The A6 Andromeda is no more..had a thought!

[goldphinga]

Its been confirmed that its now discontinued. So
I wonder if Moog could in someway license the design for a new poly using the chips and boards from the A6 to save on costs??

Thoughts??

[latigid on]

Haven't they been saying d/c'ed for years? Is there a new source? I tried a quick google, and the product page @ Alesis.com is still there?

[goldphinga]

A few people on KSS have had their orders cancelled..

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/electron ... n-rip.html

[MC]

And these rumors have been re-surfacing for the last five years.

[The Analog Organist]

That's shocking news, but we've heard it before. However, neither Musician's Friend, Musicians Buy, nor Sweetwater have any Andromedas in stock, so maybe there's truth to the tale.

I don't think another analog polyphonic synthesizer currently exists that could fill the spot. But the next natural question is, which poly synth will step in to take first place? I say the Prophet '08, perhaps coupled with a P'08 Desktop or a Tetra, or maybe the Poly Evolver Keyboard coupled woth a PEK rack. In my opinion, the PEK is one of the best kept secrets in the synthesizer world. It really is an under-rated four-oscillator monster that is often written off because two of its oscillators are digital.

These instruments are pricey alternatives, but there aren't many analog poly synths out there. The loss of the Andromeda certainly leaves a vacuum.

If Moog finally produces a poly synth merely because it buys the Andromeda design, then I'll be very disappointed with Moog. At this late date in their history, can't they produce their own design?

[superd2112]

Alesis has been making Andromedas in batches since production started - they make a batch, sell all of them, and then wait & make another batch several months later. Sweetwater, MF and Nova all have units on order, and there should be some available in 2 - 3 months. The major problem I have with Alesis is that they do not respond to emails or inquiries regarding the Andy. A few weeks ago, I sent emails to Dave Smith and Alesis regarding their poly synths - Dave Smith answered the same day, and I never did hear back from Alesis. With Alesis providing virtually no customer support, I decided to go with the Prophet. I like the fact that the Prophet is U.S. made, and has excellent customer support. I have owned both machines, and each one is great, but while the Andy may be a deeper synth, there is no substitute for great support & customer service - something Alesis simply does not provide. Ideally, I would like to own one of each, and someday I will. I also want to see Moog make a poly, but I want them to keep the bloodline pure & use only Moog-based components.

[The Analog Organist]

Superd2112 -

I couldn't agree with you more!

[analogaddict]

I wonder if Moog could in someway license the design for a new poly using the chips and boards from the A6 to save on costs??

This is not a bad idea at all. I used to have an Andy, it's got a sound of its' own and at the same time I still think it can approximate the vintage analogs. The 'Moog factor' in those oscillators is pretty big (IIRC, they're based on Moog Modular oscs), and that comes from a Model D owner... An 8-voice multitimbral "Moogdromeda" focusing on the 'Moogish' side of the sound would work well, IMHO. Less features, smaller size a'la the P'08, wooden end caps, all knobs Moog style - I might just buy that. I never understood why Alesis never developed the concept, a slimmed down 8-voice Andromeda and a rack might have worked very well...

This may also be the only way for Moog to release a poly synth that won't cost an arm and a leg.

[MC]

A rackmount eight voice A6 was in the works. Alesis dropped development of Andromeda derivatives after they were acquired by Numark. Many people left the company and there are very few of the A6 team still working at Alesis. That left an "orphaned" product that continues to be manufactured ten years later.

As for a Moog polyphonic made from A6 chips... I'd welcome the ASO chips (oscillators) but not the ASF chips (filters). The moog filter in the A6 is a bit lacking although the oberheim filter is pretty good. Plus I'd rather have better sounding VCAs - the A6 VCAs are a little too sterile.

The old Oberheim polysynths had OTA VCAs that distorted wonderfully. SEM, OB-X, and OB-SX had OTA VCAs and voice audio summers. OB-Xa had OTA VCAs but a CEM3360 for the voice summer. The OTAs were pushed hard enough that they operated in non-linear land which introduces distortion - that distinct Oberheim creaminess. When the OB-8 replaced the OTAs with ultralinear CEM3360 VCAs, Tom Oberheim thought something had been lost. Few would argue with him.

[analogaddict]

A rackmount eight voice A6 was in the works. Alesis dropped development of Andromeda derivatives after they were acquired by Numark. Many people left the company and there are very few of the A6 team still working at Alesis. That left an "orphaned" product that continues to be manufactured ten years later.

I'd have bought two such rackmounts in a heartbeat...

As for a Moog polyphonic made from A6 chips... I'd welcome the ASO chips (oscillators) but not the ASF chips (filters). The moog filter in the A6 is a bit lacking although the oberheim filter is pretty good. Plus I'd rather have better sounding VCAs - the A6 VCAs are a little too sterile.

True dat - the filters on the Andy are trying to be everything. The 12 dB filter was nice, but the 24 dB could be improved. Perhaps the existing chips could be tweaked..?

The old Oberheim polysynths had OTA VCAs that distorted wonderfully. SEM, OB-X, and OB-SX had OTA VCAs and voice audio summers. OB-Xa had OTA VCAs but a CEM3360 for the voice summer. The OTAs were pushed hard enough that they operated in non-linear land which introduces distortion - that distinct Oberheim creaminess. When the OB-8 replaced the OTAs with ultralinear CEM3360 VCAs, Tom Oberheim thought something had been lost. Few would argue with him.

Yep, the OB-8 is a bit... 'polite' compared to earlier Obies, even my OB-Xa was a bit on te sweet side. We have a Two-Voice, it's absolutely incredible.

[jon_kull]

I don't think the Andromeda filters are that bad. There was a guy on vintagesynth.com that did a Model D/Andromeda side by side comparison and it was surprising how close the two can actually sound at times. If I can find the link I'll post it here.

[ikazlar]

A rackmount eight voice A6 was in the works. Alesis dropped development of Andromeda derivatives after they were acquired by Numark. Many people left the company and there are very few of the A6 team still working at Alesis. That left an "orphaned" product that continues to be manufactured ten years later.

I wonder why that evil Numark company has never hired someone of the software developers back (or a new one) to make a new OS.. After all they have milked the A6 for long enough, right? It pisses me off when I see products like the Virus series, repackaged over and over again and everyone goes nuts when a new repackaged Virus comes out. Access however have been listening to their customers and they have provided them with plenty of new features and fixes. Why not Numark? I don't understand how is it THAT difficult to do this.

[The Analog Organist]

Numark committed the unpardonable sin of allowing a classic analog synthesizer to die before it had been perfected. I gladly would have handed over $3,000 for an Andromeda IF the company had corrected the instrument's problems and provided the sort of service that DSI provides.

[peterkadar]

Numark committed the unpardonable sin of allowing a classic analog synthesizer to die before it had been perfected. I gladly would have handed over $3,000 for an Andromeda IF the company had corrected the instrument's problems and provided the sort of service that DSI provides.

Yeah!!

I had an A6, and mine became more crazy and buggy as time went on. There was nothing that factory resets or OS updates could fix. So I had to trade it back and got a V-Synth XT which admittedly is different but extremely cool nonetheless.

I wish someone would buy the Andromeda design and make it work.

The other problem is that if/when Alesis stuff goes down, there's very little that can be done to fix it. I've seen a graveyard of QS synth's sitting idle in my local music store's basement because they can't get parts from Alesis. And... I've seen many Ions, Fusions, and Microns new in the store with weird problems... self editing pots, displays that are missing rows of pixels, etc.

I think their synth designs are great, but the quality control and aftermarket support is not good.

For what its worth, I liked the 24db lowpass in the A6. If moog ( or even the big 3 with their larger budgets) bought the design and worked on it, I think it could be incredible. I own a Prophet '08, and would still shill out $3k for a synth that could do what the A6 does, or did.

[The Analog Organist]

Even though I've been a harsh critic of the Andromeda/Alesis situation, nevertheless I say, "Fix it!" Let someone buy the design, purge all the bugs, and offer a rejuvenated instrument with a fresh face and the sort of service that DSI offers. Without the Andromeda, the analog polysynth world has a vacuum. We need something massive and highly sophisticated, something to strive for after we've mastered the other instruments.

I'm thrilled with the Prophet '08, but I'd also love to go beyond it, to tackle a monster of a synth with a great big sound and even a large size. Sigh.... Sorry, guys, I was just dreaming out loud.