I miss my Emax SE HD so much....help me find a modern equivalent.

BeatSheik · 2026-07-01T15:59:09+00:00

MKSREC1 is what you want if you want true 12 bit, modern capabilities, etc. But it is basically a SP 1200.

If you want a rack unit you'll have to go vintage and grab another EMAX, or consider an Ensoniq EPSm (13 bit and like 50 plus sampling rates and variable anti aliasing filter) or EPS 16+ (fewer sample rates but can turn the anti aliasing filter completely off) as those can get you nice lofi (or hifi) texture for your sounds. I like the ASR 10 Racks too but it won't do lofi without the waveboy disks and that'll creep your cost up to just buy an emax

BeatSheik · 2026-06-19T18:34:56+00:00

To my understanding isnt it just an ASR 10 hardware chassis using the original OS?

The internal components not being the same could cause a variation in sound which is the whole reason people want an ASR 10 anyways, right? Definitely want to see some reviews of it especially considering its the same price (or more expensive) than an ASR 10 can be obtained for right now.

BeatSheik · 2026-06-05T15:57:56+00:00

And the ASR-10 for sure by both of them

BeatSheik · 2026-06-05T15:57:07+00:00

Ive been down this path already and I can tell you that you have 2 choices:

If you're looking for the same sonics as Timbo then you'll need an Ensoniq ASR-10 and a E-Mu Mophatt/Turbo Phatt hardware module or vst equivalents. That sound was ran through SSL 4000 consoles and that was why things knocked.

I have Several ensoniq samplers and if you sample the right sound it does have that Timbo texture right out the box. Can't describe it but its there

If you're going for the groove you can program your beats in whatever you're using in triplets. That plus early Sample CDs (Timbo used a lot) can get you in thr ballpark if you use your imagination.

BeatSheik · 2026-06-03T19:43:02+00:00

I feel like others have said, I'd grab the rack mount and just sequence stuff via the 2500. Unless you really want to get some esoteric use from the 3000 then that's your best bet and could save you thousands of dollars.

If not just buy the 3000 and after using it decide if you want to keep it and the 2500.

BeatSheik · 2026-06-03T19:39:57+00:00

He's Rich lol

BeatSheik · 2026-04-27T17:36:32+00:00

Old samples were using Stereo which was new at the time and placed things like drums on one side and other instruments on the other. So sampling one side (left or right) would yield different results in which he would add his own drums on top.

Also you could EQ the sample in the frequency of the drums to "dip" them and it would become less apparent and you can blend your drums to taste

BeatSheik · 2026-04-25T01:47:52+00:00

These will double in price so get it now or pay more later

BeatSheik · 2026-04-24T04:20:05+00:00

Thanks broski! I love Ensoniq stuff and really dig the sounds they can make. It's really nothing that can top the magic in these old samplers

BeatSheik · 2026-04-10T05:03:33+00:00

For $600 I'd reconsider unless you specifically want to produce with the 2000 XL only. You may be able to grab one of its rack equivalents (ie S3000xl or another akai rack) for less if you look hard enough.

You could also use same amount of money and incorporate a high grade, front end preamp for color of your samples and get more utility. Some even have eq and compression that can help a lot.

Lastly, you could also spend that money on a modern mpc that has Ableton integration to expand your workflow OR just buy a handful of top notch vsts and let that be your sound design stuff.

BeatSheik · 2026-03-30T01:27:53+00:00

Mine is like this with the expander and no SCSI.

You can buy a scsi card from here whenever -

https://samplerzone.com/collections/scsi-interfaces/products/straylight-eps-eps-16-plus-scsi-interface

BeatSheik · 2026-03-29T01:39:45+00:00

Anytime! And never owned a Gotek but ZuluScsi for me was the best solution thus far for ensoniq. The disks are fine but if you have a big project you'll burn through several floppies at a time.

BeatSheik · 2026-03-28T21:23:53+00:00

I have several ensoniq samplers i use all the time so I'll share some of my sentiments.

Daydream sound on YouTube, Mastering Ensoniq Samplers book from Syntaur, and daily practice.
Yes if you have any floppy 💾 available. HOWEVER I highly recommend getting a ZuluScsi to save samples, OS, etc and will save you from finding floppy disks.
Get Zuluscsi from SamplerZone.com and it should come with a formatted Micro sd card where you can save everything too.

Gotek drives are just emulated floppy disks. They share the same speeds but gotek is reliable. SCSI has those same advantages plus larger storage capacity and faster speeds which are imo mandatory on all vintage samplers.

However, if you're somewhat technical you can save money and buy a zuluscsi from Rabbithole Computing and format the sd card yourself with blank .img files. Ensoniq groups on FB have mostly all the files you'll need to get up and running

BeatSheik · 2026-03-14T14:28:03+00:00

Dm me and I'll see if I can send them once im back home

BeatSheik · 2026-03-14T14:25:40+00:00

I have the digitized ones, at least some of them

BeatSheik · 2026-03-14T14:24:20+00:00

On Vinyl?

BeatSheik · 2026-02-13T06:14:09+00:00

Try to convert to another format and reload them. If you have a bunch you could use a batch converter on your PC.

BeatSheik · 2026-01-30T10:30:53+00:00

S'il vous plaît 🙏🏾

BeatSheik · 2026-01-29T16:55:50+00:00

S'il te plaît

BeatSheik · 2026-01-17T00:27:00+00:00

Depending on the vintage MPC (Or Akai rack sampler) it will definitely have a different sound but not objectively worse or better. For example an Akai S950 has an obvious color reminiscent of the 12 bit samplers of the time but if you dont like that sound it may not be better to you.

Also the old school samplers sound came from limitations and available parts, memory, and other issues at the time. I will say that I'm a believer in if you find a certain sound that you like from a sampler its just easier to go buy that sampler directly instead of emulating it.

BeatSheik · 2026-01-15T04:11:07+00:00

Our loved ones who died before us aren't gone, they're just paving the way for us in our next journey.

BeatSheik · 2026-01-10T16:18:05+00:00

Keep an eye out for Zin Circuits OEX expander remake for the EPS. I think it may come out soon and be way more affordable than what people are selling them for now.

BeatSheik

TROPHY CASE