His search is over...16 voice twin VCO 16 part analog - what can it be?

[lfm]

I won't spoil anticipation....

[egbert101]

I honestly didn't like the sound in the above video. Maybe there are better examples elsewhere, but going by the features it sure did sound like a dream synth.

[Constructed Identity]

These have always been expensive. Adjusted for inflation, they are cheaper than ever.

[CoolColJ]

I have the Andromeda and she can sound vastly different depending on how loud the oscillators and the filters as well.
The oscillators start to squash around 30 total out of 200.... due to engineering quirks of the custom ASIC chips used.

With 79 mod and trigger sources per voice, she's like 16 mono synths in a box

https://soundcloud.com/coolcolj/alesis- ... ping-water

Down to it's most basic form - A single oscillator, pad sound.

https://soundcloud.com/coolcolj/alesis- ... da-saw-pad

[lfm]

I honestly didn't like the sound in the above video. Maybe there are better examples elsewhere, but going by the features it sure did sound like a dream synth.

It was raised a couple of years ago if Alesis ought to revive production of it.
Only Moog One did that many voices with VCO's AFAIK. Even if 3 VCO's each voice price might come up to that level.

Here another demo:

[CoolColJ]

My Korg Prologue 16 has 16 voices, but it's a fairly simple synth and sounds totally different

[lfm]

How did I forget, I have a Prologue-8.
Thanks for heads up.

[CoolColJ]

Simple clav jam on my Andromeda today
https://soundcloud.com/coolcolj/alesis- ... a-clav-jam

It has a warm, Oberheim like tone in general, when gain staged properly. With Moog waveshapes.
I have made it sound similar to my Minimoog when I had one a long time ago.

[CoolColJ]

Matt Johnson has an Andromeda video - from a player's perspective

[zerocrossing]

A long time ago, I was over the moon for the Andromeda, but now I feel there are better sounding options.

[CoolColJ]

A long time ago, I was over the moon for the Andromeda, but now I feel there are better sounding options.

I wish they had the same feature set though

On the Andromeda, the specs are per voice, also has per voice step sequencer/Arp.
So it does act like 16 separate synths, and can do Polyrhythm sequences and arps.
Allows to create Wavesequence type sounds

https://soundcloud.com/coolcolj/alesis- ... nce-effect

https://soundcloud.com/coolcolj/alesis- ... sequencing

[zerocrossing]

A long time ago, I was over the moon for the Andromeda, but now I feel there are better sounding options.

I wish they had the same feature set though

On the Andromeda, the specs are per voice, also has per voice step sequencer/Arp.
So it does act like 16 separate synths, and can do Polyrhythm sequences and arps.
Allows to create Wavesequence type sounds

https://soundcloud.com/coolcolj/alesis- ... nce-effect

https://soundcloud.com/coolcolj/alesis- ... sequencing

I know that, and I can see why that would be appealing, but I dislike using on-board sequencing. I can achieve this by other means, which leaves me to make choices based on what I think of the sonic character. Don’t get me wrong, I think that the Andromeda sounds good, but it’s still an expensive instrument that is well known for having unrepairable catastrophic failures. I’d rather own a bunch of different instruments and sequence them with software. That’s my “dream synth.”

[Careless Memories]

A long time ago, I was over the moon for the Andromeda, but now I feel there are better sounding options.

Not to put you on the spot, but what might these "better sounding" options be?

In terms of polyphonic synths here's what we've got from:

Sequential
Prophet 5/10 rev 4 (totally basic synth by comparison with the Andromeda. Nowhere near the range of sounds).
Prophet 6 (only 6 voices of bland "modern analog" polyphony Also super basic compared to the Andromeda)
OB6 (only 6 voices of awful sounding "modern analog" polyphony. Sounds absolutely nothing like a vintage OB and especially the new OB-X8)
Trigon-6 (Too new to properly evaluate. Seems to be the best of the Prophet 6, OB6, Trigon-6 trifecta.)
Prophet REV2. (Gets an undeserved bad rap for being a DCO synth, especially considering all the classic Roland DCO analog synths from the 80s. But provides 16 voices of polyphony, dual layer capabilities, simple, but useful per layer built in FX, arpeggiator and two different types of sequencers per layer. Most complex architecture of ANY Sequential synth. IMO, wins hands down when compared to the above synths despite the REV2's somewhat piercing, even shrill sounding resonance.)

Oberheim
OB-X8 (a modern classic. Sounds absolutely fantastic for what it is: a big fat American poly. But it's only 8 voices and includes a fiddly "Page 2" system for adding a host of new parameters to the classic OB sound. But still, their addition is most welcome.)

Groove Synthesis
3rd Wave keyboard and desktop. (By far the most interesting sounding synth of the bunch. Probably the closest you'll get to a vintage PPG without taking out a second mortgage on your house.)

Moog
Moog One (What can be said about this classic synthesizer that hasn't already been said? It costs a fortune but is probably the last great poly that will ever be made.)

So unless you are talking about the Moog One or maybe the Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave keyboard or desktop, where is this bevy of better sounding modern synths than the Andromeda?

[CoolColJ]

I know that, and I can see why that would be appealing, but I dislike using on-board sequencing. I can achieve this by other means, which leaves me to make choices based on what I think of the sonic character. Don’t get me wrong, I think that the Andromeda sounds good, but it’s still an expensive instrument that is well known for having unrepairable catastrophic failures. I’d rather own a bunch of different instruments and sequence them with software. That’s my “dream synth.”

When I was talking about the feature set, I meant as whole.
The linear/exponential FM per VCO, in either direction, soft/hard sync, noise FM in various colours, PWM FM, ring mod pre/post filter, pre/post filter sine waves, dual filters in serial/parallel configuration with feedback and all filter type outputs mixable in any combination, 3 flexible LFOs, 3 flexible envelope with adjustable slopes and dual decays/releases etc

There are a lot of things I took for granted on the Andromeda.
But on my Polybrute and Matrixbrute, as flexible as they are, you just can't do many things with noise/oscillator FM to filter or oscillators, with either oscillator or filters, or any combination, like you can on the Andromeda.

https://soundcloud.com/coolcolj/alesis- ... a-noise-fm
https://soundcloud.com/coolcolj/androme ... illator-fm

It is expensive, but back when I bought in the early 2000s, it's around the Nina, 3rd Wave module, OB-X8 module etc

The per voice step sequencer is a mod source, so I was talking about using it not only for note sequencing, but for timbral changes as well. Allowing you to do thing the Korg Wavestation could do.
And things you can't really play or sequence in a DAW quite the same way

https://soundcloud.com/coolcolj/alesis- ... -sequencer

[zerocrossing]

A long time ago, I was over the moon for the Andromeda, but now I feel there are better sounding options.

Not to put you on the spot, but what might these "better sounding" options be?

In terms of polyphonic synths here's what we've got from:

Sequential
Prophet 5/10 rev 4 (totally basic synth by comparison with the Andromeda. Nowhere near the range of sounds).
Prophet 6 (only 6 voices of bland "modern analog" polyphony Also super basic compared to the Andromeda)
OB6 (only 6 voices of awful sounding "modern analog" polyphony. Sounds absolutely nothing like a vintage OB and especially the new OB-X8)
Trigon-6 (Too new to properly evaluate. Seems to be the best of the Prophet 6, OB6, Trigon-6 trifecta.)
Prophet REV2. (Gets an undeserved bad rap for being a DCO synth, especially considering all the classic Roland DCO analog synths from the 80s. But provides 16 voices of polyphony, dual layer capabilities, simple, but useful per layer built in FX, arpeggiator and two different types of sequencers per layer. Most complex architecture of ANY Sequential synth. IMO, wins hands down when compared to the above synths despite the REV2's somewhat piercing, even shrill sounding resonance.)

Oberheim
OB-X8 (a modern classic. Sounds absolutely fantastic for what it is: a big fat American poly. But it's only 8 voices and includes a fiddly "Page 2" system for adding a host of new parameters to the classic OB sound. But still, their addition is most welcome.)

Groove Synthesis
3rd Wave keyboard and desktop. (By far the most interesting sounding synth of the bunch. Probably the closest you'll get to a vintage PPG without taking out a second mortgage on your house.)

Moog
Moog One (What can be said about this classic synthesizer that hasn't already been said? It costs a fortune but is probably the last great poly that will ever be made.)

So unless you are talking about the Moog One or maybe the Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave keyboard or desktop, where is this bevy of better sounding modern synths than the Andromeda?

I’d put all of those, except the REV2 as sounding as good as most Andromeda demos, maybe better. Even the much maligned Prophet 6 is one of my favorite modern polys, even over the r4 Prophets. Thinking off the top of my head, I’d put the Andromeda in line with the PolyBrute, sonically. Not sure about feature list. That’s no cut down. I have a PolyBrute and I love it, but when push comes to shove, it’s not my favorite for raw analog synth sounds. Right now, my favorite is the Melbourne Instruments Nina.