Alesis

Our Guest Blogger Scott Wilcox goes all Goldilocks on these three, very different digital reverb offerings from Rocktron, Behringer, and Alesis, and reminds us of that timeless song:

To every dude (turn, turn, turn) /
There is a reverb (turn, turn, turn)  

Some musicians do not require complicated audio setups but would rather prefer a simple setup they can take anywhere and play with even without external power. The Alesis TransActive Live is the perfect PA system for such requirements.  

Alesis thinks it hasn't pushed the envelope far enough for the DM10. Teaming up with FXpansion, the developer of BFD, Alesis aims to develop custom sound sets bound to impress even the most discerning drummer that ever lived.  

Today’s computer music age appears to be similar to what Generation Y encountered; a transition from old to new technology. With the computer music age blossoming further, Generation Y appears to have held on to the gear of yesteryears. Alesis AudioLink USB-MIDI Cable is bound to help bridge that gap, just other USB-MIDI interface before it did.  

In some circles, electronic drums have been disdained for sounding and feeling, well, electronic. The lack of dynamics, articulation, and acoustic feel has once plagues systems that rely on rubberized trigger pads. Debuting at Summer NAMM 2009 and attempting to answer such "electronic" problems is the Alesis DM10 Pro Kit, their new flagship electronic drum set.  

We saw a preview of these at Winter NAMM 2009, and our interest was piqued. Now the Alesis AudioLink USB Cables are shipping, and you can finally do away with your cumbersome old audio interface once and for all.  

If you've got an electronic kit, headphones may do the trick if you can telepathically communicate beats to your jamming partners. For those of you who lack such powers, the Alesis TransActive Drummer works just as well as brain-to-brain messaging.  

If you like hitting things with sticks, but you're not the best at it, train harder with the Alesis E-Practice Pad. With excercises and sounds built into the unit, you'll improve like that guy from this book I'm halfway through reading. It's called Flowers For Algernon -- have you heard of it? Don't spoil the ending!  

Would MusikMesse be MusikMesse without the introduction of a new Alesis electronic drum kit? Yes, but it wouldn't be a MusikMesse I'd want to attend. Luckily, MusikMesse 2009 saw the release of the new Alesis DM6 Kit. Now I want to go!  

Now that Alesis has released the first handheld stereo USB microphone, you can hold two of them at once for stereo in stereo through USB.  

élan
Pronunciation:
    \?-?lä?\
Function:
     noun
Etymology:
     French, from Middle French eslan rush, from (s')eslancer to rush, from ex- + lancer to hurl — more at lance
Date:
     1864

: vigorous spirit or enthusiasm

 

Who needs a full-scale portable recorder when everyone and their dog has an iPod? With the Alesis ProTrack, you can turn your iPod or iPod Touch into a field recorder with all the fixings . . . and so can your dog!  

Look up in the sky! It's an audio interface! It's a control surface! It's a control room manager! It's the Alesis MasterControl!

Great Caesar's ghost! What's it doing up in the sky?

 

You've put hours upon teenage hours into crafting the perfect mix tape(s) for your (one) true love(s), so why are you letting those nuggets of passion lay discarded. . . wherever they might be? With the new Alesis TapeLink USB, you can finally preserve and relive your high-school love pains anew.  

While NAMM was littered with super-high ticket items, you can always rely on companies like Alesis to focus on innovative products for the budget conscious. The Alesis M!Active 520 USB Monitors save you space and money by pulling double duty as an interface.  

You know when you were in junior high, and you got one of those awesome science kits that gave you everything you needed to cure cancer and secure world domination, all in one pre-measured, neat little set? The Alesis USB Recording Kit is kind of like that, except for the part about curing cancer.  

Sometimes a company releases a product at Winter NAMM that's so revolutionary, the world -- or at least the bustling Anaheim convention center -- seems to stand still in awe. Then there's the Alesis MultiMix 4 USB. We're not saying anything bad about it, really.  

Let's face it. You're awesome at music and your playlist is the best. Wouldn't you and your iPod make a better band than the constantly clashing, can't agree on a direction, ragtag group of scruffy twentysomethings you're currently hanging out with? Enter the Alesis JamDock at Winter NAMM 2009.  

Alesis announces the departure of their MasterControl three-in-one unit. It's an audio interface, control surface and control room manager all in one, which adds up to one utilitarian math equation.  

Before we return from galaxies far, far away, Bill Holland finishes up his look at the Alesis Andromeda A6. This one's all about ribbon control, and who doesn't like a good ribbon?  

Plowing on through the galaxy of features in the Alesis Andromeda A6, Bill Holland checks out the arpeggiator and the step sequencer. They're . . . out of this world!  

This is our second video on the filter and modulation effects on the massive Alesis Andromeda A6, and our fifth video on the Andromeda as a whole, and our umpteenth video in the ever-expanding Synth Lab series -- a series AS INFINITE AS THE COSMOS ITSELF.  

The sweet, creamy middle of Bill Holland's look at the Alesis Andromeda A6 is all in the filters. Just because it's the middle of the series doesn't mean these filters won't take you to the ends of the universe!  

Moving on the Part Three of our Alesis Andromeda A6 Walkthru, Bill goes over the analog synthesizer's ASDR envelopes for pitch, filter, amp and loop, each of which are also, consequently, traditional Alaskan first names.  

If you're just learning about VCOs, this video on the Alesis Andromeda A6 might not be the best place to start, being that it's got 32 VCOs in total. If you're (wo)man enough though, let the dude in the froofy tie, three-quarter sleeves and dress-vest show you the ropes.  

William Holland Boldly Demos Alesis Andromeda A6 Analog Synthesizer
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Digitally Controlled Synth Has Sixteen-Voice Polyphony, Literally Countless Control Knobs
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President Kennedy Commends Holland For Service To Science, Country

 

Four the grande finale (see what what I did there?), Bill busts out the Alesis Micron's sweet vocoder patches. Some people -- I won't mention any names -- have been talking smack about the Micron's vocoding ability, but Bill will FIGHT those people. Watch the video for his contact and mailing info.  

Still with us? Your patience will be rewarded: by the time you finish this, the third video in our Alesis Micron walkthru, you'll be a certifiable Micronologist. Bill covers advanced patch editing in this one, so get out your digital thimbles and techno-sheers.  

We went over the basic controls and interface of the Alesis Micron in Part One, so now that we're all on the same operating page, let's take a listen to the wide sonic pallet on this compact synth.  

If you're considering getting a cheap, easy to use analog synth emulator, Bill Holland thinks (and the rest of us concur) that you should seriously consider the Alesis Micron. Its 60s-SciFi-flavored aesthetic and simple control layout belie a sophisticated, yet user-friendly electronica-machine.