M-Audio Venom Review

Amazing synth for $350! I own 2 because it rocks. Sounds better than the Virus. The Vyzex editor is super cool and the USB 2.0 interface sounds fantastic. Yes the CM are paid to endorse it but when they claim it's the best modern synth to hit the scene in the past ten years you better believe it because it's TRUE. You will never regret buying it. Can't recommend it enough.

Superb synth

Great synth with built-in audio interface that imo sounds fatter than a Virus (though virus has better effects). The designer of this synth (the dude featured in the debut videos on Sonic State) also was involved in the design of the Alesis Andromeda, so it should give an idea of what this synth can sound like.

It is quite rich featurewise with the exception of polyphony which is on the low end for a VA digital synth. However, I would rather prefer standard 12 voices than Access Virus' 80 voices that always varies based on your programming...

the avid venom is cool !

i have a micron,,, a micro korg ,..a roland sh -201 ,, a bunch of casios and yamahas.....and have been creeping up on the price.
and the value somewhat has gone u p as the price.....i am happy...
the venom was a pretty nice surprise ....i was gonna get the novation ultra or the mopho,,,,i got the venom and what i like about it is the way its so darned easy (multi voice single voice presets)the arp. are like on and off also.... the program is the program the manipulation of the real time or performance controls is like right there....well....i'm not getting
synth shy....i came right back to order an e mu shortboard...from
s w e e t w a t e r a g a i n ! the avid venom is cool!

Ok for a synth, nothing new or outstanding.

It almost pains me to write this review. When I heard about the Venom, I really wanted to like it. I loved the concept of the synth, and the fact that it was made affordable. M-Audio likes to say that the synth is somehow revolutionary, but I don’t see it. The grunge and distortion is nothing different than what you could get from any other synth that offers distortion.

There are many nice things about the synth. It is very lightweight, and noticeably so. The 4 part multi patches are easy to edit, offering the ability to edit a single part of the patch by simply pushing the corresponding button. The resonance from this thing is insane. It has to be heard to believe. Performance controls can be mapped to something that you are used to, allowing flexibility to live performances. The software for the synth is one of the better ones that I’ve seen. This ease of use alone will win a lot of people over.

Now I must cover the unfortunate negatives. It looks a little cheap to me, but I want to touch more on the programming and sound. This is definitely designed as a software based instrument. Programming a sound from the hardware is limited by the number of knobs and disorganized layout. Simple is not always better, especially when you sacrifice speed for simplicity. This obviously won’t be a problem for most, but it’s a consideration for people who would prefer making large changes to sound in a live setting without tabbing up and down through settings. For example, you might want to adjust the cutoff, but you’re in the wrong row and adjust the FM. Now…a person can pay attention and not make a mistake like this, or even change the mapping of the performance controllers. The thing is…M-Audio is great for loading their hardware with tweakable knobs and sliders. Why now, would they release a synth that is so watered down?

The sound coming from this synth is insipid, and it feels empty. It doesn’t seem to cut through enough and feels very flat. A lot of work must be done to really push the sound. For the price, it’s not a bad synth at all but it doesn’t compete with the other synths (including software) that are available. In the promotional video for the synth, there is the quote “you’ll be hearing this all over the radio”…well…we already have. It’s been done before and done better.