The Emulator is a series of digital sampling synthesizers using floppy-disk storage that was manufactured by E-mu Systems from 1981 until 2002. Although it was not the first commercial sampler, the Emulator was innovative in its integration of computer technology and was among the first samplers to find widespread usage among musicians. While costly, its price was considerably lower than those of its early competitors, and its smaller size increased its portability and, resultantly, practicality for live performance. The line was discontinued in 2002.
Impetus
E-mu Systems was founded in 1971 as a manufacturer of microprocessor chips, digital scanning keyboards and components for electronic instruments. Licensing revenue for this technology afforded E-mu the ability to invest in research and development, and it began to develop boutique synthesizers for niche markets, including a series of modular synthesizers and the high-end Audity system, of which only one prototype was produced. In 1979, founders Scott Wedge and Dave Rossum saw the Fairlight CMI and the Linn LM-1 at a convention, inspiring them to design and produce a less expensive digital sampling keyboard.
E-mu originally considered selling the design for the Emulator to Sequential Circuits, which was using E-mu's keyboard design in its popular Prophet-5 synthesizer. However, Sequential Circuits soon ceased paying E-mu royalties for its keyboard design, which prompted E-mu to release the Emulator commercially.
Products
Emulator
Finally released in 1981, the Emulator was a floppy disk-based keyboard workstation that enabled the musician to sample sounds, recording them to storage media and allowing them to be played as musical notes on the keyboard. The 5" floppy disk drive enabled the owner to build a library of samples and share them with others, or to purchase prerecorded libraries on disk.
The original Emulator was a very basic eight-bit sampler with only a simple filter, and it only allowed for a single loop. The initial model did not include a VCA envelope generator. It was produced in three forms: a two-voice model (only one of which was ever sold), a four-voice model and an eight-voice model. The keyboard was designed to be played in split mode with one sample on each side, so playing the same sound on the full keyboard required loading the same sound from disk into each side.
Stevie Wonder, who gave the sampler a glowing review at the 1981 NAMM convention, received the first unit (serial number 0001). The first unit had originally been promised to Daryl Dragon of Captain & Tennille, as he was a longtime E-mu modular-system owner, but Wonder's greater fame moved him to the top of the list. In 1982, the Emulator was updated to include a VCA envelope generator and a simple sequencer, and its price was lowered. Approximately 500 units were sold before the unit was discontinued in early 1984. Other prominent users of the original E-mu Emulator were New Order, Tangerine Dream and Tony Banks of Genesis, and it was among the many groundbreaking instruments used in the production of Michael Jackson's Thriller album. Composer and writer David Frank of the System used the original Emulator on his productions from Sweat to Don't Disturb this Groove. The Residents, who had received the fifth Emulator produced, used the instrument extensively on their album The Tunes of Two Cities. Vangelis had an Emulator at Nemo Studios in London and used it on the Blade Runner soundtrack.
Emulator II
Released commercially in 1984 to huge acclaim, the Emulator II (or EII) was E-mu's second sampler. Like the original Emulator, it was an eight-bit sampler, but it delivered superior fidelity by employing companding digital-to-analog converters and a 27.7 kHz sample rate. It also allowed more flexibility in editing and shaping sounds, as resonant analog filters (provided by longtime E-Mu collaborators SSM) were added. The EII also featured greatly improved real-time control. Its price was similar to that of the original Emulator, at US$7,995 for a regular model and $9,995 for a "plus" model featuring extra sample memory. Several upgrades, including a second floppy drive, a 20 MB hard drive, and a 512K memory upgrade were also available. Despite the EII's price, it was considered a value in comparison to the Fairlight CMI Series II, the most basic model of which was priced at $30,000 upon its initial release.