Novation XioSynth 25 25-Key Synth/USB Interface

2-octave synthesizer and audio USB MIDI controller keyboard.

Item: NOVXIO25

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Novation XioSynth 25 25-Key Synth/USB Interface reviews

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8 People rated this product : * * * * * * * * * * 9 out of 10

 

6 People wrote reviews

Read all Novation XioSynth 25 25-Key Synth/USB Interface reviews...
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10

"Phat Beast!!!!!!!!!!!"

Feature:
Too many to list, you get many controls that don't clutter the panel and the synth is layed out in a very thoughtful and logical way from osc to effects. Inside this beauty lies an extremely powerful synth with all the paremeters you could wish for.

Quality:
Build quality is great, feels solid and tight.

Value:
Great for the price, would pay double the price...its that good.

Desirability:
Looks very sleek in the compact shell with the neat blue lcd. The Xio looks better than the X station imo, which looks ugly.

Sound:
Virtual Analogue Liquid Sound - Think of the Virus but 10 times cheaper. Its a super synth in small package, and it sounds much much bigger than another synth in the same class. I feel that the Xiosynth has to be the best sounding Novation and agree with the magazine reviews, its definately more richer in the bottem end. The key action is nice and feels solid, and i like the expression pad to create different sounds from single strokes.

Ease of Use:
Once i went through the video tutorial and read the x station manual it became pretty clear. You need to know basic synthesis and terms to use the advance features for sound creation. The X Gator is really cool as well as the arps.

Support:
Never used them.

Overall:
I love this synth, its a keeper for life and replace it in heartbeat if stolen or broken.

Submitted: 1/4/2007

Style of Music: World


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* * * * * * * * * * 9 out of 10

"I love my baby even if it is inferior to the bigger guys."

Feature:
Well it came with a bunch of bundled freebees like bass station vst, samples from Novation and Analog Factory which was cool.

Quality:
I've beaten mine up and used it everyday for a year so far hitting the keys hard and jamming out. Nothing is wrong with it and it still works like on day one so Im happy with that.

Value:
Its hard to say. Is it worth the price? Absolutely, but if you were drueling for a Virus and this is just to kill time till you get more money I'd say skip this and throw the extra $300 towards the Virus.(unless you don't have a midi keyboard already, mine was broke so this buy made sense for me)

Desirability:
Ok it is pretty sexy. Its cute, tiny, has a bunch of important looking knobs, makes a bunch of red lights blink like its thinking when your not touching it. Its cool, still not as sexy as a virus thought =]

Sound:
The sound of the xio is 100% the same as V-Station. There is literally no difference except the inital patches you get on the xio are more professional. It makes decent leads and bass, but the quality is still nothing better than V-station. Think of it that way, a V-Station you can touch with your fingers and use as a seperate midi keyboard (which is really why I got it) It gets a 7 because this is a sound rating, not a sound for the dollar rating which would be higher.

Ease of Use:
Ok honestly, at first I thought "hey this interface isn't bad" all I have to do is navigate through these menus. Well now about a year later I really don't make any patches with it anymore. You forget quickly how to get to a specific parameter because its like 200 code short cuts you need to remember to get there. Its most likely harder to program than a Nord or Virus, but its cheaper so what do you expect?

Support:
Havent dealt with them yet.

Overall:
For the MONEY, this is the best "break the ice hardware synth". If you've never had hardware before this buy makes sense. If you have, get a Nord or Virus.

Submitted: 2/10/2009

Style of Music: Trance


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About This Product!
Description
From Our Catalog
Never before has synthesis been so accessible! In this stylish, compact and highly affordable format, the XioSynth offers a staggering amount of classic and cutting edge sounds, many from internationally acclaimed artists, along with a brand new X-Gator patch programmer and optional filter distortion. Furthermore, the XioSynth provides everything required for producing on the move, through its audio interfacing and MIDI controlling capabilities.

NOVATION-CLASS SYNTHESIZER WITH NEW FEATURES
The XioSynth features a mono-timbral Novation synth engine with 10-voice polyphony. In addition to 3 oscillators (17 waveforms each), 1 Filter (varying types), 2 LFOs (32 waveforms each), an arpeggiator and multi-effects board, this subtractive synth also boasts some brand new facilities such as the X-Gator patch programmer. The X-Gator can be made to gate each patch to create unique 16-32 step rhythmic patterns for every onboard sound, all automatically synchronised to MIDI clock from a sequencer; just press and hold one key to groove along to a track with style.

NOVATION SOUND OLD AND NEW - HIGH PROFILE USER PATCHES
The XioSynth features 200 hard-hitting onboard patches, utilising a new optional filter distortion to produce an even greater range of sounds than on previous synths; from the distinctive clean British sound to the filthiest and grittiest of sonic characters. Furthermore, 60 of the onboard sounds come from internationally acclaimed artists and producers from a variety of musical genres, namely James Zabiela, Ferry Corsten, Rennie Pilgrem, Roots Manuva, Shimon and Skeewiff. As such, every one of the patches on the XioSynth is eminently and instantly usable for creating synthesized music of any kind.

HIGH QUALITY AUDIO INTERFACE
The XioSynth includes an ultra-low latency 2 In/2 Out audio interface for high quality recording and playback. This allows you to record a microphone with phantom power, as well as simultaneously stream the onboard synth audio directly to the sequencer via the USB cable. Equally though, a guitar can be plugged straight into the Jack input for DI recording, as well as simultaneously mic'd, and recorded with outstanding results. Check the demo XioSynth guitar track in the Novation online player to be blown away by the quality.

FLEXIBLE MIDI CONTROLLER - OF SOFTWARE OR HARDWARE
If wanting a compact controller keyboard for studio or live use, the XioSynth is the most flexible and powerful tool on the market. In addition to synthesizing and audio/MIDI interfacing, the keyboard is also a comprehensive control surface with 11 knobs and buttons (doubled to 22 by a Group A/B switch), plus a freely assignable Touchpad and joystick. All of these controls are pre-programmed in 16 onboard Templates, so that the XioSynth can instantly control many software applications straight out the box. Add to this many more Templates online, a free Template Editor software application and hybrid modes for simultaneous synthesizing and MIDI controlling, and you have an extremely versatile package for producing or performing.

HIGHLY PORTABLE
Simply connecting the keyboard over USB is all that's required to start recording, synthesizing and MIDI controlling. As the device is class compliant, no drivers are required for Windows XP or Mac OSX (although some are provided to improve latency and stability in some apps). Furthermore, if wanting to excape the confines of the studio for a while, the USB cable can be unplugged and the XioSynth can be powered by batteries, functioning as a standalone synth completely separately from the computer.

Technical Info

Synthesizer
One part, 10-voice polyphonic
3 Oscillators, 17 Waveforms
2 LFOs, 32 Waveforms
Multimode resonant filter section with various filter options
Extensive modulation capabilities
Arpeggiator with latch
X-GATOR with latch
Direct streaming of synth into computer via USB

Keyboard
Keys: 25 or 49
Type: Semi-weighted
Velocity curves: 7

Pitch and mod wheel mechanism
Pitch wheel lever: Rubberised - centre return spring loaded left to right motion
Mod/control lever: Rubberised - spring loaded front to back motion

X/Y touchpad
Touchpad: 1 x touch sensitive 45x60mm
Parameters: 2 assignable in X direction
2 assignable in Y direction

LCD display
LCD: 2 x 16 character silver
Blue LED backlit

MIDI interfacing
MIDI: 1 MIDI Out
USB MIDI: 1 In/1 Out

Audio Interfacing
Inputs: 1 XLR (with phantom power)
1 TS Jack
Outputs: 2 TS Jack (L/R)
1 stereo Headphones Jack

Other interfacing
Data ports: 1 x USB 1.1
Sustain pedal: 1 x 1/4” Jack Input

Controls
Rotary potentiometers: 11, 0-270° rotation
Rotary encoders: 1, 360° continuous DATA wheel
Buttons: 11 function switches
Group B switch
General operation: 4 Mode and Menu select buttons
Keyboard Octave Up and Down buttons
Synth Menus/Audio mode select button
Effect Select buttons (Synth Mode)
Template/Bank/Page Up/Down buttons
Line/Phones Volume pots

General
Battery operation: 6 x standard 'AA' Size
External power supply: Standard 'centre positive' 9V DC 600mA (Novation PSU6)
Size (25): 468 x 68 x 190 (mm) w x h x d
Size (49): 798 x 68 x 190 (mm) w x h x d
Weight (25/49): 1.4/1.6kg

System requirements
Operating system: Mac OSX 10.2.4 or greater or Windows XP
Computer spec: Apple G3/400 GHz or Pentium 600 MHz or better
Interfacing: USB 1.1 compatible USB connector
Look over here! It's a synthesizer! It's a MIDI controller! It's an audio interface! It's the XioSynth! Compact 25-key, 3-oscillator analog-style synth with MIDI control and 2x2 audio interfacing over USB. Eleven knobs; includes templates for DAW control. Phantom-powered XLR mic input plus 1/4" instrument input. Headphone and 1/4" outputs.

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