Launched in 2000 as E-mu's gateway to global sounds, this rackmount module packed a 32MB ROM bursting with authentic world instruments, ethnic percussion, and rhythms that feel like a passport to distant lands—perfect for adding exotic flavor without leaving your studio.
At its core is a flexible 4-layer sample-based engine drawing from 807 instruments, delivering 64-voice polyphony across 16 MIDI channels, with each layer featuring a single sample oscillator, Z-plane multimode filters (up to 12-pole resonant or 50 modeling varieties), three envelopes, and two syncable LFOs. A deep mod matrix with arithmetic modifiers and up to 64 sources/destinations lets you warp sounds wildly, while four front-panel real-time knobs control 12 assignable parameters like cutoff, resonance, and envelopes for instant tweaks. It shines with SuperBEATs mode for rhythmic phrases, up to 16 syncable arpeggiators, and a dual 24-bit stereo effects processor offering 60+ algorithms—reverbs and delays on one bus, choruses and distortions on the other—routed via four sends. Housed in a compact 1U rack with standard MIDI In/Out/Thru and balanced stereo outs, it includes two user-upgradable SIMM slots for sound expansion and 512 presets plus 512 user slots.
Over two decades on, it's earned a loyal following among producers for its rich, tweakable world tones and powerhouse Proteus engine, though some note the lack of digital outs and reliance on MIDI for deeper control as dated quirks in modern rigs.
