We’ve always been big fans of Alesis' electronic drum sets here at MusicRadar. Not only do their kits represent excellent value for money, but they’ve always been a beginner-friendly brand, packing features that will no doubt have played a part in the formative years of future drumming stars.
We’ve often sung the praises of the Alesis Nitro Mesh, but that kit was recently replaced by a brand new model, the Alesis Nitro Max, which is currently our number one pick for best beginner electronic drum set, thanks to all-mesh pads and a module equipped with Bluetooth and loaded with sounds from the BFD sample library. Now, for the first time since its launch late last year, the Special Edition of the Nitro Max is available with a chunky $40 discount at Guitar Center, bringing the price from $399 down to $359.
We recently published our 4.5 star Alesis Nitro Max review, in which we said “When it’s good, it’s very good indeed, and we have to remind ourselves that we’re playing on a sub-$/£400 kit”.
In terms of spec, the Nitro Max comprises a regular five-piece drum pad configuration along with hi-hat, crash and ride cymbal pads. Bass drum duties are taken care of by a kick drum tower (with a bass drum pedal included), while the cymbal pads are all 10”, with the crash offering choke functionality, future expansion is also possible by purchasing Alesis’ Nitro Max pack which adds an extra cymbal and tom pad.
The Nitro Max module is the star of the show here, home to 440 drum sounds, and 32 preset kits derived directly from BFD - the multi-sampled, computer-based drum sample library software that Alesis’ parent company, inMusic acquired in 2020. Every purchase of a Nitro Max also includes a copy of BFD Player for deeper customising of your sounds.
Additionally, the module has Bluetooth for wirelessly streaming your music, which is a fantastic feature for the price. You also get 16 user kit slots, master reverb and three-band EQ, plus the usual training tools such as play-along tracks, a metronome and ‘performance recorder’ for capturing your playing.
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