HELP! Need new synth ASAP and need ideas

Hi folks,I am a gigging keyboardist (in a band that sounds like a mix of Nine Inch Nails, Pearl Jam, Type O Negative, System of a Down, and Rush). I use a Korg Triton as my main workstation and an Alesis ION as my secondary synth, though it's honestly got more of my signature sounds.Last night the ION just stopped working. I'm trying to fix it, but reality is that I may need to completely replace it. Since it's out of production and has reliability issues, I'd like something new.I like the ION because:- virtual analog- digital, has 8 note polyphony, so it's great for pads and soundscapes, not just leads and basses- has the ability to layer or switch between 4 voices with the touch of a button- 2 mod wheels- 49 keys- cheapish (great synth, and I bought it new for I think $600)Possible replacements:- Roland Roland JD-Xi -- lots of bells and whistles, feels a little gimmicky to me though- Roland Roland GAIA SH-01 - Great synth, but it's already 5 years old and is still $600It just seems to me that for $700-800 I could get a nice-ish laptop and go with softsynths. But I've fought so hard to avoid that route.I had hoped to be spending money on a new synth to compliment, not replace, my current rig. Something like a Slim Phatty or another monosynth, maybe even the Roland semi-modular System-1 or Aria stuff, but I'm just not sure any of that will fill this hole.Thoughts? It seems like the GAIA/ION fill this weird niche of being affordable virtual analog synths that can fit between a workstation and a real analog monster. What are your favorite synths on the market? Any advice is fine with me.Thanks so much in advance for the conversation.

Statistics: Posted by TheGreyKeyboards — Fri Aug 14, 2015 11:51 am

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