The Audio Playground Synthesizer Museum

E-MU

Founded in 1972

Based out of Scotts Valley, California U.S.A
merged with Ensoniq in 1998 to become E-mu/Ensoniq

E-mu Systems E4K Turbo keyboard

Made in 1996

128 voice sampling synthesizer keyboard

Specifications:

Emulator®: a continuing evolution...
E-MU's reputation as innovators in the sampling world is beyond dispute. Since 1980, a series of
Emulator products has led to the highly renowned EIV, with its high 128 voice polyphony count, 128
MB RAM memory address space and flexible and extensive programming features. The Emulator 4
Keyboard is a natural extension of this development, but it does much more than simply add a
keyboard to the EIV. Of course the E4K is completely at home in any project studio, with its advanced
sound design, huge memory capability and control features. E-MU® has also carefully considered
what it means to extend sampling from the studio and take it onto the stage in a practical, musician-like
way. We have made sure that fast access to presets, realtime control of sounds, an ergonomic control
panel layout and a responsive 6 octave keyboard package are high on the feature list.

Performance Features
Apart from adding a 76 note (6 octave) velocity and pressure sensitive keyboard to an EIV, realtime
control has been increased to include four faders and a Thumby Button. All the realtime controls are
integrated through the patchbay in each preset and into each factory sound stored on the internal hard
drive. They are designed to control the most useful aspects of timbre according to the nature of each
preset. This feature greatly expands the musical application of individual presets by making it easy to
tailor presets to your special application and style. Your favorite fader settings can be stored with the
preset; equivalent to a mini-editor. The faders and button can control brightness, envelopes, special
effects, layers, trilling - whatever suits the sound and performer.

Synthesis Features DMS
Digital Modular Synthesis is probably the best way to describe the evolving architecture of Emulator
Technology. Patching control sources to synthesis parameters is the heart of preset modeling, and
E-mu's early dedication to modular analog synths is finding new life in the E4K. Z-Plane filters, 2
LFO's, 32 sample layers with individual access to variable loop and start points, tuning functions, and
three fully independent six segment envelope generators provide the basic synth elements which are
the targets for the patchbay cords. Control sources can be derived from some of these tools, or from
realtime inputs such as the faders and wheels on the keyboard front panel. The Patchbay also contains
a set of arithmetic modifiers which extends its potential - allowing complex synthesis models to be
built.

Sampling & Sound Design
The E4K has all the superb audio sculpting features of the Emulator IV and as such is an excellent
instrument for sound design. Once raw data has been captured through any of the standard sampling
procedures; analog jacks, S/PDIF digital, or internal resampling, the E4K allows for extensive
manipulation of the data via powerful editing functions. These include loop, truncate, taper, cut, copy
and paste as well as many innovative and powerful DSP wave manipulation tools. Among these are
"time stretch", parametric EQ, gain compression, doppler, reverse section, exciter and transform
multiplication. Resampling is a powerful feature in the context of sound design and it is a central
feature of the Emulator 4 Keyboard. Any output generated from the keyboard, be it a single note with
many sample layers, a sequence, (even with FX processing added), can be recaptured as a new single
wave and used for a subsequent round of voicing.

FX
The 8 outputs provided on the E4K provide flexible control for the studio FX situation... However,
there are plenty of occasions when it is important to be able to add an ambient effect, reverberation or
early reflections directly to the sounds generated on the instrument, especially in a performance
context. For this reason, the E4K has a high quality 24 bit FX board installed as standard to give that
all important splash of reverb without any signal degradation. Enough effects routines are provided so
that interesting sounds for resampling can be generated or standard presets can be spiced up. Faders
for each voice, through the patchbay, control parameters of the FX engine making the implementation
highly expressive and supportive of the performing musician.

Sequencer & Data Filer
The sequencer is capable of reading and playing back Standard MIDI Files (format 0 and 1) direct
from a DOS floppy disk, and also saving them to the internal hard drive. This provides an onboard
MIDI File utility which is important for storing both studio set up data files and song playback. Music
sequences can be stored with E4 banks and loaded with them or as separate objects. Plenty of
sequences have been stored with the onboard sound set for demonstration purposes.

Versions & Options
The Emulator 4 Keyboard comes in two configurations: a 128 voice version and a 64 voice version. A
plug in option board will easily convert a 64 voice model to a full 128 voice model. Both models come
with 4MB of RAM, expandable to 128MB. The basic architecture is open for expansion in the future.
One EIV type expansion slot has been included.

Sounds & SoundSprint
The E4K comes equipped with a 270MB internal hard drive loaded with more than 150MB of brand
new sounds, together with some renowned E-MU classics. What's exciting about these patches is not
only the great way they sound, using the realtime faders and the extended voicing architecture of the
E4K, but also the neat way that you can browse through and play these sounds using SoundSprint.
Its just as if they were sitting in a "virtual ROM bank"- the big difference is that this particular bank is
nearly 200MB wide! Each sound is sculpted with it's own samples, many of them generated from the
programmers toolbox bank - a utility set of waves and templates which harness the Emulator
resampling feature. SoundSprint itself is a routine which allows you to pull presets quickly into
memory one at a time as you browse through the internal drive.

Audio Quality
The E4K continues the long tradition of E-MU's renowned audio quality. A key factor in this quality,
apart from the 18 bit DACs and internal 24 bit precision is the elimination of aliasing and clock noise
normally associated with sample pitch transposition, maintaining a constant yet selectable sampling
rate. This contributes to a warmth and smoothness in the Emulator sound which is really quite unique.

Emulator®: Specifications...

Voices:

128 or 64 channel versions, 16 part multitimbral

Sound Memory:

4MB Standard (one SIMM board), 2 SIMM Sockets RAM; 2 SIMM Sockets ROM

Analog Outputs:

8 outputs - 2 mains/6 sub outputs, Balanced mains, (sub also inputs), Output Level + 4 dBu nominal

Digital Outputs:

S/PDIF outputs 44.1K & 48K

Digital Inputs:

S/PDIF on RCA jack, Sample Rates 32k, 44.1k, 48k

FX Processor:

18 bit stereo dual FX, 10 reverb algorithms

Analog Inputs:

2 balanced (left & right) sampling inputs, A/D 16 bit sigma/delta 128 x oversampling, Sample Rates
22.05k, 24k, 44.1k, 48k, Input gain scaling - 18 to + 30 dB

Audio Specification:

Frequency Response 20 Hz-20 kHz, + 2/-1 dB
Signal to noise 94 dB, Signal to Quiescent noise 107 dB

Sequencer:

6 dedicated transport controls with MMC, Playback Standard MIDI Files (1&0)

SCSI Interface:

1 x 50-pin Centronix style connector, Active termination controlled by software

Floppy Drive:

3.5" high density 1.44MB, Reads EOS, Sound Banks

Internal Hard Drive:

270MB total capacity, Pre-loaded with over 170MB of sounds

Power:

Voltage 100-240VAC 50/60Hz auto select, 50 watts

Models & Options:

6900 - 64 voice version
6901 - 128 voice version
6910 - 64 voice upgrade board

Weight & Dimensions:

35Ib
49.16" W x 4.1" H x 13.5" D

E-mu Systems E4K Turbo 6902 keyboard $5195.00 List price

E4K 6900 List Price $3995

E4K 6901 List Price $4895