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Alesis Surge Reviewed was the 13” single-zone crash mounted per Alesis’s recommendations, i.e. “traditionally”, as if it was an acoustic cymbal. Since Surges are single-layer metal cymbals, that approach seems reasonable although, as we’ll note later, Hart recommends using an Aquarian spring on its metal cymbals. Swing and play aren’t what you might expect from a metal cymbal. Like all the cymbals, the trigger box connected to a cable inhibits movement. The Surges fell somewhere in the middle of the pack in terms of movement, not too restricted, but also not as acoustic as expected. The crash chokes very well; it was the easiest cymbal to choke of all tested. No need to find the right spot or use the “grip of death” in order to choke it: you get anywhere over almost half the cymbal and just a modest squeeze of your thumb and a finger gives fantastic results. The crash is relatively “hot” and we had to drop sensitivity to 5, one of the lowest sensitivity levels needed. Although “hotness” of a cymbal can be somewhat mitigated by the module settings, the problem then is finding a happy medium in order to get lighter, softer strikes and edge swells. If your module supports the latter, then a hot cymbal like the Surge crash could make it hard to get that deft feel. The best way to describe it is you start soft, then increase the strike and get a bit louder, then you gently kick it up another notch and WHAM! Full sound, no swells. At least when used with a Roland module, this could pose a problem. However, since Surges are aimed at Alesis DM-10 and Trigger iO users, this might not be an issue. If you have a module that doesn’t support “interval control” (to put it in Roland terms), then much of the hotness becomes a non-issue. In terms of responsive strike area, reliable triggering fell off quickly as one moved away from the trigger housing, especially when compared to almost all the other brands and models. About 20% of the overall area of the Surges could be termed the “sweet spot” - and that was less than any other cymbal. The Surges rotate easily, which is a common annoyance among metal e-cymbals. There are plenty of DIY approaches to stopping this, such as rubber washers.
Hart Dynamics Ecymbal II We reviewed the 12” china and the 14” crash; both are single-zone and only the crash chokes. The Harts are doublelayered metal cymbals and are heavier than the Surges. Unlike Alesis, Hart recommends - and provides - medium (the red kind) Aquarian springs for mounting. digitalDRUMMER, MAY 2011
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