"The best in it's price but for $200 more it's worth considering it's big brother, Ion"

Feature:
37 full sized, high quality keys put any other synth in this market to shame. If you want to manipulate knobs go for the Ion, otherwise the Micron more than does the trick. I wouldn't bother with extra gear to control this synth as you're at the Ion which is a very good controller as well. But the Micron's hardware is high-end and so different from Alesis' poor showing in their early synths. This is a tough little synth that'll hold up to reasonable playing. The depth of the arps, drum setups and ability to control the Micron on lots of midi channels, which is very nice when you sequence. My intentions were for a hardware 8 track setup but now the Micron's doing double duty at my studio as well. It sits well in mixes with hardware or software synths. I'm a big proponent for software but the truth is you get a lot of value for Micron's price, especially if this is your first synth or add-on VA. Playing with a Korg Z1 and Nord Modular the Micron holds it's own, though the Z1 is the most complete of the virtual synths. btw, if you must have an extra controller try the USB Belkin Nostromo N52, Keyboard Magazine wrote about it; a game controller (PC only) that can be programmed for use with synths and music programs, and at $33 it's a sensible way of getting extra performance including a XY pad.

Quality:
Excellent build, good controllers and a smart design. Aesthetically utilitarian, but that's nice. It could have been built in the last 30 years, but most importantly it's built well.

Value:
Nothing in it's price range beats it. Would I rather play VirSyn TERA II over this, in a word, yes! But TERA is software and that puts in the cost of a synth, a good sound card - and that's a big difference too. I have multiple cards and some are vastly different in quality, so instead of $1500 in PC equipment and another $200 or so for a inexpensive controller, I'd say the Micron is a smashing success. I love Novation products but the V-Station can't touch the Micron's depth of sound quality. As the V-Station is the same as a K-Station I still would go Micron as the K-Station fitted the PC board with the controls. If they appeared sturdy this might have been ok. I have a 1964 HK preamp that does this and it's still in great shape; but the K-Station felt flimsy. If Korg dropped the MS2000 I'm not sure I'd go for it ove the Micron, and I certainly wouldn't just for it's chintzy 4 not polyphony, though the MS5000 is a good sounding synth. The Micron does a lot of what the MS5000 does plus it has more useful oscillator setups. Keep in mind that like the Virus and older/better Novation Nova, the Micron has a 3 oscillator setup with good modulation and filtering, not to mention synth percussion and sequencing/arps.

Desirability:
If the Micron was a woman, I'd say it was aesthetically attractive with a personality that is somewhat unknown but worth getting to know. How's that for sex appeal?

Sound:
There is a tremendous amount of features to be found. Although not as fun to program as an Ion it's completely capable and fairly easy once you spend some time with it. For a $399 synth the sound is astonishing - for it's price. It isn't Reaktor (a software synth) but it does have a good amount of tonal features. The presets are drab to excellent, but you lose most of Micron's value by not programming the extensive synth, arpeggiations and step sequences.

Support:
Maybe I'm being harsh but I started with Alesis with the Quadrasynth. After going through 3 in the year's warrantee I decided to pass. I had the same problems with the QS6 which was sent back and a QS7 replaced it only to have keys that were as loud as the studio playback levels at times. So I have a negative bias, but I like what I'm using and hopefully that number will change over the next year.

Overall:
This is by far the best sub $600 synth on the market, and if the Ion wasn't $599 it would be the best sub $700 synth. If you understand that you give up simplicity in programming and control for a well designed, 3 octave synth, you have to give Micron it's due. And it's nice to see Alesis thinking boldly again. Once you get used to the Micron way of working you'll find yourself amazed that you get so much in such a diminutive package.

"A very nice synthesizer."

This reviewer purchased this item from Same Day Music.

Feature:
Just the features alone quickly put this unit into the synthesis workstation category. I bought this to replace my MicroKorg which I dearly loved but recently had output failure. Eventually I will get it fixed reason being it has its own unique sound and feel, but the Alesis Micron easily is more versatile, and has more sound potential.

Quality:
Seems pretty sturdy, the main transport nob is a tad loose but that is to be expected out of a "button/dial" type part. It would be pretty hard to get around that in production due to solder joint protection, it needs to give a little. Seems to look pretty nice although I could care less about how it looks. I demand functionality at the cost of aesthetics anyway.

Value:
I think I would be crazy not to give it a 10 here.

Desirability:
I think it is indeed a technical marvel. Is well planned out and built. Any real hardcore Synthesizer enthusiast should say yes to this fine machine due to its multi-functional capabilities.

Sound:
I have played around on quite a few synths, software and hardware. Software synthesizers will always lose to hardware synths, Especially this on. The sound is excellent. In this price range you bet it has the best sound!

Ease of Use:
I actually think it's very intuitive. Yes it has less nob's than other synths, but! Once you learn the shortcuts extra nobs are not missed that much, if at all.

Support:
Not shure but I heard they are not bad, and not bad can be rare these days.

Overall:
I researched it for quite some time. I am into sound design, composition and am a serious musician. I hope I don't have to buy it again, my MicroKorg just died. So I got something bigger and better and for the same price. Yes I would buy another one though it is well worth it. There is a reason it has a list price of $699.00. I would even got to say I could easily see a Ion or Micron close to right around a grand, due to the quality.