Fusion 6HD, 8HD Workstations Now Shipping

Fusion 6HD (Click for a close-up)

Fusion 6HD Rear Panel (Click for a close-up)

Alesis announced that the Fusion 6HD (61-note semi-weighted) and the 8HD (88-note, fully-weighted) keyboard workstations are now shipping.

With the Fusion 6HD and 8HD, Alesis has re-examined the concept of what constitutes a workstation and has made ease of use a design priority. Featuring four types of synthesis, an eight-channel hard disk recorder, built-in sampler, effects processing, and expandable RAM, the Fusion workstations are powered by a Coldfire processor surrounded by seven high-performance DSPs and are the only synth workstations with integrated 8-channel, 24-bit recording capability.

The Fusion series can save and load programs off a hard disk (or via removable Compact Flash memory), enabling users to store sounds on the internal disk and always have their programs available. This capability eliminates the time consuming process of loading samples from a slow CD-ROM or floppy drive.

With its Coldfire processing engine accompanied by seven high-performance DSPs, Fusion's four synthesis types include Sample Playback, Analog Modeling, FM (Frequency Modulation) synthesis, and Physical Modeling. The instrument's sampling technology enables 44.1 kHz samples to be stored in the expandable (64MB to 192MB) Flash ROM. These can be exchanged for other samples stored on either Compact Flash cards or the internal 40 GB hard drive--providing easy access to an unlimited sound library. Compared to other Virtual Analog (VA) synthesizers, the Fusion's VA synthesis engine enables far greater sonic control by way of its user defined modulation table assignments that remember complex parameter settings.

Fusion is also the first instrument in Alesis' history to utilize FM synthesis, a sonically diverse form of sound generation that has made a profound impact on electronic music. And Fusion's FM signal router provides preset templates facilitating quick assembly of programs without the difficulty of traditional FM programming. Combine these technologies with Fusion's Physical Modeling capabilities that provide for real-time manipulation of the modeled sound, and this workstation is unlike any other.

The Fusion lets you seamlessly mix MIDI and multitrack digital audio direct from disk. The sequencer records MIDI and multitrack direct-to-disk audio recordings on one screen--greatly simplifying editing in the process. Further, the recorder supports 8-track simultaneous recording of 24-bit/44.1 kHz audio. Plus there's a wealth of signal processing, including 20 reverbs, 10 chorus, and 50 insert effects.

The Fusion series also feature direct CD-R burning (available Q4 2005), fully assignable buttons, 360-degree potentiometers for the most precise control of synthesizer parameters, a 32-track MIDI sequencer, and a fully programmable arpeggiator.

Suggested retail pricing:

• Fusion 6HD: $2,399
• Fusion 8HD $2,999