Conference napalm::commusic_v1

Newsgroups: rec.music.synth
Path: decwrl!hplabs!hpcea!hpcilzb!ranjit
Subject: Alesis HR-16 FACT or FICTION ?
Posted: 19 Nov 87 23:53:51 GMT
Organization: Hewlett Packard  DTC
 
 
Does anyone know what the story is on the new eagerly awaited Alesis
HR-16 Drum Machine. It was expected to ship to stores here in the
San Francisco Bay Area early November, but hasn't turned up. All the
stores I visited are busy gathering deposits for all the units they
have pre-sold. One guy told me that Alesis was going to ship each
dealer one unit of the HR-16 Drum Machine and the MT-something MIDI
sequencer, have them nailed down as demos, and bait the public.
Another dealer tells me that Alesis is having some trouble finding
knobs or pads for the units, and the third tells me that Alesis has
recently put out an ad in a national (no less) magazine, telling us
all to hold our water till Christmas. Any truth to these rumo(u)rs ?
Any and all information will be appreciated.
 
... and if it all works out nicely, you'll get the bonus you deserve,
from doctors we trust ...
 
Ranjit
 


ranjit%[email protected] -or- <major node>!hplabs!hpdtc!ranjit
Newsgroups: rec.music.synth
Path: decwrl!hplabs!hp-sdd!ucsdhub!sdcsvax!ames!hao!boulder!spot!dipersio
Subject: Re: Alesis HR-16 FACT or FICTION ?
Posted: 21 Nov 87 19:32:24 GMT
Organization: University of Colorado, Boulder
 
A couple of Alesis representatives came through town here a few weeks ago,
bearing a prototype of the near-mythical HR-16.  They visited two dealers
in town; both told me the following story:  Alesis is going to ship *one*
unit to them on the first of December, and send an undisclosed quantity a
couple of weeks later.  
 
There is an ad in recent issues of Keyboard magazine with pictures of it and
the 8-track MIDI sequencer, with some hype about it being Alesis' Christmas
present to the MIDI world, so hopefully we'll see the thing by January or so.
 
I didn't hear the HR-16, but one dealer (a former pro drummer) said it's
the first drum box he's heard that actually sounds like real drums.  Both s
stores are trying to dump all their Korgs, Rolands, and Yamahas before the
HR-16 shows up.

    grrrr....
    
    The fb01 of drum machines....
    
    Edd

    Edd.   Check out the R50 (Kawai) as well as the TR626.
    
    I find it to be excellent for my purposes (but I'm not necessarily a
    demanding drum machine user).  Sound quality was near the top of my
    requirements list, (after stipulating a maximum price) and
    programmability somewhere around last. 
    
    I don't know enough about the details 626 to present you with an A/B
    comparison, but one point on which the 626 (apparently) fails and the
    R50 succeeds is polyphonic cymbals (symbols?).  The R50 allows you to
    enable or disable polyphony on its cymbals.  In most respects--sounds,
    memory, price--the R50 and the TR626 are comparable.
    
    I'll (hopefully) place a review elsewhere in the file soon, since I see
    people are slavering over beat boxes again. 

    Programmability is a BIG factor with me, as I've found that my
    patterns are getting wilder. My caRdboardboX-21, while crappy
    sounding, does allow me the programability I need. Perhaps any
    other machine would though if I worked with it long enough.
    
    I assume the R-50 is in the 400 - 500 clam ballpark, yes?
    
    Edd

    
    Geez....quit being so fussy...buy a fairlight and quit yer whinin'!
    
    
    
    				:^}

    Local dealer says..the Alesis will be here after Christmas
              
    
    dave

Edd, what's the hurry?  Just sit back and wait for 'em deliver the Alesis
machine.  When it gets here, compare it to the new TR and the Kawai machine.
Buy the one that best fits your needs (and budget).  There's nothing worse
than not waiting a few months, and then kicking yourself later.  If it doesn't
arrive within 2 months, then go on your merry way and pick up something
else.

The RX21 has held you for years, it will hold you for a few months.  All
your stuff is MIDI sequenced, so you can still continue to hack in the 
studio and then just replace the RX later...

Todd.

    I know, I know. It's just that I haven't spent any MIDI-money in
    over a month and I'm getting itchy....
    
    Besides, I got this pissah drum pattern I wrote to back up my
    sequenced version of Chick Corea's "Music Magic" and I'm just
    dying to hear it done better....
    
    But yer all right. I should wait a little longer.
    
    ...or just buy the damn Fairlight!!!
    
    Edd
    

    I went to Guitar Showcase in San Jose yesterday. They now have the
    Alesis MIDI recorder but not the drum machine as yet. I am concidering
    buying the Kawai r-50 but would really like to here the Alesis first
    so I think I'll wait.
    
    $$$$$ burning a hole in my .....
    
    Mark

    	Have you ever said something in public, only to wish you had
    waited just a bit longer before saying it?  Yesterday, I put an
    answer out on the R-50 note in which I ended that I thought "a lot
    of people might be disappointed when the [elusive] Alesis finally
    became available".  No sooner had I pressed the return key, than
    I got a call from my local music shop asking me to come down and
    listen to the new HR-16 (my name was on a waiting list).  Although
    I do not feel qualified to do a review, here are some thoughts.
    
    	To begin, I must repent and say that the HR-16 will probably
    not disappoint anyone.  It is not just that it sounds great, but
    that it sounds great at a great price.  The various drums don't
    sound like Basses, Snares, Toms, etc.. They ARE Basses, Snares, 
    Toms, etc..  In my short time listening, these are THE most
    realistic percussion sounds I've heard.  The Drums sound excellent,
    but it is the miscellaneous percussion like Triangle, Finger Snap,
    Cowbell, etc. that have that sparkling quality that distinguish
    the real thing.  It also precisely this area where other drum machines 
    have problems.
    
    	I am currently using the Kawai R-50, and my initial thoughts
    leaving the store were "Hmmmm... How can I trade my R-50 in on the
    HR-16?".  However, after I got home, I tried a few things with Delay,
    Gateing, and Flanging on the R-50 and found that I could get close
    to what I remember hearing from the HR-16.  I guess the only way
    to resolve this will be for folks to listen to both machines, up
    close, together.  For now, I think I'll stick with the R-50; it
    wouldn't be worth losing $50-100 bucks just to pick up that extra
    sparkle given what I'll be using the machine for.  
    
    	If you have not bought a machine or are legitimately looking
    to replace your current one (sorry units bought last month don't
    qualify), wait until the Alesis HR-16 comes to your dealer and then
    RUN, do not walk, to him or her for a demo.  You probably will not
    be disappointed.
    
    Clusters,        
    Bill
    
    ps BTW, my dealer quoted a price of $390 for the unit with Jan.
       4th deliv (sooner if possible).  
                                                       

    WHO? WHO? WHO???

    Howzabout the symbals???? Are they FSA??
    
    (Fehsken's Seal of Approval)
    
    Edd

    LaSalle has *1* in the showroom and it's not for sale.
    
    Union doesn't have any as of 11:02 this morning. (I tried to convince
    them to *give* me one if I could get them a shipment today. They'll
    probably get a shipment today anyhow... it didn't work.)
    
    An unnamed mail order house says they have one in stock and are
    expecting 20 units next week. Unfortunately (for me) they have
    30 orders in the queue...
    
    The search continues....
    
    Edd

    I was in New York this weekend, and everybody has demos of the 
    drum machine and the sequencer.  They all said that Alesis has
    been stringing them along for weeks, saying they will be shipped
    in a couple days.
    
    Its pretty cool, I like the feel of the velocity sensitive pads 
    (kawai r100 is a hair better though), and the look of the unit.  
    I especially like the long throw slider for data entry; very fast 
    for programing things like a series of drums with changing pitches.  
    The pitch is not extremely variable; little chance of 'munchkining' 
    or 'grunting' here.
    
    I was a little pissed at the lack of variants of the same instrument:
    there was only one cymbal sound excluding the open and closed hi-hat.
    The cymbal is pitch variable of course and has a fairly long decay 
    and sounds good, though I wonder if it truly would pass the FESKINS
    seal of approval?
    
    During my limited listening time (salesman has to hold your hand,
    one at a time, wait in line), I heard enough to like the sounds
    of the drums, and I think that the effects like handclaps and such 
    are excellent.
                           
    I wish it had additional sounds like bass guitar, vocal, brass, and
    synth embelishments like the yamaha rx-1, or at least ROM sockets or 
    cartriges for adding sounds.  
    
    I would want to listen more before buying and see how its programmed
    in step time mode, but the unit is an excellent buy for the money.  
    By the way they're taking orders at list price in NY.  
                                                        
    Fredric
    

    > only one cymbal sound excluding open and closed hi-hat...
    
    The ones I've seen have at least *7* distinct cymbals.
     
                            Crash
                            HHO
                            HHC
                            HH.5C
                            HHFC
                            Ride Rim
                            Ride Cup
    
    ..all tunable.
    
    Edd

    What about memory capacity?  Number of patterns?  Number of songs?
    Number of patterns in a song, max?  And most important, number
    of events (drum hits) it can hold?  Cartridge off-line storage?
    
    If it does well on some of the above, as well as sounding great
    at a great price, it could be quite the box ...
    
    -Jim

    100 Patterns from 1 - 682 beats in length
    100 songs from 1 to 255 patterns
    
    No mention of event memory.
    
    Saves to tape or sys-ex, no cart.
    
    Edd

    >> only one cymbal sound excluding open and closed hi-hat...
    
    > The ones I've seen have at least *7* distinct cymbals.
    
    Glad to hear it!  Idiot salesman! When he said that, I even 
    replied, "fourty some sounds, and it only has one cymbal???" and
    he said the same thing about three times!  This was in Sam Ash.
    I think he was trying to suck me into buying a roland or some-
    thing he had in stock.  Wonder what other lines he fed me!
    
    Does it in fact have bass and other sounds? ...ROM sockets?  hoping.
    
    For it being New York and all, we here in Massachusettes have it
    pretty good in terms of music stores' size and selection.  We have
    a lot better chance of playing with things before buying, and if you
    think its crowded on saturday here, hah!!
    

    No non-percussion sounds.
    
    ROM sockets aren't being advertised as a feature, but might exist.
    ...gotta get the samples in there somehow.
    
    I s'pose even at $449 it's still one cute machine...
    
    Oh no!! I'm getting apathetic!!!
    
    Dan!!! Help!!!
    
    Edd

    re: # of cymbal sounds
    
    It only has those 7 basic cymbal sounds but remember that all the
    sounds are tunable and all the keys are assignable.  So you can
    actually have what sounds like 8 or 9 cymbals, although in fact,
    they are the same sample with different tunings.
    
    There are 48 sounds altogether, including a fairly extensive set
    of kit instruments and non-kit percussion instruments.
    
    I think it has a number of different snare sounds.
    
    	db

    I think this was posted elsewhere, but since I have the brochure
    framed right here above my terminal....
    
    
                10 kicks
                8 snares
                5 toms
                5 hi-hats
                3 cymbals
                2 congas
                timbales
                agogo
                triangle
                2 cow bells
                shaker
               2 maracas
                cabasa
                2 wood blocks
                claps
                tambourine
                sticks
                finger snaps
    
    ...all tunable over an octave and a 5th. Mind you, you can only
    access 16 osunds at a time. I can live with it.
    
    Edd
    
    

    uh....anybody wanna buy a used 626?
    
    Ashley

    What!?  No castanets?
    
    Ferget it.
    
    len.
    

    Sam Ash?? They told me that they don't carry alesis...
    
    I'm confused...
    
    dave

    What????? NO rimshot???
    

    There's a rim-shot...