Finally got round to A/B'ing my Akai S3200XL and Emu E6400 Ultra, could always hear a difference instinctively but I've never done an actual test like this before.

Quite an eye (ear) opener....

Both were fed the exact same samples, via the same soundcard/patch bay inputs, etc. Both recorded at the same level (no clipping), in stereo, at their highest sampling rate. Both were normalised by pretty much the same amount.

The first sample to play is the Akai, each time this is followed by the Emu.

I love the sound of both of them, but after this I've got to admit I'm still just kind of into that hardness and punch of the Akai. Even the stereo imaging seems to be really quite different, depending on the pitch though - it's weird how one will sound 'better' at playing back a sound on certain key ranges, and then not so good at others.

Before tonight I had it in my head that I'd be using the Akai for drums/bass but as I get into the Emu - I admit I'm pretty much just starting to learn my way around it at the moment - I'd probably start using it for bass much more, along with pads/atmospheric stuff/vocal, etc. But from what I've learned tonight, I think I've got a better idea of what I will be wanting the Emu to do, and in what pitch ranges and so on.

The modulation options are crazy compared to the Akai, plus I like all that handy 'let me trim/normailse that for you' stuff, but there's a thing with the sound there where sometimes it's almost like a thickening, chorus-y kind of vibe.... I love the sound of it on certain things, it's really heavy on character, but it just seems to lack that bit of rawness that I think gets me working more quickly with the Akai.

Vocals and more natural sounding instruments and stuff will prob be the things I'm gonna be chucking into the Ultra, then go to town with the weirdness of the filters, pitch modulation and the scope of the LFO's in general.

But as for the breaks and 808's etc..... I think I'll stick with my old mate :)

AKAI VS EMU SAMPLERS TEST 1

Looking to the future, via the 90's. Jungle forever

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