Ensoniq ZR-76

I have no idea what software version I'm using. The preset sounds
are great. The drum machine is, for a person with zero rhythm, a
god send. The manual is like "war & peace", way too much for the
non-geek to wade through...plus, it is heavy.

Ralph Kramden had a string of "poloponies" ( polo ponies ). That is
about as much as I know about that...but it sounds fantastic, and the
keyboard action is stupendous...better than my EPS, better than my
ASR-88 ( which is a close second ), and way way better than that
piece of garbage disguised as a midi-controller, the Fatar Sl-990.

I don't know where the effects are, I think mixdown, and I haven't
gotten there yet. Expansion capabilities? huh? Midi capabilities?
From the manual, it seems to work seemlessly with all MIDI stuff.
I love the onboard sequencer, because I work on a computer all day,
and hate the thought of using one to make music. There are 16 true
tracks, with varied recording modes ( replace, add ), so for a
writer like me, it is sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

I love playing this thing, and haven't gone near my acoustic piano
or other keyboards ( with the exception of the ASR-88 ) in over a
month. It has so many sounds (1200), plus the drum machine, that a chimpanzee could write a song with it and it would sound good...hey,
isn't that how most of today's music sounds, anyway???

So far, no breakdowns, but if I were a one man band, I'd buy a
DR-5 for backup, just in case some drunk pukes on it.

USELESS-

I love it. It is a bit heavy for gigging, though. I had an EPS for
12 years, and a SL-990 controller...GONZO! I should have kept up with
the technology as the years went by - Doh!

I do wish there was a simple user instructional video, instead of a
500 page manual...in the words of Joe Walsh, " I'm FREAKIN' out, man!"

I am using the latest software for this board. It's presets are extremley nice. It is simple to edit and very flexible. The manual itself is huge, but due to the complexity of the board, it is needed. Even for keyboard veterans. I thought I would be able to just find my way around it with out the manual, but don't bet on it.

This board has more than enough polyphony to do any type of music.The effects are the best I have ever heard in a keyboard. This keyboard is able to accept 2 expansion cards which would make it more than just a meat and potato's type board. It has varied sound types but is some what limited. But what it does have are great. It has extensive midi capabilities and weighted keys (very nice). It has a 16 track sequencer on it, but I use a computer. Why do people still want them?

The sounds on this keyboard are among the best ever made. The piano, oh my, my, my. There is nothing out there that compares. Even the electric rhodes are fantastic. Some of the strings are top notch, and many of the analog type emulations are great. 75% of the sounds are untouchable. The effects are the best you can imagine and it is extremely responsive. Fantastic weighted keys. Get one!

I dont know about the reliabilty as I just got it, but the round parameter and sound knobs are awful, and flimsy. You have to turn them with a feather touch, because if you dont, you will skip 3 or 4 settings in the process. I would rather push button my way through the sounds. I am still not sure if I have heard them all yet!

In terms of customer support, my experience with EMU/Ensoniq is mixed. SOmetimes they call you back, sometimes they dont. Since this board has been discomtinued, I doubt that there will be any upgrades or additional card expansions made. So, make your own sounds.

If this board were lost or stolen, I would definately get another if I could for what I paid for it. This board is worth 3 times what I paid and is in my opinion the best sounding keyboard out now. I have been playing for 15 years and own a Trinity, Kurzweil, XL-1, Juno 106, CS1X, ESQ-1 & M, Fizmo, Oberheim OB-8, and 10 various more modules. The ZR-76 is the icing on the cake. Do yourself a favor, get one before they're all gone and blown out! I didn't like the learning curve of the ZR, but it's worth it. It is exceptional for any type of music. I dont think ther is any other board I would have gotten instead of it, but I would like to get an XV-5080 to go with it. It is a super value.

I have the latest and last software version for the ZR-76 and it is pretty solid. It took a little while for me to learn how to use it's features, but it is all very well laid out. Whoever designed this keyboard really put some time into the design. It is so easy and intuitive to use! I will say that you NEED a patch editor because the keyboard does not give you access to some parameters...like assigning an LFO to the pitch, changing into monophonic mode, and access to the raw waveforms to start a sound from scratch. Since Ensoniq is no longer around, they do NOT ship the patch editor with their keyboard, which is contrary to what is stated in the manual. The good news is that they give you a super manual that is so in depth...it goes over every feature you could imagine. The manual is very user friendly with an exhaustive index for looking up info on the fly!

The keyboard has 64 note polyphony and is 16 part multi-timbral. It has a dedicated Reverb bus (with 3 buses...light reverb, medium reverb, and Wet Reverb, a dedicated Chorus bus, and 1 insert effect bus. The effects are enough to make some great music and the routing options are great! The Insert Effects are really super, crisp, and clear (40 Insert FX Total). They are all highly editable to suit your needs. Each Effect also has presets you can scroll through which is really cool! The expansion capabilities are good but rather expensive. It comes with the Perfect Piano Expansion Board which is superb! I would love to find the MR-Flash to import samples but they do not make it anymore! Bummer! The Onboard Sequencer is out of this world...I do have a major complaint though...there is NO EVENT EDITOR!!!!!! Once you have recorded your music, you can not do the microscopic editing that is so essential in sequencing! I really miss this feature as compared to last board! I love the fact that you can "scoop" out unwanted notes as it plays...and you can copy the track and sequence parameters to speed up the tweaking process. I really love the real time MIXING features! It has a real time pan and volume knob to record real time console data. The sequncer offers many types of quantitization, multiple record methods (step, replace, add, track mix, and final mix)...and it can store a ton of squnces per song...24!!! The drum machine is also intgrated with the sequncer and it has some great loops and rhythyms! One more thing, I love the stereo footswitch...you can have up to four pedals assigned to anything, and a volume CV pedal ontop of that!

The sounds are pretty good. Great strings, acoustic guitar, drums (superb!), Ahhhs and Ooooohs are good too. Not the top of the line...but with some editing...you can get what you want! There are so many sounds on this thing...it takes forever to go through all of them! It is suited for all types of music. The Onboard effects are great and can be controlled in many ways. The action is great, I do however have one complaint. I wish that the low velocity notes were a little softer...it seems that if you bareley press it, the sound isn't soft enough! This isn't too much of a problem...and with some editing, it can be fixed somewhat. It has many tuning options (a whole lot...even a reverse tuning which is fun to play with!), selection of pressure sensitivity, and velocity/aftertouch curves... this is helpful! I wish that you couls access more of the editing features...you really need a software editor to really have fun! Finally, I love the piano weighted action on a 76 key board. I wish more synths offered this option!

One complaint! The knobs sometimes jump around on their own a bit. This happens a good bit immediateley after you turn them...I am referring to the parameter and value knobs. It's not a major problem, but I have been playing a patch and all of a sudden it jumps to anther patch...this would be horrible in a live performance! Boooos for days! You can route a the pedal to the value knob, but not the parameter knob. This would have been a plus! It has locked up on me one time, but it was my fault. It loads data from the disk very quickly...and has many system utilities to help. I love the fact that you can save so many things (sounds, favorites, presets, songs, MIDI Files, and even backup your entire session to one file!). All is well but be carefull with that knob sensitivity! The knobs are nice though...the faster you turn them, the higher the value or parameter increment! I like this!

They have responded to my e-mails pretty promptly...ENSONIQ is no more...make sure you know what you're getting into because they (EMU/ENSONIQ) no longer make this model.

This keyboard is very helpful to the songwriter. The whole board is so intuitive and fits like a glove...they thought of every comfort. I only wish you could event edit (microscopic edit). I would buy it a gain because the price is so good! I have a lot of fun with this board and that's what making music is about anyway. For $899.00 at Musicians Friend, it's a great deal and super manual for all your questions. The more you use it, the more you'll love it! It makes sequencing a lot of fun and cuts out the all the complications!

So EASY...presets are the truth
Editing is a bit tricky because of the simple display.
The manual is pretty good...could be more technical though.

Keyboard feels STUPENDOUS!!! One of the best feeling weighted boards I've ever played on.
Effects are decent...once again the simple display makes editing a pain. Expansion capabilities are thru the roof! All MIDI functionality is there. Sequencer is very nice (Triton who?).

The sounds, oh my, the sounds....drummers can't believe the realness of the sound...the piano expansion card is the truth, very nice.

This is where the ZR76 is suspect...
This thing has frozen on me more than my PC...not good
You have to baby it if you want it to last.

Never did, never will.

This is the best board out there, hands down (although if the triton pro had weighted keys, i might think differently!)
Sounds are surreal.
The only thing keeping this from being perfect is it's small, weak display and it's non-reliability.

Like any synth one can be a bit confused by the front panel. Lots of Buttons, Knobs and LED's! In about 30 minutes you can start doing sequences. I jut got mine , so I have the lastest OS (V 3.03). After you get the general feel for the machine (and if you have used ensoniq stuff in the past) operating this unit wont be a problem.

It?s hard to get an idea about something just by reading the reviews. I can?t overstate how wonderful the sounder finder feature is! Find anything in a snap. Idea pad is also alot more useful than you would initially think (I thought it was lame the first time I heard about it). Sequencer is one of the most easiest to use (Compared to Triton, Motif, etc...) It is very user friendly. The Large LCD is nice. I Wish Ensoniq still used VFD's (Vacuum Florescent Displays). I loved them in their earlier models (ASR10, VFX, Etc). Being an EE myself, I am going to search for a drop in VFD replacement for the Display. I hate graphic LCD?s. Everyone Talks up the Triton?s touch screen but being a design engineer myself, I know that complexity can lead to reliability problems. I like simple buttons and bright display?s. Either way, the screen does the job. The stand-alone machine doesn?t have the deep editing features built in but you can get at everything via PC. There is enough though to tweak sounds to your liking. You have full control of effects. All are clean and sound very nice. This is a great machine for music writing. Getting the initial ideas into a demo. I love it!

Sounds=Awesome!

Like any synth there will be presets you wont like. But this machine has enough for everyone?s taste. Piano is one of the best. (I played around with the filters to get it to my liking). This sound could sell the unit itself. Drums are awesome. Once again, there is stuff there for everyone. Strings are excellent. Brass and woodwinds are as good as other synths out there (Yamaha Motif has the best natural/acoustic instrument sounds out there). There are enough great sounds in this machine to please anyone taste. In my opinion, they blow the triton sounds away. Triton was good for analog and weird sounds but was horrible with its piano and natural instrument sounds. I would sy the Yamaha Motif Has a slight edge in its sounds over the ZR-76. Its acoustic instruments are un-paralled by any other synth. Even so, you wont be displeased with the sounds of this instrument.

built like a rock. I think EMU/ensoniq will be discontinuing this board soon (Price is now only $995). Parts should still be around for a bit.

No issues as of yet

Great board. If it were stolen I would get another. I love all ensoniq stuff. There are some things I hate about ensoniq boards and there are some things I love. Overall they have a sound that is truly there own. With this board now only $995 its worth every penny.

3.00

piano is the best.drums the best'tuti classical'jazz'el mejor sonido que hay para los buenos musicos'que escriben buena musica

in this world nobody is safe,only in jesus people is safe

get it repaired? no

i;been playing on tv,radio,concertos,for 43 years.been playing real grand pianos,jv's yams,alesis,korg,etc,but'the zr pianos,drums,is the best.especialicimo for musica clasica y jazz

This workstation is so easy to use. Everything is laid out in front of you in button form. No 29 page deep nested menus, no searching for days for a sound or pattern. It's too easy. I love this damn keyboard! I actually sold a Korg Triton just so I could buy the ZR76. The Triton was a nice workstation but in my opinion the ZR blows it away. I needed a workstation that I could write songs on easily as the ideas come to me. I can do this with the ZR. The sequencer is sooooo much easier than the Tritons. And saving and loading songs is also much quicker and easier. The Triton just took so long to write a song. Too many parameters and options. Which could be a good thing if you're sitting in a studio all day with nothing to do but tweak every little aspect of your effects, routing, sounds, patterns, etc. The ZR allows me to conceptualize an idea and record it, fast. It's that simple. Find the sounds you like and use them. Create a drum pattern, send it to the sequencers dedicated ryhthm track and record. So damn easy. The manual is fantastic. Very clear, concise, step by step instructions on everything you need to know. The Triton's manual was a joke.

The weighted keys are great. They take some getting used to but once you are used to them, there's no turning back. Effects are also great. Lush 26bit reverbs, crisp delays, warm OD's, fat chorus, etc.. The 16 track sequencer is very very powerful and so easy to use it's ridiculous. Have I mentioned I love this keyboard!?

OK, here's another area where I think the ZR kicks the Triton's ass. The piano sounds are so real that you'll swear you are playing a baby grand, or upright, or any real piano for that matter. Also, the strings are far superior to those in the Triton. Beautiful, lush string sections. Very realistic. The bass sounds are good and fat but need a bit of tweaking to make them sound excellent (ie: kill some of the LFO on those babies!). There is a distorted guitar sound that actually sounds just like a distorted guitar, it unbelievable. Pads and lead synth sounds are excellent. The drum and percussion souns are simply incredible. So warm, fat and analogish. Excellent world, latin, african, indian, percussion sounds. Many kits to choose from also.
We play mostly trip hop and downtempo electronica type stuff and this keyboard is perfect for that but I also write some House and Trance solely on the ZR and am thrilled with the results every time.

Built like a tank. I got a huge SKB hardshell flight case with mine so I expect it to last forever. BTW, this keyboard weighs about 8 tons so get someone to help you lift it into the van.

Haven't used them yet. Don't expect to have to.

Incredible workstation. I highly reccomend the ZR as an alternative to the Korg Triton (cost less too). Get a decent sampler to go with it and you've got a studio from hell (or heaven rather). I can't really think of anything I don't like about this workstation. The sounds are great, the sequencer kicks ass, the built in drum machine is excellent, etc. I guess my only gripe is that it's heavier than hell but I can live with that.

bought it used , version 3.00 with piano exp4 and world exp1. Straitgh forward operation as far as selecting sound/drums/editing/idea pad/basic sequencing goes. Once you get into more sophisticated sequencing, you'll have to open the manual and brother what a manual. How much longer will it take the bozos from roland/korg/yamaha to wake up when it comes to a manual. This one is incredible, 486 pages, granted they are some repeats but that's fine. This is what I call A MANUAL.If you are not familiar with synthesizers, it will scare you because evrything is described in details and i mean in details. Editing is easy, marvelous synth even for a biginner.

Polyphony is plentiful, check the tek. sheet. The keyboard action is wonderful very much like a real piano. I have to add that I also own a Korg n1, both are very similar in action with the Ensoniq being a tad heavier which is fine for me anyway because I am a piano player. Beside I cannot play on those cheap unweighted keys so it is really a matter of how you've been trained. For some people who never played piano before they would be unable to use the ZR or the N1, you have to have strong fingers and good articulation, in other words you have to be a seasoned player.Lots of built in effects, very good one too and very easy to use and edit.It has expansion capabilities. OK it's it's not a jv2080 but you can expand it a lot.On top of that it has a floppy disc and a sequencer and i understand you can download more sounds from the internet.Don't ask me how because i am not using a computer with those keyboards yet and my knowledge in this department is rather limited.It has all the midi capabilities, pressure sensitive keys etc etc, it has it all, well almost. Great sequencer, but when you start to get seriously into sequencing, you'll have to open the manual. This is a very powerful sequencer. It does it all. Just read the manual.As far as being "easy to use", it's a matter of opinion and time.This is my first sequencer and I only had this board for 2 months.I had no problem with the basic sequence technique but when you get into delta quantize, trimming notes, etc etc it is scary for a beginner. Time and practice is the answer.Just like when you learn a new intrument or a new dialect. Be patient, slowly one step at a time. I don't know what to do with floppies but that's my own fault this is a new synth. technique for me and i just have to learn it. This board also features split and layers at a touch of a couple of buttons.I would like to point out that those buttons feel a wee bit funny.They are very touch sensitive. So take it easy.Ha the idea pad, what a great feature. It records everything you play. Sometimes it's overkill. If you just play one note and change patches 30 times, it will record that same note 30 times with all the different patches. So all of a sudden you end up with 30 ideas in the idea pad.But there is a way around it Read the manual.The drum machine is phenomenal, in edit mode you can do so much.Just amazing.

After listening and playing practically all the patches on this board for a few minutes at a time, i have to admit that i have a few resevations about the sounds. I also have a jv1010 hooked up to it and i navigate between the zr, the kork and the roland. It would be unfair to compare those 3 synth on their features but as far as sound goes i will try to be as objective as possible.I also have a yamaha baby grand. Let's make things clear , i did not buy those synth to replace the sound of my piano.But since i play in a band, it is a lot easier for me to pack my synth in the trunk of my car than the grand piano.That's when keyboard like this are handy.The pianos/e. pianos on the ZR are great. However my choise goes to the Korg in the lower section.The mids are equal and the highs are more natural on the ZR.So sometimes I will play a piano bass line on the korg and improvise on the ZR.Crazy isn't it ? For organs nobody comes even close to korg.Maybe a couple of organ patches on the 1010 come close to the real thing, but the korg is the real winner.Forget the piano on the roland, the e.pianos aren't bad. Drums/percussion and exotic drums goes to the ZR especially with the world exp1.Really great drum sounds.Very impressive.Strings are between the korg and the roland,same for brass .Guitars definitely roland.Bass, all 3 have great ones.Remember too that the korg and the roland have over 1000 sound each.The zr is far behind without expansion card .Synth definitely roland followed by korg.The zr lacks behind in this department.Voices is a matter of taste.I love all 3 synth.The ZR has some really great ones. Actually i would rate the zr highly in that section.The guys at ensoniq did a great job with the voices and some of the special effects.
If you have a good articulation and good fingering you'll love the action of this keyboard.As a piano player, I found it extremely well balanced.And it reacts very well to velocity and after touch.Great job.This board works great for any style of music because of the drum machine.It's all at your fingertips, very easy to use and edit and very convincing sound through a good pair of speakers.Classical, no problem.

No problem so far.I bought it used.It did not have a scratch on it.It was like new. Hope it stays that way.I have reservations about those buttons but time will tell.

Sent a few e.mail got an answer the following day.That's something else.Granted some of the answers I got weren't to my satisfaction but knowing that there is somebody outhere actually willing to help you, makes me feel very comfortable about the product. Way to go Emu/Ensonic.

I know this keyboard was not cheap when it came out. But now, 2 years later you can find it for a more reasonable price, and if you do, try it and, i insist, make sure you get the manual. It's worth the price of this keyboard....... well almost. There are a few things I am still trying to figure out with the sequencer and the flopy. Like what do I do with a floppy that has sounds or patches on it.Where does it go in memory when you download it? I guess I'm scared of loosing some presets in ram so that's why I'm a little nervous when it comes to downloading. This board is a blessing for a composer. Hooked up with the jv1010 it becomes a formidable tool and i only scratched the surface.Imagine when all that stuff is hooked up to a computer.Now that is very scary.For those who have been doing this for years, it's probably a piece of cake.Beside I resent hooking up my computer to those boards.Don't ask me why.So all in all, yes i would definitely look for another one if one day it grew legs and walked out of my house. The idea pad/drum machine/sequencer combination is amazing. The sounds are ok, but with the 1010 and the korg hooked up to it, the sounds become sort of secondary if you see what i mean. Watch those level discrepancies between patches from the 1010, scary at time.I simply do not hate anything about this board, I love evrything it has and I use everuthing it has. Just one thing, you can only layer two sounds. On the korg u can build 8 layers. But this is just a minor detail for me.I tried so many keyboards, renting, buying, selling from yamaha to kurzweill. I had a roland a80 midi controller for a while and i have to admit that it was the best keyboard action of all keyboard outhere.And it is 13 years old. Anyway I simply never found, and i don't think it exists, a keyboard having all those features, and not cheap second class features,I am talking serious synthesis here. Try it if you see it.Just play with the drum machine, some bass line, a bit of e.piano and you'll be sold if you like the action.And the manual, mama mia, incredible.

This is probably one of the easiest to use workstation synths around. The layout of all the controls and features is pretty straightforward and easy to use. I didn't even have to look at the manual to figure out most of the functions. When you get into using the song editor and functions like that it gets a little tricky but overall its very easy.

It has 64 note polyphony which is more than enough for my purposes. The action is pretty good. The kurzweil models are better, but this synth isn't really in the same category as those. It has a lot of expansion capabilities, you can load new sounds off the internet, which is a great feature, buy new boards, and memory, etc...
As far as midi goes, I don't use it, I prefer older instruments anyway,so I don't know how well it performs in that category. It does have an onboard sequencer but I really don't use that much either so I don't know how well it stacks up.

The onboard sounds are great, and so are the sounds you can get off the internet. The sounds are fairly realistic. It's always better to have the real thing but I use it a lot for cheesy strings, it has a nice imitation of a moog rogue, a couple nice organs, the piano sounds are really nice, probably one of the best features. It has tons of stuff to choose from and whether they sound realistic or not I have found ways to use almost all of the sounds even if it wasn't for their intended purpose. The onboard effects are really nice. And it really reacts to your playing, which is nice. The velocity and aftertouch are also great.

Reliability is one of its biggest weaknesses. It isn't very reliable. It has consistently had electronic problems which I have had to deal with. It is also very very hard to take apart and put back together and finding a reliable place to fix it is really hard. I use it in gigs but very minimally. I use to use it quite a bit though and it never let me down, but it has had quite a few problems.

I've only used it twice and it was good.

If it were stolen I would probably think twice about buying it again only because of its unreliablity, but if I didn't get it again, I would buy a synth with similar features. As far as live performance, I don't really need it, but as far as doing recordings I couldn't live without it. I don't know a ton about modern synths because I prefer analog keyboards and keyboards from the 60's and 70's but I like mine a lot. If ensoniq could fix some of the electronic glitches on this keyboard they would have an excellent product all around.

To all readers!!! Watch the reviews carefully!!!
Right under mine there's a Robert English review of the MR-76!!!!!!!

But ZR-76 is different and advanced!!!

ZR's software version is 3.00 (not 2.11)!!

If Robert English bought his MR-76 in the near past, then he bought used keyboard, maybe with it's personal bugs, maybe out of order in some cases or something.

So, Mr. English!!! Don't get people away from ZR-76 features and goodies talking about another keyboard here!!!!

My mark for ZR-76's ease of use is 8 cause this keyboard makes it's owner think! And I think it's not bad!!!

All features of ZR-76 work well for me. Piano action is very good.
And after all the Idea Pad is just nice!

Yes! Pristine sound quality.

Reliable.

I got some deal with pure Ensoniq, not with EMU/Ensoniq. And got support I asked. Hope E/E will be friendly and helpful too.

I much love my ZR-76. And think who has one loves it much!

Say again what I've said in the header:

To all readers!!! Watch the reviews carefully!!!
Right under mine there's a Robert English review of the MR-76!!!!!!!

But ZR-76 is different and advanced!!!

ZR's software version is 3.00 (not 2.11)!!

If Robert English bought his MR-76 in the near past, then he bought used keyboard, maybe with it's personal bugs, maybe out of order in some cases or something.

So, Mr. English!!! Don't get people away from ZR-76 features and goodies talking about another keyboard here!!!!