Review Alesis Sample Pad 4

Not long ago, I started to doubt whether my sample pad setup seemed a bit redundant. As you know, I use my laptop to store backup tracks in addition to using the Roland SPD-SX. The problem is that I only use 4 pads on the Roland, out of a total of 9. I started considering the Alesis SamplePad 4, wondering if it would erase my fingerprints during concerts and make playing easier. For me, the Alesis SamplePad 4 did its job well in my case. With four pads and dual-trigger inputs on the back, I was able to start, stop, change songs and trigger samples from the library without wasting any pad on the SPD-SX. The Alesis SamplePad 4 is more affordable and satisfied me. The only downside of the Roland SPD-SX is the MIDI output.

Alesis SamplePad 4 . Overview

This is a smaller product, in the same line as the SamplePad Pro. As the name suggests, you get 4 sampling pads (2 large and 2 raised skinny bars) to control pre-loaded or user-generated sounds. The pad comes with an SD card with capacities up to 32GB. Just upload samples to the SD card from your computer, can even be loaded using the interface on the pad (requires 16-bit, mono or stereo files, .wav extension) Although the pad is quite small, not so small that you can't hit 4 pad. The glowing pads are beautiful and extremely useful for playing in dark clubs.

The Alesis SamplePad 4 is perfect for drummers looking for a few small pieces to their instrument set, or for those who need to control a DAW like Ableton Live for backup tracks. To add intro playback before each song, I added 2 additional trigger pad: one under the hi-hat and one on the right side of the floor tom. I was a bit nervous at first because there was only one active pad trigger on the back, but the truth is it's a dual-zone input. It's a bit annoying, but I was able to get both pads working using the Y-cab. As for the backup tracks, I spent 2 years figuring out the best way to set up the playback rig. It wasn't until I followed the above steps that my performance was truly impressive and amazing every night.

Here are four features of Alesis SamplePad 4:

1. 4 pcs luminous sample pads, with programmable rubber parts - providing endless sampling opportunities
2. Can use SD/SDHC cards with capacities up to 32GG - 512 samples per card and can store more than 89 user kits
3. USB-MIDI output with DAW - no internal sampling pad needed because other software like Ableton Live can be used
4. Onboard FX - add reverb to the sound

Note about line-level signals: you definitely need a stereo passive DI box if you want to use this feature in live performances. Many users have complained about the noisy output and other problems when using the Alesis SamplePad 4. Simply because they do not use the DI box to convert the line-level signal to a more balanced signal, to mixixng board can be used properly.

Audio in and I/O

The accompanying sample including the product out of the box can be said to be quite bad. I have no problem because I have my own sample collection and mainly use them for the MIDI control of Ableton Live. You will find kicks, snare and other types of drums (shakers, congas, claps, cowbell,..). Tom and cymbal do not come with pre-load samples. It also comes with a library of free sounds, including hits, loops, and samples on its website.

Upload your own sample

There are many open libraries out there with great sounds, with just a few seconds of typing a keyword on Google. Uploading your own samples is as simple as uploading them to an SD card and cabling the SamplePad 4. The samples need to be on the base core of your card. Once you have selected a sound from the SD card, you can upload it to a specific pad and save it under the new kit name. The whole process is extremely simple and easy to do.

Two velocity layers per pad

While this is not a feature of the Roland V-Drum module, having 2 velocity layers on each pad makes the sound stand out more. If you don't know what this feature is, I'll explain it now. Let's say you are uploading sample snare to sample pad. In terms of playing snare drums, think of the 2 velocity layers as 2 different loud volume switches. You can upload soft samples as well as powerful snare drum sounds. You can then adjust the level velocity on the SamplePad 4 to select the crossover. This feature is especially useful for drum samples like conga or bongo.

Alesis SamplePad 4's Ins and Outs

The back of the Alesis SamplePad 4 includes a headphone output, a power button, a dual-zone trigger input, a left/right main output, and a USB output. I'm still waiting for MIDI I/O but I think it's going to be a bit too small to fit all of the above.

Using

Extremely simple and easy to understand with 4 arrows to the right of the instrument, allowing the user to control the parameter of the light display. You'll find the SD card slot, the main volume controls, and the headphone volume controls on the front panel. The menu system is easy to use but will take some getting used to initially. The Alesis SamplePad 4 can be played with either a stick or a hand, depending on your preference. As mentioned before, the Alesis SamplePad 4 was a perfect fit for my requirements at the time because it had the ability to control setup playback with a MIDI player (a big plus because I could hook up a trigger pad to it). into Alesis SamplePad 4).