Alesis QS7

Back in 1996, this synth packed 16MB of sample ROM into a sleek 76-key frame, pulling in waveforms from Keith Emerson's legendary analog modular for those thick, vintage synth textures that still cut through mixes today.

Its rompler heart delivers 64-voice polyphony across 16 multitimbral parts, with 512 presets and 400 mixes ready to go—expandable to double that via PCMCIA cards. Four layers per program, 12 LFOs, and envelope generators let you shape sounds deeply via the QS Modulation Matrix, while 4-pole lowpass filters (sans resonance) handle the basics cleanly. Five front-panel sliders jump between volume, performance tweaks, and edits on its two-line LCD; semi-weighted keys respond to velocity, aftertouch, and release for expressive play. Out back, four 1/4" outs, stereo headphones, ADAT optical, MIDI I/O, and direct Mac/PC serial ports make it a studio workhorse.

Players love its bread-and-butter sounds—from phase-accurate pianos and orchestral hits to drum loops—for quick layering in tracks, though some wish for filter resonance. A true vintage gem that holds up for hands-on sound design.