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My first impression of Andromeda
You've seen the thread... probably took a guess at what I was waiting for... Well, as the topic indicated - it is Alesis A6 Andromeda.
So, without any further adeu, here's my first take on "Andy":
First, I think I got a great deal on the synth - $1700 US and it was in a as good as new spanking shape. Manuals, box, the works - even plastic bags and shape as if it was never played. Judging by the patches - it hasn't been.
Just like many other reviewers said (check sos website) - it takes about 3 minutes to warm up before you can play it. I guess that's one sure way to make sure it's analog. After about 3 mins, the synth can be played. Out of the box - THE PATCHES ARE TOTAL SHIT. No single patch caught my ear. There are 256 patches and 128 performances plus user banks. Overall, they're probably good starting point but if I was judging the synth by its patches I would have probably been very disapointed.
It looks friggin cool with lights low/off - all the LED's and the LCD just look amazing in the dark. I love the way it looks and the way it feels. All knobs are smooth as butta and synth action is probably one of the better ones. I am currently using Virus KC as my master but I am thinking of switching over to Andromeda.
Ok, now on to the sounds. As you probably know, just about every single parameter is accessible by knob. There are tons of other features if you choose to dive into the menus but you can get on by with most of the surface stuff.
Once this puppy is running, it's hard to imagine it's analog, as it sounds just as cold or as thick as a VA out there. Probably because its tuned automatically in the background. However, if you turn it off, after a while it may become detuned, adding some of that analog inpercision. However, to call this synth a true analog is a mis-nomer. I think that it should be called "almost analog". The reason is that filters are digital and if you run your sounds through filters, what comes out is an analog sound filtered through DAC/ADC. You can bypass that, though and get the gritty analog spewed out through your speakers.
Like I said before, none of the sounds out of the box are noteworthy. However, after rolling up your sleeves and overcomming the fear you've had ever since you sold that cassio keyboard and bought your synth, you realize that it has some unfathomable potential. I have to tell you though - you got to know your shit. Just as any other synth, it's hard to master it if you don't have what LFO, OCS, VCO, and all that fancy speak means. But.........
I thought I'd never say this in my lifetime - the manual is awesome. Actually, it's so good I'd recommend it for anyone who wants to understand how synths work and what all these cute little acronyms mean. About 80% of the manual can be applied to other synths and are easy to understand. I actually found out quite a few new things while reading through it. It's written in a plain english and unlike Roland Manuals don't send you off running in another direction. If you're looking for a fancy electrical engineer-oriented diagram of sound routing, open your roland manual. If you want your simple explanation, andromeda manual is the way to go.
Ok, moving on. So, if I had to associate the synth to a bike, this one would be a Harley. Definitely American, definitely luxurious, definitely abnoxious, in your face and all about stomping the competition. If you have spartan desires and willing to overlook some minor shortcommings, what you have in front of you is one hell of a tool. Unlike narrow-niched "trance-oriented" synths (you know what they are), this one is sweet for just about any style. You want ambient - you got it. You want techno - ok, here ya go. You need hip hop, rock, electronica, trance, whatever - it will do it. One thing it will not do, no matter how hard you try - piano. Forget it and move on.
It's got plenty of neat fetures but it also has it's own share of "what the fuckk is that all about" type of features. I am also scratching my head at the limited number of patches available. Also, considering that at the time when it was released you already had SD cards available, this thing only works with PCMCIA memory card and small one at that! That's just stupid.
But, you can easily overlook that when you start messing around with all the knobs and I got to tell you, having that large lcd is a great help.
Now, since I already own several other VA's, this one did not impress me as much as I was hoping. I am probably spoiled by Access Virus and all it's following, availability of patches, software upgrades with new features, etc - not even mentioning that I know quite a few AV experts, one of them is actually one of the main sound designers of AV patch sets and has been written up in a leading synth mag.
Anyway, Andromeda definitely has it's place in the studio and if you're not too intimidated by all the control that's given to you at once, you'd probably enjoy it. However, note of caution - if you're just starting out and looking for synths, do not buy this one as your first one, you may be disapointed. While it's logically laid out and easily tweaked, in order for you to realize its full potential you got to dig into its guts and go to town.
Well, that wraps it up for now. I will post more info if there's interest or if I find something of "post worthy" going forward.
If you got questions about this synth, I'll try to answer.
L8r
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 Proud member of the "Filthy Zionist" coalition 
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Dude, how come I knew you were going to say it? That's just bitter 
Update to my initial review
