E-mu Emulator III

Back in 1987, this beast became the first sampler to deliver true 16-bit CD-quality audio at 44.1kHz stereo, setting a new standard for what a digital workstation could achieve in the studio.

It packs 16 voices of polyphony through sample-based synthesis, with 16 Curtis CEM3387 analog filters per voice—each blending a 3-pole lowpass, a resonant 4-pole lowpass, plus gain and pan control—for that signature warm, dense tone. The 61-key keyboard version responds to velocity and polyphonic aftertouch, while the rackmount offers 16 individual mono outs alongside stereo audio in; both share a 20-character backlit LCD, data slider, cursor buttons, and 10-key pad for intuitive editing. Built-in goodies include a 16-track sequencer, arpeggiator, 1 LFO, ADSR envelopes, SCSI and floppy drives for disk-based sampling, plus MIDI In/Out/Thru, SMPTE, and RS422 ports—expandable from 4MB to 8MB RAM for up to 67 seconds of pristine samples.

Players still chase its unique analog filter growl and multitimbral magic, calling it a producer's dream for deep, cinematic layers—though keeping vintage drives happy takes some TLC these days.