Product: Akai VX-600
Price Paid: 650 (pounds) used
Submitted
11/22/2002
at
04:43am
by
Modhead
Email: modheadxx<at>aol dot com
Ease of Use
:
8
Amazing little machine. Like an Xpander. Same VCO's and matrix modulation. Like any analog, if you know what you are doing it's fine. Loads of knobs would be better, so only 7/10.
One negative is the lack of sysex for backing up patches, but the card slot is great. Also, the midi functions for modulation are great and this is more important to me.
Features
:
9
6 voice, 12 vco, 18 envelopes, 6 vcf, 12 lfo and loads more features. Modulation possibilites are enormous. Modulate most things with most others! Also great midi control.
The keyboard despite being small is velocity AND aftertouch capable! Memory card slot for patches. 6 seperate outputs via a special cable and external in!! Phew!
Expressiveness/Sounds
:
10
Superb sounding synth. Great for electronic, ambient or techno.
Once you start modulating it with midi it gets really interesting. Needs regual tuning (press the autotune!) needs to warm up for maybe 10 minutes and then after another half hour. Treat it like 6 minmoogs but with autotune!
Reliability
:
8
Never had a problem and it's my second one.
I think the voice chips would be available if ever anything went wrong. Of course Akai would maybe have parts, but it's getting on a bit.....
Customer Support
:
No Opinion
N/A
Overall Rating
:
9
Consodering how rare it is, I doubt I'd find another if it got lost. I've bought the 2 I've seen for sale in my area. I don't think it was sold anywhere except Germany and Japan. Means finding one in the US may be tricky, but I found 2 in the UK.
I have quite a few analogs and like this as much as my prophet 5 .Nothing else sounds like it and it reacts like a modern synth (good midi, memories on ram card, multi timbral, seperate outs etc) but sounds like a fat old one!
With more knobs it would get a 10!
