Alesis QS8

Really easy to use for the most part, when you get used to the menus.
I haven't seen the manual so I can't comment on that.

Great features. I use it mostly live for its sounds and controlling other synth modules, so I don't need a workstation or onboard sequencer. The MIDI capabilities are there and work great. Has tons of expansion cards for various sounds. I don't care what you people say about their sounds, the classical card especially has some of the best synth samples I've heard

Amazing feel with this keyboard. I don't think I've felt a better keyboard other than a real grand. Sounds kick major ass. I've used just about every category from synth bass, piano, organ, strings, drums, and synth leads.

Only thing I'm concerned about is one certain rhodes patch I use fades in and out. If I turn off/on the Alesis, it is normal, but anytime I go to the patch from another w/o resetting it does this. Other than that, It's durable, heavy as hell, and built solidly enough.

Don't know. Hope I never need them from what I've heard.

The most important things to me are:
1.The great sound presets that can easily be altered to perfection
2.Great feel and ability to control other synth modules
For this it works perfectly and I have no complaints.

My QS8, purchased mid-1999, was very easy to use out of the box. Related sound groupings made searching for patches easy. For me, editing patches and mixes is another story, but I didn't purchase the QS8 for the synthesizer features (I leave those duties to my other boards and modules) - I needed a great feeling piano controller. For my hands, the QS8 played better than the Roland RD series, and I refuse to entrust my musical endeavours and activites on a gray plastic Korg or any Yamaha instrument, no matter how many voices, touchscreens, sequence tracks or megs of samples they contain. This is a great no-brainer digital piano hiding behind the mask of a synthesizer badging.

Wish the QS8 had 128 voices and more audio outputs, (and more User bank patch memory) but since I use it primarily as a "digital piano" the 64 voices work out nicely. Also it could use better MIDI implementation for splitting and channel control, but I make do without these occasional necessities just for the feel of the weighted keyboard. Effects/effect editing leaves much to be desired, so I opt for external processing. Another neat obscure feature: it opens-up easy with a single screwdriver, making on-the-spot repairs a breeze. Key replacement takes one minute with basic tools, assuming that Alesis/Numark can ship your part order within the next decade.

IMHO, the first two stereo piano waves are perfect for my purposes (neo-classical new age instrumental music) and some of the strings, patches and synth pads are very usable. But the rest of the resident sounds including most of the other piano waves are not much use to me, especially the rave, trance and percussion waves. The thought of having to rely on some of those sounds to build a 16-part QS8 Mix for my sequencer to rely on scares the shit out of me... so I opt for ofboard modules instead. Back to the piano action - true the QS does not offer an impressive, flexible synth engine, but the keyboard action makes it all worthwhile.

Can I depend on it? Without the proper tools, case protection and care, any keyboard will get fucked. Either get a nice SKB with wheels or an Anvil ATA case. A cloth bag or foam "porter" case will bring on a slow death for any keyboard. With the QS8, I offer a word of caution: place extra soft/thick foam padding in the case over the length of the key-bed to reduce key movement in transit. Case in point - I flew from L.A. to Seattle for a recording session, checking-in my SKB-encased QS8. On arrival, two keys (C5 and D5) were broken while in the case! The action is somewhat gravity-based like a real piano, so if two Roadies were to shake your QS8, you'll see your keys dancing about. Despite all this, I perform confidently with no back-up, but I make sure to pack a small toolkit and a tube of crazy glue just in case.

In the past, Alesis was a pleasure to order replacement parts. And to request service, just mail or deliver your instrument, and they'd take it from there. Nowadays, it's a whole different animal. When Numark purchased Alesis, their old policies and procedures went down the toilet. They refused to sell parts directly to customers! They recently overturned their policy and are letting customers purchase parts... but they're originating from a warehouse in Rhode Island or New Jersey, not from the old Alesis knowledgebase in Los Angeles. And unless you escalate your request up the Numark foodchain and make damn sure that they have your correct shipping address, expect your part in three months, perhaps longer. When I tried to replace my broken key (see last section) I had to wait MONTHS for any status on my order. After I was the recipient of an accusatory/screaming session from their Parts department staffer who blamed me for his ordering mistakes, a polite Numark/Alesis manager intervened and had my part shipped overnight. Word to the wise: when ordering Alesis parts, make sure they repeat your shipping address back and if necessary, be diligent in follow-up confirmations on your order: they'll make it happen... eventually.

Searching for a no-hassle MIDI piano/controller? IMHO an excellent piano action, some usable sounds and a rugged steel chassis, worth a try and should appeal to some keyboardists, but it's damn heavy and must be transported only in an ATA-rated case (SKB or Anvil). Aside from it's obvious drawbacks, I love playing it and even though I use other weighted action keyboards, I prefer the QS8's action over the rest. Replacement keyboard? I'd consider a weighted 88-key Roland XV-series keyboard but would get an old QSR module just to keep my favorite piano/string/synth waves on-tap.

I find my QS* to be relatively easy to edit patches and effects setups however i do recommend youknow how to re-initialize this one.

The action was originally very good on this board and the features i liked most were programmable pedals and outputs.

i really think the piano sound patch user 00 is the best especially when playing with A BAND(TUNING). The organ sounds arent the best but they work wll in the mix esspecially if youtweek the rotary effect and use the assighnable foot pedals for it. I didnt immediately warm up to the synth sounds but after playing with them for a little while i became comfortabe and play then regularly.

as far as reliability is concerned this board should stay home.I gigged with it 500 + times and i have seen some weird shit come out of this machine.my output amp is noisy. the keyboard is fatar and as another owner commented this is tragic, i mean at first it played very well but through wear and tear this board turned into crap i replaced the keybed after two years becausew ofg a weird ghost note issue. randomly this thing would be hauled off the stage only to finish the gig with an old faithful DX7.Right now my QS8is a good boat anchor. PS shes very sensitive to electrical power shes a finniky pain in the ASS.

well alesis got bought out and the word ive gotten about parts availibility is not good.im near the east coast and thats bad any repairs to be made would have had to go far away( i heard the atlanta authorized service will break it for you if it aint broke already.im taking my alesis to be serviced by a technician who knows alese digital output busse with a very large pot of coffe and i will pray.
keep your alesis off the road the steel chasis is not strong enough for the keyboard assembly or a real rock player with arms ive had rivits and welds in my chassis pop out as a resu7lt of normal wear and tear or can i just say lemon.

Basically, the QS8 is a keyboard for the beginning player (that's why I bought it). It is very easy to find sounds and to switch between them. Editing the sounds took me 5 minutes to figure out without the manual. A simple keyboard for the beginning player.

Personally, I think the action on this keyboard is very slow, almost like playing through mud. However, this is also coming from a guy who plays mostly upright pianos and Hammond organs, so if you are in to big Steinway grands, I'm sure you would feel at home. The expansion slots on the keyboard appear that they would make the keyboard more versatile, but unfortunately, the Q.cards are all made by Alesis and therefore have their sounds. The sliders and modulation wheels on the keyboard are designed to access the effects and it is quite easy to access them, just move the appropriate switch.

The sounds are bad. Most people think that at least the piano sounds are good, but in my opinion, I think they just sound too synthetic. The organs are the worst I have ever heard and the electric pianos aren't much better. Every sound on the keyboard has a fake and extremely synthetic sound which renders the keyboard almost useless in a studio setting and of limited use in a band setting.

The only plus that I have for this keyboard is it's reliability as it is built as solid as a tank and is about as heavy. I use it without a backup and have never had a problem.

If it were stolen, I would take my insurance money and buy a real keyboard, like a Korg Triton. The only sound I used this keyboard for was the piano, and recently I bought an old Yamaha CP-60 (the ones with the real strings) and it is ten times better than the QS8 for piano and also over ten years older. If you want the real sound, go with the original thing (like a B-3 or a Rhodes). Some digitals come close and are acceptable, but the QS.8 wasn't even in the ballpark. The only thing I can say is try it out, for it is certainly reliable, and if you think it sounds okay, then buy it (not for more than $500 used though).

Shame on me, I just played the presets. The presets in general are decent and usable. So that was obviously easy to use. Navigating presets is a joy. Nothing can be simpler. Using it as a master controller is also easy in the Mix mode. The manual is excellent.
The headphone volume is weak.

64 voice polyphony, 88-weighted keys, tons of onboard preset, ADAT optical output...they packed this thing with features. I used the old Pop Rock card, and it had phenomenal guitar samples.

I use the QS8 mainly for piano sounds in a live band. My biggest gripe is the number of button presses it take to transpose. They finally fixed it in the QS8.1 with the dedicated transpose button.

When I bought it in summer of '97, there was really nothing that could touch it in sheer number of usable sounds. The piano sound (Dark Piano is my favorite) is quite convincing when playing in a band, but lack body if in a studio session. String sounds are very lively and sizzling, but lack warmth. Brass sounds suck big time, especially solo intruments like trumpet and sax....better look elsewhere. Electric pianos are nothing to brag about (well, I use the Yamaha SY77, which excels in EP sounds). Organs are decent and quite usable. Drums sound get a C on the report card, considering it has lineage in the excellent SR-16 and DM-5. Synth sounds, especially leads, are excellent. The onboard effects are good, although on dense passages I've noticed clipping a few times. General MIDI sounds are pretty sad.

The main reason I bought the QS8 was to get an affordable 88-key weighted synth. Back in '97, nothing came close for the money. The keyboard action is fast, but I'm never able to control the expressiveness the way I want to. Could be the velocity curve, or maybe the fast initial travel. I don't know. I now play a Korg SG Pro X, and it's night and day. I can finally put feelings into every keypress.

I've always toted the QS8 in the SKB 76 key hardcase when on the road, and it's given me zero problems. Very well built keyboard (heavy gauge metal except for the hardwood endcaps.)

Never had to deal with Alesis for my QS8, but for other products, they were very accomodating.

Like I said, in 1997 it was hard to beat. But this is 2001, and there are many superior products out there (including ALesis's own QS8.1) Is it worth what I paid? Yes. I bought it new for $1400 out the door when it came out. Used it in countless shows. Never gave me trouble. Back then the only other "affordable" choice for me with decent piano sound was the Kurzweil PC88MX.

Would I buy it again? No, I recently sold it and got a Korg SG ProX, and I'm not looking back. But I do recommend it if you're looking for an inexpensive 88-key weighted synth with tons of sounds. If you're looking for the ultimate piano sound, look to the Roland RD600, Korg SG ProX, or Ensoniq ZR76. If you want the ultimate keyboard feel, this is not the one.

The presets are easy to access and the manual is relatively decent (by comparison to some that I've seen). Editing the patches is not exactly a joy, however, I've not tried using an external patch editor.

Keyboard action is spectacular. The built in effects sound very clean, although it took some work trying to figure out how to edit them. The Alesis Q-cards (especially the vintage keys card) add extra sounds easily. As a controller, it works exceptionally well. It also has expression sliders which are programmable to any number of functions so you can "edit" your sound on the fly.

Most of the instruments are usable and well suited to many different types of music. My only wish would be a more adjustable velocity curve. The sound defines this instrument. Spectacular.

I have had no troubles whatsoever with this instrument.

N/A. Haven't had to deal with Customer Support.

This instrument was worth every cent I paid for it. I've been playing for 24 years now and have used a multitude of pieces of equipment. While I am a purist of sorts and prefer to use a real piano or a real Rhodes piano, sometimes these options aren't realistic. The QS-8 makes a great substitute. The electric piano sounds are quite good (and it doesn't weigh nearly as much as a Yamaha CP-90 either!). I recommend this instrument highly.

I'm a sucker for knobs, but my goal when I originally bought this was to use it for jazz composition. The presets overall are good - excellent selection of guitar & piano, pretty good basses. Some of the synth sounds are pretty good, but overall they're pretty poor. The percussion selection, especially the various drumkits, are quite good. Nice selection of bells as well. Strings & horns, as one might expect, are pretty bad, except for some of the pizzicato presets. The GM sounds suck.

It's pretty straightforward, with regard to editing, but using buttons to flip through page after page is not intuitive in the least. I didn't edit very many patches at all, and was never able to figure out the included patch editor. The manual is quite thorough, though, and did help explain virtually everything. I also almost never edited the effects, mainly due to their poor sound. My biggest complaint about it is that is has NO resonance on the filter - why bother having a filter then?

Keyboard action is very good, confirmed by a couple of my pianist friends. Buil-in effects suck. Can accept expansion cards (can burn your own samples), but I never bothered. Has 4 sliders, 2 wheels and has aftertouch. However, none of that makes up for the so-so sounds and pain-in-the-ass editing. Best feature: uses a serial cable as direct midi connection to the PC.

If you are into regular sounds (and don't expect much out of string & horn patches), it'll work for you. I switched my focus to electronic music and got rid of it since it's uninspiring to me. Damn well constructed, though.

Did contact them when trying to figure out what driver to use to take advantage of the serial cable - informative and prompt.

Depends on what type of music you want to make. I sold it to a music therapist. If you're into electronic music, avoid it like the plague.

Manual is ok. Pretty easy in general to use, but that's not what sets the QS8 apart from the competion (more on that later).

I won't list off the features, but they all look very good on paper.
The QS8 is expandable via PCMCIA cards dubbed "Q-Cards" but the sounds on the cards are no better that the factory sounds, so what's the point?

Mmm K... I'm sorry if I offend anyone by saying that the Alesis has the worst sounds you can get in a keyboard that costs US$ 1500. I'll allow that the piano sound is decent, and a few other miscellaneous sounds are ok, like some the the analog synths. But especially the organs. If you know anything about how a real Hammond sounds, you'll be disgusted with the third rate reproductions that Alesis has incorporated into the QS8. Personally, I can't see how anyone in their right mind could say, "All the sounds on the Alesis are excellent." BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT. Seriously sit down with the Alesis and another keyboard (it really doesn't matter which brand, anything would sound better. hehe.) You will probably find that for the same price, you can get a Kurzweil PC88, or better yet a Korg N1. Both have 88 weighted keys and both have sounds which are many times better than the Alesis. One good thing it has: four sliders that control different aspects of the sound. These are very convientient, but with sounds not even worth tweaking...

It is dependable. I use this keyboard at twice per week in a band and it has not failed yet.

Never had to repair the unit.

It is not worth owning a keyboard with only a handfull of good sounds. If 99% of the sounds are worthless, so is the keyboard. In my humble opinion, try a Korg N1 (I own one, it is glorious, but I shouldn't sound biased) or a Kurzweil PC88.

I am currently not using any software. The Keyboars is farily easy to use one you dive into it. I use the Qs8 a couple times every week for our church service. I would not trade it for anything. I am not into editing the patches as i am usually the only keyboardist. The manual has had a lot of useful info.

I believe that this keyboard has everything that i will ever use (plus a few that i wont) I WOULD recomend this keyboard to a first timer. It has most any feature that anyone could want! I travel with this keyboard as well. It is very very well built!

Thank you Alesis!

I would have to say that the Alesis Qs8 has to have the best replicationj of sounds that i have ever heard! I use the keyboard with our church and there is nothing that holds a candle to the Qs8's flame! I dont use many of the effects but a few and they work very well. The keyboard reacts to the way that i play like none other.
Again thank you!

I have never had any trouble with my Qs8.

I would go without a backup but i dont because i work with youth. And if the Keyboard were to be knockd of stage or something you cant expect anything to stand up to that.

NEVER had to deal with Customer Support.

Dont have to deal with Customer Support when you have a product this good!

If anything happened to this Keyboard I would Prob. Upgrade to the Qs8.1 I have been playing for around 7 years. What do i love about it? That is simple, Everything!
It halps make music for me!

I purchased this Keyboard from my Grandfather, THANX Gramps
Would be happy to answer any questions that anyone has!

Generally very good; would be helpful to have ability to store frequently used patches in a single bank. Actually this is possible, though labor intensive. Editing patches is not a simple process, but there are plenty of on board sounds. A good keyboard for gigging-as light as 88 keys can be.

Great keyboard action; not a true piano action, but very quick and comfortable.

All in all, very good. The pianos, strings are excellent; the organs are good, not great.

I have mine for a 18 months, used 2-3 days a week, and have had no problems.

Have never had any reason to call.

Would definitely but it again. There is nothing else out there comparable for the same money