E-mu Emulator III

KeyboardDigitalPolyphonic

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.

Released

1987

Status

Discontinued

Resources

E-MU Emulator X3© TwistaLoop

E-MU EMAX II - Piano Sound Demonstration (E-MU Emulator 3 stock liberary)

E-MU EMULATOR 3 SAMPLER - EIIIXP to XS Analog Input Conversion - Easy to do !!

E-MU Emulator III Demo by INHALT

For sale: E-mu Systems Emulator III (8MB) (used)

E-mu EIII Emulator III Prototype S/N#003 power up sequence emu

E-mu Emulator 3 filter demo.

UVI Emulation II+ - E-mu Emulator 3 | Amazing Factory Presets | 4K

E-MU Emulator X3 Demo

For sale: E-mu Systems EIII Rack (8MB) (used)

Synthesizer

Format

Keyboard, Rackmount

Type

Sample-based

Battery Powered

Voice

A/D

Digital

Polyphony

Polyphonic

Oscillators

Oscillator Type

Sample-based

Voices

Filter

Lowpass

Envelopes

LFO

Effects

Expression

Aftertouch

Polyphonic

Velocity

Yes

MPE

Additional

Software

I/O

Audio In

1 stereo

Audio Out

16 mono

Headphone

MIDI

In, Out, Thru

MIDI Type

DIN (5-pin)

Ports

SCSI, SMPTE, RS422

Wi-Fi

Workflow

Arpeggiator

Yes

Sequencer

Yes

Mod Matrix

Memory

4Mb expandable to 8Mb

Measurements

Dimensions

Weight

Last updated Feb 25, 2026

E-mu Systems

www.emu.com (Historical)

Santa Cruz, California, USA

E-mu Systems was founded in 1971 by Dave Rossum and associates including Scott Wedge, Steve Gabriel, and Jim Ketcham, initially as students at institutions like UC Santa Cruz and Caltech, inspired by early Moog modular synthesizers. The company began producing high-quality modular synthesizers and pioneered digital keyboard scanning technology, licensing it to Oberheim and Sequential Circuits for polyphonic instruments like the Four Voice and Prophet-5. Their breakthrough came with the Emulator series of samplers in the 1980s, which revolutionized music production, alongside module-based instruments like the Proteus series; E-mu was later acquired by Creative Labs in the 1990s.

E-mu Emulator III

Resources

Specs