Ion discontinued

Post by **tallowwaters** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 12:34 am

i wouldnt count on much. i hate to company bash, but they have f**k the pooch on the release of the SR18, as they have most every other synth they have released. Numark seems content to crush akai and alesis in the same way creative killed its bought out underlings.

i could be wrong, but that is the way it feels.

Big Gnome · Post by **Big Gnome** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 12:40 am

Bitexion wrote:Well, the Ion is basically implemented into the Fusion series, and that's Alesis' only priority nowadays. So you could say it's lived on.

There are a few differences between the Fusion VA engine and the Ion's. The deal breaker for me is that the Fusion has a single multimode filter per voice with generic LP/BP/HP and single-band boost/cut modes (although it can be set to a 1- to 8-pole slope), whereas the Ion/Micron has 2 filters with various modeled filters, comb filters, formant filters, etc. which can be flexibly routed. The Fusion's LFOs are very similar--in some ways slightly more flexible, in other ways slightly less so. You get a heck of a lot more of them on the Fusion though; envelope generators too, which I believe are identical. The Fusion's ring modulator is more flexible than the Ion's, but I'm told it exhibits more aliasing noise, although I can't speak from experience. And of course the Fusion dispenses with the Ion's wonderful control surface.

I've suspected the Ion's been dead for a quite a while now. It's really a shame, I think it's a fine instrument, and I think Alesis never paid it quite the attention it deserved.

otto · Post by **otto** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 1:29 am

Johnny Lenin wrote:I have been considering buying an Ion, but I could never understand Alesis's reasoning for selling two internally-(almost)-identical synths in different form factors at different price points.

MS2000 - Microkorg
PEK - MEK - DEVO
etc...

It's really a smart idea. They save lots in developing new products as they can just re-package products in smaller packages with a more limited interface and smaller price point and attract a whole new group of buyers.

tyrannosaurus mark · Post by **tyrannosaurus mark** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 1:39 am

come ooooon little phatty rack mount edition...

Post by **meatballfulton** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 1:53 am

tallowwaters wrote: they have f**k the pooch on the release of the SR18

Ooh, haven't heard about this yet...what's the problem with the SR18?

theplateauxofmirror · Post by **theplateauxofmirror** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:01 am

meatballfulton wrote:
tallowwaters wrote: they have f**k the pooch on the release of the SR18
Ooh, haven't heard about this yet...what's the problem with the SR18?

i haven't heard about the phrase "f**k the pooch," haha.

an Ion was my last purchase, and I really like it. Because I've been away at school and my synths are at home, I haven't played it enough to get comfortable with it like I am with my k-station. But I've played it enough to know you can do a lot with it and get some pretty neat sounds.
The mod matrix = awesome.

Post by **tallowwaters** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:49 am

meatballfulton wrote:
tallowwaters wrote: they have f**k the pooch on the release of the SR18
Ooh, haven't heard about this yet...what's the problem with the SR18?

they were going to toss out a first batch in early february ( i know, because i was number one in line) and some package/market snafu, nothing until june (at least) now.

its really nothing new for alesis. akai is even worse. the fact that i keep seeing sr16 engines pop up in consumer end devices at target is kind of a bad sign as well.

MissionBrown · Post by **MissionBrown** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 3:09 am

I just wish I kept my ion instead of selling it to buy a MURF.
Sure the MURF is ok.... but its kinda samey after a while.

The ion is a sweet board IMO but all I did really was try to emulate my old Juno 6...

Yes I am a chronic dumb arse.
Slowly learning from my mistakes.

Even before they discontinued 'em I've only ever seen one in person(mine).
And that was at a 2nd hand store.

brianos · Post by **brianos** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 3:11 am

felis wrote:Hopefully they've got an Ion II in the works. There were only a few things I've heard people would like changed though, like maybe a bit of an angle on the display, and maybe more polyphony.
IMO - they pretty much got it right the first time.

Would be nice but I wouldn't count on it. A couple folks on the ion/micron user group noted that the Alesis booth at NAMM was very light on synths this year

I usually keep my ion on the top tier of my stand with a generous slant towards me - primarily 'cos I'm short, but it does help in reading the display, too!

jim777 · Post by **jim777** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 3:12 am

I love my ION, I'd hate to lose it and I can't really see parting with it. If I could only keep one of my many, many synths (ok, 3 synths to be exact) it would be the ION.

Alesis should put a monophonic Andromeda in the exact same shell and sell that next. And keep the price at 500 bucks!

jim

otto · Post by **otto** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 3:19 am

I had a micron I liked and always thought I might get an Ion. Nice synth engine and lots of flex. As VA's go I like the virus sound more and was glad I tried something different.

CapnMarvel · Post by **CapnMarvel** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 3:38 am

The Ion was the second synth I ever bought and the first that really hooked me. I'm not nearly as well-versed on the ins and outs of synthesis as most people here (I'm a guitar player, I tend to default to 'play and fiddle with knobs' than doing anything close to 'programming'). I know I don't touch even 25% of the capabilities of the Ion, but I do know it does some weird routing things that none of my other synths do (meaning, I can really screw up the sound something really wonderful with a couple of knob twirls and some button stabs). I find I can get far more out of it (and a LOT better sound) than, say, my JP-8000, which seems to have a very strong fanbase here. I understand it's identical to the Micron under the hood (which loses the knobs and the arpeggiator but gains a sequencer...grr!), but I'd much rather have the heft and immediate tweakability of the Ion than a button and a knob and a few sliders. I'm sorry to see it go from the Alesis lineup, and I'm very happy I have mine.

It does make me worry a bit that the Andromeda is next on the chopping block (that can't be a cheap synth to manufacture from a cost-control standpoint), and once that stops production, your head will spin from the immediate price inflation.

Huppo · Post by **Huppo** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 3:39 am

Bitexion wrote:Well, the Ion is basically implemented into the Fusion series, and that's Alesis' only priority nowadays. So you could say it's lived on.

I was going to comment on this but BIg Gnome hopped in an said more specs-wise than I was about to say.

The Fusion has a lot of other good stuff the Ion doesn't have, so only comparing the straight VA engines is kind of selling the Fusion engine short. It's got a great FM implementation and has a decent physical modeling section, though it's quite underdeveloped. There's also a really extensive effects section with master and bus effects, etc.

It seems to me that if you lopped off the Fusion's pointless HD recording and clumsy sequencing section and maybe even left out the HD entirely, kept the various synth engines and effects intact and dropped it all into a knobby interface with a 4 or 5 octave keyboard you'd have a great Ion replacement that could be sold at a really competitive price. Perhaps even retain some of the sampler stuff and put it in static ram rather than a HD, usb loadable samples, etc.

The Fusion is just sort of a lost product with a lot more potential than it ever seems to get credit for. It kind of goofy as a workstation but it's pretty darn good for the price as a synth. A little tweak in the approach to selling the synth engine(s) inside it might result in a really good selling synth.

hfinn · Post by **hfinn** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 3:41 am

otto wrote:
Johnny Lenin wrote:I have been considering buying an Ion, but I could never understand Alesis's reasoning for selling two internally-(almost)-identical synths in different form factors at different price points.
MS2000 - Microkorg
PEK - MEK - DEVO
etc...

It's really a smart idea. They save lots in developing new products as they can just re-package products in smaller packages with a more limited interface and smaller price point and attract a whole new group of buyers.

Thats been going on for 30 years.

Oberheim Two/Four/Eight Voice/OB-X
Oberheim Xpander/Matrix-12
Yamaha CS-5/10/15/30
Yamaha CS-50/60/80

And don't even get started on the DX's

t.o.t.s. · Post by **t.o.t.s.** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 4:06 am

tyrannosaurus mark wrote:come ooooon little phatty rack mount edition...

SERIOUSLY!!!! With that polyphony thing sitting there in the OS it's SCREAMING for it. Stack 2 or three rack unit up... BAM! I'd be even more happy with a straight up voice expander though.