Yamaha RS-7000

the rs7000 has a nice personality - although the digital outputs
downsample to 16/44KHz, everything is processed internally at 24
bits.
consequently, this is the nicest sounding machine that yamaha has
ever
made in terms of sound quality and dynamics.

each "song" (or "pattern" as yamaha calls it) has 16 tracks which all
have their own 2-band/parametric eq. nice! the filters are the best
i've heard out of any yamaha product, even better than the fs1r's. it
has 3 fx blocks plus one global fx processor. the fx are very
competent, but more importantly, yamaha have finally included
multi-band compressors. for the first time (in my opinion), you can
make an entire track from start to finish with one box.

the sequencer is just like the one on the rm1x - 16 sections per
song,
and 16 tracks per section. you can mute/unmute each track and switch
sections on the fly, making this an amazingly intuitive compositional
tool, especially well-suited to live use. one big complaint that
others have is that you can't switch between record and play modes on
the fly. this may or may not be a problem depending on how you make
music. each song also has 5 mute memories and 5 scene memories. the
mute memories recall different track-mutes while the scene memories
can recall various settings for all 16 tracks at once, such as
midi-delay, lfo's, adsr's, fx, transposition, etc. so you can go
crazy
tweaking all of the knobs, then hit scene recall and be instantly
back
to where you started. nice! also, you can record your mutes in the
pattern-chain mode.

sample management is a bit quirky. this is not a full-blown sampler
so
you can't have multi-sample layering or velocity crossfades.
furthermore, individual samples within a kit cannot have their own
eq/filter settings - only the entire kit. but seeing as yamaha
encourages you to put only one element per track, eg. kicks on track
1, hi-hats on track 2, bass sounds on track 3, this isn't necessarily
a problem since each track has filters, eq's, lfo's, fx, etc.

each sample kit can be a single sample pitched over 127 notes, or up
to 127 separate non-pitched samples. the samples are divided into 127
local kits and 127 common kits. each song can access a total of 256
different sample kits, half of which are song specific (local kits)
and the other half which are available to all songs (common kits). so
you can have a total of 65536 (256 x 256) samples per song. you
probably run into the 64mb memory limit long before using up all the
sample slots ;)

what this means is that you put your often-used sample kits, ie 808,
909, strings, basses, etc. in the common sample kit bank, while the
song-specific vocals and sound effects go in the local kit bank of
each song. the rs7000 treats samples as part of a song - so when you
save a song, it automatically saves the local kits and the common
kits
with it (if used in that song).

the most interesting feature of the rs7000 is the ability to take a
sample loop and automatically cut it up and create a corresponding
midi sequence that plays back the cut-up samples so it sounds like
the
original loop, much like Recycle. you can then change the tempo and
have the loop stay in time without using a time-stretching effect.
you
can also remix the sample loops on the fly!!! when you go into the
remix menu (while the rs7000 is playing), you can choose how it will
cut up and rearrange a sequence, hit create, then you get an instant
variation. this feature also works with regular midi sequences.

based on my experience, i would argue that there are no serious bugs
in the OS and that the rs7000 is a stable and powerul product.

the bottom line is whether or not the rs7000 interface speaks to you.

michel

this thing is easy to use as an rm1-x; you have to learn the basis but it's really logical in my opinion; also the sampling is easy, many ways to do the things

i know you read about this unit
really don't know how much more could Yamaha have put into an hardware sampler/sequencer
you couldonly be frightened about the fact that your rs7000 should not do all that it's written in the manual!
that story of the bugs...BULLSHITS
mine is solid, now there's also the new O.S.

the internal sounds are really tweakable, but i don't give an opinion cause i hate thinking about this unit as a groovebox, cause it's a sampler; it can go till 64MB of ram;
most of my sounds are samples, loops, everything you want from your pc, cds, radio, soft synths; then i add some internal sounds; the filters are really powerful so a bass can bacome a low kick..it also depends on what you want from music..
a perfect mate to all the people that do music with a computer and want to go on live with an hardware sequencer

i use it a lot, it's avery 'ispiration making' machine cause you can sample just some simple little pieces of sound and just record with your hands on pads etc, then quantize and add notes with step mode, so you can put down in a fast way the thing you had in mind.
mine crashed only 1 time cause i exeeded of the 62 voices;
it has 62 voices polyphony so remember not to overload the system with too many rolls toghether :)
it's perfect for a gig, think that you can do real time loop remixes of every track, over and over again, a monster!

i'm subscribed to the mailing list and i have a great help from people that have rs7k too; there's also the site motifator.com that's about motif and rs7k;
new S.O., so it's all right

i sample a lot, this thig is really a GREAT sampler/sequencer
i make hardbreak hardtekno jungle sperimental ambient industrial noise; don't think that this unit IS for a style; it's a sampler, as an MPC, you can do the stupides r&b music or the most extreme hardcore..it depends on what you sample and how you are experienced in drum/sequencing composing etc etc
my favourite artist are AFX, u-ziQ, all extreme and sperimental music from Praxis to Tresor, i like a lot also acustic music, indie rock, hardcore, dark.
take it easy, and remember that the best piece of kit you own is your brain.

One you have your head around the controls the RS7000 is extremely easy to use. I find that the layout is logical, there are knobs to control many functions and the rest are usually only a page away.
It is extremely easy to alter the sound, if you don't like the pressets you can easily create your own variations.
Personaly i find the sampler to be exactly what i need and very easy to use, i had a rack sampler but sold it cause sampling was a chore.
tutorials in the manual get you on your way easily.

This unit has tons of features and i suggest to anyone looking to check out the yamahasynth site.

The features make the unit perfects for live use. I don't think that you could get a beter gig rig. This is what i believe yamaha intended it for, not to replace a studio as some people seem to believe. Although for anyone starting out this could be a cheap solution to buying a lot of gear.


The slice funtion is one of the most amazing things i have seen, extremely useful as it can be used on midi as well

you will definitly want to bump up the ram fast.

The preset songs suck!!! If you listen to this unit in a store disregard them they are only a taste of what this mahine can achieve.
I love the sound especially the drumkits. I owned an rm1x and in my opinion the sounds were crap so i sold it. The sounds on the RS7000 which are the same as the rm1x sound a hell of a lot better even without any effects applied. I don't know if this is cause yamaha resampled them or the D/A is better but if you have a RM and are thinking of getting a RS you won't be disapointed.


This

never had a problem

never used

This unit allows for easy pattern and song creation.
There are some bugs in the first release operating system but none of these have hindered me in any way. For the price there is a lot packed into this box.
It definitly packs a punch for live use. i recomend it to anyone concidering buying it!

I never even wanted to sample before this thing. Everything was just too fiddley, but with this sampling was just too damn easy and fun. Getting around the way Yamaha uses "phrases" for the parts in the sequence took a few seconds to get my head around, but after that, sequencing is a breeze. The pads are nice, and reassigning sounds to them, even on the fly while recording is real smooth and easy. Recording real time knob tweaks is dead simple!

I wish the sampler were more extensive (layering, etc...) and the soundset it... um.. just ok. Not bad, mind you, but not earth-shattering. However, what this beast can do for real-time experimentation and getting the creative juices going is amazing. The loop-remix, time stretch, bpm stretch, groove templates, etc... this is a truly break the mold piece. I have a few other great sound modules, and therefore, that wasn't the most important thing for me. (Note: use the effects, they can really make these sounds come alive. Want more than one multi-effect? You can resample!)

This seems kind of the same as above to me, so I won't repeat myself. I will say that the high end of the sonic spectrum on this machine doesn't seem crystal clear, although a 3db eq increase on the master eq high end seemed to help a lot. Oh, I didn't mention, you can use a different eq on EACH track!

Seems to be steady as a rock. Built like a truck. I think I would feel very safe without a backup. Although I would ALWAYS want a backup of the files!

I work at a music store, so I get great service. WOn't comment on this category, cause I just don't know what the average person gets.

However for those of you having problems with the RAM not all being recognized, or the loop slice not ever finishing executing (or finishing and there is no sound but a little click) this is a RAM issue. Get better RAM. Get high quality 72 pin SIMMS Non-Parity. I know the RAM we sell in our store meets these specs, but it is shitty, cheap, and causes all these problems in this machine. And guess what, we charge too much for it, so you would never know it was cheap RAM. Try RCS and ask for GREG... 603-898-7750 I believe his current price is $11 per 32 MB chip. It works, it is where I send all my customers.

This is the first thing that has made me want to use a hardware sequencer again since I switched to a computer 7 (or 8?)years ago. That's no small feat! I can't wait to get my Oxegyn 8 from Midiman so I can have a nice small 2 octave keyboard with velocity for a nice portable package!

It's easy to use , but what's the point of using it ?

The Effects suck ,The Sequencer is good (not at all different from the RM1x , so don't speak of innnnovation).

SOUNDS , are HORRIBLE !!!
Someone stated that it had rom samples and that for that reason we had to somehow " respect " the inbuilt sounds !/.
Well no ! , it shouldn't be ROM Samples / sounds , it should have bin good old Virtual Analog Sounds .

The Major flaw of the Rm1x where its sounds so that is what the Rs7000 should have fixed .
The thing that the Rs7000 adds is what they call a sampler , but i woulnd't .
The sampler is even worse than the A3000 !
hahahahaha
Incredible .

If you like the Rs7000 sequencer , go with the Rm1x and buy a good sampler ( you ll be better and cheaper offfff) .

Yamaha stuff is generally well built , .

Motifator.com

If You have lots of money and you would like to waist the extra money over the Rm1x , go right ahead .

The only cool thing about this box is the user Friendly sequencer .
All the rest is is bad not up to proffessional level stuff.

IMO the RS7000 is very easy to use. Just like with every multiple usage tool you have to look in the manual for certain things, but the interface makes it very easy to understand. I used Cubase and Logic (Silver) before and the RS7k is much easier to handle. It contains all basic features plus some extra ones but still very compact and easy to maneuver. The presets are for my ears really good. They can be used as bread and butter sounds and really Greg, if you compare a ROMpler with an analogue or wavetable-synth from Waldorf, you do indeed a comparison between apples and oranges. So in this way even a Kurzweil would suck if compared with a MiniMoog...
Editing the sounds is because of the relative easy structured sythesis engine very easy, of course you need to have understood the basics of substractive synthesis. My favourite sounds are besides the drumkits, the pads. Together with the (analogish sounding) filter you can change them until noone recognized the preset-sound behind it.
A patch editor is not needed. The manual is quite, because of the complexity of this machine, thick and well (despite other Yamaha manuals...e.g. for the FS1r...3000+ parameters and only a 80 page manual is a shame...) written, easy to understand and read.

The built in FX are a good quality, of course not Lexicon, but for sure mid-class FX-unit quality, at least as good as those Rev 500 from Yamaha. They are simple to edit. The RS can be expanded by extra analogue and digital out's (6) and the SampleRam can be expanded up to 64MB with standard EDO-Simms. Also it has a SmartMediaCard slot and can read (and write) on Cards with a capacity up to 128MB.
It has one MIDI-in (cheap, Yamaha, cheap...;) and two MIDI-outs, the sequencer has 16 tracks and is very flexible, easy to use and works almost as Cubase or Logic. Plus is the easy sample-integration, which let's you play samples just like using internal preset sounds. Plus the Sampler offers additional Recycle functionality, means the sampler can slice your drumloop and add MIDI-notes to each slice, so that you can use it with different tempo.

a lot of sounds seem to be taken out of the RM1x, for sure, but despite some people say, but for my ears in better quality. The drumkits are beyond any critics, they are simply great. The RS can be used for any kind of music, and if you don't like the internal sounds, it's still a great sequenccer.

The RS i have has been very reliable so far. The hardware is solid and the knobs and buttons make a good sturdy impression. And yes i would use it on a gig without a backup.

Never dealt with them

The RS is much more than worth what i paid for. For a all in one workstation, it is very good. It helped me a lot so far in developing again fun and creativity for my music. Something i didn't had since i started using software sequencer on PC. It almost gets never in my way, only the sample editing after sampling could be better, otherwise i am very happy with it and i would definately buy it again if it would be stolen. Best buy i did in a long time.

Okay, I guess I just feel obligated to give a normal review. I don't know what all that other crap from Greg Scoggins is, but here is the scoop. I am very happy with my RS7000. I've been playing Synths for about 15 yrs and have had all kinds of gear through the years. Before I bought this, I was running Cakewalk on a PC. I decided to dump it because who are we kidding...we all love knobs, sliders and lights. This unit is fun as hell to play with and can get deep as deep as you need. With three effects blocks with very tweakable effects, independent EQ on each of 16 channels, and master effects (most importantly a compressor), the machine can sound totally professional. I'll admit that the sounds are a little weak, but with the effects and the ability to resample and twist everything around, nobody should be using a dry sound out of this thing anyway. The manual is 2-300 pages because the unit is so in-depth. I think once you learn your way around, it is very easy to use.

I have bumped up against the polyphony limits a few times, especially when abusing the unison feature. But again, if you have that problem, resampling is always an option. More often, I turn to my other gear to lighten up the load on the RS. It can not be expanded except for the storage options. BUILT IN SCSI!!! NO EXTRA COST!!! When have you ever seen that? The MIDI implementation is again very thorough. There are some annoying things with the MIDI, like not truly being able to turn tracks off on the RS if you are sequencing outboard gear, but there are always workarounds.

See ease of use...sounds are okay. Sample your own if you want something unique. Drum kits are quite good.

I've had no problem with it whatsoever.

I haven't called Yamaha on this product, but I dealt with them on my S80. They were very cool and responsive. Maybe it's just in the delivery, eh Greg?

I'd buy this again if I had to two or three times. I hate PCs and virtual instruments. I can unplug this thing and go elsewhere in my house or even outside and mix down sequences, it is awesome.

Easy-no problems in learning the unit

Many have emailed me about my previous RS reviews.
Perhaps I was too hard on the unit.
Plain and simplke, Yamaha (the company) sucks, but the RS 7000, for anyone without the follwing inclusive items: Rack sampler, sampling drum machine and sequencer, keyboard controller and effects units (which I use), and are on a budget, the machine is great because it serves so many purposes....not all of them awesomely, but professionally enough to make it the centerpiece hardware unit for anyone wanting to get away from the computer and sequence external gear, decent internal sounds,create beats and sequences,sample and intergrate the samples into an internal sequence, etc etc. and basically write a complete composition without the need for a lot of external gear....you get the picture...plus the effects are really nice on the unit, I must admit. If I didn't already own an MPC 2000 and EMU E5000,I would have never returned this unit, even with all of its bugs in the operating system. Eventually (hopefully), Yamaha will iron them out.
Yes, for all that you get with this unit, it is a fanstastic value, because you don't need so many other items that are required to get compositions going...it can all be done within the RS, which is indeed a great value.

I would say this machine is easy to use. You will have to look in the manual once or twice, but other than that it is fine. Preset sounds are O.K. I like mono pianos, pads and LFO synced patches. Sounds lack a punch without effects, but effects are very good in this unit. Yamaha for some reasons put a large number of there old XG sounds in Rs7000, however RS7000 is not XG compatible. Filters are very good on the unit. Taken together with filters, effects, sounds this unit is capable of producing different styles of music. Sampler should help to overcome limitation of internal soundset.

Sequencer is very powerful and feature-rich on RS7000. MC505 sequencer can not even be compared to sequencer on Rs7000.

I think the best parts of Rs7000 are knobs and switches. They allow
you to control almost every parameter in real-time. Master effect section is great. heaven for DJs. I only wish it had a Ex5 synth engine in it, however sampler function can solve ones soundset desires.

I had it only for one month. I think Os update is needed to clear some of the minor bugs in Rs7000 and I know that it is coming.

I have several other Yamaha synths and I reached Yamaha US support specialist without any problems.

I like this machine. I sold Roland Mc-307 and got Rs7000. I think that
it is way more powerful than any of the grooveboxes. Sequencer section and real-time controls is where Rs7000 really shines. Add a sampler here and you got a very flexible unit which will keep you busy for a long while. There are some things to be improved on Rs7000, but then show be a perfect piece of gear.

Miracles never cease!
A Yamaha Product Specialists finally called me back (must have read my other reviews...UH OH!) cause after he called the product manager even decided to call me back (wow, bad press makes bad situation!)Maybe I shouldn't flatter myself, but oddly suddenly my situation to them has become important...The day before yesterday no one could give a rats A** if I needed help with the unit. Why the sudden snowball effect on customer support? This internet is a powerful thing..really forces lard-a**ed corporate yahoos to get off their multinational ego thrones and take notice when a billion people read a review on how shoddy their equipment is
Come on, when a message is left, twice for that matter, and an email is sent, at least give some form of response within a 24 hour period...In the past, AKAI and EMU have answered my questions immediately when I called. Yamaha put me on product specialist ignore.
It is disconcerting. When someone frivoulously spends over 1000 USD for a product, and drove round trip of over 150 miles, and waited patiently in a loud, crowded music store ,someone should give a crap when they are having problems with the unit.
I am discovering that Long-term customers keep a company competative and profitable in the long run; (not some lame magazine with N'Stink on the cover who probably don't use the stuff any way and are paid to promote your 'giveaway' gear...noone cares about that S*it..Does Yamaha think I am going to buy a unit because the lamest musicians on planet earth say their stuff is "just Terriffic!"?) Someone at Yamaha needs to figure out that we musicians in the trenches of midi world call because we need help; We are not lame asses with dumb questions, and even if we were, our long term admiration for a product and its people is what keeps us coming back for more (why EMU went from a small house in Santa Cruz Ca to the greatest sampler company in the world). Come on Yamaha, Midi/synth musicians are intelligent tweakers by nature and are on average slightly more intelligent than the 'Joe groove box DJ' you are assuming is calling, and when Yamaha attempts to market a unit they need to be aware of that and treat customers like they care. The true test is when we bring the product back because customer support never calls, and the unit fails to function.
well, you just lost a potential long term customer, and it is those of us who work for a living that make up the majority of people that keep a company solvent.

Man, what a change in attitude a day makes. Read my first review of this machine, then the second..night and day huh? I dug deep into the unit for 12 hours on day two, sampling and tweaking, and couldn't get it to sample and perform its slicing and bpm syncronization correctly..it locked up, wouldn't slice (*sat forever in "Executing!" mode.I got so frustrated, I returned the unit to the shop for a refund. I wish I hadn't had to, for if the machine functioned correctly, it would have been great.
To give yamaha the benefit of the doubt, I jumped on RS7K.org to get answers...none...and some said they couldn't get theirs to sync either. I spoke via email with another fellow about the unit, and the SU700, and he stated at the store the RS worked fine. Now, I don't know if he used the 'canned samples' or sampled his own material, so I can't vouch for his experiences with the unit. I know for a fact that I followed the manuals' instructions line by line and could never get it to sample, slice and lay a sequence with me, and sometimes it froze up. Could I have gotten a bad machine, an early op sys bugged machine? It was new out of the box, so I don't know, but I have lost faith in Yamaha. I was going to buy an AW4416 but forget it...gonna have to stick with AKAI, there stuff works, even though it is minus the fancy bells and whistles. It is a shame, really...the unit is a great concept, albeit released too early (not enough R&D), as is often the case in this highly competative market.

The preset sounds are usable, and tweakable, but not editable like a standalond synth, save for the ADSR section.
Once you get into it, the unit is easy to use.

has good polyphony, and very good internal efx. I don't know if it is yet expandable sound wise, but will accept 64 MB, although i couldn't get my machine to recognize all 64 MB. It has a nice, usable onboard sequencer which can record in step, grid and real time and the patterns can be chained to create songs

The Piano is really nice, the internal sounds nice, but not 'mind blowing!'(like the Waldorf or anything) and the onboard efx excellent.
The unit 'remembers' the tweaking you do when in record mode, which is a very cool plus, and is a awesome option. It has two modes of velocity switching.

Hmm. it didn't recognize my SCSI ZIP but then after messing around with it it did..not good. It doesn't do what it says it will do completely, which is a sham and a shame.

Called them about the problems I am having, yet have had no response yet from Yamaha. Said they would call me back, but haven't..bad!

This is a 50/50 unit so far. What it does do, it does awesomely, what it doesn't do, makes it useless. this is the review i gave it on sonic state:

Bugs bugs bugs........Don't buy it.
Well, yet another 'groovebox' that doesn't live up to what the manufacturer claims it will do.
I have owned several samplers over the years and currently own the RS, an MPC2000xl and an Emu e5000 and have been sampling seriously for over 15 years. I bought the RS hoping it could keep me away from the computer and concentrated on the compositional process, using it to sync my samples and get them in tune without resorting to external programs...well...forget it, it ain't happening, the machine is lame and it is more time consuming and frustrating than the computer. Before I rip it to shreds, lets investigate its good points


Good: internal sounds that are basically usable, but aren't 'all that'. They can be manipulated rather nicely using the very good internal efx, but not modified as in a conventional synth unit. sequences can be written with them, and supposedly samples laid on top of them and sync'd up with the bpm of the track.
Excellent: real time efx processing is awesome on this unit, and while recording the unit 'remembers' the tweaking you do to envelopes, filteration etc in real time and saves it in the pattern-kewl. Then the various patterns can be arranged and chained together to create songs.
Here is what makes it a piece of crap.
Firstly, I put 64 MB in mine, and it only sees 32 megs..why? I removed and reinstalled the memory, but same thing.

BAD-and basically makes the unit useless

1. Sampling functionality-when you sample, if you want the sample to be of rhythmic value, in order to get your samples in sync together and usable in your song structure, the RS requires you to sample in what Yamaha terms the "Slice/seq/pitch mode". Now, when you enter this mode, you use up three times the internal memory (per the manual, page 237, wave memory required for this operation requires 1.5 times the original memory...it goes on with information, then states "with the memory expanded to 64MB, the longest possible sampling time will be 47 seconds stereo at 44.1khz."
great, so to get your samples to sync, you only get 47 seconds...hmm, might as well use a computer to time stretch and pitch correct(much faster)and dump them into a dedicated sampler.
This is not good, and it doesn't work anyway. I sampled and utilized this function and the machine just sat there saying "executing"...forever! I had to turn it off. Good thing I didn't have a serious composition going when this occurred!
When I did get it to work once, the 'chopped up bits of garbage' the machine spit out were unusable, and not arranged as a playable pattern, as Yamaha said they should be. So, you are lucky if the function works, and if so, will get unusable results.
BAD: SCSI-this thing wouldn't recognize my ZIP drive of all things. At first it just sat there when I pulled up the menu, showing nothing. After I turned it off. Plugged in the Zip drive, set termination on, and a new ID for the ZIP, then fired the RS up, it finally did see the folder on the ZIP drive, but it is a 50/50 situation whether it will or won't. When I loaded the samples, it was somewhat fast, and once entered, I needed to 'slice' them to use them in the sequence so they would be in sync. When I sliced them, it did execute, but took a long time. When I went into real time loop arrangement mode to get the samples to be arranged on the keypads in order to play back the samples with my already created pattern, it stated "NO DATA"!. At this point I was getting pissed. If a machine doesn't do what it it is supposed to do, then how is it usable? If I can only marginally get it to function, it is useless.
If it doesn't perform the dutites the manual claims it will, then Yamaha should be sued on the condition of Warranty of Merchantability. It is l

This thing is at first, confusing for MPC owners

Outstanding

killer rez and bpm sync stuff

havent had it long enough

havent had to contact yamaha-I assume bad being a large corporation

I just bought the RS7000 and really got into it today.
This thing kicks ass. I have been sampling for over 15 years, and lay a lot of sampled grooves down. It has been tedious and time consumning to say the least, and the best thing I could come up with for looping and arranging songs was a combination of MPC200XL and some pitch correction software through my computer, which worked, albeit slowly and tediously. I was hesitant to trade my MPC for the RS, so I paid my hard earned cash instead, just in case I needed to bring the thing back for a refund, as I have with the SP 808(crap) and the SU700 (another piece of garbage...why yamaha made this thing I'll never understand) I have bought so many samplers trying to get them to sync samples and loops and all have failed miserably up to this point. My MPC is great for composing and pattern chaining, but lacked decent internal efx, lame filteration or much memory (32 mb is not much, really) and its time stretching was time consuming, so I had to pre-rig my samples using Recycle and monitor the computer and the sampler till I got the samples to 'sync' and be in tune together. This is cumbersome, and when the computer crashes (which it will) you are screwed.
MPC watch out!
My Mpc is sitting in its box right now. I thought, I'll give this thing 20 minutes and I will be back to the music shop for a refund, but that is NOT to be. The RS7000, so far combines the aformentioned within it and has 64 megs of memory expansion, recycles the samples automatically, rearranges the recycled loops for really kewl variations to the original sample, has insanely usable internal sounds (what a realistic piano!) and about a gazillion internal drum sounds and kits that can be programmed by you, rather than your having to rely on the cheesyassed internal patches and presets that come with most of the units like this ( *uhum* Roland Groove machines.) In conjunction with this, the effects are insane, and can be assigned per voice!( MPC is per program, so it you have 10 samples in program A, you gotta use the same effect on all the pads unless you resample them) are all editable in real time, so you can have in reality, 16 sequences, with 16 tracks each, and each track having a combination of 16 parts consisting of your samples (which the RS will automatically syncronize for you, and you can even pitch correct them to get them in tune) and the internal sounds, which by the way are really really good, with some being BPM syncronizable resonant filters, LFO's, you get the picture.
This machine was made to kick wild assed beats and samples together and tweak the shit out of them, and it does it well. There are a few drawbacks to the unit (such as memory used when sampling in a certain mode to get multiple samples to 'lock up' together), but it is a small price to pay for the power of this unit. The user interface is at first confusing, but follow the manual's tutorial step by step, and soon you will be laying down some insanely phat tracks. No, I don't work for Yamaha, and the last unit I owned I took back in a days time(SU 700), but this baby is a totally different monster altogether. Somebody finally got their shit together and made a unit that does what it will say it will do, and at a decent price.((I paid 1300 US$ OTD for mine)
I considered the Roland Variphrase processor, but a 3K and a list of bad reviews, I decided to stick with my MPC and a copy of Pitch and Time software that I use in conjunction with the Free Protools software that is on the net at www.digidesign.com, until this thing came along.
I am still skeptical after one day, thinking I am going to run into something that blows it for me on this machine, but the deeper I get, the more powerful I realize it is. It seems confusing at first, and at the music store I couldn't even get sounds out of it; When I first attempted to play with it, it seemed overwhelming, but once I followed the tutorial in the manual (HEY...a real man