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From: ins_adjb@jhunix.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.music.synth
Subject: Re: Anybody know anything about the Emax sampler?
Message-ID: <4023@jhunix.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 25-Nov-86 10:43:17 EST
Article-I.D.: jhunix.4023
Posted: Tue Nov 25 10:43:17 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 27-Nov-86 05:42:24 EST
References: <861124-062951-3026@Xerox>
Reply-To: ins_adjb@jhunix.UUCP (Daniel Jay Barrett)
Organization: Johns Hopkins Univ. Computing Ctr.
Lines: 62

In article <861124-062951-3026@Xerox> Webster.Henr@Xerox.COM writes:
>Does anbody know anything about the [E-Mu] Emax?

	The Emax was reviewed favorably in the second issue of
MUSIC TECHNOLOGY.  See also the latest (December) issue of ELECTRONIC
MUSICIAN for some specs on ALL available samplers, Emax included.


>-- What are the specifics on the polyphonic and polytambre ability (how
>many voices and how may different sounds at a time)?

	It is an 8-voice, 2-oscillator-per-voice instrument.  This means
you can have 2 different samples per voice, and still maintain 8-note
polyphony (YEAH!!!).
	You can have up to 122 split points. (YOW!!)
	I read (although the source could be mistaken) that the Emax
has only 5-octave response, just like the Ensoniq Mirage.

>-- How good does it's "equivalent to 12-bit sampling" sound? (better
>than a Mirage? better than a Fairlight? better than a...  oh, wake up--I
>must have been dreaming)

	E-Mu claims that it uses the same sampling format as the
famous E-Mu Emulator II.  It also has a better sampling rate (42KHz)
than the Emulator II!  Sampling time at this maximum rate is (according
to two different sources) either 8 or 12 seconds.  Sampling time at the
Emulator II rate is over 17 seconds.  At the minimum rate, sampling is
around a minute.

>-- Did I understand the blurp I saw on the Emax to mean that in addition
>to the stereo ouputs, it has a couple extra mono audio outputs which can
>be assigned to a given MIDI channel? (similar to a drum machine--if so,
>that's great!)

	The Emax has (I think -- this is from memory) 8 outputs.  You can
(I think) assign any of the 8 voices to any of the 8 outputs.


>-- How extensive is the voice library for the Emax?  

	At the moment, it's probably non-existent.  It's a pretty new 
instrument.

>-- How easy is it to do your own sampling on the Emax?

	The reviewer at MUSIC TECHNOLOGY said that the operating system
is one of the best he has seen.

>-- I've never thought much of appegiators.  Is the Emax appregiator
>anything to write home about? (or write on the net about?)

	Again, MUSIC TECHNOLOGY said it was very advanced.


>-- Finally, what's the price?


	Around $2600 with keyboard, $2400 rackmount.  In addition,
Digidesign is working on a Sound Designer version [visual sample
editor for the Macintosh] for the Emax.

-- Dan