ALESIS ION: THE UNSUNG HERO OF VIRTUAL ANALOG 

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I've got one of these. I use it for floaty pads. I now feel like I've wasted 10 years of my life making floaty pads.

It always amazes me that alesis got so much right with the ion the micron and the Andromeda but then just dipped out of the synthesizer game

In 2003 the Alesis Ion and Korg MS2000 seemed to be marketed by retailers as competing models. They were similarly priced but watching this now I see they were completely different animals. I bought the Korg at that time thinking that I was getting a better deal given the built in sequencer but now I wish I would have gone for the Alesis, what a beautiful machine.

Lol. The irony of History: I remember when this keyboard was released and for years being hard pressed to find many positive reviews online-the reoccurring theme being "it's too thin and digital sounding" or some critique about it not emulating the classics well enough. I believed it for a long time, but the allure of its aesthetic won me over and I took a leap and bought one on Craigslist. ❤️❤️❤️ I thought my not being a synth purist was the reason I loved it so much, and maybe that is the case, but I'm on my second ion and still love it as much now as I did when I bought my first 12 years ago. This is the only keyboard I've owned that has retained its resale value on the used market for this long. It's great to finally see this instrument receive the respect it so deserves. Oh, incredible demo! This video actually reinvestigated my passion for this little monster. And, thanks for raising the value for resale when I'm dead. Lol.

This is the BEST Alesis Ion Video in existence. When I heard BT used it, id did not want one. One I saw you using it, I had to have one.

I have the red-ended Alesis Micron, which has the same analog modeling engine, 8 voices, FM, vocorder, etc. If you want something smaller(for live) and cheaper, the Micron can get some great sounds in a smaller package. The Ion however has so much more to offer for sound crafting. These are legit machines for sure. Also, the Akai MINIAK is a Micron clone with a few upgrades like integrated microphone input for the vocorder.

Have had mine since 2003. It was always an incredibly underrated synth in my mind. I preferred many times over the Andromeda when it was in the shop next to one another. It has a few warts (Volume pot needs cleaning, JFETS failing, etc. ) but it's a beast especially good for industrial type work.

This is f*cking mental, never new it existed, love it. The hunt begins nooooo 😂

Ive watched some videos and heard people play this unit, but these tones are so awesomely gnarly and glitchy and nasty in the best way. Had my eye on one when they used to go for cheaper..Also Red Means Recording sent me here.

For 2002 synth, the Alesis ION in fact had a pretty powerful CPU at 500 MIPS.

This was my first big boy synth! Hyped to see you review it

Old digital synths were ahead of their time. Especially this kind of synths. I have old Novation X-station from 2002. Its quite limited, but overdriving its internal fx processor has its own vibe.

I've had an ion since 2010 and partnered with my Waldorf Pulse 2, they can blend together VERY well. Plus, the ion can create fantastic motion filled sonic textures, while the Pulse 2 provides a solid, FAT base tone.

I was kind of expecting a feature exploration, but once you mentioned Mr. Data Line, I knew it would be a jam. Good jam!

When is the Blush Response vs Audiopilz crossover going to drop?

Nobuo Uematsu played an Ion when on tour with The Black Mages.

Ion ,Micron ,Miniak were definitely overlooked sleeper synths . One of the best VA engines ever coded . They took Virtual analog literally and built each voice on a separate dsp and dac lol . Micron and Miniak are both 8 part (at the cost of 90% of the knobs ) with both melodic and drum sequencers . All three have vocoders , and the Osc drift function that almost none of the presets used adds a lot of life . Pro tip it’s all NRPN so many / Most midi controllers are of no use for editing the engine . Cheers .

Famous last words before GAS kicks in and you buy another unit: " I was finally like, oh I have enough gear, I just check out this... and than get rid of it"

I tried one of these at the same time as owning an Andromeda. This goes to places the Andromeda can't - I've always really rated the Ion. Had to sell the Andy to raise funds years ago, but I've got a Fusion 8HD which has the same VA engine as the Ion in there along with sampling, ROMpler, physical modelling and a fucking hard-disk audio recorder. Alesis really were on a roll back then, it's such a shame they were taken over and run into the ground.

Finally someone who knows their shit about these! I restored 2 old Fusions I play constantly, monsters but I miss the realtime control, it has gobs of mod possibilities, very similar to this. I've restored a Micron, and now have the Miniak. Have therefore been on the fence about this one....until now. This is synthesis, with a capital S, because you get it. I've studied over a dozen "analog" synths besides mine-trained on the original Sequential Pro-One years ago which could twist sounds pretty well if one knew what you were doing, but now I know what this one can really sound like. Bones from the original Star Trek...."Damn it Captain, I'm a medical doctor, not a mind reader!!" How i feel with some of these dumb demos, but you nailed it. There were geniuses who created these, its the marketing people who failed, not their creators. And now I hear it, sounds like it eats the other synths for breakfast.

This was my first synth and I regret ever selling it. It truly is a beast in its own way and it feels like no one talks about it! Definitely some digital limits to the smoothness and FX, but the sheer range more than makes up for it. Add some decent pedals, and you could just live here.

What the hell this is a super well designed synth, layout wise, especially for the time.

the "damn girl" almost made me loose my drink 😂 ✊

4:30, ignoring the wailing children in favour of more synth, a sensation I know too well.

🤤thanks! you just sold me one with this marvelous demo - btw love your music too

I love my Alesis Ion. It was a commercial failure and the price dropped to $600. I got mine new for $560. I haven't done the deep dive I should. The only thing I don't like is the high end is a bit brittle and digital. I can match sounds from my Juno 60 on it because the JP filter is great. All the filters are great. The routing matrix is insane.

A gear addict in the throws of addiction. Relatable.

Damn. Those are some nice/nasty sounds. In the right hands this thing has some real power. I just checked out the Shockpoint ep btw. Really liked it.

damn... ive been wanting to grab one of these for years. now you let the cat out about how cool it is and the prices are going to sky rocket :P

I got one in 2008 for $499. I still have it. It's a great synth, but can be a tad harsh depending on the sound/patch. It also has a 40band vocoder.

Hi Joey, Great review! I've owned an ion since 2003 and it is my primary synth above all others at this point. In my rig, the ion's partner synth in a Micro Q. I also have a Pulse 2 a Blofeld a Gem Equinox for Hammond organ emulation (with a Ventilator pedal its is a very proper Hammond) and a Kurzweil Pc3 88. Man the ion just kicks ass and teamed with the Micro Q it is an absolute blast to create unique sounds. Thanks for your review.

I was given one by a m.i. shop while I was waiting for my Andromeda to arrive due to a manufacturing delay. It's a beautiful synth, and it has an O.S. derived from the Andromeda. Very similar in synthesis architecture. They'll probably rise in price as they're very rare.

This is an awesome "real working mans review" of an awesome and criminally underated synth. I bought one in 2007 and it has been a mainstay of my rig ever since. I like to send the output through my modular effects rig (Stoel Systems Reverb through a 19" Spring Tank). It truely shimmers well above and beyond many. Thanks for posting this, instant sub!

always love your in-review jams!

I just got one off eBay a few days ago and I’m excited to play on it. I owned a Micron before this and actually enjoyed the sounds of how retro and classic the presets would get. It honestly was like operating a spaceship almost so I’m happy to relive my wonderful moments of my life from my Micron with the Ion now.

Anthony Rother rocks two of these and he knows how to use em. My Ion still works even though it does have the balance issues that often go unnoticed on top of the usual output failures…

the sound of the Ion is really awesome, I would like to see you one day with a Dominion....

Modwave chilling in bottom left corner going like "hey buddy, hopefully I'll get a v2.0 update and some new mangling features" 😂 Nice vid as always Blush 🐵

Wow man. Didn’t know about this. You’re a champ J

This review just made me buy one still in the original box.

Alesis was so underrated!

dude... this is the best demo. now i really want one again.

I own one of these, and it's sadly victim of Alesis' renowned (lack of) quality control, the midi input has some ground noise problem I haven't been able to suss out, and the keyboard's feel is sad. Which disappoints me because, like you, this is a truly gorgeous synthesizer voice I'd love to re-incorporate into my setup. C'est la vie, I suppose. O.o

I'm not sure why RU-vid re-recommended this to me, but I thought I'd mention that the ASM Hydrasynth has many of the features that made this a fun synthesizer to play with -- one in particular worth calling out is the vowel filter type on the ASM, which is something that I've only ever seen on the Ion prior to that.

I used to gig with a micron and it was a monster.. Will freak out the guitarist and make the bass player sweat it! Probably the best VA engine ever made.. Makes the virus some thin.. And only the waldrorfs can beat it with their wavetables meat

Had this synth since release, still using today. Mod matrix and filter options make this really cool and different to my other VA's from the time (virus C, Nova and Lead3) LCD screen is showing its age and noise on main outs (common problem) but its getting old like me. Would never sell. Thanks for the video👍

So the ION runs on a motorola Coldfire processor. This is the same family of processors that the Kurzweil K25xx/K26xx were based off of and that pedigree really shows through here in your sound demo. (I'm not saying that Alesis stole from kurzweil here but that at the time this came out there was nearly 30yrs of experience from advanced 6800x DSP programmers) This is by the way, the same family of processors that the Yamaha DX7 grew up on, so the pedigree you're hearing is digital synth royalty.

Good to see the real potential of that digital synth. The term "virtual analog" confuses so many people for trying to emulate kind of typical bread'n butter analog sounds.

Very ,very nice ,and very great sound

I remember thirsting over the micron when I first got into synths, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. The ion goes insanely hard

The Alesis Fusion also had an (A) 'RP Lowpass' added in their OS 1.20 update. Described as "an analog style 4-pole filter, modeled after a famous vintage semi-modular synthesizer. This filter will clip (distort) when fed a loud input level."

Absolutely insane. Thanks for that one!

Good point. The CPU were weak in comparison.. Problem is the developers back then had partied through the 90s..they were on a different level.. Today it's all analogy fluff

Holy shit. The jam = face melted. Sick.

Can't agree more on the multitimbrality thing, its absurd. I guess it has to be with modern day UI standards for the larger public, and also to avoid complex MIDI implementations. Maybe coding has become more expensive?

The ion responds great to outboard processing to give it more heat and motion

I saw this video suggested to me and thought "hey its that guy I watched the Hydrasynth desktop review of and enjoyed, he used it in ways I've never heard before so lets see what he does with the ion... oh. Holy shit... It can do what?!" Basically you just demonstrated to me that I haven't got a fucking clue how to use my ion that I've had for nearly 3 years 😂

Amen! The ion is an exceptional synth!!!

I've owned one of these for years & sometimes do a review search to see if anyone else "gets" this synth. A bit of mind time & the pads will blow the head. However the intake of enthusiasm popped my head.

Sounds better than the Hydra 😂 But of course, not as crazy with modulation. Wish the filters on the Hydra sounded this good.

Been looking for a decent demo of this thing for a long time. Fucking hell now I wan't one, swear Joey could sell me a patch cable though.

Still cannot believe I sold mine decades ago...

Nice to hear R2d2 again.

Hi Joey, I owned an ion once and have regretted selling it ever since. I saw your demo of it and although our music is very different, your video showed me how versatile the ion truly is. So, I purchased another one from a seller on Reverb. It works great except the previous owner had the keyboard split on many patches. Do you know how to reset the ion so the keyboard is not split? Best, and Happy Holidays, Chip

Sounds like a Steely Dan album

Please do another video with this awesome synth!! SO COOL Your best video imho

This & the AN1x were pretty slept on in the 00’s.

I read somewhere that NIN used the micron which has the same engine as the Ion. The difference is the micron is ummmmm micro.

Totally agree with the sentiment. I’ve thought the same about modern synths…

I wanted a Micron, but this looks FAR more fun to play with.

The micron has the better firmware tbh.. But the Ion has all the knobs..

I had one of these when it first came out. Sounded great, but it broke within 2 months of having it- piece of junk somewhere in the closet or attic

Hi, thanks for the upload! A question: do Ion and Micron share exactly the same engine and parameters, or are there some differences? Thanks in advance.

I believe delay and reverb were added to the Micron engine.

The Microkorg has a better sounding vocoder, more intelligible. The vocoder is the main weakness in the Ion/Micron/Miniak line of synths.

Guess it all depends what sort of music you want to create with it ... if it's harsh, industrial, ear-splitting noise-core distorted angst-ridden, wrist-slashing anger ... then this seems it's got all the credentials to bleed on stage by the bucket-load. (Yeh, we all have days when we feel that down ... but not ALL the time... not EVERY day. Hopefully??🤔.) Wonder what it's like with sequenced hard industrial Prodigy-type driving rhythms?? That's included as a useful extra on the Micron I believe?... Doesn't sound as full and warm as the Micron tbh ... or are you just shredding every sound deliberately? ... Have to confess, I had a slight hint of a headache coming on by the end. Sick eh?😂 Industrialists out there ... to broaden appeal, make sure your album masterpiece is interspersed with interludes that change the tempo and mood a tad. eg. In the heavy loud rock field the Who(Who's Next) and Led Zep (IV) ... They had the odd softer melodic track that let the ears and blood pressure/tinitus calm down slightly ... b4 Side 2 hit listeners with another sonic pummeling!🤪🥴 That ability to "mix it up" set them apart from most bands that died an early death commercially - (every great artist - eg Van Gogh - 😂should get paid a living wage, eh? - A shame some bands out there left us only one album (eg.Mo Solid Gold) ...Hard to judge if some bands should have been forced to retire after their 1st album flopped badly .. but thank God Bowie persevered and turned things around.🤔 A career of ups and downs, tbh.

It's an interesting synth for sure.

What would you get first? This or the korg opsix? I have a hydrasynth

does that two finger ring help you turn the knobs?

F*ck! This is ugly! I need one! Thanks for a great review!

waldorf m is multitimbral. and it rules

Micron was one of my first. You can set up some crazy feedback stuff for wild noise.

Man that thing can get nasty. Looks dated, but who cares if it sounds that good. Love it!! Total agree about current offerings lacking features from 20yrs ago.

Sounds so freakn messed up.. It's VA Modular!

Great video. Alesis has reverb?

The fluffy kitty @16:43!

Blush- “Who consults the manual??” Me- 🤓

cat dig it too!

Pisses all over the Microkorg.

This is fuckin wild!!!!! .....and not too expensive on ebay right now.... shhhh

FM sounds just like the matrix.

Кот красавчик!)

I huess AUX 88 aka Keith Tucker is using it.

For me ever sound cold

great

Part of the "oh no i thought i had too much gear but i need this" crowd

Crazy

Squeeza

Thank you for your inspiring demo. I do like your style big time!! I'm a 60-year old synth nerd punk. The ION is a flagship. No doubt. However, many modern synths are flagships too. Did you try a DSI P12? A Novation Summit? A Waldorf Kyra? Sorry to say so, but they all wipe floor with the ION. And if you talk synths from 20 years ago. Try the Waldorf Q. You will forget about the ION. I've owned an ION many, many years ago and I think its biggest flaw is only 8 voices... missed opportunity. Therefor, if you can buy a 250$ Micron version to double the polyphony, better option imho !