Alesis SR-16 Drum Machine
Jam with built-in patterns, or program your own beats -- it's easy with the SR-16! Packed with 233 realistic drum sounds, it's a songwriter's best friend.
$159.00
- No Credit Check6 x$26.50
- No Credit Check4 x$39.75
Overall User Ratings (based on 406 ratings)
Submitted March 1, 2016 by Chris R in St. Louis , MO
"Good ole stand bye"
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I can't believe they still make this. I bought my first one in 1990 at a NAMM expo shortly before it was actually released. Still pretty powerful creation tool. I connect mine via midi to my roland vdrum set and record my own real time patterns, then trigger them with my feet while playing guitar. The quality does not appear to have changed any from 25 years ago, except for the walwart adapter is slightly smaller. You really need to read the manual and use the foot pedals to open up the true power of this machine. Cheapest its ever been too. How many drummers does it take to change a light bulb? None, we have machines for that now.
Musical Background:
35 yrs. Guitar, percussion, piano, brass
Musical Style:
Jazz
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Submitted March 18, 2015 by Shawn Jesseman in Palm Bay, FL
"WOW this is a great product"
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I was seriously surprised at : A) how easy this machine is to use and, B.) the quality of the drum sounds. You can tell that these are REAL drum sounds and not computerized beats. I am blown away by how inexpensive this machine is for the quality and ease that it offers. Alesis really is an awesome company. Would definitely recommend.This was my first purchase with zZounds and I look forward to shopping here again. Easy ordering and fast, free shipping.
Musical Background:
Singer/Songwriter, Recording Artist, Performer
Musical Style:
Rock, Classic Rock, Country Rock, Progressive Rock, Folk Rock, Acoustic
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Submitted June 24, 2013 by Richard Brown in San Francisco, PA
"Great Songwriting Tool"
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This little machine has helped my songwriting tremendously. I just pick a pre-set beat and let that act as a prompt to start strumming and riffing new ideas. I haven't quite mastered creating my own beats yet, but I'm sure that'll come with a little practice and a little patience reading the instructions (don't let this scare you, though -- anyone who knows me knows I'm infamously bad with electronics/technology!). I'm now just waiting for my footswitches (sold separately) so that I can turn it off/on and switch beats with my feet. My only real complaint is not about the machine, but about the zzounds customer service. They mistakenly charged me for and sent me two of these machines when I'd only ordered one. I called up customer service to see how I could return one and get my money back. They gave me instructions, but when I asked if I would be reimbursed for the return shipping, the answer was roughly, "That's not usually our policy since we find that mistakes like this are usually not our fault. But let me check to see what happened." After the representative discovered that it actually WAS THEIR FAULT, he then had the returns department send me a return label, free of charge. So, all is well now, but I did not like the customer service representative implying that I'd done something wrong when I was looking right at my sales invoice saying I'd only bought one!
Musical Background:
Hobbyist/semi-professional (as in, I've gotten paid for playing gigs). Guitar, vocals, saxophone, some keys.
Musical Style:
Rock 'n' roll/Americana/post-punk.
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Submitted May 16, 2004 by a customer from hotmail.com
"It's a keeper..."
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I don't think I'll ever replace it. Yes, there are other, more feature-rich drum machines out there. Those, however, have just added things I can do on my computer's sequencer.
Sound
Once I became comfortable tooling around with the panning and velocity, I loved it. A great alternative for someone who can't bang the crap out of drums in the house. Not that spectacular for techno-esque sounds.
Features
No intrinsic accessories, wall wart notwithstanding. The glare on the display can be a hassle. Backlighting would have been great. I probably would have payed thirty dollars more for a backlit display. The MIDI functionality is great but underrated. It does everything and more than my sequencer(on my computer; not built in one) can handle. i.e., my sequencer won't accept MIDI Time messages. boo hoo.
Quality
Entirely plastic. I would not recommend dropping it. As if you were going to try that anyway?? While the jog wheel - well, it's just a volume control - works just fine, it feels off; slightly scratchy or something. 'Can't explain, really.
Value
Excellent bang(look at that pun go) for buck ratio.
Manufacturer Support
'Haven't had to use Alesis' support but the manual documentation is FANTASTIC. Great attention was made to ensure every little aspect of operation is easy to understand. If you don't know what quantization or panning is, you will shortly after opening the manual. They even explain time signatures!!
The Wow Factor
Umm, I bought it. It has no "sex appeal", though. It's just an unassuming black box.
Musical Style:
All manner. All types of rock, hip hop(not rap; there is a difference), electronic(d&b, tech)
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Submitted February 23, 2006 by a customer from yahoo.com
"Big things come in little packages! you won't loose!!"
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This pad is the main center for my expression. I would not change it for anything. Sure there are other products out there wiht other features and they may be good. But this product does the job and rises beyond my expectations for what it does. I am truly happy wiht this purchase.
Sound
The sound is exceptional for a biginner like me. I was delighted on how easy it was to pick up and play right out of the box. Beginner or pro this is a mchince to reckon with. I was never able to express exactly what it was I was trying to come across until I picked this up.
Ease of Use
the sounds are CD quality sounds and great at that. The manual was clear and not difficult to understand. There are two seperate manulas for this product. One was the thurough manual and the "hurry up and play" manual. that was great cuase thats what got me jammin right out of the box!
Quality
The product to my expectaitons was made wiht no flaws. Drum pads and innerface are in perfect working condition and the touch sensitive pasd are still all in perfect working order. I would use this product for many years to come. My motto is..if it ain't broek don't fix it.
Value
I am a first time buy and new to the recording scene. But as I looked through the online catolog I was amazed at how inexpensive this product was wiht what it had to offer. I thought maybe it was too true to believe til I recieved it. The price of this product was reasonable.
The Wow Factor
The balc sleek design of this drumpad was beautiful right out of the box. The compact design was exceptional due to placing it in confined spaces. The rubber of the pads were great. All in all I was amazed at it's look.
Musical Background:
Hobbyist, producer, composer,
Musical Style:
R&B/Hip Hop
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Submitted April 24, 2010 by a customer from yahoo.com
"ok so it's a little Atari 2600ish by modern standards, ...so what? that's most of the appeal!"
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This device can not be replaced at this point as far as I am concerned - if this unit melts from nuclear blast or explodes from a solar gamma burst (the only things I could imagine causing any harm to this brick) I would definitely replace it, maybe with a couple of them just to have a spare or two after the global socio-economic turmoil resulting from an earth melting gamma burst, or nuclear holocaust...
...and then I would go in search for food and survivors.
Sound
ok ok - so it's not a back-lit display, display is digital block
but cmon, the thing is almost 20 years old now, no design changes
since, I've bought a Korg module, and now have been using/learning my new NI Maschine
the Alesis swing values, pad response, still the best of any device I've used, tinkered with... seriously!
awesome pad response and sensitivity, even still now on mine which is the 1996 model
sure the sound library is probably easy to consider pretty lame by today's standards - but so what - it's the same library they've had for almost 20 years, and still a lot of the sounds have nice punch, and probably a lot of retro-wantability even now - check out the rap kicks, some of the punch basses, rim snares - all pretty sweet
I'm still going to hook this baby back up into my MIDI setup to use as my primary
Features
for the price, for durability, for ease, simplicity, sounds, MIDI = awesome
one thing that really sucks is the cut-off/sustain: the note will not sustain
it is designed for drum sustain
it will not sustain a tone for very long, for much longer than maybe
Ease of Use
big drawback is the lack of visual interface - especially when stringing patterns together - but it's a 15+ year old design
so I just say kudos for keeping the original design and not putting lipstick on a horse
Quality
solid
great pads even after 15 years of use
Value
$150 falls out of the pockets of a Korg and it doesn't even notice - pick it up and buy one of these too
$150 is sales tax on a DAW - save up another week and get one of these too
Manufacturer Support
never had to contact tech support
no problems with the device whatsoever aside from my own mess-up losing the original power wall-wart, which I just replaced at Radio Shack... no biggie
The Wow Factor
"technological marvel"? ;)
it is nothing compared to today's gear, technologically - but that's because it has the same technology it has had for 15+ years
if one were to have a laptop DAW MIDI setup, this little device should be a must-have for off-board MIDI triggering
you're at the coffee house doing some laptop sequencing, earbuds on= boring
you're at the coffee house doing some laptop sequencing with earbuds, and this easy backpack-stow-er next to your laptop for triggering= sexy
Musical Background:
active musician/guitarist/daw/violin/piano/keys
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Submitted December 7, 2004 by a customer from yahoo.com
"Real drummers may soon be on the endangered species list."
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It's great, I'll be buying another one for a spare.
Sound
It sounds great, plays exactly the way I want it to, it doesn't speed up or slow down, it never plays too freekin' loud, it has no substance abuse problems, it's never late for a gig, and I only had to pay it once. The only two things that I don't like about it are, the factory preset rhythms, and like most other drummers it won't help carry band equipment.
Features
It would have nice if it came with a foot pedal, but, the price of the unit was so inexpensive that you can afford to buy one. It could also use a light in the screen for live gigs.
Quality
It seems to be well made, I haven't had any problems with it yet.
Value
It's well worth the money, in fact when I have some extra money I'm going to buy a spare.
Musical Background:
Active Musician, Recording Engineer, and Luthier
Musical Style:
Rock n' Roll, Country, Folk, , Swing, and Light Jazz
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Submitted October 4, 2004 by a customer from ripco.com
"Miles of Presence"
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Sound
Whole lotta presence! Brings a song to life.
Features
More than I expected and it makes me feel like I own a real piece. People say the fill feature is unique.
Quality
The quality of the sounds exceeded my expectation. The interface feels sturdy.
Value
If only all pro-level gear was as reasonably priced as this is.
Manufacturer Support
Never needed to talk to Alesis. I expect a company that puts as much care in their products as Alesis did with the SR-16 to provide a similar level of care to their customers.
The Wow Factor
It looks pro and doesn't waste space
Musical Background:
Amatuer
Musical Style:
Classical, country
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Submitted April 8, 2021 by a customer from gmail.com
"Legendary Great Drum Machine!!..."
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I used this drum machine back when I was learning about music quantization, step recording and sequencing back in the 90s. So I knew I had to own this machine anytime soon. Now I have it, Im in love with it again. Drums sounds are very punchy, machine is easy to use, machine is small, weightless. I will probably buy another spare one.
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Submitted July 3, 2023 by a customer from gmail.com
"The Reigning Classic"
The Alesis SR-16 is a wonderfully fun and powerful drum machine. I have not used the sequencer functionality at all. Instead I have programmed MIDI patterns in my DAW and triggered my custom drum kits in it. The sound output has an element of noise and that definitely affects its use as a truly professional instrument. To get around this and also to really make your drums mixed properly, I recommend recording each drum sample, denoising them, and loading into sampler instances in your DAW. This way you can adjust the phase of each sound to fully gel and also you can process individual sounds as well. My only complaints beyond the noise floor are that the pitch adjust range is not a full octave up and down and there is no decay parameter like those of the Alesis SR-18 & Akai XR-20. The drum samples are quite good and, for a machine that is over 30 years old, sound good for a multitude of genres. I have made techno and electronic tracks with it and, while the drum sounds lean acoustic, they are varied enough and have enough character for serious work. Let's see if Alesis will be making this in another 30 years. I'd almost be surprised if they didn't.
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Submitted July 7, 2005 by a customer from msn.com
"you will not be disappointed!"
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once again...You CAN'T do better
Sound
We did a demo with one of these as we were having drummer problems. Most people that heard the demo remarked "how good" the drums sounded..and "What kind of kit did you use"! Most companies that make drum machines seem to forget that SOUND is the most important thing, not bells and whistles...Alesis realized this long ago which is why the machine is still selling today.
Features
Pretty Versatile for a 12 yr old machine. all that is missing is the 'flam' and 'roll' as found in the Boss machines
Quality
12 yrs and only one problem..a dirty Volume pot, which is my own fault..otherwise..flawless
Value
You CAN'T do better
Manufacturer Support
never needed them
The Wow Factor
got one
Musical Background:
Active Musician
Musical Style:
Metal/Rock
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Submitted May 16, 2013 by Dave S in Boston, MA
"Could be your first and last drum machine"
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Possibly the easiest to use, musician friendly drum machine ever made. A ticket to ride for the songwriter. With (highly recommended) A/B and Fill foot pedals connected, Boss makes them among others, become a one man band. You won't be the first or the last to do so. I use all kinds of software and plug-ins these days, but this was my first and continues to be there for me. There is something magical about just hooking this up anywhere, padding out quick beats and fills, and launching into ideas anywhere anytime when minus a drummer. In terms of solid simple time and timing, it can be better than some drummers (sorry drummer pals, but you know this is no replacement for you good ones.) The samples are good enough/basic per modern standards, and becoming electronic classics as re-sampled here and there. You will probably recognize from rap, hip hop, pop, electronic music both new and old. It's easy to connect MIDI and run more modern/high quality samples from the software/plugin/module of your choice. The SR-16 has quickly and easily propelled me from messing around with a couple parts to completed polished songs that I do live with a band more times that I can count. A flexible, easy to integrate with modern, trusted, reliable, consistent, fun, electronic percussive friend.
Musical Background:
Session/Performance Pro
Musical Style:
Diverse
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by a customer from hotmail.com
"GET IT!!! It can't be beat!! (No pun intended!)"
By far the best in its class (Until Behringer decides to make a drum machine, that is!!)
Sound
The Samples are diverse and clean. Easily the most 'natural' sounding drum machine I have ever used. Create a song with your patterns, choose a kit then add some outboard compression and the SR-16 sounds like a real drummer.
Features
They've covered just about everything, In Depth MIDI functionality, and "human" functions like swing, pad sensitivity etc. allow you to mimic a live drummer like no other machine. The only thing I would add would be 'flam' and 'roll' buttons , like the Boss DR-660 has.
Quality
Can't be beat for the price
Value
Hands down, the class of the group
Manufacturer Support
Have not had to contact Alesis for support even once
The Wow Factor
Already have it!!!! ;)
Musical Style:
Metal / Hard Rock
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Submitted July 20, 2005 by a customer from hotmail.com
"An absolute must"
Sound
Great for playing live. A great tip is to use the pitch control when programming a sound. You can make your machine sound "Just like the record".
Quality
The volume pod seems to make noise after a few years of playing but well worth the money.
Value
It's paid for itself many times over.
Manufacturer Support
Never needed it
The Wow Factor
Can't live without it
Musical Background:
Active Musician
Musical Style:
Rock, folk rock, etc...
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Submitted July 20, 2005 by a customer from hotmail.com
"An absolute must"
Sound
Great for playing live. A great tip is to use the pitch control when programming a sound. You can make your machine sound "Just like the record".
Quality
The volume pod seems to make noise after a few years of playing but well worth the money.
Value
It's paid for itself many times over.
Manufacturer Support
Never needed it
The Wow Factor
Can't live without it
Musical Background:
Active Musician
Musical Style:
Rock, folk rock, etc...
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Submitted July 3, 2006 by a customer from aol.com
"Do not rely on Alesis to give you any help!"
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If I lost it I would buy from another company.
Sound
The sound is great. Just like you had a live drummer with you.
Features
You need two foot switches. One for on/off and one for fill. Why in the world didn't they put one or two 3/4 time patterns on the preset patterns.
Ease of Use
It is very easy to get the preset patterns playing. The manual is impossible to follow!! Just try to follow it when you want to record your own 3/4 patterns! Get to page six and you can go no further to set your pattern. It goes back to preset patterns.
Quality
It is made of plastic, so you better handle it with care. There should be a face that lights up so you can see what you are setting it up to when there is no light to shine on the face!!
Value
It is well worth the price if you can set up your own patterns too.
Manufacturer Support
I think that the one I bought was defective. I E-Mailed them for information. Two days later I had to E-Mail them again. They answered: Read page 59. I read page 59. I started on page ten of the manual to set up a 3/4 time pattern. Two pages later it went back to preset patterns and I could go no further. I E-Mailed them about four more times and have never gotten an answer from them. I will never buy a Alesis product again!!!
The Wow Factor
A practical addition.
Musical Background:
Hobbyist.
Musical Style:
Country.
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Submitted November 25, 2007
"Bang for the buck king!"
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I recorded an entire CD (my first ever) using the SR, and I can't imagine not having one in the studio, if this one broke, I'd buy another.
Sound
The sounds are dated, but can be tweaked with EQ and compression.
Very easy to learn, and a valuable tool in the studio, when there's no drummer around.
Features
I bought two pedals, one for start, and stop, and one for fills, only needed for live playing though.
Ease of Use
It's a breeze!
Quality
I've had mine for 12 years, and it works great.
Value
150 bucks os a steal for what this thing can give you.
Manufacturer Support
I emailed Alesis for a tutorial CD, and got one free a week later.
The Wow Factor
The looks just aren't impressive, but who cares!
Musical Background:
Long time professional musician, recordist.
Musical Style:
All styles
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Submitted May 10, 2006
"Still Fighting"
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I give this a 9 beacause all these years and i still enjoy qualities of this machine... the price is crazy low and the drum sounds on it are pretty good especially if you consider this was developed in the 80s.... this drum machine is awesome i just think 2006 offers some thing, equipment wise, that this little soldier just cannot compete with, but when i bought it years ago it was $220.00 now it is around $150.00 that says alot about this little sucka
Sound
Sound is aight... I bought this when it was still new in like 1990 and it was cool, but there are to many things out there now I would not buy this now unless you want oldschool drum samples in your traks
you could make a drum beat that sounds like it belaongs in a Beverly hills cop movie no prob
Features
Only 233 drums .... nowadays thats bad... quantinizing is very good though
Ease of Use
If you cant figure this out stop EVEN TRYING to make music... this drum machine crazily easy to use beacuse its so plain and simple
Quality
Never broke on me in like 15 yrs. and i still use it from time to time beacause i like the way the Hi-hats sound
Value
price says it all
Manufacturer Support
I give it a ten with the benifit of the doubt i never used support and i said if you need them to figure out how to use this drum machine QUIT NOW
The Wow Factor
nowadays... save money buy a real powerhouse production station you'll thank me
Musical Background:
Dj / producer(like everyone else right) / rapper
Musical Style:
True Hip-hop
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Submitted April 20, 2006 by a customer from aol.com
"I lke this product because..."
I Like it
Sound
it good but needs a little more memory
Features
i like the foot pedals
Ease of Use
It is easy and fun to use
Quality
it has good Quality
Value
It good but i wish you could have more patterns in a song
Manufacturer Support
tHE SUPPORT WAS Friendy
The Wow Factor
If it was about looks i would have bought a different one. it looked to much like a calculater
Musical Background:
Dj & keyboardist for a band
Musical Style:
alternative
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Submitted August 24, 2005
"The best value and greatest drum idea tool available...still on top."
Sound
This machine is an absolute standard. Great for beginners to the drum machine programming world. There might be better sounds out there on the variety of products available, but none come close to ease of use, ease of program, and flexibility.
Features
Fill A/B and Verse A/B can be used in many combinations, with a footswitch it is more logical than any Boss products. Tune, pan, virtual drum feature is neat.
Quality
I have dropped, soaked, taken it apart to clean, violoated almost every warranty and misuse issue, put it back together...no problems ever.
Value
At this price, I have two now...no brainer.
Manufacturer Support
Have not had to...it's mint.
The Wow Factor
This thing is great.
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Submitted May 13, 2005
"A great little unit for the buck"
Sound
The kits are dead on, has mulitudes of percussion
Features
I use this for live performance, I love the A/B fills option. It just like having a live drummer. You can loop and fill as long as you want.
Quality
I currently use this unit live and for recording. I has been a faithfull unit for the past 3 years.
Value
I paid a $180 bucks for my unit at guitar center, two years later they are selling them for $140. I've seen them (used) on ebay for as low as $45. They are a great unit, but I wish they would have put more factory preprogrammed patches in it and saved me a lot of programming.
Manufacturer Support
Havent need this one.
Musical Style:
professional
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Submitted November 24, 2004
Alesis SR16 Drum Machine Customer Review
Sound
Sounds great, easy to use. So many preprogrammed beats that I have never had to program my own so I can't speak to the ease of that. For the price it can't be beat. It has some very tastey beats. Love it!!!!
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