Tal Bassline 101 v Air Iona: Sequencer?

[ghostwhistler]

Have you demo'd both? That'd probably be the clincher. I think if you fundamentally find that Iona sounds better, that's the one you should pick, as I have found that features typically become subservient to sound. But if you end up going with TAL's Bassline, hit me up because I'm leaning strongly towards selling my license so you'd be able to save a few bucks.

PM Sent

I have been demoing them. It's really 50/50. Iona sounds amazing but is limited. Tal still sounds good and is well regarded. I'm trying to find a hardware comparison on YT to see how it stacks up.

[ghostwhistler]

I tried a demo of it, but it's twice the price. Sounds good, I like d16 (one day I'll get the hang fo the Devastatar filter arrangements), but it's more money for features I'm not super desperate I need.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail ... ynthesizer

50 bucks. I'm considering it.

ARG!

[electro]

TAL is always an exact emulation of corresponding hardware with attention to detail and synthesis is top notch. That's why I never felt the need to look elsewhere.

Iona might be the first Akai MPC synth than cannot run on the 2.15 Firmware forcing an upgrade to 3.6

[Uncle E]

Nice thread. I found TAL and Lush to have similar characters. Model 82 and Iona sound different, but they also sound different from each other, and I don't know which is more accurate to the hardware. Iona has the bright, biting (in a good way) sound that I associate with XILS, while Model 82 has the softer sound I associate with, well, all Softube Models. Lush is by far the deepest and most feature-rich of them.

[steffensen]

I generally don't like much of the AIR stuff, but the Iona is sounding spectacular!
They got the tone right in that one.

It's filled with stuff that makes it hard to use though. (imo)
Which is why TAL 101 might win between those two options, as it's very user-friendly.

What makes it hard to use?

I might have exaggerated a bit, but not be able to control parameters with mouse wheel, only by click and drag, is such a showstopper for me.
The resonance behavior is also way off, which makes it a challenge to use the 101 if you are used to it from the real thing. It's doable though, once you are used to it.

I haven't tried the efx really as i don't see the need of efx inside a synth, i have other plugins for efx of my own choice.

However, i just love the sound of Iona, which is the main important thing for me. Might be a buy in the future even if they never add mouse wheel for parameter control. (i can't help but finding that a bit odd)

[tshear23]

Filter FM wasn't in the hardware by default, but there was a cool mod called the NovaMod which added it, as well as overdrive and a bunch of other cool features to the 101.

[ghostwhistler]

I generally don't like much of the AIR stuff, but the Iona is sounding spectacular!
They got the tone right in that one.

It's filled with stuff that makes it hard to use though. (imo)
Which is why TAL 101 might win between those two options, as it's very user-friendly.

What makes it hard to use?

I would say the Iona makes a more immediate first impression, and I like that it has multiple LFO waveforms (the TAL doesn't, which is a shame if minor, given that it does have poly).

I think TAL is more resonant. Both, I think, can get the same tone. Obviously not exactly but then I don't examine things that closely, =i haven't put them under an oscillascope for example.

Don't forget Iona's presets use the fx. They are decent. The EQ I like. Tal doesn't have those, but that's ok. I have efx and equalisers.

I might have exaggerated a bit, but not be able to control parameters with mouse wheel, only by click and drag, is such a showstopper for me.
The resonance behavior is also way off, which makes it a challenge to use the 101 if you are used to it from the real thing. It's doable though, once you are used to it.

I haven't tried the efx really as i don't see the need of efx inside a synth, i have other plugins for efx of my own choice.

However, i just love the sound of Iona, which is the main important thing for me. Might be a buy in the future even if they never add mouse wheel for parameter control. (i can't help but finding that a bit odd)
[/quote]

[ghostwhistler]

Iona is also on a flash sale today/right now.

[Vortifex]

The Softube sounds closest to how my 101 sounded. But I actually use the TAL the most. It sounds close enough, plus it has velocity control of the envelope, which is really nice for bass sequences. I rarely use its polyphony but the filter FM can be nice.

Iona was alright but it lacked velocity control, making it less useful.

[Uncle E]

Both, I think, can get the same tone. Obviously not exactly but then I don't examine things that closely, =i haven't put them under an oscillascope for example.

Try them with the square oscillator, cutoff 100%, and resonance 0%. You won't need an oscilloscope.

[ghostwhistler]

Iona is excellent.

AIR as a company to purchase from...are not.

I am struggling to get this to activate. Their 'inmusic profile' is awful. I have no idea how to do this. There are no instructions. I enter the serial code into the vst and it tells me it's already registered. What on earth. Does anyone know how you get this to work?

I won't ever purchase from this company again

[seafire]

Tal is the closest I've used, as a 1 : 1 emulation. It's not perfect, but it's the closest.

[ghostwhistler]

I regret my choices...

[revvy]

Can’t go wrong with TAL.

Love their 101 as much as I loved my Roland before I sold it (I’m not in a position to maintain vintage hardware)

[ghostwhistler]

Can’t go wrong with TAL.

No you cant. The Iona does sound a little better to my ears but there's not much in it. I'd be happy if the AIR music people actually had a working app and not this messy installer process/app that doesn't work.

Dont mind me, but I'm just fed up with endless installer apps/plug in managers/passcodes/forms that require info the company doesn't need. These companies don't give a hoot about amateur musicians either.