Emu hardware samplers...?

kama

kama

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I've gotten the chance to buy me a used EMU E4X sampler. Now I know that it's a chore to work it compared to soundforge or any computer software for that matter, but I'm really looking to change my workflow in some radical way and I've come to the conclusion that this is it. Haven't paid for it yet but I'm pretty sure my offer for it will stand and I'll be getting the thing next week.

My main question is about the SCSI interface. I'm not sure if I can squeeze in another PCI card on my computer, but I've read that there are USB to SCSI adapters out there, waiting for my needs. If anyone here has used one, do they work alright with oldskool samplers? I think using the floppy drive for sample moving will prove too much of a hassle for me, as I don't even have one in my PC!

But if anyone has any good pointers, links for resources, guides, tutorials etc. I'd be very thankful.
 
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first of all, www.emusonacid.co.uk
ive got the e6400 and an scsi drive which i dont use. i sample straight into the machine and record it back on the computer and when i turn off the sampler it resets.
its worth it, the exciter alone is amazing. its (the emu sampler) the key to the 90s techstep sound, and any other sound too for that matter. long as you have a midi contorller to hook up the filters to youll have a real good time with it. it can seem daunting at first but really, its ssoooo simple to work with
 
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hmm alright... I was thinking I'd use it as an output device, transferring the samples in there with SCSI but outputting them from the physical outputs to my mixer. So you're saying the "emu sound" lies within the input converters then?
 
hey kama,

did u buy the sampler? how's your workflow with it? I own an esi32 with fx board and scsi zipdrive and scsi pci card blabla. it was quite a pain in the ass to get it working and in the end it didn't work out the way I wanted it. e.g. you cannot write on the esi's hd with your pc or creating presets and managing them takes time until u get experienced with this device.

but on the other hand, the filters are great as well as the lo-fi sounds in 8 or 16 bit.
soundforge works fine to dump samples into your esi, there are two options 1. midi 2. scsi
1. terribly slow
2. as said before, once working quite nice!! :rinsed:

here are some links that helped me with my esi
http://www.tweakheadz.com/scsi_transfer_pc_to_emu_sampler.htm

this one's in german, let me know if u need help with it!
http://www.memi.de/makers/hwsw/tips/esi+pc.html

ez!
 
It's working quite alright, already did an element to a track with it. I don't use it live in my productions, because FL can't auto-compensate for the delay the HW loop introduces.

I realized i dont really need the scsi as logikz commented, things just sound so much better when i resample something into it via the inputs, then do the changes i want (filter fx exciter whatever). The midi connection was a tough nut to crack, as i didn't want to connect my keyboard solely to control the sampler, i also want to control softsynths and what have you, so i hooked up the sampler to my soundcard's midi out and have a midi out channel in fruity that controls that particular midi device. I haven't figured out yet how to use knobs in this manner tho.

HAve a problem with the left input now, so it's unhooked at the moment. i'm gonna open it up and see what's the deal.
 
bro, thats the simplest thing, all you need to do is assign midi A to like controller 56 in the master menu and then in cords you run midi a to cutoff or what have you. sample in mono if the left input is broken, gives you double the sample time anyway.
 
yes, but like pads in mono do in fact suck!

you could as well use a midi patchbay - in case you plan to buy more midi-outboard-stuff you should use one. look for the midi assignment or midi controller numbers in your esi's manual assign them to your (virtual) midi knobs in your DAW and then u have it! :)
 
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