NAMM 2006 Winter Show: Alesis introduced the DM5 Electronic Drum Kit.

The DM5 Electronic Drum Kit includes the DM5 sound module that contains a variety of pre-programmed sounds and drum kits, along with five pads (snare, kick, two toms, and a hi-hat controller) plus two special cymbal pads. Shipped with an included kick pedal, support stand, and interconnect cables, the DM5 Electronic Drum Kit provides expressive feel and a rich collection of world-class sounds.

With a broad assortment of percussive timbres that range from sampled acoustic instruments through the most innovative electronic sounds, the DM5 sound module contains 540 percussion sounds and 21 pre-programmed drum/percussion sets. Recorded in true stereo at 48 kHz with ambient effects, the DM5 sound module provides a stunning assortment of instruments and percussive effects that will appeal to the most seasoned musicians–all in a single rackspace module. Featuring an fast trigger to MIDI conversion system with twelve trigger inputs and five programmable parameters for each trigger, the DM5 sound module’s feature set is comprehensive and provides drummers/percussionists with a wide range of control.

Adding even greater realism to its arsenal of sounds, the new DM5 Electronic Drum Kit includes Alesis’ proprietary Dynamic Articulation™ feature. Dynamic Articulation enables the DM5’s drum sounds to respond to the force with which the pad is struck. This enables the various sounds to change volume, tone, and pitch in the same manner that an acoustic instrument’s timbre varies when played soft or loud. Combined with the DM5’s Random Sample feature, which brings new life to static tracks by realistically varying the sound of the drum as it is played, the new DM5 Electronic Drum Kit makes this drum/percussion controller system an expressive instrument.

The DM5 Electronic Drum Kit includes pads for snare, two toms, kick drum, and hi-hat. The hi-hat is controlled with a foot pedal that attaches via the sound module and facilitates switching between open and closed sounds. Further, the kit includes two natural motion cymbal pads that make it easy to configure the kit with ride and crash cymbals. Combined with a rugged tubular rack system that supports the sound module and all pads–plus the necessary cables to interconnect the system–Alesis’ new DM5 Electronic Drum Kit is ready to rock.

The DM5 Electronic Drum Kit will be available Q1 of 2006, with a suggested retail price of $699.

More information is available at the Alesis site.