Message 2/6
Date: 17-Apr-01 @ 08:25 PM -
RE: ESI2000 v A4000
Ok I own an a4000 and i used to have an esi4000...so i can give you a rundown...
ESI4000 (i had a 16 meg, zipdrive, scsi , extra out, turbo version) - Easy to use, warm sounding, great filters, decent synth engine, so-so effects which operate a in a 2 effects 'send' per stereo pair out fashion, clear tekst screen, rather slow processing of samples, very easy to learn and use, limited mididontrol, great datawheel and easy frontpanel layout, it's a time tested way of working the esi way, may people have been using it for years and are still using it.
A4000 (i have a 36 meg, zipdrive, scsi basis 4 out model) Easy to use once you get used to it, great filters (less warm than the esi but more radical), extensice synth engine, SUPERFX which can be routed in various ways but are a bit hard to control per voice/channel, many processing options for samples (beat slicing etc.), kinda hard te learn at first (the manual sucks), great midicontrol, decent layout, 5 dedicated dataentry rotary knobs (which are a bit sluggish every now and then..) decent midsized graphic display but i prefer editting in soundforge...(it's the way i grew up....)the a4000 biggest flaw are it's SLOW and buggy scsi transfer...and it't unorthodox way of doing things is a bit of a turn-off for the akai/emu crowd...
I returned my esi for the a4000 beacuse it has sooooo many more options and ways to fuck up samples and play them back i ways that are just beyond belief. and it has a powerfull, pucnhy and clean sound with all the bottom you'll need.... oh and it has a built in EQ for EVERY INDIVIDUAL SAMPLE WHICH IS ACE!...but still the esi is the sampler that does pretty much any thing you want in the most reliabel easy to use way i can think of....it's comparing a tiger tank to a volkswagon stagion or no....aaah never mind.....
what will you be using it for?