Akai S950 Program Packs for MPC X/Live/One I've spent a couple of days with the auto sampler to create some Programs for the MPC by recording Akai S950 sounds into key groups. Personally if you are like me and you dig that old 12-bit sound, stretched to the limit, and then some, then check these out. Create your InMusic Profile. Akai Professional is part of an elite family of hardware and software companies known as inMusic Brands. The inMusic Profile is where you can register products, download software titles, and access exclusive content and offers - not just for Akai Professional, but for any brands within the inMusic network! Amtlib framework cc 2017 mac download. Tutorial to create a program in pc (mpc editor and MpcPrgMaker) and then convert to S1000 (compatible format) and save to a floppy and FINALLY load into s950.
Sega dreamcast half-life. Released: 1989
MSRP: $1900
Synopsis:
Bridges the S900 and S1000 linesArchitecture Class: Sampler.
Ebay Description:
The Akai S950 is a 3U rack, 8 voice, velocity sensitive, 12 bit sampler with 8 individual outputs, featuring a programmable digital low pass filter, vibrato, dedicated ADSR filter and amp envelopes, auto-bend, and MIDI. Sample memory (500kW) can contain up to 32 Waveform, recorded at 7.5-40kHz. Sample editing includes loop, resampling, reverse, time-stretch, and truncate. Waveform can be saved/loaded via a 3.5″ DSDD drive.
Physical
| Form Factor | Dimensions | Weight | Audio Input | Audio Output | Communication Port | Control Input | Control Output | Switch Input | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3U rack | W:482.6mm H:132.6mm D:410mm | 10.8kg | mic line | mono stereo 8 individual | MIDI: IN OUT THRU RS-232 | no | no | record trigger | wired |
Akai S950 Tone Programming
Interface
| Compatibility | Multitimbral Memory | Program Memory | External Storage | External Programming | UI Input | UI Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S900 S1000 S1000HD S1000KB S1000PB | N/A | 99 max | disk:3.5″ DSDD optional Atari/Supra CD/RDAT (IB105 board) | MIDI Sysex RS-232 | menu driven | LCD display |
Architecture
| Multitimbral | Polyphony | Unison | Architecture |
|---|---|---|---|
| no | 8 | yes | Sample->VCF->VCA |
Output
| Effects | Pan Modulator | Volume Modulator | Headphone |
|---|---|---|---|
| None | no | EG1 Velocity | no |
Control
| Arpeggiator | Arpeggiator External | Sequencer | Sequencer Memory | Sequencer External | Continuous | Program Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | no | no | N/A | N/A | MIDI | MIDI |
Akai S950 Tone Program Software
Keyboard
| Key Pressure | Chord Memory | External Control | External Sustain | Key Scaling | Velocity Curves |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| channel | no | MIDI | MIDI | 1 | 1 |
Sample
| Stereo | Sample Depth | Sample Rate | Sample RAM | Sample ROM | Sample Points | Sample Trigger | Sample Loop | Sample Edit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| no | 12b (16b processing) | 7.5-48kHz | 500kW (750kB) (EXM006 board doubles) | no | 32 | pedal | 1 | crossfade:loop merge resample (half BW) reverse splice time stretch truncate |
Source
| Name | Signal Class | Waveform | Octave Range | Amplitude Modulator | Harmonics Modulator | Pitch Modulator | Wave Assign Modulator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sample | digital | 99 | N/A | no | no | Auto-bend LFO MIDI Velocity | Key Velocity |
Akai S950 For Sale
Filter
| Name | Signal Class | IC | Resonant | Shape | Frequency Modulator | Resonance Modulator | Shape Modulator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DSP | digital | ? | no | low pass | EG2 Key | no | no |
Akai S950 Tone Program Manual
Envelope
Akai S950 Vst
| Name | Level | Rate | Loop | Polarity | Trigger | Level Modulator | Rate Modulator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EG1 | sustain | attack decay release | no | no | key | no | no |
| EG2 | sustain | attack decay release | no | no | key | no | Velocity |
Akai S950 Sampler
LFO
| Name | Waveform | Delay | Polarity | Sync | Delay Modulator | Level Modulator | Rate Modulator |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LFO | ? | yes | no | no | no | pressure MIDI-CC1 | no |
Fade
The Beat Strangler
Akai S950 Tone Programmer
One of the most popular hardware samplers over the years for hip hop producers was the Akai S950. Essentially an upgraded version of the S900, this sampler became popular amongst hip hop heads, namely for its 12-bit linear sampling capabilities. Most producers would stack this with an E-MU SP1200, giving them the perfect 1-2 punch to deliver some knockout, hard-hitting, rough-as-can-be hip hop tracks.
History
Produced between 1988 and 1993, Akai gave this machine a 48kHz sampling rate, with a maximum of 2.25 MB of RAM, and features such as crossfade looping and pretrigger recording. Those features were on the S900, but were considered optional, so you would have had to upgrade your machine to get those options.
Features
Even though the S950 had a 48kHz sampling rate, by having that it reduced the maximum sample time, taking up more room. There were eight outputs, and this was also the first Akai sampler to have time stretching, which of course enables you to alter the sample length withouth messing with the pitch, and it did a great job at it since most time stretching (or stretching too much) will give your sample an artificial sound to it.
One of the best functions of the S950 was to use it for drum loops, which is a huge plus for hip hop production, giving you 12-bit drums. A nice feature that was also added was the fact that you could use S900 disks and even S1000 disks with the S950! That's a big bonus because who would want to get rid of their S900 disks with all those old samples, just because of a new format? Props to Akai for that feature.
Usage
The S950 was never meant to be a fancy-looking machine, but it definitely got the job done, and it did it well. Sure, there were some well-known issues with this unit such as some of the expansion chips could easily fall out if you threw your machine around (who would do that?), plus the disk drives would sometimes fail and it could be costly to replace them.
Many, many, many hip hop producers used the S950 over the years, guys like Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Clark Kent, Da Beatminerz, Lord Finesse, and the list goes on. If you ever see an S950 for sale, think about picking one up if you're feeling nostalgic!
Here's a video showing the sampling features of the Akai S950: