Customer Reviews
Micron- Solid analog sound.. dirt cheap. 
2006-02-21
The Micron is a fantastic synth, more capable than its big brother Ion while sharing the same fantastic sound that the Ion is known for. Like all good VAs, the power of the Micron is in its hardware, not its presets. Romplers have good presets, but that's as far as you get-- No, the micron has weak presets but a strong core.
The UI, which takes a lot of flak from many reviewers, actually is very usable. It's shortcut based, so if you put a bit of time into learning it you find it's actually very quick and easy to use. Naturally having everything on the front panel, as does the Ion, would make editing operations significantly faster- but it's not at all bad.
If you're looking for honest analogue sound, the Micron is probably at the top of the list of VAs made right now. It's VERY analogue, and has an extremely impressive variety of filters.
Don't be scared off by the minimalist UI or some of the boring presets- The Micron is the Real Thing(tm) and can shake the walls.
Application? 
2006-01-16
I got on board with Alesis stuff in the late 80's with an original square, plastic MidiVerb (I've since lost the proprietary power source, so I keep it only as a relic). Generally I give Alesis high marks. Products like the MMT8 (which I also own) have earned nearly legendary status. But to the Micron...
I really had high hopes for a 'vintage synth' cornucopia, in a little package, at a killer price. Perhaps I aimed too high, but after spending a fair amount of time poring over the generous resources of this 'board, I'm hard pressed to figure out what I'd use it for. There are a couple of fundamental problems.
First, while the quality and quantity of sounds is impressive, the 'choice' of sounds is not. Out of possibly 600 patches, I would say that maybe 30 fall into the category of 'real' useful vintage sounds. Among these might be the "Jump" patch, but the keyboard is too short to nail the low C which is essential to that riff. The "1999" sound is good also, but good, essentially, only when "1999" is called. While a multitude of pads are offered, few of the benign Mays/Oberheim and soft Roland types are featured. And how about a few Zawinul/Weather Report teasers? The same is true in spades for lead and bass sounds. There is not a single 'flutey w/ slight portamento' lead sound, while there are dozens of brash, irritating lead patches that one would never use. And while there are a few 'bouncy/Moogy' bass patches, I have not found one acceptable for recording that wouldn't drive ya nuts after 16 bars. Subtlety is pretty much AWOL on this 'board.
The second problem, which I won't devote a lot of time to, is editing. It is likely possible to edit and create many more vintage sounds on this 'board, but with one nob, the job would be daunting. Which brings us back to the issue of why Alesis didn't devote itself to usable old school sounds, instead of arcane offerings that Styx and Rush used. Who cares?
Finally, I would advise that money would be MUCH better spent on an old Juno 106, or Juno 1. Yeah, they don't have a jillion sounds, and they don't have 'beats', but in my experience, I was always able to coax those wonderful, warm, phat ol' sounds out of em' with little effort.
Alesis Micron 
2007-07-16
I've owned both the Micron along with some other VA gear such as the ms2000b and korg ea1. While I sold my Micron about a year ago due to its steep learning curve, I just recently decided to purchase another. Why? simply because now that I actually understand subtractive synthesis I'll be able to move beyond using the few "cheesy presets" that so many people seem to judge the synth by. Also its nice having an all in one box with which I can string together entire simple songs on. In my opinion the user interface isn't nearly as difficult as some people make it out to be, however it is not good for learning signal flow on. Simply put the Micron isn't for everyone, but don't let idiots who whine about their inability program sway your opinion. If your a newb, go for something like used nord lead, an ms2000, or perhaps a microkorg. Also there are currently two software editors in existence for the Micron, one is freeware, the other, Microzune costs around 30 bucks.
Killer Virtual Analog Synth 2007-04-19
I have been looking at analog modelling synthesizers since the illustrious Nord Lead blew the synth industry away. There have been many to follow, but I can honestly say the Alesis Micron gives you the most bang for the buck. There are more features on this little keyboard than I have seen on any other VA synth coming anywhere near the price.
500 patches of sounds (with room for 400 more to program) running the gamut of analog textures (don't believe some reviewers not finding soft and warm patches.. they are definitely there right out of the box) including sub-bass tones, warm strings, punchy basses, sweet analog drums and much more in between. The patches are separated by category (lead, bass, drums, pads, etc) and each category can be punched in on the fly.
You have three oscillators per voice (including variable waveshapes and FM) which gives the synth a really fat sound as well as two low frequency ocsillators for warmth. Doing quick modulation and filtering changes can be done with two programmable slider controls. There is also a pitch bend wheel that lights up when you use it. Programming can be pretty intuitive if you learn the shortcut method that makes the keys buttons to select parameters (essentially 37 extra buttons for editing).
I have compared the Micron with other VA synths like Korg's VA synths (MS2000, MicroKorg, Electribe), the Roland 303, the Novation Bass Station and can honestly tell you the Alesis Micron can go toe to toe against all of them and many times come out ahead in both sound and functionality.
The synth also includes a master dual effects processer and a single drive effects processor per patch (something most VA synths don't even include). Not the greatest effects processing in the world, but far from inferior. Essentially the effects help give your sounds some nice ambience. You also get a 40 band vocoder for vocal effects (more robust then the Korg VA synth vocoders) You are limited to 8-voice polyphony, but the synth is 32-part multitimbral.
The Micron also has a built in step and phrase sequencer that includes over 400 patterns preset with drum parts, synth parts and combinations of both along with room for hundreds of your own. The phrase sequencer is really easy to use with one button record and looping. A third type of sequencer you have is a pretty versatile arpeggiator.
Bottom line is if you are looking for synth that is affordable yet has an expansive set of analog sounds (and by that I mean a digital synth that utilizes analog modelling) this is it. If you are doing electronic dance music this synth is perfect for you. You won't find a better value for the money. Sure there are better products out there (Nord is still the tops in my book), but when it comes down to it the Micron will give you professional sounding analog synth sounds and the ability to make some killer patches.
an experimenters dream 2006-08-06
If you are in need of pro level built in presets, then you may want to look elsewhere for a synth. But if you'd like to take a sonic romp and create your own stuff, then this little synth is hard to beat. I love to sit up in bed with it in my lap, with headphones on, and tweak and play what-if. Contrary to what you may have heard, the programming logic is very straightforward, and is of the 'stack-based' variety. In other words, whatever variable that you have at the top of the current stack is live and is used by other stack-top parameters. And there are keyboard shortcuts to move you from stack to stack. And if you really need presets, then you can load it with Ion programs via a MIDI cable and your fav software sequencer. This machine is a smoking deal for $400.
great sounding synth 2006-08-03
This synth is loaded with a lot of great sounds - and it is very programmable. You can program your own beats, phrases, arpeggios and sounds. Layers, splits, assignable sliders. It can do a lot. In fact, for me personally, that's the only problem - it can do more than I can absorb. I know I'm not using it anywhere near it's capabilities. In researching this keyboard I found that most keyboard magazine and equipment reviews gave it high marks on sounds and programing, so I'm figuring that the difficulty lies with me and not the Micron. There will definitely be a learning curve if you're new to programming. The sounds and beats are very useable and inspiring, so overall I'm quite satisfied and happy with the keyboard.
Get twice the value at half the price...but not buying this. 2006-07-20
This is certainly a simple and fun instrument, but because of its simplicity the number of patches (voices) and creativity are affected in negative ways.
Programming this beast is extremely complicated. For true beat-programming simplicity check an instrument like the Korg EMX-1.
The voices on the Alesis Micron are almost unusable. Yes, there are the few sounds that you hear in the store or online that cause you to buy it, but once you take it home and play with it, you begin to realize what a weak instrument this is. Once again, for the simple sounds and effects that it gives you, go with the Korg EMX-1, or a software instrument combined with a MIDI keyboard/controller.
THE only reason I still keep this around is to use AS a MIDI keyboard/controller, which can easily be bought for half the price, sometimes bundled with software instruments.
Avoid the Alesis Micron, and make a more modest addition to your home studio.
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On the plus side: (why I bought it)
+Incredible [but limited] drum voices. If only I could program the machine without having to scroll through fifty menus on a tiny screen.
+Fun Sounds (cheesy things I would never use, but they're fun)
+Easy (Everything but the endless menus are intuitive)
+It works (Face it. Some stuff on the market doesn't)
