RS7000

Back in 2001, this workstation grabbed attention by packing a full-blown sampler, sequencer, and synth into one box, letting producers slice beats and tweak sounds on the fly without a computer in sight.

At its core is a 62-voice AWM2 tone generator loaded with 1054 preset voices and 63 drum kits, paired with six filter types like 24dB low-pass and band-pass for serious sound sculpting. The 16-track sequencer holds up to 200,000 notes at 480 ppq resolution, supporting pattern chaining, real-time overdub, and grid step recording, while the integrated sampler starts at 4MB (expandable to 64MB for about 6 minutes of 44.1kHz stereo) with auto-beat slicing and loop remix tools. Hands-on control shines through 18 assignable knobs for LFO, filter, EG tweaks, plus four mixer knobs and two pads, all on a sturdy desktop unit with stereo audio I/O, dual MIDI outs, and four effects blocks including 92 variation types. Polyphony hits 62 notes multitimbral across 16 parts, with master EQ and track-specific processing for polished mixes.

Over two decades on, it's earned a cult following among groovebox fans for its intuitive workflow and dancefloor-ready sounds—think Hardfloor-era techno—though some note the dated screen and expansion needs as quirks of its vintage charm.