By Contributing Author Dango
The Alesis SamplePad Pro is becoming a popular and affordable sample pad–read our review to find out if it’s a good fit for your needs or if there’s a better option for you.
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Sample pads have gained great popularity over the last decade and are used a lot these days, especially in live music settings.
Alesis is jumping into the pro market with their pads, and they offer serious options at an affordable price.
Roland and Yamaha are the two top contenders in the market and have been used for much longer in the professional world, but Alesis has stepped up their game with the SamplePad Pro, offering many of the same capabilities at less than half the cost.
This won’t be the best pad for everyone, but I encourage you to check it out and decide for yourself!
- Everything you need for Expressive Performances - 8 isolated rubber pads with Active blue LED pad illumination keeps your performance on point so you never miss a beat
- Expanded Control - 2 additional drum pad inputs plus a Kick Pedal input (selectable switch or trigger mode) and a Hi-Hat pedal input (selectable switch or variable mode)
- In-Demand Sound - 200+ built-in drum, cymbal, and percussion sounds organised into 10 ready-to-play drum kits
At a Glance: Key Features of the SamplePad Pro
To start, let’s take a quick look at some of the features the SamplePad Pro boasts.
Overview of Features:
- 8 dual zone rubber drum pads, 6 large and 2 smaller
- Blue LED Illumination
- Expanded control: 2 additional drum pad inputs plus a kick pedal input (selectable switch or trigger mode) and a hi hat pedal input (selectable switch or variable mode)
- Sensitivity to velocity to add dynamic range
- In demand sound: 200+ built in drum, cymbal, and percussion sounds organised into 10 ready to play drum kits
- Connectivity covered: Midi in / out ports, USB port for computer connectivity, 1/4 inches stereo outputs (l, r), 1/4 inches headphone output with volume control and 1/8 inches stereo aux input with level control
- Ability to load your own samples via SD card & save up to 512 sounds and 20 kits per 32GB
What Can You Use the SamplePad for?
The SamplePad Pro can be used most commonly in a live music setting for a drummer or percussionist to trigger live or electronic sounds during their performance.
It can be used accompanying a drum kit or as a stand alone instrument. It can trigger other instruments as well as tracks, loops, or anything programmed into it. It can also be used for recording and do all of the same features.
While it can serve as an additional instrument, it can also be used strictly as a midi controller to run tracks, lights, or additional software such as Ableton, without even being used as a percussion source.
What’s Included in the Box?
The SamplePad Pro comes completely by itself as a standalone unit with just the power source.
You will need to purchase the Alesis clamp to mount it, as well as any cymbal arm to hold it.
- Upgrade Your Kit – Add the power of pad based sample playback devices with seamless mounting to traditional drum hardware
- Universal Compatibility – 5.75 clamp accommodates any standard drum hardware stand
- Superior Positioning – 15-inch Boom arm guarantees perfect positioning regardless of your kit setup
The Pros OF The SamplePad Pro:
Let’s take a look at the features that bring the biggest value.
- This pad has tons of great sounds that are usable right out of the box.
- The price is significantly lower than the competition for a lot of similar features.
- The SPP looks great and the blue LED lights are an excellent touch.
- The ability to load your own sounds makes this completely accessible for any style of music, providing you with unlimited sound possibilities.
- Extensibility with other external pads and pedals.
The Cons:
With the reasonable price of this model comes a few tradeoffs, so let’s take a look at those.
- Crosstalk issues are the biggest complaint of this Pad across the board. Hitting one pad and firing another pad can be a huge hassle, and is likely to happen to you at some point. One shot samples can work great, but longer sounds are very likely to trigger multiple pads simultaneously.
- Lag time between switching kits or sounds. This Pad is significantly slower in changing scenes than the Roland or Yamaha and can create issues live when trying to switch. It’s not that it freezes, just that it may take a couple seconds to transition and that can be an eternity in some performances.
- The sensitivity to velocity is decent, especially for the price. However it is noticeably worse than the Roland or the Yamaha models.
Who is the Sample Pad Pro Best Suited For?
This product is probably best suited for the player on a budget who’s first getting into using pads live.
It has so many great features and is so reasonably priced that I would definitely encourage players to give it a shot.
Alesis makes good quality electronic products and this is no joke compared to sample pads back in the day.
If you are playing professionally and touring in any major capacity, I would not suggest this over the bigger companies.
If you need to use it strictly as a midi controller, then it’s a great option over the Roland because you won’t be bothered by the sensitivity.
SamplePad Pro Pricing
At around $320, this is a heck of a deal for all of the technology you’re getting. The Roland is over twice as much at around $690, and the Yamaha is close to that at around $600.
It’s a very affordable option to do a lot of these things you may need. And your specific playing application may not require some of the features that are problematic like changing sounds quickly.
Alternatives to The Alesis SamplePad Pro
The best alternative option on the market is the tried-and-true Roland SPD-SX. The second best alternative is the Yamaha DTX.
Both offer better quality builds, faster brain power, and especially more sensitivity.
Final Verdict: Is the Alesis SamplePad Pro Worth It?
Only you can decide what you need a sample pad for and what you can afford. This isn’t the very best option out there, but I wouldn’t be afraid to gig with it personally.
Most drummers are triggering tracks, or loops, and using an occasional second snare or clap sound from a pad.
Most players aren’t using them to run entire melodic sections or extra string arrangements where the cross talk will be a huge problem.
If you’re running a ton of programming from the drums, go ahead and invest more and get the Roland.
If your live show is all electronic or industrial, or your small band is covering 10 instruments worth of live sound, get the Roland.
BUT….. If you’re just needing the few options, the SamplePad Pro does most of those just great for half the price. It’s absolutely worth the cost in my opinion!
- Everything you need for Expressive Performances - 8 isolated rubber pads with Active blue LED pad illumination keeps your performance on point so you never miss a beat
- Expanded Control - 2 additional drum pad inputs plus a Kick Pedal input (selectable switch or trigger mode) and a Hi-Hat pedal input (selectable switch or variable mode)
- In-Demand Sound - 200+ built-in drum, cymbal, and percussion sounds organised into 10 ready-to-play drum kits
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