Sampling Synth

[skinnypuppy]

So, I'm obsessed with 80's industrial and EBM. I've been looking for a synth that has a sampler on it. But it doesn't stop there, I want to be able to edit and process the sample through the keyboard. I want it to be expandable so I can add arbitrary gigs of space to it.

Am I wishing for too much? People keep telling me to get an Akai sampler. The closest thing I've found so far is a board from Sequential Circuits

[rhino]

Welcome to the board!

Ensoniq ASR-X PRO. A tabletop module, so you'll need a keyboard. Has Scsi interface for a hard disk to load samples, effects, sequencer, etc.

http://www.vintagesynth.com/ensoniq/asrxpro.php

[pflosi]

V-Synth might be worth a look.

[skinnypuppy]

I can't seem to find the Ensoniq board on the net. However, the Roland V-Synth is looking very nice. Do you guys have experience using it?

[Stab Frenzy]

I owned one for about 7 years or so, it's exactly what you're after. They're hugely underrated and incredibly cheap for what they are. Just get one.

[Z]

Are you wanting new or used / vintage? The vintage variety is usually not very expandable with small amounts of sampling time and long (by today's standards) load times from floppy disk. Some vintage samplers will have SCSI so you can hook up external hard drives, optical drives or other types of outdated removable media.

Most modern workstation keyboard synths will also sample. I don't do much sampling myself, but I use a Roland Fantom X6 which is a ROMpler synthesizer with sampling ability with built-in sequencer and 8 track stereo audio recorder. The Fantom X series has been discontinued a few years now (replaced by the Fantom G series), so a used X6 can always be found for under a grand. Sometimes, I've seem them as low as $600 - $700 depending on how motivated the seller is (usually a few days after the first of the month just before rent is about to be late).

[Hugo76]

If you also want sequencing on board, you should look at a workstation. You haven't said how much you're willing to spend, but the new Roland FA 06, just announced some days ago, will give you up to 32 gb worth of sample space.


There are several options on the second hand market, for example the Korg Triton.
If the sequencer not that important, I second Stab's advice on the V-Synth - in my view, it's the best synth ever made.

[bluntedcircuit]

Isn't anything by ensoniq "that sound" that you're after?
I'm not into the same stuff but I've loved everything from ensoniq I've ever tried, might get eps sampler sometime soon. I'm not on it's expansion capability but have you considered a mirage?

[skinnypuppy]

If I recall correctly, my friend who owned a Triton said that you had to expand the memory before it could be used. I've crawled the net and I see that the Roland V-synth is exactly what I need. It's about 3k+, so it'll take some time before I can save up for that

Budget isn't an issue if it's the right thing that I'm looking for. As long as I can load a sample, tweak it just like I'm editing the built-in sounds, and play it back by mapping to a key range, then I'll be happy

[Z]

As long as I can load a sample, tweak it just like I'm editing the built-in sounds, and play it back by mapping to a key range, then I'll be happy

That can be done with the Roland Fantom X6 as well as most samplers.

The only thing the V-Synth gives you that other instruments have is real-time, tuntable-like manipulation of the sample. I'm sure there's more to the V-Synth's touchpad.

[Hugo76]

If I recall correctly, my friend who owned a Triton said that you had to expand the memory before it could be used. I've crawled the net and I see that the Roland V-synth is exactly what I need. It's about 3k+, so it'll take some time before I can save up for that

Budget isn't an issue if it's the right thing that I'm looking for. As long as I can load a sample, tweak it just like I'm editing the built-in sounds, and play it back by mapping to a key range, then I'll be happy

Beware that you don't really "map" samples on the V-Synth, it automatically stretches the the sample across the entire keyboard. On a conventional sampler you'd typically conctruct a program by taking multiple samples in order to make it sound more natural. But the V-Synth is more about creating the " unnatural". For experimental and unheard sounds it's fenomenal, for realistic reproductions, not so much.

Btw: the Triton ships with 16mb RAM, so it is usable as is.

[Stab Frenzy]

Actually you can map samples to different key ranges on the v synth. Also they tend to go for around $800 rather than $3k so you won't have to save for so long.

[jim777]

The V-synth is might mighty You could probably also do what you want with an Alesis Fusion

[skinnypuppy]

First: Thanks for everyone's output. It's really helping me decide what to get.

I do have one concern: I can only find the Roland V-Synth GT, which is aparently $2,000. Are you guys referencing a different model? Also, I can see myself using the Alesis Fusion 6HD, but I can find no sellers.

Finding these synths online is a bit of a challenge. Musician's Friend doesn't sell the Aleis Fusion. I've never used Ebay for anything. Is there a great place that sells these? Can I directly contact Roland and ask them for a VSynth?

[Hugo76]

I recommend you look at the second hand market. You should be able find all these synths on ebay. I have the original V-Synth, but the GT should be awesome. Note it has more features, but a few less controllers. Those that have used both are divided, it seems, about what version they'd recommend.

Regarding the Fusion, there has been a lot of talk about faulty operation, but I don't really know what this is about. Someone else can surely comment