Alesis Debut Kitchat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

The most common complaint: pedals are described as awful, shocking, and hard to feel when they engage. Multiple buyers, including parents buying for children, said the pedals were a deal-breaker or needed replacement.

@DHowellsy

Bought for daughter (7) but the pedals, as the review states, are shocking.\n\nYes should have upgraded but unsure where/how to source an upgrade pedal, any guidance please?launch

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March 30, 2024

@cpcompany

Great video . Shame I noticed it after I got one for my sons Xmas present ! \n\nAre there any kick and high hat pedals you\nCould recommend as an upgrade ?launch

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December 27, 2023

@fotispolychronopoulos6267

I ve bought this set cause i dont have a lot of space in my room and thinking that I'll use it as a midi controller and something to practice. Im a beginner at age 35 and 1.78 tall. It is tiny but for my room it works. I use the foam from packaging to give it 10cm more height and it is just on my knee height when im sitting. The kick and hat switches are awful, you can't feel when it will engage and it retrigers when you not expecting it. The cymbals are needing a lot more force than the mesh heads to play loud, something that doesn't work well if you want to move to acoustic drums. All the mesh heads have the sensor to the bottom, that works fine but in the snare that means that it is on the right, so snare hit with the right hand sounds stronger than with the left even if you play them with the same strength. The kick has no velocity even if you put the jack on a mesh head from the toms or use a piezo as a trigger, so i think that even with an upgraded pedal this would be the case. If you have the space, go for a upper class model it doesn't worth it even for kids, the pedals are a pain in the ass. You can use a footswitch like the boss fs6 for example and it has a bit of a better feeling. I don't regret it because it is super cheap and it has a nice feeling and dynamics through the mesh heads, it has midi so i can write my one drums in a daw, it is small so it fits in my small bedroom. Im going to make a diy kick pad with a normal kick pedal and happy days. But considering the cost of that i think that if i had the space, the bigger alesis model would be a better choice.launch

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December 9, 2022

@rogerwilco1777

This is my 1st kit and I can barely use the pedals.., (plus the bass 'double taps' a-lot which is annoying for someone trying to learn how to keep a beat).. \n\nCan I swap out the pedals? Do they all connect the same? (1/4in TRS?). \n\nAny recommendations on pedals..?? (I'm an adult 5'10'' 175lbs if that matters). \nAre those pedals that actually strike a small drum 'better' in any way for a beginner?, or what should a beginner use? \nWill a new pedal fix the 'double-tap' problem that I see a-lot of people have? \nSorry for all the noob questions, this thing kinda just fell in my lap and I feel if I can get the bass figured out I can finally learn how to play it..?launch

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September 26, 2022

Several users found the hi-hat pad barely audible or bad sounding compared to other pads, with no clear way to adjust its volume independently.

@Ijmspear

i have one of these and for some rediculous reason the hi hat is barely hearable at all no matter what i trylaunch

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March 29, 2025

@gcnl89

Thanks so much for this. Made it very easy to set up for my son. Is there any way to adjust the volume for just the HH? This pad seems very quiet compared to the others.launch

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December 28, 2024

@97warlock

the highhat sounds bad, the rest sound good & good playing too.launch

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December 6, 2023

Multiple adult users and reviewers found the kit uncomfortably small, with cramped snare/tom positioning that doesn't suit taller or older players.

@kewpie-cat

0:41 within the first minute I already knew this kit isn't good for me - an adult. Thanks for the review!launch

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September 29, 2025

@robfriedrich2822

As I expected, snare between the knees, Toms the same height as would they lay on the laps.launch

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May 12, 2021

@notnerd3

I don't think it's generally a good idea buying these sorts of kits for anyone that actually wants to learn how to play. The issue is that the techniques you have to use to actually play on this kit are not at all close to what you do on a more premium electronic kit or an acoustic kit. The snare isn't in the correct place and the pedals are just plain bad and it makes transitioning between this and any other kits very, very hard. I used to own a DM Lite for practising the drums but when I actually took what I learned from the Alesis onto the acoustic kit and the Yamaha e-kit at my school, I basically had to relearn everything. Not only was my muscle memory wrong for the placement of the pads (which is to be expected on a kit I haven't set up) but I found actually using the kick drum and hi-hat pedal quite a challenge. I do think that this kit looks much better than the Alesis DM Lite but if you can fork out $100 more for the Nitro Mesh then I would say that would be better. You can set up the Nitro Mesh for children and its ergonomics are much closer to that of an acoustic kit.launch

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November 18, 2020

A reviewer noted the snare placement and pedal feel differ significantly from acoustic or premium e-kits, requiring relearning of muscle memory when moving up.

@fotispolychronopoulos6267

I ve bought this set cause i dont have a lot of space in my room and thinking that I'll use it as a midi controller and something to practice. Im a beginner at age 35 and 1.78 tall. It is tiny but for my room it works. I use the foam from packaging to give it 10cm more height and it is just on my knee height when im sitting. The kick and hat switches are awful, you can't feel when it will engage and it retrigers when you not expecting it. The cymbals are needing a lot more force than the mesh heads to play loud, something that doesn't work well if you want to move to acoustic drums. All the mesh heads have the sensor to the bottom, that works fine but in the snare that means that it is on the right, so snare hit with the right hand sounds stronger than with the left even if you play them with the same strength. The kick has no velocity even if you put the jack on a mesh head from the toms or use a piezo as a trigger, so i think that even with an upgraded pedal this would be the case. If you have the space, go for a upper class model it doesn't worth it even for kids, the pedals are a pain in the ass. You can use a footswitch like the boss fs6 for example and it has a bit of a better feeling. I don't regret it because it is super cheap and it has a nice feeling and dynamics through the mesh heads, it has midi so i can write my one drums in a daw, it is small so it fits in my small bedroom. Im going to make a diy kick pad with a normal kick pedal and happy days. But considering the cost of that i think that if i had the space, the bigger alesis model would be a better choice.launch

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December 9, 2022

@notnerd3

I don't think it's generally a good idea buying these sorts of kits for anyone that actually wants to learn how to play. The issue is that the techniques you have to use to actually play on this kit are not at all close to what you do on a more premium electronic kit or an acoustic kit. The snare isn't in the correct place and the pedals are just plain bad and it makes transitioning between this and any other kits very, very hard. I used to own a DM Lite for practising the drums but when I actually took what I learned from the Alesis onto the acoustic kit and the Yamaha e-kit at my school, I basically had to relearn everything. Not only was my muscle memory wrong for the placement of the pads (which is to be expected on a kit I haven't set up) but I found actually using the kick drum and hi-hat pedal quite a challenge. I do think that this kit looks much better than the Alesis DM Lite but if you can fork out $100 more for the Nitro Mesh then I would say that would be better. You can set up the Nitro Mesh for children and its ergonomics are much closer to that of an acoustic kit.launch

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November 18, 2020

Beginners reported the bass drum frequently double-taps unexpectedly, making it hard to keep a steady beat, and questioned whether a new pedal would fix it.

@rogerwilco1777

This is my 1st kit and I can barely use the pedals.., (plus the bass 'double taps' a-lot which is annoying for someone trying to learn how to keep a beat).. \n\nCan I swap out the pedals? Do they all connect the same? (1/4in TRS?). \n\nAny recommendations on pedals..?? (I'm an adult 5'10'' 175lbs if that matters). \nAre those pedals that actually strike a small drum 'better' in any way for a beginner?, or what should a beginner use? \nWill a new pedal fix the 'double-tap' problem that I see a-lot of people have? \nSorry for all the noob questions, this thing kinda just fell in my lap and I feel if I can get the bass figured out I can finally learn how to play it..?launch

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September 26, 2022

One detailed reviewer found the kick has no velocity response even when using different trigger heads or a piezo, suggesting even an upgraded pedal won't fully solve it.

@fotispolychronopoulos6267

I ve bought this set cause i dont have a lot of space in my room and thinking that I'll use it as a midi controller and something to practice. Im a beginner at age 35 and 1.78 tall. It is tiny but for my room it works. I use the foam from packaging to give it 10cm more height and it is just on my knee height when im sitting. The kick and hat switches are awful, you can't feel when it will engage and it retrigers when you not expecting it. The cymbals are needing a lot more force than the mesh heads to play loud, something that doesn't work well if you want to move to acoustic drums. All the mesh heads have the sensor to the bottom, that works fine but in the snare that means that it is on the right, so snare hit with the right hand sounds stronger than with the left even if you play them with the same strength. The kick has no velocity even if you put the jack on a mesh head from the toms or use a piezo as a trigger, so i think that even with an upgraded pedal this would be the case. If you have the space, go for a upper class model it doesn't worth it even for kids, the pedals are a pain in the ass. You can use a footswitch like the boss fs6 for example and it has a bit of a better feeling. I don't regret it because it is super cheap and it has a nice feeling and dynamics through the mesh heads, it has midi so i can write my one drums in a daw, it is small so it fits in my small bedroom. Im going to make a diy kick pad with a normal kick pedal and happy days. But considering the cost of that i think that if i had the space, the bigger alesis model would be a better choice.launch

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December 9, 2022

A buyer reported toms started triggering cymbals unintentionally after less than a month, with no way to adjust trigger threshold on the module, calling it a deal breaker.

@Mrcockington

Don't get this kit. I've had my kit for a little under a month, and the toms have started triggering my cymbals and the Debut's module for some reason has no way of adjusting the trigger threshold. That's a deal breaker and no one should buy this kit for that reason alone.launch

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August 12, 2021

A commenter noted the otherwise decent sound presets are drenched in reverb without an easy way to use a cleaner dry tone.

@jimlassiter749

Then they add reverb to an otherwise decent sound.\nWould be a cool thing to have in a small bedroom studio, one that doesn't use a computer to record on, something to be able to add more than a typical drum machines basic pattern can do, but if the useable basic sound presets are drenched in reverb...launch

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March 11, 2021