The Ensoniq Halo is a sleek keyboard with a 32 MB ROM soundset of diverse synth sounds including sounds of the popular Ensoniq ZR-76 featuring the "Perfect Piano". Halo has three additional ROM slots for up to 128 MB of sounds (more on this below). The keyboard is a full 61-keys long with 16 real-time controllers. There's also 16 on-board syncable/programmable arpeggiators and the E-mu's Super BEATS interactive Groove Mode. With 16 mute/enable buttons this keyboard is set for live and on the fly performances with plenty of real-time controls! Halo also features multi-mode resonant filters, 24-bit DACs, and an affordable price tag!

Halo is part of a new line of performance keyboards launched by E-mu/Ensoniq that repackage their current line-up of top notch sound modules targeted at specific genres. For all purpose synthesizer, the PK-6 Proteus Keys. For HipHop and R&B, the MK-6 Mo’Phatt Keys. For techno trance and dance, the XK-6 Xtreme Keys. And Halo from Ensoniq, which is another all purpose synthesizer.

Every one of these ships with one 32 MB sound-set, but are expandable up to 128 MB via three additional slots for 32 MB expansion cards. These cards include (ranging from $249 to $395):

• 9061: Siedlaczek Orchestra 32 MB ROM.
• 9062: Pure Phatt 32 MB ROM - standard in Mo’Phatt, MP-7 and MK-6.
• 9063: Beat Garden 32 MB ROM - standard in Orbit 3.
• 9082: Protozoa 16 MB ROM - standard in Proteus 1, 2, 3.
• 9083: Definitive B-3 32 MB ROM - standard in B-3.
• 9084: Techno Synth Construction Yard 32 MB ROM - standard in Orbit 3.
• 9085: Orchestral Session Vol. 1 32 MB ROM - standard in Virtuoso 2000.
• 9086: Orchestral Session Vol. 2 32 MB ROM - standard in Virtuoso 2000.
• 9087: World Expedition 32 MB ROM - standard in Planet Earth.
• 9088: Sounds of the ZR featuring the Perfect Piano 32 MB ROM - standard in Ensoniq Halo.
• 9089: X-Lead 32 MB ROM - standard in Xtreme Lead-1, XL-7 and XK-6.

With these expansion options, you could buy a PK-6, then add the sounds of the Orbit 3, XK-6, and the MP-7... or any other combinations you may want. If you like desktop synths, you can start with an MP-7 or XL-7, and then add these same expansion card options to add Proteus, Orchestral, or the new Halo sounds to them. E-mu/Ensoniq's interchangeable sound cards and a variety of keyboard/sound-module options means that there's a model out there for everybody now.

Itok

May 15, 2013 @ 1:05 am

I bought this at 2002 without even trying it my self!.....
I risk buying it because I believe this keyboard reviews I found in the internet.
It cost me 6.500.000 rupiah at that time (now about 663 US Dollar), at first I was rather dissapointed, the sounds are not so impressive. I upgraded it by adding 2 more ROMS (B3 and Beat Garden). Not bad after adding those 2 roms.......
I still use it for my everyday music playing :D
Greetings from Indonesia.

dan

October 6, 2012 @ 9:10 am

imo probably one of the worst sounding emu roms i've heard. i sold my proteus 123 rom and replaced it with a qrom.. huge mistake. the qrom is mostly just GM midi stuff (like yamaha psr sounds).

gridsleep

July 23, 2012 @ 5:39 pm

I just got a copy of Keyboard Magazine from April 2002, for the picture of the Hartmann Neuron on the cover (others still available in eBay if you are interested.) Only a small blurb about the Neuron inside, but there is a great photo of Ray Charles grinning and having great fun playing an E-Mu PK-6 at the E-Mu/Ensoniq booth at NAMM 2002. If this keyboard was good enough for Ray Charles, nobody here should have any complaints about it. My HALO is as good quality as my Kurzweil, Kawai piano, Technics WSA1, and Neuron. A great tough portable everyday synth with more expansion than most others.

Mickey

February 24, 2011 @ 11:11 am

That looks like the Emu Xtreame keys with a new paint job wouldent suprise me either if it was i think its a shame that ensoniq and emu once great synth makers of the 80s and 90s got [beep] ed into all that rave dubstep drum n bass bull [beep] im not trying to sound insulting or whatnot to people that like that music just expressing my opionion lol
:( i miss the cheesy ensoniq demos that sounds like vintage [beep] music

gridsleep

January 29, 2011 @ 9:31 am

One thing I do want to point out is the quality of the keybed. The only thing Ensoniq about this machine are the sounds of the ZR-76 in the Q-ROM and the name molded into the case. But, they keybed is very, very nice. Firm, not quite piano like but much (cont'd)

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