Akai S950
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Formant024
Digital Smokerings
ill o.g.
Emu Emax, gets you closer to the SP1200 sound, Korg DSS-1, AKAI S612/S700/X7000. Roland S750/770,W30.
If you get a S950 then make sure you have at least one memory expansion (EXM006) in there, but you can fit in 2 expansions.
If you get a S950 then make sure you have at least one memory expansion (EXM006) in there, but you can fit in 2 expansions.
I have an EMAX and an S900 (which is almost the same as the S950). The EMAX wins hands down, in terms of the grimy sound. The S900 sounds super grimy but the EMAX just takes it to a whole nother level. If you go for the EMAX make sure you get the EMAX I and not the EMAX II, and try to look for a rack version.
The EMAX is also much much easier to use. Its easier and faster to make samples, to edit them, and to map them to the keyboard. And that's very important, the workflow is just way way better.
If you are after the sound quality only, then don't worry about having the memory expansion, just sample stuff into the S950 and then record it into your computer or sample it back to your MPC or your keyboard or whatever you use. If its gonna be your only sampler, then yeah get the S950 because it has the most memory.
I haven't tried the other samplers that formant mentioned, but you also have the Ensoniq Mirage/EPS/ASR-10/ASR-X, the Roland S550/S330/S50, the MPC60 (of course) and the Casio RZ-1. I had an ASR-X that's what I started on, I wouldn't describe it as grimy but it does have a nice sound to it. Sounded more analog than my partner's MPC2K did.
The EMAX is also much much easier to use. Its easier and faster to make samples, to edit them, and to map them to the keyboard. And that's very important, the workflow is just way way better.
If you are after the sound quality only, then don't worry about having the memory expansion, just sample stuff into the S950 and then record it into your computer or sample it back to your MPC or your keyboard or whatever you use. If its gonna be your only sampler, then yeah get the S950 because it has the most memory.
I haven't tried the other samplers that formant mentioned, but you also have the Ensoniq Mirage/EPS/ASR-10/ASR-X, the Roland S550/S330/S50, the MPC60 (of course) and the Casio RZ-1. I had an ASR-X that's what I started on, I wouldn't describe it as grimy but it does have a nice sound to it. Sounded more analog than my partner's MPC2K did.
Formant024
Digital Smokerings
ill o.g.
The mpc60 is a S700/S900/S950 engine, mpc3k is a S3200xl and the mpc2k(xl) has the S3000XL engine. The S3200xl along with the S1100 are one the nicest sounding old skool samplers, great converters and all options are in there already...I mean, these were the 10K samplers back in the day.
Formant024
Digital Smokerings
ill o.g.
S3200XL also has better converters, same with the S1100. Both also have HD recording and I believe you can fit both with a cardreader. The S1100 gets most points on quality but is somewhat limited due to its 16 voice polyphony, however, if you can find a S1100ex you can expand to 32 voices (3u rackmount, system can consist of 1 S1100 + 6 S1100ex's). Im sure the S3200XL is the engine of the MPC3k, the 2000 is a cutdown S3000 engine with cheaper converters. I have also heard that there are differences between japanese akai and none-japanese(?) mpc's in terms of quality.