Alesis Vortex attempts to revive the keytar

While keytars have been associated with glam metal bands of the 80s there’s no rule on who can or can’t use the device to make music, especially today. Well if you’ve always wanted a keytar for performing or recording music in a studio, the Alesis Vortex might be right up your alley. In addition to being a performing instrument, the Vortex doubles up as a studio instrument with its onboard USB and MIDI ports that let you hook it up to a Mac, PC or even iPad.

It features 37 velocity-sensitive keys, a MIDI-assignable accelerometer (which can be used to control any parameter by motion), a volume slider, pitch-bend wheel, MIDI-assignable touchstrip, buttons for octave selection and sustain, and large transport and patch-select controls. With support for today’s most popular software synths and digital audio workstations (DAWs), you’ll be able to create pretty much any sound you want.

To top it off, the Vortex features a sleek white coat of paint that proves you don’t have to sacrifice design for function. The Vortex will be available in Q2 2012 with an MSRP of $399 and an estimated street price of $249.

George Wong
Categories: Audio