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.