bleen Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 Just got this in an email from Electronic Musician mag (can I mention them around here? ): Alesis has introduced Ion, a 49-key analog modeling synthesizer. Ion offers eight voices (with three oscillators and two multimode filters per voice), a four-part multitimbral sound engine, 30 real-time control knobs, over 70 direct-access buttons, a pitch-bend wheel, and two assignable modulation wheels. The onboard effects include chorus, flange, phase shifting, echo, distortion, fuzz, compression, and 40-band vocoding. Connections include four balanced analog outputs, stereo balanced analog inputs, and MIDI In and Out/Thru ports. A little pre-NAMM news perhaps? Cheers, Don recording/mix guy don gunn.com myspace.com/dongunnmusic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod S Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 Interesting. And multi-timbral? Is this a baby-andromeda? Korg Kronos X73 / ARP Odyssey / Motif ES Rack / Roland D-05 / JP-08 / SE-05 / Jupiter Xm / Novation Mininova / NL2X / Waldorf Pulse II MBP-LOGIC American Deluxe P-Bass, Yamaha RBX760 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soapbox Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 If it's an analog modeling synthesizer, then it can't be a baby-Andromeda. However, I suppose that it could be Andy's bastard child! Enthusiasm powers the world. Craig Anderton's Archiving Article Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Felix_dup1 Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 Interesting news, indeed. I'm surprised that they didn't wait until the NAMM show later this week. Nice scoop! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod S Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 Originally posted by soapbox: If it's an analog modeling synthesizer, then it can't be a baby-Andromeda. However, I suppose that it could be Andy's bastard child! D'Oh! Should have read the description. Which makes it that more interesting... sound like Alesis sold out They made such a big deal about releasing the Andromeda - a REAL analog synthesizer... now they go after a VA? I still remember them from the good old days.. Korg Kronos X73 / ARP Odyssey / Motif ES Rack / Roland D-05 / JP-08 / SE-05 / Jupiter Xm / Novation Mininova / NL2X / Waldorf Pulse II MBP-LOGIC American Deluxe P-Bass, Yamaha RBX760 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 Originally posted by soapbox: If it's an analog modeling synthesizer, then it can't be a baby-Andromeda. However, I suppose that it could be Andy's bastard child! Bite your tongue... I'm guessing that it's based on the AirSynth engine, and that the onboard effects are probably based on the AirFx. I'll be interested to see: 1) The price, and 2) What it looks like. I do like the name, though... dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Klopmeyer Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 Originally posted by Dave Bryce: I do like the name, though... dBMe too. See, you have the "I", as in "me", and the "on", as in "resting above". Yeah. Okay, I'll stop with the analysis. Guess I'll see it in another day or so at the show. If no one else reports back before me (I won't touch a computer for the next six days after today), I'll give you the mini review. Virtual analog, eh? Hmmmm. Gotta check out the sounds. - Jeff Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tusker Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 It'll be cool to get your scoop on how it sounds. Thx. I didn't realize they had been working code for a VA type synth. Looks nice. I guess this implies that the baby Andromeda spawn were deemed unviable. At least for now. Darn .... Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rod S Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 Originally posted by Dave Bryce: I do like the name, though...Let me guess? Did you come up with this one too?? Korg Kronos X73 / ARP Odyssey / Motif ES Rack / Roland D-05 / JP-08 / SE-05 / Jupiter Xm / Novation Mininova / NL2X / Waldorf Pulse II MBP-LOGIC American Deluxe P-Bass, Yamaha RBX760 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Klopmeyer Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 Originally posted by Rod CA: Originally posted by Dave Bryce: I do like the name, though...Let me guess? Did you come up with this one too?? I'm guessing the answer would be...NOT! - Jeff Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobro Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 Wonder which analog they're modelling, if any specific one? An analog of an analog, so easy to make sound like an anal log...what an analogy. Sorry- anyway, it would be a trip if the "baby Andy" came out in the form of virtually modelled Andy components...hmm. Kind of a scary thought, eh? But Waldorf, whom I love, does this in a way. All their synths sound like Waldorf, one is a primarily analog hybrid, the new Q+ has 16 analog filters in a VA/wavetable synth, etc. the others VA and wavetable. They mix and match, very effectively, and bust out with the sporty affordables as well as the luxurious monsters. Hm. Well we'll see. It is a good name, not as good as "Uranus 666" though. -Bobro Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Magpel Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 Originally posted by Bobro: An analog of an analog, so easy to make sound like an anal log...what an analogy. There must be *some* kind of police I can call to stop this. Check out the Sweet Clementines CD at bandcamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobro Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 Originally posted by Magpel: Originally posted by Bobro: An analog of an analog, so easy to make sound like an anal log...what an analogy. There must be *some* kind of police I can call to stop this.Hehe- better stay away from the "all your base are belong to us" thread on SSS, those boys are going to town! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 Originally posted by Jeff, TASCAM Guy: Guess I'll see it in another day or so at the show. If no one else reports back before me (I won't touch a computer for the next six days after today), I'll give you the mini review.Perhaps I'll get a look at it at the show as well... ...and no, I had nothing to do with the name or the product. dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steadyb Posted July 16, 2002 Share Posted July 16, 2002 Originally posted by Dave Bryce: ...and no, I had nothing to do with the name or the product. dBWhat about the Roland Dave-o-matic 8000??? ...or the Korg Bryceton rack??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthetic Posted July 21, 2002 Share Posted July 21, 2002 Any pix yet? Alesis still hasn't updated their site, and Sweetwater doesn't seem to cover Summer NAMM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casar Posted July 21, 2002 Share Posted July 21, 2002 I found a picture of the unit, not too good but here you go Target retail price is 799 USD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g05 Posted July 21, 2002 Share Posted July 21, 2002 Originally posted by Rod CA: Interesting. And multi-timbral? Is this a baby-andromeda?i hope the price is baby. g. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anoplura Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Our website still hasn't been updated, and the marketing folks aren't here to stop me, so I'll dump some more detailed info here. I'll try stick to the features that set the Ion apart from the competition, but this'll probably get long anyway. All of the knobs, with the exception of the Master Volume and the encoder adjacent to the LCD are 360-degree rotary controls. They instantly increase or decrease their associated parameter. You don't have to worry about passing through the current value, or the sound jumping when you touch a knob. The catch is that they are all analog pots, not digital encoders. This gives us ~ 8, 000 steps of resolution compared to 24 or 48 steps from the encoders that other guys are using. Next is the raw horsepower. DSP horsepower is measured in MIPS, Millions of Instructions Per Second.* The Ion has only 8 voices, but over 500 MIPS of DSP power. For comparison, the Virus C has a 120 MIPS engine and gives you 32 voices. When used properly, more DSP instructions = better sound quality. This is directly analogous to digital recording, where capturing the sound at a higher sampling rate or bit depth gives you a more accurate sound. As with recording at high sample rates, you run into diminishing returns pretty quickly. Let's say, for example you have a great sounding Saw-Tooth oscillator which takes up 0.5 MIPS, doubling this to 1 MIPS will NOT make it sound twice as good. It WILL make it sound better, however – maybe 10 to 20%, subjectively. You get a clearer, airier, more “analog” sound. Double the DSP resources again and you get maybe 5 to 10% better, and so on. It really is just a philosophical question of when it sounds good enough. We obviously, have a different opinion than some other manufacturers. We decided that in this type of instrument - where monophonic leads and basses are a big attraction – 8 great sounding voices are preferable to 24 or 32 good sounding voices. The three oscillators (per-voice) are identical in function. They have three selectable wave forms – Sine, Pulse (Square), and Tri/Saw. Each oscillator has a dedicated Shape knob on the top panel, which gives you continuous, smooth adjustment over the wave shape. For the Pulse wave this varies the pulse width. For the Tri/Saw this sweeps the shape from a Down Saw to a Triangle to an Up Saw. For the Sine wave, the shape knob adds harmonics. The press release didn't mention that the two filters can each be one of 16 different filter types. The filter types haven't been finalized yet, but all of the usual suspects from Moog, Arp, Oberheim, and Roland (TM's all around) will be in there, along with some vocal formant filters and other cool stuff. The filters are routable in series, parallel or stereo. The fully-featured Vocoder lives in the effects chip, completely separate from the synth engine. It has no effect on the available polyphony, and can be used completely independently from the synth, with both modulator and carrier (analysis and synthesis) signals coming in from the (swanky, balanced 24-bit) external inputs, if desired. You can also use any of the internal synth sounds as either the carrier or modulator. The vocoder will have several modes with up to 40 bands. The NAMM unit was a proto, and didn't have the jack, but the production units will have a (coax) S/PDIF output. That's it off the top of my head… We're expecting to ship in December. Ben, Alesis guy *Because I hate it when people throw around “marketing numbers”, I'll note that different manufacturers use different DSP chips. For certain applications, especially digital mixing and reverb, MIPS are definitely not equivalent from DSP processor to DSP processor. When it comes to generating analog style oscillators and most types of filters however, MIPS is pretty much MIPS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthetic Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Alesis Ion Software History Ver. 1.00 -- First Production Release Ver. 1.01 1. Increased Polyphony to 32 voices... (Sorry, I could not resist.) Can't wait to hear it. -jl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Z. Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Excellent, Ben - glad to hear of the new products and that you guys are forging ahead. I like the idea of the FirePort, too. Now...how about a DG8 V2? lz www.lauriez.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
etherize Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 hmm I may actually buy this thing if it sounds good...(and thats saying alot since I have been buying only softsynths lately) I hope this has nothing to do with the andromeda.. i personally did not care for the andromeda. Perhaps the presets and the amount of tweaking I did with it did not do it justice but I rather have 8 kick ass analog voices than a million s****y ones. I still have yet to hear a virtual that does a great bass that is comparible to a moog, atc-1/se-1 for instance. I also have yet to hear one that has the organic quality and warmth of a true analog..(I have every softsynth you can think of, and a nord, a virus, and a bunch of none virtuals) I miss my juno 106 I still have hit but it got broken during moving I am gonna give another year for the virtuals but after that if none still live up to my expections i am gonna concede and start buying a few used analogs... Suprise me Alesis!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Originally posted by synthetic: Can't wait to hear it.Yeah, me too...I have a soft spot for synths with three oscillators per voice... I'm sure that it'll sound great! dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MortenJ Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Me too. I have two question will it have RingModulation and/or FM. and will it have a Arpeggiator. thanks Morten Access Virus TI keyboard,Alesis ION,Yamaha Motif ES 6,Roland Fantom XR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anoplura Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Originally posted by SimmonsSDX: Me too. I have two question will it have RingModulation and/or FM. and will it have a Arpeggiator. thanksYes, yes and yes. Ring Mod is available pre and post filters, as on the Andromeda. Several types of FM are available at the oscillators and filters. The Mod Matrix, Envelopes and LFOs also run at audio rates and can be used for FM. We haven't optimized the engine yet, so I can't say exactly how fast, but somewhere in the 1kHz to 3kHz range. Arpeggiator syncs to MIDI clock. There is also a dedicated Tap Tempo button on the top panel which can be used to generate MIDI clock. Ben, Alesis guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MortenJ Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Thank you Ben I thinking After I got Andromeda and get my Waldorf Q sold then get a Ion also that will be nice. Morten Access Virus TI keyboard,Alesis ION,Yamaha Motif ES 6,Roland Fantom XR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeon Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 not that this would stop me from buying one, but is it just me, or is that prototype fugly as hell? Go tell someone you love that you love them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Klopmeyer Posted July 23, 2002 Share Posted July 23, 2002 Originally posted by aeon: not that this would stop me from buying one, but is it just me, or is that prototype fugly as hell? Did you see it at Summer NAMM? I haven't seen a photo published anywhere online as of yet. - Jeff Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted July 24, 2002 Share Posted July 24, 2002 Originally posted by Jeff, TASCAM Guy: I haven't seen a photo published anywhere online as of yet.Here you go... http://www.sonicstate.com/news/images/alesis_ion.jpg dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Klopmeyer Posted July 24, 2002 Share Posted July 24, 2002 Originally posted by Dave Bryce: Here you go...Ah. Hmmm. Thanks. Is it really yellow on the side panel? Not that there's anything wrong with that. - Jeff Marketing Communications for MI/Pro Audio My solo music and stuff They Stole My Crayon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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