ASR-X PRO Sampler

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Import File Formats

In addition to its internal file formats (ALL-SESSION, ALL-SEQS, 1-SOUNDS, etc.) the ASR-X Pro will import a variety of foreign file formats, specifically: ASR-10/88, EPS 16+, EPS, AKAI S-1000, ROLAND S-770 and AIFF & WAV. The ASR-X Pro can also load sounds stored on disk in Giebler Enterprises' .efe and .efa format.

I've had opportunity to load some of the above file formats into my ASR-X Pro. As stated on page 91 of the Ensoniq ASR-X Pro Reference Manual: 'a direct translation of every parameter in an imported sound to the ASR-X Pro's architecture is not always possible.' Here's a summary of some issues you might encounter.


When loading an ASR-SND:

  • Drum kits imported as 1-SOUNDS are not editable as a typical RAM-kit in the ASR-X, i.e., you cannot simply convert the 1-SOUND into a RAM-kit and edit the individual sounds assigned to each Pad. However, you can save the imported ASR-SND to disk as a 1-SOUND then reload the individual AIF files converted by the ASR-X to create a new RAM-kit. A time consuming but workable solution.
  • A bug in the ASR-X OS was not addressed by Ensoniq where as the information for EPS/ASR/Akai imported sounds is corrupted if you attempt to fetch one of these imported 1-SOUNDS via SysEx from a host computer application - such as the freeware ASR-X Editor (Mac.) Additional information can be read here
  • Some ASR-SND imported sounds suffer from audible, incorrect values for Pitch, LFO Speed and Envelope Initial Level (amongst others.) In some instances you can approximate a more musical interpretation of an imported ASR-SND by using the ASR-X Track Parameters to offset the imported value. A highly detailed analysis of translation issues can be found here on the ASR-X Knowledge Base. Additional information can be found on page 91 of the Ensoniq ASR-X Pro Reference Manual.
  • Banks/Demos remain specific to the ASR-10 and are not applicable to the ASR-X.

I've never owned an ASR/EPS series sampler so I can't honestly determine how much more responsive the programs on the CDR series Sound Library were on the original instruments vs. the ASR-X. My rule of thumb has simply been 'If it sounds musical, then it is.' IMHO, some of the samples of authentic, acoustic instruments from the ASR series have aged well relative to contemporary libraries where as the EPS & EPS16+ counterparts have not. This could be a good thing depending on the musical context/style in which EPS/EPS16+ sounds are used. However, many of the synthesized EPS & EPS16+ sounds are still quite usable - especially once processed through the ASR-X Effects section.


When loading an AKAISND:

  • Drum kits imported as 1-SOUNDS are editable as a typical RAM-kit in the ASR-X, i.e., you can convert the 1-SOUND into a RAM-kit and edit the individual sounds assigned to each Pad.
  • The identical bug in the ASR-X OS in which information is corrupted if you fetch the information of one of an EPS/ASR imported 1-SOUNDs also affects imported AKAISNDs.

I've only had opportunity to work with a single AKAI S-1000 format CD-ROM ('Vintage Drums') and my experience was relatively benign: no ASR-X system crashes or blatantly misinterpretation of sample mappings. There's been little discussion of imported AKAISNDs on the ASR-X list at Yahoo! Groups that didn't fall under the umbrella disclaimer regarding imported sounds. Keep in mind the S-1000 'standard' is fifteen years old and never accommodated for sampler specific features.


When loading a SND (Roland S-770 sound):

  • No information available at this time.


When loading an AIFF or WAV file type:

  • When you load an individual AIFF or WAV from a 3.5" diskette or CD-ROM, it will be assigned to the Scratch Pad. Use the Send to Pads command, under the Resampling section/menu, to create a RAM-kit (this will convert whichever ROM sound is currently assigned to the active Track into a RAM-kit) - your imported sound is now assigned to a Pad in you RAM-kit. This is a good time to save your work. Now when you import subsequent waveforms you can simply assign them one at a time to the same RAM-kit as the initial sample.
  • From page 55 of the Ensoniq ASR-X Pro Reference Manual: "There may be times when you'd like to spread your wave across all the pads, with each one playing it at a different pitch. To do this, press the Track Sound button, dial in the *CUSTOM SoundFinder category, and select the original SMPL sound (SMPL1, for example)."
  • Some applications, such as Peak (Mac) and ReCycle (Mac/Win), are capable of performing SMDI transfers via SCSI from your host computer to the ASR-X. This permits you to transfer many AIFF or WAV file types in batch as opposed to importing the individual waveforms - a real time saver. Note not all SMDI capable applications are able to perform batch transfers - some are limited by either design or default to individual file transfers. When you perform a batch file transfer to the ASR-X via SMDI the imported files will be automatically assigned to RAM slots and will be immediately available for use under the *CUSTOM SoundFinder category. A benefit of batch file transfers.
  • Windows user will want to review this article regarding the ASR-X AIFF bug.

More on Ensoniq File Formats

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Date Last Modified: 4/19/03

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