Alesis SR-16 vs Boss DR3.....which has better output sound quality?

K

Kenny202

Member
Read a lot of reviews on both of these and don't really see much in the way of sound quality comparison. Main sort of negatives I see with the Boss are difficult to use. I have one now and I find it very easy to use as I am very familiar with 90's/ 2000's Roland / boss menus and to me has some great features for live work.

I do keep reading a lot about the Alesis DR-16 as a real industry standard...or lets say it was. I am wondering if it would be an upgrade for me sound quality wise. I must say I am not really interested in sequencing or programming....midi etc. I don't even want to create "songs". Only something that I can create or use a basic preset pattern, make some tweaks and save it as a patch to be reused later. I play more middle of the road pop / country stuff so no intricate beats required. I read somewhere you can't change the time sig on an Alesis? Only 4/4. I find that hard to believe. I am much more interested in the sound quality more than anything else. I know I should be using a DAW or something like that and I know there are a lot of probably more high end machines out there but just want something basic and easy to use at a gig or practice.

Would I be gaining much sound quality wise by getting an Alesis?
 
Hi, Kenny, I am relatively new to the SR-16, but have some input. The machine does have presets for pop and country and rock that are pretty good. The presets are all in 4-4, but you can make your own beats in different time signatures. You can also copy a preset into an open User pattern and make changes to it there. That way you can preserve the sound of the preset but change the beat up a bit (You cannot change the presets themselves). If you are on Facebook, there is a group called Alesis SR-16/SR-18 Support Club that is pretty good, and people post their stuff there so you can hear how people use it. It seems especially popular to use with live performance.
I like the sounds, myself, and they are real drums. For the price, I think its a great start. There's a two part video on Youtube, two hours long videos of a demonstration of the SR-16 that I found handy (but have to watch a few times to get all of it).
If your concern is mostly with the sound of the drums, the best way, if you can't find a machine to listen to directly, is just check out some videos of people who made stuff with SR-16. One famous song is 'Shine' by Collective Soul, that is all SR-16. But professional recordings like that can be deceiving because there was obviously alot of processing/production, too.
I'm only starting my journey, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I've been learning by finding beginners questions and taking it as a homework assignment to figure it out myself, and learn by explaining what I did. And I highly recommend that Facebook group, great place to hear what people like us are doing with it!
 
TasosTheodorou said:
Hi, Kenny, I am relatively new to the SR-16, but have some input. The machine does have presets for pop and country and rock that are pretty good. The presets are all in 4-4, but you can make your own beats in different time signatures. You can also copy a preset into an open User pattern and make changes to it there. That way you can preserve the sound of the preset but change the beat up a bit (You cannot change the presets themselves). If you are on Facebook, there is a group called Alesis SR-16/SR-18 Support Club that is pretty good, and people post their stuff there so you can hear how people use it. It seems especially popular to use with live performance.
I like the sounds, myself, and they are real drums. For the price, I think its a great start. There's a two part video on Youtube, two hours long videos of a demonstration of the SR-16 that I found handy (but have to watch a few times to get all of it).
If your concern is mostly with the sound of the drums, the best way, if you can't find a machine to listen to directly, is just check out some videos of people who made stuff with SR-16. One famous song is 'Shine' by Collective Soul, that is all SR-16. But professional recordings like that can be deceiving because there was obviously alot of processing/production, too.
I'm only starting my journey, but if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I've been learning by finding beginners questions and taking it as a homework assignment to figure it out myself, and learn by explaining what I did. And I highly recommend that Facebook group, great place to hear what people like us are doing with it!
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Thanks mate. I did revisit my boss again and had the wrong connector on. Makes a huge difference now with stereo output lol. But I do still want to get an Alesis. They have too much of a good name not to be any good. Is the SR-16 not back lit? That would be a huge negative for not using it live in dark pubs / clubs. I got a 90s Yamaha RY20 and the sounds on it are stellar but unfortunately very dim screen and no stop start footswitch outlet. Huge dealbreakers. The Boss luckily does have all of these things but is very bare on programming capability. I only use mine for live accompaniment and has a nice strong screen light so I guess it was made more for live work than recording / programming. Still gassing to try an Alesis though. A few for sale here but all over $200 and just too expensive
 
Kenny202 said:
Thanks mate. I did revisit my boss again and had the wrong connector on. Makes a huge difference now with stereo output lol. But I do still want to get an Alesis. They have too much of a good name not to be any good. Is the SR-16 not back lit? That would be a huge negative for not using it live in dark pubs / clubs. I got a 90s Yamaha RY20 and the sounds on it are stellar but unfortunately very dim screen and no stop start footswitch outlet. Huge dealbreakers. The Boss luckily does have all of these things but is very bare on programming capability. I only use mine for live accompaniment and has a nice strong screen light so I guess it was made more for live work than recording / programming. Still gassing to try an Alesis though. A few for sale here but all over $200 and just too expensive
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The SR-16 is not backlit, I have one but I do like it overall for what I need, anyway.
 
I've mixed tracks that use the SR-16 for drums and I own a D4 module which includes many of the same samples. The sound quality of the samples is great but the one observation that I would make is that the samples have been around for many years and are very familiar. That's fine for some uses but it would be difficult to create a drum track that wasn't obviously from an Alesis.
 
Is it true that it requires a 9 volt AC power adapter??

I have one I’d like to start playing around with. But sadly the friend that gave it to me had lost the adapter
 
Slouching Raymond said:
The SR has more realistic drums, and particularly cymbals.
The DR is more oriented to artificial electronic sounds.
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Yes... I have the SR-16 ... it is the dogs, I love the ease of use and how you have the options of using it dry. I generally use it dry and go through my Alesis Midiverb 4 I bought it on the basis that the sounds were sampled from actual session players and that the dynamics actually recreate the timbre of the way real drums react rather than just soft and loud. Only gripe is that the display is not backlit, I think Alesis missed a trick there. 👍
 
Smithers XKR said:
Yes... I have the SR-16 ... it is the dogs, I love the ease of use and how you have the options of using it dry. I generally use it dry and go through my Alesis Midiverb 4 I bought it on the basis that the sounds were sampled from actual session players and that the dynamics actually recreate the timbre of the way real drums react rather than just soft and loud. Only gripe is that the display is not backlit, I think Alesis missed a trick there. 👍
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Seriously, was just about to pull the trigger on one. Never even considered the backlit thing which is a deal breaker for me using it for gigs. Just sold a little Yamaha machine for the same reason. Excellent sounds but impossible to see without a table lamp over it and then difficult
 
Kenny202 said:
Seriously, was just about to pull the trigger on one. Never even considered the backlit thing which is a deal breaker for me using it for gigs. Just sold a little Yamaha machine for the same reason. Excellent sounds but impossible to see without a table lamp over it and then difficult
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Yeah agreed. The display is really poor even in good light, just black on grey pretty hopeless to be honest... apart from that a great machine
 
Smithers XKR said:
Yeah agreed. The display is really poor even in good light, just black on grey pretty hopeless to be honest... apart from that a great machine
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Yeah that sucks. Probably the older type LCD displays that did fade over time. The old Yamahas are like that and such a shame because still a great machine.
 
Kenny202 said:
Yeah that sucks. Probably the older type LCD displays that did fade over time. The old Yamahas are like that and such a shame because still a great machine.
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It is what it is. Still great and a classic and for porting about for live work its as light and compact as a girls handbag.. but that display man! 😟😟
I think I will look around for a second hand DM5 for my studio rack. I am a guitar/keyboard player so not bothered about the touch buttons. You seen any DM5's going on sale these days mate?
Cheers 😉👍
 
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