Alesis QSR User reviews -Page 31

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Average rating: 3.8 out of 5

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Greg B a hobbyist user from Melbourne Australia writes:

The QSR is a fantastic bit of gear. Great sounds and lots of them, excellent effects, and almost too many parameters to play with. The setup of the QSR is good once you get familiar with it, although you really need to use a good editor librarian. The CD which comes with the QSR does have a certain amount of trial software - either time limited or save disabled or something similar. However, the Unisyn Editor Librarian is fully functional (but only with the QSR) and is excellent, particularly using the serial link. There are also a bunch of additional instruments on the CD in sysex and Unisyn format. Sensational. Drums are first class with enormous potential for setting up your kits the way you like them. The QSR also boasts two sets of stereo outs and everything can be assigned to one or the other, great if you have outboard effects. This is a significant feature and was one of the reasons I chose the QSR. The manual is adequate, but doesn't give you enough. I haven't found any further info on, for example, creating sounds. The presets and additional sounds on the QSR could easily be all you ever need, and more. But part of the fun with this stuff is tinkering, and a few more leads on the sound programming would have been welcome. The QSR is a great addition to my modest home setup of a D5, U220, Midiverb 3 and Mackie 1202. The only problem is that I have spent the last couple of months playing around with it instead of writing songs. The QSR gets 5 out of 5 from me. No problem.

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-9898 at 23:35

Jack Scaglious a part time user from usa writes:

As for using it out of the box,is great. But nothing can be easy to program on this. I bought an 8meg blank flash card and a 2meg sram card with it. First, I used the serial cable connection since it was said to be easier than midi. Most programs would not talk to it. So, I hooked it up with a winman 4x4s midi card. The synth would then finally work with my sequencer and the samples would load up on the card using sound bridge. Next, I bought the qe plus program and it continually crashed. I then installed the unisyn editor supplied with it and it only loads one bank on my computer, and will not read card banks. It is a pain in the ass making each program and mix using the keyboard alone. I thought that the features and sampling ability on this board were great for the price, but now I am so frustrated with having to have a monsterous setup before working that I stay away from it. Unless I find a way to work it soon, it is getting replaced by a working sampler. If you don't agree with me, help me out!

Rating: 2 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-9898 at 23:35

db a professional user from USA writes:

Good live, NOT for SEQUENCING!!! When you demo the QSR you will hear 'Program' sounds (somewhat thin) and 'Mix' sounds (very full, complex and fat). The sales person will then say "of course, everthing can be called up by midi!". What the Guitar Center Midi guy failed to point out (or didn't realize) before I purchased mine is that the 'Mix' sounds are made up of multiple 'Programs' (although the name 'Mix' should have been a clue). This subtle design point makes a BIG difference. The result? Using a sequencer like Cakewalk you CANNOT simply pull up and record more than 1 (ONE!) of the cool 'Mix' sounds, period! No 16 channels of drums, bass, keys, strings, etc. all pumping at the same time unless you ONLY use the thin 'Program' sounds. I went through several calls to Alesis tech support where they rudely claimed I was simple for not understanding the 'advanced QSR architecture' before I purchased. Well, live and learn. If you are in a Midi Project Recording environment be prepared to use only the 'Program' sounds. Don't be seduced at the store by the big 'Mix' sounds. It is painful to either use a 'Mix' patch and then have to record the actual QSR audio out into a digital sound card then to the hard drive to include it in your song or try and recreate a 'Mix' sound by backwards engineering it, manually combining several 'Programs' (using up several of the 16 channels), tweak the parameters and then copy all midi notes to each of these tracks. Note: If you are playing live you will probably only use one sound at a time so the great 'Mix' sounds will be easily available to you. Summary: Just auditioning all the 'sounds' a device can generate without understanding how the device is designed can lead you to purchase something that either isn't right for your situation or is not as much of a value as you thought. I just wish companies were more up front and/or sales persons were better trained so we could concentrate on music and not on doing technical homework before a trip to the music store. Did anyone else learn this the hard way? Selah!

Rating: 3 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-9898 at 23:35

JKoC a hobbyist user from Canada writes:

i agree with Tony Scudiero on his previous review saying

"but out of five I think I give this synth a 7"... well said.

i went into the store looking for an old used $200 proteus/1, and i came

out buying a qsr. i spent an hour scrolling through the sounds, realising,

i could not settle for less, especially this being my first module.

i went through every factory sound, and i was amazed. i love the

2 expansion slots... and 4 effects busses... and the 909 snare...

and the programmability... and did i mention two expansion slots?

well, buy one already!

Rating: 5 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-9898 at 23:35

"Buzz" Spacely, Jr. a part time user from Thorax Galaxy writes:

Not to be a disagree-nick, but just wanted to add the glitch in the QSR

which cuts off held notes when patches are switched on the same channel

via MIDI. I often sequence stuff with normal bass on track and switch

on the same track (midi channel) to say the 'slapped' sound. The QSR cuts

off the old sound, even if it's still being sustained in the sequence,

as it switches to the new sound. No good!

I mention this if anybody's looking to buy one for sequencing. PLUS,

I wouldn't rule out modules like the Roland SC-88 PRO, or the Yamaha

MU100R, (or the MU90R which is same price as QSR) as all three of those

are 32 channel midi-capable, and 64 note polyphoic, with VERY good

instruments/drum sounds, and very good (honest) effects.

Rating: 3 out of 5 posted Wednesday-Aug-05-9898 at 23:35

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