Alesis SR-18 - Studio-Grade Standalone Drum Machine with On-Board Sound Library, Performance Driven I/O and In-Built Effects / Processors

Great drum sounds - can build your own kit from various samples - can write in real time from patterns - can programme patterns to songs- can use step mode to fine tune song patterns - really versitile and so well thought out function wise - can use it live or for home recording - has been used in professional recordings- best drum machine I have ever owned

I seen many reviews complaing about the bass lines that play along with each preset that it couldn't be turned off clearly didn't bother to read the manual .. press and hold mute then press bass and same for percussion . This machine is incredibly flexible easy to programme and has the bonus of being able to program actual bass lines in for full songs . Perfect for what I needed I would give it six stars azing value for money

It works without any fuss or headache, excellent instruction manual, will recommend

SR16 or SR18, Trying to decide?I’m a guitarist, but I wanted a drum machine, I don’t know why, but I did. I’ve a Beatbuddy Mini 2 which gets mixed reviews, but which I find exceedingly fun pedal to play along to at home, but I wanted something with midi and more programable.I bought both the SR16 and SR18 to compare. Here are my first impressions for anyone trying to decide between the two, I hope it helps.They both have impressive (yet retro) drum sounds, very usable and recordable with a little tweaking. They both have a learning curve, luckily, Alesis have good manuals included in the box. Side by side, the differences are notable.Sizewise, the SR16 is smaller, but not by much, the SR18 seems more ‘professional’ in build quality, though both of these units have a reputation for being very reliable. The keys are bigger, more tactile (and have a nice ‘zx spectrum’ rubber vibe!) I found the SR16 to be a little hit-and-miss when tying to 'tap' at the relative pressures, both are velocity sensitive, but the SR18s are a lot easier to use for input. Also, the spin wheel is better and the layout is less cramped, that little extra real estate is put to good use. It’s not perfect, but the revisions make it easier and more rewarding to use. The unlit display on the SR16 is a huge oversight and should have been corrected even if it meant adding another to the price. I can’t imagine using it on a dim stage... at all. The SR18’s display is limited by modern standards, but is large, well lit and easy to read at a glance.Drum sounds are personal taste, both machines included some good kits. The SR18 adds ‘play along bass’ which can be turned off. For some reason, only the SR18 can run truly portable (6x AA batteries) which seems another cost-cut too far for the SR16. A design choice as strange as omitting a backlight for something so portable.I would have loved to see the keys backlit on both models or at least the more essential ones ‘bordered’ with a glow to aid navigation, it seems a standard these days on other equipment, even at this price point.Your mileage may vary of course, but as soon as I took the SR18 out of the box, I knew the little brother SR16 was going back to meet its maker. It's not a bad machine - at all! But you can see where the extra money went, the SR18 is more suitable if you want to break out of the bedroom and perform live, and I'm sure many solo and duo acts are using it, as you are reading this overview. Which must be a recommendation, of sorts .SR16 / Three StarsSR18 / Four Stars

I would have give 4.5 Stars, but to be honest, I got what I expected for a second-hand Unit.My Alesis HR16 having gone into retirement and vendors asking silly money for second-hand ones, I thought I'd look at the SR16s as all I really want is what the HR16 had already given me. I don't need the bells and whistles of the SR18, so the SR16 was the obvious choice.It arrived in good time. I live in the Scottish Northern Isles so tend to take delivery dates with a pinch of salt, but this actually arrived a day early. Impressed!The SR16 needed a good clean as it was a bit marked and dusty, but came up fine. I also contact sprayed Sockets as is my usual Practice with new gear. Running the Presets, and the sounds are there as I wished. In the box was a small plastic Wallet, presumably for the Users Manual, but it was empty. Now whether there was supposed to be document in there or what, I don't know. It's easy to find them on the Web though, so no real problem.The Pads seem to require a bit more pressure than my HR16 did. This can make programming fills and little trippy kinda stuff a bit hit and miss. I don't know if it's to do with the age of this particular Unit or not. Not a great problem for me as I tend to program from Roland Pads. But it maybe something to consider if you are using this as a stand alone Drum Machine. There are just three levels of programmable Sensitivity - Low is next to useless, Medium is the main one, and High basically give little in the way of dynamics. Another thing to bear in mind is something that the SR16 has been quite rightly criticised for, there is no Contrast Control for the LCD Screen, and neither is it backlit. If this is a deal breaker for you, then go for the SR18. It is a bit of a problem for me, but not major.Taking all of the above into account, I'm very happy with my SR16 and it limitations. The Drum sounds are 'quality'. If one is careful with the programming, then with this machine it would be relatively easy to fool Joe Public that a real drummer and kit is is being played - if that's what you want. It is also very easy to make it sound like a retro Drum Machine too, which after all this is!If you like the SR16 Sounds, like the classic Drum Machine method of working and are happy with it's MIDI flexibility, then this is the machine for you. If your focusing on more Dance orientated stuff, then this will do it, but its no 808. I like it!

Bought as present for my husband who is absolutely thrilled with it! Says "It's the Bomb" !! 😁

Unit is OK, unfortunately looks like it's been used and sent back , I would at least expect new !!!

This drum machine is outstanding value. Inside the ususal Amazon packaging the unit was well presented and well packed. As well as the power adaptor there was a quick start guide a few pages long which explained everything clearly, and was written in perfect English. There was also a 58 page reference manual, all of it again in perfect English, which explained evrything in much more detail, and finally an A4 sheet listing all the patterns, drum kits etc. It was simple to get to grips with and sounds great. I own four drum machines. This one was the least expensive, and even though I only got it yesterday, it's already my favourite. A good buy.