Ensoniq ASR-X Pro

Easy once you learn how everything in menus and submenus are laid out. Coming from a EPS/ASR took me a bout 2 hours. Very easy and simple to use and begin rocking beats.

I must say for the money this machine is a steal. Dope FX, Dope filters, resampling and pretty much all I need. My problem is this: I hate rack samplers, I wish I could work with them but I cant, feels like pressing buttons on a intercom and after hours it sucks. I've had the s900 / s950, emax I , asr 10 , eps_m - eps +16 all on rack jus get the feel of the workflow. I prefer the drumachines all day long. and since i coe from a ensoniq background, this is perfect.

Finally this is where the asrx/pro shines. I have sampled the same drum break on asrx and then sampled it on the mpc2500/2000xl and its a joke how the nexe pc's sound compared to the X. I used to be all caught up in the " MY DRUMS MUST BE 12BIT" spell but I broke out of it. I did keep my emax 1 but rarely se it. The x is all I need this machine sound thick and the drus really hit hard.

its realible because the bugs dont cause work stoppage.

The main problem with this machine is the knobs and how the values jup all over the place when rying to adjust. I does sucks but you will learn to adjust and becoe proficient and keep rocking it because i sounds that good.

the soniq com

for the moneycant be eat. the sequencer is a bit flaky and i have better results when I DO NOT quantize.

You can use Asr-x tools to edit via windows or other software for mac and pc

but its best to edit straight up on asr-x

more features then u can shake a stick at, makes ur samples come alive

i have some killer piano / rhodes sounds that i got off the net and dumped em on the asr-x ,,, this unit will blow the socks off anything thanks to the avail of windows/mac sounds and the 48khz playback

its cool

suppport is via communities on the web- OUTSTANDING

Pretty good unit, what a worthwhile thing to discover, its a treasure but u gotta be patient and hard working , to get your ASR-x payoff

first off just want to say i picked up 2 of these bad ass machines in 2004 for just over $600. On was fully maxed with an 8 out expansion and the other has since been maxed out. Anyway, as you can see 2 ASR-X PRO's for less than 1 MPC....

Machine is straight forward...manual is helpful.

pads are alright, must say i like the feel on the MPC a little better, although the layout is done octave style, which is dope.

sounds and effects are alright...definately blows away what comes standard in the akai family.

can be expanded to 66 mb i beleive...and if your lucky try and find (for a reasonable price) the urban dance expansion ROM...buttery.

Full MIDI capabilities --> 15 pressure sensitive pads

Sequencer is bugged out at times...play with it, you'll be able to make it work...the newest OS will enhance your sequencers performance

Sounds are kind of weak, effects are OK.
This thing was designed to compete with the MPC family, so its designed for percussive heavey music -->HipHop, RnB, Dance, House, etc.

They keys have a nice feel, veocity sensitive/after touch is fine...if they do stick you can unstuck em...be carefull you dont lose those tiny springs.

never had an issue with this machine. Structurally its solid. I use mine mainly in the home studio or as a sketch pad.

N/A

2 of these beasts for $600.00...cant beat that...i keep the one with 8 outs in the studio and the other sits in the living room so i can bang some joints out while im hanging out, watching TV, whatever.

even as a midi controller this thing is cheaper than MPDs and Trigger Fingers, and look at the additional capabilities...not sure if i prefer this over an MPC since i have not had the oppourtunity to use one for an extended period.

ASRX PRO is a dope machine!! Most cat's don't know how to program on the machine so have problems working!! So therefore they tend to diss it!! I myself go back to the Scientists of sampling music (Ced-Gee (UltraMagnetics) and Marley Marl(Juice Crew)DJ Priemer
(Gang Starr). The art of chopping obscure samples and refunking them, by changing octaves and tones and replaying them totally different on the pads is a science that goes back to the individuals I just stated and works to this day!!(Check Kayne West, Alchemist, No Id, Just Blaze, Paul Johnson) Customer support is totally shit, a bunch of kids who never produced a record in there lives!! So don't expect to get any help from those guys!!

Most important advice when sampling a one or two bar loop, you must chop the samples into parts. If it is a one bar loop it is usually chops perfectly into four pieces. One sound on each pad!! Exact same advice when choping up drums from out sources, (records,cd's etc)

The only problem sometimes you may experience glitches when chaining sequences together. So I tend to use one total long sequence when writing my songs into song mode then dump into the computer systems board when time to mix a song down.

Also, if there are any technical problems with the machine you can contact a guy in California who actually owns the catalog for ensoniq. He will repair the machine parts right away and send it back to you.

Any questions about how to program on the machine please contact me.

Peace,

Marc

I am familiar with the Ensoniq family and it was easy to figure out. the presets are so-so, very digital and flat. Editing patches is easy. i mean, if you got a brain, it allows you to individualize the sounds you have sampled. the manual is rather helpful if you are new to the machine.

The builyt in effects are cool but they run themselves redundant after awhile. I have mine with a scsi, 8 outputs, and midi. It works well with other equipment, as long as it is NOT the lead sequencer. I've hooked it up to MPC's and Tritons with out a problem. It worked well with the Planet Phatt modules.

I guess this is better for dance and hip hop. I've made a lot of interesting stuff with it. I like it as a sampler. I'm old school, so i use records and hook the sounds up within the module. I just hate the fact that the ASR-X pro does not allow for live sequencing and the quantizing is drunk.

I feel the machine is as reliable as the person who keeps it. It is subject to some wear and tear, the buttons tend to stick once in awhile, but she holds it down for me.

Yeah, good luck. Ensoniq no longer exists.

I swear by this little beast. i hear the crap made by these dudes that use acid or fruity loops. they can't hang. This is an instrument. you need practice and heart, not a mouse and a loop.

The presets are aiight! I mostly use the drum kit. The manual is cool but it lacks some vital information.

The efx are wonderful. I have expanded the memory to 64mb and added a zip drive and that made a huge difference in my ability to store music because I don't have to deal w/floppy's anymore. At 1st, the asr was my only piece of equipment. The machine allowed me to be a 1 man band and drop some serious hip hop shit. The sequencer has been good to me.

I think the asr is a hip hop sampler because it is so powerful. The kick and snare samples come out nice. I used to wonder what people meant when they stated that the x is powerful? After heavy usage, I can clearly see why. The only thing I don't like is that when you attempt to mute out tracks during play the beat skips.

I use it mainly in the comfort of my home (so I can hit it any time I want). I have encoutered some problems when I've brought her to recording studios. Most of the time the engineer will give me props for using it but he'll be clueless when it comes to midi syncing it w/another sequencer. Don't get me wrong, the asr works well w/other sequencers (cakewalk). The problem is when you use the asr as your main sequencer and bring it to a professional studio.

As we all mutherfuckin' know, ensoniq no longer exists because emu bought them out. The only time that I have called support is when attempting to daisy chain the asr with a keyboard and sound module. Support wasn't very supportive. Every one (emu, chickensys, samash, guitar center) seemed to be oblivious to what I was trying to do.

I would be heart broken if some took the red dragon. I would purchase it again for sure. This machine has changed my life, it was def. worth the $$$. I love the simplicity of the sampling functions such as key pad assignment, chopping up the beat, adding efx, etc. The only thing I don't like is the fact that it is not easy to use in a studio. I've had minimal exposure to the mpc and I feel that the asr is comparable. I wish it had a tempo finder to help w/my sample loops. The x-pro is all a true hip hop producer needs. The asr is RAW, I am very impressed with it's capitlity and I wish ensoniq was still in business because I'm sure by now they would have had some monster sampling machine that would dominate competitors.

I'm Using O.S. 4.0 and there is nothing at all I can complain about.
the presets sound kinda gay and editing patches is a lil complex but I just chop samples off of vinyl so I dont really care about all that stuff. The manual is VERY thorough, almost too thorough. Only serious gear heads will get some of that stuff but it really explains everything you need at a ver basic level before it gets complex.

The pads are nice and responsive. Many compare these pads to mpc pads by saying these feel less natural but to me asr-x pads feel better. They actually give when you bang em. Mpc pads feel as tho you arent even hitting anything. Asr pads are also pressure sensitive and they have several parameters that you can adjust to your liking.

The sequencer works FINE for me. I truly dont see what all the negative fuss is about. You make a sequence that has as many bars as you want, then make the next sequence, and so on. When you have made all of the sequences you want, simply append them and save. No problems. Load it up when you wanna hear your track and push play!

It may skip or lag a lil if your twisting knobs and changing banks and everything while the track is playing but other than that, this thing is glitchless with the 4.0 o.s. upgrade

Its a sampler. If your looking for onboard sounds that are usable, go cop a synth module or a keyboard.
I guess it would be good for that trance or drumb&bass stuff but I just use samples from records so I'm not really concerned with internal sounds. As far as sample editing options this thing is as good as it gets!
It really gives samples a thick warm sound. Dont even get me started on drums. It gives drums that warm punchy sound that that just sits right in a mix.

The effects are dope too. you can make just about anything sound warm as if it came fresh off of vinyl or just as clean as a cd. I love ensoniq for their sound converters.

I think its dependable for studio use but I dont recomend giggin with it simply because you wouldnt really be able to improvise without a lil skippin.

Ensoniq doesnt even exist anymore.

If it were lost or stolen I would definately cop another one. I'm so use to how these things work its like an extension of me. I sample a record and chop it up in a matter of seconds. I have an asr-x and an asr-x pro and given the opportunity I would cop one more just to have a backup for either one of em. I love all ensoniq samplers. They have a warmth that no other sampler can touch

Not sure what level of the OS but its whatever they would have had
in 2002 when the unit was puchased new. As well all know the ASR-X
series has been discontinued since EMU bought out Ensoniq though EMU
took the pad setup and arrangement and applied it to their Command Stations (XL-7,MP-7)

the included manuals were adequate and more than enough to get you
started. The unit is easy to use and I didn't need to read the manual
to get up and running. I used it as a reference and went from there.

This is a sampler designed primarily for percussion sequencing.
The pads can be used as a primitive keyboard but for melodic sequencing you should attach a controller. In terms of drum sequencing just bang on the pads while recording with the sequencer. Speaking of which there was an ASR-X maling list which seemed to have lots of posts concerning the alleged lack of stability in the ASR-X sequencer. I've not noticed this on rare occasion though I seldom push the limits of the sequencer. Dig up the archives of the list to read more about it. Some people treat it like an offense against humanity that the sequencer isn't as good as say that found on the MPC series. My philosophy is that its only a piece of gear. A good musician will
find a way to get the music made regardless of the problems with
one piece of kit. Less capable musicians will whine and moan about
gear as an excuse for their lack of musical output. If the gear is
that bad then unload and move on. Terminal complaining seldom helps
a case of writers block. I'm not slamming people for pointing out
problems with a given product - just that some take it to extreme
levels as if their lives are heavily invested in some red box.

In general the ASR-X archives are an *excellent* source of information
on how to get alot out of the box so you should definteily dig it up
and check it out. Don't let a few whiners turn you off from what was
an undeniably helpful internet resource

Its a SAMPLER ! anyone who complains about "cheesy sounds" must be totally clueless because no one buys a sequencer to use included, factory presets. What an absurd notion. You are supposed to sample
in your own sounds or from quality sample CDs and move forward.

the pads are so so and depending on how much the unit is used they
can suffer over time. Obviously the MPC series has "the pads" so anyone looking for that should find a MPC.

the effects are okay and capable of impacting the sound to accomplish
interesting results. The cool thing about the ASR-X is that you can
resample the outputs as effects are being applied and assign that to
a pad. You can go on like this forever so your imaginiation and patience are the only limits.

Well on one level its pretty solid but the pads are the weak point.
then again I've seen people who hammer the pads like they were
playing a set of congas and they wonder why the pads break. They aren't made to sustain that kind of pressure. Even the MPC pads
aren't made to susatin that kind of abuse.

I was able to upgrade the memory with no problems. I've heard people
complain about this procedure but I never had a problem with it.
It worked first time with no problems.

At this point the ASR-X is just a studio only box. Its okay to gig
with I suppose but if it breaks I'm not going to buy another so just
leave it at home.

I never had an issue which required me contacting support.
I did email a question about the time they introduced the Red-X
and they responded with some basic info but I wasn't reporting a
specific problem - just asking for projected delivery dates.

But now since EMU now owns Ensoniq and the ASR-X line has been
retired I don't think you could get support. Again the ASR-X mailing list has lots of stories of people complaining about Ensoniq.
the list archives also has some very good performanc suggestions.


At this point if you pick up an ASR-X on ebay or from a friend then
you are going to be on your own. Don't buy this if you are the type
of user who needs frequent hand holding and relies heavily upon tech support for answers. There ain't none so don't bother.

Well its okay for what it is which is hardware sampler with a built in sequencer and some pads. Obviously there are lots of soft samplers
that blow this thing out of the water. Even The Boss SP-606 can be consideted superior to this. And of course the EMU command stations
are capable of lots of sounds but those are ROMplers so no facilty
to work with your own sounds at least without investing in their
Ultra series samplers to burn your own ROM cards. But thats not
practical since its old , expenisve technology.

Obviously the new thing is the Akai MPC 1000 which is laptop sized
and has some effects, USB, and the famous pads. For those seeking a
harware sequencer ,sampler, with pads then you might want to look at
that. In the Us its around $850. Of course the MPC 2000s still linger
around $1200 but far less portable and no effects. Hip Hop guys obivously love the MPC series and its their devotion to this gear that
keeps the price up on the Akais.

I'll buy any fully blown X-Pro out there... lost mine, need one, will pay five for a used one, performance over looks.email Aqwar@hotmail.com

wanna buy yours

gimme da machine

on a gig? are yu nuts?1?!
still it's a ill box for the house...
gimme ya machine!

they quit on red... I aint too happy with ensoniq...
they realized a lotta hip hop was made with it so they stopped building em stopped supportin' em, and made all their new products cater directly to all that trance rave type shit...
-fuKem!- still lemme get yours offa yu...c'mon...

yeh one last note... Gimme ya box, my money is as good as ya machine... c'mon yu know yu need a new mic or guitar strings or somethin' email me. Aqwar@hotmail.com

latest O.S. according to previous owner.
the presets are whatever. but hey, who the hell uses a sampler for presets?
Editing patches is a breeze once you mess around and become comfortable with the interface.
I received both manuals and they covered all the stuff i needed/wanted to know.

polyphony is 64 (right) ?
the built-in effects kick ass. you can really do some damage with them and the resample function. there is even a compressor/eq kind of effect that's called "sweeten" and after i was able to tweak the effect settings, I turned some pathetic little drum hits into really cool sounding samples with a lot of punch.
This is great for people who want to engineer their own hits and mold their custom drum archives. If you are familiar with that signature neptunes aggravated rim + clap combo, i was able to recreate a number of rim hits that sounded nearly identical to those used in "give it to me" "danger" just by messing around with the effects and using the resample function. i am a fiend when it comes to clean punchy-ass drums so this baby is untouchable to me when it comes to ability to take normal sounding hits and spring life into them.
i connected a scsi cd-rom and a zip daisy chained and I load samples for days with out having to worry about messing with the floppy.
as far as the onboard sequencer goes... i don't even bother. I use Logic 6 for front end sequencing and pro-tools for recording so my sequencing needs are taken care of. i have heard a lot of nightmare stories about people who tried to use this box as an all in one studio solution. but since i just use this as a sound module of sorts i never run into problems with it.

Oh god. I don't know where to start. There is a reason that neptunes/timbaland and many other cats in the industry use the ASR series.
It's because this sampler's sonic character seriously kicks ASS.
I have messed around with akai's series for a while and while I think they are really nice in their own right, nothing can come close to the warmth and punch that these little babies can deliver.
I have forsaken soft-synths and samplers for their hardware equivalents and after getting ahold of this baby, I have no desire to ever touch a virtual sampler ever again.
The effects and the overall feel of the noises that come out of these boxes are just superb and i cannot emphasize how great they sound. period.

since i don't sequence on it, i never run into problems. after a session of sampling, molding, and creating i usually record my samples into the computer and so i never worry about having to save files, hence no major problems with the bugs that many people complain about. i stay away from sequencing on it period so that eliminates a great deal of the hassle that many people complain about.

haven't dealt with them

Ohhhh, I would most definitely acquire this again if it was lost.
I have fallen in love with ASRs so much that I will be buying an ASR-10 and even another ASR-X just incase this one dies on me!!!!!!!
Sure its clunky and not the most reliable sampler but the sound quality is just amazing.
Utter bliss!!!!!!!!!!