ALESIS SAMPLEPAD

| JUNE 2012 WWW.RHYTHMMAGAZINE.CO.UK
118
GEAR REVIEW
ALESIS
SAMPLEPAD
£99.99 Following on from their nifty Percpad, Alesis presents a conveniently
compact sample player designed for drummers and percussionists
WORDS: DAVE HOLMES
DESIGN
Samplepad is similar
to Alesis’ Percpad but
with the ability to play
user-created samples
D
uring the summer of 2011 Alesis unveiled
their compact and highly affordable
Percpad – an intuitive four-zone drum pad
with onboard drum and percussion sounds,
MIDI out and an additional trigger input. Taking the
basic concept a step further, Alesis has produced a
similar-looking pad with all the above features but,
in addition, the new model has the ability to play
user-created samples.
Build
While the new pad is the same size as its Percpad
predecessor, Alesis has embellished it with a tasteful
chrome trim, shiny black casing and an LCD segment
instead of the basic LED display. This shows a variety
of information such as voice names (samples and
internal), sound location (card or internal) and range
of parameters affecting the control of any of the
sounds including tuning, reverb, pan and volume.
Located well out of sticks’ reach is one of the most
signifi cant, yet understated, additions – that of the SD
card socket. While Alesis don’t include an SD card with
the Samplepad, one can be purchased for less than a
fi ver for a 4GB card. As on the Percpad, there is a bank
of LEDs which show which pad is being struck, proving
useful for assigning onboard sounds and samples.
Hands On
I captured a selection of samples (voice, drums,
snippets of music and sound effects), using basic PC
sampling software and saved each of the 44.1K .wav
fi les onto the 4GB card. Even with a stack of samples,
there’s still a load of space left for more. With the card
inserted, there is a slight pause while it checks the
integrity. Then one of the fi rst samples to load is a
‘power chord’ into PAD 1 (keeping the tuning as with
the original sample), then I put the same sample into
PAD 2, altering the tuning. Though there are nine
levels of tuning, this will allow an internal sound or
sample to be taken up or down by around a third.
While a sample is sounding, the same sample (or an
additional one) can be triggered again (and again!),
creating an interesting wall of sound – great effect
with the power chord I created previously! Once
played through the pad, the samples I loaded are
virtually indistinguishable from the original, proving
the pad’s ability to faithfully reproduce the sounds.
VERDICT: Before the review I believed the
limitations of a mono sample would put me
off the pad. However, the ability to play any
sample, alter its tuning and add a sprinkling
of reverb turns the Samplepad into a
powerful little box of tricks. The potential is
immense while the price isn’t.
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
RATING
PRICE
£99.99
ONBOARD SOUNDS
25
SAMPLE FILE
FORMAT
.WAV (mono only)
SD CARD TYPE
Any SDHC (high capacity)
or SDSC (standard
capacity) up to 32GB
PADS
Four, velocity-sensitive
SENSITIVITY
10 levels
INDIVIDUAL PAD
VOLUME
10 levels
EDITABLE MODES
Tune, Reverb, Pan, Midi
(note number),
Sensitivity, Assign, Level
EFFECT
Reverb, 10 levels
PANNING
9 levels (4 left, centre, 4
right)
CONNECTIONS
SD card (max , ¼"
Headphones Jack, ¼"
Left (Mono), ¼" Midi Out,
¼" jack for 'Kick' (or
other pad), Socket for 9
Volt power supply
CONTACT
Numark Alesis Europe Ltd
01252 896000
www.alesis.com
Essential spec
RHY203.gear_alesis.indd 118 4/17/12 4:38:26 PM