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Andromeda Alternatives?


lawst

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Its been 9 months since I placed my order for a new Andromeda but I still dont have a working one in my possession after receiving two plaged with severe tuning issues. I am eagerly awaiting my 3rd replacement which is due in the next month, however after many calls to Alesis my confidence in ever getting a new working Andy is almost non-existent. Its really annoying as I really love the organic sounds and all the advanced features the Andromeda has to offer.

 

So its looking like I may need to find an alternative but there dont appear to be any other true analogs on the market offering the same level of features. Is there anything else on the market at the moment which you would recommend as a good alternative to the Andromeda?

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The virus TI is great and even better with the new upgrade, but I've already got one! :thu: All my other synths are digital which is why I'd rather go down the analog path...

It will never sound like a real analog, but the Virus TI is supposed to be really good now that the new OS has come out, with all its granular and wavetable features.

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Yea its more just to compliment my x-station and virus ti but after hearing the Andromeda I love the organic sound it produces which I would imagine is partly to do with the fact its analog.

 

The other important factors are a step sequencer and advanced mod matrix.

 

I had a quick play with the PolyEvolver but only got chance to mess with the presets and I wasnt that impressed with the overall sound - maybe its just the presets that suck?

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There's not really anything that matches its feature-set. That's a real shame too. I'm glad I gave up on Alesis when I did with my broken Andy. They did nothing but give me the run-around. I got fed up and got a PEK instead, which sounded pretty good but 4 voices sucked. And I didn't want to chain 4 of them together to get the 16 voices, as that would be too expensive. So I sold the PEK and got a TI, which sounded great but was defective (random loud pops of noise in standalone with latest os, not connected to pc). So it's been sent back. Not sure what my next step will be, might just get a Fantom x8 with some expansions and start making some music. Will just have to save up some more money, might check out the Blofeld whenever it's out.

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As an owner of Andy and PolyEvolver, I would also recommend the PolyEvolver. It may not be as deep as Andy, but it has an equally good sound. It is warmer and has wavetable possibility. That Curtis filters are very good sounding and as aggressive as a Nord. I don't think four voices is a limitation when considering the caliber of the sound. Keyboard version looks as sexy as the Andy as well. Price per voice is higher compared to Andy, but Alesis is a bigger company than one-man-army company DSI. I guess it will retain its resale value as high as Jomox or SE style boutique synths.

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teoman - you reckon the PEK be warmer than Andy!?

wow i underestimated that blue LED beast.

 

 

Yes, it is definitely warmer than the Andy. I think some more people can confirm this. Mostly the Curtis filters causing this. I love my Andy to death, but I am very PROUD of the PER as well. As a side note, its warmth is comparable to my Rev 3.2 Prophet-5, just smoother.

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There's not really anything that matches its feature-set. That's a real shame too. I'm glad I gave up on Alesis when I did with my broken Andy. They did nothing but give me the run-around. I got fed up and got a PEK instead, which sounded pretty good but 4 voices sucked. And I didn't want to chain 4 of them together to get the 16 voices, as that would be too expensive. So I sold the PEK and got a TI, which sounded great but was defective (random loud pops of noise in standalone with latest os, not connected to pc). So it's been sent back. Not sure what my next step will be, might just get a Fantom x8 with some expansions and start making some music. Will just have to save up some more money, might check out the Blofeld whenever it's out.

 

Sheeeesh :freak: :freak: :freak:

I've had better luck buying used vintages off eBay. :p

 

One has to wonder, in the year 2007, why companies are coming out with gear more unreliable than a frickin' rev1 Memorymoog. :D

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Yes, it is definitely warmer than the Andy. I think some more people can confirm this. Mostly the Curtis filters causing this. I love my Andy to death, but I am very PROUD of the PER as well. As a side note, its warmth is comparable to my Rev 3.2 Prophet-5, just smoother.

 

 

Uh-oh! You're going to get some stalwarts up in arms over these statements.

 

However, I'm here to support you. I can't compare a PEK to an A6, but I can vouch for it being a warm synth with a very high-quality sound. I will also agree that the Evolver definitely is as "warm" as the famous CEM3340/CEM3320 combo - just more smooth (which, BTW, the distortion parameter can take care of in an instant).

 

I will also say that people are stuck in a generic paradigm - the paradigm being that more voices must equal more flexibility/bigger sound/thicker pads/etc. Instead of looking at a synth for what it can do on its own merit, people will judge it based on this generic paradigm. They never stop to think that this paradigm may not apply to ALL synths. IMHO the PEK falls under this category.

 

Four PEK voices provide an incredibly large sound, certainly enough for huge-sounding pads. But to achieve these results, and other excellent results, on a PEK you essentially have to put down the "Generic Poly Synth Programming Manual" and learn how to work with the PEK and the PEK's architecture.

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I have a PEK, and until two weeks ago had an Andromeda. I dont ever intend to sell the PEK.

 

If you play the numbers game, as many a synth head (inlcuding myself) are apt to do the PEK looks under done, primarily in voice count.

 

Then you play with one, and you realize its not ABOUT the number of voices, but what each voice can do independently on its own..

 

I mean, each VOICE has its own delay line with feedback INDEPENDENT of the other 4 voices. each voice has its own sequencer and 4 oscillators...

 

You can do a lot with 4 voices if you use your noodle.

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