Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit Review

Who the Alesis Nitro Max knows, may have heard of the Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit. The Nitro Mesh can be considered the predecessor of the Nitro Max and is also available at a more affordable price.

Alesis is a well-known brand within electronic drums, with the kit for beginners Alesis Debut Kit and in the higher price segment the well-known Alesis Strata PrimeIn between there are several middle-class models, such as the Crimson II SE Mesh Kit.

In this review we zoom in on the Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit, which can be ordered for just under 400 euros from various web shops.

Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit Review

The Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit is an all-black electronic drum kit with a real kick pedal and a hihat trigger pedal. The kit can be seen as a budget version of the popular Alesis Nitro Max.

– Kasper (E-Drums)

Playability

Sounds

Functions

Value for money

Build quality

Review

The Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit offers a fair amount of value for your money. The mesh heads play nicely and the sounds are realistic. Although the kit does not have Bluetooth and the rack can sometimes feel a bit unstable, I would definitely recommend this kit to beginners considering the overall quality.

3.6

Also read: Is Alesis a good brand for e-drums?

Pros and Cons of the Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit

A plus point of the Alesis Nitro Mesh is the availability mesh heads. These play quite realistically and are also quieter for the environment. In addition, they can be adjusted in tension with a tuning key, so you can adjust them to your own preference.

The sounds of the Alesis Nitro Mesh sound realistic and exactly as they should be for an electronic drum kit.

Another advantage is the ability to connect two additional pads, allowing you to expand your drum kit with a extra tom and cymbal.

One thing I don't like about this kit is the overall stability. The Alesis Nitro Max is also known for a slightly higher degree of instability, which I personally find disappointing. The kit moves a bit during play and doesn't stay super sturdy like the Millenium MPS-450 or Roland TD-02KV do well.

What's in the box?

• 1x 08″ Two-zone snare drum pad
• 3x 08″ Single-zone tom pads
• 3x 10″ Single-zone cymbal pads (1 with stop function)
• 1x Bass drum pad incl. pedal
• 1x Hi-hat controller
• Drum rack
• Cables
• Drum sticks
• Manual (also available for download online)

Toms and Cymbals

The Alesis Nitro Mesh comes in a standard setup: a kick pad, hi-hat, snare, three toms, crash and ride cymbal. The pads are velocity-sensitive, so they respond differently depending on how hard they are struck.

4 x 8″ Mesh Head Pads

All pads of the Alesis Nitro Mesh are the same size (8 inch), including the snare. Where the tom pads can only be played on the skin, the snare drum can also be played on the rim (double zone). This makes rimshots come into their own (I demonstrate this at the beginning of the video).

The toms also have mesh heads and are adjustable in tension. The toms are single zone, so they always give the same sound regardless of where you hit them.

Three Cymbals

The three cymbals are all the same size (10 inches) and are the same cymbals as the Alesis Nitro Max. The playing surface is large enough with 10 inches, although larger would of course always be more realistic.

Want to expand the kit with an extra cymbal and tom? Alesis Nitro Max Expansion Pack (originally designed for the Nitro Max) will also work for this kit.

Kick Pedal and Hihat Controller

The Alesis Nitro Mesh comes with the same kick pad, pedal and hihat controller as the Alesis Nitro Max. Both the kick pad and the hihat trigger pedal are robust and play very well.

The hihat trigger is the same size as an acoustic drum pedal. The spring under the head ensures that the pedal springs back realistically while playing.

The kick pedal that comes with it is good, but nothing more than that. You can optionally connect a double bass pedal , which gives you even more possibilities.

Nitro Mesh Module

All signals are received on the module of Millenium. The cables are combined in 1 plug, which makes connecting to the module quick. The module is quite simple in design and looks a bit old-fashioned in my opinion, but this does not detract from the sound quality.

25 Preset Kits and 15 User Kits

The Alesis Nitro Mesh module contains 25 kits, which I demonstrate in the video at the beginning of this blog. Almost all genres are covered, and I am more impressed with one kit than the other. Overall, however, the sounds sound good.

In addition to the 25 preset kits, there is also room to create your own kits with the 15 user kits. In my opinion, there could have been more preset kits on the module and less user kits, but that is personal.

Not only the sounds are adjustable, but also the volume of each instrument individually. With the Utility button you can easily adjust this.

Metronome

The integrated metronome allows you to work on your timing. The metronome click sound has a clear and distinct sound.

Connections

The module has a number of different connections:

• Power connection (for the wall socket)
• USB-MIDI (allows you to import the drum kit sounds to your PC)
• 3.5 mm stereo jack aux in (to connect your smartphone so you can play along with your favorite music)
• 3.5mm stereo jack headphone output (for headphones )
• 2 x 6.3mm stereo jack line output (connect to an amplifier or for recording a drum cover )
• 2 x 6.3mm jack trigger inputs (for connecting two additional pads)

Overall playing feeling

The playing feel of the Alesis Nitro Mesh is not that far off from the Alesis Nitro Max. However, I do miss the big 10″ snare of the Nitro Max, which plays nicer. 8 inch feels quite small if you have played on 10″ before.

After tightening the snare a bit, it feels nice and realistic when playing. The same goes for the other toms, which also respond well. The kick drum offers an excellent response and is also large enough to double bass pedal to use.

Having played the kit several times now, I can't find any major drawbacks. It's simply a great all-round beginner's kit that plays well.

Included sticks

The drumsticks supplied by Alesis are very light and feel a bit cheap. The regular 5A sticks from Vic Firth turned out to be a much better choice and played considerably better.

If you are going to use the Nitro Mesh as an adult I would recommend other drumsticks to consider.

What alternatives are there?

If the Alesis Nitro Mesh isn't quite your kind of drum kit, there are a few alternatives you can consider. Also read the Top 5 Electronic Drums with the best kits for beginners.

Alesis Nitro Max

We've already mentioned the Alesis Nitro Max, an electronic drum kit that's a step up from the Nitro Mesh. The Alesis Nitro Max stands out for two key features: built-in Bluetooth functionality and a larger snare. The module also has a more modern, sleek design.

A review of the Alesis Nitro Max read here.

Millenium MPS-150 and MPS-150X

Two other electronic drum kits that are specifically designed for beginners are the Millenium MPS-150 and the Millenium MPS-150X . Both kits are suitable if you are on a lower budget.

For a reasonable price you have a fully electronic drum kit including a real bass drum pedal. The MPS-150X even has mesh heads and a 10″ snare drum, just like the Millenium MPS-450.

Also read: Millenium MPS-150 Review

Conclusion

The Alesis Nitro Mesh is a good choice if you're looking for a compact electronic drum kit that won't bother the neighbors.

The good quality sounds, the quiet mesh heads and the overall playing feel of the kit are the biggest plus points for me.

The lack of Bluetooth is a shame, but easily solved by purchasing a small Bluetooth receiver. Another disadvantage is the included drumsticks, but there are solutions for that too.

Apart from these two drawbacks, the Alesis Nitro Mesh Kit gives you a full fledged starter kit with mesh heads, a real kick pedal and a good module. For less than 400 euros, it is definitely worth it.

Any questions about this kit? Let me know in the comments!