MPC1000 vs ASR-10, EPS16+ minus SCSI drive stupid purchase?

[Zarathunkya]

Well, I just bought an EPS16+ without an SCSI drive...

I'm new to this old school hardware stuff and and wondering if I have effed up here with this purchase. (I bought the EPS16+ for $275 US dollars).I must say I love the sound of it though - loud and rough compared to the vsts on logic8 express.

I have since read that it's pointless to even try and use one without an SCSI drive. So, a couple stupid questions:

• How many discs would it require for me to save one song?
• Are SCSI drives cheap?

I'm also wondering if I should get an ASR-10, there's one for sale on an auction site here in New Zealand which could go for anything between 650 US and 950 US.

Haven't got an MPC yet so wondering whether if you were in my situation you'd get another Ensoniq or keep the old one and get the MP.So far my studio consists of: Macbook / Logic8 Express / EPS16+ / another cheap midi keyboard. No turntable yet to sample with, I'm still a baby.

I'm trying to make a new style of hip hop but with some gritty drums

Thanks!

Loving the website, there's a lot of knowledge on here. I liked the post where Carlos Bess (engineered 36 Chambers) came through and went through the album track by track.

Peace

[PELicanWord]

Hi, and welcome to the board. Lots of great info and opinions on here

I would say if you already have the EPS 16, don't get the ASR10. I had an ASR and LOVED it, but had to sell it because the workflow just wasn't cutting it for me (don't get me wrong I knew the thing inside and out)

The ASR will only get you a cleaner sound. The EPS has a grittier sound that IMO sounds equally as good, just a hair more lo-fi which is great for drums/samples/bass/synths in combination with a DAW like Logic or PT.

Learn the unit and use it for it's highlights, making loops and importing them into DAW, sampling from CD/Vinyl, effects and resampling, etc. I wouldn't worry about using the sequencer for much more than making loops, as it IS capable of compiling whole songs, but DAW's have made it obsolite because they are so much faster.

Don't worry about your lust over the MPC1k. They are IMO the weakest of the Akai line, and sound ok. You're better off getting an MPD24 to add pads to your EPS. It will sound 10x better and still give you the joy of rubber pads.

As far as SCSI goes, yes they are cheap, as long as you have the SCSI drive installed in your EPS (that's the pricier part). I have a couple Zip drives laying around if you want them, just PM me and pay for shipping. Also, check out ChickenSystems They have formatted Zip disks, sounds, software, etc, and are one of the few sites still supporting Ensoniq products (RIP).

Good luck!

[Jay-]

Still have the ASR10, although a guy is buying it for $750 with CDRW and CDS.

Lets see, the best way and the work flow is easy.
Make 8 tracks into logic and rout the midi to each track, initial setup is a bit confusing but when it works you know because you suddenly have 8 different instruments!

Then save the bank, song and all the individual instruments into the ASR! If you have a Glyph drive, (Selling one for $125) Its a korg Triton drive, the latest silent one! Then you can back up those SCSI files into your PC. (Or mac) Although the chicken systems translator free version is crap on a mac. Also my SCSI drive is sold I think.

I dont see any issue making the ASR10 a modern device that way!
Then when you get back into logic, your ASR10 macro will load up all your stuff or you can simply load the ASR10 song! dont mess with the floppies!

I think the old Ensoniq CDS sound way better then the new stuff. SCSI loading is not that hard when it all automatically loads up from the boot macro...

My last song I used just audio out with no midi at all.
One thing I find is that digging around on the ASR10 SCSI drive always yealds a drum loop that is not only well laid out but the layers are perfect and the sound is worth all the fuss because you go "WOW" and it fills in a mix like only an ASR10 can.

Now in closing my sermon, e the sounds dont sound so hot and punchy when translated into Kontakt even with API waves plugs. The ASR has a fantastic set of filters.

Id never sell mine but you know, cash is tight and I jumped on the offer to sell.

I think it will go down in the Fairlight class of instruments but only because I see how it stacked up to a Kurzweil K2600 and also N.I Battery. for drums it killed them all. The piano cuts into a mix like a chain saw.

[Zarathunkya]

Originally Posted by PELicanWord

Hi, and welcome to the board. Lots of great info and opinions on here

I would say if you already have the EPS 16, don't get the ASR10. I had an ASR and LOVED it, but had to sell it because the workflow just wasn't cutting it for me (don't get me wrong I knew the thing inside and out)

The ASR will only get you a cleaner sound. The EPS has a grittier sound that IMO sounds equally as good, just a hair more lo-fi which is great for drums/samples/bass/synths in combination with a DAW like Logic or PT.

Learn the unit and use it for it's highlights, making loops and importing them into DAW, sampling from CD/Vinyl, effects and resampling, etc. I wouldn't worry about using the sequencer for much more than making loops, as it IS capable of compiling whole songs, but DAW's have made it obsolite because they are so much faster.

Don't worry about your lust over the MPC1k. They are IMO the weakest of the Akai line, and sound ok. You're better off getting an MPD24 to add pads to your EPS. It will sound 10x better and still give you the joy of rubber pads.

As far as SCSI goes, yes they are cheap, as long as you have the SCSI drive installed in your EPS (that's the pricier part). I have a couple Zip drives laying around if you want them, just PM me and pay for shipping. Also, check out ChickenSystems They have formatted Zip disks, sounds, software, etc, and are one of the few sites still supporting Ensoniq products (RIP).

Good luck!

Well, I got the ASR-10!

I didn't get your advice in time, but I don't think this should be a problem as I should be able to sell both of them for roughly the same price as I got them!

So does the sound from EPS or ASR lose any of its 'grit' once you run the sounds in to logic?

I'm also wondering whether I should get a technics 1200/1210 for a turntable or just get a much cheaper one like this (price is in New Zealand dollars): http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=242371498

Oh yes one more silly question - how would I be able to tell if my EPS has the SCSI interface installed in it?

Thanks again for your help, much appreciated.

(I actually mis-posted this - I was trying to put it in the hip hop forum but my subconscious read 'Low End Theory' - one of my favourite hip hop albums, and low and behold my post ended up here.)

Chur!

[PELicanWord]

Originally Posted by Zarathunkya

Well, I got the ASR-10!

I didn't get your advice in time, but I don't think this should be a problem as I should be able to sell both of them for roughly the same price as I got them!

So does the sound from EPS or ASR lose any of its 'grit' once you run the sounds in to logic?

I'm also wondering whether I should get a technics 1200/1210 for a turntable or just get a much cheaper one like this (price is in New Zealand dollars): http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...x?id=242371498

Oh yes one more silly question - how would I be able to tell if my EPS has the SCSI interface installed in it?

Thanks again for your help, much appreciated.

(I actually mis-posted this - I was trying to put it in the hip hop forum but my subconscious read 'Low End Theory' - one of my favourite hip hop albums, and low and behold my post ended up here.)

Chur!

congrats!

No you won't loose any punchiness when you track, it should all transfer unless your doing something incorrectly. As far as the turn table, I would get the 1200 just in case you decide to scratch (which you prolly will considering your doing hip hop)

That being said, I have a direct drive Stanton and it works for scratching

[magi115]

I run an EPS-16 rack and mpc 2kxl and I really like the filters and sampling ability of the eps. I layer all my sounds in guru first then run them through the filters there, then send them to the EPS. I never really took enough time to figure out the Ensoniq sequencer, but the MPC has the smoothest sequencer I've ever used, and I like it. My brother has an ASR-88 midied up to his mpc-60 and mpc-5000. He uses the mpc's for drum programming, obviously, and lays down basses and samples from the ASR. I've always loved the sound of the ASR and EPS especially in producers like Alchemist, EL-P, Prince Paul, RZa, Necro, Blockhead, Stoupe, Illmind.

Deffinitley check out the Akai MPD and MpK controllers for Logic and or Guru.

[mala gaitix]

Hi, i'm new in the forum from Barcelona, my englihs is not too good but.. i defense.
So, i have an akai mpc1000 and i just buy an Ensoniq ASR-10, i have a motu interface and i work with logic in a mac.
What is the best way to work with all this stuff??
i suppose:
-sampling with the asr-10
-making the drums and sequencing with the akai
-and then going throw the motu to logic
-is this correct??
-and if i sampling a vynil with the asr-10 to pass the sound then to the akai how i do? via record input? via midi?
-and if i play a bass instrument with the asr-10 i also pass then to the akai o i put it directly to the logic via motu?

I want to respect the sound of the ensoniq because i buy it for his filters but im not sure the way i have to work

lot of thanks,
salud