Alesis ControlPad - Controlador de Percussão

Comments about Alesis ControlPad - USB/MIDI Percussion Pad Controller:

I bought this unit to replace a drumkat. I wanted a drum controller with a smaller foot print and easier controls. The ControlPad fits all my expectations. Latency is a little slower than I'd like when using it with my laptop, but I think that's an issue with my soundcard not the ControlPad. Make sure you tweak sensitivity to your playing style to get the most out of it.

Comments about Alesis ControlPad - USB/MIDI Percussion Pad Controller:

I mainley use the Control Pad for writing my drum patterns into my old Roland R-70 Human Rythm Composer drum machine and recording percussion parts from the drum machine in real time into Pro Tools using standard midi cables. When using the USB connection, it was a simple plug in to the Mac and play any of my other software drum programs.....Works great in all scenerios. Playing the pads with sticks vs. pressing the pads on the drum machine makes a HUGE difference for ME. The inclusion of Midi In AND Midi Out jacks are a plus as well. Nice piece for the money. Navigation could be improved.

Comments about Alesis ControlPad - USB/MIDI Percussion Pad Controller:

Terrific product if you wish to control your drums from software (I'm on a mac, no prob) of choice (in my case I have winded up using ESX24). No drum brain = you need a laptop. On the other hand, you are not paying extra for built in samples.

These pads really delivers when plugged with a nice virtual drum. It's quite small, but not too small. I'm in the EU, so the adapter does not fit here, but I power it with USB. A lot less expensive AND better than the options available in the EU.

The ControlPad is said to be delivered with BFD Lite. Mine didn't - it included Toon Track. Was not that impressed. I guess for the price, it's good that something comes along at all.

Does not include pedals. Beware, pedal connections are ON/OFF, not velocity sensitive.

Would recommend this product.

Comments about Alesis ControlPad - USB/MIDI Percussion Pad Controller:

Bought this control pad to trigger samples while I'm playing my acoustic drumset live on stage with my band. I use it both with USB and MIDI (for USB I use Abelton Live and for MIDI I use my MPC 1000 sampler/sequencer.) Very easy to use and setup, does exactly what you'd expect. Sensitivity is great, and everything from velocity to sensitivity to not assignments is easily customizable.

Note that this is just a control pad, and does not have any internal sounds. For me this is exactly what I wanted since I use separate hardware and software samplers- but if you want an all in one unit, you'll have to pay more.

One thing I did, which I recommend anyone do before buying any piece of gear, is download the user manual and read up on the product before purchasing. It's free, from the Alesis website. This way you can familiarize yourself with the controls and capabilities of the Pad before you get it, and once you get it you can set it up and play with it right away.

The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because I've had a small issue from time to time with mysterious false triggering. I think it's because it's receiving vibrations from my snare drum, which I placed the Control Pad close to for easy access. I'm going to keep experimenting with moving the pad around my kit so that I can avoid all false triggers.

Comments about Alesis ControlPad - USB/MIDI Percussion Pad Controller:

Great concept...Very inexpensive when compared to it's roland counterparts. But you get what you pay for. Pros include usb connection, 3 pedal inputs, 2 external trigger inputs, and really easy to set up kits. I use ableton's session drums. There's really only one con, but it's a big one. A lot of the time when you hit 2 or more pads at the same time, one doesn't trigger. According to alesis this is necessary to prevent cross talk between the pads. I ultimately sold mine and got the full dm6 kit instead. If you just want something to trigger samples or basic drum patterns it's great but if you're serious about using it as an electronic kit, don't waste your time with this thing.

Comments about Alesis ControlPad - USB/MIDI Percussion Pad Controller:

The manual seems to have a few inaccuracies, but the Alesis Control Pad is pretty much plug and play. Simple to set up with Cubase LE (not included). Midi controller only , no built in sounds.

The BFD software that is bundled with the unit has a bit of a learning curve, but has a lot of features and works well with Cubase LE.

Pads have decent response and sensitivity which is adjustable. Hi-Hat control via a pedal is on/off, but the BFD software has a 'variable' Hi-Hat switch that will cause BFD to interpret any hi-hat hit as an open hat when the pedal is up, and a closed hat when the pedal is down.

Pad cross talk is minimal with medium sensitiviy.

All in all I'm pleased with the unit.

Comments about Alesis ControlPad - USB/MIDI Percussion Pad Controller:

Was looking for a compact yet realistic trigger pad surface that didn't cost the earth and at the same time wasn't some cheap and nasty piece of kit from Asia. Alesis has been a respected brand for many many years so that in combination with B&H's unbeatible price made the purchase a no-brainer. The Pad can be mounted using an adapter to a standard "heavy duty" cymbal or tom stand and because it has a well sized playing surface can be used with standard drum sticks, there are many Youtube videos showing how people are using it as the centre of their e-drum KIT. With some optional foot triggers for Kick and cymbal it really rocks. My advice is you take some time to get the sensitivity and control parameters for the pad trigerrs adjusted for your style of playing, as this helps to overcome any mis-triggerings and the frustration that that can bring into play. There are lots of finger size trigger pads around but I actually prefer to use sticks. It comes with BFD Lite and also EZ-Drummer (Toontrack)Lite, so if your happy with the features of either of these then you can upgrade to the full version, there both very comprehensive, but that doesn't stop you from using other stuff as it is fully USB (no driver needed and cable and Pwr supply included) and MIDI compliant and works on Windows XP-W7 or MAC. For the price I paid its a steal. Thanks B&H for making great technology affordable and accessible, [...] Cheers The Boy from Oz. Only gave it 4 stars because I haven't had it for long so can't comment on support, that's if I need it.

Comments about Alesis ControlPad - USB/MIDI Percussion Pad Controller:

straight out of the box, i had the Alesis ControlPad up and running 100% in about five minutes. and i didn't even need the manual to figure out the basic functions. plug the usb in, turn it on, wait for computer to "add new hardware", automatically install drivers, open your favorite drum machine in your DAW of choice, and play! it took about 10-15 minutes to install the BFD lite and all it's components. very cool program! i will definitely be taking advantage of the upgrade to the pro version. also, the pads seem to get softer and more responsive the more i play on it. recommended.

Comments about Alesis ControlPad - USB/MIDI Percussion Pad Controller:

I use controlpad to trigger samples and loops that are in the notebook and record the drums of my pre-production. And he is very good. The sensitivity of the pads is great and he has several parameters for adjustments. Really good.

Comments about Alesis ControlPad - USB/MIDI Percussion Pad Controller:

I bought this as a companion to BFD2 and it works amazingly well.

I plugged it in to my mac via USB, fired up BFD and it immediately worked. BFD2 has a preset named "ControlPad" once I clicked this everything was set up and ready.

Tweaking and setting up the sensitivity is very easy.

This product is meant for drum sticks (not fingers) and is very heavy duty.

The two trigger inputs are great to have. I have one hooked to a kick pedal and I also am using the High-hat pedal input.

Great product and nice integration with BFD2.