Alesis Accordion (SR16)

Great sounding drum machine 👌

Purchased again to replace an old one bought in 1988. Longevity is good and product is solid. Only wish it had a lit metronome and backlighting. Would have gotten the upgrade, but pattern layouts/organization were awful and bass useless. Drum beats were excessuvely involved for solo performance. The SR16 has some dated beats, but is great for acoustic gigs where you just need a good backbeat.

This model drum machine has been around the block, and is routinely-cited as the go-to classic drum-machine sound. It has a large bank for programming beats, a fair number of different-sounding patches to choose from, and is a portable easy-to-use solution for DIY instrumentalists needing quick and easy backup beats.That said, I do not feel it's aged well. Already owning two more-current models of drum machine (one, Alesis- One Akai), I keep finding myself wishing this particular model stood up to the both of them in terms of features and user-friendly functionality. Top of my list of gripes would be the lack of a tap-tempo mechanic, as I have to just wheel up and down the bpm until the blinking dot or the invasive metronome sound about on with the rest of what I'm doing. I constantly find myself referencing the other drum machines to save time.Another learning curve is the pressure-sensitive button rig. More often than not, I'll get so into a beat, that I'll thump out the bassline pretty vigorously- And on this particular model, it will drown out the rest of the sounds, until I go back and re-record it. Other times, a missed full-press will leave me with odd-man out quiet toms/hat/crashes. As cool as the dynamics are for making a rhythm sound organic, I find myself wishing I could turn it off more often than I get it right. Maybe you wouldn't have this problem, though. It's just something to think about.If you've got the patience for it, this is a dependable old machine, and is well worth the price (I got mine at ~$120). If you're already familiar with a machine or two made after 2006-2007, this may not be the one for you.

I recommend this for any musician. I have been playing guitar for many years and I enjoy having the Alesis Accordion SR16 as a backup.

Very nice working with gear nuts. Nice unit.

Not Bad for the money.

The Alesis SR-16 is a budget-friendly standalone drum machine packed with samples and ready to inspire your creativity. It’s great for hobbyists, singer-songwriters, and anyone who enjoys making beats on the go.The SR-16 does not have to sit (collecting dust) all day at your studio desk or be plugged into a computer to work. All you need to craft beats is the wall adapter and a pair of headphones.There is a learning curve, but once you understand how to toggle between functions it becomes very intuitive. What it does is sets a loop by your parameters (drum set, quantization, swing, time signature, BPM etc.) in which you can add or delete beats within the natural time flow.The pre-loaded rhythms and default drum set are good for beginners starting out in country, rock, metal or R&B (and similar genres), but the real gold here is making your own loops. You can choose between all kinds of drums, even electronic sounding ones. Once you learn how to create your own sets, the SR-16 can be used for any style of music around the world. There is ample storage, and you can even combine your patterns and loops to set out the whole rhythm section of a song in the SR-16. There’s no need to turn on a computer or even a multitrack DAWless setup to compile the drum track, when you can do it all in the drum machine first!The velocity function is a little sensitive but I appreciate that this has been included for the sake of good dynamics. This is part of the learning curve. If you are patient and willing to spend time crafting quality beats, you will not be disappointed. Dynamic range is a very important element of percussion and sometimes with electronic instruments this is hard to manage, but the SR-16 does it well.

Great machine still learning but it's an awesome addition.