I won't know if it's good till i demo one at a store. But I do like that it has an expression pedal input. I have an expression pedal on
my M-Audio Axiom 25 and it's opened up doors for modulation that wouldn't be there since I can keep playing with both hands while modulating with my foot.
On the downside, I wish people were into developing smoother sounds more than distorted junk. Distortion seems to have gotten more and more popular since Access Virus, NIN Year Zero, and the popularity of DubStep. Personally I think it causes a lot of ear fatigue and I'm sick of it. I like smoother sounds much better. Hopefully the Venom will be tweakable for smooth sounds too if their filters and modulation matrixes are good. But I'm glad that people are still developing hardware synths, and M-Audio MIDI controllers are pretty high quality already. I also like seeing synths with FM and Ring Modulation and Subtractive Synthesis options.
Full Features
<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="3" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>49-key, full-size, synth-action keyboard </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>12-voice polyphony, each voice including:
- 3 oscillators with 41 waveforms and 53 drum sounds sampled from vintage analog synths, FM digital synths, and drum machines
- pulse-width modulation, sync, FM, and ring modulation
- resonant multimode filter with tube saturation limiting
- 12 dB/octave (2-pole) low pass
- 12 dB/octave (2-pole) band pass
- 12 dB/octave (2-pole) high pass
- 24 dB/octave (4-pole) low pass
- 24 dB/octave (4-pole) band pass
- 24 dB/octave (4-pole) high pass
- 3 LFOs with selectable sample-and-hold
- 3 AHDSR envelopes
- 16 modulation routes
</td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>4-part multitimbral operation with independent MIDI-syncable phrase sequencers </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>512 onboard Single patches </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>256 onboard Multi (layered) patches </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>2 global bus effects
- Reverb, Delay, Chorus, Flanger, Phaser
</td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>1 insert effect per multitimbral part (4 total)
- Compression, EQ, Distortion, Bit Reduction, Decimation
</td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>classic arpeggiator with up, down, and alternating patterns </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>tap-tempo and manual BPM control from top panel </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>built-in USB 2.0 audio/MIDI interface (USB 1.1 backward compatible)
- 2 x 2 24-bit, 44.1 kHz operation
- mic, instrument, and stereo line level inputs route to DAW
- synth sounds route to DAW
- DAW audio output mixes into main outputs
- stereo main audio outputs (1/4" TS)
- stereo headphone output (1/4" TRS)
- master volume knob; instrument and mic gain knobs
- MIDI In and MIDI Out (5-pin DIN)
</td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>large custom LCD </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>4 rotary encoders and 1 button for performance control and editing </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>dual-function octave up/down and transpose controls </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>assignable pitch bend and modulation wheels </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>sustain (1/4" TS) and expression (1/4" TRS) pedal inputs </td></tr><tr><td style="background-image: url("/images/interface/default2008/dotted-line.gif"); background-repeat: repeat-x;">
</td></tr> <tr><td>included Vyzex Venom software editor
- arrange sounds into banks, rename patches, and save backups
- patch collider feature mashes up multiple patches to create new hybrid sounds
- 16-cell modulation matrix offers comprehensive routing configurations
</td></tr></tbody></table>