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Alesis SR-16 Portable Electronic Drum Machine

Name: Alesis SR-16 Portable Electronic Drum Machine
Brand: Alesis
Rating: 4.5 (90 reviews)

Drum Machine, with 12 Performance Pads, 24-bit Sound Engine, 233 Drum Sounds, 50 Preset Patterns, A/B/Fill Variations, and MIDI In/Out/Thru

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Item ID: SR16

Alesis SR-16 Portable Electronic Drum Machine

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SR-16 Portable Electronic Drum Machine with Footpedal

Original price, crossed out: $176 and 74 cents, now $173 and 46 cents

SR-16 Portable Electronic Drum Machine with Dual Foot Switch

Original price, crossed out: $242 and 94 cents, now $237 and 46 cents

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Alesis SR-16 Portable Electronic Drum Machine

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Gator Cableworks Backline Series Instrument Cable - 5 foot

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Boss FS-6 Dual Foot Switch

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AlesisSR-16 Portable Electronic Drum Machine

$147.46

GatorCableworks Backline Series Instrument Cable - 5 foot

$12.99

BossFS-6 Dual Foot Switch

$69.50

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Flexible Drum Machine for Practice, Production, and Performance

First introduced in 1990, the Alesis SR-16 drum machine remains relevant today thanks to its 24-bit sound engine and 233 natural-sounding drum sounds. Without programming a thing, you have access to 50 preset patterns played by pro drummers, and each preset includes, A and B variations plus two fill sections — perfect for sketching out song arrangement ideas. You can control playback via optional footswitches if you prefer, and the SR-16 even supports MIDI for even more comprehensive control. Whether you're looking for a practice companion, a drum machine for songwriting, or a rhythm solution for your solo performances, Sweetwater is sure you'll be impressed with the versatile Alesis SR-16 drum machine.

Play, program, or sequence via MIDI

The Alesis SR-16 gives you a lot of options for creating realistic drum arrangements. With 12 velocity-sensitive pads, you can play rhythms directly in with your fingers. You can also perform more detailed programming and editing to fine-tune your patterns, or select from 50 preset patterns and tweak them to suit your music. And thanks to MIDI I/O, you can sequence or trigger your SR-16 from an external MIDI sequencer or DAW. Its flexible nature and great sounds are why the SR-16 remains relevant three decades after its initial release.

Alesis SR-16 Drum Machine Features:

Programmable drum machine for practice, production, and performance
MIDI in/out/thru with comprehensive MIDI support for advanced external control
233 drum sounds with 24-bit sound engine for dynamic, high-fidelity grooves
Drum sounds are offered both dry and with reverb
12 velocity-sensitive drum pads for playing grooves manually
50 preset patterns played by pro drummers, with A/B variations plus two fills for each pattern
Dual pedal inputs for Start/Stop and A/B Fill (requires non-latching footswitches, sold separately)
Deep programmability from a simple interface
Outputs for Main Left, Main Right, Aux L/R, and headphones
12V power adapter included

Resources

Drum Machine vs. Sampler: What's the Difference?

Jul 24, 2019

Drum Rig Review: Glen Sobel (Alice Cooper)

Sep 28, 2018

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Tech Specs

Pads: 12, velocity sensitive
Sounds: 233
Kits: 50
Patterns: 200
Analog Inputs: 1 x 1/8" stereo
Analog Outputs: 2 x 1/4", 1 x 1/4" stereo
Headphones: 1 x 1/4"
MIDI I/O: In, Out/Thru
Power Source: 12V DC power supply (included)
Height: 1.5"
Width: 9.25"
Depth: 6.5"
Weight: 2.5 lbs.
Manufacturer Part Number: SR16X110

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Reviews

4.5

Customer Photos & Videos

Bought my second one Jan 2026 and my first one in 1998 stolen

I'm a drummer for more than 50 years. I'm not great but I have fun and enjoy playing. I never had a need or want for drum machines (as a drummer I never liked a machine that plays better than me and never gets tired, LOL) I have worked with many them during my Recording Engineering years. Anyway, a little over a year ago I built a new Music Production Studio in our Music Room. I already have nice Gretsch Catalina Club Kit, a Fender Tele and Jazz Bass and a Fender CD60 Acoustic and Cordoba C3m Classical. I wanted to build upon this starting with a Tascam Model 12 Mixer/Recorder, a bunch of different Synthesizers, Semi Modulars (I'm up to 16 and still counting, they are addictive), a few Pocket operatorsMIDI Controllers and Keyboards, and some Virtual Software Synths, oh and yes my first Drum Machines.

I could not resist this Alesis SR16 Drum Machine which I could not believe is still being manufactured 33 years later (that may be older than some of you reading my review) and the price is amazing for what you get! Honestly it still holds its own after all of these years, I guess that's why it is still in production!

233 Drum Sounds
50 preset patterns with A/B Variations and 50 User Programmable Patterns
12 Velocity-sensitive drum pads that have Dynamic Articulation.
A and B Fills
24-bit sound engine (upgraded from the original 16 Bit makes the Noise Floor on this incredibly low, non existent).
MIDI in/out/thru
The Build is Solid, the Drum Samples are top quality..
Programming the SR16 is pretty simple
One of the nicest features of the SR16 is the ease with which you can switch between Perform and Compose modes while a pattern is playing. If you've recorded a couple of parts while in Compose mode and you want to try out another part before recording it, just press the Perform/Compose button and you're out of record without interrupting the flow.

Also the Song Modes are quite well thought out. YOU CAN CREATE up to 100 songs on the SR16, each of which can consist of up to 254 steps - a step consisting of either a Main or a Fill pattern. But where it really shines is the inclusion of real-time Song recording. Select your initial pattern, set the SR16 to Compose mode, press Play and off you go: the drum machine starts playing in realtime and automatically records all pattern selections you make, compiling them into a Song chain for you. Needless to say, this is so much better than manually compiling Song steps, it also allows you to be more spontaneous about selecting patterns.

Ok so this old drummer is really enjoying my Alesis SR16 and it is a great addition to my Music Production.

One of the Best Drum Machine I ever used.

Have owned one of these for years and did countless live shows with the SR-16 providing the grooves.

The sounds are ok and programming is easy enough but, for me, the two-footswitch implementation of this machine is its standout feature.

Start-Stop with one footswitch. Of course.

Switch from A Pattern to B Pattern and back with the second footswitch THROUGH the corresponding Fill Pattern. So interactively fun and useful! When you hit this switch within the A or B Patterns determines when you start hearing the corresponding Fill Pattern. If you hit this footswitch early, you will hear a long Fill. If you just want a smidge of the Fill, hit the switch later. By programming the Fill Patterns appropriately, you can get a lot of variety out of the SR-16 without being tied to fully-programmed song structures. Keep 'em dancing even thought they hit the dance floor two-thirds of the way thru a song!

Had one in 1998 and midi clocked with the Y-Q10 sequencer and a set of technics and a Vestax 05pro mixer for remixing sets for non stop beats and magical tool that can relay bpm on the fly. It's nice to have it back feels and work the same like before.. Tip this machine can teach you and give you fresh ideas from 80-90's. Like it so much I name a instrumental music I created after the brand.

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What Do Our In-house Gear Experts Think?

Carson McClain

The SR-16 takes an "old-fashioned" drum machine approach, but with cutting-edge new features. Plus, it has a versatility that was unimaginable in electronic percussion a few years ago!

See also: Beat Machines, Alesis, Alesis Drum Machines & Samplers