Not to make any assumptions about how much time and energy people have put into learning their gear, but I have to wonder when I see comments like these.
It reminds me of the guy bitching about his
3630 compressor being noisy when he was running his bass guitar directly into a line level device.
The SR-16 is an extremely flexible device. I'll agree that it's, perhaps, not easy to learn to use, but I disagree that there's anything unclear about the manual. It's a very complex device, and it takes a while to learn how to use it, like any complex device.
It shouldn't take you very long to get to the point where you can make things sound really good, but you can create some AMAZING sounds with it if you invest the time.
If you doubt this, just press the "Demo" mode and take a listen. Anything you hear in the demo, the machine can do if you learn enough about it.
I'll agree that the toms don't sound like real toms, but my drummer has a $5000
Roland V-drum kit, and guess what? The toms don't sound like real toms on that either. So far, I haven't heard anything digital that can replicate the complex dynamics of a tom, especially with fast hits.
My only real complaint about the SR-16 is that there's no china cymbal patch. ;-)
In my opinion, for the money, the SR-16 is a great piece. If you put some time into learning to use the more advanced functions (and more importantly, learn how to program a drum machine well), it'll pay off for you.
It helps if you are a drummer, or can think like one.
CT