The power of the internet and the idiots that populate it

"With great power comes great responsibility"

Most recently used in the Spiderman movie, but often quoted elsewhere, this is a very accurate statement. The internet gives many individuals great power, but very few of them wield it responsibly.

I'll cut to the chase and explain why I'm using that quote. A few years back, Alesis, an American pro audio manufacturer of synths, mixers, recording equipment and other hi-tech music devices, released its first synthesizer workstation, the Alesis Fusion. It was a brave and bold move into a market place dominated by the big 3 keyboard manufacturers, Korg (Triton), Roland (Fantom) and Yamaha (Motif). These three manufacturers were long used to vying for the top spot and Alesis' move was questioned by many. They would have to bring something very new to the table besides a decent price point.

That was almost 4 years ago. Fusion ceased production last year. If you're lucky, it can be found lurking in the bargain section of retailers or going for reasonable prices on eBay. Alesis no longer make a synthesizer workstation.

So, as you can probably tell, it wasn't a truly successful venture. But why? Well, there are numerous reasons which could all be discussed at great length. I'll mention a few here though. Firstly, the market was already saturated with established brands with their inherently loyal followings. Then there was the almost non-existent marketing. Also, the Fusion didn't look the part. Its "retro-ish" exterior and layout broke from ingrained conventions. Then there was the functionality of the device. Its sequencer was linear, with no proper pattern based sequencing, much loved by many workstation users. The SATA port on the rear was never fully implemented. It took until v1.24 of the OS to get certain sync issues under control. Its presets were buried under a strange navigation system and the open nature of its internal architecture meant that many people got frustrated because they simply didn't understand how to load, organise and store new sounds. Oh, and the manual was shockingly poor. Early versions claimed to have a Vocoder (printed on the packaging) but that never came about.

But, on the positive side, it offered 4 types of very powerful synthesis (Virtual Analog, FM, Physical Modelling and Sampling). All the other workstations out there only offered one of those as standard (sampling, mainly playback) and the others as additional paid for options. Its VA engine is extremely powerful, as is its FM engine. Sample wise, it has the benefit of actually being able to sample out of the box (unlike most of the others) and, with a little help from a small piece of free software, can import a number of other very popular formats. It's a veritable sonic powerhouse and it retailed for significantly less than everything else in its league. It had a built in 40 or 80GB hard drive, it had on board 8 track hard disk audio recording via 8 external inputs, plus 32 tracks of MIDI. Powerful layer mix functions, ADAT and S/PDIF outs, big rotary knobs and a powerful modulation matrix, excellent quality key beds in 61 semi-weighted and 88 fully weighted versions. The hard drives also allowed for storage of an almost infinite number of sounds.

But, sadly, it failed. It sold enough to cover costs and give a satisfactory return on investment, but it didn't set the world alight.

However, there was one REALLY big reason that Fusion failed to get a foothold. And that was the power of the internet and the idiots that populate it.

Even before Fusion made it into retailers, the forums and boards of the internet had started to fill up with posts and comments slating the Fusion. Virtually all were posted by fan boys of the big 3 (some even opined that these were direct employees of the big 3 themselves), and virtually all had not even seen or heard a Fusion! It was slated for its looks, its pedigree, its spec and its price. "Too cheap", "Looks like something from the set of Buck Rodgers", "No USB MIDI", "No Pattern Sequencing", "Alesis aren't even Japanese, so how can it be good?", and so on. Of course, Alesis shot themselves in the foot too. Poor marketing, silly little bugs, unimplemented promised features, poor choice of sample converter developer, clunky navigation of presets, and the like.

But the real damage was done by the power of the internet and the idiots that populate it. That is a provable fact. Sure, Alesis could've done things differently, but there is a vast amount of Fusion owners who use it completely and produce excellent results with it and from it. The fact that second hand eBay examples are still selling for good sums of money show the high regard it commands from those that ACTUALLY used it. The overwhelming majority of its online detractors never even got to be in the same room as a Fusion, yet still felt more than capable of writing page after page of error ridden bile about something they had no knowledge of. Because the Internet allows them to do so. It allows all of us to do so. It allows me to do this too.

So, why am I telling you the sad history of a short lived and much maligned keyboard?

Quite simply, it is happening again and I want to nip it in the bud. I want to call out the ignoramuses and challenge their idiocy and inaccuracies before they have a similar effect on a new product. The product in question is the Akai MINIAK. Launched only this week at Frankfurt MusikMesse (and launched late as the device got caught up in customs and only made it to the show for the last day or two), it has already been singled out by some self proclaimed "expert" as being the final nail in the coffin of Akai & Alesis. The offender, an individual who goes under the moniker of "SubAnalog" (he fails to give his real name anywhere) has posted comments on his and other sites, slating the MINIAK, but sadly his comments are riddled with inaccuracies and mistakes, as well as poor spelling, grammar and punctuation.

His own personal review (or attack) can be read here

For example, when referring to the MINIAK's built in vocoder and its obvious similarities between it and the Alesis Ion & Micron synths:

The ION did NOT have a vocoder and I don't think the Micron did either. It was a resonant filter. I called up the engineers at Alesis and they admitted that it was NOT a vocoder plus they also confesses that most fo the claims on the product sheet were wrong.

This mini(h)a(c)k is the freakin ION sound library. WTF - that was the worst synth I ever had BAR none

Follow up - for the record - NOT a vocoder. Looked over some specs and photos - that is a "tricked out" filter. There is NO carrier, you can hear the weakness, thus not a vocoder.

Same weak sauce as the ION. If you have never used a vocoder (I suspect Aleseis is in that category) you can be duped

Well, actually, the Ion DID have a vocoder, a 40 band one, just like the MINIAK, as did the Micron.

Another glaring mistake in this one man attack on Alesis:

Alesis specializes in:

Low ethics in their business practices (look at the mixer line and compare to Mackie. Case in point Mackie Onyx and Alesis Xenyx - hacks? - compare the specs and then theink “Why would you call it Xenyx?)

Alesis do not produce the Xenyx range of mixers. They are made by Behringer. Alesis produce the MultiMix range. No doubt, he hates Behringer too!

Apparently, he also possesses the power of prophecy when referring to the MINIAK:

I told my audio friends over a year ago that this will be the demise of Akai.

All quotes above are taken directly from his posts, with all spelling, punctuation and grammar left the way he posted it.

Investigating deeper on to his website yields some scary stuff. Not scary like "shit your pants" scary, more scary like "two people actually had sex and gave birth to this retard" scary:

Yeah, I am rather a prick about this gear. My bio warns you, and here I am again doing the same. I just want to level the data here. So here’s some stuff to lessen the blow.

First, I am wrong sometimes. I read things incorrectly, use it wrong, make a poor call, and so on. I will admit when I am wrong. Sh!t, google caches all this crap, so erasing my idiocy does little good.

Next, if I am wrong - let me know. I will put a considerable amount of time into researching your claim. If you are wrong and I am certain I will let you know. Go ahead and rock that whois information, you will be sitting by a PO Box for a long while trying to fight with me. I live in Colorado and the gun laws are pretty liberal here, so there may not be a fight, only a blood stain.

Also, this little gem:

I have called too many manufacturers out on sh!t and you are a bunch of losers. Alesis - 2x I called you out and you ran with your tail between your legs. Each of those 2 times I fired off a long list of LIES you called “features”. All bullsh!t. 100%. Dean (the old rep) hated me for what I told him when I beta tested the Alesis Andromeda - it was and still is a piece of shit. I was only truthful and not willing to be caught up on the smokescreen.

Ever notice how I have no reviews of current Moog synths? That is because they are so riddled with weaknesses and overwhelming stupidity I don’t even want to waste my time (the little Phatty is the least annoying of the lot and over prices by about $800)

His bio reads like the ramblings of an under achieving egotist with overwhelming delusions of grandeur.

He seems to have feelings of utter contempt and hatred for all things Alesis (and Akai, being guilty by association) although it's not clear why. Maybe he got blown out by an Alesis employee when he came on to them too strong, or he could be a disgruntled ex-employee (watch out for this gun toting freak turning up in Rhode Island soon!)

Either way, his ill-informed, uneducated, ignorant, wholly inaccurate and laughable comments will be seen by those who actually know what they're talking about as a whole heap of venom ridden bullshit. Just check the comments after his slating of the MINIAK at SonicState. His subsequent silence speaks volumes. I was also made aware of a response made to his post on his own site about the MINIAK which attacked his crapulent diatribe that never made it past SubAnalog's moderation. So this guy can dish it out, but cannot take it. Hardly the basis for building credibility in the field.

Sadly though, there will be a bunch of people who will read this and believe it all to be true, and worse still, believe that the writer actually knows what he is talking about, which he clearly doesn't.

So why have I made such a lengthy post about this myself? Am I an Akai/Alesis fan boy? No. Am I an Akai/Alesis Employee? No. Do I own Akai/Alesis gear? Yes. Do I own gear manufactured by many other companies? Yes. Am I paid to write this? No. Do I have a personal grudge against the afore-mentioned individual? No. Do I believe in freedom of speech? Yes. Do I believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion? Yes, so long as it is an informed and educated one.

This guy is an utter fool and idiot. I personally won't stand up and defend the MINIAK for two reasons. One, it is an inanimate object that does not need defending. Two, I haven't used it and therefore cannot comment on whether it is good or bad. If I get my hands on one, I will be sure to let you know. If I like it I will say so. If I dislike it, I will also say so. But until then, I will reserve judgement. What I am attacking here, is the ability of one fool to propagate mis-information and bullshit and pass it off as considered and valid opinion. Many will smell it a mile away and treat it with the utter contempt it deserves, but many will read it and take it as gospel. And the knock on effects of this tiny (and it really is tiny) ripple could be significant. I am not being dramatic when I say that livelihoods are what may be at stake.

I urge you to be individual, free thinking people. Try things out for yourself. Listen to the good and bad and make your own mind up. And when you see such vitriolic tirades like his, smell the rat that it is and cave its head in with a shovel! ;o)

UPDATE:
Well, it would appear I have some very esteemed supporters on this issue, namely Nick Batt of SonicState.com and the mighty Dave Spiers, the man behind GForce (makers of fine software instruments such as MTron Pro, Minimonsta, Oddity, impOSCar, VSM, etc).

Check out the clip that mentions this subject below...



© Sonicstate.com. Reproduced by kind permission of Nick Batt, Sonicstate.com

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