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Emax SE filters?

Emax SE filters?

2003-01-26 by ugster909 <ugster909@...>

Hi there,

I am just wondering whether it is worth getting an Emax SE? What are 
the filters like on them? i already have an E4XT Ultra sampler, top 
of the range thing, is there a difference between this and the old 
Emax?

I know Mixmaster morris (Irresistible Force) uses and swears by an 
old Emax keyboard, and has produced some lovely samples / sounds on 
CD, saying that his album "Flying High" is done 90% on an Emax!!?? 
and that it is his Workhorse...

Listening to that album is the Emax really doing all that you can 
hear? Filtered samples / analog sounds ? or is he multitracking the 
Sampler to ADAT or something,  because he's only got 12 secs sampling 
time?

Can you manipulate the start and loop times live as well as the 
filters in it? Am really confused as to how "analog"& "warm" you can 
get this sampler sounding?

Anybody know the Irresistible Force stuff i mean?

Re: [emax] Emax SE filters?

2003-01-27 by John Silveria

I know a lot of artist's in several genres swear by their Emax and/or
Emax II. Orbital said that "Chime" was 90% Emax II and Pretty Hate
Machine by Nine Inch Nails has about 95% of the sampled sounds coming
from an Emax.

Certainly everything you are hearing is multitracked, I can't imagine
an artist out there creating anything complex or well produced on just
one instrument without multitracking it. You simply can't make a good
mix if all the intruments are coming out the same stereo outputs like
they would be on an Emax. 

What the Emax has that can't be duplicated is real analog CEM filters,
not digital imitations. I had an Emax SE HD for years and thought I
could get away with just an Emax II and I regret ever selling it, I
will eventually have to get a rack version. A lot of samples I made of
my OB-8 and especially my Juno 106 were so well duplicated on the Emax
thanks to those filters. I have a few banks that don't sound remotely
the same on the Emax II though most of the time it does do an amazing
job imitating the Emax. In the end though it really is a matter of
preference. You have people that swear by software synths and claim
they can duplicate sounds from old analog gear to the point where only
a truly obsessed Analog-o-phile could tell and I agree. You certainly
aren't going to get that many sounds out of an Emax that your E4XT
can't duplicate, but no instrument with digital filters is going to
have the presence the Emax does. It simply has a warmth and presence
in a mix that I have found is impossible to duplicate, but so do many
instruments.

One thing I will say is that I personaly find that the Emax and Emax
II are not the best instruments if you do loop based song composition.
You will find the user interface horrifying if you want to chop up
samples.


On 26 Jan 2003 at 13:58, ugster909 ugster909@.... spoke unto me:

> Hi there,
> 
> I am just wondering whether it is worth getting an Emax SE? What are
> the filters like on them? i already have an E4XT Ultra sampler, top
> of the range thing, is there a difference between this and the old
> Emax?
> 
> I know Mixmaster morris (Irresistible Force) uses and swears by an
> old Emax keyboard, and has produced some lovely samples / sounds on
> CD, saying that his album "Flying High" is done 90% on an Emax!!??
> and that it is his Workhorse...
> 
> Listening to that album is the Emax really doing all that you can
> hear? Filtered samples / analog sounds ? or is he multitracking the
> Sampler to ADAT or something,  because he's only got 12 secs
> sampling time?
> 
> Can you manipulate the start and loop times live as well as the
> filters in it? Am really confused as to how "analog"& "warm" you can
> get this sampler sounding?
> 
> Anybody know the Irresistible Force stuff i mean?

**************************John Silveria II****************************
                   AIM & Yahoo! Messenger: EmaxJS
                        MSN: emaxjs@...
The Silveria Family Website & Emax and Emax II User's Group
------------------ http://www.silveriafamily.com ----------------------
John Silveria II
AIM: EmaxJS
The Silveria Family Website
Emax and Emax II User's Group
http://www.silveriafamily.com

RE: [emax] Emax SE filters?

2003-01-27 by Rob Keeble

Hi,
The analog filters on the Emax are cool, but they are SSM chips designed by
Dave Rossum from E-mu Systems and not CEM chips as per Oberheim OB synths
and Prophet 5 Rev3's. All early Emulators and drum machines had SSM chips,
until the Emulator III. Dave was particularly good at designing analog
filters, shame he won't be doing any more! The Emax II has the first digital
filter chip from Dave, its a close emulation of the Emax low pass filter
which is why it sounds so good, it also appeared in the Emulator IIIX. Dave
now does chips for Creative, like the Audigy 2 sound card.

The SSM analog filters are warm, but they are not like Moog ladder filters,
more like the E-mu Modular low pass filter of 1975, which is precise but
rather clean.

Regards
Rob
www.emulatorarchive.com
Show quoted textHide quoted text
  -----Original Message-----
  From: John Silveria [mailto:emaxjs@...]
  Sent: 27 January 2003 00:44
  To: emax@yahoogroups.com
  Subject: Re: [emax] Emax SE filters?


  I know a lot of artist's in several genres swear by their Emax and/or
  Emax II. Orbital said that "Chime" was 90% Emax II and Pretty Hate
  Machine by Nine Inch Nails has about 95% of the sampled sounds coming
  from an Emax.

  Certainly everything you are hearing is multitracked, I can't imagine
  an artist out there creating anything complex or well produced on just
  one instrument without multitracking it. You simply can't make a good
  mix if all the intruments are coming out the same stereo outputs like
  they would be on an Emax.

  What the Emax has that can't be duplicated is real analog CEM filters,
  not digital imitations. I had an Emax SE HD for years and thought I
  could get away with just an Emax II and I regret ever selling it, I
  will eventually have to get a rack version. A lot of samples I made of
  my OB-8 and especially my Juno 106 were so well duplicated on the Emax
  thanks to those filters. I have a few banks that don't sound remotely
  the same on the Emax II though most of the time it does do an amazing
  job imitating the Emax. In the end though it really is a matter of
  preference. You have people that swear by software synths and claim
  they can duplicate sounds from old analog gear to the point where only
  a truly obsessed Analog-o-phile could tell and I agree. You certainly
  aren't going to get that many sounds out of an Emax that your E4XT
  can't duplicate, but no instrument with digital filters is going to
  have the presence the Emax does. It simply has a warmth and presence
  in a mix that I have found is impossible to duplicate, but so do many
  instruments.

  One thing I will say is that I personaly find that the Emax and Emax
  II are not the best instruments if you do loop based song composition.
  You will find the user interface horrifying if you want to chop up
  samples.


  On 26 Jan 2003 at 13:58, ugster909 ugster909@.... spoke unto me:

  > Hi there,
  >
  > I am just wondering whether it is worth getting an Emax SE? What are
  > the filters like on them? i already have an E4XT Ultra sampler, top
  > of the range thing, is there a difference between this and the old
  > Emax?
  >
  > I know Mixmaster morris (Irresistible Force) uses and swears by an
  > old Emax keyboard, and has produced some lovely samples / sounds on
  > CD, saying that his album "Flying High" is done 90% on an Emax!!??
  > and that it is his Workhorse...
  >
  > Listening to that album is the Emax really doing all that you can
  > hear? Filtered samples / analog sounds ? or is he multitracking the
  > Sampler to ADAT or something,  because he's only got 12 secs
  > sampling time?
  >
  > Can you manipulate the start and loop times live as well as the
  > filters in it? Am really confused as to how "analog"& "warm" you can
  > get this sampler sounding?
  >
  > Anybody know the Irresistible Force stuff i mean?

  **************************John Silveria II****************************
                     AIM & Yahoo! Messenger: EmaxJS
                          MSN: emaxjs@...
  The Silveria Family Website & Emax and Emax II User's Group
  ------------------ http://www.silveriafamily.com ----------------------
  John Silveria II
  AIM: EmaxJS
  The Silveria Family Website
  Emax and Emax II User's Group
  http://www.silveriafamily.com


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