source file: m1360.txt Date: Fri, 20 Mar 1998 13:03:33 -0600 Subject: RE: EPS 16+ vs. ASR-X From: "Loffink, John" I have extensive hands-on experience with the EPS and EPS 16-Plus but not the ASR-X. I will attempt to answer your questions based on the information I've gathered for my "Microtonal Synthesis" web site. You are correct that the ASR-X supports only one global tuning table at a time. It's architecture in this regard is based more on the MR-Rack, so I doubt your pitch tables from the EPS 16-Plus are transferrable. Pitch resolution should be the same or better as the 16-Plus. I don't know of any computer program (MIDI patch/program editor) that supports the MIDI tuning standard other than Justonic's Pitch Pallette, and it supports only 12 note per octave scales. Anyone? The ASR-X can load EPS/EPS 16-Plus/ASR-10 samples and programs as well as AIFF and WAV files, Akai S1000 type sample files and others. John Loffink john.loffink@compaq.com > -----Original Message----- > > I'm hoping someone on the list can answer some gear questions for me. I > have been working with the old Ensoniq EPS 16+ for some time now and am > quite comfortable with manipulating its tuning tables. I am, however > being seduced by the sexy new ASR-X. Its expandable to 34megs of sample > ram and has an on board synth. What's really cool though, are the > alternate tunings built into it. I didn't count them, but a brief glance > at the manual showed dozens. Included were most of the popular ETs - > 19,31,53 and many of the Carlos tunings. Hell, even 88cet was in there > (kudos Gary) but I digress...Anyway, here is my problem: > For those of us who like to "roll their own" scales how easy is this > beast to work with. What little I could infer from the manual stated > that you could have one user programmed scale at a time reside in RAM, > BUT it had to be done via a computer using the midi tuning standard. My > questions: > Is this a good thing? How does the resolution compare? I've never > worked with the midi tuning standard so i'm clueless. And finally, is > there a way to use more than one tuning at once, especially the user > programmed ones (oh, and what kind of computer program will I need). > The beauty of the previous generation of samplers (EPS, 16+, ASR10) was > that you could have many different scales reside in memory at the same > time. And for someone like me( who is the self proclaimed village idiot > of micro tonality) this was great for comparing scales (it just doesn't > sink in when I read it, I have to hear the pitches and putz around with > them. I guess it's a drummer thang...). > Are the tunings from my EPS16+ upwardly compatible. And for that > matter, are the samples themselves going to work. > Any info will be greatly appreciated. > >