I like this sampler a lot, I bought it to replace my emu esi32... I do a lot of loop based recycle-like breakbeat chopping, which is tedious so I was curious about the A3000 loop divide function. After a few weeks playing with it, I cannot overpraise this function... when you duplicate a sample on the A3000, it doesn't copy the original waveform data, just the parameters, so both samples reference the same waveform. When you use loop divide to chop a loop into 8 parts for example, it uses 1 waveform but the 8sections reference different sections of it. The real genius of this, aside from saving memory, is that you can finetune the start and endpoints of the sample after the fact. This may not sound like much, but in the A3000 is a program much smarter than recycle.

On the downside, the timestretch functions of the A3000 are pretty bad. I would go as far as saying unusable... timestretching a drum loop by as little as 105% (or compressing to 95%) introduces unacceptable flanging and double-hits. I have gone back to using my esi32 for timestretching, then load it in to the A3000 for loop-divide.

I generally agree with the other reviews I've seen, that the A3000 is really intuitive and easy to use, but that it maybe suits someone making his own samples better than someone trying to audition sounds from sample-libraries.

I use a zip drive on SCSI for storage, and have found the transfer speed not a problem (about the same speed as esi32).

It's a very interesting sampler, just a shame about the timestretching. I would definitely buy it again for the loop divide function, especially as they are really cheap these days (paid $450), due to PC-based instrument competition.

The effects are neat (not all of them are extremely useful, but for sound manglers like myself, the more useless they seem the better!), the reverb settings are very convincing, the distortion is really ratty sounding which is great for that NIN, Skinny Puppy type sound. The Auto-wah and auto-panning are especially cool too. I especially like the fact that you can run outside sound sources through this sweet machine and use it like a multi-effects processor.

The sequencer is dead easy. I usually hate sequencers for there seemingly impossible number of menus and command functions that must be gone through just to record an idea. I will say this, the sequencer is definitely not the most capable one in the world, but it is just right for those times where you're messing around with a bank, you get an idea and want to record it before you forget. For someone like myself who forgets melodies quickly, this sequencer is perfect.

Laying samples out on the keyboard is even easier. Just press the knob in, play the key and then move on to the next one.

While some people will say a sampler's sound is entirely based on how well the sample was recorded to begin with, I have to say the A3000 has a very bright, clean sound. But if you want that gritty 8- or 12-bit sample sound, the A3000 also allows you to set a different sample rate.

The internal hard drive option has saved me countless dollars that might've been spent on floppy disks and it has saved me a lot of hair-pulling when I have to transport a sample library to a different location (i.e. playing a gig, recording in a professional studio, etc.). Another nice creature comfort is that if you create sounds or loops in your Windows based computer the A3000 will import .wav files so you don't have to go through a bunch of file conversion garbage like you would with many other samplers.

Honestly, I could go on and on about how great this machine is, but my best recommendation is to try one for yourself. Because of this sampler I have switched over from Akai and I don't plan to go back.

ReCovery