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While perusing old Ensoniq hardware videos, I found this old (2013) documentary on the ASR-10 (my favorite hardware sampler workstation of all time).  Turns out that !llmind not only used an ASR-10, but also Reason.  The screen shot is stock, but it's kind of cool that RE's were plugged in the video (it's at the 2:55 mark):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u-d642gVAo

When they say that the ASR colors the sound....they are dead wrong. In Keyboard mag's second sampler shootout it was found that the ASR had the flattest input frequency..even flatter than Akai and Kurzweil. Output was just as flat if I recall. I still have that issue of Keyboard mag.

Brian

bpmorton wrote:When they say that the ASR colors the sound....they are dead wrong. In Keyboard mag's second sampler shootout it was found that the ASR had the flattest input frequency..even flatter than Akai and Kurzweil. Output was just as flat if I recall. I still have that issue of Keyboard mag.

Brian

Yeah, when they said that it made me giggle.  The only thing that "colors" the sound on the ASR-10 was the awesome effects, but you had to send the sample through the effects to hear it.  

btw

there is a guy in ebay that sells SCSI CD rom drives along with tons of samples on CD. I just picked one up for my TS-12 and it included most of the Ensoniq factory CD roms.

bpmorton wrote:btw

there is a guy in ebay that sells SCSI CD rom drives along with tons of samples on CD. I just picked one up for my TS-12 and it included most of the Ensoniq factory CD roms.

I had the SCSI CD-ROM with my ASR-10, but the only disc I had was The Art of Transwaves (which was cutting edge awesome at the time). It was much faster than the old floppy disc.

Is this the disc you are referring to?

http://www.soundengine.com/en/ensoniq-a ... waves.html

bpmorton wrote:Is this the disc you are referring to?

http://www.soundengine.com/en/ensoniq-a ... waves.html

That was the one!  

I've converted all of my ASR-10 samples for use with Reason, but have yet to find a way to emulate the unique ASR-10 layer switch buttons very well within Reason.  Any ideas?

love the asr! that rap was ground breaking!

The ASR-10 was the centerpiece of my studio from about 1993 through 2007 (when I broke down and started using a DAW).  I think when people talk about how the ASR-10 "colors" the sound (and I agree with them) they are talking about two things:

1.  The per-sound filter.  It was a kind of weird filter w/o resonance but it certainly had a nice, "rounding" feel for lack of a better word.

2.  The effects.  It used the same DSP engine as the DP/4 and in my opinion are some of the best digital effects from a musical standpoint anywhere.

What made the ASR-10 amazing for me is that you could record into RAM via the line-in AND mix it with the sequencer.  So, I had a recording studio right there in the ASR-10.  I hooked up my M1, my drum machine, my Prophet-600 and a mic and I recorded everything without tape.  In 1993.

Fun fact, the chip that drove the effects unit in both the DP/4 and the ASR-10 was designed primarily by Bob Yannes, who also designed the SID when he was at Commodore. 

Despondo wrote:I've converted all of my ASR-10 samples for use with Reason, but have yet to find a way to emulate the unique ASR-10 layer switch buttons very well within Reason.  Any ideas?

Did you use Rubber Chicken's Translator or something else to convert the samples?

Brian

EnochLight wrote: ↑

25 Mar 2015

While perusing old Ensoniq hardware videos, I found this old (2013) documentary on the ASR-10 (my favorite hardware sampler workstation of all time).  Turns out that !llmind not only used an ASR-10, but also Reason.  The screen shot is stock, but it's kind of cool that RE's were plugged in the video (it's at the 2:55 mark):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u-d642gVAo

That's fascinating! The Ensoniq ASR-10 is indeed a legendary piece of hardware, and it's always interesting to see how influential it has been in the world of music production. The fact that !llmind used an ASR-10 along with Reason adds a unique layer to his creative process.

I appreciate you sharing the link to the documentary. I'm sure it's a great watch for anyone interested in both classic hardware samplers like the ASR-10 and modern digital tools like Reason. It's a testament to the enduring appeal of certain pieces of music equipment and how they continue to shape music production even years after their initial release.

Thanks for sharing this interesting tidbit, and I hope others who are passionate about music production and gear will find it as intriguing as you did!

willy66 wrote: ↑

26 Sep 2023

EnochLight wrote: ↑

25 Mar 2015

While perusing old Ensoniq hardware videos, I found this old (2013) documentary on the ASR-10 (my favorite hardware sampler workstation of all time).  Turns out that !llmind not only used an ASR-10, but also Reason.  The screen shot is stock, but it's kind of cool that RE's were plugged in the video (it's at the 2:55 mark): I am also getting interested with durags from this website, if you are also a fan of durags, please let me know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6u-d642gVAo

That's fascinating!

I am reluctant to approve your post, since you're reviving an 8-year old thread that hasn't seen the light of day in years... So, bot or not?

illmind has been a reason user for awhile.. great to see one of the top producers plug reason..!!

EnochLight wrote: ↑

26 Sep 2023

willy66 wrote: ↑

26 Sep 2023

That's fascinating!

I am reluctant to approve your post, since you're reviving an 8-year old thread that hasn't seen the light of day in years... So, bot or not?

Chatbot.

bpmorton wrote: ↑

09 Apr 2015

Did you use Rubber Chicken's Translator or something else to convert the samples?

Brian

Sorry to have never responded to this query. I used Translator to convert the instruments to NN-XT compatible patches. Using it now to convert all of my old banks and instruments onto an SD card. I just replaced the internal ZIP drive kit I had been using (which replaced the original floppy drive) with a ZuluSCSI SD card drive from SamplerZone. It's like having a new sampler again!

Made several tracks on it with a friend (it was his machine), using Cubase/Atari as sequencer. Did some gigs and got one vinyl release. Great machine.

*edit* Oh yeah, and one track on a compilation CD.

fullforce wrote: ↑

23 Dec 2023

*edit* Oh yeah, and one track on a compilation CD.

Nice to hear! Congrats!