MusicRadar

The XioSynth is a synth, MIDI controller and audio interface in one.

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• Review
• Manufacturer's Description

Compromises

Unfortunately, several compromises have been made with the design of the XioSynth’s front panel. The multi-purpose rotary encoder is situated to the right-hand side of the LCD screen (both of which are towards the left-hand side of the panel), so unless you use your right hand, the screen is obscured when you make adjustments. This is particularly frustrating when the knobs are working in the aforementioned pickup mode, where a clear view of the display is essential. Another slight drawback is the lack of any transport buttons.

More seriously, the build quality seems a tad suspect. In fact, the headphone knob on our XioSynth literally came off in our hands within just minutes of us taking the new unit out of the box!

Finally, we have to report that the XioSynth shares one of the X-Station’s major annoyances - the XY pad requires quite a bit of finger pressure, making smooth movements more difficult than you might expect.

Fortunately, none of these issues is particularly bothersome, and we actually grew to like the XioSynth a great deal. The new Hybrid mode makes the built-in synth far more useful than the X-Station’s, especially to those who normally use soft synths exclusively.

We think the XioSynth will appeal most to those who are looking for a secondary compact and affordable controller keyboard, audio interface and synth for use in a mobile setup. First-time synth buyers, however, would probably be better off going for the X-Station - this provides direct access to more simultaneous controls and shallows the learning curve associated with synth programming as a consequence. The XioSynth packs a lot in for the money, though, and certainly adds up to more than the sum of its individual parts. If it wasn’t for the questionable build quality, we’d have scored it a point higher.