SR16

Smithers XKR

Smithers XKR

Well-known member
The SR16 is a bit crap..
I am starting to regret buying it
The samples are very good
It has a lot of good kick and snare sounds
The toms are good
The cymbals are poor
I hate the horrible gated reverbs, so dated... I will run it dry and try to use to link up with the Midiverb 4.
I did think about trying to swap for a higher resolution DM5 module or a DM pro module but with both of those you need a trigger interface... and I have read that there are a load of technical issues and poor customer support with the DM pro module.

I like the sounds of the SR16 without reverb but the pads are useless, like an on/off switch with dynamic control and pressure, no workability or feel.

I used the keys on the Korg X5 for drum programming back in the day. The drum sounds on the Korg are very good but limited, but using keys gives much more dynamic expression due to the greater travel of the keys rather than the stupid pads on the SR16.

So can I link the SR16 brain to be triggered by keys on the X5 as a controller for the drum sounds without the need for an interface ?
 
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You certainly should be able to trigger the SR16 sounds from your keyboard. Normally you need to set the keyboard to send on Midi channel 10 as that's the channel that most drum machines default to. I've always found the Alesis sounds to be very clean but almost too distinctive to be usable for many things. They seem to scream "Drum Machine" as soon as I hear them. I've got a D4 here which works well with drum triggers but nowadays I prefer using software drums from MT Power Drum Kit.
 
I've got an SR18. Lots of great sounds in it, but programming it sucks.

I did find that I could feed the midi data out from a file built in MTPDK, and then feed the audio back into the interface so that I got the Alesis drum sounds with the midi pattern. The only real issue was that MTPDK has more drum triggers than the Alesis. It needed to have a couple of internal sounds rerouted to a similar sound.
 
TalismanRich said:
I've got an SR18. Lots of great sounds in it, but programming it sucks.

I did find that I could feed the midi data out from a file built in MTPDK, and then feed the audio back into the interface so that I got the Alesis drum sounds with the midi pattern. The only real issue was that MTPDK has more drum triggers than the Alesis. It needed to have a couple of internal sounds rerouted to a similar sound.
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Thanks Rich.

On the face of it just found a great deal on Gumtree in my local area. This guy is asking £100 for a DM5 module with no power supply and a basic rack as well. dont want the rack but have offered him 80 notes cash for the module if I can take my power supply from the SR16 and it powers up ok. I am more into rack mount than boxes, not a drummer, would rather do it via a master keyboard. Thanks

Too good to be true?
 
TalismanRich said:
I've got an SR18. Lots of great sounds in it, but programming it sucks.

I did find that I could feed the midi data out from a file built in MTPDK, and then feed the audio back into the interface so that I got the Alesis drum sounds with the midi pattern. The only real issue was that MTPDK has more drum triggers than the Alesis. It needed to have a couple of internal sounds rerouted to a similar sound.
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I think the SR18 is comparible to the DM5 18 bits and sound wise, has the same chip and brain? I was thinking about a DM Pro but then heard some horror stories about it being so difficult to use. The DM5 seems to be the module to go for. Its better than the SR16 and the sounds are better.
 
TalismanRich said:
I've got an SR18. Lots of great sounds in it, but programming it sucks.

I did find that I could feed the midi data out from a file built in MTPDK, and then feed the audio back into the interface so that I got the Alesis drum sounds with the midi pattern. The only real issue was that MTPDK has more drum triggers than the Alesis. It needed to have a couple of internal sounds rerouted to a similar sound.
Click to expand...
As long as I can get the triggers to work from the master kb then I dont care. Its hard work to get it all in sync now.
I use an ST with Cubase 3 ! 🤣🤣
 
Maybe I should pull out my old 1040ST. I got it cheap but never really used it. I had more programming for the 8 bit Atari and the TI. Then I got a PC and that was pretty much it.
 
TalismanRich said:
Maybe I should pull out my old 1040ST. I got it cheap but never really used it. I had more programming for the 8 bit Atari and the TI. Then I got a PC and that was pretty much it.
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But you look so young on your Avatar, surely the 1040 was before you were born
 
TalismanRich said:
Maybe I should pull out my old 1040ST. I got it cheap but never really used it. I had more programming for the 8 bit Atari and the TI. Then I got a PC and that was pretty much it.
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Is that you back in the day? Handsome boy, like a young Peter Gabriel 😅😅

Shiny shirt and an SG, is it a Guild?

What were the amps? Look solid state, early H/H ? Sorry for the silly squabble we had about valve v ss .... pointless.

My first amp was a Carlsbro Scorpion 2x12 Twin channel solid state 30 watt reverb combo.

Oh no no no , it was not 30 watts, it was blow the back of the wall off watts!
 
The guitar is a Guild S100, and my amp was a Guild Thunderbird. The amp was about 35 watts 2x12 w/7591A tubes. I got the amp around '68. The guitar is a '74. Before that I had a Fender Jaguar. I still have both Guilds. Unfortunately, the Jag was sold so I could buy a motorcycle.

Guilds.jpg

The bassist's amp behind me was a Traynor YBA3 with a pair of home made 2x15 cabinets. That thing was a monster.

I've never heard of a Carlsbro Scorpion. The UK amps that we saw were Vox and Marshall, although at that point the USA distributed Vox amps were switching to transistors and being made in the US by Thomas Organ. They had the Buckingham, Berkeley, Super Beatle. They weren't AC30s or AC50s like the UK had.

And there were no drum machines. You either had Ludwig, Slingerland or Gretsch drums and a long haired dude with sticks!
 
Smithers XKR said:
As long as I can get the triggers to work from the master kb then I dont care. Its hard work to get it all in sync now.
I use an ST with Cubase 3 ! 🤣🤣
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if you are using sloppy terminology or if you're confused about how the DM5 works. The trigger inputs on the DM5 are for audio signals. The idea is that you can trigger it either from piezo sensors on a kit or from already recorded audio signals.

You don't need a DM5 if all you want to do is play sounds triggered by MIDI from a keyboard - any MIDI equipped drum machine should do it.
 
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