mpc 60II or ensoniq eps??? i need xpert advise.

  • Thread starter Thread starter DJ KooLKiD
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DJ KooLKiD

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sup yall. here is my situation. i want to start making some hip hop beats. i am into the "lo-fi" sound, so i like the 8-16 bit hardware samplers ( even though this will be the 1st one that i purchase. the thing is no matter which one i choose (either the mpc 60II or the ensoniq eps), i plan to get the akai s950 as a combo. now my questions:

1. which would be easier to get around on, the mpc 60II or the ensoniq eps/ or eps 16+?

2. can i use the ensoniq eps/ or the eps 16+ with the akai s950 as a combo?.. cuz i wanna use the akai s950 as the dedicated sampler and use the ensoniq eps/ or eps 16+ as the sequencer?

3. which leads to my next question. how are the sequncers on the ensoniq eps/ or eps 16+ compared to that of the mpc 60II?

4. would i be able to make some good hip hop beats with a setup like the akai s950 w/ either the ensoniq eps/ or eps 16+?

5. and finally... if i decided to go with the either of the ensoniq keyboards ( becasue due to the price, its more realistic for me right now to get the ensoniq instad of the mpc 60II), instead of the mpc: which one would u recommend the eps or the eps 16+?

thanks for all the help guys!
 
Hey man,

Okay, you've generally posted threads asking the same question or variations on the same question about 6 times now.

It sounds like you really want to use the S950 as your sampler. Hooking it up to an EPS and keeping the EPS as merely a sequencer seems like a waste of an EPS to me. You CAN use the setup you mention in question 2, but I'd feel sorry for the EPS being underutilized.

I can't really answer questions 1 and 3 as I've never used either one of these machines. A lot of people like the sequencers on both, and I'm sure whichever one you learn first will be the sequencer you prefer for life.

The answer to question 4 is yes, as long as you know what you're doing.

And for question 5, if you are going to be using the EPS only as a sequencer, just get the regular EPS.



But you know what I'd do?


1. Get a cheap ass radio shack keyboard with MIDI out. Preferably old. And preferably with velocity-sensitive keys. I'm sure you can find one at your local pawn shop or Cash Converters. Don't worry about what it sounds like, because you're going to have the volume turned all the way down on it anyway.

2. Get a hardware sequencer, like one of these, because they're cheap:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7338029216&category=15199&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7338563481&category=41479&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7338977705&category=15199&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7339087722&category=15199&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7338775542&category=15199&rd=1

Kawai Q-80s are EVERYWHERE.

3. Get the Akai S950.

I think that's the cheapest solution you're gonna find, and it'll sound EXACTLY THE SAME since you're still getting your sounds from the same source (the S950).

To hook the devices together, hook the MIDI Out of the crap keyboard into the MIDI In of the sequencer, and the MIDI Out of the sequencer to the MIDI In of the S950. Then you hook the audio outs of your S950 to your mixer, and you're good to go!
 
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but honestly, why wouldnt it be a good idea to just use the s950 as the dedicated sampler, and just sample everything into the eps?... i just odnt like the idea of stacking sounds into the eps, better chances for crashes (i believe).

well if i am looking at this the wrong way. how would you then make a setup surrounding an ensoniq eps?.. i wanna sample from vinyl obviously, so a turntable would obviously need to be included in the setup.
 
but honestly, why wouldnt it be a good idea to just use the s950 as the dedicated sampler, and just sample everything into the eps?
Click to expand...

You mean sequence everything in the EPS?

It would work absolutely fine.

I would just feel sorry for the sampling hardware in the EPS as it's just sitting unused.

The way I told you is also a lot cheaper. By like... at least $150.

It sounds to me like you're really really really really afraid of making a bad decision. The EPS, the MPC60, the S950, these cheap hardware sequencers, they're all great and I think you'll be happy with whatever you get.

I'd go with the cheapass setup if I were you. You can always get an EPS later.
 
well i know that money is an issue, but not to the point that i want a "cheapass" setup, as you say. (i mean its not like the ensoniq eps, is the most expensive sampling keyboard out there). yeah i know i am new to hardware sampling, but i really do like the ensoniq eps (one reason, is because enter the 36 chambers was basely made on the ensoniq eps.) so i know what the ensoniq eps is capable of. so lets say i want to build a setup around the ensoniq eps, how would u base ur set-up?

this is what i am looking at right now:

1. ensoniq eps
2. turntable
3. dj mixer

lets say this is what i have to work with right now. which are basically the 1st 3 things i am gonna get. what else would i need?... i basically need help with a setup based around the ensoniq eps. thanks alot!
 
Okay, remember that diagram I posted a while back in one of your threads? Just remove the S950 from that diagram, and put the EPS in place of the MPC60. You may need the output expander for the EPS if you want to take full advantage of its features (and if you ever want to bring it into a studio in the future).
 
hmmm i couldnt find the diagram. can u show me another, with the ensoniq eps setup?.... thanks for all the help!
 
ok well basically i have decided to purchase the ensoniq eps. i pla to purchase one from ebay in the next couple of days. since this is my first sampler, is there anything i should be looking for when purchasing this keyboard?... here are some toher questions i have.

1. would i need a scsi port when looking for my keyboard? (i know this a real noob question but i have to ask: what exactly is the scsi port used for? and please elaborate)

2. is the ensoniq eps easy to get around on or does have a difficlut learning curve?(keep in mind i am a beginner)

3. is there anything else i have to look out for when purchasing my first sampler?

thanks for all the help guys!
 
1. You would need the SCSI port if you plan on saving to a SCSI drive (eg. SCSI hard drive, ZIP drive) or transferring sounds to a computer. You probably won't use it.

2. No idea. If you generally figure out things quickly, then you're probably fine. Keep your goals small and keep at it. You can figure it out.

3. Make sure it works, and make sure it's what you want. You've already picked out what you wanted, so it's just a matter of it working.
 
:)


It seems you made up your mind....

so I won't attempt to talk you out of it or make you re-consider other options...



Floppy disks don't hold much as far as samples..and they are extremely slow. It is better to buy older gear that have SCSI ports so you can connect SCSI hard drives/zip drives to save your files.

You do know that older gear usually can't load .wav files or easily exchange files between a PC, especially if you are using Windows XP?
 
hmmm i see.

hey jahrome you can always throw in your opinion, dont mean you have to try to talk me out of getting an eps, but please put in your other options (who knows might be exactly what i needed).

why wouldnt i need a scsi port though? isnt it better to save you files onto an external hard drive (like a scsi drive or a zip drive) rather than saving everything into the eps?


hmmm... another question that has just come up is. where would i record everything to?.. wouldnt i need some type of recording medium so i can then burn my beats onto a cd or something?

thanks for all the help once again guys!
 
DJ KooLKiD said:
hmmm i see.

hey jahrome you can always throw in your opinion, dont mean you have to try to talk me out of getting an eps, but please put in your other options (who knows might be exactly what i needed).

why wouldnt i need a scsi port though? isnt it better to save you files onto an external hard drive (like a scsi drive or a zip drive) rather than saving everything into the eps?


hmmm... another question that has just come up is. where would i record everything to?.. wouldnt i need some type of recording medium so i can then burn my beats onto a cd or something?

thanks for all the help once again guys!
Click to expand...

With the EPS, most available media is on floppies. And I don't think the EPS really has enough memory in it that you're going to need lots and lots of floppies to hold your samples.

Keep in mind, if the EPS has a SCSI port, it is an older SCSI standard and will not work with some (or most) newer SCSI devices. Only ZIP type drives and very old hard drives will probably work.

And "what do I record to" is one of the complications of being a hardware producer. There's no quick Export or Bounce function like Cubase or Protools. You can connect your mixer out to a tape deck, or a computer to burn it to CD, or a stand-alone audio CD burner, or anything you want.
 
hmmm... ok so let me get this staright.

i dont need a scsi drive cuz i would load and save everything onto floppies? is that right?

also, what exactly is this oex expander that i keep seeing on ebay?.. whats the use for it? and would i need it for my setup?

so back to the scsi drive. well i have found several drives that would support my ensoniq eps keyboard. wouldnt it be safe to backup all my files onto an external drive?...basically, explain to me why i wouldnt need an external drive, so i can understand this whole scsi deal.

and finally, what recording medium would u suggest i get?... maybe a cassette deck for its warmer sound?(i dont know).. please help me out.

once again. thank you guys for your patience with me! u guys been a great help!
 
If the gear you are buying doesn't have a SCSI port..forget buying it. Floppies is not a good medium to save files to these days. You DO need gear with a SCSI port (older gear).

And please don't record your music to tape...unless you are talking reel-to-reel...and those days are pretty much gone.

Well, one you make your purchase..consider a mixer and a sound card for your computer next.

Oh..and not to bash the EPS..but there are reasons why they are so cheap now.
 
dj the mpcII is a better sequencer than the eps, so so forget the s950 and just go with those. use the eps for keys only and stero sampling.
 
ok so then i do need a scsi port when i purchase the eps. cool.. now i got a couple more questions!

what exactly is this oex expander that i keep seeing on ebay?.. whats the use for it? and would i need it for my setup?

well since u mentioned that i needed a mixer.. what would u suggest? (i plan to save up for the mackie 1604vlz pro mixer)

and why would i need a soudcard for my computer? (i plan to get the audiophile 24/96).... any suggestions?

so instead of getting a cassette deck, i should just get a cd recorder as my recording medium?
 
put it like this guy, its better you buy an eps that already has the scsi if you want scsi becuse, the scsi isnt really that easy to find ( not cheap anyways)
 
DJ Koolkid... I can see you're going to be confused again and pulled in 8 different directions.

Just buy something. All the gear you're looking at is great, and you'll be happy with ALL of it.

Don't be too worried about the floppies. Do what I do, save two copies of everything you do. If one copy goes bad, make a new second copy from the one that does work.

SCSI is very very useful, but LOTS of people, here and otherwise, make lots of music just fine without any SCSI connectivity. It's really not a big deal.
 
Don't be too worried about the floppies. Do what I do, save two copies of everything you do. If one copy goes bad, make a new second copy from the one that does work.

SCSI is very very useful, but LOTS of people, here and otherwise, make lots of music just fine without any SCSI connectivity. It's really not a big deal.
Click to expand...

Do worry about floppies. By your equipment choice..it appears that you want to sample. It is a pain in the butt to save samples to floppies. You can possibly end of with several floppies for just one song. I would never use the floppy drive of my MPC 3000. I use an external scsi zip drive...it is like 70-150 floppies on one zip disk.

Now the latest modern samplers have added USB in addition to/or to replace SCSI.

Also, SCSI is lightning fast compared to saving/loading to floppy.

Off hand, I can't think of any piece of equipment that was released lately with just a floppy drive..even many new computers don't have floppy drives.
 
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