Maker
E-mu Systems
American electronic instrument maker
E-mu Systems is an American maker of electronic musical instruments founded in 1971 in Santa Cruz, California. The company pioneered affordable samplers with the Emulator series and later became widely known for its sample-based sound modules, including the Proteus family and the Vintage Keys. E-mu was acquired by Creative Technology in 1993 and ceased hardware production in the early 2000s.
Models
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E-mu Emulator I
United States
The E-mu Emulator I, released in 1981, was E-mu's first sampler: a keyboard that recorded and played back digital samples, bringing sampling to musicians at a far lower price than the Fairlight. Its lo-fi 8-bit sound is part of its appeal.
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E-mu Emulator IIIXP
United States
The E-mu Emulator IIIXP is a rackmount version of the Emulator III, packaging E-mu's 16-bit sampling and sound engine into a studio-friendly rack module.
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E-mu Drumulator
Drum machine · United States
The E-mu Drumulator, released in 1983, is an affordable digital drum machine that plays back sampled drum sounds. Its 8-bit samples and step programming give it a characterful sound, and replaceable sound chips and a low price helped make it widely used.
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E-mu Emulator II
Sampler · United States
The E-mu Emulator II, released in 1984, is a sampling keyboard that improved on the original with longer 8-bit samples, analog filters, and a sequencer. Its warm, characterful sound features on many 1980s records.
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E-mu Proteus/1
Synthesizer module · United States
The E-mu Proteus/1, introduced in 1989, is a 1U rackmount sound module that played back 16-bit ROM samples across 32-voice polyphony and 16-part multitimbrality. It drew on sounds derived from E-mu's EIII sampler library and became a widely used professional sound module for orchestral and pop production in the early 1990s.
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E-mu Emulator III
United States
The E-mu Emulator III, released in 1987, is a sampling workstation offering 16-bit sampling, analog filters, and an integrated sequencer, delivering high-quality sampling for professional studios.
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E-mu SP-1200
Sampler · United States
The E-mu SP-1200, released in 1987, is a sampling drum machine that combined 12-bit sampling with an analog filter and a sequencer. Its gritty, crunchy sound and short sampling time shaped hip-hop production and remain prized by beatmakers.
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E-mu Audity
Synthesizer · United States
The E-mu Audity was an ambitious, very large analog synthesizer E-mu developed around 1980. Extremely expensive and produced in tiny numbers, it remained essentially a prototype and is now a rare piece of synthesizer history.
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E-mu Emulator
Synthesizer · United States
The E-mu Emulator is a series of digital sampling keyboards and workstations E-mu Systems introduced in 1981. Among the first affordable samplers, the Emulator line let musicians record and play back real sounds across a keyboard and was influential in 1980s pop and film music.
Sources
Categories
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Synthesizers
Hardware synthesizers, synth model families, and related electronic instruments.
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Samplers
Hardware samplers and production workstations centered on sample playback or sequencing.
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Drum Machines
Programmable rhythm machines, drum synthesizers, and related beat-making instruments.
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Sound Modules
Standalone electronic sound generators without a primary performance keyboard.
Representative model
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E-mu Emulator II
Sampler · United States
The E-mu Emulator II, released in 1984, is a sampling keyboard that improved on the original with longer 8-bit samples, analog filters, and a sequencer. Its warm, characterful sound features on many 1980s records.