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sunny pedaal
Joined: Nov 16, 2004 Posts: 735 Location: netherlands
Audio files: 12
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 1:35 pm Post subject:
bugs and wishes Subject description: what NOT to expect from your andromeda |
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lots of questions and uncertainties excist regarding the A6 andromeda.
in this respect it seems to be helpfull to not only read the manual and tips and tricks document carefully, but to also know what not to expect from this very nice synth.
alesis/ numark seems to be unwilling to solve excisting bugs / upgrade the software / give other people the opportunity to do so / even react to letters and other demands of longtime product-users.
seems we'l have to live with it so, hereby a comprehended list of most shortcomings. hope it helps people to get round easier with this machine
sunny
( follow buglist and wishlist a6)
Bug #1
Title: Square wave duty cycle bug
Description: A setting of 52 is currently the true 50% duty cycle,
rather than 50.
Bug #2
Title: Portamento tracking on unison voices
Description: When using portamento (normal mode) on a mono patch with
unison (2) turned on, it seems that only 1 voice is affected - the other
seems to jump right up/down to the destination pitch. Switch port mode
to 'chord', it works as I expected normal to. Is this a bug?
(checked, however not found on my A6)
Bug #3
Title: VCO Pitch slide
Description: When a note is triggered, the Osc audibly "slides" up to
the new pitch, even with fast engine settings.
Can be reproduced:checked, depends on engine settings and
tuningsettings,therefore to me, no real bug, always could get some extra
attention though -
Bug #4
Title: Sequencer hangs while using the sustain pedal.
Description: Using sustain pedal and sequencer concurrently causes stuck
notes until the sustain pedal is depressed again.
Bug #5
Title: Dropped NOTE OFF events in MIX mode when using external sequencer
Description: Notes stick on a midi sequencer with the A6 in mix mode
logic or cubase.
Bug #6
Title: No polyphonic aftertouch from MIDI input
Description: Described as working in the manual, but not implemented.
Bug #7
Title: "Klicky" envelopes
Description: It is almost impossible to create fast and deep bass sounds
without an audible "klick" sound.
Can be reproduced:when minimum attacktime of 6ms, no problem, therefore
to my opinion,"maybe" bug!, sunny -
Bug #8
Title: Corrupt patch in edit buffer requires a soft reset.
Description: Inadverently loading a bad patch into the edit buffed
causes the synth to crash. Power cycle causes an endless booting loop.
Power cycle after a 10 second wait will sometimes clear the problem. At
other times a soft reset is required.
Bug #9
Title: Audible artifacts in PWM
Description: The status of this as a bug is arguable. Using PWM of any
sort creates audible quantization noise or low freqency digital hash in
the output. Easily heard on the factory preset patch PULSE STRINGS or
most patches with PWM enabled. This problem renders all PWM capabilities
of the synth unuseable IMO. Sounds like a crappy VA.
Problem exists whether PWM is being modded from an LFO, a looping
envelope or an external pedal.
Problem can be somewhat worked around using external HPF. Or using
another synth altogether. Can be reproduced:checked,for this reason a
verysmooth lfo/pwm engine setting has been developped with hardly
noticable difference,fm of pw seems to work better, should get a renewed
attention, sunny
Bug #10
Title: Screen redraws getting dropped
Description: Under certain circumstances, the display does not refresh
when switching to another page. I will try to find a scenario when this
can be consistently reproduced. Low priority.
Can be reproduced:too little info provided therefore couldn't be
(checked, maybe its a result of high processor usage whereby the screen
rightfully doesn't get prioriy, sunny)
Bug #11
Title: Fast filter settings noise on key release
Description: the midrange "grating" or "metallic" noise that can be
heard on key release using bass patches with fast filter settings, e.g.
the Venus Bass patch. the same noise is also apparent in many
high-pitched string patches.
Comments: is this not the PWM problem? - mschultz. perhaps, but it
happens even with PWM disabled - chris.pickett
Can be reproduced:checked, wonder if i mean the same noise/ sound as
you, in my case it dissapeared when the release times where set to a
value of 10ms or bigger(which is a bit long i admit), sunny
Bug #12
Title:AUTOTUNE
Description:autotune doesn't work well enough due to hardware/chip
quality, differences often are too big, manualadjustment possibility of
single oscillators would be neccesary( and spare chip/soundboard
replacements)! maybe user definable savable tuningtables would also do
the trick.
Bug #13
Title:releasevelocity
Description:release velocity depending on attackvelocity, specifically,
if struck a note softly, no possibility of release velocity is left, the
two should be uncouppled, b.e. by always letting releasevelocity start
from a standard(127)value and then react depending on the speed of
releasing the key
Bug #14
Title:delay
Description:when fiddling around for some minutes with the envelops and
especially the delaytimes of them , the following happens: delay of
envelope 3 only works propely when also delay on envelop 1 and 2 is set
on times that are bigger then that of the delay of envelope 3 , although
logical in some ways, it's annoying, limiting and unneccesary in most
Bug #15
Title:up/down buttons when saving
Description:when saving a patch in the list, and wanting to select the
place where to save to, the up/down buttons act the other way round (
espec.down instead of up and vise versa)
Bug #16
Title:pw reset
Description: the the wavelevel of the pulse is reset to 50 when changing
the button from on to out and on again, this is inconvenient
Bug #17
Title:Cannot send program data via sysex to edit buffer
Description:When sending a sysex message with opcode 2 (i.e. F0 00 00 0E
1D 02 <editbuf#> <data> F7) the A6 should place the received program in
it's edit buffer. The A6Helper application, written for Alesis, requires
this and the program author's documentation written on behalf of Alesis
suggest this function should work. It does not.
Bug #18__
Title: diverse / 2. objects selected from previous lists
Description: 1 NORM2 envelope mode that's referred to in the manual but
has never functioned differently from NORM1..... number 2. Envelope
Re-triggering/ Implementation of envelope re-triggering in mod-t/g mode
(wishlist)
1) Polyphonic aftertouch response from MIDI Input
2) Random Patch generator (maybe with limitations on VOL. etc)
3) Knob "fine tune" option to have more gradual parameter changes
4) Sequencer "Latch" mode
5) Random Arpeggiator mode
6) When in MONO mode (high/low/last) "note priority" setting
7) Keyboard HOLD function
Send MIDI notes from ARP or SEQ
9) Sync delays to Tempo
10) "Step Entry" on SEQ
11) Portamento time knob should respond to changes while a note is held
down (right now a note retains the original portamento time from when
the key was first pressed, ignoring knob input until the next keypress)
12) Polyphonic FM
13) modulation of the effectparameters, like on" the wedge"
14) split hold for the ribboncontroller
15) being able to adress the mod's of the envelopes and lfo-mod's as
controlroutedestination
16) possibility to retune the 12 keys of an octave to different scales
17) to mark the steps of the sequenzer as it's playing, to know where it is
1 Auto-sync to midi clock. (Having the internal clock automatically
sync to
MIDI without having to set it to sync or manual)
19) handling of 4 MB SRAM card
20) Random Patch Generator
21) LED Knobs as Sequencer Use the 8 multi led/knobs as a TR-style
sequencer (the hardware is there!) 16-64 steps
22)Zero Reference Point Option for Ribbon
wherever you first touch it is "zero" and you can modulate up or down
from there
23) Ribbon Controller as Trigger Ability for programs to use ribbon
controller (any value > 0) as trigger, instead of keyboard
24) LFO Speed Up LFO speed up, the silly mode for fast lfo mods and
halving the voice numbers for speed issues
25) Mod Page One page where you could see all modulations at work in one
patch
26) Knobs Range Knobs range can be shifted or when you select a button
you can use the ribbon for fine adjustment
27) Change Default Presets ( make custom default patch and save it)
2 Toggling Between( se;ected) Pages
29) Pot Values Also helpful for live would be a function where I could
set the value when the pots react. Now it's just when you go through the
original value or otherwise when you "breathe" at the pot
30) FineTune? Mode A fine tune mode while changing values with whatever
knob (like shift-turn a knob will give smaller steps)
31) Sostenuto Pedal Sostenuto pedal (pedal does not affect notes turned
on *after* sustain pedal is pressed, only ones being held when pedal is
pressed)
32) increase sequencer steps number
33)increase arp programmability
34) Correctly save/load Mix + associated patches via sysex
35) more curves selectionable for aftertouch and velocity responds
36) real time record for sequencer
37) filter FM to be set separately .. so no offset of FM on filter 2 but
a real OSC FM amount to filter
38)Operate at all even divisions of BPM, only within a reasonable range
of course (40bpm-200bpm) but everything from 1 to max would be nice
39) a "Vegas mode" - where all the lights flash randomly on the front |
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sunny pedaal
Joined: Nov 16, 2004 Posts: 735 Location: netherlands
Audio files: 12
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 1:57 pm Post subject:
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ian-s
Joined: Apr 01, 2004 Posts: 2669 Location: Auckland, New Zealand
Audio files: 42
G2 patch files: 626
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Posted: Sun Nov 20, 2005 2:51 pm Post subject:
Re: bugs and wishes Subject description: what NOT to expect from your andromeda |
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sunny pedaal wrote: | 39) a "Vegas mode" - where all the lights flash randomly on the front |
Like a memorymoog, great idea. |
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nickelodeus
Joined: Aug 28, 2005 Posts: 26 Location: London UK
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Posted: Sun Dec 04, 2005 6:20 am Post subject:
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Hey guys!
I don't know whether this is a bug....or just my A6 (which incidentally seems to have a whole load of problems). When I edit the DFX....I scroll through the different fx options using knob 8......the small display above the knob changes accordingly but the main fx display stays the same AND the fx don't change!! However, I can get it to change sometimes if I turn the knob back and forth quickly....!!
I got my A6 direct from Alesis/Numark in the UK..so I called them up and talked to my contact there and told him about this problem and another one where the A6 hangs and enteres a constant re-boot loop when I turn it on with the midi connected (a pain in the derriere when you have a multiple keyboard setup all midid together and using midi clock to keep in time with the drummer ESPECIALLY considering how dodgy the A6 can be with timing!). Sorry, a small rant there....well, the guy at Alesis/Numark said "That's strange....it shouldn't do that" I said "Well, exactly...but I do understand that the A6 has a whole load of bugs...but I can;t work around these ones" to which he replied "No, the A6 shouldn;t have any bugs....at least none that I'm aware of" So I am gonna try and go over there next week and show them what happens.....I am also gonna take a print out of the bugs list from this site and show them!!!
I think it is really bad that they have left the A6 with so many problems...many of which could be fixed easily in the software!!! I will communicate this also and let them know how much I love the sound/look of this synth but how much the problems piss me off!!
Well.....enough for now...I'll let u all know how I get on....
Nic |
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sunny pedaal
Joined: Nov 16, 2004 Posts: 735 Location: netherlands
Audio files: 12
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Posted: Tue Dec 06, 2005 1:09 pm Post subject:
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very interesting, especially the part in which they didn't know about the bugs and wishes. although at least 3 times i already sent the list +letter to the main people at numark company and at least several other people of which i know also sent info regarding the topic ,and the fact that the code404 site gives plenty of attention to this subject (etc,etc) it might be a fact that the british service station has no knowlage about it. maybe it's also a good idea if they could sent the lists through to their main company, you know just infact "Nobody knows" !
anyway, good luck and don't resist until it functions as supposed to . |
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cannabis
Joined: Mar 07, 2006 Posts: 3 Location: UK
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Posted: Sun Sep 03, 2006 3:18 am Post subject:
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a VST/AU front end editor would be great |
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Electronicant
Joined: Feb 23, 2006 Posts: 81 Location: North
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 8:18 am Post subject:
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Oh, how I wish to see a synth with these wishes fulfilled and bugs fixed up. A closer cooperation between constructors and users would be preferred. Not precisely a new suggestion; many musicians have wished that for decades.
Could a community like electro-music.com act for that? what do you say? the concept of Andromeda could be a good startingpoint. |
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sunny pedaal
Joined: Nov 16, 2004 Posts: 735 Location: netherlands
Audio files: 12
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Posted: Fri Oct 27, 2006 11:40 am Post subject:
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when you a buy a car which doesn't fit the desciption in the manual, the company will fix it ( or be sued)
when it's about a 4000dollar instrument people say it's "analog" and should be accepted, guess as long as (This) companie(s) get away with it that easily, they just keep on milking us. |
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alanzo
Joined: Jan 14, 2009 Posts: 13 Location: Burlington, VT
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Posted: Sun Jan 03, 2010 9:20 am Post subject:
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Anyone try modding the envelopes to, say, the modulation wheel? It works sometimes but most of the time it doesn't not work as expected. I'm sure that could at least use an improvement.
Meaning trying to, say, turn the Sustain level down to 0 with the mod wheel. |
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Shreddie
Joined: May 12, 2009 Posts: 96 Location: UK
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Posted: Wed Jan 06, 2010 11:49 pm Post subject:
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I don't know whether that bug/wishlist was from an earlier OS as it was first posted some time ago but many of those 'bugs' seem to have either been sorted or are normal behaviour... As for the wish list, some of those are possible. |
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sunny pedaal
Joined: Nov 16, 2004 Posts: 735 Location: netherlands
Audio files: 12
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 12:50 am Post subject:
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there has been no os update for ages, so... the bugs and wishes list has been made with the latest os version. the list has been checked and where necessary comments have been implemented.
also numark/alesis has been informed, however not one reply has been given sofar. |
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Shreddie
Joined: May 12, 2009 Posts: 96 Location: UK
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Posted: Thu Jan 07, 2010 6:07 pm Post subject:
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sunny pedaal wrote: | there has been no os update for ages, so... the bugs and wishes list has been made with the latest os version. the list has been checked and where necessary comments have been implemented.
also numark/alesis has been informed, however not one reply has been given sofar. |
I'll give a few examples from memory....
Quote: | Bug #3
Title: VCO Pitch slide
Description: When a note is triggered, the Osc audibly "slides" up to
the new pitch, even with fast engine settings.
Can be reproduced:checked, depends on engine settings and
tuningsettings,therefore to me, no real bug, always could get some extra
attention though |
That's a quirk of the hybrid (digital/analogue) nature of the Andromeda and I would guess, a hardware limitation. As it uses free running oscillators, the oscillators will still be running at the pitch of their last note when triggered for a new note... As there is a slight delay in the digital triggering, a brief slide to the new pitch is to be expected. Rectifying this would require a total redesign and (possibly) doing away with much of the digital technology that makes the Andromeda so versatile.
Quote: | Bug #7
Title: "Klicky" envelopes
Description: It is almost impossible to create fast and deep bass sounds
without an audible "klick" sound.
Can be reproduced:when minimum attacktime of 6ms, no problem, therefore
to my opinion,"maybe" bug! |
That's normal behavoiur for a synth with such fast envelopes. As the oscillators are free running, they spend very little of their time at the zero crossing point. As a result, fast envelope settings will cause a sudden jump at the beginning of the audio waveform which will present itself as an audible click. It's just like a badly edited sample on a digital synth.
Quote: | Bug #10
Title: Screen redraws getting dropped
Description: Under certain circumstances, the display does not refresh
when switching to another page. I will try to find a scenario when this
can be consistently reproduced. Low priority.
Can be reproduced:too little info provided therefore couldn't be
(checked, maybe its a result of high processor usage whereby the screen
rightfully doesn't get prioriy, sunny) |
Yes, it's down to high processor usage. This is common on a number of synths from various manufacturers. It is not a bug, just a hardware limitation.
Quote: | Bug #12
Title:AUTOTUNE
Description:autotune doesn't work well enough due to hardware/chip
quality, differences often are too big, manualadjustment possibility of
single oscillators would be neccesary( and spare chip/soundboard
replacements)! maybe user definable savable tuningtables would also do
the trick. |
I suspect that's down to different osc chips, it's certainly not a problem on mine.
Now for the wishlist ones...
Quote: | 10) "Step Entry" on SEQ |
I may be mistaken but I'm sure I've done that on mine.
I'm not quite sure what you mean by that... If you mean that you would like more oscillators to use in FM patches, that would require a redesign of the chips. Get an FS1R instead!
Quote: | 23) Ribbon Controller as Trigger Ability for programs to use ribbon
controller (any value > 0) as trigger, instead of keyboard |
I may be mistaken again but I'm sure I've done that too.
Quote: | 27) Change Default Presets ( make custom default patch and save it) |
That's possible. Not on a patch by patch basis but preset banks can be replaced as a whole with a user bank.
Quote: | 31) Sostenuto Pedal Sostenuto pedal (pedal does not affect notes turned
on *after* sustain pedal is pressed, only ones being held when pedal is
pressed) |
I'm pretty sure that's possible when using the CC pedal input with a switched pedal... The setting is somewhere in the croutes IIRC.
I'll have to have a proper look into these when I get time... Some bugs/limitations I have come across but I don't recall having encountered some of the others and I'm sure there must be workarounds for one or two of them. Others are just quirks/limitations of the technology... Just the same as many other synths have quirks and limitations. |
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sunny pedaal
Joined: Nov 16, 2004 Posts: 735 Location: netherlands
Audio files: 12
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 1:43 am Post subject:
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well, it seems we both agree on the bugs checked.
also i didn't write them ,just overtook them and checked them , be from the code 404 site. when i couldn't confirm i also wrote that , just as you do now with some .
regarding the autotune : it might well be you have a perfect a6, however lots of problems have been reported on spec this subject, a better tuningfunction with manual tuning would have spared numark a lot of repair/servicing labor
regarding the wishes:
i don't know how to change the seq while running/ how that stepmode works you claim to have found
with polyphonic fm people mean they would like to have fm that can be used playing polyphonic and anywhere a bit in tune over the several voices. using fm with one note is oke with the a6, using more voice is way out of tune
ribbon triggering instead of the keyboard: also really would like to know how you did that.
making a new defaultpatch that can be used as default when you select new/default patch : it's a small thing and indeed you describe a workaround. but hey wish is wish and not workaround.
all the other things you don't mention ( envelope modes be, bugs no: 1, 4,5,6,12,14,15,16,17,18 ) would make an os upgrade more then welcome, however that discussion has been going on for long enough time time on this and the 404site. don't bet on it to ever happen !!
for the rest there is enough to make the a6 a good keyboard, but could be better when os upgraded . ( that's my opinion ) |
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soundwave106
Joined: Nov 24, 2004 Posts: 331 Location: Elmo's Mud Wrestling Club
Audio files: 2
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2010 5:22 am Post subject:
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FM indeed is not "tunable"; I remember this was brought up on the Code 404 site however. If I recall, fixing this would go beyond an OS update, it would also require a hardware redesign (eg additional expense and ASIC paths that the Alesis team could not get in... I seem to recall it mentioned that certain additional hardware would have to be part of the tuning routine.)
Numark is treating the Alesis Andromeda as a cash cow so I wouldn't expect any response from them whatsoever. I do know that, as pointed out, some of the "bugs" aren't bugs, and most of the rest of the bugs listed are quirks that you can get around.
Alesis QC is by far a worse problem, given the issues people have reported. Autotune works fine on my Andromeda as well for instance (for the parts that are tuned, that is -- as mentioned, FM is not); I've heard complaints, but they may be more of a result of QC problems vs. OS proclems. |
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Shreddie
Joined: May 12, 2009 Posts: 96 Location: UK
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2010 3:46 am Post subject:
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sunny pedaal wrote: | regarding the autotune : it might well be you have a perfect a6 |
Indeed, mine is far better than I had expected. Not only does autotune seem to get it spot on but the tuning on mine (as I have mentioned elsewhere in this forum) is incredibly stable. I haven't had to retune my Andromeda for about 6-7 months now. I only have temperature tuning switched on btw.
Quote: | however lots of problems have been reported on spec this subject, a better tuningfunction with manual tuning would have spared numark a lot of repair/servicing labor. |
From what I have read, I agree!
Quote: | i don't know how to change the seq while running/ how that stepmode works you claim to have found |
I did say I may be mistaken, I have a few synths and sometimes get things confused! I'll look into it and let you know.
Quote: | with polyphonic fm people mean they would like to have fm that can be used playing polyphonic and anywhere a bit in tune over the several voices. using fm with one note is oke with the a6, using more voice is way out of tune |
Ah! I understand now! I have noticed that on many patches, especially some of the drum/perc sounds... But it doesn't seem to be on all patches that have FM enabled. I think that is an incurable quirk of the analogue nature of the Andromeda. FM (especially at high rates) is very sensitive to even the smallest of tuning inconsistencies. Just a couple of Hz difference can be enough to cause a noticeable difference in timbre. Given the inherent instability of VCOs, it is to be expected I'm afraid. If you want stable and predictable FM, go digital.
Quote: | ribbon triggering instead of the keyboard: also really would like to know how you did that. |
I'm trying to remember now... I think it was a strange way of doing it but I do remember playing a couple of patches from the ribbon when I was experimenting a few months ago... A looped decay stage and some messing in the mod matrix seems familiar... I'll report back!
Quote: | all the other things you don't mention ( envelope modes be, bugs no: 1, 4,5,6,12,14,15,16,17,18 ) would make an os upgrade more then welcome, however that discussion has been going on for long enough time time on this and the 404site. don't bet on it to ever happen !! |
As Soundwave says, Numark are treating the Andromeda as a little bit of a cash cow so an OS upgrade is very unlikely to happen. That would require the knowledge of those who designed the Andromeda. Unfortunately I don't think any of those people still work for Alesis.
Quote: | but could be better when os upgraded . ( that's my opinion ) |
And the opinion of many others I'm sure, myself included! But regardless of those bugs I think that it is the most amazing synth.
As I say though, some things mentioned are just quirks and/or limitations, they're not bugs. Eradicating some of them would mean a total redesign of the Andromeda and either getting rid of some of the digital or analogue components/features that make the Andromeda what it is. The Andromeda is a terribly complex beast, unfortunately when you have something so complex which combines different technologies, you should expect alot of quirks in it's design.
I'll have a good look into all of those bugs and wishes and see what I can figure out. |
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PeteJames
Joined: Mar 31, 2009 Posts: 16 Location: England
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Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 5:50 pm Post subject:
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Some of these bugs sound horrific - especially the following:
Tuning & quality control with VCOs and Filter
portamento in unison
Vco sliding - is that like portamento permanently on?
metalic filter noise on bass patches
PWM artifacts
Clicky Envelopes - can this not be rectified by adjusting the attack - or does this ruin the attack of the bass patch? (the prophet 08 does this but if you change the attack slightly it's alright).
Is the A6 really worth having or have you all sold em? Why do you guys keep them if they are so problematic? I have a chance to buy get a good deal on one and I don't know what the hell to thing. Is the the best synth ever or a heap of poorly thought out, problematic junk? This decision is causing me stress man...STRESS I'd rather have a synth that can do the basics and sound amazing. |
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hrastprogrammer
Joined: Oct 16, 2008 Posts: 261 Location: CPU
Audio files: 103
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Posted: Tue Aug 24, 2010 10:59 pm Post subject:
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PeteJames wrote: | Is the A6 really worth having or have you all sold em? |
I own two of them. One had a problem with a modulation wheel data being mixed with some parameters but this went away after changing front left panel PCB (probably some A/D or multiplexer malfunction). No issues anymore. I also have enough spare parts to build another one, at least the electronic side of it (PCBs, LCD, etc.) and still have some parts left together with a bunch of spare ASO/ASF chips, just in case.
PeteJames wrote: | Why do you guys keep them if they are so problematic? |
Who said it is problematic? A few guys who are constantly yelling around on various forums (for example Gearslutz, what a stupid name for a forum, BTW) about "bugs", "not sounding vintage", etc. Many of them never ever owned an Andromeda.
Most of those "bugs" are not bugs at all. Some are just a specific feature of this machine, like very precise/sensitive knobs, large number of various parameters (so you must use menus for some of them), inability to tune FM VCAs, etc. You can either live with them or not, just with any other synth out there. Being a true analog VCO machine is a feature, as well, with all those instabilities caused by the analog signal path and voltage controlled oscillators. But this is the reason to buy it, not to cry about "it isn't as stable as my VSTi".
Some are quality control issues. For example, 99% of those tuning horror stories are just a case of a bad batch and all this should have been solved under warranty as with any other piece of equipment.
Some "bugs" are the inability of the owner to properly program it and to get the maximum of it, like crying about it "not sounding vintage" because the "programmer" just pushed all oscillators and filter outputs to 100%, thus overdriving the signal path!
Some are the real bugs but you can either got around them (like those infamous "square wave" bug) or you won't notice them at all. I really cannot remember when did I came to the situation to really notice some bug or when some bug distracted me from using it in the usual manner.
(*) Tuning & quality control with VCOs and Filter => Bad batch of ASIC chips, should have been fixed by Alesis under warranty. If some chip develops a fault during time then any technician capable of SMD soldering can replace it without problem, providing that you have a spare available.
(*) Portamento in unison => I never noticed it, although I must admit that I am not using portamento very often.
(*) VCO sliding => Characteristics of the machine. Hard to notice, especially if you have background tuning turned off. I actually like this feature because it can give some additional life to the sound.
(*) Metallic filter noise on bass patches => Never noticed anything like that (and I made a lot of bass patches on Andromeda).
(*) PWM artifacts => Perhaps can be noticed in some cases or when using a fast LFO, but this really doesn't bother me at all because I can mask it or even turn it into a feature.
(*) Clicky envelopes => Characteristics of the machine. You can make them "click", you can make them "not click", they can be fast or slow or anything between.
I really don't want to justify why I "keep them" because I don't want to sound like an "Andromeda lawyer" (you can write all kind of negative comments about it on various forums, and that's OK, but if you start to defend it for some reason then you immediately became "Andromeda lawyer") ... I would just say that I really like this synth and the real reason for having it is *THE SOUND* and a few little quirks are just a part of that sound.
PeteJames wrote: | I have a chance to buy get a good deal on one and I don't know what the hell to thing. |
What's the problem then? Go out, try it, see if you like it or not, simple as that. This really isn't some philosophical question about the meaning of life, or something like that, this is just a synth, you either like it or not, no quantum mechanics here.
PeteJames wrote: | Is the the best synth ever |
Probably. One of the best, at least.
PeteJames wrote: | or a heap of poorly thought out, problematic junk? |
I really don't want to sound harsh here, but if you think it is a junk then it probably isn't a synth for you, sorry.
Best regards. _________________ https://www.hrastprogrammer.com/hrastwood/
https://hrastprogrammer.bandcamp.com/ |
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PeteJames
Joined: Mar 31, 2009 Posts: 16 Location: England
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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 2:17 am Post subject:
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Hi Alesis lawyer Thanks for the detailed reply. Really helped ease my mind. I don't think it's junk, i've never even tried it lol - was just paraphrasing the haters. I'm trying to be objective Are the digital modulations audible with slow or fast filter sweeps or pitch modulations?
As long as the PWM on slow sounds great and the filter doesn't get metalic I don't see the problem. I don't use fast PWM either. Clicky envelopes aren't a problem as long as you can still get enough attack without the click.
I'm not bothered about FM really - is it capable of typical analogue FM like with a moog?
What's that problem with the modulation wheel - is there any particular way to test everythings ok with the one I buy?
One thing I do like is the choice of whether to push vco's into distortion or not - my prophet 08 doesn't allow this
What does the VCO sliding sound like? Does it happen with every note or chord you press?
How much are spare chips by the way, are they still available and where from ? Does you having so many replacement parts mean you have no faith in the quality of the A6 or are you just paranoid? lol
I'm not expecting amazing things from the internal fx but are they decent enough - kind of like an alesis midiverb or something. Could really be useful to me saving FX as I see them as an integral part of a lot of patches. I like melodic techno & tech house |
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hrastprogrammer
Joined: Oct 16, 2008 Posts: 261 Location: CPU
Audio files: 103
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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 3:29 am Post subject:
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PeteJames wrote: | Hi Alesis lawyer Thanks for the detailed reply. Really helped ease my mind. I don't think it's junk, i've never even tried it lol - was just paraphrasing the haters. I'm trying to be objective |
OK then
Quote: | Are the digital modulations audible with slow or fast filter sweeps or pitch modulations? |
I don't hear any problem here.
Quote: | Clicky envelopes aren't a problem as long as you can still get enough attack without the click. |
In my opinion, some clicking can be even desirable in some cases, for example if you want a prominent attack portion of the sound. The attack time goes from 2ms up, so I think you can cover almost anything. Also, you have an optimizer for further improvement of the engine timing.
Quote: | I'm not bothered about FM really - is it capable of typical analogue FM like with a moog? |
To be honest, for a true FM I use Yamaha TG77/FS1R and Waldorf Q. Monophonic FM on Andromeda can produce tons of weird sounds, but I don't know how it compares to a Moog because I cannot recall how FM on Moog sounds. As far as polyphonic sounds are concerned, FM is useful for providing some spice to the overall sound. The other day I was making some string/pad/whatever sound and added just a touch of FM, set rotary voice assign mode and played a few notes ... it sounded really wonderful because of those FM differences between voices, something like a light uncontrolled vibrato but not quite like this. But, raising the FM amount on polyphonic sounds will most likely produce totally unusable results because of too much detuning.
Quote: | What's that problem with the modulation wheel - is there any particular way to test everythings ok with the one I buy? |
See my first post inside the following thread:
http://www.electro-music.com/forum/post-237167.html
Quote: | One thing I do like is the choice of whether to push vco's into distortion or not - my prophet 08 doesn't allow this |
I agree because it can be very useful to have this overdrive ability, can be very good for some sounds, like some kind of waveshaper.
Quote: | What does the VCO sliding sound like? Does it happen with every note or chord you press? |
I really don't hear it for real but I know it exists. Here is the explanation from some of the A6 designers, long time ago:
"The pitch of each voice stays where it was last played. If you play a low note on one voice, then play a high note on the same voice, the oscillator will need to slew up to the new note before it plays. Turning background tuning off helps because that is constantly changing every oscillator's pitch and you won't know where it ends up. If you are playing in one general register, or pitch, the slewing effect will be minimized. Believe me, I tried to fix this anomaly, but was limited by the slewing time of the oscillators. I thought that setting the fast engine setting on the oscillators fixed it, but obviously not all the way."
Quote: | How much are spare chips by the way, are they still available and where from ? Does you having so many replacement parts mean you have no faith in the quality of the A6 or are you just paranoid? lol |
Maybe I am just paranoid because I don't believe in anything or anyone The fact is that I like to have spares of everything I use, just in case. I don't need many different synthesizers but for all synths I own I must have duplicates or spare parts.
Quote: | I'm not expecting amazing things from the internal fx but are they decent enough - kind of like an alesis midiverb or something. Could really be useful to me saving FX as I see them as an integral part of a lot of patches. |
I agree. OK, they are not Eventides but I found them very useful and good sounding, at least for my music ... But a good external processor or VST effects armory is welcome, of course ... _________________ https://www.hrastprogrammer.com/hrastwood/
https://hrastprogrammer.bandcamp.com/ |
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PeteJames
Joined: Mar 31, 2009 Posts: 16 Location: England
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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 7:46 am Post subject:
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Quote: | What does the VCO sliding sound like? Does it happen with every note or chord you press? |
I really don't hear it for real but I know it exists. Here is the explanation from some of the A6 designers, long time ago:
Quote: |
"The pitch of each voice stays where it was last played. If you play a low note on one voice, then play a high note on the same voice, the oscillator will need to slew up to the new note before it plays. Turning background tuning off helps because that is constantly changing every oscillator's pitch and you won't know where it ends up. If you are playing in one general register, or pitch, the slewing effect will be minimized. Believe me, I tried to fix this anomaly, but was limited by the slewing time of the oscillators. I thought that setting the fast engine setting on the oscillators fixed it, but obviously not all the way." |
Does the a6 cycle through the 16 voices like the prophet 08 does when playing a mono piece? So the 1st note would be voice one, the second note voice 2 etc. So the 'problem' only comes when repeating that cycle - say you go back to the first voice and play a far away not with it. And even then it's subtle?
Quote: |
Maybe I am just paranoid because I don't believe in anything or anyone |
Haha, I feel you there.
What is the sonic characteristic like? One guy claimed he couldnt tell the difference between this virus oscillators and those on the A6 when he demo'd them in his studio for a few hours.
Is 9431800457 a Genuine serial number for an A6? It doesn't look like the ones in the list on here. I guy is selling me one that he says he bought a few years ago and that is the serial number? Can I infer anything from the serial anyway?
Finally Do any of these things interfere with your andromeda pleasure or are the minor and you just forget and enjoy creating amazing sounds? Do you get lost in it's awesome magic and infinite tweaking? |
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hrastprogrammer
Joined: Oct 16, 2008 Posts: 261 Location: CPU
Audio files: 103
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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 9:11 am Post subject:
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PeteJames wrote: | Does the a6 cycle through the 16 voices like the prophet 08 does when playing a mono piece? So the 1st note would be voice one, the second note voice 2 etc. So the 'problem' only comes when repeating that cycle - say you go back to the first voice and play a far away not with it. And even then it's subtle? |
Monophonic sounds are always tied to a single hardware voice (there is an option to specify the voice number 1..16) and don't cycle around. Only for polyphonic sounds you can specify LOWEST or ROTARY voice assign modes.
Quote: | What is the sonic characteristic like? |
Well, Andromeda-like
Quote: | One guy claimed he couldnt tell the difference between this virus oscillators and those on the A6 when he demo'd them in his studio for a few hours. |
I won't comment this. To each his own. I owned Virus B and C but sold them immediately after I bought my first Andromeda, long time ago. I now own Virus TI Snow mainly because I needed some audio interface for my laptop together with a portable synthesizer, and Snow fits perfectly into this. But I cannot hear a lot of similarities in sound between Andromeda and Virus, apples and oranges really.
Quote: | Is 9431800457 a Genuine serial number for an A6? It doesn't look like the ones in the list on here. I guy is selling me one that he says he bought a few years ago and that is the serial number? Can I infer anything from the serial anyway? |
Hmmm, I must admit that it looks a little strange to me. Maybe this is just a part of the whole serial number, I don't know.
Quote: | Finally Do any of these things interfere with your andromeda pleasure or are the minor and you just forget and enjoy creating amazing sounds? Do you get lost in it's awesome magic and infinite tweaking? |
No, I just sit and (try to) do some (so-called) music, and I must admit that I don't even think too much doing this. Those little quirks don't bother me at all, on any of my synths. All synths have some quirks and if I couldn't get used to them, or to the synth alone (interface etc.), I simply sold the troublesome device.
I would suggest you to try Andromeda if you can. Play with it for some time and see if you like it. Maybe you'll like it and maybe you won't, both cases are perfectly OK
I was attracted to Andromeda after some guy (from whom I bough Emagic Unitor8 MIDI interface) demonstrated it to me, and after listening to just a few sounds I knew that I simply had to own one, or two _________________ https://www.hrastprogrammer.com/hrastwood/
https://hrastprogrammer.bandcamp.com/ |
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PeteJames
Joined: Mar 31, 2009 Posts: 16 Location: England
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Posted: Wed Aug 25, 2010 10:16 am Post subject:
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Cool. I'll just go with it and give it a thorough test. If I don't like can always sell. |
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