Auditioning Akai Samples on the Vintage 12-Bit X7000

Today I am exploring selected standard library samples on Akai X7000. The sounds came w/ my Gotek USB floppy emulator. Recorded direct on iPhone via EPM6 mixer via Go:Mixer:Pro-X. Industrial basses, strings, synths, plucky things, a couple of weird sound fx. This sampler, other gently pre-owned gear, and my hand-made eurorack modules are all currently available for sale in my Reverb store.

AKAI SOUND LIBRARY
0:00 Electric Bass
0:08 Hi String
0:23 Haunting Fifths
0:37 EMS
AKAI VARIOS
0:47 BBrass
0:54 Big Anna (+Eutopic glitched loading)
1:15 CMI Atmosphere
1:29 CMI Choir
1:37 CMI Sararr
1:42 D50 Fantasia
1:56 Depeche
2:05 DX7 Funk Bass
2:13 Eminent
2:23 Eutopic
2:35 Juno Max
2:45 Mega Bass
2:54 PPG Bass
LA STUDIO
3:03 Classical Guitar I
3:15 Double Bass
3:23 Armageddon

Mangling Audio w/ Akai S612 Audio Demo

Taking an Akai S612 lofi sampler for a spin, various audio sources. Manipulating sample start/end splice points in real time, very few instruments have this ability. Recorded direct via Roland GO:MIXER Pro-X to iPhone.

Be sure to check my cool Eurorack Modules in my Reverb Store.

Kawai K1m Retro Digital Synth Euphoria Desktop Module

Today I'm auditioning my original patches made for the Kawai K1m. A very limited digital synth from the 90s. And yet after digging into the architecture was able to harness some very powerful and unique features that are really, I mean, REALLY surprising. You'll hear some cheesy things, some pads, basses. And then there's fat poly action, swirling digital synth soundscapes. And alive motion things that are frankly astounding for such an unassuming little black box. Try to keep in mind when you hear the Mesmerized patch - the K1m has no sequencer nor arpeggiator. No freely assignable LFOs, just a fixed vibrato and that's it. And NO filter ha! Be sure to watch the whole video, lots of my favorites are on the 2nd half starting @3:19. My favorites are Head East, LA Sunset, Liquide and Mesmerized...which ones did you like?

0:00 Steamy
0:22 StringSyn
0:32 MicroMacro
0:45 Meekly
1:04 Spokes
1:18 Bedtime
1:39 SynViolin
1:49 Deep State
1:58 ChordLock
2:08 Sunrays
2:21 StringPad2
2:40 Sine Tones
2:51 ReedyBass
2:57 LectroKeys
3:18 TreeOfLife
3:45 Worn Tape
4:09 Ramp Me!
4:27 Italio
4:42 Hunter Bass
4:52 FlrscntBass
5:02 LA Sunset
5:43 Liquide
6:27 FuturChopz
6:42 Big Chill
7:10 Digipad
7:22 Fat Poly
7:43 Fat Punch
7:50 Head East
8:21 Night Sky
8:37 Artifakt
9:10 Mesmerized

Recorded direct, only the onboard effects are used. No other mastering or effects have been added.
Be sure to check out my Reverb Store for cool eurorack modules and gently owned gear for sale.

E-MU ESI-32 for Pure Lofi Sampler Bliss [Demo]

Today I'm exploiting the ESI-32 rack sampler for lofi/crunchy/funky sound in multi-timbral mode. Drums were sampled at mono 22K then downsampled to 12K bandwidth, everything else down to 8K. All you're hearing is the ESI-32 sampler including built-in chorus, and internal LFO applied to autopan/vibrato. The audio was recorded direct to Tascam DR-05, no additional effects or mastering.

ESI-32: bit of an underdog, in that early 90s era when samplers started to overcome their limitations of memory, bandwidth, storage media, and processing capabilities. At a fraction of the current selling price for other vintage samplers of the late 80s that preceded it.

Erica Synths Sample Drum USER REVIEW Eurorack [Pt. 2/2]

Today I am continuing my user review of the Erica Synths Sample Drum. I will be covering the On-Board Effects, CV Mapping, Performance Mode, Saving Projects, and global settings. Along the way I'll try a couple of interesting experiments using the features covered. Be sure to hang around for the end of the video where I'll share my final thoughts.

Audio samples were recorded and processed in ocenaudio.

0:00 Opening Intro
0:52 On Board Effects
1:35 CV Mapping
3:18 Sample Drum as an Oscillator?
4:44 Performance Mode
5:26 Saving Projects
6:21 Mult-sampled Instrument Project
7:45 Global Settings
9:04 Final Thoughts

Recorded direct to Tascam DR-05.
No outboard effects nor processing of any kind.

Akai S900 Sampler Floppy Disk Drive Cleaning [No Soldering]

Floppy Drive on your S900 not working?
Does it take a while to warm up before the floppy starts working right?

You may be able to bring your disk drive back to life and/or improve its performance with a little cleaning and maintenance. In this video I show how the S900 floppy drive can be removed and cleaned with some simple tips.

Why would anyone want to mess w/ archaic floppy disk drives? While USB drive emulators are available which greatly increase the convenience and storage capacity of sample banks...
For me it's nostalgia. I just like floppies, you can still find boxes of blank floppies at thrift stores and garage sales. I also still use cassette tapes, some vinyl, and still buy CDs as well.

These tips may not guarantee results in every situation. The S950 and other samplers may differ in design/construction. However, these tips may possibly help you with other devices like E-mu, Ensoniq, Kawai, etc.

Beware! If you're not confident or experienced in electronic disassembly or repair, there's no shame in taking your sampler to a qualified technician. Floppy drives are delicate and have easily broken parts and bezels. You MUST unplug your sampler before attempting any service inside. Take all necessary precautions regarding static electricity discharge so as to not damage any sensitive electronics inside.

ARP Solina String Synthesizer On Ensoniq EPS 16 Plus [2/2]

This is a quick follow up to the last Ensoniq EPS 16+ Sampler demo. In my previous EPS 16 Plus demo it was suggested I use a phaser to help give the sound some movement. After all it worked for Jean Michel Jarre on his Eminent. I'm in luck! I happen to have a Boss PH-2 Super Phaser. I also use my delay trick from my previous PH-2 demo to help widen the stereo image a bit.

Sampling ARP Solina String Synthesizer On Ensoniq EPS 16 Plus

Today I am messing around with a vintage Ensoniq EPS 16 Plus sampler. These were made around 1990 (27 years ago!) and are an excellent crunchy sampler alternative to Akai S-900 and E-mu Emulator. For this video I sampled an ARP Solina String Ensemble. This is less of a tutorial and more of a comparison. Does the sampler do the Solina any justice? Check it out and see. Be sure to click 'LIKE' and thanks for watching.