Alesis Quadrasynth
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| Type | Bespoke synthesizer series |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Alesis |
| Release date | 1993-1995 |
| Standards | None |
| Parts | 16 |
| Max polyphony | 64 |
| Normal presets | Programs: 128 factory + 128 user (original models) 512 factory + 128 user (Plus models) Mixes: 100 factory + 100 user (original models) 400 factory + 100 user (Plus models) |
| Effects | Reverb, Delay, Pitch, Lezlie, Overdrive (only on Plus models) |
The Alesis QuadraSynth is a 76-key keyboard synthesizer released in 1993 by Alesis. It is the first device to incorporate the "QS Composite Synthesis" synthesis to produce sounds. It features a 16 Megabit ROM which features high quality, uncompressed sounds.
Internally the keyboard is referred to as the S5 - it is similar to the module version (the S4), however it incorporates mechanisms designed for keyboards such as the keybed, bender wheels, aftertouch sensors and more.
For the time it ended up gathering favourable reviews from publications, citing its easy-to-use interface, multitimbrality and large (for the time) 64-voice polyphony being obvious positives, with the filter being cited as a downside.
Synthesis
The QS Composite Synthesis standard is used across every Alesis QuadraSynth and QS line of products, it is comprised of 64 total voices, with each note being able to use up to four. This is comparable to the Korg ai² in terms of features, and to the Roland JV-1080 in terms of voice count and the voices-per-note figure.
Each voice has access to an amplitude envelope and LFO, a filter section (with LFO and EG), a pitch modulation section, as well as a modulation matrix specific to that voice. These are then fed to an effects section, which comprises of a set up involving reverbs, delays, pitch (chorus/flanger) and a leslie effect, depending on the configuration used. (To do: detail this)
The filter employed is a non-resonant type similar to the one on the Korg M1 or the Korg 01/W. To compensate for this, many on-board waveforms feature multisamples with various resonance levels, which can be assigned to different velocity levels or pitches depending on the patch that is designed.
According to an interview with Marcus Ryle, one of the synth designers behind the QuadraSynth, stated they had wanted to create a synthesizer that is simple to understand and edit, but can be quite complex.[1]
Terminology
The QuadraSynth line divide their sounds into two different types:
- Mixes, which comprise of multiple programs, similar to Combi mode on Korg synthesizers or Performance mode on Roland products.
- Programs, which can comprise of up to four different voices. This is similar to the Prog mode on Korg synths, and the Patch mode on Roland products.
Alesis QuadraSynth S4
This is a rackmount version of the QuadraSynth keyboard/the S5. It is 1u in size and is very light and small. It is about a third of the Roland-ED SC-8850's depth.
Alesis QuadraSynth Plus Piano
This is an upgraded version of the keyboard model, adding a further 3 banks of non-editable presets and mixes, as well as a General MIDI mode. It also expands the effects section to be comparable to that of the Alesis Quadraverb Q2's, and adds a further 8 megabits of ROM for various new types of sound, as well as a new piano.
Alesis QuadraSynth S4 Plus
This is a rackmount version of the QuadraSynth Plus Piano, except it omits the extra piano sounds, for a total of 20 megabits of sample ROM. It is identical in all other respects.
Oddities
On the original and the S4 models, using the bank CCs would not change the current bank. This was fixed for the plus releases. You could upgrade from the original model to the plus model via a ROM swap, which was way cheaper compared to buying a new synth. This was labeled as a v2.00 upgrade in some publications.
To do
The rest of the article. add more detail like how the synthesizer was made (which we know thanks to a lovely article from Music Technology) and tools