Not a bass, rather a virtual analog synth... but you could play some synth bass!

ishouldbeking · #1 12-21-2011, 11:00 AM

I just ordered one of these yesterday, and it's a really killer deal I figured I should share. The Akai Miniak, which is essentially built off of the older Alesis Micron engine, but with upgraded controls, sturdier build, and far more (and better) patches. The reviews on these things have been very good, with the main downside being the simplified interface makes creating patches very time-consuming. For a synth noob like myself, I'll be sticking to presets anyway.

These used to be $499, and have been more like 450 or 399 since they were recently discontinued... well, now they're being blown out. The best price I came across was from Novamusik, selling them for $235 shipped!

Nova Musik- The Electronic Musician's Wonderland.

sevenorchids · #2 12-21-2011, 11:06 AM

These are fun synths! Also, can't say enough good things about NovaMusik. Never had a problem with anything that I have ordered from them.

Really great deal on this. I'd grab one if I didn't already have a Micron.

odin70 · #3 12-21-2011, 11:07 AM

Cool! im really interested in having a small synth for synth bass sounds. How are the bass sounds on this one?

Sojourner · #4 12-21-2011, 02:23 PM

Dangit why'd you have to post this! I've been watching these and the best I'd seen lately is $249 or $279...don't remember. It was a Hellomusic.com deal. Almost bit then, but I can't say no this time. Merry Christmas...err...Synthmas? to me! Love these things.

Edit: Oh yeah, and NovaMusik has been nothing but awesome the couple other times I've dealt with them! Highly recommended!

ishouldbeking · #5 12-21-2011, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by odin70

Cool! im really interested in having a small synth for synth bass sounds. How are the bass sounds on this one?

I gather the sounds in general are supposed to be really good, bass included. The notes I've seen about the sounds have mentioned that the drum patches aren't all that great (leaning more towards the electronic side of drum sounds), but that the kick sounds were pretty impressive.

From what little I know about modern synthesizers, it seems like the Miniak is basically a very thorough analog-sounding synth, so in general it would work and sound like a vintage synth rather than a do-it-all type like a Fantom or a Motif. So don't expect any piano or realistic instrument sounds on the Miniak, think Roland Juno / Jupiter, Moog analog type goodness.

ishouldbeking · #6 12-21-2011, 05:45 PM

Also, for anyone interested, here are the two pages that convinced me to jump on this. One is a review from Sound On Sound that explains the features in detail:

Akai Miniak

And the other is a thread over at gearslutz with some pretty cool comparisons to other synths (the miniak comes out pretty well in comparison!).

Miniak versus R3 - Gearslutz.com

Sojourner · #7 12-21-2011, 06:18 PM

Ordered mine at 4:30 and got a shipping notice at 7! Love me some Nova Musik!

ishouldbeking · #8 12-21-2011, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sojourner

Ordered mine at 4:30 and got a shipping notice at 7! Love me some Nova Musik!

Nice! I got my shipping notice today, too. I'm pretty stoked to finally have a synth again... for years I had a crusty old Yamaha DX7, but I eventually sold it when I realized not every song needs a Whitney Houston digi-rhodes part. This Miniak should scratch the synth itch nicely!

Floridabwoy · #9 12-22-2011, 07:41 AM

The miniak is very similar to the revered Micron.

odin70 · #10 12-23-2011, 09:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishouldbeking

think Roland Juno / Jupiter, Moog analog type goodness.

Sounds good

ishouldbeking · #11 12-23-2011, 02:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by odin70

Sounds good

Mine should arrive on Wednesday -- we'll see if it scratches that itch!