Ensoniq ASR-X Sampling Workstation

Easy as pie. I have the red ASR-X Pro with OS 3.04 (waiting for supposed 4.0 to be released) and 16mb SIMM installed which gives it a total of 18mb of RAM altogether. So far no problems. Everything is workin fine. Presets are OK.. not many of them. some synth sounds are a lil too generic for my tastes but thats not why i bought this machine. The drums on the other hand are pretty damn good with a few weak percussion sounds here and there. Everything will need a lil personalized tweaking. Sampling is a breeze. It was weird at first because i was so used to my akai S2000 but now i've gotten the hang of it. Some thing bugs me tho. Why the hell does it duplicate a sound and rename it when you add the same sound to another pad??? Doesnt that waste precious RAM? oh well. Patch editing goes pretty deep. It has many of the typical editing parameters you'd find on most samplers of this caliber. I have not tried any computer Editors yet but there is one out there and i've heard that it goes wayyyyy deep into the machine. The manuals are ok i guess. I mean, i'm good at decyphering any manual except Roland XP-60's manual (pure crap).. heh heh.. anyways. the ASR-X Pro comes with the traditional 2 manuals. one is a beginner's tutorial, the other is a detailed reference manual. Pretty clear and understandable.

32 note polyphony is good enough for me.. i also use an S2000 which will lift some strain off of my ASR-X, 13 pressure sensitive pads. The pads are OK and responsive, but i wish they were tighter. they feel really loose and sometimes they dont bounce back tight enough when i'm jammin out fast rhythms. it has Two effect processors. One is global reverb and the other one is insert. the effects really kick the llama's ass. the best i've heard on any synth. 40 presets.. ALL COMPLETELY editable beyond imagination. easy to edit. just hit the edit effect button and get to work. Some even sync to MIDI and have velocity control. Dist/Chorus sounds nice. its not the shitty staticky distortion but really yummy. I believe that it was used on the beginning drums on VAC's 'the calling' and a synth bass on 'Malfunction'... with the pitch detuner and another pedal i can sound like Colin Schwen from Terminal Sect or Porcupine Defense. pretty expandable for my needs.. up to 66mb of RAM (pro model only) using traditional SIMMS.. optional 8 output expander and a slot for a 24mb wave expansion card... SCSI is standard (which should be universally standard with all gear. nobody should have to spend more money to have this feature. same goes for the outputs. also, i think that memory should be standard at least 16 mb. 2mb is complete bullshit and you cant get anything done until you upgrade. unless of course you lo-fi all your samples). It has enough MIDI capabilities to satisfy my needs which is the bare minimum for basic cakewalk sequencing. The sequencer is more of an idea sketchpad. it would be a pain to use. there's only one edit button and then comes the paging. not really extensive editing functions available. i am just using the sequencer to sequence and quantize a beat that i would resample. other features include its ability to read wav files. altho .aif is its native format. it imports the wavs into .aif format... it also reads .mid files Resampling is THE feature of this machine. That is why i bought this machine because i am always playing with effects, the ASR-X allows me to do that and stack effects on top of effects thru resampling. it is the key for gettin the most out of it. any combination of sampling is featured. i mean, resampling with effects, resample the main outs along with inputs. inputs can be sampled thru effects. 2 line lcd is clear and easy to read. i like 2 line lcds in general. i'm used to it cuz every peice of gear i've had was 2 line. like my JP-8000, and my ex korg n264. 2 knobs navigate the screen. its pretty easy and understandable. one is a parameter knob the other is a value knob. simple and efficient. The essentials buttons are pretty much useless for me. i havent found any good use YET. but i use them to quickly switch a track sound to silence or to custom when i'm creating a new sound i wish it had a realtime controller knob or slider on it to tweak around the filters and what not. maybe a ribbon controller would make this thing alot cooler.

sampling sounds very good. i have noticed that the volume is decreased when resampling.. i need to look more into this. its not really a problem to me. i'm not gonna talk much about the preset sounds because, this is a sampler and you should sample your own sounds. but with the effects and resampling, you can resample some of the preset sounds and call them your own. some of the drums are excellent. few are weak. but like i said, resample them with effects and you have a kick ass noise. The effects are soooo good, they can turn any weak sound into something REALLY usable, and the resampling makes it so easy to get the job done. The filters are really good. Theyre not plastic digital sounding like the Roland XP series. They are really smooth and yummy enough for me. Cant really rate it because its what you put in the machine that makes it sound good. but it gets a 10 for being able to sound good.

i dont plan on using it live.. if i do, it'll be for vocal effects. i dont know how reliable it is under those conditions. i've also had problems with saving stuff on disk. i would not recommend using the save session function. cuz if you try to edit anything within the session and save the sound alone, then your whole session is screwed and you cant load it back. i got this strange message that said "load disk 2".. i was like "fuck you, what are you talkin about?". well i have my workaround now so i dont have that problem. besides those lil problems, the machine seems pretty reliable for at least in studio work. i have yet to try it in a live situation.

never had to personally deal with ensoniq. but the web page is pretty good. they always have the new OS available. thats all i know.

I would buy this thing again because it has many features that cant be beat for its price. but i'd also consider other products. maybe a yammie A3000, it has 3 effects and if the resampling is as good on the ASR-X, then i'd pick the yammie next time. but i picked this over the yammie because i like the drum box design, i like looking down on my gear when i'm working on it. not like with a rackmount sampler, where i have to look up and push buttons. i prefer to keep all my gear at one viewing level. i am using this with a Roland JP-8000 and an Akai S2000. I create patterns on my JP using its rps function and i sample that and work in the ASR-X with all the effects and resampling stuff. This frees up my JP for more realtime tweak uses, such as pads or strings with filter sweeps. The S2000 i keep handy for sounds that dont use too much effect processing like some drums or other sounds. i use my computer for sequencing. i've been playin for several years but since i got this machine, i've had to make several changes in my writing process. for one, i am doing a helluva alot more sampling. i used to use an N264 for sequencing. what i love most about the ASR-X is of course the resampling and the superb effects. i dont know if i hate anything about it. but if i did, i'd look for a workaround. i can never hate my gear. i do wish that it had more effects processors. i've compared this thing to the yammie A3000. i didnt care which one i got because they both have pros and cons that i've accepted. the a3000's were out of stock on all the shops i've been to so i went for the ASR-X Pro and i dont have any regrets. this machine is really inspirational. the only thing that hinders my music making is the fact that i can do so much with the resampling with effects its hard to make up yr mind what to use on the slightest thing because the possibilities are endless. i've done more creative things on this than i have on my S2000 so the akai is reserved for plain generic uses and more polyphony while the ASR-X is the wild beast on a rampage. oh if it matters any, i'm using this gear to create industrial, electro, dance/club friendly, noise music. and its perfect for my needs. i could use another synth tho, just for variation and realtime control. ASR-X Pro is a wicked machine and could easily be the only thing you use. Thats whats cool about it, most gear you would have to use with other gear. the "big red machine" allows you to make complete tracks using it alone with just a synth or a software synth.

I've had mine for almost 2 years, I'm currently on OS version 2.67, reportedly the last OS for the black X. I have the Dance card, which is excellent and I use the sample playback capabilities to bring .wav files into it. I don't use the sampling that much (I prefer to extract audio directly off CDs with my PC), but it is very easy and sounds good. The editing is excellent. You have full access to all analog synth-type parameters (including a couple of different kick-ass resonant filters) for individual sounds as well as for a full track at a time. The manual is good, though the machine is so easy to use you hardly need it. My only gripe is with the sequencer. I use a PC to write sequences and then export the MIDI file and bring it into the X. I've owned several Roland drum machines, and a wonderful Alesis MMT-8 that were all much easier sequencers to program.

As has been mentioned, the FX are nothing short of amazing. The combination of the FX and the resampling is something that I frankly haven't used enough. Though I think I will now that I've started using Acid :-) Only real disappointment is no digital I/O, kind of an oversight for a pro-level machine. I recorded my CD with just the X and a VS-880, would have been nice to record the X tracks digitally, though they came out OK anyway.

The Dance Board is a must have (though I've heard the World card is great too). In general I'm really pleased with the sound. However, the machine has one serious flaw -- it's sequencer is not rock solid. I have personally owned about a dozen or so drum machines and hardware sequencers over the years and I've never seen one that "stumbles" the way this one does. Despite user complaints the issue went unaddressed with the Pro model. It is this machine's only real flaw.

I use it on gigs with just a backup ZIP disk, no problems so far. I installed an internal ZIP drive from a 3rd party vendor (RCS) and have installed my own memory, SCSI, Dance Card, OS upgrades -- I seem to take the thing apart about once a month or so. No problems. I hope it lasts forever 'cause that's how long I plan to keep it.

Hard to say nice things about Ensoniq. They make innovative products, but I doubt they can spell the word "service". They don't participate on the ASR-X list (asrx@onelist.com), they cut off support for Transoniq Hacker, a newsletter dedicated to Ensoniq products (hello! does anybody with a brain work there?!), and they've generally turned a deaf ear to the sequencer timing problems that HAUNT this machine. Oh yeah, and it takes them forever to mail out EPROM chips for OS upgrades. I'm frankly surprised they are having such trouble adjusting to the Internet age of customer service.

I returned an MPC-2000 (which has a brilliant sequencer but not much else), for the ASR-X and have never regretted the decision. With the internal ZIP and RokSak gig bag, I sling it over my shoulder and play solo gigs with it. Someone on the list predicted that someday this machine will be considered a classic. I totally agree. I've had mine two years and I'm still just getting into the sound-making capabilities. It's way more than just a sampler, there's really nothing else quite like it on the market. I certainly would replace it if I had to.

Software version 2.52 with urban dance card and 34MB RAM. I found this sampler pretty easy to get to grips with. Like the other guy said, the manual is very clear. That one Roland wrote that came with the VS880, my other pride and joy, makes hard work of simple concepts with silly water pipe analogys. Some things are hard to explain, but its amusing watching ensoniq try. The machine itself is quite clearly laid out. The sequencer functions are in one place, whilst the mini keyboard is in another. The pads are cleverly laid out like a regular keyboard, so a midi controller keyboard isn't essential, but preferable. The urban dance card for me is brilliant. Its expensive, about #360 UK sterling, but you get (just going check) almost 140 very usable synth voices, especially the bass ones. OK, you could sample your own, but with the card, you just switch on and go. No farting around for floppys that take forever to load. You also get a load of kits, that aren't exactly cutting edge, and loops, vocals, horns and dance pianos etc. I found this card has synths to suit all genres, but Drum and Bass and Jungle is neglected, which is a shame, as that's partky what I dig. For example, there is: House piano, house drum kits, house loops etc. but only one Jungle bass and no other mention in kits or loops. I sampled my own. All the sounds are easily classified, and you can also classify you own, so your own sample Jungle kit will appear in "Drum Kits" and not "Piano." This makes accessing your sound quick.

Its got 32 voice polyphony and is 16 part multitimbral which is OK. I was going to leave it until later, but I can't wait. The FX are really really good. There are only 40 presets, but they provide quality results and some sync to tempo which is useful. Being the anti-social type, I can spend all day tweeking them and getting great results from them. Only one insert effect at a time though, and a global reverb. FX are very different to the ones on my VS880. They are also very high quality, but are studio FX, and not as much fun as the dancey FX on the ASR-X. Keys are prtessure sensitive, but feel the same however hard/spft you hit them. My old SR16 felt nice to smack; nice and soft rubber, not unlike my reeboks sole, but the ASR-X is sensitive to pressure, but you feel the metal on the other side when you hit them :-(
I'm not sure if it's me, but I cant edit on the sequencer, only basic erasing. I think there is auto-punch-in but I havent tried. I'm gonna hook it up to Cabasis and do it all matrix like for tweaking; I like to play not fiddle with lines and dots and mice.
You can only use 34MB of Ram max, but this hasn't limited me yet. Unless you sample each individual not off a grand piano, you should be OK (I think it gives you 6 1/2 mins stereo). If you do want to do this, you will need a zip drive. Here's the thing I don't like about, well its EMUensoniq now: Good products, groundbreaking, but #$%$ing pricey. This thing cost $1850 new basic (bad Xchange rate though). No SCSI, only 2MB ram. You get the idea. The ASR-X pro, the upgrade to my ASR-X at least has SCSI as standard. There is an 8 output Xpander too. Good features overall, nice filters an FX not so good price earns it a 7.

I've already mentioned the sounds. It samples at 44.1Khz, but you can trash a wave by making it from 16 bit down to 1bit inclusive which can be fun, particularly around 6bits. This is a dance machine, although I sampled the piano downstairs so I can record at 4am into my 880. It sounds good. This machine has 20bit converters and sounds great. An upgrade brought time stretch/comp. which one reviewer said "was the best quality outside of PC/MAC platform", or words to that effect.
The built in synth can be good (if you know how to use it properly) or bad.

I don't gig, but I don't mind thumping it, and letting other do the same. Infact I encourage it. This is odd, as I'm very protective of my 880. It's got a dust cover, and I want let anybody use it without me hanging over them. Come to think of it, if the 880 was my daughter, I wouldn't let her go out without me, and certainly not anything less than trousers and a raincoat. No make-up either.
I bet its reliable. It's used but feels like new. Its just the reliability of those floppy's that worrys me and also sometimes when I turn the parameter knob quickly, the menu screen flicks though even when I take my hand off it.
Bottom line: I'd play frisby with it, but not rugby.

Whenever I've contacted them with operational questions vis the web site, they've responded with good answers pronto. In the UK too, their tech support in Scotland was really good. Kerr in particluar. Good knowledge of product.
They were incredibly knid and helpful.

Look at the credentials. It's a:
Sampler, synthesizer, soundmodule, 16 tr. sequencer and can even be used as a stereo FX processor. I want to have its children.
This is why I chose it.
However, have you seen the tits on the Yamaha EX5 (or EX5R which is the rack version. Its a sampler too. Other than that machine, there isn't anything else that would fulfil my needs. The Akai MPC2000 is just a glorified drum machine. I was told by a salesperson that they're in the same market, but I think the ASR-X is better overall, although the MPC2000 has a great sequencer and screen. My major criticism of the ASR-X, which is also why I like the EX5, it's the lack of realtime, analogue type controls which stops me tweeking in realtime. The screen on the ASR-X doesn't bother me. I find the VS880's more confusing, and the ASR-X's is backlit.
There is nothing this machine can't do for me.
PS I don't work for ensoniq. Honest

Easy as pie to sample- i was sampling and resampling and processing after about 5 minutes of reading the manual. This is concerning software version 2.55. The presets for the synth engine and drum samples are actually pretty good. I wish i had the dance expansion board... but i dont. The shipping sounds arent half bad though, and theres a wide variety of drum sounds to choose from. Editing is shit easy... press edit, choose the parameter u wanna edit, and turn the value knob til satisfied. then find the next parameter u wanna edit... etc etc etc. Theres a wide rage of synthesis controls, too. Ive barely touched the manual- i havent really needed it yet. Im gonna crack it open when i start using the sequencer and to find out the real crevaces of this thing.

32 notes of polyphony with these real cool feeling pads. Doubles as keyboard and sample trigger. Theyre velocity sensitive, and really feel good. The built in fx are A M A Z I N G!!!!! I love them sooo much. I love to just resample over and over again, adding more fx each time until i have a sample that sounds absolutely NOTHING like the original. Ensoniq has real studio quality fx in this box. You can even use it as an FX processor, as in u dont need to sample to apply the fx. The expansion capabilities are: up to 32 megabyte simms (99.99 at guitar center for a 32 meg, less at other places) 8 more outputs (which arent really needed, IMO, cus of the resampling and super fx) SCSI (now comes as standard in latest models) Dance/world expansion boards- 24 megs of more sound!!!!! Midi capabilities- EVERYTHING is midi capable. Nuf said here. Yes, it has an onboard sequencer, but i havent delved into it yet. Other features- the sampling and resampling engines RAWK!!! You can add synthesis to each sample as well as eternally resample until u run out of memory.

The onboard ROM sounds are pretty decent, but not anything special. THe bass sounds r amazingly realistic however, and the synth bass sounds r pretty damn cool for industrial, IMHO. But its a sampler, use your own damn sounds. The drum sounds rule btw. I think this is best for ANY types of electronic music. It advertises as a "groove box" or whatever like a roland type of box, but it IS NOT anything cheesey like that. This is a professional machine were talking about here. I use it for noise/industrial/experimental. The onboard effects- ill reiterate that these effects r absolutely AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean studio quality shit here. I love em. Yes it has damn good velocity on the pads and aftertouch. I gave it a 7 because the onboard sounds can get kinda blandish. The bass, basssynth, and percussion sounds r pretty damn good- but everything else is normal. Ive heard the dance expansion board is shit hot, though.

I gave it a 10 because SO FAR it has not done anything bad to me at all. You can quickly and easily navigate the OS with the buttons on the front panel. Keep in mind ive only had this thing for about a week, though ( =

Havent had to call ensoniq yet, but i will be faxing them in a few days to get my users manual (this was the floor demo, and the guy didnt have all the manuals for it).

For what i do its perfect. It does everything i want and more. For what you do, i dont know. If it were stolen, i wouldnt be able to afford another one (im 14, been saving for it for a YEAR). I have been doing synths for about 2 yerars now. I have a Pro One, 4 track recorder, CS1x (sucks) and the ASRx, but i also use lots of metal objects and machines. I love the resampling and fx on this thing. i can do stuff on it so quick, it just does it all so perfectly its amazing! I hate the fact that theres so much versatility in this box and such a small display that i find my self navigating and doing lots of things over a long period of time. does anyone know of a puter editor? The OS is extremely easy to navigate, however. Ive compared this thing to a bunch of samplers on the market before buying it- in fact, all of them. You see i was saving for the Pro model, but when i found out they were blowing these things out, then found one in guitar center for 900 bucks (!!!!!!!!) i had to buy it. After all the Pro doesnt have to many advantages over the original model. I wish it had some more knobs, assignable things, so i could fuck the sound up in real time like my Pro One. Before getting this, i couldnt make music for shit. i had no sampler or sequencer. I used arpeggiators for drum beats, and played most of my synth lines by hand. not anymore!!! Hurry up and get yours, before they go out of production. They r dirt cheap right now!!!!!!!!!!! email me

Software Version 2.03 (with SCSI option and 8-out expander).
The presets are useful - but that's it. The Dance Kit containts most if not all basic 808 sounds, and at least the 909 open hat is there. Apart from the Ol' School kit, which is cool, the other couple of kits are bogus.
As for other sounds - they're good enough but far too few; there's only one general string sound (analog sounding), a couple of nice basses and some nice percussion (some of the scratch sounds are top). For the remainder - well, go sample your own...
Editing patches is a breeze. A patch editor would be nice though, since there's only the one value-know to tweak parameters.
The manual is excellent - that is, if you are no stranger to the world of sampling and synthesis. Much of the information is a bit sketchy, but accurate and helpful none the less.
On the whole, the ASR-X is extremely easy to use. Sampling drums and creating breaks, and then resampling the whole thing is quick and easy. The sequencer controls and processing are good, although the there's little event-level editing available. A bigger display would have been VERY nice though...

Polyphony is 32 mono voices, 16 stereo. This is not a problem with the extensive and easy to use resampling: running out of voices? Just resample the lot and start over.
The built in effects are from the top drawer - the ASR-X is in the same DSP league as my DP/2. The distortions are excellent, the reverbs are very clean - I do think the maximum decay for the reverbs is too short (I mean, the DP/2 goes up to 240 second decays - I like the throbbs...). The chorus effects are cool. The chatter box and formant morph are cool. Cool.
Expansion capabilities (apart from the SCSI and output expander): Urban Dance Board (24MB of dance sounds), World Board (ethnic sounds). These are user installable, but only one can be fitted - I got access to the Emu Orbit, and I just GOT to have a bag of noises like that!
MIDI capabilities: everything you'd expect. The pads make a bit of mechanical noise but are very good otherwise. No mod or pitch wheels though (boo) - but it has the Ensoniq patch select buttons (yeeah). RAM max is 34MB. ROM max is 26MB. It has just the one SIMM slot (72-pins, EDO works fine).
The on-board sequencer is cool. If you like tapping in your parts live as opposed to working on a grid, you'll be smiling. For those matrix-eyes --> connect to the local PC.

This is a groovebox. You use it to make grooves. The processed, distorted, EQ'd breaks sound very "realistic". If you make dnb or techno: buy one, buy a PC, buy Steinberg's Recycle!. You will be happy.

Dunno. Just got it. Ensoniq's got a bit of a bad reputation for bringing out unreliable gear (although many feel they've cleaned there acts since the hazy days of the VFX). My DP/2 has been working fine for over a year. I would and will use it to gig without a backup - the thing cost me a kidney!

Dunno.

Apart from the SCSI and output expander, which I found to be unreasonable priced (about $500 for both) but essential, I think it's worth the asking price. On the whole, it's build like a tank, sounds like a tank, but drives like a Jaguar.
I LOVE the resampling. The efffects are SO cool. Don't know 'bout the resonant filters yet (two of them per voice), but many speak highly of them, so I'm not worried. I can't wait to get the Dance board.
I choose it over the Akai MPC2000 because I wanted a resampler with cool effects, not a classic, no-frills SAMPLER in a nice box (with nice display) with nice but not stunning options like a classic little DSP board.
I choose it over the Yamaha A3000 because of the drum-box design - the ASR-X is to be one of my main axes on stage, not like a box sitting in the back. This choice was harder since the A3000 has totally kick-ass DSP's (three of them), and equally cool filters to the ASR-X. The fact that the ASR-X has some build in useful sounds and the totally awesome Dance Board option was also a consideration (for the times when I want to work REALLY fast).
I really wish it had a BIG display, however, the small one it has is a GOOD small one --> you can actually READ it under all angles.
Bottom line. There'll always a place for this type of live-orientated boxes. Although I belief that eventually software will all-but surplant hardware for the creation of electronic music, I feel this box will be with me a long time.
For making dnb or other breakbeat-based music, this is the bomb.