The New Alesis Strata Core Drum Kit

The new Alesis Strata Core is a more compact, stripped down version of the popular Strata Prime that Alesis released a few months ago.

This new kit shows that Alesis is trying to make it’s new Strata module and hardware available to different levels of drummers with different needs. What I like about Strata Core is its more compact size – it’s much smaller than the Strata Prime in terms of footprint. It’s more similar in size to something like a Roland TD-27, and priced more closely to the Roland TD-17, which is nice for drummers who want a very capable electronic drum kit without taking up a ton of space in their home or studio.

The Strata Core is small enough to fit into more compact apartment situations as well, so I like that for sure.

If you’re looking at picking one of these up, keep in mind you’ll also need to budget for a snare stand, bass drum pedal and throne since those aren’t included. You’ll also need some speakers or headphones.

What’s different between the Strata Core and the Strata Prime?

Here are some of the standout differences

• The drum pads are slightly smaller, for example the Core has a 12 inch snare vs the Prime which has a 14 inch snare
• The Core has a kick tower instead of the bass drum that the Prime has
• The Core rack is smaller and more compact
• The Core drum module is smaller, with a smaller screen and less memory. It also has far less connectivity options and inputs/outputs on the back.

Strata Core Features & Specs

• 25GB of sounds and 75 customizable kits
• All-mesh drum heads and ARC cymbals
• 12-inch dual zone snare pad
• 2x 8-inch dual zone rack toms
• 10-inch dual zone floor tom
• Inputs for an extra tom and cymbal pad
• MIDI in/out
• USB
• Aux In
• Bluetooth
• 7″ touchscreen interface
• Compact design
• BFD sound engine offers extensive sound libraries and MIDI options