Novation XioSynth

There is no written manual to speak of, but the synth is relatively simple to use once you get the hang of it. The few presets that I was able to test before the unit went haywire seemed ok, although there seems to be quite a lot of silly sfx-type patches.

The keyboard action is just horrible, and the unit feels overall very plastic and cheap. The keys have a completely different feel depending on the position on the keyboard. The pitch bend doesnt center correctly and is imprecise. The general build quality is awful.

I had to have mine replaced already once because of faulty assembly, and the second one went haywire after only about 15 minutes of playing. I really would recommend people to stay away from this piece of crap.

The few sounds that I was able to test seemed nice for the price.

Absolutely not. Reliability of this unit is zero.

I got the first xiosynth replaced without problems, the jury's still out on the second one.

I deeply regret that I bought this synth, it really has to be the worst piece of garbage I have ever used. I really would recommend people to stay away from this piece of crap.

The Xio offers 14 knobs and 22 buttons for patch editing and tweaking goodness. It's fast and easy to program, and the menu system offers other editing possibilities, which are quick and easy to access.

They keyboard feel is semi-weighted, a rarity among modern synthesizers with a nice feel.

Good news is that it has 10 voice polyphony, not 8 as many reviews have stated. Novation has verified this and any Xio owner can prove it by playing 10 notes before cutoff occurs.

The built in tweakable effects are of the same quality as most Lexicon effects - very high. The chorus is fat and sweet, the verb is spacious and warm, etc.

Arpeggiator has many options and really helps this keyboard to shine, including random, the standard up, down, up/down, as well as chord. Nice!

What sets the Xio apart from the competition is the sound quality. Although it has excellent programming capability similar to many modern synths, the sound is much more warm, lush, sparkling and punchy than every analog modelling synth I've tried/heard, including the Alesis Ion, all Rolands, all Korgs, Virus, and even the analog Prophet '08 (which I bought, tried and returned, as the Xio had superior sound editing and less harsh sound quality) although the Yamaha AN1X is in the same high quality league as the Xio. There are sound snippets here to prove the point: http://www.synthmania.com/xiosynth_25.htm

This is the best sounding synth I've heard in the last 20 years - similar in timbre to a mid-80s DCO based analog synth. Clean, sweet, warm and punchy. This is a synth similar to the greats of the 70s and early-mid 80s.

Very reliable, I even dropped it and the knobs are designed to pop off rather than break off, and can be popped back on and are secure. Nice touch.

For any price, this synth has the sweetest/punchiest sound I've heard of all the analog-modelling synths. If you like the sound of warm, punchy analogs with sweet highs (such as Roland mid-80s synths), this one is similar, but with much more programmability options to create modern and future sounds. The fact that I got it for under $300 is amazing - I would have paid $2000 for it as it sounds better than other synths in that price range.

i wont say that the xio is "easy" to use because of the fact that most of the features are hidden deep in a menu which causes a lot of frustration when trying to program patches, after about a year of fiddling with knobs and buttons to reach simple paramaters i gave up and reverted back to software as this was my first hardware synth that i bought. and it fact it kind of put me off the idea of hardware synthesizers for a while, however as a midi controller and an audio interface the xio has served its purpose in this side quite well although after a few months i started noticing a large amount of noise when i turned the main volume knob, i got myself a protools mbox system soon after and the xiosynth ended up simply bieng a midi controller. i cant stand to try and program this synth and programming patches from scratch has always been my thing, its painful to use as a synth, easy to set up as a midi and audio device via usb.

ive never had issues with polyphony running out but mainy because as i said i gave up with the actual synthesizer, it has built in effects that can all run at the same time, including delay, reverb,distortion, phaser/chorus and some limited panning modulation and a 2 3 band equalizer, all the effects are realy limited and sound rather useless to me.

the arpeggiator is up to scratch actually in my opinion and the x-gator feature is useful but a pain to program,

no midi in but there is a single midi out which dosnt bother me,

the pitch stick and mod stick bores me
and the x-y pad is the most irritating thing ive ever had to deal with i remember programming patches and the brushing against the pad with my arm and id have to go and reset the filter and resonance amount to what i had it to before.



when it comes to the actual synthesizer all the features are there, its got 3 oscillators, the simple waveforms,1 filter,2 lfo's, a modulation and amp envelope, nothing special but nothing missing, its all there deep in a menu.

ive gotten better sound out of my washing machine, im the type of person who hates presets simply because i didnt program them, not that theres any preset on the xio that makes my hair stand up and makes me envious but i find the unison dosnt seem to fatten things up enough, the way the filter sounds, theres no warmth. that kind of depth that you expect from hardware just isnt there. as i said the oboard effects arent realy good, and seem to just drown everyhing away. low marks here!

ive never realy had any issues technically with xiosynth its kind of always done what its meant to even if it dosnt do it to well.

ive never had to deal with them

if it were stolen my consciouns would be clear of the fact that its sitting around bieng neglected, and simply no i would never buy it again. its worth what i paid i guess, i wasnt realy expecting this synth to amaze me considering the price, however i was dissapointed with the sound. i dont own other gear but as i said i get better sound of my washing machine.

i guess i enjoyed its neat small compact appearance however using the thing is a different story.

it never helped me make music i ended up sticking to software synths.

ive done a lot of research for my second synth and ive planned on getting a clavia nord rack 2x simply because theres no built in effects i realy find that they get in the way. and also because of the simple laid out interface.

its a budget synth...does pretty much everything however dosnt do it well. i dont reccomend this for someone thats just getting into synthesizer, however i also dont reccomend it for the experienced user...so i guesss i simply dont reccomend it.

The Xio is a very easy synth to learn to use and is perfect for beginners. There are 200 presets, though I wouldn't recommend using them for editing beyond the basics such as filtering, waveform and effects, as many of them have very fancy combinations of the synth's various features. This being a VA synth, however, means editing presets is very simple and easy - all you have to do is turn a knob, and you've edited the preset. There is an "init" patch (found at patch 199) which I would recommend for creating sounds from scratch.

The synth has a row of knobs at the top for tweaking parameters, with each knob controlling two different parameters, easily switchable by pressing a button which lights up an LED on either row of parameters. This can be a bit annoying as you will often have to keep pressing the button to edit different parameters.

The manual is very complete in terms of the features of the synth; however, it is very lacking in synth basics, which can make it very difficult for a beginner to learn the different features.

The synth's features are very complete considering its affordability, including 3 oscillators, a filter, two LFOs, three envelope generators, an arpeggiator, gate sequencer, and six different effects. I have never had any problems with polyphony; indeed, in some cases where you are using very thick and fat sounds, you will be better off setting the synth to monophonic mode to prevent the modulation on different notes from clashing with each other.

The analog modelling oscillator waveforms include the basic saw, square/variable pulse, triangle, sine, various types of noise, and various other waveforms such as an organ, a harpsichord, electric piano and Rhodes piano. They can be set to unison, synced to each other and used for frequency modulation (FM) and ring modulation. Of course, they can also be individually fine-tuned by up to +-50 cents and coarse-tuned by up to +-12 semitones (1 octave).

The single resonant filter can be set to either low-pass, high-pass or band-pass mode with keyboard tracking and modulation from either the modulation envelope or the LFO.

The Xio has two LFO's, one of which is set by default to modulating oscillator pitch, and the other of which is set to modulating filter frequency. However, they can also be set to modulate other parts of the synth, such as pulse-width modulation amount, FM amount and the pitches of each individual oscillator. The LFO waveforms include sine, triangle, saw, square, random/stepped sample and hold, crossfades, scales (major, mode, chromatic) and various others.

The Xio has three envelopes, one of which controls amplitude, with another controlling modulation to oscillator pitch, PWM and filter frequency, and the third controlling FM amount among others.

The six effects comprise delay, reverb, chorus, distortion, EQ and panning modulation. Delay, reverb, chorus and panning in particular may be synced to the MIDI clock.

The Xio can be connected to a computer using USB, which also acts as a power source. This is very convenient as it eliminates the need for a MIDI interface. It also has an external audio input and a mic input which allows it to act as a basic audio interface. However, it lacks MIDI-in and MIDI-thru jacks. It can be powered by either USB, an external power source (via power supply) or an internal battery.

The Xio is an analog modelling synth, and it is therefore most useful for creating analog-style sounds, although it also has an FM feature which gives it significantly more flexibility than a genuine analog synth. However, despite having three oscillators, the Xio often requires large amounts of chorus and delay to produce a full, warm sound, which its oscillator unison feature often fails to thicken. It can, however, produce anything from very warm and atmospheric analog pad sounds to punchy basslines and aggressive leads, and therefore is highly versatile in these terms.

As I've never used a genuine analog synth, I can't exactly compare the two; however, the filter on the Xio is relatively weak and lacks the warmth of genuine analog filters, which is perhaps its biggest shortfall.

The onboard effects are very complete, in particular the delay, chorus and pan, and I often use them to thicken the Xio's sound, which the oscillators don't exactly accomplish.

As I'm not a keyboard player, velocity and aftertouch aren't exactly important to me; however the keys respond very well to my playing and has a variety of different velocity curves. I tend to play softly, and the default velocity curve suits me very well.

I've had some technical problems with the Xio, in particularly concerning its compatibility with the Intel chip on my laptop. This doesn't seem to be a problem with the Xio or its driver, however.

The other major technical problem I had was with the synth's tuning, which surprisingly fluctuated noticeably (by around 50 cents, I late figured by playing around with the fine-tuning) as I played on the keyboard. This problem gradually disappeared; to date I still have no idea what caused it or how it miraculously managed to fix itself. This being a digital synth, I wasn't very impressed by its unstable tuning.

I've had to contact customer support numerous times due to the technical problems I've had. Fortunately, their support is friendly, helpful and quick to reply, although they did have a few problems themselves with solving the technical problems I had.

The Xio is a huge bargain for the number of features it has. At its price tag of just over US$300, it's self-contained with more features than I could ask for, can produce an immense variety of sounds for various genres of electronic music, and is more than useful for my music project, being the only commercial synth I use. It is a great value for money and a great synth to use when on a budget.

Not reliable. Had some difficulty maintaining in key.

Plan on having a back-up

Totally non-responsive! Their 'server crashed' three times in two weeks. Had a complete power failure - likely a short inside the device. Novation tried to force me to send the synth back through the vendor for what is clearly a warranty issue.

Would buy something else if given the opportunity

It has a little bit of a learning curve to it. The layout isn't exactly the most intuitive. But as far as on the spot tweaks go, everything you could want to do or need is accessible.

As with all of these keyboards, the presets are always lame and gimmicky. They're not ever useful so much as they are really just there to show off all of the bells and whistles you'll never use.

Editing patches is easy once you learn. And the manual isn't so bad.

It's got 10 note polyphony in it's modeling. That's pretty freakin' sweet for a keyboard of it's size.

It has some built in effects, such as reverb and delays... But the parameters to customize these effects are pretty weak, and they don't sound all that great to begin with either.

It also functions as a two input recording interface...So when you're given the option to get a usb recording interface for $149, or a usb recording interface with a midi keyboard with analog synth modeling on it for $100 more, you shouldn't have to think about it too long. BTW, it also has phantom power on it for condenser mics. Not the greatest mic pre-amps in the world, but perfect for demoing.

It has midi out, but not a standard midi in unfortunately. However, you can send midi in through the USB interface on it (which it can also be powered by). So not that big a deal.

As far as the sounds are concerned.... Here is where everyone bumps heads. Let me explain:

Having built some of my own analog synth gear (modular components), I can speak knowledgeably and truthfully as to the differences between analog and digital wave generators. They are EXACTLY THE SAME!!!! An oscilloscope doesn't lie. Tests of both modular gear and this xiosynth proved to be indistinguishable to both the scope and more importantly, my ears. There weren't really any major artifacts in either, other than some noise floor.

Where the two worlds collide is the analog vs. digital FILTER!!! This is where the magic happens in my opinion. A DCO going to an analog VCF will sound identical to a VCO going to a VCF. However, the same cannot be said about the opposite. A VCO to a DCF sounds just as bad as a DCO to a DCF.

Just about every DCF I have ever heard sounds unnatural, with the exception of the Virus stuff. This is because of whatever algorithm they're using to sweep through the frequency range and the number of ticks in the rotary encoder. It is never a smooth sweep, and it never sounds right to my ears. However, it isn't all that terrible. It just still doesn't touch the real deal.

This keyboard does lack aftertouch that it's big brother, the x-station has. If I had to do it again, I would have bought the x-station instead.

Hasn't quit on me yet. But it is made of plastic. Seems like it could be prone to damage if not babied. However, my bandmate has an x-station he's used with bass foot pedals for a few years now with no issues at all.

I love this thing for all of it's functions. It's small, useful, and sounds good as a modeling synth. I can't complain in the least. The number of functions it has for the price was fantastic.

I'm running the latest OS for this unit--or at least the latest from what I can tell :) The presets on this synth are quite good. I was honestly pretty shocked when I ran through them. Good sonic quality, and this synth does a great job at emulating that analogue sound. All I can say about the sounds is they're PHAT PHAT PHAT! Editing patches is so easy on this unit. There are 11 knobs on the little panel of this synth and they all have mulitple functions. There are also 11 buttons with numerous functions under those knobs as well. What I really like is that that if you turn a knob it doesn't JUMP to the setting like some other synths. If you have a knob set at 64 and switched functions to use the same knob for another controller function.., if the knob was set at 127 for that controller and you went back to the previous controller the sound won't be affected until the knob reaches the original position of 64. GREAT FEATURE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The manual I can't really comment on yet. It's a PDF on disc. There's a Quick Start Guide, but I haven't even used it. This synth is not hard to figure out. I think it has a logical layout.

Poly on this unit IS NOT 8! That's a misprint because the poly is really 10 notes. WOW 10 freakin notes on this little thing! That really make for some THICK patches. The keyboard action isn't too bad. It's supposed to be semi-weighted, and I have to say it does feel like a semi-weighted keybed. Not the best one I've used, but it's got a little weighted action to it. Upon return the keys have a litte buzz to them, but nothing to be alarmed about at all. The keys are touch sensitive, but do not have aftertouch. There are also several velocity settings to tailer them to your style of playing. It has several effects and what's really crazy is they ALL can be used at the same time and adjusted separately for each OSC. The effects also have parameters you can adjust as well. Midi is VERY GOOD. After all this isn't just a synth, but also a full blown midi controller. Midi options are very good. There are numerous temps to use and you can make your own. There is no sequencer, but it does have the XGator function that allows you to program some cool rhythmic movements for the patches. This Xio is also an audio interface! How cool is that :) There is even a mic jack with Phantom Power. Oh I almost forgot.., there was one HUGE feature left off on this synth. I consider it huge because it's a double featured unit as it functions as a synth and midi controller. There is only ONE midi jack on the synth. It only has MIDI OUT, and does not have a MIDI IN jack. It would be nice to have the option of using a larger keyboard to control the sounds of the Xio. This thing also ships with some software to get you started too.

If you're looking for acoustic emulation DO NOT BUY THIS SYNTH! This IS NOT for those types of instruments. This keyboard is designed to simulate the sound of an analouge synth. This unit will work well for many styles. Especially in the electronica genre. This will also work for rock and metal as there are some killer synth leads you can program. The effects are pretty good. Nothing stellar, but they get the job done. It reacts to my playing very well. The velocity settings are easy to adjust too.

I'm sitting on the middle of the fence on this subject at the moment. The keys are great, body is plastic, but it's a small synth, sockets and connections feel secure, BUT the knobs raise some serious concerns for me. Those knobs can pop of with very little pressue. I've read reviews about this and tested it out, and with the lightest upward pressure on a knob POP! The SOB came right off in my fingers. THAT IS A PROBLEM FOR ME! These knobs don't sit deep on the posts, rather they sit shallow which is why they pop off so easily. I have every intention of using this in my set up, but I'm going to contact Novation and order a pack of replacement knobs. With regular gig use one is bound to pop off.

Haven't tried customer support yet, but I will be contacting them to order some spare knobs.

Overall I'm very pleased with this little synth. I'm blown away at how many features Novation packed into this synth! People were complaining about wanting more knobs ect..., but I say what the hell are they crying about. This is a 25 key synth. How much room do some of you think Novation is working with here. On the panel this little synth has 23 buttons 14 knobs, pressure pad, joystick, and an LCD screen. They squeezed all of that on a 25 keys unit!!!!! I think they did very well working with a VERY LIMITED SPACE. I love the sounds on this unit. The presest are great, but you don't buy this puppy soley for the presets. It's a synth and those little knobs and buttons are there for you to create your own patches. I compared this to the MicroKorg and the Ion. I personally think this little synth is better than both the Korg and Alesis. The only thing it doesn't have compared to the others is a vocoder. My only wishes were that the knobs were more secure and that it had a MIDI IN jack.

Ok, I've had the Xiosynth 25 for about 4 weeks now, I have to say, I absolutely love this thing!!!
I'll say, downright honestly, that this isn't the easiest piece of equipment to use. There are alot of parameters amongst a lot of sub-menues, but once you figure out the few tricks to pull them up, editing a patch becomes a breeze.
Some of the pre-sets on here are quite usable right out of the box, some need a little personal editing, but doing so isn't a problem.
One thing i would suggest, Novation may wish to include a hardcopy manual (they only include a CD-ROM tutorial, and my computer is in bad condition) but it is easily available for download from the Novation website.

The features on this thing are immense! Just take a look at whats listed on MusiciansFriend.com! There are multiple built in effects, an 8 key polyphony (which can be set to monophonic) 3 different oscillators, 2 LFOs, an Arpregiator, AND a sequencer! It can be used as a MIDI controller, a Synth, or BOTH!

There are multiple controls allowing you to adjust velocity, aftertouch, breath, release, decay, sustain etc.
I use my XioSynth in an experimental rock band, in various ways. I can see the Xio being used in practically any genre.
The sounds are great, and even greater when you control them to your liking!

Hasn't failed me so far! I do plan on gigging with this in the near future, and I would definitely replace it if lost or Stolen.

Haven't dealt with them yet, so far so good!

I love this thing, it's like my new baby! I'm using it as much as possible in my band. I've been playing bass for 7 years, now adding the synth, and i love it! For a long while I had a major interest in buying the MicroKorg, then about 2 months before I bought this it was shown to me by our producer in the studio and I was instantly convinced that this is what I needed!

I use mine with a macbook running Logic Studio. Plugged it in, selected xiosynth in the prefrences - sorted. Truely plug in and play.

As for the synth - What a pain in the ass! I hate having to trawl through menus and this is the worst interface I've encountered on a synth. For me it's laid out very illogically. If it was my primary sound source I guess i would have spent some more time with it but I luckily have a number of other synths to turn to.

Other reviews here sum this up pretty spot on. I'm using it as a midi controller on stage and as an audio interface + controller at home.

Normally I would have to lug my live rack up to my studio, patch everything in - nightmare. with the xiosynth I can just set up my macbook powering it off usb and plug straight into my monitors - It's a godsend. Truely portable.

I have been recommending Xiosynth to all my friends looking to get a setup together. Awesomely flexible

Not the best keyboard in the world , and the knobs are a bit too bunched and fiddly for my liking - but considering what you get for the price this is to be expected.

The onboard sounds vary - some are excellent but I feel it has a very "shiney" feel to it. It seems very good for Nu skool breaks and ubermodern dance genres.

I gig regularly with it and have had no problems. It is a bit flimsy though - certainly not built for stage.

When I first bought it middle B didn't work. Novation sent me a replacement straight away.

If it were lost or stolen I'd probably buy the xiosynth 25 model for use at home and get an Akai MPK49 for stage use. It's really not good for regular live use but then Im only using it as a replacement cos my old edirol controller got trashed. but it's certainly worth the ??169 I paid for it - bargain of the week.

I've been writing music for 8 years and gigging regularly for the last 4 years. Between me and other band members we use: Macbook + PCs running Logic studio, Reason 4, NI Komplete, Sonar 6
Roland Jupiter 8, Jen sx1000, Yamaha RMX1, EMU E5000 Ultra, Korg Ms2000, Edirol FA101 Audio Interfaces.

Ok, honestly you need to get used to it - but, that's the way it is with any new synth. Just considering of what they packed into this little box it's definatly no wonder that you have to step through the sub-meues. But, exacactly thats what makes this machine so incredible. It looks so innocent, but actually it's a rocket.
I gave it a 6 because yes, if you want to get to the details it needs some getting used to, but if you just want to use the presets, recording and controllers it's as easy as apple pie.

All the way up there!!! Come on, is there anything else out there that has all these features in one little keyboard and that for THAT price??? Ofcourse, the keys aren't the best, but hey, it's not a digital piano. Some wrote you can not play more than 8 notes at a time. Well, I only got ten fingers and anyway there are only 25 keys. And with sounds that fat I don't think you need more than 2.
It has a MIDI out and what for should it have a MIDI in. It's fully controllable via music software over USB.
The patches are preset to most DAWs, but you can also set your own.
The arpegiator and the x-gator are just the cherries on top.

It was not built to sound like any acoustic instrument. Probably its use is more for Industrial, Trance, Experimental and such sorts. It does remind me of some older analog synths, yet surprises with absolutly new sounds too. Sharp like a razor and smooth and warm like warm milk with honey.
The built in effects are useable.
One thing for sure, this synth is NOT static. It's versatile depending on the user.

Have not had it long enough. Though I am pretty sure it's gonna be around for a long time.
The reliability to power it up via USB (even using a USB to power outlet transformer - which I've tried), or the supplied pcu, or using batteries makes sure this baby stays on.

Quick customer support. Used it twice and within a day I got answers.

I would definatly buy this one again if it were lost, stolen or even if it would break down on me. (Unless something better comes out - which I doubt for now).
I've benn playing keys for 30 years now (OH MY GOSH, time passes by f***ing quick) and have a small collection of synths over this time period. Just since about a year now I invested into "modernising" my setup from an old ATARI running on cubase to an IBM laptop running LIVE 7 - and I must say it looks like I can throw my old synths away now (just joking). But honestly, all I need now to make, record and produce music is in reach of my finger tips: XIOSYNTH and a good computer with an awsome sofware.
This synth (or whatever you may call it) is an all-in-one box and even more.