Alesis Surge electronic cymbals finally shipping
"Realistic" brass cymbals for your ekit

You might remember Alesis' Surge "feel like the real thing" electronic cymbals popping up a few times this year. Launched at NAMM as part of the DM5 and USB Pro Kit and re-launched at Musikmesse as a separate entity and combination pack, they are now - finally - shipping.
The specs haven't changed, but to re-cap, we're looking at lathed brass cymbals coated with a clear layer of vinyl for a realistic look, feel and response. You can hook them up to your sound module via 'piezo' triggers.
Surge fall into the "high-end" of Alesis' electronic drum market, which is reflected in the prices:
12" hi-hat - $199
13" crash - $249
13" crash with choke - $299
16" Dual-Zone ride - $349
16" Dual- Zone ride with choke - $399
Surge cymbal pack - $579
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Tom Porter worked on MusicRadar from its mid-2007 launch date to 2011, covering a range of music and music making topics, across features, gear news, reviews, interviews and more. A regular NAMM-goer back in the day, Tom now resides permanently in Los Angeles, where he's doing rather well at the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).