Is ASR 10 worth getting?

When I was first looking to buy equipment I was going to buy an ASR. However I was advised not to, because it's an older machine, uses proprietary files and is no longer "supported."

Well I bought the MPC 1000 instead, but I still have a hard-on for the ASR. Besides the obvious synth aspect, does the ASR have any features that would make it worth having that I can't do with the 1000? I would like to know. I don't know anyone who has an ASR, and I've never actually seen one in person.

And this is a very general open ended question. How does doing Hip Hop tracks vary from Keyboard/Synth production workstations like Triton to the MPC. Is one more user friendly or better in some or any way?

Also, what is your experience programming drums on a keyboard workstation?

Keep in mind I know it all has to do with preference, opinion, and the gear doesn't matter so much as the user's creativity, but I am looking for your honest opinion.

The reason why I'm wanting to know is because I am thinking of getting something else that will help give me a different feel while making beats. As much as I love my MPC I want to work on different equipment just to add variety to my method of work. I want to have a break from my MPC every once in a while, so I was thinking if I found a relatively cheap ASR 10 on E-bay I might cop it.

Back in 94 my first keyboard and sampler was an ASR10. I still have it and use it today. It is probably not as user friendly as the MPC1k but it well worth it. I had made BANGING hiphop on the ASR. the first Wutang, Only built for Cuban Links, and many others were made with ONLY the ASR10. You gotta love that. You can get around the proprietary format via EPSDISK for formatting and transferring your sounds to/from PC.

It has that warm sound that people are crazy for in the MPC60/3000 also. Everything I make or sample through it sounds phat by default. Good machine, there are ALOT of others that are newer but for fewer dollars spent it's well worth it's weight. A couple of peeps here have an ASR combo'd with their MPC's. I think I use my ASR more than my Triton actually. MY 2kxl gets the most finger lovin though.

It's definitely worth getting if you sequence it on the MPC... it has adjustable sample rates whereas MPC's usually just have one (44.1k), and it has great effects and very usable filters. Rza created Wu Tang's early work on the ASR10, and it is still used these days by Necro, Alchemist, Nottz, and Stoupe of Jedi Mind Tricks. A great sampler workstation indeed.

There are some incredible sampler features in the ASR that are not available on the MPC (or any Akai peice at that). Unfortunately, 98% of the ASR owners do not use these features.

The machine is hard to learn, hard to setup, and even harder to get repaired. So if you just want a `different peice` to work on, I would look at something else. I love the ASR, and own two of them, but it is certainly not for the simple samplist.

mpc3000 wrote:but it is certainly not for the simple samplist.

This is true compared to many of todays more modern machines. You may even feel sometimes as though you are using an old TEXAS instruments calculator. Good, dated, but still good.

doesmt kanye have an asr ?what does use fot thoegh?since hes got an xl?

Kayne West made the College Dropout album with a Roland VS-1880, a MPC 2000, a Gemini turntable, and an ASR-10...gotta luv it...simplicity at its greatest...

yea the ASR10 has a great sound to it, but its limited interface makes its kinda tricky to use and a pain in the arse. but if you take the time to learn it, it is a very capable workstation.

best thing about the asr-10 is the effects unit. look into picking up a dp/2 dp/4 dp4+ (the + and pro can sync mods to midi clock) or a dp/pro. an ensoniq effects box hooked up to the extra outs on your mpc would be a much easier and more flexible way to achive the same sound.

also the eps16+turbo (turbo means that it is fully expanded) is pretty dope too, might even have a better sound to it than the asr and cost much less....

/p