Just snagged an Alesis Ion off the feeBay, looking forward to adding it to my rig

[ChipCurtis]

I've been missing a proper lead synth in my setup since selling my Pro One a couple of years ago, so over the past couple of months I've been looking at several options to replace it. VA would be a better option than analog for my music and for gigging/tuning reasons, so after much painful decision making it was coming down to a toss between an Ion and an SH-201. I looked at some other stuff like the Venom and Miniak and Micron but either there weren't enough keys or not enough knobs. Just wanted something simple with 49 keys and good knobbage to do monosynth leads (polyphonic is fine if I can put it in solo/unison mode).

 

My patience finally paid off as I landed an Ion tonight for $380 -- sweet. Can't wait for it to arrive!

 

Anybody else here use the Ion, and what are your general opinions of it? I know we like to talk about new synths here but wondering if there are still any loyal users of this 8-year-old Alesis synth? I've always heard great things about its ability to do great analog sounds with many filter modes and vast modulation routings. As I've said my main interest is in using it as a monosynth/lead synth, but how would you rate its pads, strings, brass, and other types of polysynth sounds?

[mildbill]

Nice little synth for a real good price, if you got one of the good ones. The first batches had some knob problems, and some of them had some output problems.

Give it a good going over when you get it. Most likely, it'll be OK because the initial problems were sorted out.

As to the Ion itself, it's got great programming options - hardly a thing to think of I'd add to it or that I found lacking. It can be a bit flat or dry sounding, but nothing that a decent fx unit can't sort out.

I've had one or another of them since they first came out, and just traded in my last Ion couple days ago. Not that I was dis-satisfied with it in any way, it's just time to downsize a little.

When it first came out, there was a fantastic demo of it doing a lot of classic, recognizable sounds, but I can't find that demo anymore.

Sweetwater's got a few demos that cover that type of territory here: http://www.sweetwater.com/feature/technotes/issue2-ion/

[Bernard]

The ION / Micron / MiniAK all share the same voice structure. In the world of VA it is unique.

 

There is a main processing CPU on the ION it does everything plus the extended UI. On the Micron / MiniAK the main CPU uses the extra horses saved on the UI for extra sequencing etc.

 

All have audio processing CPU's per voice, that's a total of eight. So each voice has it own analog stage.

 

The Micron / MiniAK also have an extra audio processing CPU for extra effects handling.

 

Whilst the synth is digital all the way, the fact it splits out to voices individually as they enter the analog world does make this a bit of a hybrid and it is the most Analog VA I have ever heard although the new Accelerator synth sounds quite good too.

 

If it works keep it for ever and as mildbill says just use a nice effects unit and have fun...

[Gribs]

Lucky you. That is a very good price. Mine is on Ebay right now but I won't sell it for that low, especially given that it has the double-box, manual, and has already had the semi-common output problem mentioned above by MildBill repaired by one of the few shops in the USA that is certified by Alesis. I have had a couple of low-ball offers and also suspect requests to ship it OUS with declared value marked really low (flags dangerous buyer in my mind immediately), but I am not in a big hurry to sell it so I am just biding my time.

 

In the past, every time I have looked at this synth I have thought it is a value too good to sell. It really does have some marvelous capabilities for the price range, especially the knobby interface, double mod wheels, and modulation matrix. I have tried to interest my oldest kid in learning synthesis with some help from me, but he just is not into the idea.

[ChristianRock]

So. Who just bought Gribs' Ion?

[Gribs]

LOL. That is pretty funny. I didn't really intend that to happen. I think it is just a coincidence. The buyer is a person with whom I was communicating during the first week of the auction who had some questions, which I tried to answer as best as I could along with some other buyers questions when I re-listed the synth for a second week.

 

Incidentally, someone bought my M3M too, and I shipped that out last night. I was sort of sad to see it go, but it hadn't been getting used since the Kronos arrived.

[Caligvla]

I've always wanted and enjoyed the ION ... Had a Micron, but the lack of knobs ... Always wish I'd bought an ION new when they were still available ... Probably will never get one now as other gear has eclipsed it ... But it always holds a certain fascination for me ... I always wonder how it would have altered the gear list I've ended up with ... Then again, I should have just bought a JP8 from the get-go ...

[ChipCurtis]

In the past, every time I have looked at this synth I have thought it is a value too good to sell.

 

Exactly. Those are the kinds of synths I am always looking for. A look at my gear list would show at least 3 synths (JD-800, Z1, and now the Ion) that would fit this category -- TOO MUCH bang for the buck!

 

And damn I do feel lucky to get this one for that price. About 3 times in the past month I was ready to hit the trigger for a Roland SH-201, which mostly goes for $350 Buy It Now price, or about $315 on closing auctions, but I'm glad I held out for a far more powerful unit for just $75 more. I know there's some interesting modulation and sync options on the 201, but it's a pretty beginner's style interface and I also prefer wheels (and 3 of them!) over the Roland bender/mod stick.

[ChipCurtis]

 

The ION / Micron / MiniAK all share the same voice structure. In the world of VA it is unique. There is a main processing CPU on the ION it does everything plus the extended UI. On the Micron / MiniAK the main CPU uses the extra horses saved on the UI for extra sequencing etc. All have audio processing CPU's per voice, that's a total of eight. So each voice has it own analog stage. The Micron / MiniAK also have an extra audio processing CPU for extra effects handling. Whilst the synth is digital all the way, the fact it splits out to voices individually as they enter the analog world does make this a bit of a hybrid and it is the most Analog VA I have ever heard although the new Accelerator synth sounds quite good too. If it works keep it for ever and as mildbill says just use a nice effects unit and have fun...

 

 

Yes I was aware that the Micron and the MiniAK were both downsized hardware offerings of the Ion Synth OS. I would have easily gone for one of those if octave space and control weren't issues, and only needed the synth engine. I needed a new board as well, and prefer all-in-one synth products over a controller and laptop.

 

I was unaware of the discrete voicing on the Ion. Sounds too good to be true. I am going to be creating a lot of unison patches for lead sounds, having 24 oscillators at once all detuned with waveform morphing should be able to create some super fat analog-sounding leads. I've heard from some reviews that the JP8 filter is pretty accurate to form.

[Bernard]

 

Yes I was aware that the Micron and the MiniAK were both downsized hardware offerings of the Ion Synth OS. I would have easily gone for one of those if octave space and control weren't issues, and only needed the synth engine. I needed a new board as well, and prefer all-in-one synth products over a controller and laptop. I was unaware of the discrete voicing on the Ion. Sounds too good to be true. I am going to be creating a lot of unison patches for lead sounds, having 24 oscillators at once all detuned with waveform morphing should be able to create some super fat analog-sounding leads. I've heard from some reviews that the JP8 filter is pretty accurate to form.

 

 

@discrete voicing, yep and they made a big hooha at the time of launch...

 

They must sum the voices in the analog domain and feed them into the effects CPU on the Micron/MiniAK, I assume direct out on the ION. Could explain why my headphone output is picking up noise (although I always suspected the transformer day one). When I have mine rigged through a VS100 it is supper clean, no noise floor. The VS100 does not clean that as far as I know so it can only be that the main outputs are clean.

 

Let me know how yours fairs...

 

I do regret not picking an ION up when the were last available and the bugs sorted

[mildbill]

.... Mine is on Ebay right now but I won't sell it for that low, especially given that it has the double-box, manual,....

 

 

 

Ha ha - sounds like you take good care of your gear like I do. This was the shape mine was in a few days ago (double box/original plastic bag/manual/power cord tie-wrapped) can't be told from new :

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]338712[/ATTACH]

 

It's someone else's now.

 

I probably should have put it up on the forum here, but a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

[Bernard]

Good bye cruel world... I messed up my chance of getting a new ION back in the day... fair well.... LOL

[Conbrio]

I've always liked the Ion as well, but one thing though--it's a great synth for leads, sound effects and such, but I've never heard a really warm and fat pad sound come from one.

 

[Acid Hazard]

I got mine for $150 as the guy thought it was broken. Though it is missing a tooth, and some of the encoders could work a bit better, i still love it. I just wish it would have used pots rather than encoders.

[ChipCurtis]

I've always liked the Ion as well, but one thing though--it's a great synth for leads, sound effects and such, but I've never heard a really warm and fat pad sound come from one.

 

That's perfectly okay with me, as I only want it for monosynth duties anyway. The limit of 8 voice polyphony is not an issue at all, and I only intend on eating up that polyphony with unison and layering.

 

I'll leave the warm polyphonic padding to my JD-800 and K3M.

[Conbrio]

I appreciate what you're saying, Chip, I just posted that statement to see if anyone here was able to coax some decent pads from an Ion.

 

I'm sure someone has, I'm just waiting to hear it. Obviously the Ion needs outboard processing, as Alesis neglected to include reverb and decent chorusing to an otherwise excellent synth.

 

[Suilebhain]

The only problem with the Ion from my experience, if this could be truly a problem, is that it is built like a tank and weighs a ton. Put one in a hardshell case and carry it with one hand and soon you will see what I mean.

 

Otherwise, I love the Ion! I was getting some really nice spacy ethereal mellotron type sounds out of it using one of the presets and a little knob twirling that I would lean upon for softer songs.

[ChipCurtis]

 

The only problem with the Ion from my experience, if this could be truly a problem, is that it is built like a tank and weighs a ton. Put one in a hardshell case and carry it with one hand and soon you will see what I mean.

 

 

Actually I love synths that are built like battleships. One of my worries about the SH201 was flimsyness. I like to put synths through their paces! Not beating up on them, I mean [snicker....], but the keys and knobs do get a good workout, and I expect some level of workmanship in my synths.

 

It's funny that some other Ion owners have described the synth as not too well built. But maybe by 2003 standards it was considered lightweight for something with a metal housing.

[Caligvla]

"Built like a tank" and "reliable" are not necessarily the same thing ...

 

No matter their overall construction, some synths are known for certain design defects whether they be relatively minor or showstoppers ...

[ChipCurtis]

It arrived today!

 

Plugged it in, started jamming on it, and all I have to say is :love:

 

Wow. It is just the synth I needed, I can feel that now. Just burning through a couple banks of patches was exhilarating -- just the kind of moog-ish mono lead sounds I was after. Only need to tweak these to perfection and I'm set.

 

Very NICE tone. I like it. Sounds as analog as the "analog sounds" in my music need to. Some very nice filter-modulation sweeps that reminded me of the VCO3-Filter mod on the Minimoog.

 

Checked out the arp, the mod matrix, and FX section as well. Very, very flexible -- it's even more than I could ask for in a lead synthesizer. I'll bet it blows the balls off the Nord Lead in many ways, and for a lot less money. Very well done, Alesis.

[mildbill]

Did you get a manual with it? The keys have some cool features that you'd probably never find (even by accident). If you didn't get a manual with it, it'd be worth your time to d/l it from the Alesis site.

 

Also, I know you're a proficient programmer, but maybe you can pick up an extra trick here: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Oct04/articles/alesisiontips.htm

[ChipCurtis]

 

Did you get a manual with it? The keys have some cool features that you'd probably never find (even by accident). If you didn't get a manual with it, it'd be worth your time to d/l it from the Alesis site. Also, I know you're a proficient programmer, but maybe you can pick up an extra trick here: http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Oct04/articles/alesisiontips.htm

 

 

Yes I got the manual. Good call, because there are already a few things I learned that I wouldn't have without it. Such as applying the 'analog slop' (or whatever Alesis calls it) globally, suppressing the edit screen during knob twists, and my favorite, changing the way the mod wheels light up (all the time or only when used)! Also learned about using the keyboard to name patches and other such shortcuts.

 

I actually had a panic attack the first 15 minutes of testing, as I could NOT figure out why every patch had the same distorted or ring-modded sound (nothing changed and nothing was in tune). My spirit sunk as I thought I had a defective unit, then I perused the manual and discovered how the Parts (Layers) work, and that Layer 4 was stuck in active mode with all other Layers turned off. I turned that Layer off and turned Layer 1 on, and everything worked. Apparently in the "Setup" mode ("Combi" in Korg-speak) I was in was saved this way, so every time I turned the synth off and on again, it returned to that damn Setup stuck in Layer 4. Fixed that quick.

[seamonkey]

How are the main outputs working for you? Didn't the seller state one side was lower than the other?

[ChipCurtis]

How are the main outputs working for you? Didn't the seller state one side was lower than the other?

 

If there is a difference in the outputs L and R, I can't hear it. Sounds fine to me. Some patches have filters 1 and 2 running through the output L and R respectively, so sometimes the L channel is more muted than the R -- other than that, on straight up mono patches it sounds fairly balanced and centered. Same with the AUX outs.

 

Everything is completely functional, lovely condition (not a scratch), and I haven't encountered any bugs. I wanted to do the boot-up sequence to find out what version of the OS I am running, but was having too much fun tweaking and making sounds, and forgot.

 

I really like the fact you can change patches and the last patch's sustain is still there fading out. The portamento is the most comprehensive that I've ever seen on a synth. Every mode (fixed rate, relative rate, linear and exponential modes), are all represented, with legato and non-legato triggering!

 

There are some decent pads that can be warmed up through external reverbs and delay to make them sound anything like pads on a typical ROMpler.

[Acid Hazard]

Did you just call the Ion a rompler?? =o.