ION Audio Sound Session Complete Electronic Drum Set Review

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(More customer reviews)I bought these as a Christmas gift for my brother, who's in his 40s. He's been a wannabe drummer for a while and has had a few acoustic drums sets, at least one of very high quality--but he's never had an electronic drum set. (He's jammed with bands, but not played professionally.) He had to sell his last and best drum set and hasn't had a set for a long time. Plus he lives in an apartment. So I saw these at Target for $200 and decided to take a chance, thinking I could always return them if they sucked or were broken.
Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to see him during Christmas and wasn't able to give him the set until 1 week ago, long after I'd lost the receipt, so I was really worried that he wouldn't like them.
Well, I got a call today, after he'd been playing them "hard" for a week and he raved about them. Things he mentioned:
- 100 sounds (each of which is tunable, which I didn't see mentioned in the specs, but was hoping for).
- He says he really beats the s**t out of his drums and he's really impressed that the set so far has no dings, and neither do the sticks or rims of the drums. This, he thinks, is because there is a tube of air around the edges that prevents them from getting damaged.
- Came with headphones (though I'm not sure of the quality). He said I could have mine back. :)
- Came with drum sticks (as mentioned, no dents so far)
- He likes the way the module lights up, so it can help you learn how to play
- Likes that you can remove the drum part from the songs that come with it, so you can "be" the drummer
- Likes that you can plug in an MP3 player
- Likes that you can record your own playing. It sounded like you could only lay down one track at a time, but he's not that familiar with sequencers so I'm not sure if that's correct or not.
- Said when he got it out of the box he thought the stand would be flimsy, but he's very impressed with it because it's held up really well.
- He said the pedals were made in a sturdy way too with some kind of special bushing or something.
Basically, he said it was the best gift he ever got ("the best gift a man could give another man" were his exact words), so all I can say is that if you're on the fence, get the thing! I should get one for myself.
Oh, I just remembered one more thing he said. He said, "If I'd known electronic drums were this good, I would have bought a set a long time ago."
Update 5/15/2010 It's been 3(?) months and he's still playing these things on a daily basis for a few hours a day. He claims, and I can see, that he's a much better drummer. Now he can keep time! (He refused to use a metronome in the past.) He now thinks in terms of patterns and fills, 16 beat measures, practicing with a part until you get it, trying different things to see which sounds best, etc. all concepts that he never got before.) On the down side, shortly after my first review, one of the foot pedals broke (he really does stomp the hell out of them though). He is pretty good at figuring things out though, so was able to fix it by himself. Had something to do with the way the contacts are made. Ever since his fix, it's still been going strong.

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Learn the drums with Ion Audio's Sound Session complete electronic drum set--a great choice for those who don't have room for a traditional set of drums or need to keep practice session on the quiet side. Fitting into a fraction of the space of an acoustic drum set, the Sound Session set comes with everything you need to get started playing.
It features natural-feeling drum and cymbal pads as well as foot pedals for hi-hat and bass drum. A rugged, adjustable stand holds the drum and cymbal pads and comes with all the mounting hardware, and the set also includes all the cables you'll need.
The Sound Session set includes a drum-sound module with over 100 different instruments in 15 drum sets. You can modify and save the drum sounds and drum set for totally custom setups. There are 41 play-along music patterns for practicing and jamming out. You can listen to the drum parts on the patterns to get ideas for what to play, then mute the drums and play your own part. Record your drum performance and listen back, and use the built-in metronome for learning to play with a steady beat.
Key Features
Complete electronic drum set
Natural-feeling drum and cymbal pads on a completely adjustable stand
Takes up less space than acoustic drums
Makes almost no sound when played with headphones
108 drum, cymbal, and percussion sounds in 15 customizable drum sets
40 play-along music patterns with mutable drum parts for practicing and jamming out
Light-up play-along display for learning drum patterns
Record your drum performance and listen back
Metronome for learning to play with a steady beat
1/8-inch stereo headphone and speaker-system outputs, mix-in input for CD or MP3 player

What's in the Box
Three drum pads
Two cymbal pads
Two foot pedals
Adjustable stand with mounting hardware
Sound module
Connection cables

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Zoom RT223 Rhythm Trak Drum Machine Review

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(More customer reviews)Looking for a dual drum and bass machine to keep my chops on beat, the zoom machine was perfect for practice sessions. It sounds excellent pluged into my home surround sound and really gets my creative improvisational juices flowing. I play fusion, rock, blues and jazz in the style of EVH to VAI. This machine gives me a nice work out and jams in many styles. Excellent practice tool to keep you fresh and really allows you to work on your creativity.

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The RT-223 is a drum & bass machine for any kind of rhythm play. Small in size and light in weight, this low-profile unit will go with you anywhere. You can get a session going with your very own rhythm section in a flash, anywhere, anytime.


Seventy different kits from Rock Drum to Voice Percussion The range of drum kits built into the RT-223 is simply amazing. A total of 70 drum kits are built-in, with acoustic drum sounds for rock, R&B, funk, and jazz. Add an analog rhythm machine great for Techno and Hip Hop. Ethnic percussion sounds are also available. There are also five Human Voice "Beat Box" Percussion kits that are currently all the rage in Hip Hop. Create advanced rhythm tracks where kick, snare, scratch and other instrument sounds are expressed as human voices.

Create your own drum kits A drum kit consists of 13 pads x 3 banks = 39 sounds. Sound sources can be freely selected and assigned to the pads. Fine-tune parameters such as pitch, level, and panning to create your own original drum kits. The RT-223 lets you store up to 127 user-programmed kits.

Twelve built-in bass sound sources Choose from electric bass styles such as Pick, Finger, and Slap. Or select Acoustic Bass, Synthesizer Bass, or one of the other bass sources, 12 in total. To create a bass line, you can play the pads with assigned chromatic pitches just like a keyboard. A dedicated switch quickly lets you mute the bass sound at any time.

Two types of effects to control EQ and Ambience The overall EQ and tonal quality of a drum kit can be adjusted with the COMP EQ effect. The REVERB effects can be used simultaneously. These effects can also be applied to bass sounds. Up to 40 settings for each effect can be stored as patches.

440 preset patterns cover all musical styles From Rock, Jazz, and Funk to Club and House, the RT-223 comes with 440 playing patterns that can be used straight away. A large number of phrase variations including intro, fill-in, and ending patterns are also provided. By simply combining these, you can whip up a backing rhythm that delivers the goods.

Touch-sensitive pads let you build original patterns Programming your own patterns is a snap, thanks to the touch-sensitive drum pads. The RT-223 records not only your timing, but also the dynamics of your finger work. You can create and store up to 511 patterns. The process is made even easier through visual cues provided by the self-lit pads.

Quickly create original songs with FAST method You can combine any number of drum patterns in any order to create a song. In addition to step input where you select patterns one by one, the RT-223 also offers the innovative FAST (Formula Assisted Song Translator) method. With FAST, you use simple mathematical symbols such as +, -, (, and ) to specify the pattern lineup. This is especially useful for songs with repeated patterns. To play pattern number 12 eight times and then pattern 25 sixteen times, you simply enter "12 x 8 + 25 x 16". By enclosing this in brackets and adding a multiplication factor such as "( ) x 4", the entire sequence can be repeated. The RT-223 lets you store as many as 100 songs for automated backing.

Groove play mode lets you play patterns like a DJ Assigning patterns to pads allows you to trigger patterns simply by tapping the pads. This is great for live performances and for DJ use.

User-friendly design for simple operation The RT-223 is a dedicated rhythm machine designed to make rhythm programming truly easy. You can take the shortest possible route from idea to finished song. No need to boot up a PC and start DAW software, or laboriously read sound source data into a sampler. Most controls on the top panel of the RT-223 have only a single function, and there are no complicated multi-level menus. The backlit LCD shows all important information at a glance.

Total control with a foot switch Intro, pattern 1, fill-in, pattern 2, ... ending. Imagine controlling such a sequence just with a foot switch. With a Zoom FS01 Foot Switch (sold separately) you can rock out live, triggering patterns with your foot. You can also use the switch to start or stop a pattern, perform tap input to specify the tempo, trigger the bass drum sounds, switch between hi-hat open/close, and much more.

Metronome function for simple repeat practice The built-in metronome with its dedicated key is handy for simple repeat practice. In addition to the standard 2 - 8 beat, you can also use 6/8 beat, 7/8 beat, 2+3 beat, 3+4 beat and other mixed beat settings.

MIDI IN connector and external line input The MIDI IN connector allows synchronized play with an external device. By receiving note messages, the RT-223 can serve as drum sound source module in a MIDI-based system. The line input accepts the signal from a CD player or other line-level source, or from a guitar or bass via an effect. Seamlessly integrate the RT-223 into any session.

2-way power from size AA batteries or AC adaptor The unit will operate continuously for eight hours on a set of four IEC R6 (size AA) batteries. Whether on stage or during rehearsals in the studio, the RT-223 is always ready. For extended studio work, an AC adaptor (sold seperately) can also be used.

What's in the Box Zoom RT223 Rhythm Trak Drum Machine, User's Manual

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Alesis JamDock Practice Dock for iPod Review

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(More customer reviews)This is an answer to my practice prayers. Works like a charm. It was easy to set up and works just as I thought it would. Plug in my iPod, guitar and even my computer to play along with my favorite bands. Headphone jack adds extra value as I can play and not bother my family.

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Integrate your Apple iPod into any practice or live music setup with the Alesis JamDock, which enables you to connect and mix in nearly any instrument including electronic drums and send your mix to the stereo outputs and headphone output. Designed specifically for musicians, you can also use your iPod to play backing tracks live.

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