Binding: Electronics
Brand: Alesis
EAN: 0694318001004
Feature: Professional drum machine with 12 velocity sensitive pads (w/Dynamic Articulation)
Is Autographed: 0
Is Memorabilia: 0
Label: Alesis
Manufacturer: Alesis
Model: SR16
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Alesis
Release Date: 2008-01-01
Special Features: As one of the most popular drum machines ever made, the SR-16 has been used by everyone from songwriters to live performers to remix engineers as their drum machine of choice. The reason is simple: it features a great selection of 233 realistic, natural drum sounds, offered both in dry form and sampled with our incomparable digital reverbs.
Studio: Alesis
Warranty: 1 year parts and labor
MPN: SR-16

• Professional drum machine with 12 velocity sensitive pads (w/Dynamic Articulation)
• 50 Preset / 50 User drum kits with 233 sounds assignable to any pad
• Exclusive Alesis Dynamic Articulation feature enables a drum sound to change its tonal content as it's played harder for truly realistic performances
• Sound stacking, step editing, stereo samples with reverb and ambience
• 2 Footswitch Jacks, MIDI I/O, Stereo main and aux outs, headphone jack, power supply included

• Professional drum machine with 12 velocity sensitive pads (w/Dynamic Articulation)
• 50 Preset / 50 User drum kits with 233 sounds assignable to any pad
• Exclusive Alesis Dynamic Articulation feature enables a drum sound to change its tonal content as it's played harder for truly realistic performances
• Sound stacking, step editing, stereo samples with reverb and ambience
• 2 Footswitch Jacks, MIDI I/O, Stereo main and aux outs, headphone jack, power supply included

SR-16 Drum machine

Customer Rating:
Summary: An oldie but goodie
Comment: Some history on this device: The Alesis SR-16 has been in production since 1991 and has gone through only slight revisions to the hardware since its original release. The 16-bit drum samples are still the same today as they were on this unit over 15 years ago. It is regarded as a break-through piece of studio gear and regarded by many studio engineers as the first rhythm machine capable of producing a convincing enough drum track capable of replacing a real drummer in studio recordings for rock applications. (Prior to the SR-16, rhythm machines were commonly used in pop music in the 80's, but it was always clear to trained ears that a rhythm machine was used, the SR-16 successfully blurred the line and made it possible to use rhythm machines in genres that generally frowned upon electronic drums such as: rock, country and blues) You'll hear the SR-16 on many professional tracks by top name recording artist from the early to mid-90's.

Today the SR-16 can still be found in many professional and home recording studios. With the emergence of Pro Tools and other PC based Digital Audio Workstations, stand alone rhythm machines have become much less popular today in pro recording, but they are still very popular in home studios and for performing solo musicians around the world.

Comparing the SR-16 to newer products: Rhythm machines produced by Roland/BOSS, Yamaha and ZOOM are the SR-16's primary competition, with Roland and Alesis often cited as leaders and innovators in pro electronic percussion (these companies also produce the best quality electronic kits and the same samples are used in their rhythm machine products). Some of the features common to newer rhythm machines not found on the SR-16 include: 24-bit samples, more memory, bass guitar sequencer ability to store MIDI files on device.

Ease of use: Aside from its convincing sound quality, perhaps the reason the SR-16 has remained in production and a favorite among musicians is its ease of use. The SR-16 was designed with the non-drummer solo musician in mind and is considered one of the easiest rhythm machines to program. It's interface has been copied (but many would say not trumped) by BOSS, Yamaha and others. The manual, while poorly edited does more than any other rhythm machine owners guide to cater to solo musician who doesn't understand the first thing about sequencing drum tracks and it's A,FillA,B,FillB pattern foot switch configuration makes it easier to improvise with... In short, you don't get much customization with the SR-16, but what you do get feature was is going to be the most popular setup which makes the device much more approachable than many modern rhythm machines and sequencer options. Has a full MIDI in/out through implementation so the SR-16 can be patched in and controlled from DAW's (Pro Tools, Cubase, Live, etc...)

Comparing generations: If you're buying previously owned model be aware that some features have changed over the years. First generation SR-16 models (1991-circa 2001) had about 1/2 of the user memory than that of the current production SR-16. Also, the first generation units did not have a headphone jack. In the early 2000's Alesis updated all the preset patterns creating a market for "vintage" SR-16 machines. Also, over the years the price has dropped significantly. The SR-16 was originally marketed as a high-end studio product with a price tag around $400. While the quality of the unit has only improved, the price has dropped as computer parts have become less expensive (also newer units are mass produced in Asia).

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Customer Rating:
Summary: A Classic bit of Technology
Comment: Here's the great SR16. Been around since 1990 and still sells well. Probably the most used drum machine of all time considering how long it's been in production. Pretty easy to use and has the added extra of being controlled by a foot pedal or two so you can switch between an A and B version of a beat and an A and B version of the fills at the end of each verse. (You'll need to buy the foot controllers - doesn't come with this purchase). There's loads of other revues out there if you search - but this and the boss range dominate the market in my opinion. At this price it's a great bit of kit to have and a good place to start if you've never tried drum machines before. Also check out the new SR18, just released April 2008, although twice the price is the downside for the extra drum set samples, more memory and bigger construction.

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