Back in 2000, this box brought DJ scratching and groove magic to a compact desktop module, turning bedroom producers into instant beat jugglers without needing turntables or deep skills.
It runs on Yamaha's punchy AWM synthesis engine, delivering 32 polyphonic voices across 180 waveforms plus 23 drum kits and 72 drum sounds—think gritty techno tones echoing the AN1x and CS1x era. The heart is its Pattern Player with 70 presets, each offering 10 variations for 700 dance grooves total, plus 5 user patterns and Activator kits packing loops, one-shots, and effects triggers. Hands-on controls shine: a dedicated Scratch Pad for realistic vinyl-style scratches (resume playback on release), Isolator knobs for 3-band EQ (Low/Mid/High), Part knobs tweaking level, cutoff, and resonance on filters, plus real-time effect knobs for 10 types like distortion, flanger, phaser, and lo-fi via toggle switch. BPM syncs internally (32-280 bpm via tap or dial) or locks to external audio from CDs/vinyl using the Audio BPM counter and sense knob; a data wheel, ribbon-like controls, and 18KB performance recorder (6 pads, ~2500 events) round it out. Compact and boxy with 1 stereo out, built-in speakers on the keyboard sibling, but this module's all about rack-ready DJ tweaks—no editable voices or deep sampler, just an 8-bit sampler for quick hits.
Over two decades on, it's a cult favorite among groovebox hunters for those tactile, no-fuss live twists and MIDI clock sync that glue it to modern rigs—folks love the cheesy-yet-killer Detroit patterns and filter mangles, though some note the limited editing keeps it fun over fiddly.
