E-MU E5000 Ultra

Sequencer is alomost none. FX are basic. Poly, MIDI timing and feel is great.No FM,no sync, no real synthesis engine, only volume and pitch and filter modulations available.

Makes sound a little dark. But it's a very fine instrument, way better than Korgs Tristons and Rolands JV/XV series, allows ultimate professional sound if you want to, and can; NOT A TOY.

Crashes sometimes. Not as solid as any German or Japan synth.

Delays with emails. HUGE.

A very neat machine. Core of my setup, including many other synths, ROMplers and VAs.

All otpions and sounds are WAY overpriced. You can search for free sounds online.

Free ready-to use EMU banks are found on Gehena's site or on http://alekkh.rbcmail.ru/
EMU's CDs are way overpriced and quality on them is mediocre.

(price includes RFX-32) (Units are cheaper now)

IT can be a snap,. or It can be almost like programming a computer,
It's up to you!! use you creativity!!

It am writing to update my review.

EOS 4.7 has enabled the resonance of the filters in real time now,.
and added several FX to RFX-32. plus FAT32 support!

I know personally decalair the EMU sampler + RFX chip to be the ULTIMATE hardware sampling FX combination this side of KYMA,. Absolutly amazing,. I'm still finding out cool things about this machine,.

Some people say,. oh "well it does not have" loop divide,. if these people knew how to use the quantizer module and the Sample start destination they would eat there words because I loop divide with it all the time,. EMU's are geared towards both samlping enthusiasts.,
and absolute sampler programming wizzards!,. AKAI' Z series have nothing on EMU (Except the RAM!!),. nothing at all,. No software sampler Kontact included comes close at all!!,. the realtime streach
on Kontact sounds awful!! (No variphrase here!)

Base Line: You may have to learn and get a little bit smart with you're EMU,. but what a pay off!! It's no wonder why the worlds best are using EMU,.

The EMU: An A** kicking dedicated sample computer with,. 16!!!!!
simultanueous stereo effects scattered off it's built in digital mixing console with 12 FX local busses and 2 globals!,. all implemented with ASIC's,... What a machine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(Extra time taken with the FX to give lots of extra options,. easily
as good as any $1000 Lex or TC processor (except the reverb (as usual))

THE BEST!!! Espceially for Drum and Bass!!!,. woe, this is THE
machine for Jungle and Drum and bass,. it's obvious,.SO MUCH REALTIME!! so little time :)

STABLE!

Not very resonsive,. but they update the OS,. and they do it right!!!
Love you for that!!!

If you make electronic dance music,. you are at a disadvantage
if you don't have an EMU,. (unless of couse you have a KYMA or
want to spend the next 20 years programming a reaktor module that is
1/100 as convientient to use as the EMU (you may have to fix a few bugs in the program while you're at it)

EOS 4.61 with RFX-32
Presets? don't know. It came with a CD, I don't have a CD drive for it.
Patches to edit?,.. not bad the screen could be a lot worse, there is
a software editor that I heard is not up to date with all of the features.
Manual is Ok,. it's a PDF,. I find it does not spend enough time talking about the "patchcoords" and the behavior of the modifier modules, especially the patch coord amounts,. they are all in percentages,. it's hard if you are trying to do exact musical settings,. it takes trial and error.

Build in effects,.. Without RFX-32??? Ha Ha,. Complete garbage! I'm sorry but I was pretty pissed about that,. so I spent the extra $1100 Canadain (after waiting forever for it to come out) and finally got RFX-32,.. which at first I was very mad about when the only effects that were with it were the same ones it already had + BPM delay,. but since then they've added Vocoders and Gaters,. Know I am verry happy with the effects,. except the reverbs,.. EOS 4.61 still seems a little buggie.
MIDI capabilites are good,. what you'd expect,.. EXCEPT----- this "well" hidden fact,. The filter resonance does not modulate in real time,. it's at "note on" time only,.. this really ticked me off,. I thought that it was completely ridiculous,. to me I just assumed that you could adjust the res of the filers in real time,..

Building Groove Machines on the EMU?
Emu has a wicked powerful archetecture that could be exposed much more for building real time "groove machines" BUT some of the basic features for doing appear to be there,. but make it not possible to do so from,. lack of documentation and qwerky things about the implementation,. For example,. Dynamically altering the start and end positions of the sample Musically,. like cutting off 8th notes and stuff,. A basic groove machine technique,.. can't do it on the EMU,. take a look at the reaktor sampler module,.. they know what we want,,. EMU gives us the modulation destinations but they don't work enough or percisely enough to get the job done,. I mean come on,. I'm a computer programmer,. how hard is it to change the offset of the starting of a sample being played in memory,. I hope that this is not a harware limitiation? if they are having problems with the %'s make it a % of the total sample at least we could get %25 exacly or whatever,. anyway,...

Sounds? DAC's are excellent,. like everyone says,. it's a little Bassie,. sometimes I wish it had more high end,.

Type of music,..
Best for MIDI sequences but you can squeeze some "groove" type stuff out of it,. realtime layer crossfades and RFX-32 has some cool realtime effects,.. Maybe it's a problem of EMU just not knowing that are really into mangling loops in a musical way that needs precision,. maybe with the release of their "real time" controller modules (XL-? and that other one) they will start building a little more groove functionaliy into EOS,. maybe multiple loop points,. and you can modulate the loop points,...
hmm a couple other things I can't belive aren't in the patchcoord architecture,..
LOGICAL OPERATIONS ?? cmon' and "AND" at least,. An "S&H nmodule at least",. I want to sync modulatons with the clock??
Maybe most users aren't as advanced as I a am (EGO Aside,. I'm shure that a lot of people are MORE advanced than me",. I've got a Computer science degree and I know how to program. but c'mon A few more basic basic modules in the coords and you could do anything with this thing,. even sample and hold would open up so many new possibilites,..
BUT hey,. there is a FLIP/FLOP!! that's cool.

Used to crash more,. but it's getting pretty damn stable,.

IF it were stolen,. I would be pissed,. i'm not sure weather I would buy an RME Hammerfall and GIgasampler and Reaktor,. or another EMU,. if they would just get more into "The Groove" then Hands down,. the EMU would be the ULTIMATE sampling workstation,. stand alone stable powerful!!,. polyphony out the Ying yang! 10 for sure,.. 8.5 for me know,.. "Filer RES in real time!"

I am using EOS 4.10. Even though it does not really matter that much which version you are using. This sampler is pretty easy to learn how to use. Once I learned the system I found it to be quite logical. Editing sounds can get quite interesting using chords. The manual is quite extensive. The manual is on CD-ROM and is quite extensive. Although sometimes you just wish for a book.

It has 64 voices, which is plenty for me. The built in effects do not blow me away. They are pretty good at best. You can only use two effects at one time which is a downer. The expantion capabilities are to amazing to pass up. Especialy the EFX-32 plug in which has some pretty nice specs. This machine has a 48 track sequencer on it. It is not graphical, it uses numbers instead. This makes it quite difficult to use. But that did not stop me from creating an album using only the E5000. So the sequencer is not as useless as many people think.

This is a sampler. The sounds are partialy dependant upon what is loaded onto it. From then on the creative process can lead to a product that is nothing like the original. To give an example of the tweaking power of this sampler I once started with a drum loop and ended up with an ambient breathing sound. This deck is suitable for me to create very expressive experimental music.

I have had this unit crash on me a few times with "Fetal Error." I turned the unit off then back on and it worked competely fine after it was powered back on. I am not quite sure what the problem was or how to avoid it. I would say that this deck is a lot more dependable than my computer.

Never dealt with them.

I am not at all unhappy with my decision to buy this deck. My favorite feature about this machine is that is samples. There is nothing that comes close to the experimental power that sampling has, other than maybe additive synthesis. This deck has been very helpfull in the process of creating music. In my persuit of finding the perfect synthesizer/sampler for myself I read a lot of reviews. I wish I could have heard some audio samples of this unit. If you need to hear audio samples of this deck before making a possible purchase than you can go to mp3.com and check out microcosm blue. All of the music under that name is produced using nothing but the E5000 Ultra.

I am using EOS version 4.01.

The key layout is very intuitive plus you have a big enough screen.
It definitely is easy to use and understand, just like the KORG Trinity, T3, or O1/W synthesizers.

There is NO PRINTED manual included. You have to print it from the CD.
I should be giving it a 10 rating but downgrading to a 9 because of the
lack of a printed manual.

The feature that differentiates it from other samplers is that it has a built-in
48 track sequencer. However, you can opt to create your MIDI file sequences in a computer
program such as Cakewalk or Cubase, then save it as a standard MIDI file
in a diskette. You can then load this into the E5000 for playback. Useful especially
if you play on the road or in church/worship.

The other differentiating feature is that you can install an internal
IDE hard-disk. I installed a 10 GB hard-disk inside and loaded all of
my sample CDs. Now, I don't have to bring my sample CDs and a CD-ROM
drive when I play in different places. Sample load time is also a lot
faster when loading from the hard-disk. Plus IDE hard-disks are cheap
nowadays. Can you beat that??

Sounds great!

I just wished I can load more RAM memory (I have maxed it out to 128 MB).
I normally run out of RAM before I run out of polyphony.

It hasn't given up on me yet. Operating system is stable.

Haven't dealt with them yet.

I just wished it can have more RAM.

When doing orchestral arrangements, the size and number of instrument
samples you load counts a lot. IMHO, I wished 64-note polyphony samplers
had 256 MB RAM capacity. 128-note polyphony samplers should have 512
MB RAM capacity.

I would have opted for a GIGASAMPLER if it weren't for my requirement
that I had to carry it around. For my needs, it is the best value for
money sampler in the market.

I'm using OS version 4.10 that I downloaded from Emu. It's very easy to use. A manual would have been nice, but then again, I can find what I need in the pdf file just as quickly.
This is my second Emu sampler. I already owned the ESI4000. I loved it and I love the E5000 ultra even better. The graphical interface is great. The backlighting could use a little more brightness however.

It has 64 note polyphony which gets the job done. It's easy to run out if you're stacking stereo samples which use two channels of polyphony per note. It's very expandable. The ability to use IDE hard disks is pure genius. The FX are decent although not perfect for a total live MIDI playback. If you do a lot of studio work or just need something to add life to your patches on stage, it works well. The built-in sequencer is a bit crude, but great for importing SMF files from other sequencers or recording via MIDI from a sequencer.

Some of the sounds on the factory CD ROMs are a bit generic, but it samples and programs easily when creating custom sounds or editing existing sounds. I took a bland E3 Rhodes preset and adjusted the velocity curves and used the cords to produce a nice realistic sound. Also, if you have a breath controller or a MIDI controller with assignable knobs, the E5000 can be your best friend. It has about ten MIDI controller numbers that can be customized and mapped to any parameter you can think of. Last thing, the filters are killer.

So far so good. I bought a floor model and have had no problems with it. I do backup the sounds on the hard disk, but other than that, I would bet the ranch on it.

I've had some problems getting through to EMU's sales/support lines. I did send them an email asking for release info on the next OS and got no response.

I would definately purchase a replacement if it were stollen. I have considered selling my ESI4000 and getting another E5000, but there are too many other units out there that have great sounds and features to spend the bucks for two E5000s

I am using EOS version 4.02. It comes with a CD Rom full of banks of presets. I am not a big fan of the sounds included with it. This is just personal preference though. Some sounds are usable. Editing patches is quite easy. It gets a little more complex with the modulation routings (CORDS) but it is still not difficult at all. With the screen and soft-buttons, editing is pretty straightforward. I just bought Sounddiver to edit the patches and I like using the computer screen much better.

It comes with the manual on another CD Rom in .PDF format. This sucks. It should have it printed out already. There are still some musicians out there that don't use computers and they are forced to pay someone to print it out or order one printed from E-mu. I like the fact that they can provide a manual in .pdf format for upgraded OS versions but I would prefer to have the manual come in hard copy already.

It has 64-voice polyphony. While the other Ultras can get 128-voice polyphony with an add-on expansion card, this is actually fine for most needs unless you do a lot of orchestral work. Some people harp on this fact when comparing it to higher Ultras. Well, for just a hundred or 2 more than the price of a E6400 Ultra with the 128 voice polyphony card, I can buy a second E5000. Then I'll also be able to load up 256 MB RAM (total for both units) instead of the maximum 128 MB of RAM in a E6400 Ultra.

The built-in fx are okay. The FX routing sucks IMHO. You cannot simply set a different reverb setting for each of the 16 midi channels in a multi-mode setup. You have I think 6 different fx send levels that you can have and that's it. I believe that E-mu is either going to provide a better, more flexible method in a future EOS version or it will be fixed when the RFX-chip is available. This RFX-Chip will be extremely powerful if the specs are right. It will have 15 separate fx busses and you get up to 15 separate fx! That's practically one fx for each midi channel. Because some fx will take more power, you may not get this in every setup though. It will be more powerful and flexible than the current fx though.

It has some great modulation routings via MIDI using CORDS. It's sequencer is okay for playing back sequences. It certainly won't compete with a computer-based software sequencer. Midi timing is quite tight.

With the right samples, this sampler rocks. It sounds very good and warm. I compared it to the Akai S5000 and S6000. They have a more "hyped" sound to them. I liked them too but I found the E-mu samplers more warm. The Akais are great for drums while the E-mus do great on everything else. They're fine for drums too. Using Cords, you can get the sounds to be as expressive as you like.

I've only owned it since December but it has been reliable since I've owned it. If I had tons of dough, I would have a backup for piece of gear I own. I keep my fingers crossed that I don't have anything fail on me at gigs. I feel like I can depend on it. I've known a few people who have E-mu samplers in the E4 series and they've been reliable.

I've never had to deal with them so I can't comment.

I would probably buy it again. I think that it is worth the price I paid and I am very happy with it. I compared it to the Akais as I said above. However, because of the bug reports on the new Akais and the fact that they were quite a bit more expensive in my area, I decided to go the E5000. I am happy I did.

1. I use EOS 4.02. This is my first E-mu sampler.
2. Quality of sounds: well, it's a sampler but... It sounds very warm. Sometimes I think too much warm. But it's great when you need old synth sounds - samples of Oberheim, Prophet, Roland's JXs are very real. Included CDROM contains many very good banks.
3. Editing samples is very easy. And the internal editor is very powerful. The new feature: Beat Munging lets you to change tempo of loop in real time! - while you listening to it and what's more, you can swing it - make it more groove. Doing it with audio material requires a very fast processor and E5000 has one. Like other E-mu samplers it works fine with PC programs like SoundForge or Wavelab - you can transfer samples via SCSI. You have 21 filter types for realtime operating.
4. Manual? It's very easy to operate but you get only "getting started" manual. The full EOS is on included CDROM (pdf format). If you want to have it printed you have to print out about 400 pages! Frankly saying I haven't found many answers for my questions in a manual. There is no about polyphony, there is no MIDI implementation - only short MIDI Chart. You can find many short description about features but you won't find when you should use it. I think that begginers may have some problems with sophisticated sampling techniques.
Because of the manual I give only 8.

1. Polyphony: 64 audio channels. And you cannot to expand it to 128 voices like other Ultra models.
2. Effects: Two stereo multieffects. You can define four FX busses - amount of the effects of FX A and FX B. In Multimode (multitimbral) each channel can be assigned to one of the four bus. So you cannot have more than four FX setups - there is no possibility to specify individual send level for each channel. I miss my Roland JV-2080 with five (!) EFX and individual send level for each channel. In E5000 you have four outputs as standard (you can expand them to number of twelve).
3. Expansion boards: there is a place for internal HD (SCSI or IDE). RAM (4MB standard) is expandable to 128MB with standard SIMMs; DWAM is exp. board with Digital In/Outs and additional 16 MIDI channels, ASCII keyboard port.
4. MIDI: 16 MIDI channels (expandable to 32)
5. Internal sequencer reads and write SMF, 48 tracks. Easy to use but its too basic for serious productions.

1. The better samples the better it sounds. It's sad that I have more AKAI CDROMS than E-mu ones. It's hard to find very good samples created for E-mu. EIII library have thousands of banks but most of them are very similar. You'll find the same sounds on many CDs. It's still Proteus 1,2&3 (in a new Protesu 2000 you can find 1,2&3 and Phatt/Orbit). I sold Phatt and Orbit and still have their sounds...

Yes, I can depend on it. It has some problems with my Toshiba CD-ROM (it was parity problem). I wasn't able to hang it and have no other problems. It reads banks very fast so you can backup your sounds on CD-ROM. It even reads (no import) AKAI and Roland formats.

I hadn't any serious problem. I sent an e-mail about two weeks and I get no responce... But I hope I'll get one ;-)

if it were stolen i would buy it again. Why? I really love it. It's very easy to operate. AKAI samplers are more expensive and it's really worth of its money. Maybe it's not a full E4Ultra but almost and it's much cheaper. I also have Roland JV-2080. And sometimes I admire Roland's guys: JV-2080 has only 8MB of ROM (16MB linear) and many samples are really good - when I compare them to E5000's libraries. But it's not as transparent as E5000. And it's not a sampler...