I tried to get a demo of the M-Audio Venom some time ago, but the demonstrator from Avid didn't seem capable of explaining anything about it. I think the Venom has been a flop, and now I've discovered why. No wonder the company is now selling its M-Audio subsidiary. I bought one cheap from eBay on the principle that I could always re-sell it if I didn't like it, and that has proved to be the case, and I managed to re-sell it for roughly what I paid for it.
The trouble is that it's neither one thing nor another; it isn't a virtual analogue synth, it's based on samples of analogue instruments, yet it doesn't do as good a job as the Quasimidi instruments. The samples are few and gritty, the effects are grainy, and the presets are a boring assortment of acid sqeaks, belches, bloops and loops. Onboard editing is limited, and I wouldn't use the audio I/O features. So off it went. Now I've seen pics of the Studiologic Sledge, obviously a more serious instrument at £700, though so far there don't seem to be any decent demos of it on the net.
