Alesis Micron

Not really a breeze cycling through the menus and everything. Thank goodness for the semi-shortcut key feature. If you hate menu editing, you'll definately have headaches with it. One control button does it all, warning: dont get this mother button spoiled, but surprisingly for a limited control, there are tons to edit. You just gotta dig and dig and dig..if u're fine with it, or go with the Ion, played once b4, its more control-friendly definitely. Not much of a difference but lackes versatility to this. But for the money, the Micron is a bargain. Cool pads and lead sounds, ive to say, not to forget the mediocre written manual..rather confusing sometimes, but something u cant live without.

An 8 voice poly for a little small machine..im not asking for more. Its as good as it seems. reverb/delay is a bonus nevertheless, very Lexicon like. Also the built in drum machine is pretty alright, not the very best of either.Its kinda troublesome tweaking to the desired tempo..as the setting is at one end or another when frequently tapping the tempo button. Twisting is required here. Makes me feel bad for the main control knob speaking of this. Keys are pretty comfy, rubbery and all. With the weight and size, its excellent as a midi controller...but should there be more buttons...nvm, im not complaining really. On board sequencer isnt the easiest to tackle, but given some time should be okay.

Like most reviewers have said, this is an analog synthesizer; you wont expect any realistic sounds from this machine. But the organ sounds seemed real enough though, give or take a few. Its particularly easy, it will seem to blend into the music you play, very versatile, flexible and sounds really fat.The 8 voice polyphony is enough here, kicks your head goody good. Mostly it would be a compliment to play with genres mostly techno (pretty much), IDM, but mostly technoish/dance music, ive to stress. Its ambient friendly too.Do take your time to edit the presents for more possibilities in tackling other kinds of music here.Could be a headache, i know. No point to get this thing for its presets, but its pretty enough however, to rely on em alone .Onboards' effects are just ok, not the very best

This synth will definitely be vital for gigging, recording, and other means of carrying around. Heck, i don't think i'll need a backup for this.

So far so good. Touchwood.

A good synth but not perfect. I might buy this again if its gone.

This thing is pretty simple to use once you learn to work the knob and use the keys as function buttons. The manual is a good help.

I wouldn't recommend the on board sequencer because it does not bring that much freedom compared to using a software sequencer connected via midi. I personally use logic. Polyphony is good. Built in effects are decent.

The reason I bought this was for the well rounded selection of sound. YES some sounds are very cheesy and digital sounding, yet some are very unique and have a nice warm analog sound. The DRUM selection is Outstanding! At first I thought the micro Korg would be a better buy, looking back that thing is a piece of crap.

This is the reason I'm writing this review. Here's the problem. Not very reliable. 2 months into owning it 1 key died. Sent it back, received it pretty quickly good as new. Now 7 months down the line 5 keys died. They did say that they will give me priority attention so lets see how it fans out.

Good Company. Dependable Service.

Its a very sleek portable unit great for use as a MIDI controller. Good sounds. However not guaranteed to work 24/7.

Some of the presets are really good, some really suck hard. Its a synth so your gonna program your own stuff anyway. As far as editing goes once you get the hang of the push the button / press a key / Turn a nob making changes to a preset is a pretty easy task, building a setup the one time I tried was a royal pain in the rear, but most of the time I will keep this thing in program mode and only use one part from this synth in my sequences. Manual isn't great but it ain't the worst one I have seen.

8 voice polyphony / 4 midi parts / Step sequencer and drum machine functions... If this is the only synth you own and your trying to do multi-track sequencing you aren't gonna be happy, but If you are adding the micron to a collection of synths, or soft synths for that matter, then this is not a bad little machine. As a sound source or as a second or third synth in a live set up, It is gonna be fine. The Keys fell good to. I went to my local guitar mart to try a because I wanted a small keyboard to set on my desk with my computer so I did not have to stretch out to the right to play when I am sequencing. I bought the Micron because besides sounding awesome, the keys felt better to me than the m-audio controllers they had.

The sound rocks. I already have a Microwave XT, a Motif 6 and a Roland JD-800. The Micron is a nice fit, the textures and basses are not as complex as the XT, but a lot more analog sounding. In the store they had a micro Korg and the Micron as there virtual analog selection. The micron was much better sounding than the korg IMHO. It sounds closer to the Idea in my head of what an analog sounds like. The drum machine mode is also a great function. I have wasted hours with this thing pulling up a rhythm set and letting the pattern go while I'll play other sounds on top of it. Couldn't think of a better way to waste time...:) Oh and by the way just as the microwave showed me how weak the wavetable synth is reason really is, the micron has showed me how the analog model in reason sucks too. Long live hardware!!

Well i don't gig so it well spend the rest of its life in my home studio. It seems as though it will hold up pretty well....the pitch wheel isn't really smooth, but it fells hefty. The whole thing has enough weight where It doesn't move while I play it and the top and bottom fell like they are made of metal, so it should live for a long time. So far no software or control issues at all.

There web site is just OK, but haven't needed to contact support support yet. Holding my opinion on these till I need to talk to them.

If I wore robbed, I would hope they would take this and leave me Waldorf XT Rack Alone!!! Actually I would most likely replace it.
Its fits my need for a small controller, and is a pretty good synth.
I guess I am moving in reverse of the rest of the world, but I am saving my change and buying hardware to recover from the attempt to move to an all software setup. For $400 bucks this was a great way to add more possibilities to my rig. I don't think $400 is that bad when I think that my new project to re-cable my entire setup is going to cost more than that.

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