A polyphonic analog synthesizer, introduced by Alesis in 2000. Also known by its Alesis product designation of A6, it is a 16-voice synth with two VCOs per voice, multimode VCFs, onboard effects, and a arpeggiator. Regarded as the last of the large polyphonic analog synths, the Andromeda has extensive modulation routing and computer control capabilities, with 256 patch memory slots and full MIDI control. The panel has a complete array of controls with dedicated knobs for all of the basic voice parameters. Several color combinations have been used for the casework over the production run.
The Andromeda depends heavily on custom ICs that were designed by Alesis' former semiconductor division (which is now known as Wavefront Semiconductor). Alesis lost its ability to acquire more of these parts when its parent company, Numark, sold off the semiconductor division in 2003. After that point, Alesis continued to produce Andromedas using parts in stock. Production finally ended after the parts stocks were used up in 2009; in the last few years before this, production was done in periodic batch runs and customers often had to wait months for the next run before they could order one. Production estimates range from 1000-2000 units. The Andromeda retains high value in the collector's market, despite some doubts about the availability of spare parts; fortunately, most of the produced units (with the exception of some early-production units) have had good reliability.