Page 1 of 1

Ensoniq ASR10 vs Ableton Sampler

Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2015 6:41 pm
by alexdecker
Hi all

Obviously these samplers are different. But can anyone line up some of the differences to me? I hear so much good stuff about the ASR10, and generally work better with hardware. Or is this a impossible task?

- Alex

Re: Ensoniq ASR10 vs Ableton Sampler

Posted: Wed Oct 28, 2015 8:31 pm
by granted
Do you want to work with a tiny glowing LED screen and learn all about SCSI devices? ASR10.
Do you want to produce some music in an efficient and pleasant manner? Sampler.

Re: Ensoniq ASR10 vs Ableton Sampler

Posted: Thu Oct 29, 2015 9:17 pm
by andreX
Back in the days (ca 20yrs ago), I used to work with an ASR-10 and have memorized the sound to be very warm and special, great fx also. Best keyboard (poly-aftertouch etc) I ever had, too.

It´s just that today, I´m used to a different level of complexity in my music (modulation et al) and a simplicity and speed in use (not to talk about the DRAMATIC issue of actually saving my work or even system stability) that I do not look back to my ASR-10 a minute.

A plug-in version (64bit AU/VST) emulating the sound and effects (preferably NOT the user interface ;o) would be tempting, though...

André

Re: Ensoniq ASR10 vs Ableton Sampler

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 12:33 pm
by alexdecker
I get all the arguments on why it would be more troublesome to work with a unit 20 years old, when we talk about storage issues, SCSI etc.

But what about the actualy abilities of the ASR10? I mean, it has plenty of mod paths, and word has it that you can do pretty crazy stuff with it. I know that you can do the same thing with Sampler. I dont know... maybe it just resonates better with me using hardware instead of software. It is a much more pleasent experience for me. So I just wondered if the sampler in the ASR10 was that much behind in abilities compared to Sampler in Ableton...

- Alex

Re: Ensoniq ASR10 vs Ableton Sampler

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 6:40 pm
by jlgrimes
alexdecker wrote:I get all the arguments on why it would be more troublesome to work with a unit 20 years old, when we talk about storage issues, SCSI etc.

But what about the actualy abilities of the ASR10? I mean, it has plenty of mod paths, and word has it that you can do pretty crazy stuff with it. I know that you can do the same thing with Sampler. I dont know... maybe it just resonates better with me using hardware instead of software. It is a much more pleasent experience for me. So I just wondered if the sampler in the ASR10 was that much behind in abilities compared to Sampler in Ableton...

- Alex

Some cool things about the ASR-10,

1. At the time it was known for having real good effects. Ableton probably has better effects (especially if you consider 3rd party stuff)
2. Ability to resample its own output. Once again Ableton does this easily.
3. Wavetable synthesis (I believe it is called Transmod or something). You won't find an equivalent here in Ableton but that said there is probably more powerful wavetable stuff in VSTland with things like Serum and such.
4. Unique sample library. It had some cool sounds for the early 90s. That said much of its library is available from digitalsoundfactory.com for about $100-$200. I think back then each CD was about $200-$400. And that said with VSTs like Kontakt, you will get much more realistic stuff from a modern sampler.
5. Unique Sound Quality. This is probably the biggest reason people keep using old samplers. Back in the 90s before oversampling converters, hardware had a unique sound. Yes it is a 16 bit 44.1khz sampling engine so technically the unit should be transparent but you would find back then that samplers typically wasn't like the MPC 3000s, and ASR 10. Some boxes didn't sound so good but the ASR10 was known for a nice "warm" thick sound. That said in VSTland you can simulate this some using EQ and various saturation tools. Also alot of people go for more lo-fi units like an Akai S950, MPC 60 or SP-1200 if they really want that unique sampled sound, which the MPC60s and SP1200s are emulated in Kontakt, Battery, and Maschine.

Re: Ensoniq ASR10 vs Ableton Sampler

Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2015 7:01 pm
by beats me
Kontakt

<- always recommending software you can also use outside Live