Alesis DM6 USB Kit Electronic Drum Set
Get everything you need with the DM6 e-drum set from Alesis. It features the DM6 sound module, which has more than 100 drum and cymbal sounds.
Overall User Ratings (based on 54 ratings)
Submitted July 5, 2011 by a customer from gmail.com
"Easy to move and not hard to use when one gets accustomed to it."
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Its not bad, again. Give it a try in a music store before you buy one and make sure it is what you want.
Sound
The obvious issue is how the secondary sound is transmitted since this unit does not have a strong built-in amp. When using an external amplifier the amp must be strong enough to make the drums sound loud enough as well as provide a little echo and tweaking to make the sound realistic. I hooked the drums up to a Fender 30-watt amp and it sounds pretty good after tweaking but the bass drum is not really as strong as I would like because the amp is for guitar and doesn't have very low frequencies. Other than that its a pretty nice unit.
Features
The main electronic unit has some nice features but it takes a bit of practice to get accustomed to which buttons to press to get those features Pressing a wrong button sometimes will cause one to start all over. The built-in accompaniment is useful for practice. There is a jack for input so I plugged in a portable CD player and an iPod and it sounds pretty good though the CD-input jack in my Fender amp did a better job. It would also be nice to be able to plug in a second base pedal.
Ease of Use
There is a definite learning curve depending on what you want to do. Somethings are quick to learn, others take practice.
Quality
It seems to hold up very well. The heavy use of plastics has me worried that in the long run, moving it when I go jam with people in different places is going to wear out the plastic on the frame. Only time will tell. Otherwise, it is well built. It does feel a little cheap at first but when you start playing you forget all about it.
Value
I would have preferred to pay $100 less for this unit.
Manufacturer Support
I have not contacted the company for anything. So I'll assume they are good.
The Wow Factor
Its not bad, really. The DM10 is the "pro" version but costs twice as much. Too bad.
Musical Background:
Amateur, hobbyist, make go pro
Musical Style:
Rock, blues, country
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Submitted January 1, 2011 by a customer from verizon.net
"Good product at a good price."
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I pretty much plan on using this set for a good while before moving on to say another set that I can expand on. I would love to be able to expand on this set if it was possible so then I probably wouldnt need to purchase another but again you really cant expand on it much as far as I know, is your five peice set. I bought this set because of the price for what you get and the quality you get with it. It does the job well. Also for the quiteness. I beleive this set will help me in my goals as to improving my drum performance.
Sound
Sound Quality is over all pretty good and responsive to the drum sticks and foot pedals. For someone who is wanting to learn to novice or intermmediate players you can benefit from this set. Just like having a real basic five piece from which to learn on and greatly improve on your playing. I mostly play with my headphones on because I live in an area where i need to be quite (reason why I got it, wanted to be able to hear drum sounds and not just some practice set where you only here rubber being hit) so i mostly use headphones; however, I have plugged in some speakers to the module and well the kit sounded great. So I imagine live it would sound good. Although, I am sure one would use a real drum kit.
Features
You pretty much get all the accessories you need with this kit to play right off the bat, including all the parts for the frame and cable for the module. You also get all you need for the frame which is easy to setup and well made for the most part.
Ease of Use
You pretty much can get all the sounds you need for a basic five piece set including crash and ride. You can change voices for all the pads and cymbals as well as the kick drum. So say you want to have two crash rides cause a song uses two of them instead of a ride cymbol well you can change that around, for the pads as well. This came in handy for a while because one of my pads didnt sound right, it was kind of dull so I sent it back and while I was waiting used my cymbol and changed its voice to a tom sound till I recieved a new replacement pad. The manuel for the drum set is pretty self explanatory, and for some good drum software that will help you say with drum notation I recommend Cakewalk. I do wish that Alesis had like Roland and there HD-lite kit a special software that worked with the module for learning the drum kit and say rudiments but well they don't, oh well......again cakewalk helps and is pretty good. You can play along with say midi songs and wavs and mp3s and all.
Quality
Again, I would say the product is made for the most part well. The frame is very sturdy and I really love the fact how you can custom setup all the pads and cymbals and module pretty much how ever you like as far as height goes, the kit is well made for height adjustment. All the parts fit tight and seem like good quality not cheap plastic or something like that. Even the drum pedal that comes with the kit is of ok quality. However, most people I hear would probably want to upgrade this eventually. I don't expect my kit to come apart any time soon or cease to work but then I have only had for around a month at this point.
Value
Definitely worth the price I paid. Only wish you could expand on the kit so as to say add more cymbals and or more pads so if you plan on working with a kit you can expand on then get something else. But for a basic kit to learn on and move forward on and that will keep you playing and having fun then it is for you.
Manufacturer Support
In the area of customer service, zzounds is pretty good and fast on the response. Alesis (the manufactuer and company that warranties your product for up to a year) takes a while to get through on the phone; however, once you reach them they are are good about helping you with your problem and will even call you back if say they are really busy. Like I mentioned earlier, I had a pad that didnt work and/or sound to good compared to the rest so I was able to get an RMA and Alesis emailed me the free shipping label at there cost to ship it out and get the replacement. This is a good; however, I really didnt like the wait time (any where from two to four weeks) considering I had just got the kit in and had to send the pad back but oh well at least they fixed it for free and/or gave me a replacement at no cost to me.
The Wow Factor
Overall the appearence is pretty nice, kind of wish the snare had a better look to it, more like a snare look. But the other pads and drum pad and cymbals are fine adn ofcourse the rack looks good.
Musical Background:
Hobbyist
Musical Style:
Rock, alternative, punk, metal, industrial, gothic, jazz, all kinds
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Submitted August 9, 2012 by Tom M in Carthage, MO
"Perfect for our needs!"
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At the price I paid I had kind of low expectations. I bought this for my daughter (8 yrs old) just starting out and didn't want to make a huge investment in something she might change her mind on. Well, I am really impressed with the quality and playability. After I first set it up, only took an hour or so, I haven't really had to do anything. I expected the hardware to slip or not hold well, but this set has held up fine. I also expected hard rubber pads, but these pads have a nice drum-like feel. I am really impressed considering the price. My daughter LOVES them and she plays through headphones or through my BOSE iPod dock. Shipping was fast too! Overall a great online shopping experience. *Note - I have no idea what kind of support the manufacture offers but I am required to rate, but I do know that Alesis is a solid company.
Musical Background:
Novice musician - I've played drums, auxiliary percussion, guitar, bass and tuba
Musical Style:
Rock, Christian worship band
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Submitted January 3, 2012 by a customer from hotmail.com
"Great Quality, Excellent Value!"
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This review has been selected by our experts as particularly helpful.
I am extremely happy with these drums and the experience I had with Zzounds!
Sound
The sound quality of the drum module is excellent - I was definitely surprised at how real they sound, especially through a good set of headphones. I was worried about this when considering price vs. reputation, but I went with the Alesis and it was spot on. The triggers are sensitive and responsive. There are several different options for each drum. I couldn't be happier with the realness of the sound.
Features
This module doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, as it is more of an entry-level kit. The interface on the module can be a bit confusing if you don't have the manual on hand. The two-zone snare pad allows for a rimshot, and the triggers can be changed to any voice, however you are limited in adding additional triggers.
Ease of Use
Pretty easy to use as a function of there not being a lot of features. Pretty straight forward, but keep the manual close when wanting to record or anything outside of just playing.
Quality
Product is made well, solid, takes a beating, seems like it will last for a long time. Cosmetically pleasing as well. It's a home run as far as quality is concerned!
Value
A complete home run for value. Incredible sounds from the module, all the triggers you need, very high quality product and at a good price point. These will not let you down. They are an excellent investment.
Manufacturer Support
Haven't had to deal with the manufacturer, however there are several ways to contact them listed.
The Wow Factor
Great appeal, great quality, great value.
Musical Background:
15 years guitar, 5 years drums
Musical Style:
Acoustic Rock
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Submitted March 26, 2012 by Leslie S in Denver City, TX
"Alesis DM6 USB Drum Kit"
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I received this drum kit quickly & was very impressed w/ the quality of the packing & the drums. Was very easy to put them together as the user manual was very clear to read. After setting all the voices & volumes on the drum triggers, I was very pleased w/ the sounds & ease of playing. These were bought for our Church auditorium & everyone I talked w/ after our first service using these drums were very impressed. The ONLY CON I had was that the user manual concerning saving a kit w/ my personal sounds & volumes was incomplete. (They left out 1 step needed to properly "save" your settings)
Musical Background:
Have played drums since the 1970's w/ many different bands.
Musical Style:
Christian rock, blues, & country,
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Submitted January 19, 2012 by Cherelle Robison in Coon Rapids, MN
"DM-6 USB Kit"
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It's been great so far, just minor issues. The dual zone snare isn't as loud as the rest of the drums. Initially, I just switched it with a tom, but I need to make the rim sound & I couldn't think of any other way, so I switched them back. Also, you have to hit the ride cymbal kind of hard to get the bell sound. It doesn't really matter where you hit it, but you do have to hit moderately hard. The preset kits are pretty cool, & I love recording myself playing & then being able to listen right after. It's a great kit for a beginner or just practice.
Musical Background:
I've been playing the guitar for about 2 years, completely self-taught. I'm also learning how to play the piano and the drums.
Musical Style:
I don't have a set style; I pretty much play whatever sounds good to me.
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Submitted November 28, 2013 by Rob J in Arvada, CO
"Awesome!"
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I cannot say enough good things about zzounds!!!! I am the parent of a small child and a drummer. Take it from me, this is not a complimentary combination as it effectively renders all the time you used to have to practice as "quiet time." Needless to say an electronic kit was a must. I did a lot of research and landed on the dm6 because of price point and quality. I looked at a lot of vendors but in the end, with Christmas looming, I wanted to spread out the payments which lead my to zzounds. The process was super easy. The transaction itself could not have been easier. No credit check and no interest = no brainier! The product arrived a day early and was as advertised. Then I found the same kit online for $100 less than I paid. I called up zzounds and what did they do? Price match son! So it shrunk my second payment to virtually nothing. I will not order from anyone else from now on zzounds is five stars!!!!'
Musical Background:
20 years
Musical Style:
Rock, punk, hip hop, funk, dub, pop
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Submitted April 2, 2012 by a customer from yahoo.com
"Good way to get started with digital drums"
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I got this kit because it looked like the best trade off between price and features. I just hoped that the quality was good enough to be playable.
I was surprised at how sturdy the triggers and the rack were. They are made out of a pretty dense plastic, and the rack is aluminum with plastic fittings. Everything adjusts with a standard drum key (included).
The sounds are the weak point, as expected, but I'm glad I didn't get the USB-only version of this. It's nice to power it up and jam without a computer attached, even if the sounds aren't as good. I had to adjust the relative volume levels to fit my playing style.
The kick trigger is really live and bouncy, so I ended up getting a lot of 'feather' hits, which might be a bonus depending on how you look at it. The cymbal triggers are a bit weak for my liking (maybe I can adjust this a little more though). The dual-zone snare is kind of funky, I haven't been able to get rimshots to register consistently with my playing style.
Overall, it's amazing what you get for $400 here. A quite playable kit with some nice things like a metronome, external source input for practice and some built-in play-along tracks.
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Submitted April 11, 2012 by Leslie S in Denver City, TX
"Alesis DM6 USB Electronic Drum Kit"
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We bought these drums for our Church auditorium & have used them now for 3 Services. EVERYONE likes & enjoys the quality, sound, & convenience they provide. They take SO MUCH less room than the acoustic drums did & seem to blend in w/ the rest of the singing much better as we now have more control over the volume of the drums. The ONLY con w/ this set is the ride cymbal. The sound is great but can't get enough volume out of it plus most of the time when I need to use the ride instead of the hi - hat during playing, it has a bad habit of dinging like I'm hitting the bell part of an acoustical cymbal. I also play another set of these drums(DM6 USB set) in my praise & worship band outside the Church & they also have this problem. BUT everyone loves these drums so we can put up w/ an occasional "ding."
Musical Background:
Been involved in music since the 70's.
Musical Style:
Christian hymns & contemporary praise & worship music.
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Submitted March 21, 2012 by Michael DuFault
"Wait for something better."
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I got the impression from playing this that Alesis still has far to go with their drum KITS. I had problems with the snare and kick triggers that ultimately led to me returning the drum kit. The snare triggered at very low volumes and often missed lighter hits as part of rolls etc. and the kick often triggered twice for single hits. With no onboard adjustment for sensitivity there is no real option to fix these kinds of issues. Alesis was quick to offer replacement triggers (within 2-4 weeks) but the problems didn't bode well for me and I opted to return mine.
Musical Background:
10+ years
Musical Style:
Electronic, Ska/Reggae
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Submitted March 16, 2012 by Leslie S in Denver City, TX
"Alesis DM6 USB drum kit"
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I started play electronic drums about a month ago for the 1st time but have played & recorded drums since the 1970's. I love these drums for the sounds we get from them & enjoy playing them even though the heads are somewhat smaller than the acoustic heads, it takes a little time to hit them correctly. I enjoy them so much that we have ordered another set of the DM6 USB's for our Church drums.
Musical Background:
Been playing music since 1969. I play drums mainly but play some 4 string bass & trombone.
Musical Style:
Christian contemporary/ rock/ blues.
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Submitted December 23, 2010 by a customer from hotmail.com
Alesis DM6 USB Kit Drums Customer Review
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A few years!
Sound
Great sound. Easy setup. Kids love it. I'm a drummer and would use it live. I hooked up to CuBase and recorded some tracks through Superior Drummer. Awsome!
Features
Everything was there!
Ease of Use
Good sound!
Quality
Well Made!
Value
Great deal!
Manufacturer Support
no
The Wow Factor
A little on the cheap side but nice!
Musical Background:
Hobbyist
Musical Style:
Jazz/ Rock
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Submitted July 27, 2011 by a customer from comcast.net
Alesis DM6 USB Kit Drums Customer Review
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Sound
not what I expected. only has 10 drum sets. and 5 user sets which can be a combo of the other sounds. but why? drum pads are great and hardware isn't bad but USB is difficult at best. works good line in and out. but really for beginners without a better processor. overall I just hope the drums and cymbals are compatible with a different module later on
Musical Background:
guitarist, worship leader
Musical Style:
rock, contemporary, death/life metal
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Submitted September 1, 2011 by a customer from live.com
"Get a DM8!"
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I am already ready to get something better and I have only had it a week. It just doesn't quite cut it for me. I bought this kit cuz it was cheaper and came with everything I needed but It leaves a lot to be desired!
Sound
The soundpool on this kit is very limited. I find myself using the same custom user kit almost exclusively all the time. Some of the snare and tom voices sound better than others and there are only 3 crash voices, 3 ride voices and 3 hi-hat voices. you have about 10 bass drums and 10 snares. There is only one set of toms I use which sound most like a real drum not a typical*very typical electronic drum tom sound. Other various voices are tabla,bongo,clave,cowbell,chimes,bells,shakers and etc. With a total of 108 voices I almost always use the one same user kit.
The biggest problem I have with sound on this kit is the Dynamic Sensitivity..especially with the ride cymbal trigger. It is very touchy..and if not played consistently very lightly it will trigger at high volume randomly. Also the hi hat has a hot spot and if not hit right where it is it will fail to trigger resulting in missed hits.
Features
I love the fact that this kit comes ready to play with a bass pedal and all.
Ease of Use
The module on this kit is super easy to navigate and do what you want with. You can assign any of the 108 voices to any pad and also adjust individually the volume of each voice. There are no other modifications you can do with the sound other than adjust volume. The feel and silence of the pads is the best in this area. I love the feel of the kit.
Quality
Physically the rack and components are pretty solid. As far as the triggering and dynamic sensitivity it could be better.
Value
It's worth it..but I'd spend the extra 150 and get a DM8..which is what I plan to do.
The Wow Factor
It looks great! I wish it were better all the way arround though.
Musical Background:
hobbyist
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Submitted December 18, 2011
Alesis DM6 USB Kit Drums Customer Review
Sound
Sound quality is fine, no problems. There are many different drum kits programmed within the product. Another option is to use software (Toontrack ez drummer) to swap and trigger different drum kits.
Ease of Use
The setup was simple; the picture diagrams made the setup simple and easy.
Quality
Quality of the product is fine, no problems as of yet.
Value
The drum kit is cost effective if one doesn't wish to spend ~1000 on an electronic kit.
Manufacturer Support
Haven't had to contact the company for support.
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