SP-FORUMS

Alright I need some gear advice.

I sold my Mc-505 at the start of the year, and I'll admit it, I miss it. Not as a sequencer, but as a sound module! I have a microkorg, it's great but it's a synth. What it doesn't have is a bunch of everyday useful sounds like glockenspiel and all that kind of stuff.

So what I'd really like is something to use as a little sound module, preferably self contained, I don't like the idea of those pro midi ones that you gotta hook up to a keyboard and stuff, in fact try as I might, I can't play a piano keyboard for shit, for some reason I'm far more proficient on those little button keyboards and toy keyboard keys- I've just grown up playing those, I'm more comfortable with them, so if it had something like that with which to play the sounds, that wud be sweet.

So does anyone have any suggestions for something close to this? Is there anything out there? Qy70 looks really cool, but that thing is more of a sequencer, although it seems to be the closest thing to what I'm looking for so far. Now, if there was something that was a Qy70 minus all the midi sequencing and "extra" stuff i dont need, that wud rock!

Anyway, if you've bothered to read all that, thanks!

An Ensoniq ASRX Pro (the red one)

You can find them on ebay for short $$ (or try your local Craigslist)

The machine comes loaded up with decent drum & synth sounds- look for one with the EXP-1 or EXP-3 expansion board installed and you have thousands more.

The ASRX pads are also chromatically laid out so you can 'play' them like keys (even switch octaves up & down).

Remember the A stands for advanced- the ASRX is a complex box, but if you are familiar with samplers, envelopes, etc.. etc.. you can learn it no problem (you'll need the manual).

as i was reading i was going to recommend the QY-70, then i saw you'd already considered it. i use a QY-70 and it's great, a really useful tool for many different things.

but something a little 'lighter' might be the Yamaha MU15....
http://www.sonicstate.com/synth/yamaha_mu15.cfm

Thanks for the replies folks, I had a look into the ensoniq etc, but I couldn't find any for sale. Decided to cop myself the qy-70 after all, for the price it doesn't really matter if it does stuff I don't need, they're going pretty cheap and it seems like a useful tool anyway. I have one of those roland pma-5 things that I bought years ago, it's kinda like it, but there's no keyboard on it! I'll prob sell it sometime soon.

Thanks again for the info people!