(click to enlarge)

The ASR-10 stands for the Advanced Sampling Recorder - a completely digital music production studio. It's a 16-bit sampler that came in both keyboard and rack-mount versions. It shipped with 2 MB of sample memory which could be expanded to 16 MB for a few minutes of stereo cd-quality sampling time. It lets you choose from sample rates of 30 to 44.1 kHz and has all the professional sample editing functions you would expect to find from a pro sampler including autolooping, volume smoothing, normalize, crossfading, and time comp/exp. Even resampling through its effects, EQ, etc. is possible!

What's special about the ASR-10 is that it is a sampler using the synthesizer architecture of Ensoniq's classic line of synths from the SD-1 to the ESQ-1. Your samples are stored as part of its WaveSample memory. The ASR-10 can hold 127 WaveSamples, which can also consist of its two multimode digital filters, the LFO, one random noise generator, three envelope generators (hard-wired to the pitch, filter cutoff, and amplitude), and a modulation matrix with 15 routable modulation sources. Up to eight layers of WaveSamples can be combined to create your final sound. In this light, the ASR-10 basically looks like an advanced TranseWave (waveform modulation) synthesizer in which YOU create its WaveSamples!

The ASR-10 integrates a digital effects processor and MIDI sequencer on-board for a complete workstation. There are up to 62 effects (including vocoding) based on Ensoniq's DP/4 effects processor. A whole range of reverbs, chorus, flange, phaser, distortion, digital delay, speaker effects, etc. are available.

The ASR-10's sequencer has 16-tracks and with its 31 voices of polyphony you can create some pretty complete musical performances. The sequencer (reminiscent of the SD-1 and VFX-SD workstations) provides real time and looped recording modes, 96 PPQ clock resolution, an auto-locate function, punch in/out, and other useful features. And the ASR-10 can sample while the sequencer is playing. It can store up to 80 sequences or patterns which can be chained into a song (only one song can be in memory).

The ASR-10 also has a "Tape Recorder" mode in which you can record two tracks of audio for use along with the sequencer for an advanced all-in-one music making machine! Recording can be to its RAM or to external SCSI hard drives via the SP-3 SCSI interface (optional on keyboard version) for extended sampling/recording time and memory. It can support up to seven simultaneous hard disks and/or CD-ROM drives. You can even process external audio through the ASR, live or along with sequences.

As mentioned, the ASR-10 comes in a 61-note keyboard version and a rack-mount. But there's more. Over the years Ensoniq has continued to upgrade it adding an AES/EBU digital I/O upgrade, digital audio recording and importing of new sound formats, and more. The ASR-88 version is an ASR-10 with a fully-weighted 88-note keyboard and the SCSI interface comes standard. The ASR-10 is compatible with Akai (S-1000/1100) and Roland CD-ROM sound librarys. A high-density (HD) 3.5" disk drive comes standard on all models. The ASR-10 has been used by Atomic Babies, Autechre, Rammstein, Jimmy Edgar, Black Lung, Rabbit in the Moon, Timbaland, Pharell Williams (Neptunes), The Alchemist, Kanye West.

63 VISITOR COMMENTS

cstyle

May 25, 2012 @ 1:15 am

not because big names got one,used one mastered it,my favorite producer(stoupe)of jedi mind tricks pumped the rawest hiphop ever and clearly used it to full capacity,but because as owning and mpc will tell anyone,i have an itch for sampling,i do it everyday,its an art,its thee best audio idea EVER,i searched for new ways to tweak,produce,then one day eard the name asr 10,its the blood of hiphop,the soul,the tool,reaserched to see if this is what i wanted to add to my music eqipmnt,and from seeing just online,what these things can do,uniquely,expressively,the sound it finesses,mines mint,ready

Andy

May 21, 2012 @ 4:12 pm

Saw your instrument in the orchestra Yanny. It works great.

Stev

May 14, 2012 @ 10:05 am

I've had the ASR since '95 and still love it. It was packed away for several years until I recently bought out again. Thing is I find my sample collection is sounding a bit dated. If anyone knows of where I might pick up some recent samples to create music beds I'd really appreciate it. I can be reached at stev@stevs.net

Westie

April 20, 2012 @ 4:40 pm

I've used the ASR-10 since '94 & got one of my own in '97. The sampler & sequencer are fantastic and very user friendly. I've always felt that most of the sound kits you can get for it sound way too clean & bright though. I've also found that it and the EPS get uncomfortably hot during prolonged use.. That being said, at this point I tend to use it primarily as a sampler and rely on the MPC or SP1200 for drums.

shaun nicks

February 16, 2012 @ 9:54 pm

Ive had the asr 10 for about 1 year and a half.Overall impression-What a great sampling keyboard.It definately has a warm sound.Sounds awesome on vinyl samples.pretty nice on the hardware synths and modules ive sampled into it. Love the way it sounds on kicks.Hip hop,pop,r n b, dance,trance all that stuff! Lovely on snares thick hard sound with good weight to it.overdrivin the inputs isnt a bad thing on the asr.on the contrary lower healthy levels yeilds a very accurate clean sound.1 last thing.I have a roland fantom g6,mv 8800,the asr is the best sampler to me of those three.much more feature

<1312111098765>

 

Post Comment!

Your Name: (required)

Email Address: (required)

Image verification: (required)

Message:

 

Posting Rules:
Please keep your comments relevant! Do not post requests for help, do not use for sales, do not post unless you have something interesting to say about this instrument, or we may delete your post.

I have read and understand the posting rules.