Akai S1000 Explained

Synth Name:Akai S1000
Synth Manufacturer:Akai
Synthesis Type:Digital Sample-based Subtractive
Polyphony:16 voices
Timbrality:16 parts
Oscillator:16 total, 1 per voice (Saw Down, Saw Up, Sine, Square)
Filter:18dB/octave non-resonant digital
Lfo:3 LFOs[1]
Keyboard:61-key (S1000KB only)
Ext Control:MIDI
Memory:2MB (expandable to 32MB - originally 8MB maximum)[2]
Fx:None
Dates:1988 - 1993
Price:$5,999 Original MSRP

The Akai S1000 is a 16-bit, 44.1 kHz professional stereo digital sampler, released by Akai in 1988. The S1000 was among the first professional-quality 16-bit stereo samplers.[3] Its abilities to splice, crossfade, trim, and loop sound in 16-bit CD quality made it popular among producers in the late 80s through to the mid 90s. The S1000 used 24-bit internal processing, had digital filters and an effects send and return, and came with 2MB of RAM (expandable to 8MB, and 32MB after the introduction of the EXM008 RAM boards for the S1100 in 1990).

Version 2.0 of the S1000's operating system introduced primitive timestretching, allowing a sound's pitch and length to be altered independently of one another. Far from seamless, this distinctive sound became popular in its own right, featured on songs such as "Higher State of Consciousness" and "RipGroove".

Variants

Several variations of the S1000 were produced:

Expansion cards

The following expansion cards are available to upgrade the abilities of any S1000 series sampler:[5]

Legacy

The S1000 quickly displaced the S900 as the studio standard sampler. Many bedroom producers could make music using little more than an S1000 and an Atari ST to sequence it, and in the UK this combination was a popular way of producing music in genres from jungle to speed garage.

In an interview taken over ten years after the S1000's release, Boards of Canada's Michael Sandison said "We have five or six samplers, but my favorite by far is still the Akai S1000. It's an old tank now, and the screen has faded so that I almost can't read it, but I know it inside out. It's the most spontaneous thing for making up little tunes."[6] Conversely, Portishead's Dave McDonald simply called it a "horrible thing" due to its primitive interface.[7]

Notable users

Notable users include 808 State,[8] Boards of Canada, Bomb the Bass,[9] [10] Butch Vig / Garbage,[11] Cabaret Voltaire,[12] The Chemical Brothers,[13] Crystal Method, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, the Future Sound of London,[14] Michael Jackson,[15] Jean-Michel Jarre, Meat Beat Manifesto,[16] Moby, My Bloody Valentine,[17] Gary Numan, Nine Inch Nails (S1100),[18] Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark,[19] Pet Shop Boys, Portishead, Primal Scream,[20] [21] The Prodigy,[22] Public Enemy,[23] The Sisters of Mercy, The Stone Roses,[24] System 7,[25] Tears for Fears,[26] Tricky,[27] Vangelis, and Vince Clarke.

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Akai Professional S1000 Stereo Digital Sampler. Encyclotronic. en-US. 2018-07-03.
  2. Web site: Blade. Zoë. Akai S1000.
  3. Russ, Martin (2004). Sound Synthesis and Sampling. Elsevier. p. 221.
  4. Action Replay. Sound On Sound. April 1989. 86–88. 0951-6816. 925234032.
  5. Book: Akai S1000 Series Software Version 2.0 Manual . 81.
  6. Micallef . Ken . July 2002 . Northern Exposure . https://web.archive.org/web/20060117025958/http://remixmag.com/mag/remix_northern_exposure/ . dead . 2006-01-17 . Remix.
  7. Book: Wheaton, R. J. . Dummy . limited . 2011 . 76. 9781441194497 .
  8. Web site: Art of the State. 808 State. 16 December 2016.
  9. Collins. Mike. Jun 1991. Beat Dis. 24–30. Sound On Sound. United Kingdom. 2021-03-02.
  10. Goodyer. Tim. Jul 1991. Beats Working. 26–32. Music Technology. Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing.. United Kingdom. 2021-03-02.
  11. Web site: Behind the Music with Butch Vig. 6 August 2014. Waves. 16 December 2016.
  12. Web site: A Chat with Richard H. Kirk. Electronic Beats. December 2011 . 16 December 2016.
  13. Book: Kim, Peter . Keyboard Presents the Evolution of Electronic Dance Music . 2011.
  14. Trask . Simon . January 1994 . Future Talk . 17. Music Technology . United Kingdom . Music Maker Publications (UK) . 2020-01-08.
  15. Buskin . Richard . August 2004 . Classic Tracks: Michael Jackson 'Black Or White' . Sound On Sound . UK . 2020-01-19.
  16. Cogan. Steve. Jan 1991. Meet the Beat. 54–58. Music Technology. Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing.. United Kingdom. 2021-02-28.
  17. Web site: Alan Moulder: Recording My Blood Valentine's Loveless.
  18. Buskin . Richard . September 2012 . Classic Tracks: Nine Inch Nails "Closer" . Sound On Sound . UK . 2020-01-17.
  19. Music Technology . Power in the Darkness. December 1991.
  20. News: Llewellyn Smith . Caspar . 2010-10-31 . Primal Scream: The band who made a rave new world . The Guardian . UK . 2020-01-17.
  21. Doyle . Tom . June 2017 . Primal Scream 'Come Together' . Sound On Sound . UK . 2020-01-17.
  22. The Mix. March 1997 . Playing With Fire.
  23. Book: That's the Joint!: The Hip-Hop Studies Reader . 418.
  24. Web site: The Stone Roses 'Fools Gold'. February 2005. Sound on Sound. 16 December 2016.
  25. Trask. Simon. Oct 1991. All Systems Go. 36–42. Music Technology. Music Maker Publications (UK), Future Publishing.. United Kingdom. 2021-03-02.
  26. Tears for Fears. Music Technology . June 1990 . Jun 1990 . 48–53 . Rue . Dan . Goodyer . Tim .
  27. Buskin . Richard . June 2007 . Classic Tracks: Tricky 'Black Steel' . Sound On Sound . UK . 2020-01-19.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Akai S1000".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.