Alesis ION 49-Key 8-Voice Analog Modeling Synth

49-key analog modeling synthesizer. 30 realtime control knobs. 40 bands of vocoding.

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Alesis ION 49-Key 8-Voice Analog Modeling Synth reviews

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72 People rated this product : * * * * * * * * * * 8 out of 10

 

6 People wrote reviews

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* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

"Could this be a real analog???"

Feature:
Everything a synth requires. Very well thought out design, with all the important features on the panel. 8 fat sounds voices, with over 16 filters, smooth rubber knobs, 3 wheels, big screen with feedback, etc.

Quality:
One of the first things i noticed once i took the ION out the box was the build quality. The ION is built like a tank, the buttons are very well place imo, and are flush with the chassis. The knobs are super solid and smooth to rotate - far better than synths costing 3/4 times the price (DSI, SE, Moog???). The chassis is made of steel and very solid and keyboard feel on my unit is very good. Overall, i was very impressed with the build quality.

Value:
Superb value for money. you could easily spend 3 or 4 times the price of the ION and still not get this amount of synthesizer bliss. It sounds just like a real analog and i feel that it has some comparable sounds to my A6, talk about impressive.

Desirability:
Looks very retro, i also like the red panels on the sides. the light show is amazing in the dark - very vintage.

Sound:
Very analog like sound - and i own many analog synths from Moog to Andromeda and VA's including the Virus and Novation. The sound of the ION is very thick and warm, it has the fat sound that many love about analogs. Alesis really did go out large on those DSP chips. The range of classic Arp, Moog, JP8, TB303 and OB filters really puts this synth in a different league over all VA's.

Ease of Use:
I spent about two hours with this beast and i was right into it. No need for the manual and dived straight in. hard to get bad sound from this monster synth.

Support:
Never needed this.

Overall:
If stolen, i would buy another ION...no questions.

Submitted: 10/18/2007


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* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

Alesis ION Keyboard Customer Review

Feature:
gorgeous design and intuitive. in fact what is so cool about the layout is that the knobs and such are laid out in the order of the signal path.

Quality:
great! i have a flawless ion. functions perfectly, knobs glide and track as smooth as silk. my knobs are so smooth that i lierally do not have to use the clear encoder for fine tuning!

Value:
i would pay so much more for this synth. the initial price turned me off from it at first (i guess i'm a snob) but my intention was to buy a completely different synth the night i bought the ion. surprise on me!

Desirability:
i bought one the first night i heard it. my whole purpose was to get the best va ever (decide for yourself what this is) but the ion stole that slot so i bought it instead.

Sound:
best analogue emulation yet! fat and dirty just the way you like it.

Support:
i know all about alesis support. top notch, no problem with the ion but have dealt with alesis in the past. a real joy. people, actual people usually answer the phone instead of the incredible 90s invention of automation.

Overall:
overall- couldn't be happier. such a gorgeous synth with such precision accuracy, loads of filters, TWO mod wheels, mod matrix unlie any other, uber controll over LFO, etc, on and on.

Submitted: 4/16/2004


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About This Product!
Description
Docs, Multimedia
Ion is an affordable 49-key analog modeling synthesizer with bold sounds, a futuristic design, a turbo-charged sound engine, and a simple user interface. Driven by Alesis' proprietary 500 MIPS sound engine - delivering up to 5x the processing power of modeling synths which cost hundreds more - the Ion packs eight voices of smooth, high-bandwidth analog-style punch, with three oscillators and two multi-mode filters per voice. This impressive four-part multitimbral sound engine serves up everything from warm, round bass tones to lush pads and gritty lead sounds, making Ion perfect for music styles ranging from rock to funk and the latest house, techno and trance dance styles. The Ion's clean, intuitive user interface is comprised of 30 realtime control knobs, over 70 direct-access buttons, a pitch bend wheel, two assignable modulation wheels, and a large 160x160 graphic LCD . Everything from radical filter sweeps to subtle tonal changes can be performed in real-time, just like the classic analog synths of the past. The Ion's onboard effects include chorus, flange, phaser, echo, distortion, fuzz, compressor and more - plus a full-featured Vocoder, which can perform up to 40 bands of vocoding with no negative impact on polyphony. Connections include four balanced analog outputs, stereo balanced analog inputs, and MIDI In and Out/Thru ports. A built-in switching power supply is also included.

Features:
512 Preset Programs, All User Re-Writeable

8 Voice Polyphony, 4 Parts Multi-timbral

3 Oscillators per Voice, With Continuously Variable wave shapes, Sync and FM

2 Multimode Filters per Voice, 16 Filter types to choose from 2 LFOs, Sample and Hold and Arpeggiator - all Sync to MIDI Clock

4 Individual Mono/Stereo Insert Effects and Stereo Master Multi-FX Processor

Fully Featured Vocoder with up to 40 bands

Performance friendly interface with 31 knobs, 69 buttons, sustain and expression pedal inputs, pitch bend wheel and 2 assignable mod wheels

High Resolution Graphic LCD

49 Velocity Sensitive Keys

4 Analog Outputs and Stereo Analog Inputs - all balanced 24-bit

Internal Universal Power Supply
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