Ensoniq ASR-X Sampling Workstation

I use 3.04. I own the pro (red). The sounds are too me better than the mpc 2000 its rival. All the features are on the money. Editing is simple and the manual makes everything step by step easy. I havent made anything since I recived it before I read the manual.

The keyboard action is ok. I use a midi keyboard to do my keyboard sounds. Being that I build computers, I upgrade myself. I found a old cpu, took the memory out and fixed it. Havent found a expansion board for it yet. The midi good. I use reason 3.0 to make tracks and it fits right in.

The sounds are ridicilous. Very easy to use. Cant tell what makes it easier, the octaves or the kits. Havent really dug into the effects yet. Judging by the manual, it should be nice. Havent found any other flaws with it. Maybe its because of the ram I have in it.

I can depend on it!!!! It has a very solid os. It is about to never leave the studio again!! Excellent machine

Never delt with CS. I did repair it myself. The value knob broke off the board. I took a soldering iron and fixed it back on. Plus I added my own ram.

If it were lost I would buy it again. As a matter of fact I did. I bought it in 1998-99 @ $1200 from Musician's Friends with the expansion board. I let my friend hold it and someone broke in his studio and stole everything including my asrx. I was in a pawn shop and saw the pro version and almost had a heartattack. I use it with Reason 3.0 and a keystation 49. They all coenside with my G4. Cant complain about it!!!!!

i think i have the 2.55 version. the presets are the worst!!! but i have an mpc60, 2000, cd's, tapes, records, etc. so i dont need them. i also have the urban dance card. has some really hot stuff on there. i already had the red one when i bought this one so i didnt need a manual.

i dont know exactly what the polyphony is but its enuff!! i dont really use the effects too much. i have the urban expansion card in mine and some of those sounds on that card r really blazin!! i have every option on my asr. im just not sure is i have the latest o.s. i dont use the sequencer. i use my mpc60 with this one.

depending on how u use this it can work for any type of music. i like how samples sound when they come thru this thing. very warm and thick. which is just what i want. thats y i have this and the mpc60.

i dont use this one for gigs. i use my red one for gigs. it's pretty dependable. i had a few problems wit it but i got thru.

n/a

if it were stolen, i'd still have my other one! it is definitely worth every $125 dollars that i paid for it with the scsi, 8-outs, max ram, and the urban dance project expansion card!! i've only had this one for about 1 month now. i love how samples sound thru this sampler and also the drum mapping. and lots of other stuff. i compared it to other products like yamaha samplers, roland samplers, newer emu samplers, and all of them suck to me!! just my personal opinion. the asr is it!!! i wish u could control external modules with it using a midi controller. if u can do this i dont know how. maybe someone will tell me if u can. other pieces of gear that i own:
asr x pro
mpc60
mpc2000
emu proteus
emu turbo phatt
emu xl-1 w/protazoa exp. rom
roland jv-1010
yamaha tx81z (people sleep on this module but it is hot!!!)
korg trinity
and some software synths that i dont use.

The manual is clear and thorough...
Presets are horrible, but would anyone actually use these anyway? buys some jazz reocrds!

polyphony is 32!! lovely!!

the effects are the biggest part of the X in my opinion, they definitely give u moreo original sound than most other hip hop production

sequencer, no problems, as long as u actually have rhythm. if not u'll probably find that a portion of your sample will disappear when u play back, so get some damn rhythm already!! if u're above 100 BPM, find something else, this machine strives for hip hop exclusively.

liek i said bad presets, but great effects on sampled phrases, drums, etc... are a beautiful thang. pads are nice, but liek the knobs u gotta get used to them.

ok fo real now, i paid $1200 for this thing, which basically means i bought it new in 1998. its strictly a studio tool for me, no live shows, and i've produced a dozen album and pieces of wax off the x in what is now 6 years, and it runs like a beast!

i got some memry back in the day and a OS upgrade, but not much else.

i would buy another one, maybe the pro version (id definitely paint that thing black tho), because i have neither a sci card or an 8-out card...which by the way if u know where i can get one or both of those items, email me PLEASE tone@deepthinka.com

Note: this is my second review (see below)

I'm using software version 2.67, the last ever released.
Preset samples are pretty much what you'd expect, i.e. not very interesting.
(Fun tip: select a horrible insert effect with awful amounts of noises and feedback, then play the demo song!)

The manual is excellent for full comprehension of this machine.

Right away it is very easy to use, and you will assimilate its subtleties as you work your songs.

Three letters: LFO! Each sample has its own LFO, which can be used to modulate any sample parameter (resonant filters, panning, envelopes, volume, etc.) What is even more amazing is that these LFOs are MIDI synchronizable, which speeds up the composition process a lot. I have only recently started using this feature, and I must say it is probably the ASR-X's main asset.

The insert effects are excellent and tweakable enough. Most of them have parameters that can also be synchronized to the MIDI clock. 40 of them is more than enough.

Polyphony is 32, which is good if you know how to use a sampler properly (meaning if you frequently resample instead of relying on insert effects, which take a considerable number of voices)

Now there are a few things that bug me, the main being the sequencer. It is absolutely unreliable and worthless. Everything that has been said below is true: it skips and lags, it is simply not tight, and anyone unable to notice this (see below) should get their sense of rhythm checked. You will have to use an external sequencer if you take producing seriously. 384 lines per quarter note is just too precise for anyone's use (I suspect this is what causes the timing difficulties.)

Another enormous problem: if you are using its sequencer with an external controller, each parameter that you control will be reset to its original value when the sequence loops! The ASR-X sends a "Reset All Controllers" message every time a sequence starts over, which means that if, for example, you have a synth hooked up, it too will get this message and reload its patch every time, causing intolerable lagging!

I have had the ASR-X for almost a year now, and only decided to buy a sequencer a few months ago; it solved all the above problems! I can now fully appreciate this machine for what it is: an excellent sampler (yet a failed workstation)

As this is a sampler, it can be used for virtually any kind of music. The sounds really depend on the user. With 40 insert effects, filters for each sample, 32 Mb of RAM, all you need are good samples and a bit of imagination. The possibilities are infinite.

The keyboard is quite the conceptual disaster. Rubber pads are just plain wrong for any kind of music! Velocity responsive, yes, but it's very hard to get any "feel" with these things (even if there are a few velocity response settings). And there are only 13 of them! A regular keyboard would have done nicely. For this my rating for expressiveness goes down...

However, the insert effects' tweakability (if you have an external controller) are a very nice touch.

I've had this sampler for a year, I know it inside out, and I can confirm again that the sequencer is extremely fragile with complicated sequences above 100-120 BPM. It was so frustrating that I had to buy an external sequencer.

The knobs on this thing are also getting on my nerves more than a bit... they tend to skip values in arbitrary directions!

Another thing: the MIDI channel buttons cause a lot of skipping...

And don't turn off your SCSI-connected drive (you'll need one, obviously): my ASR-X fails to recognize the Syquest drive if I turn it on and off in the course of a session. SCSI related problems have caused me a few crashes in the past, but I've learned to avoid them. For some reason the Ensoniq-formatted disks are unreadable by my Mac.

I haven't dealt with Emu/Ensoniq, though it is a shame they discontinued the output expander.

If it were stolen, broken or lost, I'd probably get a laptop instead! I have yet to see an ASR-X this cheap again; I was quite lucky.

As I said, it's an excellent sampler, but a botched workstation. I can see why it has such a bad reputation, but it has its share of redeeming qualities.
I originally wanted an ASR-10, but couldn't find one; I figured the X would be similar.
It was my first gear ever (quite an introduction!)
I am glad I bought it because it forced me to learn everything about MIDI and SysEx, and it made me buy some great machines to go along with it (Encore Electronics' Knobby controller, Kawai's Q-80ex sequencer to name just those)

I'm using software version 2.67. This machine is really easy to use. You can get some pretty good production out of this machine

I think the polyphony is 24 or 32. I really don't know. Effects are good, I always here about the sequencer having problems, I admit, when a sequence is playing i does miss a note if you go back and forth on the tracks, but the asr-x has a really good sequencer. I was saving up for a mpc 2000, bu did a little research and found the asr-x to be better for the purpose it was going to serve. Definitly worth the money i paid

It's a sampler/resampler, get your own loops and sounds.

It has crashed on me a couple of times. I dont gig ,strictly studio production(hip hop ,rap),if you record directly from this machine, then you need to up your gear. Sorry I tell it like it is.

Never dealt with them

If i were stolen, yeah I would buy it again, remember if its not broke, dont fix it. I've been making music for about a year but was been in piano lessons when I was 8 yrs old. I have cubase vst/32, a yamah dx21 and the asr-x. Truthfully, it is the brain of my studio.

I'm running with the latest O.S., which adds timestretching and a few other things, I think. The presets are horrible for Hip Hop, which is what I produce. Fortunately loading from scsi or a floppy is a breaze. I would just edit my wavs with cool edit pro and save to disk and then throw the disk in the asrx, load it, voila!! Navigation of this unit takes a tiny bit of getting use to, but once you do, you'll feel like a pro

Polyphony is exellent, the effects are AWESOME!!! The reverb is very thorough.

Please Pay Close attention to the following statement!!!!!


The ASRX Sequencer. I own the black asrx with the latest o.s.
Many people rag this sequencer saying it lags and skips and you cant record while your sequencer plays and all this stuff. THIS IS ALL BOLOGNA. I have ABSOLUTELY NO PROBLEM sequencing. NONE. Nothing lags, nothing, skips, nothing crashes. It may skip and lag for all you techno or house and D&B heads who are use to lots of knob twisting and morphing, but for hip hop there are no problems with this machine's sequener. I honestly do not have a problem with mine. I'm not even the first owner of this machine. This is my first piece of hardware, and it is a breeze to use. Sequencer and all.

The presets SUCK, but its a sampler. Who looks for great presets in a sampler. Buy a dang synth. Its converters are great for samples though. I do a lot of chopping from vinyl and it sounds clean and warm running through the asrx. Beautiful!!!!!!!!!

It has worked perfect for me so far!!

praise God!!!

never dealt with the company. They dont even exist anymore, but you dont need them, there manual is pretty thourogh

If it were lost or stolen, I'd prolly wait and cop an MC-909.


THis is a very slept on piece of gear. Extremely underated. If you can get it for less than 300.00 PLEASE get it. Its Great for Hip Hop.

Took me about 2 hours to create my first listenable groove, and maybe about a week to understand the machine reasonably... Still learning everyday though!
I'm using version 2.67, which is the last that was ever released (correct me if I'm wrong)
The presets are useful, but a lot of them leave me cold. The percussion sounds are actually lame (not a single kicking bassdrum!), and there definitely aren't enough synth sounds. So you will have to import a lot of samples, if not use a synth. The manual is very easy to read and helpful for getting started. It doesn't really explain everything: it just takes for granted that you already know everything about filters, envelopes and all the different effects paramaters. I don't, so I'm a left in the dark a bit here...
Sampling and resampling is very easy and useful. The Soundfinder is a bit confusing, but I got around to it.

The many effects are amazing. Distortion is quite crunchy, and the different reverbs are very convincing. The only problem is that only ONE effect can be used at a time, and you can't really change its parameters as the track plays (you can choose to control an effect parameter through a track, but you can't record the changes as far as I understand)
I mainly use the sequencer through step recoring (more precise), and though it is a bit stiff, I get results.
However, THE major drag of this machine lays here: the sequencer cannot record as the track plays, so forget about improvisation!

Another problem is the SCSI card provided by Ensoniq: it uses the very unpopular DB50 (or SCSI2) format, and converter cables aren't exactly easy to find nowadays, not to mention the price, and taking for granted that you already have an external harddrive such as Zip or Syquest!

As I said above, the ROM sounds mostly suck, but importing AIFF or WAV samples via SCSI is very easy.
The effects do change the samples radically, and I've been able to build tracks with only 3 samples, using completely different parameters for each track.
By default the ASRX is touch sensitive, but this can be turned off.
So far this machine has proven incredible for my monstrous industrial noise, dark ambient and even gabber! I do believe I can make almost anything with it.

My ASRX has crashed on me a couple of times, but if you save a lot there shouldn't be any problem.
I am planning on playing "live" with it, and if you consider what I've written above, this only means surfing through patterns... And one more thing: if you play with the effect parameters as a pattern plays, the sequencer will lag and skip!

I've had my ASRX for a little over a month, it being the first piece of gear I ever bought, and I don't regret it, despite some of its flaws. I only wish it were built for improvisation. Using more than one effect at once would have been helpful too.

IM USING VERSION 2.52,ITS ADDS TIMESTRECHING CAPABILITIES TO THE ASRX.
THE ROMS PRESETS ARE THE BOMB!
THE ABILITIES TO USE THE "PATCH SELECT" BUTTONS WITH THESE ROM PRESETS ADD ANOTHER DIMENSION TO THE SOUNDS.
EDITING PRESETS TAKES A WHILE TO LEARN BUT ONCE YOU DO ITS EASY.
THERE IS A SHAREWARE EDITOR(IM NOT TALKING ABOUT ASRX TOOLS!)THAT ALLOW YOU TO EDIT PARAMETER THAT YOU CANT EVEN SEE FROM THE DISPLAY.
FOR INSTANCE YOU CAN HAVE 16 "LAYERS" OF SOUNDS JUST LIKE THE ASR10.
THE MANUAL IS OK.
THERE IS SO MUCH IT DOESNT TELL YOU HOWEVER.
YOU HAVE TO EXPERIMENT AND READ THE MANUAL OVER AND OVER.
LEARNING HOW TO USE THE EFFECTS IS HARD BUT ONCE YOU DO THIS THING IS A MONSTER.

THE POLYPHONY IS FINE 32 PARTS I BELIEVE.
BUT WITH THE RESAMPLING CAPABILITIES POLYPHONY IS ESSENTIAL UNLIMITED!
THE ACTION OF THE PADS ARE OK,GOOD FOR DRUMS BUT A KEYBOARD IS BETTER FOR OTHER INSTRUMENTS.
THE BUILT-IN EFFECTS REALLY MAKE THIS THING WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD!
YOU GET 40 UNBELIEVABLE MULTIEFFECTS,VERY,VERY CLEAN SOUNDING.
THIS SAMPLER HAS THE BEST EFFECTS AVAILABLE!
ALL THE EFFECTS ARE EDITABLE.
THE REVERBS AND DELAYS ARE AWESOME,PHASER AND FLANGER ARE FAT SOUNDING.
IT ALSO HAS GUITAR MULTIEFFECT CHAINS AND COMPRESSION EFFECTS.
IT HAS VOLTAGE CONTROLED FILTER EFEECTS COMBINED WITH DISTORTION EFFECTS.
AND IT ALSO HAS A "CHATTERBOX" AND "FORMAT WARP" EFFECTS WHICH ARE VERY FUN.
IT HAS EQ,NON-LINEAR REVERB,GATED REVERB,CHORUS EFFECTS,ECHO,DIGITAL DELAY,ECT.......
THE EFFECTS BULT IN TO THIS BOX BEAT ANY SYNTH SAMPLER EVER MADE!
I HAVE EXPANDED MINE TO 34 MEG OF RAM,SCSI CARD(WHICH IS VITAL),8 BOARD AND DANCE CARD.
THE ASRX IS BASICALLY A POTABLE STUDIO.
I USE IT WITH MY FIZMO AND HAVENT HAD ANY PROBLEMS.
THE SEQUENCER IS EASY AND POWERFUL TO USE.
I DONT USE A COMPUTER BASED SEQUENCER!

THE DRUM SOUNDS ARE THE BEST.
YOU GET A LOT OF DRUM KITS AND IF YOU GET THE DANCE BOARD YOU GET A TON OF THEM ALONG WITH DRUM LOOPS.
I BELIEVE SOME OF THE LOOPS ON THE DANCE BOARD WERE DONE BY KENNY DOPE OF MASTERS AT WORK(THANXS KENNY!)
IF YOUR INTO ANY TYPE OF DANCE MUSIC,HOUSE,TRANCE,DRUM&BASS,OR HIP HOP,
YOU WILL LOVE WHAT YOU GET.
THE BASS ARE LACKING I MUST ADMIT BUT IF YOU LIKE SYNTH BASSES OR WEST COAST BASS ITS OK.
THE ORGAN SOUNDS ARE OK.
IT HAS SOME GOOD SYNTH SOUNDS AND THE BELL SOUNDS ARE THE BEST IVE EVER HEARD.
IF YOU LIKE THE MR SERIES OF SYNTHS FROM ENSONIQ YOULL LIKE THESE SOUNDS.
YOU GET A TON OF THEM IF YOU GET THE DANCE BOARD.
THE PIANO BOARD IS AWESOME!
THE BEST PIANO SOUND IVE EVER HEARD FROM A SYNTH OR SAMPLER.
I HEAR THE "WORLD BOARD" IS DOPE TOO.
YOU CAN GET A USED ASRX ON EBAY FOR $500.
A STEAL!
I ORIGINAL BOUGHT A MPC2000 BECAUSE I LISTEN TO WHAT EVER SAID AND FOLLOWED THE CROWD.
BUT WHEN I HEARD THE ASRX I TOOK I BACK AND GOT THE "X"
ITS THE BEST THING OUT THERE "POUND FOR POUND",BETTER THAN THE MPC2000
THE SP808, OR ANY OTHER "GROOVE" BOX.
IF YOUR INTO THE "FILTERED" HOUSE SOUND OR MAKING DOPE DRUM&BASS LOOPS
THERES NOTHING BETTER.

HAVENT HAD A PROBLEM YET!
IVE HAD MINE 3 YRS

I GOT MY UPGRADE CHIP FROM ENSONIQ.
THEY HAVE BEEN VERY HELPFUL.

IF I LOST THIS I WOULD PROBABLY GET THE "PRO" MODEL.
JUST CAUSE YOU CAN EXPAND IT TO 66 MEGS.
I LOVE ENSONIQ PRODUCTS.
LIKE I SAID I HAD A MPC2000 AND THIS "KILLS" IT.
WAY MORE POWERFUL.

none , but software sequencers like cubase VST etc.

the asr-x has nice effects (wich are difficult to setup) and has a good polyphony, it should be fully editable thru midi, but i don't know all codes (yet!), the sequencer is nice but doesn't work for me.

the sounds are nice, but i wish i could make some of those multilayer sounds myselve ,without using a expensive software program like asr-x tools. why didn't they put that in the thing itselve ?
the pads are great and it also responce well on external midi keyboards etc.

No i would not use it o a gig , why not ?.
well if you edit anything within the tracks when the sequencer is playing it often loses count and get timing problems.
at the studio it's a thing you can depend on when you know what to do or what not to do !!!

The sopport of ensoniq before the fusion with emu was terrible.
when i bought the thing i thought i could easily get an OS update.
But they do not take any COD (cash on delivery) only credit card or sending $ 9,- for the FREE OS !. yes they send me a e-mail with an awnser on my questions , but i think they could do better !

i really like the thing though, but i hate the fact the samples you make are always twice in the memory, and i do not like the lack of editability. if just anyone could GIVE me a copy of the x-tools program, so i can test the multilayer editing......

I'm not exactly sure which os version i'm using, but what i do know is that it's the black model. Amazingly sam ash didn't realize they gave me the exp-3(i believe the dance card), for free with it:), and 16 megs, but i lost out on a manual. The presets are great, the synth sounds are amazingly rich and full, the low end is amazing, the high end is amazing too. Editing patches is a little annoying going into sub menus, but with lots of sub menus there allows a wider range for serious modulation capabilities. I didn't recieve a manual with the unit because it was a floor model and i got it at a ridiculously good price, but it's VERY easy to understand, i've pretty much mastered the unit without the manual. There are a few paramaters that i'm not overly certain, but many of those even i've figured out, the only thing i don't know is what are patch selects. But asides from that sampling is fast and easy, editing the sample is fast and easy too(even without the graphical interfacE), i really like lots of submenus, adds so many more options.

The Asr-X has 32 voice polyphony, which is just fine for me, i rarely ever have polyphony problems(well also i like monophonic better than polyphonic with most patches too), The effects are amazing, ensoniq really did this machine up with the effects, 24 bits, 50 insert effects, and i believe 8 global reverbs. All of them heavily editable, and all very proffessional sounding. I wish i could run multiple insert effects at once:) and each varying in different sequences. The expansion card is GREAT, synth sounds are wonderful. The analog samples are more often than not better sounding than the original:). Except the moog sample which doesn't sound like a moog at all. The drums are amazing, although the looped sounds are stupid as all hell, make your own sequences, i hate people who use already made sequences. But hell there are always those people who rip off others. The pressure sensitive keys are great, sometimes it's hard to tell that they really are pressure sensitive, they can be a little non responsive to the velocity changes, or seem to be. But in reality they're really really sensitive:), oh yea they make a lot of noise too, but i love them they feel nice:). The sequencer is OK, it has it's problems, it's DEFINATELY not a sequencer for everyone. If you don't know how to write music prior to getting this machine and intend to use the step sequencer this machine's not for you, but if you know how to write music the step sequencer is beautifal. Not graphical, so you really really have to know how to write music. The real time sequencer is great, and there are many quantize options:o). I haven't fully explored the mix down sequencing or any of that yet...but i love a machine that's secrets open up in time:)

Presets on the ROm sounds are GREAT, and so are the EXP sounds. Many many useful sounds. useful for all types of music. For dance music it's a dream, and also for hip hop. The hip hop drums on this are amazing. Great for drum n bass n electro too. A very breakbeat oriented machine if you're afraid of non graphical interfaces. the frequency response is great down to 8hz:), so there's some great basses that come out of this machine:). Effects are great, as i've said before, i love them to death. The unit reacts to my playing very well, but i wish the velocity response was a little better

It has it's bugs, it freezes a good amount. But usually only while creating something. And when i restart it it's back to normal :), thanks to ROM:D, it'll last for a long time:), it's solid metal. This thing's gotten bumped into things and i thought it'd break, but yet it remains a live. It was a floor model too, so it has to last for a while:), it's got lots of scratches n nicks on it, this box will last:). For live playing it's great, the only bugs it has is while creating lengthy sequences, or when asking it to proccess data over and over again causing it to crash. But this may be because i haven't gotten the scsi expansion yet that i usually keep it on for days at a time so the samples don't get erased :), it probably is the reason why it's crashed 2ce

I've called customer support once before, asking where to get the manual n scsi expansion, and they were very friendly, i forget the tech support person's name it, i remember it was number 2. No long annoying waits for support. Quick support, with answers dead on. better than any other customer support i've ever dealt with, but all i've dealt with other than ensoniq is yamaha, and that could be the reason why i thin ensoniq support is so good:o)

If it were lost or stolen i'd buy it again instantly, it's definately worth the $550 i've spent. It's my first real sampler (not considering the sk1 i had when i was a kid heheh), it's a powerhouse. An amazing workstation, the only thing i don't like about it is pattern chaining. It's great, i love it:), my favorite piece of gear i've used. Great sounds, and maybe it's just a new found love of digital equipment:) but i've come to realize digital is THE WAY.