The Yamaha AN1x Synthesizer mailing list

Yesterday afternoon I had an opportunity to play the new Alesis ION. Here are some 
1st impressions:

It sounds pretty darn impressive! Much more 'phat' then an AN1x or a Nord Lead (or 
Virus, near as I can tell.) Very convincing analog emulation - you won't be 
disappointed. And the price point is incredible - under $700! The user interface is 
straight forward and the encoders have an excellent tactile feel. The keyboard is only 
so-so, no aftertouch but two assignable mod wheels in addition to the pitch wheel 
(they illuminate when moved!) The presets are okay - pretty much knock-offs of 
classic analog and digital analog hybrid sounds. The mod matrix takes a bit getting 
use to. Example: on an AN1x there are haf dwired depth parameters for Pmod, Amod, 
& Fmod that are affected by LFO1. On the ION you have to route either LFO1 or LFO2 
to one or more of those parameters THEN make a setting for depth. A little more 
flexible but also more labor intensive since the mod matrix settings are the most 
menu driven feature on the synth. Kind of odd given how user friendly the OSC and 
Filter sections are. The EG Controls are 'shared' by the Pitch, Amp, and Filter sections, 
i.e., dedicated select switches are used to determine which section is currently 
affected. I didn't really get my head wrapped around the FX section - it was fairly 
modest in comparison to other synths. Maybe if I'd had another thirty minuets or so 
to play with it I might have figured out more use for the FX. The ION really does 
sound as good as the hype.

regards,

Jon