The Akai ASQ-10 Sequencer Thread

At least one of mine will be getting blacked out by Ghost

ASQ-10 parts available at VST Service (buttons, EPROM's, floppy drives etc)

https://www.vstservice.com/search.aspx? ... m=akai+asq

*Pilchard* wrote:I always assumed there would be plenty room for the SCSI board in there.

Side view, showing depth of PCB and components below faceplate...


Side view, showing height of PCB and components in lower part of case...


Not much room in between the underside of faceplate/PCB/components, and the top of the PCB/components in the lower part of the case.


The two main PCBs in the lower part of the case are side by side, not leaving much empty space...


...there is a small empty space in the front left corner of the lower part of the case (4.5 cm x 15 cm), which is also located right next to the original MPC60 internal ribbon cable that the MPC-SCSI board connects to, which might just be large enough for a re-laid-out/smaller MPC-SCSI board, but I am not sure if the circuit design could fit in that space.

I am getting the original MPC-SCSI design re-laid-out to be small enough to fit in the back half of a floppy drive space (7.5 cm x 6.7 cm), keeping a similar layout to the original design but more compact, but not the right size/shape to fit into this smaller front left corner space. I did not realise that it might fit there until the person making the boards up for me had already completed the smaller layout and they were about to be made up, and I didn't want to hassle them to start the layout over again.

been saying for past few years that the ASQ is the most slept on beat making tool out there - esp for people who can't afford a 3000/60 or find them restrictive - the Alesis MMT is also cool, but gets button membrane issues A LOT and isn't as good as the ASQ10.

ASQ + S950 + a stereo sampler (S1000, S1100, s6000, Z4, Z8 - ASR - Roland 750 - E-Mu Ultra) - then you have the best of both worlds and cheapest setup.

SEED78 wrote:ASQ + S950 + a stereo sampler (S1000, S1100, s6000, Z4, Z8 - ASR - Roland 750 - E-Mu Ultra)

+ MPD32

ASQ + S950 + MPD32 = MPC60 I might have missed a trick there. in terms of cheapest boom bap solution the ASQ + a cheap sampler has to be high up there though. ASQ + ASR for example.

Maybe MPC60 + a stereo rack sampler might be better.

MPC + ASQ-Sampler in sync, to run your other instrument tracks on a separate sequencer to the beats, with a more fully featured sampler, so they are not so tightly locked together and inflexible.

is that not a bit OTT, do you find you get better results that way?

obviously depends on the size of studio and midi lag issues, but the ASQ/60/3000/4000 can handle the task of midi boss man for the studio better than most.

SEED78 wrote:is that not a bit OTT...?

<------- !!!

seriously though, our collection is fantastic. and what you are doign with the ASQ hasn't been done before so is very cool!!

if I could have a £ for every time people have looked at my studio and said 'couldn't you do all that with software', I could spend those ££'s on more hardware.

Simon what type of camera are you using over there? Your shots are so much better than my iPhone 4 photos on the previous page. I wanted to put up some internal photos of the ASQ-10 as Google didnt have any, that I could find. How wierd is that after 24 years in the market...

It is a Canon 350D, getting a bit old now, entry level DSLR years ago.

Am taking photos on a tripod, in available light (sunlight through window), without flash.

So a lot better glass in front of a larger sensor compared to an iPhone, which is probably where most of the difference is.

this is a great topic.. i had my asq for years and havent really found a good thread to discuss it. i also have the original manuals and i will try to scan them and upload them ( i dont have a scanner though but maybe some quality pics) cuz i couldnt find a digital copy anywhere...

this thread should be a sticky.

btw, so the floppy emulator is working with the asq?

LOGOS wrote:this is a great topic.. i had my asq for years and havent really found a good thread to discuss it.

Floppy emulator will work with the ASQ-10, just as it does on the MPC-60.

Any pics of yours??

"ASQ + S950 + a stereo sampler (S1000, S1100, s6000, Z4, Z8 - ASR - Roland 750 - E-Mu Ultra)"

The only change I would make to this is Yamaha QY700 instead of ASQ.

I have done a lot of research on sequencers and I tried them all...well I tried these actually (QY700, ASQ-10, MPC4000, Yamaha SU700, Yamaha RS7000, RM1X, Roland MC909, Fantom S)

I ended up keeping the MPC4000 in combination with MC909. However when comparing the older units the QY700 is wonderful mainly because of all the phrases in it...I never got into the sysex stuff in it which is a whole universe unto itself.

my list of best sequencers after a year of research and why it falls in the list....

1) MPC4000
2) RS7000 (slow load)
3) QY-700 (function screen is an extra step in the process, gets deep)
4) MC-909 (some midi functions do not work, like midi on/off for external units)
5) Fantom S (midi time jitter issue if it is the master but wonderful if the slave)
6) RM1X (eproms with v. 1.13 a must...v1.12 is bad midi controller)
7) ASQ-10 (overpriced at $350 you can get another great machine with sounds)

cheers,
Ian

PS All of these are fine...this is just a very nit-picky sort of listing.