Released in 2001 for around 2,500 GBP or US$, the Andromeda A6 was in many ways Alesis flexing its design & manufacturing muscle to show the world: "Look what we can do!" but at the same time the company was in serious financial trouble & would be sold off not long after - Alesis had reached a company scale at this point where they could manufacture their own custom ASIC's (Application Specific integrated Circuits) - hence the sub-name "A6" - and bringing onboard a heavyweight design team including Bob Moog, Tom Oberheim & Axel Hartmann for the Andromeda's unique & iconic visual design, the Andromeda with over 3 years in the planing & design stage was finally released in 2001 & the result was the most powerful analog synth ever delivered to the public.
The Andromeda sports a massive 16 voices of polyphony, with every voice having two VCO's based on the Moog 921b, each with it's own sub-oscillator. The VCO's offer a choice of 5 waveforms: Sine, Triangle, Pulse, Up Saw & Down Saw. There are hard sync options as well as three flavours of Noise: white, pink or red - and one Ring Modulator per voice, in addition to VCO Pitch envelopes & Pulse Width Modulation. Each pair of VCO's is also capable of FM modulation allowing a wider range of sounds. The A6 is also 16 part multi-timbrel. The rest of the signal path is entirely analog too, albeit the synth obviously uses no discrete circuits and utilises a digital FX section & digital controllers for its envelopes & LFO's as well as oscillator tuning. Therefore it's really a hybrid analog digital synth but we'll put it here in the analog section because it's not a DCO synth & the signal path is entirely analog if no digital FX are used (and these btw run on a parallel or series arranged side-chain bus so the signal path is 'all analog').
There are two dedicated 100% analog resonant filters per voice. Filter 1 is a 12 dB, 2-pole multimode filter with low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and notch modes & is taken from the legendary Oberheim SEM filter. Filter 2 is a 24 dB; 4-pole fixed low-pass filter in the based on early modular MOOG synthesisers filter designs. Oscillator section signals can be routed through the filters in different ways: Through filter-1 or 2 only or through filters 1 & 2 in series or in parallel.
Further specs are three LFOs per Voice, one S&H generator per Voice, three multi-stage, multi-mode contour envelope generators per Voice.
One multi-stage tracking generator per Voice & a gigantic Modulation matrix with 71 inputs and 92 outputs allowing hugely creative possibilities for sound creation & design.
ALESIS ANDROMEDA A6 is a 16-voice, 16-channel multi-timbral real subtractive analog synth. Two Oscillators with subs per voice with a choice of 5 oscillator waveforms: sine, triangle, square, up saw, down saw.
32 total filters. 2-pole multimode resonating filter per voice, 4-pole lowpass resonating filter per voice.
Program Memory: 256 preset and 128 user-defined, Mix Memory: 128 user-defined,
Audio Outputs: 16 mono outputs, one for each of 16 voices (eight 1/4" TRS jacks), stereo main outputs (two 1/4" jacks), 2 mono aux outputs (two 1/4" jacks), stereo headphone output (1/4" TRS jack), audio inputs: Two 1/4" jacks, external Audio Filter Inputs: Three 1/4" jacks - one each for Voices 1-16
Real Analog Powerhouse
Andromeda’s fully analog signal path is controlled by a high-speed Motorola Coldfire microprocessor, offering 16-voice polyphony with 16-part multitimbral capability. Andromeda features two analog oscillators per voice, with standard waveforms (available simultaneously), suboscillators, hard and soft sync, and more. It provides two analog filters per voice: these 2-pole (multimode) and 4-pole (lowpass) resonating filters are classically-derived designs, and offer you an astounding range of sonic variability. Andromeda also provides external audio inputs that allow you to route any signal through its filters. Andromeda has three LFOs, each with six waveforms and many powerful features. It also has three 7-stage, 3-level envelopes capable of functions never before found in any analog synthesizer. An extensive mod matrix offers you an enormous freedom in configuring Andromeda’s sonic firepower, adding to its monstrous capabilities.
In-Depth Control of Your Sound
Andromeda’s 61-note synth-weighted keypad features velocity and aftertouch sensitivity, and its ribbon controlled offers multiple, assignable functions. A distinctive, futuristic front panel features 72 knobs and 114 buttons (the majority are single function), optimally arranged for rapid-fire tweaking and in-depth experimentation. Andromeda’s large, backlit LCD display provides real-world values of parameters (time, frequency, BPM, etc.) and high-resolution graphics. No other synth has ever offered such a sophisticated, informative control panel for creating analog pyrotechnics.
Specifications
- Polyphony/Multitimbral Parts: 16/16
- Waveform Memory ROM/RAM: N/A
- Filter Types/Resonance: 4-pole/2-pole multimode/Y
- Single Programs ROM/RAM: 256/128
- Multitimbral Performances ROM/RAM: 128/128
- Portamento: Yes
- # of Keys: 61
- # of Keyboard Zones: 16
- Left Hand Controllers: (2) wheel; (1) ribbon
- Aftertouch (Poly/Channel): Y/Y
- # and Type of Controller Inputs: (2) switch; (1) pedal up to 16 steps
- # of Sequencer Tracks/PPQN: 1/16
- Sequencer/Memory (Notes): 16
- Arpeggiator: Yes
- # of Effects Processors/Effects Programs: 2/28
- # of Outputs/Type: (4) 1/4" bal mains + aux/16 indiv outs
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