You see, I was looking for a REAL sampler. This would be my first "professional" or "true" sampler, and I didn't want to be limited to JUST looping or phrases. I thought taking "the best of" the ASR line and putting it into a box was a good idea. But I didn't want a rack sampler, I wanted an actual "all in itself" instrument to play.

As far as sampling, there's a lot to do with the sound in the Pro, it's got envelopes, filters, lfo's, and modulation options up the butt! I like a lot of editing options, and the voice architecture is pretty damm good in my opinion. Sample anything and mangle, twist, warp it beyond original recognition. The EFFECTS top of your samples wonderfully. I mean the X/X Pro's effects are of the quality kind. The effects have lfos and filters of their own, for crying out loud!

And then there's the RESAMPLING option that set's the X apart from other samplers. You can resample the output or the input or both with effects or without. Take a bassline, add distortion, loop it, resample it, add a 909 loop, sequence that, resample it and assign it all to just one pad, then add this add that, run it through the effects and resample the whole thing! And then take that and then...I mean resampling is only limited to what your imagination can think of. Not, to mention freeing up effects and memory for other things. As far as the on-board sounds, I mean they are usable, but unless you sample them to use or have a PC and a software editing program, you can't do much to the sounds from the front panel. And I don't use a PC for musical purposes.

As far as the onboard 16-track sequencer. It's adequate, I guess. I mean it's got all the usual suspects of pattern creation, song mode, quantizing, overdub, replace, punch-in recording, muting/solo of parts, mixdown. But, I think the X's sequencer is more of a composition or "idea concept" sequencer than something for us "Orbital" crowd. I personally don't really mess with the internal sequencer too, much. I mainly sequence the X with two MMT8s. Which work pretty well with the ASR-X Pro. Having only one knob for changing parameters and one knob for editing values and a measily old-fashioned two-line display, I think that's the major weak point of the X when it comes to performing live. But with Phat Boys and MCR8s, and Peavey and Kenton controllers out there, you'll find ways to "tweak" the red beast. With the "all-in-one-box" theme being the name of the game right now, the ASR-X Pro is a good contender in the sampling ring. As an introduction to sampling or music production, on it's own, the X Pro can do a lot for you. Add it to an expanding setup and it will do more!

Sampler (not just phrase-sampling), sequencer, effects unit, rompler, all INCLUDED in one box! Check mark all these options when looking at the competition. The red X is a great building block or foundation for the ultimate dream studio.