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E-mu Systems E4X Emulator

Rackmount Sampler

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E-mu Systems E4X Emulator
600.00 street price

E-mu E4X/ E4X Turbo: Professional Sampling Powerhouse

The E-mu E4X/ E4X Turbo are cutting-edge 128-voice stereo samplers designed for professional musicians and sound designers. These high-end rackmount sampling workstations offer unprecedented flexibility, featuring a hard drive pre-loaded with top-quality sounds, 16MB of standard RAM (expandable to 128MB), and an integrated 18-bit effects board. Their standout features include 21 advanced Z-plane filters that provide extraordinary tonal manipulation, allowing musicians to craft unique sounds with remarkable clarity and warmth.
What sets the E4X apart is its modular design, enabling users to start with a more affordable base model and upgrade components over time. The sampler supports SCSI import of Roland and Akai sound libraries, offers digital I/O with AES/EBU and S/PDIF compatibility. Later versions of operating system (EOS 3.0+) delilvers advanced sequencing and MIDI control capabilities.

Key Specifications:

  • Modular, upgradeable design
  • Exceptional sound quality
  • Broad sound import compatibility
  • Sequencer in later OS
  • 21 advanced Z-plane filters
  • 128 voices
  • 16MB RAM (expandable to 128MB)
  • Expansion slots for Sound and Flash ROM
  • 1GB pre-loaded sound library on HDD which could be upgraded to a bigger size
  • Digital I/O (AES/EBU/S/PDIF)
  • SCSI compatibility

Some more details

The Emu E4X Turbo represents a significant milestone in professional music sampling technology, offering musicians and sound designers an incredibly powerful and flexible sampling workstation. At the heart of this device is a remarkable 128-voice stereo sampling system that pushes the boundaries of sound manipulation and creative audio production.

The sampler comes with an impressive hard drive pre-loaded with an extensive collection of high-quality sounds, providing users with an instant library of professional-grade audio material. Its standard 16MB of RAM can be expanded up to 128MB, allowing for increasingly complex and detailed sampling projects. The device features an integrated 18-bit effects board that delivers exceptional sound quality, combining crystal-clear sampling transparency with rich, warm tonal characteristics.

One of the most innovative aspects of the E4X Turbo is its modular design philosophy. Emu recognized that musicians often cannot afford top-tier equipment all at once, so they developed a system that allows users to purchase a base lower spec model and progressively upgrade its capabilities like RAM, ROM, Flash and HDD storage. This approach means musicians can start with a more affordable system and expand it over time, adding features like additional voices, DSP effects, and internal storage as their budget and needs allow.

The sampler boasts an impressive 21 Z-plane filters, a significant upgrade from previous models. These advanced filters provide unprecedented tonal control, allowing musicians to morph and manipulate sounds in ways previously impossible. From subtle EQ adjustments to complex formant filtering, the E4X Turbo offers a breadth of sound-shaping capabilities that set it apart from competing samplers.

Connectivity and compatibility are key strengths of the E4X Turbo. It features SCSI support for importing sound libraries from other manufacturers, including Roland S700 and Akai S1000/S1100 formats. The digital I/O options include AES/EBU and S/PDIF interfaces, with a software switch allowing users to easily change between formats. The device also demonstrates exceptional compatibility with Mac systems, solving many previous SCSI connectivity challenges.

The EOS (Emulator Operating System) version 3.0+ delivers enhanced capabilities, including the 48-track workstation/ sequencer, advanced MIDI controller functions, and support for computer-based preset editing. Additionally, E-mu introduced Sound ROM and Flash ROM expansion options, with the first Sound ROM board (E-Synth) offering over 700 new samples that effectively transform the sampler into a ROM synthesizer.

Users appreciate the five new distortion effects added to the system, which can transform virtually any sample into unique soundscapes. From classic clean sounds to heavy metal-style tones, these effects provide additional creative flexibility.

The Emu E4X Turbo stands as a testament to innovative music technology, offering musicians and sound designers a powerful, flexible, and future-proof sampling solution that served to push the boundaries of creative audio production by the time it was introduced.

Country of origin / production: USA

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More info
 
Usage area
Sampler 
Usage Design/ Form Factor
Rackmount, 3U 
Archetype
Digital (D) 
Polyphony
Voices128
Multi Timbral Capacity16 part(s)
Tone Generator / Sound Synthesis
Synthesis Method Digital Subtractive
Filter
High-pass Filter (HPF) 
Low-pass Filter (LPF) 
Band-pass Filter (BPF) 
2-pole 
4-pole 
6-pole 
Sampler
Sampler Format Linear
Sample Format Custom
Maximum Sampling Time94 sec.
Sample Memory128 Mb
Resolution 16 bit/ 22.05 kHz
Resolution 16 bit/ 44.1 kHz
Resolution 16 bit/ 48 kHz
MIDI in/ out
IN 
OUT 
THRU 
Display
Color resolution Monochrome
Resolution: Horizontal240
Resolution: Vertical64
Audio out
Stereo 
Dedicated output per voice 
Analogue: 1/4" (6.35mm)8
Analogue: 1/4" (6.35mm) headphones preamplified1
Audio in
Analog 1/4"2
Computer Interfaces
SCSI 
FDD 
Expandability
Sampler Memory Slot2
Preset Memory Slot/ Wave Expansion Board4
Power
Voltage 100-230(250)V
Case/ body
Metal&plastic 
Color
Black 
Production start1996
Production end1998
Production ended

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