ALESIS MICRON
May 1, 2005 12:00 PM, BY ROBERT OLEYSYCK
Throughout the '70s and '80s, the constant improvement to the microchip directly influenced the availability, price and portability of electronic instruments, which thus were adopted by many rock bands and noted musicians, including Pink Floyd, Brian Eno, Vangelis, Jean Michel Jarre and Tangerine Dream. This helped to popularize electronic music, as did the film industry's use of electronic music in movie soundtracks. During the past decade, a similar revolution has been stirred through more affordable, and often smaller, instruments. This — alongside the boom of virtual software instruments, the influx of increasingly powerful and less expensive computers and the dawn of analog-modeled synthesizers — has opened up the realm of music creation to a wider audience and made the notion of building a personal project studio more attainable than ever. This time around, synthesizers in particular are being offered that are extremely compact, often with an eye toward portability and value, without sacrificing quality or features. The Alesis Micron is part of this new breed.
SILVER AND RED
Based on the sound engine of the award-winning Alesis Ion, the Micron is an eight-voice analog-modeling synthesizer with three oscillators per voice, 20 filter types, two LFOs with multiple wave shapes, 32 multitimbral parts and a three-octave velocity-sensitive keyboard. Measuring approximately 23 by 8 by 4 inches, the silver paint job and red trim augment its appeal, and a programmable step sequencer, an arpeggiator and a rhythm sequencer for drums add functionality to this wonderful box. The rear panel contains all of the connections you'd expect to find in a synthesizer of this class: MIDI In/Out/Thru, jacks for sustain and expression pedals, balanced stereo ¼-inch TRS jacks for both audio input and output, a ¼-inch headphone jack and a 9V/1.5A power connection with switch (the AC adapter is included).
My first impression of the Micron is its elegantly simple control structure. With only five knobs, two sliders, 13 buttons and a pitch wheel, the Micron is so easy to navigate and figure out that even novices can quickly get a grip on what's inside. The rubberized knobs and wheel feel great on the fingertips, and the backlit buttons and two-line LED (black on green) give quick and easy identification of the unit's status. The pitch wheel even glows brighter as more attenuation is applied.
Located to the far right, next to the screen, the Micron's most important controls are in the Control-knob circle. This cluster of buttons is what you use to choose among Programs, Setups, Configurations, Rhythms and Patterns. The rotary Control knob in the center allows you to step through the contents of these categories and make or confirm changes by pushing the knob in. To the left of the screen is the performance cluster of buttons, with which you control the keyboard's octave range, set the tempo (manually tap or automatically sync via MIDI), toggle on and off the auto accompaniment and latch modes, enable phrase recording and save any changes (with the Store button). Three real-time rotary encoders — labeled X, Y and Z — and two sliders, labeled M1 and M2, modify certain aspects of a sound, depending upon the program. The M1 slider typically adds vibrato whereas the M2 slider generally sweeps the filter frequency, but neither slider always does each function. A large red Volume knob is at the far left. And, finally, the unit is centered around a three-octave, velocity-sensitve keyboard.
THE GOODS
The first features that most users check out when faced with a new synth are the preset programs. Remember, this is an analog-modeled synth, so the sounds aren't samples that are played back, but created from scratch within the Micron. Like most, the programs are split up into categories (the number of patches within these categories is also listed): Bass (44), Lead (43), Pad (127), String (18), Brass (26), Keys (36), Comp (113), Drum (118) and Sfx (50). You can step through all of these programs by turning the Control knob, but what's unique about the Micron is that it allows you to jump to a particular category. Just above the white keys on the left side of the keyboard are labels for each of these categories. By pressing and holding the Programs button in conjunction with one of these keys, you're instantly taken to that category as well as the last program that you visited within that category — sweet. The Micron also stores the last 10 used programs in the Recent bank and allows you to store programs into a Faves, or favorites, bank. These programs appear in both locations and are not moved from their original location; they can be accessed in the same way as other categories.
A healthy assortment of stock sounds is also present — plenty to set the wheels of inspiration in motion — and they sound great, too. The number of string patches is a bit skimpy, but the wealth and pizzazz of sounds in the pads category more than make up for it. The bass sounds range from throaty and dirty to warm and silky, and the pads run the gamut from simple drones to complex and evolving textures. Not to downplay any of the other categories, I especially enjoyed the drum and percussion sounds. I've gotten so used to hearing sampled drums lately that it was a pleasure to hear the unmistakable character of synthesized drums, conjuring memories of Kraftwerk and classic drum machines of the '80s, like the Simmons and the Linn Drum.
Speaking of drums, the Micron comes with 266 drum and percussion programs with specifically designed rhythm patterns. While in Rhythms mode, pressing and holding any of the keys from the bottom of the keyboard up to the middle G< key will play the selected pattern. You can also enable Latch mode to have the rhythm play continuously without holding down a key. Pressing one of the white keys from middle A upward will play an individual drum part that is used in the pattern. Rhythm patterns can be freely edited and customized by changing not only which drum sounds are used but also their volume level and panning, as well as options for pattern length (¼, ¾, 1, 2 or 4 bars) and grid (8, 12, 14, 16, 20, 24 or 32 steps per bar). As many as eight different drum or percussion sounds (labeled A through H) can be used within a single pattern. All of these parameters are easily accessible by pressing and turning the Control knob.
STEP TO THIS
The beauty of the Micron is its built-in step sequencer (a feature that its bigger sibling, the Ion, does not have) — which can be used for rhythm patterns, synth sequences and arpeggios — in which individual sounds can be placed and velocity information can be stored for each note. There are 32 preset arpeggios and 230 preset synth patterns for which key span and note order can also be modified. In addition, the Micron features real-time recording, in which you can play a sequence in real time or add to it piece by piece as the pattern loops. It records the keys you play and any movements you make with the sliders, pitch wheel or knobs — you don't even have to record the controller movements at the same time as the notes! This entire scheme opens the door to a wealth of creative and experimental possibilities and is extremely useful for inventing grooves, patterns or sequences that you wouldn't normally come up with or even play in real time. Once you get something laid down, making changes to the notes or any of their parameters is a cinch. You can then give the pattern a custom name and save it to any location you desire. The Micron doesn't limit saving to fixed banks or locations; you can create, delete and overwrite anywhere and even export via MIDI SysEx.
FLAT SPIN
But what about those X, Y and Z knobs? Any parameter can be mapped to those knobs. While in the program parameter's edit page, simply hold down the Control knob and wiggle the knob that you wish to map it to. Want to assign the filter frequency to X, the resonance to Y and the drive level to Z? It's only a few clicks away — simple. That brings you to another outstanding feature of the Micron: The X, Y and Z knobs are 360-degree endless parameter knobs. This means that these knobs don't relate to a fixed position or value; they simply increase or decrease the associated parameter's value, negating annoying jumps when editing. Furthermore, each knob offers an amazing 12-bit resolution, which results in real-time controller changes that don't suffer from digital “stair-stepping,” most commonly noticeable when performing filter sweeps. Instead of the filter jerking from one value to the next, it's as smooth as glass.
Now, you might think that a synth of this size and price would be limited in terms of programmability and modulation, but that's simply not the case. Using as many as three oscillators per voice; a full arsenal of sine, triangle/saw and pulse waveforms (which can all be shaped to taste); two filters per voice (with 20 juicy classic and unique types); a separate noise generator; and ring modulation, the Micron offers a ton of control. In addition, this slick synth allows you to set up 12 modulation routes, each acting as a virtual connection between a physical or internally generated source and a program parameter. This amounts to a total of 114 sources and 78 destinations. Controls for detuning, portamento, oscillator syncs, FM types, six drive types, LFO and sample and hold, as well as a smattering of pitch and delay effects, add even more sound-shaping possibilities. Plus, external sound sources can be processed through the Micron's filters and effects, and the unit has a 40-band vocoder, to boot.
The Micron also has a powerful Setups function with 70 presets that combine multiple programs, rhythms, patterns and keyboard splits and layers. As many as 26 different programs and 26 different rhythms can be active simultaneously, and the degree to which you can delve into the details of creating or editing a setup is pretty vast. You can assign not only levels, panning, key ranges, splits, controllers and knobs but also effect types and levels for each and every part and beat. It's fairly evident that if you're in the market for an analog-modeled synth, the Alesis Micron demands a good, hard look. When you consider the fantastic sounds; wealth of presets and features; and massive amount of programmability wrapped in a sleek, compact package — at a reasonable price — it's hard to resist. For those on a tight budget, the Micron is a sure bet, especially for beginners looking to get their first synthesizer. The manual is well-thought-out and informative, explaining things from the ground up. It even has a short section on MIDI. The Micron is unique enough to be a welcome addition — even for seasoned professionals with racks full of gear — and it's a whole lot of fun to play with.
ALESIS
MICRON > $699
Pros: Excellent sounds and presets. Virtually limitless programming options via modulation matrix. Three 360-degree endless parameter knobs with 12-bit resolution. Step sequencer. External audio input. OS upgradable via MIDI.
Cons: No digital output. No aftertouch. Limited polyphony.
Contact: www.alesis.com
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