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47 models

  • Technical line drawing of Linn LM-1

    Linn LM-1

    The first drum machine to use samples of real drums

    Drum machine · United States

    The Linn LM-1 Drum Computer, released in 1980 by Roger Linn, was the first drum machine to use digital samples of real acoustic drums. Expensive and produced in small numbers, its realistic sounds and programmable patterns made it hugely influential on 1980s pop production.

  • Yamaha Motif

    Series of music workstations

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Yamaha Motif is a series of flagship music workstations launched in 2001 that became industry standards for production and live performance. Built on sample-based synthesis with sampling, sequencing, and effects, the Motif line ran through several generations (ES, XS, XF).

  • Roland Groovebox

    Family of Roland grooveboxes

    Japan

    Groovebox is Roland's name for its line of self-contained instruments that pair sample-based sounds with a built-in pattern sequencer for electronic music production. The family includes the MC-303 that popularized the format, the JX-305, and the MC-808.

  • Ensoniq VFX / TS Workstations

    Family of Ensoniq music-production synthesizer workstations

    Synthesizer · United States

    The Ensoniq VFX and TS workstations form the company's flagship synthesizer-workstation family, pairing wavetable-style digital synthesis with high-quality onboard effects, polyphonic aftertouch keyboards, and an integrated sequencer, from the VFX and VFX-SD to the TS-10 and TS-12.

  • Yamaha S

    Series of Yamaha synthesizers

    Japan

    The S series is Yamaha's line of sample-based synthesizers with weighted keyboards aimed at pianists and performers, including the S80 and S90.

  • Yamaha MOTIF XS7

    Synthesizer model

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Yamaha Motif XS7 is the 76-key model in the Motif XS generation (2007) of Yamaha's workstation line, offering the XS sound engine, sampling, and sequencing.

  • Roland XP

    Series of Roland music workstations

    Japan

    The XP series is Roland's line of sample-based synthesizer workstations from the 1990s, combining expandable sound libraries with onboard sequencing. It includes the XP-30 and the workstation-class XP-80.

  • Ensoniq TS 10

    Music workstation

    Synthesizer · United States

    The Ensoniq TS-10, released in 1993, is a sample-based synthesizer workstation combining Ensoniq's synthesis and effects with a sequencer for performance and composition.

  • Ensoniq VFX

    Twenty-one-voice wavetable synthesizer workstation

    Synthesizer · United States

    The Ensoniq VFX, released in 1989, is a 21-voice digital synthesizer workstation using PPG-style wavetable synthesis with 109 selectable waveforms per patch. It features a 61-note polyphonic-aftertouch keyboard, a high-quality onboard effects processor, and (in the VFX-SD) an integrated sequencer and disk storage.

  • Roland JX-305

    Synthesizer model

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Roland JX-305 Groovebox is a 1998 keyboard instrument built on Roland's groovebox concept, combining a sample-based synth engine with a pattern sequencer and dance-oriented sounds and effects in a 61-key format.

  • Roland MC-303

    Groovebox by Roland Corporation

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Roland MC-303 Groovebox, released in 1996, combined a sample-based sound engine drawing on Roland's classic drum machines with a built-in pattern sequencer in a tabletop unit. Marketed to dance-music producers, it popularized the 'groovebox' format and launched Roland's long-running MC series.

  • Roland MC-808

    Synthesizer model

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Roland MC-808 is a groovebox released in 2006, combining sample-based sounds, real-time knob control, motorized faders, and an onboard sequencer aimed at electronic dance music production and live performance.

  • Yamaha SY85

    Digital music workstation

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Yamaha SY85, released in 1992, is a sample-based (AWM2) digital synthesizer workstation with sampling-style sound editing, a sequencer, and effects, aimed at producing realistic and layered sounds.

  • Yamaha MOTIF-RACK XS

    Rackmount MOTIF XS tone generator

    Japan

    The Yamaha Motif-Rack XS is a rackmount tone module that packs the sound engine of the Motif XS workstation into a studio-friendly unit for use with sequencers and controllers.

  • Yamaha CS1x

    Sample-based synthesizer made by the Yamaha Corporation

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Yamaha CS1x, released in 1996, is a sample-based 'Control Synthesizer' with virtual-analog-style knobs aimed at dance music. It combined Yamaha's AWM sample playback with real-time control and an arpeggiator.

  • Yamaha MOTIF ES6

    MOTIF ES music workstation model

    Japan

    The Yamaha Motif ES6 is the 61-key model in the Motif ES generation (2003) of Yamaha's flagship workstation line, offering expanded sample-based sounds, sampling, and sequencing.

  • Yamaha S-80

    Synthesizer model

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Yamaha S80, released in 1999, is a sample-based synthesizer with an 88-key weighted keyboard, aimed at players wanting high-quality piano and instrument sounds with performance control.

  • Yamaha CS2x

    Synthesizer model

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Yamaha CS2x is a sample-based control synthesizer released in 1998 as a successor to the CS1x, offering improved sounds, more performance knobs, and built-in effects for electronic music.

  • Yamaha CP88

    Stage piano model

    The Yamaha CP88 is a digital stage piano introduced in 2019, with 88 weighted keys and sampled acoustic, electric-piano, and synth voices. It carries the CP name into Yamaha's modern stage-piano line, emphasizing fast hands-on sound selection for live performance.

  • Yamaha CS6x

    Synthesizer from Yamaha

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Yamaha CS6x is a sample-based synthesizer from around 2000 combining AWM2 sample playback with virtual-analog-style control and effects, aimed at performers wanting hands-on sound shaping.

  • Yamaha MOTIF XF8

    MOTIF XF music workstation model

    Japan

    The Yamaha Motif XF8 is the 88-key, weighted-action flagship of the Motif XF generation (2010), Yamaha's top sample-based workstation, with expanded waveform memory and flash-board expansion.

  • Yamaha S90

    Synthesizer model

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Yamaha S90, released in 2002, is a sample-based synthesizer with an 88-key weighted action, drawing on Motif-era sounds and aimed at pianists and performers wanting an expressive stage instrument.

  • Roland TR-707

    Drum machine

    Drum machine · Japan

    The Roland TR-707 Rhythm Composer is a 1985 drum machine that replaced the analog voices of the TR-808 and 909 with digital samples of acoustic and electronic drums. It introduced a clear LCD grid for step programming and pattern chaining and remained popular for its straightforward workflow and crisp, dry sounds.

  • Roland XP-80

    Music workstation manufactured by Roland Corporation

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Roland XP-80, released in 1996, is a music workstation pairing Roland's sample-based synthesis with a 76-key keyboard, a powerful onboard sequencer, and expansion slots. It became a popular all-in-one production tool in the late 1990s.

  • Roland XP-30

    Synthesizer manufactured by Roland Corporation

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Roland XP-30, released in 1999, is a sample-based synthesizer that combined a large built-in waveform library (incorporating several expansion sets) with a 61-key keyboard, making it a versatile and well-stocked performance instrument.

  • Korg volca sample2

    Sample sequencer in the volca series

    Japan

    The Korg Volca Sample2 is a compact sample-based sequencer in the Volca series. It plays back and manipulates short samples across multiple parts with a step sequencer and motion recording, designed for fast, tactile beat and loop creation.

  • Technical line drawing of Casio MT-40

    Casio MT-40

    Electronic keyboard

    Electronic keyboard · Japan

    The Casio MT-40 is a small consumer Casiotone keyboard from the early 1980s. Though a budget home instrument, its preset rhythm and bass patterns became foundational to Jamaican dancehall through the 'Sleng Teng' riddim.

  • Yamaha MU80

    Rackmount XG MIDI tone module

    Synthesizer module · Japan

    The Yamaha MU80, released in 1994, is a rackmount XG-format MIDI tone module with 32-voice polyphony, 16-part multitimbrality, and 729 voices including Yamaha's XG extension set. It featured built-in digital effects and was designed as a high-quality MIDI playback and performance sound module compatible with GM, GS, and the Yamaha XG standard.

  • Technical line drawing of Yamaha RY30

    Yamaha RY30

    Drum Machine

    Drum machine · Japan

    The Yamaha RY30, released in 1990, is a digital drum machine that plays editable sampled drum sounds. It offers programmable patterns, parameter editing of each voice, and an expandable sound set for electronic and pop production.

  • Yamaha MM6

    Synthesizer model

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Yamaha MM6, released in 2007, is a sample-based 'Music Synthesizer' built on Motif-derived sounds, offering an affordable performance keyboard with arpeggios, effects, and a wide instrument library.

  • Yamaha PSR-EW425

    Keyboard

    Keyboard

    The PSR-EW425 is a 76-key portable arranger keyboard in Yamaha's PSR-EW family. It offers a large library of built-in voices and auto-accompaniment styles along with onboard speakers, aimed at home players and performers who want an extended-range keyboard in a lightweight instrument.

  • Roland Sound Canvas SC-88

    Rackmount GS MIDI sound module

    Synthesizer module · Japan

    The Roland Sound Canvas SC-88, introduced in 1994, is a rackmount MIDI sound module that extended Roland's GS format with 654 sounds and 10 simultaneous MIDI channels expandable to 16 parts across two module stacks. It became a standard playback device for General MIDI and GS-format music files and was widely used in professional and home studios throughout the mid-to-late 1990s.

  • Technical line drawing of Roland U-20

    Roland U-20

    Synthesizer model

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Roland U-20 is a sample-based (PCM) synthesizer keyboard released in 1989, built around Roland's RS-PCM sound cards. It offered realistic instrument sounds and multitimbral playback aimed at performing and composing musicians.

  • Roland Fantom-X

    Synthesizer model

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Roland Fantom-X is a sample-based synthesizer workstation introduced in 2004, offering Roland's expandable synthesis engine, sampling, a large display, sequencing, and pad-based control for production and live performance.

  • Roland E-96

    Synthesizer model

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Roland E-96 is an arranger keyboard from the 1990s offering automatic accompaniment styles, built-in sounds, and performance features aimed at home and entertainer musicians.

  • Roland JV-1080

    Rackmount synthesizer sound module

    Synthesizer module · Japan

    The Roland JV-1080, released in 1994, is a 2U rackmount synthesizer sound module built on Roland's JV/XP sample-based synthesis engine with 64-voice polyphony and 16-part multitimbrality. It shipped with 560 patches across 16 internal banks and accepted up to four SR-JV80 series expansion boards, making it highly popular in professional studios and live rigs throughout the 1990s.

  • Korg KARMA

    Music workstation

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Korg Karma, released in 2001, is a synthesizer workstation built around its KARMA engine, which generates evolving phrases, rhythms, and effects from algorithmic control. It paired this with a sound engine derived from the Triton.

  • Korg i3

    Keyboard instrument

    Keyboard

    The i3 is an interactive music workstation keyboard that Korg released in the early 1990s. Built around auto-accompaniment, it provides backing styles that follow the player's chords, making it an arranger keyboard suited to one-person song performance.

  • Korg M1

    Digital synthesizer workstation

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Korg M1, released in 1988, is a digital synthesizer workstation and one of the best-selling synthesizers of all time. It combined sample-based synthesis with effects and a built-in sequencer, and its preset sounds—especially its piano and 'Universe' patches—defined much of late-1980s and 1990s music.

  • Korg Trinity

    Digital synthesizer by Korg

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Korg Trinity, released in 1995, is a digital synthesizer workstation that combined sample-based synthesis, a touchscreen interface, sequencing, and an expandable architecture. A flagship of its era, it influenced the design of later Korg workstations.

  • Technical line drawing of Korg Triton

    Korg Triton

    Digital synthesizer by Korg

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Korg Triton, released in 1999, is a sample-based synthesizer workstation that became one of the most popular production keyboards of its era. It featured a touchscreen, HI synthesis, sampling, sequencing, and expansion slots, and its sounds appeared on countless pop and hip-hop records.

  • Korg X50

    Synthesizer model

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Korg X50 is a compact sample-based synthesizer released in 2006, offering Korg's HI synthesis engine, a large preset sound library, and effects in a lightweight 61-key instrument aimed at gigging and home musicians.

  • Korg Nautilus

    Music workstation

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Korg Nautilus, released in 2020, is a flagship music workstation that brings together multiple sound engines from Korg's Kronos—including sampling, modeling, and acoustic-instrument synthesis—with a touchscreen and deep sequencing in a streamlined keyboard.

  • Technical line drawing of E-mu Drumulator

    E-mu Drumulator

    Drum machine model

    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.

  • E-mu Proteus/1

    Rackmount sample-based sound module

    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.

  • Technical line drawing of Akai SG01v

    Akai SG01v

    Sound module model

    Synthesizer · Japan

    The Akai SG01v is a General MIDI-compatible sound module released in 1995, providing a library of sampled instrument sounds for playback from a MIDI sequencer or controller.

  • Technical line drawing of Alesis Quadrasynth

    Alesis Quadrasynth

    Synthesizer model

    Synthesizer · United States

    The Alesis QuadraSynth is a sample-based digital synthesizer from the early 1990s, offering 64-voice polyphony, a large sound set, and effects in an affordable workstation-style keyboard.