onboard processing, the SamplePad 4 will even let you tune and add reverb to your sounds.

Alesis SamplePad 4 Electronic Percussion Instrument Features:
  • A set of 4 pads lets you trigger samples via sticks, mallets, or your hands
  • Add 2 additional triggers via a 1/4" TRS expansion input on the back
  • Onboard sound library includes 25 top-requested sounds in 10 preset kits
  • USB connectivity provides MIDI I/O and allows you to import your own samples
  • Insert an SD/SDHC card (up to 32GB) and add up to 512 samples to 89 user kits
  • Customize samples with onboard tuning and reverb options
Trigger samples and MIDI onstage or in the studio with an Alesis SamplePad 4!

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Tech Specs

  • Pads: 4
  • Analog Inputs: 1 x 1/4" TRS (dual trigger in)
  • Analog Outputs: 1 x 1/4" TRS (headphones), 2 x 1/4" (left, right)
  • MIDI I/O: USB
  • Expansion: SD/SDHC card drive, 1 x USB Type B
  • Manufacturer Part Number: SAMPLEPAD4XUS

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Customer Reviews

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Rated 5/5

I like this unit better than my Roland SPD-SX (yes, you read that correctly)

I've been using an Alesis SamplePad 4 for a little over two years now. I finally decided to UPGRADE to a Roland SPD-SX, and I have to say, I like the functionality of the Alesis SapmplePad 4 much more. I think I just like it's size, design, durability and simplicity. Does the Roland SPD-SX do more? Totally, but at what cost? The SP4 does a lot of what the SPD-SX does, only it's roughly 1/5 the price. If you're looking for a nice all-in-one sample pad for auxiliary snare, percussion and kick sounds for your hybrid setup, buy the SamplePad 4. Trust me, this is all you need. Mine is flawless after two years of using it live and in the studio. Stoked.
Rated 5/5

Super decent

I don't have a single issue with this product. You definitely need to use the SIM card with it to get all that you can out of your pads, but the built-in kits are still pretty sweet. Extremely easy to add on external pads as well. Comes ready and easy to use, it's great
Music background: Hip Hop Producer
Rated 4/5

Samplepad 4... No PHD needed.

Im a writer/producer and not without knowledge of most of the tools of the trade..However, there seems to be a trend by most midi device and or DAW companies to turn the music writing process into an extensive fact finding (without decent manuals) trip of endless learning process that greatly reduces the writer/producers productivity and frankly I think that it doesnt need to be as grueling as they have made it. Then theres Alesis; I own some Alesis products among many other brands and I have to say they seem to be one of the very few companies that have our best interest at heart...NO PHD Needed; That means your work that needs to get done gets done. The conclusion? All those other puzzle maker hindering companies need to take a lesson from Alesis and the like. If you like squinting your eyes at puzzles, get the leading puzzle maker's product..but if you like production, invest in the leader in getting things done...ALESIS!
Music background: 40+ years music multi-talent producer.
Rated 4/5

Alesis Sample Pad 4

This is a great practice pad, MIDI controller, tiny drum kit, hand percussion device. The lower pads are significantly more sensitive than the upper pads. The sounds preloaded on the Sample Pad are geared towards world/auxiliary percussion sounds, an SD card and software is needed to add conventional drum kit samples. The sample software is easy to use, many samples are available and ready to be downloaded to the drum pad.

The default setting of the drum pad is to turn off after idling for 30 minutes. This can easily be turned off using the "options" menu.

This device does not have an earth ground, that is why people experience a ground hum when turning the output volume to 100%. The ground path for the audio output of the drum pad is established by the next device in the signal chain. IE: if the Sample Pad is sending audio signal to an ungrounded mixer, there will be hum. Keep the output volume below 80% and the hum is negligible.
Rated 4/5

Great for home studio use

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I am using this strictly as a MIDI controller, and it is functioning very well in that capacity. I haven't done a single thing with any of the non-MIDI inputs, outputs, internal sounds, nor the SD slot, so I wont speak on that, but as an inexpensive MIDI solution, its great. My only gripe is that the smaller two pads occasionally trigger the larger pad directly beneath them, but that may be more attributable to my big gorilla mits and my playing style than a design flaw. All in all, I needed this to do a thing, it does that thing...so its a win.
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