twosticksnolighter wrote:Thanks man, I really appreciate the advice. After researching the Alesis Micron and the Akai Miniak, I've found that people are really using the term "bassline" loosely. When I say bassline, I mean in the most traditional sense. The way one might use a moog synthesizer to replace a bass player in a band setting. Low end to complement the percussion, basic simple stuff. Can the Alesis or Akai synths accomplish that? If you or anyone can confirm this, it would save me the journey to find out myself, for which I would be eternally grateful.
Well the engines in both are digital "Virtual Analog", originally created for the Alesis Ion. Their aim was to to duplicate that kind of old school sound you describe. I've only ever played with a Micron for a few minutes, and other people's opinions seem to differ between "thin" and "good digital fat". I'm not sure who to believe.
The Ion had more controls, so some people say users didn't go deep enough into the Micron to realize it's capabilities. (needs a software editor to make advanced patch creation much easier). On the Vintage Synth Explorer website you should find a lot of user reviews on the Ion/Micron.
If all you need is bass, an analog synth will definitely have that sound your after. The Dave Smith Mopho at $399 is the one I'm thinking of. Just a module, no keys, works best with software editor, and is only monophonic. But it would sound better to most anybody's ears than any other hardware in that price range.
