What does an Andromeda do better?

[Dirty Halo]

Roland Jupiter 8 does its thing better than any other.
Oberheim OBxa has its sound.
Arp 2600 is unparalled.
Prophet 5 set the bar.
Moog Model D a classic for good reason.
TB 303 speaks for itself.

And so on.

And a notion to note, none of these are all things to all people and very limited by modern standards, but they DO do their thing better than anything else.

Is the Andormeda popular because it can provide many of these sounds under one roof and it has more "features" AND is new?

Or does it do one thing better than any other and if so, what is that?


Honestly curious.


-Andrews

[OurDarkness]

Originally Posted by Dirty Halo

Or does it do one thing better than any other and if so, what is that?

Honest answer:

It's the only synthesizer that escapes your mentality.

[ohmicide]

well the thing has like 32 oscillators and they all sound damn good from what i've heard

i really wish i could afford one right now, but i need a job unless i want to sell both my prophet 08 and little phatty

[rids]

I was always was under the impression, without owning one, that it's strength is being a jack of all trades. Besides that, like Ourdarkness said, the modulation options are out of this world and you can get a hugh array of crazy sounds from it. The other strength (that I feel) is that it is a modern analog sound that doesn't fit the mold of sounding vintage in my mind. So it's more distinct by being from this era of modern synths. The closest vintage synth I felt it resembled was the Xpander. But I think I'd rather have an Andy.

Oh, I almost forgot, it looks better than any other synth out there, which can be inspirational in itself.

[Don Solaris]

Originally Posted by Dirty Halo

Or does it do one thing better than any other and if so, what is that?

Morning Mr. Hollyweird,

After spending some time with Andromeda i've found out there's no need pushing it into territory of other polyphonics. It's a waste of time and my main mistake during first few months spent with it (and not liking the fact it can't sound like others). Owning big classics like OB-X, JP-8, Prophet 5 and OB-8 it is very easy to distinguish Andromeda's clear / transparent sound as opposed to these synths that color the sound quite a lot (though in a very pleasant way, i must admit).

Problem with Andromeda is that it isn't idiot proof. One can push it out of sweet spot way too easily - which i see as the main "problem" with Andromeda in general. But at the same time, this is good feature as you're not limited to predefined modulation ranges.

With some careful programming one can pull out earth shattering Pro One basses out of Andromeda, and very nice PWM pads that are in the JP-8 class, though miss that upper sparkle / silk sound. It's really something in between, which helps emulating a lot of sounds from many other poly analogs. By emulating - i mean close approximation of the: sound; modulation range; and coloration of the original source.

As of its "sound" i find it to be closest to CEM based VCOs, but a little bit softer. With open filter and no reso, it is sometimes almost as 1:1 copy of a Pro One or SH-101. All in all i'm quite happy with Andromeda being somewhere in the middle. Not implying it can therefore emulate everything. Funny to say, but a cheap synth like Polysix is totally impossible to emulate on Andromeda. Both the discrete VCO and SSM filter on Polysix are just totally different sounding.

[kilon]

I dont see a point to these type of questions really.

Isn it not suppose to be a synthesizer ?

Arent synthesizers meant to be able to emulate any kind of sounds?

On the other hand I am not one of those people that is caught in "first impression" hype. That is why I dont see the point in the hysteria surrounding Moog , Jupiter8 or even Andromeda.

I bought andromeda, because yes I loved how it sound, how it looked and how I interact with it.

But then as I always say, people are eager to put limits on a synth, cause in the end , they put limits on themselves.

A synthesizer is always an extension of our skills as musicians, the more experienced you are , the better the synth will sound.

Till few days ago, anything I heard from a virus ti , sucked big time, sound wise, and then I saw a video from a guy emulating cs80 pads and then I saw the true potential.

[miscend]

People like the Andromeda mainly because of the sheer amount of synthesis power under the hood. It can do complex modulations & multi stage envelopes. And of course the analog signal path. Possibly making it the most powerful/versatile analog synth? Its probably the only analog synth that can do piano sounds.

The Oscillators are DCO and I've never been found of DCOs. The envelopes and LFOs are also digital. Not really fond of the A6's sound. I also think it looks hideously ugly, like the dude who designed it was on weed.

[terrytee]

Originally Posted by miscend

People like the Andromeda mainly because of the sheer amount of synthesis power under the hood. It can do complex modulations & multi stage envelopes. And of course the analog signal path. Possibly making it the most powerful/versatile analog synth? Its probably the only analog synth that can do piano sounds.

The Oscillators are DCO and I've never been found of DCOs. The envelopes and LFOs are also digital. Not really fond of the A6's sound. I also think it looks hideously ugly, like the dude who designed it was on weed.

I was under the impression the the OSC are not DCO sure it can be tuned digitally but both background tuning and temperature tuning can be disabled.

[Oli]

VCO ICs on the A6

[crufty]

the andromeda does multitimburality like a mofo

- 16 x 2 osc + sub osc + noise patches
- each patch instance has a 16 event sequence, where each event (note or otherwise) can have varying lengths, the entire sequence can be spread across multiples of the tempo (one bar, 8 bars, etc)
- each patch can also have an arp in addition to sequence (trance gate)
- each patch can be layered and split w/other patches
- patch parameters can all be modulated individually or as a group (so control one patch grouping with modwheel, one patch grouping w/left half of ribbon, one patch grouping with right half of ribbon, etc)
- each mix of patches can be stored as a program mix, including fx sends etc
- then you can transmit program changes so you can easily switch programs around as you need to, making it that one man band type keyboard.

i will admit things get a little hairy when you get more then 8 patches going in terms of cpu.

it also has ridiculous envelope options and any time I have wondered 'I wonder if i can do it like this' -- yes, you can. For example--the step sequencer, you can use the knobs like analog pots to dial in a note by ear, or you can use the keyboard. This may not seem like a big deal, but consider the number of synths where you can't do that (virus, jp80x0, etc). Then I was doing some crazy chording...ah yes, there's the chord button. this is handy for dialing in multiple sequences across multiple patches at the same time....

if it were digital va it would still be one of those most feature complete synths released since 2003. If alesis could release a few firmware upgrades to address mr. solaris's very valid issues, it is hard to see any synth beating it in terms of feature completeness. Another thing it could desperately use is a macro page for program mixes. This way you could program say a nice drum program, and then use the knobs to control the drums in a reasonable way. Right now, modifying a drum sound, as mr solaris says, requires intense concentration.

the sound--as don has said, it has a range, and you can step out of it and if you are like me, wonder wtf just happened, and for a patch noob like me it can be hard to get 'back'.

i love experimenting with it. my favorite sound right now is to take a 32 osc gabba sound and (analog) chorus the hell out of it multiple times, panning each chorus out around the stereo image. it is simply huge. Too big for use really but damn it does sound good, esp when the choruses coalesce into a single sound then spread out again.

i have also found it needs some mid boost. it helps it sound special.

i have found the fr 777 is a more 'holy sh*tballs' type synth when it comes to audio. But the A6 is more practical...does that make sense?

anyway...sorry for gushing.

[tpwuk]

It's got depth too and I'm not talking sonically.

This fecker is huge! Not as huge as a DX-1 though.

[kpatz]

The A6 is pretty much its own beast, with its own sound. Sure, it can be pressed into duty in emulating the sounds of a JP-8, or OB-whatever, or Prophet, or Moog, but it'll never nail them exactly, any more than you would expect a Roland synth to nail an Oberheim sound. It can get pretty close though, mainly since Alesis used a number of classic analog designs when planning the A6. The VCOs and 24db filter are based on Moog Modular, 12db filter on Oberheim SEM, the ribbon controller is like that on a CS80, etc. To do everything the A6 can do on vintage synths, you'd need a Don Solaris-sized collection of them!

So it's really its own instrument, with its own sound, just like any other synth. The A6 has its sound, the OB-X has its sound, the JP-8 has its sound, the Minimoog, the ARP Odyssey, etc. All are unique.

I do have to say though, one thing the A6 does well, and I love this about it, is it can do the Vangelis Bladerunner brass sound really well, and programmed right, it can be very expressive.

[explorer]

I think dirtyhalo is not trying to ask if the Andromeda can do emulations of other synths but rather what is the Andromeda best suited to?

Assuming you had all the classic vintage synths listed above, what would you turn to the Andromeda for?

[kilon]

Originally Posted by crufty

the andromeda does multitimburality like a mofo

- 16 x 2 osc + sub osc + noise patches

Actually the sub oscilators are 2 not one.

Let me add that the multimode filter is actually 3 filters at once. Which mean that Instead of having 1 filter than can change between LP , HP and BP you have 3 filters 1 LP +1 HP+ 1 BP = 3 sounds simultanously with outputs that can be controled with dedicated knobs. And then there is one additional BP .

So each timbre has 4 filters.

Something similar applies to oscilators. Each of the two oscilators is not a signle oscilator but a "multimode" oscilator just like the filter. That means that you can have a saw, sine, pulse, square playing at the same time. That applies for both oscilators, so you can have 8 osiclators plus 2 suboscilators. Thats 10 oscilators per timbre. 16 timbres.

Also multimode in a sense is the ring modulator, you have seperate ouput before the filter and seperate after the filters.

Now make the math 8 oscilaros and 2 suboscilators and a noise genrator and 2 ring modulators and 4 filter and 1 arpegiator and 1 sequencer and much more . Now multipy all this 16 times.

Its no wonder why Andromeda sounds so huge.

Also I disagree that streching andy to 16 voices is a problem. Its not , there many preset that do this quite comfortably. Of course one should avoid anything but zero release if he does not want to experience cut notes. So for basses, leads, sound effects, drums or even monophonic pads is perfectly fine.

[SovietSpaceChild]

Originally Posted by alehoe

well the thing has like 32 oscillators and they all sound damn good from what i've heard

i really wish i could afford one right now, but i need a job unless i want to sell both my prophet 08 and little phatty

After having once owned a Lil Phatty, having demoed the Prophet 08 on several occasions, and currently owning an A6, I would say that selling the 08 and LP for an Andromeda would be a no-brainer.

[The Real MC]

The Andromeda is a chameleon synth. If you understand the architecture of vintage synths, the A6 has the tools to emulate them. IE if you apply the right amount of filter feedback, the Oberheim 12dB filter will start to sound like the CS-80 filter. People have used the same trick to emulate Roland filters.

Name another polysynth that can do that.

Not only does the A6 provide so many options for sound sculpting, but the interface is halfway decent. Interfaces with only an LCD and +/- buttons and/or datawheel are fine for simple stuff but for complex machines it is too slow. The common stuff is right in front of you on the A6 while the softpots and menus provide access to the deep stuff. That's a good compromise.

The tools can be overwhelming and many novices have sold their A6s for simpler stuff. In the right hands, the A6 can be a monster. I created the Frankensteinwhey piano patch for the factory library - I remember the progress I was making on this patch and was in disbelief that an analog synth could make a piano sound like this. I never used so many modulations in a patch before.

I used to gig with a lot of vintage synths but today when I gig I take the A6 and a clonewheel. The A6 covers so much ground, it has replaced four keyboards in the clubs. I prefer a clonewheel with drawbars for the Hammond technique although in a pinch I do have some facsimile hammond patches in the A6 (IE for rehearsals). The A6 piano is fine in a group setting but for solo stuff my Yamaha P-90 sounds better.

The moog filter doesn't quite have the balls of the real thing but it is useful nonetheless. The oberheim filter is the sh!t, I use that a lot. And the option to cascade or parallel the filters really opens up some sonic palettes.

The design team were big fans of analog synths and it shows in the A6.

[steelyfan]

[QUOTE]

Originally Posted by kilon

But then as I always say, people are eager to put limits on a synth, cause in the end , they put limits on themselves.

A synthesizer is always an extension of our skills as musicians, the more experienced you are , the better the synth will sound.

A wonderful attitude you have there. Spoken like a true stargazer. thumbsup

It's not the wand but the magician.

steelyfan

[ohmicide]

Originally Posted by SovietSpaceChild

After having once owned a Lil Phatty, having demoed the Prophet 08 on several occasions, and currently owning an A6, I would say that selling the 08 and LP for an Andromeda would be a no-brainer.

you're probably right.. i've never tried and andromeda though and i don't really want to let go of the little phatty

but as soon as i get another job the prophet is going byebye and hello andromeda

[shaft9000]

fuzzed-out organs
big-ass unison leads w/ dual-filter mayhem
eerie, crackling pads that evolve for days

[Don Solaris]

Originally Posted by kilon

Let me add that the multimode filter is actually 3 filters at once. Which mean that Instead of having 1 filter than can change between LP , HP and BP you have 3 filters 1 LP +1 HP+ 1 BP = 3 sounds simultanously

Actually 2 sounds simultaneously in the multimode Filter, not 3.

It's either low pass or high pass + bandpass. Because if you engage both the LP + HP, you're turning Filter 1 into a Notch. That's even shown on the front panel of Andromeda, and is better understood by looking at the signal flow diagram. LP and HP in Filter1 are combined together into one output as can be seen below. So it's either: Low pass, or High Pass or Notch. Plus the bandpass or inverted bandpass from the same filter.

[crufty]

Originally Posted by kilon

Also I disagree that streching andy to 16 voices is a problem. Its not , there many preset that do this quite comfortably.

Not so much voices as patches and chords, attached a sample. happened to me once. well within the 16 voice limit here could have been something else though...audio cable? *shrug* anyway this is all andromeda and thats what it does best! not the actual sequence though

[sctt_stone]

Originally Posted by crufty

Not so much voices as patches and chords, attached a sample. happened to me once. well within the 16 voice limit here could have been something else though...audio cable? *shrug* anyway this is all andromeda and thats what it does best!

[lain2097]

Originally Posted by Don Solaris

You can not make 8 oscillators out of 2 oscillators. You are just making a different waveform at the VCOs output.

Yep. Jupiter 6 also does exactly that.

btw check out this cool utube video, it really helps visualise what's happening:


Unison at around 5:20, wow.

[kpatz]

Originally Posted by Don Solaris

Actually 2 sounds simultaneously in the multimode Filter, not 3.

It's either low pass or high pass + bandpass. Because if you engage both the LP + HP, you're turning Filter 1 into a Notch. That's even shown on the front panel of Andromeda, and is better understood by looking at the signal flow diagram. LP and HP in Filter1 are combined together into one output as can be seen below. So it's either: Low pass, or High Pass or Notch. Plus the bandpass or inverted bandpass from the same filter.

All the "notch" is is the lowpass and highpass combined. If you treat the LP, BP, and HP as separate outputs of the filter, you could think of them as 3, especially since you can set the levels independently. A classic notch filter would be if you set LP and HP to the same level, but you certainly don't have to set it this way. You could set LP, BP, and HP to different levels (or modulate the levels!) to create all kinds of funky filter slopes, all from one filter.

For a series filter configuration, you're "limited" to Notch->Filter2 or BP->Filter2, but once again "notch" is just the post-mixer LP and HP levels mixed. So, Notch->Filter2 could be "LP->Filter2" or "HP->Filter2" or "some LP and more HP into filter 2" or what have you, based on the HP and LP mix levels.

You could even turn up LP, HP and BP all together and get an all-pass filter. One limitation is, you can't route all-pass thru filter 2.

You can also turn LP, HP, and BP all to zero and then you have a no-pass filter.

[Derp]

The Andromeda's definitely got it's own thing going on, though it does kind of hint at other synths through it's various components. One thing that really sets it apart from the others is the depth of programmability, though this can also be considered its weakness. Not many synths can go this deep. For me, it's strong point is its pads.

[vixapphire]

Others above address the sound capabilities admirably, but there's another part of this thing's interface that sets it apart from others, namely, the fact that the designers gave the filter cutoff knobs space and larger knobs than the other parameters on that side of the panel, inviting the player to grab the knob and modulate cutoff by hand in time to a killer groove, for instance.

It's a very kinetic instrument that way, perfect when set up at standing height in a studio, especially if you lean towards doing dance music. You can really play this synth and get physical, whereas with too many other modern synths you need to slow down your movement to find the right knob lest you make a mistake.

It's a huge plus, even for in-studio use only (as I can attest).

[OurDarkness]

Also, the Andromeda has a freely routable lag processor. This can be turned into a second portamento (and one that affects all voices) not just one.

[Dirty Halo]

Thanks guys, very interesting

I actually owned one a while ago, but started to feel guilty with my ever-increasing synth collection. Don't kill me, but at the time, I felt like the A6 didn't sound quite as good as the Jupiter 8 or Oberheim OBXa or Arp, etc, but perhaps I missed the point of it. This is all interesting reading.

-Andrews

[kilon]

Originally Posted by Don Solaris

Actually 2 sounds simultaneously in the multimode Filter, not 3.

It's either low pass or high pass + bandpass. Because if you engage both the LP + HP, you're turning Filter 1 into a Notch. That's even shown on the front panel of Andromeda, and is better understood by looking at the signal flow diagram. LP and HP in Filter1 are combined together into one output as can be seen below. So it's either: Low pass, or High Pass or Notch. Plus the bandpass or inverted bandpass from the same filter.

Don I respect what you saying and your diagram (by the way I dont see anything in your diagram telling that 3 sounds of filter 1 are not possible)

At least on my Andromeda I can hear from the filter 1 the LP , HP and BP at the same time. I have played with the knobs and three sounds do exist simultaneously . Of course all three filter share exactly the same parameters. So you can say its just 1 filter with 3 diffirent output, or or 3 filter with shared parameters.

The Notch mode , is another thing whatsoever
About the oscilators.

What I meant was that the waveforms are combined instead of change. So you can have from an oscilator 1 , a square, saw,sine and pulse on top of each other playing simultenously but sharing exactly the same parameters.

This cannot be done in a modern digital , a digital wont allow you to turn saw , square, sine and pulse , on and off at them same time. Unless it has preset wavefroms like "saw+pulse+sine" ,"sine+saw" etc. But then its not convinient as turning things on and off with the press of a button. So you can say by streching the definition that its actually 8 oscilators that share paramters in 2 groups.

Event though unlike the multimode you cannot control their individual outputs as you can with the 3 filters in multimode. So yes I am streching the definition abit.

Also i disagree with your math as well. It 4 waveforms with 2 modes , on and off ( I exclude the positive / negative mode of the saw) that is 4^2 or plainly 4*4 = 16 possible waveforms without the pos/neg mode of the saw, from a single oscilator.

Of course that is plain nonsense, as the possibilities are enormous if you take into consideration , sync , fm, and a bunch of hundrend parameters dwelling inside the oscilators.

[DGBX]

I'm sad they're discontinued. Whenever I thought of the future and if I'd ever get another polysynth (other than Juno 60), I always thought I'd want a modern one, and I thought of the A6. I mean how many modern analog (and knobby) polysynths are out there?