Alesis Micron

I have not messed around with editing patches or sounds much, (besides the 2 sliders and 3 x,y,z knobs) because I do most editing of the sounds on my computer. The screen is helpful and easily explained in the manual with easy shortcut buttons as well. The manual covers everything you need to know and more.

8 Polyphony which is enough for its size. The keys are full size, (not weighted) and are velocity sensitive (touch and release). I have not fully explored the effects, but the vibrato and frequency/noise/gain effects are great. Each x,y,z knob can be assigned to a diff. effect as well. It has extra storage spaces to save sounds that you like which is nice so you dont have to replace presets. It has MIDI in, out, and thru, which is my favorite thing to use. Can make some interesting sounds thru MIDI. It has an arpeggiator that is a bit difficult to get use to. It is very flexible. This keyboard is good for using the presets, but the main fun and great sounds come in after editing the presets. Easy to use after a quick read thru the manual.

All of the sounds are AMAZING presets, with the cut of one or two brass sounds. Editing the sound sonly results in better sounding synths. Great leads, great pads, great basses, and effects as well. The drum section is ok. This keyboard works great for techno, trance, electronica, but also some electronic rock (linkin park-ish).

This is a strdy synthesizer. Some people dont like the "cheap" red plastic sides, but I think it gives it a retro look. I would use it without a backup at a gig and have!
Knobs are stable, as well as the sliders.

never had to deal with customer support :)

I would buy this in a heartbeat if it got stolen. It is woth what I paid, at an amazingly low price, GREAT BUY! It sounds warm but chunky too, looks clean, feels sturdy, not cheap.

I actually owned an Alesis ION, which some people say to be the older brother to the micron, but they are different. Although the same sound engine, the micron is nice and portable, and its overall sound is warmer.
I messed around with a microkorg, but it does not have as many presets to mess around with as the micron. If you are looking to just use presets, go with the microkorg, but if you like to play aorund with sounds, and create your own sounds with unlimited possibilities, go with the micron!
I love its full size keys, and its over all sound capabilities.
I dont think they could have made this keyboard any better for its price!
It def. helps me make music. Editing its sounds will keep me busy all day!
I have made a whole song JUST on the micron, amazing.
Its a perfect synth for entry level, but as well as XP players and music enthusiasts!
Keep in mind its an analog synthesizer! NOT A KEYBOARD!

If you are needing a synth to pl wont find a single proay around on and play single rythms, you wont come across a single problem. This thing can be an analog powerhouse, but it takes some krafty fingers and getting used to the "setup"...setup..if this thing and a song/perfomance mode, it would be perfect. the manual is clear and detailed. also the entire one button thing gets to me.

8 part polyphony is good enough in my book. i am just now trying to work with the midi, but im sure its well rounded. It's got 3 oscillators, 6 types of FM, 4 types of sync, 2 lfo, and that crazy mod matrix, which i havent touched. it is very deep in the sound department.

If you are an analog worshipper like me, youll feel right at home. there are moments it emulates ARPs and Early Korgs perfectly. the effects arent all that great, and i barely use them. its got good key velocity. alot of the preset sounds are amazing, which isnt something that is true with alot of VA synths these days.

i have heard stories of its being really unreliable, it hasnt said boo to me since i have purchased it (4 months ago). We are gigging with it regularly.

N/A

the type of music i do is electronic pop/new wave and i use it now for about 70% of my work. otherwise i have my tr-909, korg ea-1, arp axxe, alesis sr-16, and roland sh-2. this fit into my setup like a glove. if you are considering this next to the micro-korg, understand the micro-korg looks much cooler, but the keys on them suck and it has almost no features when compared to this thing. like i said, its a power house synth if you have the patience to sit down with it. for around 300-400 new(!) its really the best synth for the price.

Main knob stopped responding...everyone's worst fear happened to me.
I was just scrolling through some presets and it just stopped. I had it for 2 months.

Sent it in for the main knob to be repaired- got sent back really quick, maybe in 2 weeks. I was out of town for 2 months when it got sent back.
Opened up the box tonight, no ac adapter.
Borrowed a friend's ac adapter from his Micron...KNOB STILL BROKE.
I paid for this thing to be sent back to be fixed and they sent it back without my ac adapter and with it in the same condition. These guys basically conned me into sending them my keyboard so they could take my ac adapter.
We'll see what happens next. I'm pretty pissed.

The keyboard sounds great but the build quality on the main knob is horrendous. I guarantee that alot more Microns are going to start breaking...

For what it is, especially compared to the microkorg, its very clever and logical. Saying that however, you still need to invest a bit of time getting to grips with the single knob system. If you put the time in, youll get the rewards. If your not prepared to spend some time with it, just go for somthing with more knobs, like the ion. there are some good presets, but I (was just) starting to get a bit deeper in and getting some fantastic noises out of it (before it broke)
the manual is good.

Keyboard action is fine for the money, but you wont be playing any bethoven on it. The effects are pretty good but not amazing. The sequencer is a neat addition, its very usable. I use(d) my micron as an outboard synth instead of reason or reaktor at times, cos it encourages you to go into the submenues of the sounds and make your own stuff up, plus i prefer to use synth software as little as possible. I have to say i was growing quite fond of it and using it a lot. (untill it broke)

Sounds great. It was doing everything i wanted very well.

it worked fine for a couple of gigs. The other day i was using it at home and it froze up, and no matter what i do it wont go past saying alesis micron on the screen. Its bunched, kaput, broken, faulty. It hasnt led a difficult life so far in my 3 months of ownership. its allways wrapped in bubblewrap and bagged up before being transported, and its never been dropped or mistreated, so im pretty surprised that its given up the ghost. the single knob isnt too much of a problem if your carefull. i bought mine in germany so ive gotta go thru the whole thing of sending it back etc now.

we'll soon find out.

im gunna get it fixed, and in the mean time probly get a back up. theyr cheap so its worth doing, allthough for the price of 2 i could have a 2nd hand korg 2000ms, which dosnt sound much better - if any better at all, but is much more instantly usable. Saying that, i like the portability and size of the micron and i have grown fond of the menu system. its my 1st proper outboard synth but i did try a few different ones out before i bought, and all things considered you could do a lot worse than this little synth. I play in an electronic rockabilly powerpop outfit and its been very usefull. Hope this review helps... basicly, buy one, but dont rely on it for live unless you have a back up.

Plug it in, and your ready to go.

It offers a lot in terms of sequencing, and programming - but it takes a skilled hand to master it. However, the "favorites" are great, and if you spend enought time with it, you can create a synth completely unique to your personal taste.

I think it sounds fantastic, the bass is deep and cuts through anything. Sounds great for dance or rock bands. Most presets are OK, but there are some definite gems to choose from. The effects are decent, but I'm not crazy about the filters, aside from being confusing to choose from, I've yet to get them to cut the way that I want.

It seems fine so far (fingers crossed) I've gigged with it for about four months now, without a single glitch.

Haven't had to ask yet!

It's a great value, and a very powerful synth. It offers a wide range of sounds, so if you want to cover as many areas as possible (brass, strings, bass, pads, etc) this is the synth for you. It also offers drum sounds and programming and sequencing for them. This could be your entire band all in one.

This is an UNBELIEVABLE keyboard. Very easy to use. All of the basics are pretty much controlable using the m1 and m2 and the XYZ nobs. Filter Sweeps, noise, etc. I have been looking for a keyboard that makes pan filtering this easy for a long time. After using this sequencer for 2 days I will probably rarely use the one on my Korg X-3.

Bottom line, this thing is absolutely SICK!! I traded my Roland Juno 106 for this and I am never looking back!

Don't underestimate how great it is to have something this portable. I can picture myself easily traveling with the unit- carryon lug. only of course. It is great to be able to sit on the comfort of my couch and be able to churn out some useful stuff.

I am quickly finding that poliphony limitation is an issue. At this price and quality though, buy two if this is an issue. Again- SEQUENCER is AWSOME!

Sounds are awsome. Preset programs and patterns will satisfy a wide variety of music interests. Only downside is drums. Drums seem to be only designed for people doing Hip Hop or House, Trance, Techno. I play in a rock band (Duran Duran, Depeche Mode kind of sound), and I could have used some kits more useful for this & preset patterns to jam to also. Velocity is good...no aftertouch

Seems reliable so far. Quality of key play is so-so. Too much side to side movement of keys when played. Only a minor annoyance though.

Manual seems well written, never used Cust. Serv.

Best $340 I have spent in a long time. Maybe I will buy another down the road? I think it is insane that these are now selling for $400 new. Ion is nice also, but I bought this for the better sequencer and portability. In the studio I can sit right beside our guitar player with this think in my lap and play. Very cool!!!

some presets sound OK
takes a bit to figure out

keyboard is far better than the Korg
very cool looping/sequencing action for a low priced instrument
very powerful for its compact size - that's why we have 2. a lot easier than carrying around a rhodes and B3

presets are pretty crappy... but the isnt. is versitle and flexable

the main nob is TOTAL CRAP... my band has 2, and both nobs have broken off... we eaven put them in flight cases to protect, but the design is too shoddy... the thing is... that nob controls just about everything in the instrument
we played a show recently with another band, and the nob was missing on that one as well

?

very powerful for the size and cost... but they cheaped out on a couple of key features

With the new OS (1.10) the long scroll times have vanished, and I haven't managed to crash it yet.
The presets are nice, but who cares about presets?
Patch editing takes longer than it would if everything was on the front, but there are a couple of PC micron patch editors out there, and I don't think that the extra cash for an ion which does less is worth it just to get more knobs on the front.
Editing itself is a breeze if you're willing to spend a few days getting used to the shortcuts.
The sequencer is really well thought out, it gives very instant results.

The manual is aimed at people who don't know much about synths/menu systems/synthesis in general, which means that it's easier to learn by just playing with the unit unless you're new to the game.

8 part polyphony seems to be about enough, even running the sequencer (drum part, bass, lead, keys, pads), it's not hard to keep within the limit. It has full MIDI implementation, the only thing missing is aftertouch, which would have been nice. Considering the price of the unit it's not surprising tho.

The effects on this are pretty good, nothing amazing, but they do the job nicely when you're playing live and don't have dedicated FX units.

As said, the sequencer is fantastic, as long as you remember that this is a synth, and not a workstation. It's possible to throw together drum kits, ensembles, what have you, very quickly and easily. It's a little basic, but as I say, this is a synth.

This is an analog synth, which means that it's not going to do 'real' instrument sounds. It doesn't sample.
What it does have is 3 oscillators, 6 types of FM, 4 types of sync, a whole lot of filters modelled after classical ones, a nice big mod matrix (which for me makes the unit), 2 LFOs.....

In short, if you know how to program a synth, this is going to do everything you want it to and more. I don't think it's any exaggeration to say that I'm pretty sure you could fake something like Autechre's Tri Repetae or LP5 with only this machine. It is great for any sort of synth sound you want.

It also lets you put any external input through its filters/mod matrix, which is an immensely powerful and useful property. There is a vocoder onboard, which I am just starting to use the full potential of.

Alesis cheaped out on the main knob. It's wobbly. I'm not worried about breaking it, but I do take care when using this guy. Everything else is solid.

What does this mean? Well, the micron is going to fall apart (everything else is solid), but if you can't take care of your gear, you will quite possibly come to grief.

I would gig with it without a backup, as I say, the OS seems pretty robust, and when you're playing it, you don't use the main knob that much.

As yet, I don't know, but I have my doubts about getting a lot of help with the cheapest product a large company sells...

This is a fantastic synth, and I get something new out of it each time I use it.
I would absolutely get another one if mine was lost/stolen. I've owned an MC307 and the microKorg and they don't compare. I sold my uKorg shortly after getting the micron, as it was getting dusty from lack of use.
I use the Micron in tandem with an ESX and an Evolver (or I will when the Evolver gets here...), and it is amazingly flexible in that setup. If I need a synth, it's a synth, if I need a midi controller, it's a midi controller, if I need a sequencer or drum machine, it's does that. The ability to modify external signals is fantastic, hook it up with midi to a basic sampler, and you have an expensive sampler.

There is a great deal to love about this machine. It's maybe not that surprising that Alesis managed to make such a powerful VA for so little, after all, chips have gotten a lot cheaper since the days of the Nord Lead.
There are 2 things people won't like about it. Firstly, the main knob. Perhaps it's possible to mod it up, get something sturdier put in.
Secondly, if you don't like menus, you're going to not like this guy. However, as I have said, for me, it's not worth the extra money to get the Ion.

I bought my Micron last week, early December and have really only spent a few hours with it.In that time, I have delved into individual programs and put together a few setups of my own, which sound amaziing.
I am a guitarist, and bought a synth to add substance to my home recordings/songwriting. As my only keyboard, I took a chance that it would offer enough variety in terms of sounds, in spit of it not having a decent piano ( I have since modified the sitar setting to produce something usable, if not perfect.The 3 octave keyboard is just about ok, even for me,a non-pianist.
I don't understand all of the criticisms above, perhaps they are being a bit picky?I actually find the editing process fairly painless - all the parameters can be adjusted, listened to and tweaked, though the scrolling through with the control knob can take time with so many presets ( not complaining!)
I would be interested to know more about the downloads and how to get them into the Micron.
Overall I am fairly pleased, and hope that with a little more time I can get to understand its architecture more thoroughly, particularly with regard to the use of the oscilators and filters.

I would like to know how to store the sounds I have created. Can they be lost at all if something crashes?
I give the Micron an 8 as the features are easy to use.

The virtual piano is not realistic - mine is better!!
For my taste there are too many industrial/dance style in-your-face sounds,though I am working on this!
The sounds are truly phat however.
I find the keys ok, it reacts well to velocity and release.

Way too soon to say.
On one of my own setups, the upper keys seemed to aquire some grunge which I had not put on there. Switching the unit of and on cured it - is this a fault?

I was considering a second hand Korg M1; however, I have limited space in my study so the compactness of the Micron appealed.
Plusses are the sound quality and ease of use ( if laborious at times in practice and construction.
Minuses the lack of a decent piano preset, the bias towards Dance music.
Overall though I am pleased so far, especially considering the price.

I just got the Micron & was very skeptical due to it's size. I was shocked to find out that under the hood of the Micron is one Powerhouse of a machine. I believe I have version 1.01 & am about to upgrade to 1.02. If you just like the presets and you only tweek a little you'll have no problems but if your a tweeker or a professional who likes to create and manipulate new sounds then the ease of use may be just a bit hectic but now that Im on my 3rd day using it it's much easier.

Sound Engine
_Eight voices of industry-leading analog-modeled sound (8 voice polyphony)
_Three oscillators per voice, with continuously variable wave shapes, sync and FM
_Two multimode filters per voice, with 20 classic and unique filter types
_Three envelopes, two LFOs, and sample and hold per voice
_Twelve-route modulation matrix, with 114 sources and 78 destinations
_One insert drive effect per voice
_Two master effects processors, with reverb and delay
_Full-featured 40-band vocoder

Sequencing
_Programmable pattern sequencer and arpeggiator
_Programmable drum rhythm sequencer
_Realtime or step recording, with controller motion
_Live realtime phrase capture -- one-button record and loop

Setups
_32-part multitimbral -- up to 32 programs per setup
_Up to 26 simultaneous patterns or drum rhythms per setup
_Quick splitting and layering

Presets
_Over 500 preset programs, with space for 400 more
_Over 200 preset pattern sequences and 250 preset drum rhythms, with space for hundreds more
_Fully compatible with Ion programs.

The sounds are really good. Some are cheezy but great for tweeking and some are super amazing Powerhouse Sounds. My style is Ambient and General Electronica and it's totally amazing for my style. I have a Korg MS2000 and it's much better than the MS2000 shockingly.

It seems very solid and very dependable.

Never had to deal with em so I can't really say?