[A6] RE: New to list, looking for audio demos (Robert van der Kamp)

[Michael E. Caloroso]

Chad Gould wrote:
> I actually do use a lot of the presets a lot ("Lucky Man" comes to
> mind and some have provided a good base, to be honest)...

"Lucky You" was my work, glad you like it :)

> I don't
> find the "clipping issue" that big of a deal live, actually it seems
> to add a little edge in some cases.

The clipping is a bug or a feature depending how you use it.  I 
reprogrammed a bunch of my patches after the clipping was uncovered and 
the difference was drastic on most and miniscule on the remainder.  It 
seems the higher the resonance setting on your filter, the more 
difference clipping makes.

> The bigger issue is the tendency
> to drown presets in reverb, but that's a problem with all synths.

Which was a conscious issue and one I discouraged early in the sound 
design stage.  I suggested that the sound design group not repeat the 
D-50 convention.  Obviously some patches did go overboard on effects but 
any manufacturer would want a few places for the effects to show off.

>> 3) From the manual and the tips file I see that Alesis paid a lot
>> of attention to this machine. Does this also include build quality
>> of the A6?
> 
> I've gigged with the synth now for a year. So far, no big worries.
> The biggest durability issue is the plastic endcaps (got a nice hole
> in one of them), and the flimsy connectors between boards. The rest
> of the components are excellent - knob sturdiness (always an issue in
> today's synth market) is good, the rest of the case is metal and
> holds up well.

I've been gigging with mine for two years and it's been holding up 
great.  I got an Anvil case for mine so there is protection for the 
endcaps.  Case ran about $360 BTW, and worth every penny - they designed 
it so that the synth is secured by the edges so none of the knobs rest 
against the foam, which is reassuring when placed or dropped upside 
down.  About once a year I have to reseat the connectors on the front 
panel PC boards because the pots won't go to full scale, but keep in 
mind that my Andy is a beta unit.

MC