Alesis Strata Core Electronic Drum Kit | Electric Factory | RRP: $3799
Alesis has more than solidified its name in the electronic instrument industry. Since the 80s, Alesis has found itself at the forefront of all things music, from audio processors and amplifiers through to drum machines and professional recording equipment. You wouldn’t wander too far through the industry without coming across the name Alesis more than a few times. But, these renowned brands only remain renowned through an ability to create, evolve and innovate new pathways that can proliferate an industry in directions previously unexplored. With the release earlier this year of Alesis’ incredible Strata Prime electronic drumkit, one could be forgiven for thinking Alesis had surmounted all there was to surmount in the field of electronic drums. Well… think again.
It’s with a giddy grin that we present to you Alesis’ next pro-level electronic kit, the Strata Core. Striking the next big blow in the decades-lasting battle between electronic and acoustic, the Strata Core provides the most holistic effort perhaps to date for the company, which in tandem with the kit’s sheer usability makes it a force to be reckoned with. Old-school traditionalists will be shaking on their thrones.
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The most obvious positive right out of the box is the kit’s ‘stowability’. It must be said that kits with all the cowbells and whistles often lack the sleek subtlety that the Strata Core boasts in spades. Provided are two 8” toms, a 10” tom, a 12” snare and an 8” kick drum that’ll squeeze their way into even the most… quaint studio apartments. It’s far from the kit’s most amazing feature, but it is one of the smaller details that makes a drummer’s life a fair bit easier and Alesis’ name a revered one.
Each drum head features adjustable mesh heads, allowing an even greater customisability for the perfect rebound and feel. The drums also promise none of those weird ‘hotspots’ that can throw out strange and unwanted tones via Alesis’ patented ‘anti-hotspot’ design.
ARC Cymbals
The Alesis-style ARC cymbals feature some incredible 360-degree technology, meaning you can play them from absolutely any angle you wish. It’s perfect for some of those more avant-garde techniques. Both the 12” crashes and the 14” ride are fitted with neat triple-zone technology, meaning you’ll get a beautiful ring from the bells and washing waves from the edges, as well as something in between from… well… somewhere in between.
The 12” hi-hat is a phenom in its own right, equipping a triple-zone 360-degree technology of its own as well as Alesis’ mind-bogglingly precise magnetic clamping. This feature was present in the Strata Prime, and the Strata Core utilises it to perfection, completely evolving the electronic cymbal game.
Of course, any drum kit would be a stack of shells without its trusty mounting system. The Strata Core features a slender steel frame that loops its way around the kit, supporting the toms, cymbals and a truly awesome module along the way (stay tuned). The cymbals are also completely compatible with regular cymbal hardware, meaning you can use any old stands and maintain all of the freedoms and flexibility that come with typical drum hardware. Alesis has genuinely fused acoustic and electronic builds for the ultimate playing experience.
The Strata Core boasts an incredibly capable module interface that digitally upholds the kit, simultaneously proving that drummers can have brains (even if they’re found behind a 7” touchscreen display).
The module chugs along quite nicely with a multi-core processor allowing more than 25 GB of content that consists of a dizzying list of 75 kits and more than 140,000 drum samples, all available at the press of a button. What’s more (yes, more) is that there is a way to completely customise every sound you get out of your kit. The module offers adjustable microphone levels that’ll genuinely let you curate a kit as if you were situated in the middle of a drum store, picking drums at random like groceries from an aisle. We’ll let you sit with that idea for a while.
Strata Core
All these traits pair seamlessly with Alesis’ already established ability to create a good ‘feeling’ kit. Moving around the drums is as seamless as ever, providing an experience that genuinely feels as though the kit was made for you. The adjustability of the cymbals and mesh head tension make for a personalised feel that encapsulates everything a drummer hopes to feel when they sit behind a new drum kit. There’s no worse feeling than sitting behind a kit and feeling ‘off’. It’s a feeling most drummers can empathise with, but with its focus on ergonomics and size efficiency, Alesis have upped the standards in playability with the Strata Core.
If you’re somehow still on the fence about your next drum kit, or perhaps you’re looking for a space-convenient way to sound like a pro, Alesis has once again hit the sweet spot with the Strata Core. Providing incredible playability alongside unmatched technology, the Strata Core flirts the boundaries between acoustic and electronic to provide a service to those who are seeking something new without sacrificing the comfort of old. It’s a kit that offers all the luxuries of an industry that insists on evolving and expanding into technological realms that genuinely blow minds, whilst maintaining exactly what it is that drummers are so often looking for: a kit that rocks out.
For local Alesis enquiries, visit Electric Factory.
