Quality costs - fact. And when it comes to quality sounds for your synth or sampler, the best noises really cost. At £9 for one set of disks (each holds between one and four samples, depending on how memory intensive the data is) Metro Sounds Studiosamples series for the Ensoniq range are by no means the cheapest available, but thankfully, their quality goes a fair way towards compensating for your empty wallet.

The Series III range is available in both Akai S1000 and Ensoniq EPS16+ formats (the latter being compatible with the ASR-10 as well). However, while the Akai versions boast between five and eight samples per disk, the cumbersome disk protocol used by Ensoniq means that much less data can be stored on each floppy. Thus, large samples end up being saved across multiple disks. Metro promise, however, that they are looking into this disparity.

Returning to the sounds themselves, it's perhaps worth repeating how high the quality of Metro's products is. I auditioned an assortment of disks, broadly representative of the whole range, which included sounds such as Hammond Organ, Strings, Grand Piano, Bebop Jazz Sax and Drums and Rhodes piano. Overall, Metro have done an admirable job of sampling the instruments - the Hammond is rich and 'meaty', the jazz sax rasps very sexily, and the Rhodes piano clunks along nicely. But the real highlight of the series has to be the string section samples; these are definitely the smoothest, richest string pads I have heard an Ensoniq produce to date. Full marks.

So while Metro still have to sort out the price-per-disk niggles to bring the Ensoniq versions in line with those of the Akai series, there is still plenty here to be positive about. If you want studio-quality sounds, but don't want to get wrapped up in signal matching, multi-sampling and intensive tweaking check out Metro's offerings. The best cuts are always worth that little bit more.

THE LAST WORD

Usefulnesse Who doesn't need more sounds?
Value for money Pricing needs sorting out
Star Quality Er... Rick Wakeman uses them
Price £9 per set of disks
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