ASR-X PRO Sampler

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Getting That Lo-Fi Sound

By using the Pad Process function "Reduce Sample Bits", you can emulate a change in a sample's bit depth from 16 bit to anything below 16 bit. Try 12 bit or 8 bit. This can give drum samples a lot more character, and because of the added noise it can fill up those empty spaces within the drum track.

I personally prefer to use an audio editor to reduce the bit depth of a sample, but keep in mind that the X will not receive samples that are not 16 bit via SCSI. You have to load those samples from a floppy disk or a SCSI disk, and when the X loads a non 16 bit sample, it will automatically convert the sample to 16 bit, but it will still have that lo-fi sound.

Note: The manual for the ASR-X states the following:

The ASR-X samples audio at a resolution of 16 bits. While this resolution produces excellent sound, 16 bit data can use up significant amounts of the ASR-X RAM. If you lower the resolution of a selected wave, you can free up RAM for more sampling.

The fact that a resolution of 16 bits will use more RAM than a resolution of 8 bits is true. What is not true is the statement that lowering a samples resolution will free up more RAM within the ASR-X. The X only supports the 16 bit sample resolution. When you use the Pad Process function "Reduce Sample Bits", you are not really reducing a samples resolution.

Proof: I have an ASR-X with 16 Mb of additional RAM installed.

  • Available memory upon boot up = 18385350
  • Available memory after sampling = 18282750
  • Sample size = 102600
  • Available memory after sending the sample to 1 pad = 18281122
  • Pad size = 1628
  • Available memory after reducing bit depth of sample to 8 bits = 18178522
  • Processed sample size = 102600

So, what is really happening within the X to make it sound like you are creating a sample with a lower bit resolution? My guess is the X is converting the sample to the lower bit depth and then reconverting it back to 16 bit all at once.

I think it would have been nice of Ensoniq to have stated this in their manual.

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