Alesis Photon X25

Photon x25

Pros:
Very portable
Easy setup
Nice construction
Cubase LE free!

Cons:
Dodgy audio drivers
Fake endless rotary controllers
Pointless gimmicky AXYZ controller
25 keys is not as much as you think it is



I bought the Photon x25 because I wanted the portability of having a combined soundcard and controller. I had looked into the alternatives from M-audio, Edirol and Novation, but had heard bad things about them all (apart from the x-station, which is way above my budget). As I was buying online, I didn't have a chance to try any of them out, so I'll try not to make direct comparisons to something I know nothing about.

Firstly, this unit is very well put together. The mod and pitch wheels are rubber and nicely chunky. The controller knobs and buttons are similarly tactile, and the overall layout is compact without being cramped.

Installation is pretty easy under windows xp, and a breeze on OS X. You simply plug it in and get to work, although you have to install the audio drivers for windows. They're included on the cd, along with a FREE COPY OF CUBASE LE. This could be a major selling point (I almost bought the m-audio ozone purely on the basis that Ableton Lite is included), but no-one seems to be mentioning it. Interestingly, although Cubase is included with the product, you have to download a preset from the Alesis website to use the controller functions with it. Weird. The preset also doesn't include settings for the transport buttons underneath the knobs, so you'll have to set them manually.

I should also mention that the driver for my Photon stopped working about a week after I got it, so I've had to resort to using ASIO4ALL drivers.

The 25 keys feel nicely sized, I can't imagine anyone struggling with them. The weight of them is interesting, they are very "springy". You have to play a little bit harder than you might be used to, and get used to feeling the keys rising as fast as you can lift your finger. It's weird. Overall this doesn't really affect playability and it DOES add to the sensation that this unit is built to last - however virtuoso players might want to look elsewhere.

The main selling point of the Photon x25 over other similar keyboards is the AXYZ dome. It's kind of like a 3D xy controller. You hold your finger over the black dome and move it left-right, front-back or up-down. So far I haven't found a single good use for it. The area that you can move your finger in is VERY small, and since you're holding your hand in mid-air it's difficult to control. Also, because it's 3D - it's not like you can lift your finger off it once you find a setting you want to stay at. you have to hold your finger completely still for an entire performance! Useless! For me at least.

The "endless rotary encoders" aren't endless at all. Sure, they'll rotate forever, but they send absolute values to your sequencer from 0 to 127. Once you get to 127 you can keep spinning the knob but it won't do anything. This also creates an interesting problem in that your faders will jump all over the place when you first move them. Very annoying, and a little unnecessary. You get a packet of cardboard inserts for various programs and instruments, so you know what the knobs will control.

As I mentioned before, the pitch and modulation wheels have a very nice feel to them. Nothing more to say about them except that they have LEDs inside them which get brighter as you move them. Not useful at all as a visual reference (particularly for the pitch wheel since you'll have your finger over it), but nice all the same.

A couple of days after I got my Photon, it sort of "crashed". All the controls stopped working except the keys, and the light got stuck on under my pitch wheel. You won't find this referenced anywhere on the Alesis site, but apparently it's a common enough problem that they included a fix for it in the diagnostic mode. It's pretty hard to find, so I'll link you to the help file - www.alesis.com/downloads/manuals/PHOTONx25_Controller_Recalibration.pdf

Sound quality on the unit is ok I guess, nothing special but certainly not horrible. I haven't used the inputs yet so I won't comment.

Overall, I've had a lot of problems with this unit already, and it's only been a couple of weeks. It does have some nice points, mostly just the overall "feel" of it. If you don't absolutely NEED the portability of a combined soundcard-controller, I would strongly suggest looking elsewhere. You will get much better units for cheaper. However if you're a travelling laptop musician, I'm afraid this might be the best of a bad bunch.

my photon x25 stop working a couple of days back!..the pitch and modulation wheels have stop sending midi!..now just the pitch bend wheel light is on constantly!...i researched it on the net!!..check the link below!...




http://www.em411.com/forum/22489/1/431003/disappointment_alesis_photon_x25.html#431003

...as you can read its a firmware problem ....must be caused by data flow from the usb interface!

..also...when i recived it...i was expecting the Axyz controler to be a asmall joystick!...not the air sensitive controller!...its completely got a mind of its own and i dont think i will ever be able to use it in life performances!!...or to jam with!...i did research the photon X25 b4 i brought it...but all the pics i have seen are ether to dark to see the that it is actually an axyz air controller! not a joystick...or the pics i have seen have been to small to make it out!....


i guess it could happen any time with the usb lead using the midi interface!>..i need the usb 2 run midi...so i cant get out of useing it!...there is also no FACTORY REST!!...this is not a professional peace of equipment...i regrettably have found!...