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.

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.