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Alesis Ion Price paid: 839 euros, they've dropped to 699 recently and in the US they're cheaper anyway. Seems that lot of people were expecting a Virus for less and put it on eBay after not getting any Tiesto-like sounds. Year manufactured:2004 Specs: 3 oscillators, 17 filter models with various emulations, 3 envelopes (hardwired and assignable), 2 LFO's + S&H, whiskey-tango-foxtrot modulation matrix, basic effects (no reverb, no delay, but a compressor). Sound:5/5 I've got a Waldorf Q, a Nord Micromodular and an Access Virus C too so I'm pretty much in a position to compare  . The Ion is clean and musical - it doesn't rely so much on various distortion/clipping algos in the path like the Virus does so - while still being organic (the ringmod sounds very analog).The various filtertypes are a joy. You can avoid the all-out-of-one-box sound with ease. Too bad that every preset seems to be done with the standard 24db Moog filter, because the ARP2600 and TB-303 filter emulations (they're not listed in full glory in the manual, probably because of copyrights) can really turn it into a different, rougher synthesizer. Also, on a lot of presets (then again, why use them) the compressor's on. Probably done for folks playing live so they don't have to up the volume every time, avoiding being drowned out by the rest. In some experiments the compressor actually gives a very subtle coloring to the perceived sound - it sounds more direct, more snappy. Of course you can switch the distortion on to color more. Quality:4/5 Fat knobs feel solid, tiny buttons should've been replaced with something that can withstand serious vandalism. Just because it would've been cooler. I had to return my first one because of an output defect which turned out to be impossible to repair, so I got a brand new one. Keys are jumpy and not like regular synth action. The LEDS beneath the transparent bend and modwheels are gorgeous eye candy. Usefullness:5/5 I still have to make it play nicely with the rest of the gear. It replaced a Yamaha AN200 which is a cute little machine with much more of a 'plastic' character. Maybe I'll get one of those back here too. The Ion is better though but you've got to carefully coax it into plastic territory - it sounds too organic  .There's definately a different character in this box than the rest of the stuff, which makes me happy because I don't like overlap. But because it's more aimed towards proper vintage emulation and the Virus and Q are machines who broke those conventions it has to find its place. Overall Value:5/5 Awesome synthesizer and it took over the "good first buy" the Nord Lead 2 used to carry. Less in your face in terms of user interface (endless knobs don't work for everyone) but so much possibilities inside (aforementioned modulation matrix kicks even my Q's behind) and sonic characters (the filters alone already) to explore that this one will definately make it into a hall of fame somewhere.
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Jul 15, 2005 13:39
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| # ¿ May 4, 2024 19:57 |
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