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AKAI S3000XL

Rackmount Sampler

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AKAI S3000XL
380.00 street price

The Akai S3000XL sampler shares its physical appearance with the S2800 rather than the S3000. The front panel features a power switch, headphone socket, and display contrast control that doubles as a backlight switch. Eight mode buttons control basic operations, while a 260x64px LCD display dominates the center, with eight function keys below (though these don't align perfectly with on-screen options).

The rear panel offers eight separate audio outputs plus master left/right, balanced quarter-inch jack inputs, digital I/O via phono connectors, SCSI port, and MIDI In/Out/Thru. The unit is compatible with S900/ S950, S1000/ S1100, S2000/ S3000/ S2800 library material, though effects files aren't transferable.

Sampling follows familiar Akai principles, with automatic or MIDI-triggered recording in mono or stereo from analog or digital inputs. However, the unit struggles with 48kHz sampling from DAT machines. Sample editing features include trimming, looping (with zero crossing detection and crossfade options), splicing, sectional editing, and volume normalizing. The machine offers timestretching, re-sampling, and single-band equalisation as offline processing options.

The S3000XL includes a standard 12dB/octave resonant low-pass filter, with an optional IB304F filter adding high-pass, band-pass, and EQ capabilities at the cost of two voices of polyphony. Keygroups allow for sample mapping, velocity switching, and individual effects routing.

The new Multi mode is a significant improvement, offering 16 slots with independent MIDI channel assignments, key ranges, volume, panning, and effects routing. The optional EB16 effects processor provides four parallel stereo effects buses - two multi-effects processors capable of six simultaneous effects, and two dedicated stereo reverbs. While the distortion could be improved, the ambient reverbs and rotary speaker simulation are particularly impressive.

Additional features include SMF (Standard MIDI File) playback for live performance use, hard disk recording (though limited to one take at a time), and Flash ROM capability for retaining 8MB of samples when powered off. The unit comes with MESA Macintosh editing software, though PC support is notably absent.

Key limitations include the continued use of Akai's proprietary disk format (no MS-DOS support for samples), lack of onboard effects in the standard configuration, and sometimes cumbersome interface navigation. However, with the EB16 effects board installed, the S3000XL becomes a powerful production tool that represents a significant upgrade from previous Akai samplers.

If you wish to buy this machine nowadays, pay attention to its display and the backlit, often non-functioning, also to the PSU.

Country of origin / production: Japan

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Usage area
Sound Module/ Tone Generator 
Sampler 
Usage Design/ Form Factor
Rackmount, 2U 
Archetype
Digital (D) 
Polyphony
Voices32
Multi Timbral Capacity16 part(s)
Tone Generator / Sound Synthesis
Synthesis Method Digital Subtractive
Filter
Digital (DCF) 
High-pass Filter (HPF) 
Low-pass Filter (LPF) 
Band-pass Filter (BPF) 
Modulation
LFO: LFO Count2
Sampler
Sampler Format Linear
Sample Format Custom
Sample Memory32 Mb
MIDI in/ out
IN 
OUT 
THRU 
Display
Display type LCD
Color resolution Monochrome
Resolution: Horizontal240
Resolution: Vertical64
Audio out
Stereo 
Analogue: 1/4" (6.35mm)8
Audio in
Analog 1/4"2
Computer Interfaces
SCSI 
FDD 
HDD 
Power
Voltage 230V
Voltage 100V
Voltage 115/117V
Case/ body
Metal 
Color
Grey 
Beige 
Production start1996
Production end1997
Production ended

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  • enpdf2.2Mb Akai S3000XL Operator's Manual