E-MU E-Synth

Very intuitive and easy to use. Emu products always seemed more user friendly to me than Akai or roland. I liked that I was able to figure out how to use it without having to dig into a manual.

8 outputs, Built in filters and effects, powerful sequencer. The Esynth is a combination of the best sampler Emu ever produced(E4) along with a built in set of bread and butter sounds. The sonic quality of this sampler is the best I've ever used. It has sweet sounding A/D D/A converters along with very warm sounding filters. Whatever you put into this thing is going to come out sounding fat unlike akai samplers which always seemed to thin out the sound to my ears. The only advantage akai had was a larger sample library but what's awesome is that you can load akai samples into the esynth!

The built in sounds cover a lot of ground and are very useful. It has one of the fattest sounding moog bass patches I've ever heard! A friend of mine has a nord, but when we did a project together, we chose the Esynth every time. As for the sampling, it doesn't get any better sonically. I enjoy sound design and creating my own samples from scratch and the emu is still the best tool for that. If you are talking about sample libraries, the possibilities are endless when you consider that you can use both Akai and Emu sample disks.

Rock solid, never a problem

Never had to deal with them so I don't have an opinion here.

Best Sampler ever made in my opinion! I got a steal on it considering I got an external hard drive, external cd rom player, and a huge sample library.

Rack unit...just got it, haven't read the manual, not spectacularly intuitive. I love the Darwin and the the look is very similar.

big logical Kurzweil-ish display and not excessive info (like a Z1).

there have been comparisons to the K2k, and I think that's a good comparison, though I'll take the K2k anyday. But this machine is right up there, the sounds are high audio quality, on par with a WSA or Novation A-Station, but not quite as good as a Nord or Kurzweil. And the presets are great. Can't wait to dig deeper.

arrived in the mail with one thin layer of small bubble-wrap around it in a box. Still working 100+%. Amazing.

n/a

A-...this is a keeper 'til it just doesn't work anymore, I'm so happy to get a synth that I instantly love. It's still very early, but I'll put it in the top 5 synths (and samplers) I've ever played.
Some very minor Cons: noisey fan, not greatly intuitive, takes up a lot of rack space (3sp)

My keyboard is running EOS 4.62, which is the latest EOS version for non-ultra machines. Pretty simple and logical layout, which makes it much easier for a beginner like me! The manual is pretty in-depth and helps a lot, but due to the powerful nature of this beast, it's never going to be REALLY simple to use.

Great features, considering this is a 10 years old board now (2008): 64 voice poly, great effects, built in SCSI-2, multiple outputs, S-PDIF in and out. Can also accept sampling RAM upgrades (to 128MB), extra ROMS and Flash RAM expansion. Very powerful 48-track sequencer. The keyboard action is the best I've used - very solid and has a real 'quality' feel to it.

Since it's a sampler, the sky's the limit really. But the E-Synth does have 16MB (I think) of built in sample ROM, which has some great sounds. Plus it can accept extra ROMs - mine has a 16MB Proteus ROM also. The system allows for very flexible modulation routing and has superb sample editing and patch creation features. Most of the internal presets are great - special mention to "Ode to You and I", which is almost a complete soundtrack in a single patch! Certainly one of the most Jaw-dropping patches I've come across on ANY machine for a long time...

As others have said, it's built like the proverbial tank! Weighs a ton, but it's obviously been made to last. I'd say it's as dependable as you can get for a keyboard synth/sampler.

E-mu still have software updates and PDF copies of the manuals (PROPER PDFs too, not the crappy photocopies you get for Rolands and other machines!)

If it were nicked, I'd just pop down to the nearest A&E to see if anyone had been recently admitted for a double-hernia and slipped disc - it would be very hard to pinch! I've only been an owner for a short time, but this is one of those machines that's definitely a 'keeper'. It's the same sort of machine as the Kurzweil K2500, but I'd say it would eat a Kurzweil for breakfast! Also a bit of a rarity (the E-Synth keyboard version) and has the cachet of being the last great sampling keyboard produced by E-mu! A future classic!

The board is very stright forward - thinks up front with you. The customizable buttons (3+3) will take you anywhere you wish by programming them in the master setup - completely open architecture subject to instant change (very tech cool). The presets are complete and lush, and easily overlayerd / cross-bred. Literally, anything you can think of, you can set up for studio or live. Presets, multi's, splits, samples, sequences, - it's all there. The manual is very good. There is simply a lot to learn, and use...

The action has it all - velocity, aftertouch, and any modulation routing you can imagine over any key zone. Effects are par for the day. The sequencer is terribly deep and powerful... scary until you take the time to set up a "preset" sequence or two for the most common types on tracking you may do (voices, tracks, tempos...). This reads standard midi files, and translates Akai and other EMU samples. - not bad.

The sounds are as good as you feed into the unit, get on CD, translate in from other sources, or record / sample yourself. Very good a/d+d/a converters - very clean and quiet. The on-board flash samples are quite complete enough to get where you want in a hurry, phat.

The only issue I've ever had with Emu gear is power, live gigs. Get a UPS system if you play a lot live - the "reboot" time will fry you live if the light guys blows circuits all the time with his 81 par cans. Damn light guys... Other than that, every Emu unit I've had has taken a lickn' and kept going like a trooper (Emax, Esi-32, E-synth).

The occasional question for things like "why does the software do this...?", or "can I get ther from here - the manual does not address this wierd setup..." were always met with knowlegable people who gave a crap and came up with intellegent answers. Short wait times on hold. These circumstances were around the Creative Labs takeover, hopefully no change since.

If EMU came out with another monster like this... YES - I'd buy another in a heartbeat. This unit was (I think) ahead of its time, it is a Triton / Motif / Phantom total sampling workstation predating the big boys currently in the field. This unit is rather "below the radar". That's why I got it so comparatively cheap - the sales person did not know what he was selling me (purchased about July, 2001, I think). For what I paid - this thing was miles ahead of its time and bang for buck ratio. It still rocks.

Version 4.01a. Very easy to use, especially for a sampler. It's also a synthesizer, though, but with the split-key-assignment flexibility of a sampler. Very powerful and easy. The presets sound great--this synth was made back when E-mu cared about sound quality. Editing is so easy and powerful, though, that you really need to make your own sounds. The LCD responds a little slowly to button presses, but if that's the worst complaint I can come up with.... The manuals (one for the keyboard, one for the OS) are PDF files--easier searching, harder to read, a bummer to print out. I haven't used a patch editor, but I hear that SoundDiver is very good.

64 voices, which is fine. The keyboard action is fantastic! Just great. Every keyboard that's not piano-weighted should be this good. I was shocked by the comparatively cheap feel of a Kurzweil K2600 I played in a music store. This keyboard is solid and firm, semi-weighted, but still fast. It feels like a real instrument, not like a disposable piece of junk (like a Korg Triton, for instance). Effects are pristine E-mu quality, MIDI controller features are extensive and flexible. The 48-track sequencer doesn't really compare to a computer screen and a software sequencer, but there are two things to remember: 1. for all the tweaking you can do with a software sequencer, it's often faster and easier to fix mistakes by just playing the part again, and 2. this sequencer is perfect for gigging because it reads/writes SMFs and it can store 50 or so sequences. I installed a 2 gig internal hard drive myself, at a cost of ~$10 and 20 minutes of my time. What's cool is that the hard drive can be put to sleep, so it doesn't make noise when you're not using it. Expansion is via SCSI. Since things are moving to USB now (mid-2004), SCSI stuff may be a little harder to find. But small external external hard drives are now ridiculously cheap on Ebay. Connecting to a computer via SCSI is possible, although you might have to click your heels, invoke a goddess or two, and sacrifice a goat to get it set up the first time. USB is definitely easier, but SCSI is fine once you get it going. And I paid about 1/8 the price of a USB-equipped Fantom/Triton/Motif!

It comes with a great collection of bread-and-butter presets, including some evolving, WaveStationy pads that still impress today, 8 or so years after this keyboard came out. There aren't nearly as many presets as on today's workstations, but it would be a waste to use this keyboard for Rhodes emulations. Acoustic pianos aren't so great, strings and guitars are great, sound effects rock, drums are very powerful. This is pristine, pro-quality Emulator IV sampling. The Z-plane filters mangle sounds in a delicious way, and doppler, exiters, transform multipliers, and such all make for a unique sound. Not until the V-synth has the line between sampling and synthesizing been so blurred.

This thing is a battering ram. Solid, sturdy, and tough, but still sleek and not too heavy. (I'm not sure what reviewers below were talking about when they call it heavy. At 32# or so, it's no heavier than any other 76-key keyboard, and much lighter than a K2600 or any digital piano.) This thing will be around for decades.

They used to be one of the best in the business, but then they were bought by Creative, the makers of Nomad mp3 players. They dropped all their pro gear (and accompanying support), and started selling groove boxes and cheap romplers. I think even those may now fall by the wayside as they focus on the Emulator X software sampler. Don't expect any help at all from them at all for older gear like this; even for the Emulator X, don't expect people who take pride in their products like those that E-mu used to employ. Creative doesn't seem to think that's profitable.

A classic hardware sampler, and a true musical instrument. Unlike software "samplers," this one actually samples. Plus it's a flexible and unique synthesizer and the best MIDI controller I've ever seen. I'd have paid more for a soundless version just to use as a keyboard controller. I'd totally buy it again if I had to--if given a choice between a free E-synth or a free Fantom X/Triton/Motif, I'd pick the E-synth. It doesn't have some of the features of today's workstations, but who cares? Great music can be made without D-Beams and Glowing Pads. The only modern feature that I miss is a USB port, or maybe smartmedia instead of floppies. I've been playing non-professionally for ~10 years, and I also own a Waldorf XT, a Waldorf Q, and a Roland RD700. I'm saving up for a Poly Evolver.

The most user friendly interface around.

64 voices is plenty.- 128 is too much. It's like having 4 Emulator III's but with more flexibility. The Dual onboard Effects are superb. Better than anybody elses. Kurzwiels, Roland, you name it, others effects dont hold a candle to the EMU.
Expansion possibilty is there and easy to aquire- CD ROMS, storage devices (zip drives) -plus it reads any format out there.
The 76 semi weighted keyboard is still the best available today. This keyboard is so solid and the action is so great we have two of them in the studio. Traded the overpriced K2600 on another one because we've spoiled the two guys that play keys and they won't play on anything else now. Yes that is an "opinion" -but our studio has seen every board produced in the past 15 years come through here and we still prefer the E-synth over the newer stuff being produced today. It is a superb controller keyboard - and durable as a tank. Sequencer is super simple to use. Just like a tape deck -big easy to use buttons - much like on their Darwin Hard disk Recorder.

Great sound. Kurzwiel, Korg and roland make decent sounding boards, in fact some of the greatest sounds I have heard - but the emu will replicate and exceed your expectations. Warm, rich full sound. Classical instruments, lush pads, string string strings!!! synth textures, sub basses you name it. Plus With the powerful effects its simple to create tottally ditorted fuzzy guitars or what have you. Filters are unreal and contort a sound into a new texture easily. Plus the 4 realtime sliders as easily assignable to control any parameter you want and the thumby button is great for tremelo or any adding mass amounts of effects easily. Huge fun factor. The best thing is even if it didn't have great sound the wonderful solid keyboard as a controller is worth the price alone.

Like I said -These units are built like a tank. Gig with no worries. As a studio piece it will outlast you. Easily. The keys have been played on everyday for 3 years now and they still feel new. None sag, and the newer of the boards feels the same as the one one under heavy use. Emu built this unit to last.

These have never broken and we have made all upgrades ourselves. I have talked with emu in the past and thier support team knows what they are talking about. Better than any other manf. That's for D*%& sure.

Superb proffesional board -Easy to use, moreover its fun, sounds fantastic and it has the best keyboard action out there. Worth twice the amount and you can find them for relative bargains these days. Pick one up. You won't regret it.

I have upgraded to the latest operating level 4.01 (I believe).
The presets are usable live. Even though the board is
3 years old, the presets sound good. Editing patches isn't too complicated,
especially for a sampler. As far as the manual goes...I hate manufacturers that
make you download their manual from the web. It's so much easier with a hard
copy of the manual, I ended up printing it out and it is over 400+ pages.
This was my first sampler and the manual definitely helped out in every aspect.

I didn't like the keyboard action at first, but it is growing on me.
I have many different keyboards that I play, but would have to say I like
my Roland A-70 keyboard the best. I wish this board had a little more key weight to it.
The sequencer is only a scratch one at best. It is very easy to use, but does not go
as in depth as I would like it to. Oh well, it gets the idea recorded, good enough for me.
Expansion capabilities are excellent. I have a 250MB Zip Drive, CD-Rom drive, and
increased memory. The SCSI port is great, as well as all of the outs (8 analog total).

This sampler will sound as good or as bad as you want it to. Very easy to
import samples, loop, edit, all that fun stuff. This board works great for
all types of music. On board effects are pretty good, considering it's age.

I have only had this keyboard for about a month, yet it is working out great.
I have a hard case for it, and transport it from home, to practice, to gig.
No problems as of yet. It is a heavy keyboard and seems to be made well.
One time when moving it through my house, I hit the corner on my wall. Well, there
was bits of my wall on the keyboard, but no damage to the board! I am hoping to gig
with only this one keyboard but still take my Roland XP-30 just in case.

Customer support is top-notch. I have sent the company many, and I mean many e-mails
about every little thing, some stuff was probably even in the manual, and I have gotten a response back
in about 6 hours every time. Very helpful and easy to understand.
Could not ask for more

This keyboard is my favorite one I have right now. I have been playing for
almost 20 years now and have played many different boards, but this one is
head and shoulders above the rest!! As of right now, I also own a Roland A-70,
XP-30, and Juno 106, and an Alesis QS-6. This unit has taken my time away from
my other keyboards and I know that they are jealous.
Like I said before, this is a great keyboard and is everything I wanted it to be and more!!!

Software: OS 3.8

Presets are pretty good, but I always prefer to make my own.
Patch editor is superior. Instrument is extremely easy to use once
you've figured out how to make it sound: 000-999 PRESET are empty.
Scroll to 1000-1256, here they are! The rest was
straightforward:
I was resampling, editing the patches and setting global controls
in two hours.

PS I didn't get the manual since I've bought used keyboard.
I never dealt with EMU before. But even without the manual I could
find everything I wish.

Later I downloaded the manual from the net. The authors of
the manual knew what they did. Definitely, EMU is hiring
the best personnel here.

Polyphony: 64 espandable to 128
Effects: 2 at one time. But 4 submixes: you can put 20% of effect A
and 20% of B into first submix, 40&60 into second etc. Then let
different MIDI channels run through one of these four.

Keyboard sends vel. sens., aftertouch. Its 76-key semi-weighted
keys are definitly the best in the world. I played:
about 10 different acoustic pianos, many electronic
pianos from Yamaha,
Roland etc and, probably, all the synths on today's market : )
Here's my oppiniom: the keyboard action is superior!!!

No possibility to use 3 or more effects in realtime.
(Kurzweil K2000-K2500 can't more than one,
Akai S5000- more than zero; thus it's not an exclusive
drawback :)
You can
RESAMPLE instrruments with effects and use AS MANY EFFECTS AS YOU
want. You could get external effects as well.

Expansion capabilities are superior.

Onboard sequencer: is perfect. It makes all you could expect from
the best hardware sequencers available.

Sound engine (A/D D/A converters) are the best possible at all.

The Presets are extremely good. 255 instruments
in 16MB ROM. One instrument takes appr. 0.4 MB. Now listen to
the preset and imagine, how such instrument would sound
if you use 2 times more memory? 100 times more memory?
The E-synth can do that! Load sample!

If you listen to the presets carefully you'll
understand, that the hidden sonic power of E-synth is
enormous. Try to load a big sample of a god piano and you are
far away fom ANY dedicated electronic pianos.

This is true for any possible sound. With the possibility of
superior sample recording/playback you
are getting the best keybord/ workstation in the world.

No limitations for types of music. It depend on you and your
samples.

I has been looking for the good sound for years. Here's the
list of instruments I was considering and able to buy. I put
_my_ 10-point raiting based mainly on SOUND QUALITY,
features and, to some extent, price.

Korg Triton: attractive features. Awful sound. Yes, it is not
the problem with your ears. It's just awful sound.
generous 3points
300% overpriced

PS Korg 01/W and Korg Trinity sound better. The rest workstations
sound intolerably bad.

AkaiS6000- a good instrument. A HUGE lack in features.
you will need to buy everything but sampler with this
box. (keyboard, sequencer, mixer, effects, etc, etc).
Your room will be full of stuff and you will be lost forever
in wires.
Solid 7 points

RolandXV5080: attractive. But what's the matter with sound?
It's not as perfect as Roland climes. There's plenty of room
to make better instruments. I don't mean particular presets, but
overall impression from _sound engine_. In addition Roland doesn't
forget to put BAD sounds onboard and GOOD ones on the $$expansion
boards. (If they put from OK to GOOD sounds onboard, who would
go to buy the expansion boards? :)
It's a dirty trick, Roland. You could put GOOD sounds inside
and sell OTHER GOOD sounds on expansions. And check your
sound engine once again. It still needs polishing.
5 points

Yamaha A5000
Features are amazing. It can do everything. I don't know
if it's true, but I've heard that the processor is weak in
this series. Some people notice "uneven" playback. Since I
had severe timing problems with PSR synths and QX-series sequencer
from Yamaha,
I'm prone to belive in this and don't want to experiment with
my $$, taking into account problems of Yamahas I owned. Such
timing problem could be slightly noticeble for a beginner, but
it makes it completely impossible for a professional use.

0 points if it actually plays unevenly (try it yourself)
7 points if the rumors are just rumors

Kurzweil K2500.
MAX 48 voices polyphony. That's it. Price is insane.
Kurzweil has the best sound-reputation possible, but be carefull:
some other manufacturers already make _the same perfect_ sound
for MUCH less. And 48 voices: double the price of one the K2500:
you'll need two synths to play sequences.
K2600 also has 48 voices. It's amazing.

8 points.
But if you take the price into account: 4 points. OVERPRICED

EMU samplers: with 6400 or 4xt or E-synth you will
get the best sound/features possible. Check out the
price of 76-Key E-synth on www.emu.com and get shocked.

10 points, no hesitations.

Had problem with floppy. (Invalid folder etc.)
Fixed it by checking the wire contacts. Now
it works pefectly.

I wouldn't move it from studio.

Never dealt.

Marketing is weak: it's hard to find EMU in major shops
like Sam Ash or Guitar Center. You can find them on the Net.
But waht if someone wants to try it? EMU E5000, the only one
readily available in the Sam Ash stores in Chicago,
is never connected.
Nobody can help you with auditioning the samplers, bacause
all the Sam Ash and Guitar Center salespersons I was talking to
were infants in MIDI and electronic instruments at all.
It's not the EMU buisness to train terrible Sam Ash personnel.
But there should be a way to give potential buyers a chance
to actually listen to the EMU.
Unless it's theoretically impossible. : )


A positive side: www.emu.com has a lot of useful stuff for you

I have been playing for appr. 10 years.

It's the best sound you can buy for yourself. It provides the best
features as well.

If someone would ask me to exchange my E-synth for his keyboard
I would readily accept Kurzweil K2500 or K2600.
In order to immidiately sell the Kurzweil, buy E-synth again and
spend the extra $$$ for sample libraries : )

This is an incredibly easy synth to use. It's obvious that a lot of time when into making this keyboard (and the 4.01 EOS software) incredibly user friendly and accessible. The sequencer stands out as especially easy. It's a great tool for sketching out songs.

E-Synth has virtually every feature you could want for a main studio board--one of the best keyboards I've ever used (semi-weighted and, in my view, much better than the mushy weighted keys on a Kurzweil, Alesis, or Roland), first class on board effects, up to 128 MB of RAM, room for another ROM of dance/techno sounds, room for an onboard hard drive, a built-in SCSI connection for reading CD-ROMS, etc. I've never seen or played its equal.

This is an EIV, after all. Superb, especially the natural instruments such as guitar, strings, and piano. Plus, the audio quality is phenomenal. These sounds cut through a mix.

Seems rock solid. No problems to date.

No need yet

Looked all over, tried them all. This is the king of the workstation keyboards. Kurzweil is second rate compared to this.

The unit was really easy to use out of the box. SCSI devices where simply "plug and play." Editing samples and sounds did require that I pull out the manual which in my case is always a last resort thing!

This unit is basically an E4 with the effects chip and built in ROM. Comes with 64 poly and 16mb RAM can be expanded to 128 poly and 128 mb RAM. First thing I did was put in 64mb of RAM and add a CD-ROM and Hard Drive. The keyboard on it is one of the best made.

This box does everything. There is a huge library of E-MU sounds not to mention the Akai library or even Wave files. I can get the a 64 voice London choir chanting monks and deep Dutch techno synths all on the same machine and with full fidelity of the original. The Synthesis engine allows for a lot of waveform manipulation and there is a good amount of realtime control over things like filters using soft sliders. This machine is expensive but worth it.

I use this strictly in a studio setting so there's not a lot of abuse on it. It is built solid and it's quite heavy. E-MU has an excellent reputation.

E-MU has been very timley in OS upgrades and made them abailable on the web. They respond to e-mail - something not everyone does.

This if the flagship of our studio because it is so virsital. Not that you wouldn;t ever want other units, but you wouldn;t want to get rid of this one!

Having never used a hardware sampler before, I was both nervous and looking forward to using the E-Synth. Having heard good reports about the e-Mu sound library, I was looking forward to some killer sounds at my fingertips.... on neither of these issues was I the remotest bit disappointed! The sampler, presets and sequencer are easier to start experimenting with than your average kitchen appliance, yet there is enough depth and sheer power in this machine to keep the most hardened gear-head happy.

The basic unit comes with 64 note polyphony, with 64 complex filters of widely varying types (20+, including Morpheus-style Z-plane filters) a 76-note keyboard (which has excellent action despite not being piano-weighted),a large, backlit LCD screen, 2 powerful effects units with the requisite reverbs, delays, phasers, distortions etc (excellent quality of course), a powerful 48-track sequencer, 8 analogue outputs and a SP/DIF digital input/output. It's all extremely logical in operation and the entire keyboard is based around E-Mu's latest EOS 3 operating system, which is also used by the entire EIV range of samplers. If you grow out of the unit's basic capabilities, you can be safe in the knowledge that it can grow with you - up to 128MB or sample RAM, an extra 16 MIDI channels, another 64 voices, ROM upgrades, hard drive kits.... did I mention that it reads all the major sample formats (EOS, AKAI, Roland) without any fuss?

The "E-Mu Team" must have been trawling their archives for a good few months to select 255 pristine sounds to whet your appetite. 16MB of ROM is supplied as standard, and the standard is excellent! Punchy acoustic and grand pianos, succulent string/orchestral sections, a generous number of drum kits, the usual complement of organs, tubas, shamakamanototos and xylophones and the sheer programability of the whole lot means that there is a great deal to get out of the presets--- this is before even considering the sampling capabilities of this machine, which are among the most powerful available anywhere! Basically, the expressiveness of this keyboard is limited only by the person who is playing it. The E-Synth is as close as I have seen to a complete music production facility in one box.

Over the few months I have used the E-Synth, I have had few problems with it - by its nature it holds the majority of its information in a removable storage medium (I use a ZIP drive and find it excellent). It's a great machine for gigging, as up to 50 sequences can be held in memory at a time. The sequencer is as reliable as I have seen on any workstation, and I would have no qualms about using the keyboard as the centrepiece to a 'live' setup - although at 16kg it is also one of the heaviest synths I've ever used.

E-Mu have a good website and a customer helpline which I have personally never had to use! However, I have heard good reports about the tech support from fellow E-Mu users.

A few words to describe the E-Synth : Excellent, Powerful, Rugged, Superlative sound quality, Expandable, Very easy to use... one or two minor niggles aside, this machine is the business. The only things I wished it had are the things I can't afford to upgrade it to... yet!! Don't be put off by the price tag, as you will be getting the best Synth/Sampler combination around, with more features per kilo than anything I have played... and this is one HEAVY machine!