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Emulator, Emax, Mirage, Prophet 2000, Akai S900 and the Oberheim DPX-1 — instruments that changed the sound of pop, electronic and film music. A few facts about each one, and about how their sounds survived on floppy disks.
E-mu Systems’ first sampler, and one of the first samplers of any kind to reach studios beyond the very richest. 8-bit samples, 5.25-inch floppies, 2-, 4- and 8-voice models. Serial number 0001 went to Stevie Wonder; New Order, Tangerine Dream and Vangelis were among the other users.
In BHX-1: for reference only — the original DPX-1 did not read Emulator I disks either.
The successor that became one of the defining sounds of the mid-80s. Samples are stored as 8-bit companded data (DPCM, mu-255) at 27.7 kHz, and each of the eight voices runs through an analogue 4-pole SSM2045 low-pass filter — hence its warm, slightly grainy character. It cost $7,995. You can hear it on Peter Gabriel’s “Sledgehammer”, Pet Shop Boys’ “West End Girls” and the “Terminator” soundtrack, among many others.
In BHX-1: supported — HFE disk images (HxC, Gotek, DPX-1) and .EII banks; the “EII” path recreates the 8-bit companded character.
The Emulator II’s more affordable sibling: 512 KB of memory, 3.5-inch floppies and analogue filters, for $2,995 ($2,695 for the rack). Variants added a hard disk, additive synthesis (SE) and SCSI (Plus). In 1989 it was replaced by the 16-bit Emax II, which enjoyed an unusually long production run. Depeche Mode, Nine Inch Nails and the Beastie Boys were among its users.
In BHX-1: for reference only.
The sampler that made sampling affordable. It cost $1,695 when its competitors cost $8,000 to $28,000. Nearly 8,000 units sold in the first year and over 30,000 in total. 8-bit samples at a variable 10–33 kHz, 128 KB of memory, 8 voices and an analogue Curtis CEM3328 filter per voice. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Public Enemy’s producers The Bomb Squad were among its users.
In BHX-1: in development — the original DPX-1 read Mirage disks.
The sampler from Sequential, the makers of the Prophet-5. 12-bit samples at 15.6, 31.25 or 41.7 kHz, 8 voices and — true to Sequential — analogue filters and amplifiers that give it a warm sound. One of the earliest multitimbral samplers. A few months later came the Prophet 2002 rack version with twice the memory.
In BHX-1: in development — the original DPX-1 read Prophet 2000/2002 disks.
The rack sampler that started Akai’s dominance in studios in the second half of the 80s. 12-bit samples at a variable rate from 7.5 to 40 kHz, 768 KB of sample memory, 8 voices and 8 multitimbral parts. Simple to use and solid, it found its way into hip-hop, house and electronic studios — The Bomb Squad, Fatboy Slim, The KLF, Front 242, Enya and Tangerine Dream all used one. It was followed by the S950, which raised the sample rate to 48 kHz.
In BHX-1: in development — the original DPX-1 read S900 disks too.
An unusual instrument: it did not sample, it only played back. This 2U rack module read other manufacturers’ sampler disks — Emulator II, Prophet 2000/2002, Mirage and Akai S900 — complete with the loops, filtering and modulation stored on them, and played them through its own 12-bit engine. It had 8 voices, 4 multitimbral parts and room for 100 presets. For studios it was a way to use sound libraries without buying several expensive samplers.
I own a DPX-1 in which the floppy drive has been replaced with an HxC SD Floppy Emulator ↗. It is the starting point for Vintage Sample Player BHX-1: the digital side of the app recreates the behaviour of the DPX-1 software, and the analogue stage will be calibrated against this particular unit.
Emulator II banks (.EII) can be turned into DPX-1 floppy images for an HxC or Gotek emulator with the free BH Sample Disk Converter.
E-mu, Emulator, Emax, Ensoniq, Mirage, Sequential, Prophet, Oberheim and DPX-1 are trademarks of their respective owners. The names are used for descriptive purposes only.