Andromeda today

[TOTAL]

Hi Andromedans, it's my first post here.

I have an oppportunity to buy a new A6 for 1600euro. I have several questions about it. I would appreciate any help/ advice.

Is it reliable? I read about bugs here and in other places. Do these bugs really make A6 stand out from other instruments? I mean, all of today's equipment is to a greater or lesser extent incomplete. What about Andromeda?

Is it durable (I mean in normal, careful maintenance). Do I have to get ready for expensive servicing?

As all analog devices it gets out of tune. Is it a serious problem? I have tested A6 in the shop and found an AutoTune button. Does it do the job well? How often is it necessary to correct the tuning?

A6 is multitimbral (16) and polyphonic (16). Can it handle this maximum no matter the preset settings? No voice stealing below that threshold?

How does Andromeda integrate with software sequencers, like Cubase SX3 or Nuendo? No sync or arp sync problems? I'm asking because I have had terrible problems with Virus TI.



Finally, are you happy that you have A6 or would you rather buy something else?


Many thanks in advance!

Tomek

[purpurkatten]

I bought the A6 for a whole lot more than the price you mentioned, and I admit I´ve had some second thoughts about my purchase. Here´s why.

- I must correct the tuning with the auto-tune almost everytime before I play. It´s a pain, but I´ve got used to it.
- It doesn´t integrate too well with a computer compared to a VST. I´m a noob when it comes to sysex and for me it´s been a headache every time to figure out the easiest things. The banker, http://www.mk2software.com/banker/forums.html, has helped a lot, though. On the other hand, the A6 won´t give me mouse arm, which VSTs give me all the time. (Beware of mouse arm, trust me.)
- So far it´s been reliable, but I´ve restarted the OS 2-3 times because it can hang, like when shutting down and opening it directly after. (Afterwards I realise I really didn´t have to restart the OS for that, I just had to wait a few more seconds before powering it up again. I guess I was just frustrated because I didn´t know what to do.)
- There aren´t too many people around the A6 forums, so it can take some time to get help, compared to other (cheaper) synths with a lot more following. But people on this forum have been friendly to me and I´ve got some valuable tips.
- The manual is OK, but I could really use some practical workshops with an expert to really get to know its secrets. There are som A6 FAQs around the net, but, rather than reading, I learn much quicker watching somebody in real life. I´m looking forward to the DVD from Rob Papen, http://www.robpapen.com/masterclass/dvd/ and hope it will help.
- I´m a noob when it comes to programming, and I´ve still just scratched the surface. The A6 is deep, and sometimes staring at it, scratching my head, it feels like looking down at an abyss.

I have had the A6 for a year now. I´m kind of a masochist, so I´ve tried dozens of the high end VST-synths (NI, Arturia, GMedia, etc) and the Virus, too, both before and after the purchase, to compare and figure out if I really should sell the A6. Not that I wouldn´t have things to spend that money on.

But I haven´t sold the A6. Why?

Simply because of the sound.

The A6 has so much more life than any other synth I´ve tried. (All the others I have tried have been digital synths, except the Moog Voyager, but it´s really no option for me, since it´s a monosynth and I´m too used with poly.)

So I figure, as long as it works, I´ll keep the A6. It has some warts, but there will be no other synth like it in the foreseeable future.

[TOTAL]

Hi klagga

Thank you very much for your answer.

I have mixed feelings. The synth is still very expensive for me, besides, it will not make me a composer. I still have a lot of things to learn: drums, composition, EQ, compression, etc. Virus TI was a distraction - it needed a lot of attention, was very capricious.

Now, when I left the shop after auditioning A6 I thought: "not a SINGLE sound that I liked!!!". This might be a matter of the presets, I read, but anyway..

What about tha analogueness of the sound - I more or less grasp the difference from the digital. But if I use a non-hi-end audiocard audiophile 2496 and a set of KRK RP5 monitors (mb comparable to Event5) - do I have a chance to hear the difference from VSTi...?

Don't take it for trolling, by no means! I just need to think aloud

Greetings

Tomek

[purpurkatten]

I use the same soundcard and, believe me, you hear the difference. You don´t need a highend soundcard for that. It´s not like hearing the difference between 96 and 192 kHz, it´s about hearing character or not.

But the A6 is a primadonna. You´ll have to give it the proper attention.

I can appreciate your situation, I´m pretty much in the same boat. I´ve got so much to learn, and so little time. I´m more of a musician than a technician.

Maybe you should start with an other, more user friendly, synth, maybe some VST (Analog factory, Absynth, etc), and get a better grip of what you really want. How big deal is the synth sound in your compositions? Do you really need it? Do you really tweak a lot? What about using samples? There are a lot of free VSTs and samples on the net. Try KvR for example, http://www.kvraudio.com/forums.html

Have you done some recordings of your compositions with VST-synths? If it sounds good, then don´t bother with the A6, and keep writing! Don´t waste too much energy looking for the perfect synth, it may disrupt your creative flow. Take it from someone who, in this case, knows what he´s talking about...

The A6 you´re thinking of buying isn´t the last specimen on the planet, you know. There will be more waiting for you when you´re ready.

[TOTAL]

That's probably right. Too heavy device for what I'm doing.

Can you give me a link to your music made with A6?

[purpurkatten]

[TOTAL]

Okay

Thanks for helping me out of the maze.

I've just rediscovered fm7.

[Soarer]

Hi Total

The Andromeda is precious! I just got mine in the beginning of January and I'm very happy with it The other day I went to the Virus Ti's forum and listened to all the fine sounds there. I like it's sound but I can easily hear that the Virus sounds much more digital and it doesn't have the warmth and fat timbre of the A6.

Actually it's been many days or maybe several weeks actually(!) since I have autotuned my Andy. When I turn it on it may be slightly out of tune but after the warm up time (10-15 min) it's in fine tuning again.

Did you go to http://www.wohmart.com/a6/audio/ ? Lot's of mp3's there of the many different presets that you can download. I went to that site long before I got the Andy and listened to the sounds. I knew that I was not going to use those sounds/presets since I'm making electronica/Idm but I could hear that the synth sounded very good and powerful and that there was a lot of possibilities with the synth.

Anyway take your time to find what you need. It seems the Andy is not going out of production yet. Have you tried the Zebra modular soft synth?
I think it has a great sound despite of being software. I think it sounds better than other soft synths including FM7. Try the demo:

http://www.u-he.com/zebra/

Good luck.

[TOTAL]

Yes, Zebra sounds great.

But I love the tweakability of FM7 when used with my borrowed Novation Remote. The latter has special pads to cover the panel with description od knobs for instruments, FM7 among them. This solution is not used by anybody else than Novation, I guess.

Okay, it's an Andromeda forum

[Soarer]

I wanna get a Remote SL myself.

Can you tell me if the drum trigger pads are 'ok' velocity sensitive, or if you have to tap pretty hard before it triggers?

[TOTAL]

I do not have the pads. This Remote25 (NB upgraded by its owner to X-Station) is an old one, without trigger pads. They are small, aren't they? I was wondering about getting a big drum pad. But I'll have to make tests if it really improves the feel.
I think a midi guitar might be a great tool for playing funky rhythmic drum parts.

Wow, this Zebra is really cool ! But I am testing it in tobybear VSThost, as it doesn't open in Cubase. This bug is mentioned in KVR Forum, hopefully gets resolved in v2.2.