The Akai S20 Sampler!!!!!!

tapedeck wrote:

mudhoney wrote:...are there any mod to save and load data from usb or CF ?

...

the hxc device works perfectly though. it is not idiot proof, you will need to do a bit of prep work to make it work right.

search hxc floppy emulator.

And don't hesitate to contact us if you got any problem to get it working !

http://torlus.com/floppy/forum/index.php

the zoom sampletrak is also 16 bit 32khz and said to have a similar impact on drums sampled but the difference was ngelible i did not think it was worth keeping.

the st-224 also had a shit sequencer but some ok fx plus the pads were better then the s20.

but for a smoove sound the mpc60 or s950 are tops

I've been looking at getting an S-series sampler for drums only, but I'm considering spending a little more on a used mpc 500 to get the mpc swing/quantize as well.

I only use probably 4 tracks tops for drums, and I dont need any bells/whistles. I just need to sample a kick, snare, and hat, and lay down a basic beat. So I just discovered the s20, which I assume has a similar sound to the S-series, both being made in the 90's, but it also has a 4-track sequencer, which is exactly all I need for drums.

So, I just wanted to know about that sequencer. Does it have the same classic Akai timing/swing? Can you adjust the quantize notes (1/16th, 1/8th, etc) and the swing percentages?

I've read its complete garbage, but I wonder if that's in terms of ppl trying to use it as a full-fledged production seq. If I just wanted to use it strictly for a few tracks of drums, would I be getting the same swing as an mpc?

Also, if I controlled it with an external midi keyboard, would I be able to play different velocities?

Here's a video I found of someone making a beat on one and the drums bang, and kinda have that mpc swing too. The samples sound all out of time and wack, but the drums sound like an mpc to me.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LyhLztvI1NY

Any info appreciated. Thx

The more I watch these demo videos, something is screwy with the timing on that sequencer. Its like it drifts out of time and not in a good way. Like its dozing off or something, lol.

But the sound is still pretty bangin on drums. Does the s2000 sound the same on drums? Cant find any good demo's of drums through an s2000 anywhere. I hear its the same sound as an mpc 2000, but none of the demo's I've heard bang like the mpc. The s20 bangs. Can anybody post examples of some bangin drums made on the s2000?

s20 bang is cos of 32khz sample rate
zoom sampletrak has this rate too

the sequencer is the most basic one i've ever seen.

no quantisation*.

no concept of tempo.

it goes like this, you hit record, and you play notes. it records these notes in ALMOST* the exact same way you played them in. you then hit play and it plays back ALMOST* the same sequence you put in.

it's realtime only, and the only editing you can do is like erase the whole track and start over from the beginning.

there is no concept of bars or measures so you do everything from the beginning and thats it.

* there IS some non-adjustable quantisation going on...like the 'sampling rate' of the sequencer is very very low. so the point is, if you record something in, if it doesn't fall right on one of those 'ticks' of the sequencer, the sequencer will shift it in time to align with a tick.

when i used to use it extensively, it drove me kind of crazy trying to do anything precise. check this out...one time i built the sequence in cakewalk. it was perfect. the samples in the machine were TO THE SAMPLE the exact same length as a bar at whatever tempo it was. then i played the sequence from cakewalk back into the s20 to store it in it's sequencer.
keep in mind, this was a strict quantised sequence with all samples trimmed to exact multiples of each other.

it totally destroyed the sequence. note offs would come in too late and so the loops would keep playing, trying to add another track just made it more obvious because track 1 was totally out of sync with track 2 as the midi events kept getting 'quantised' to this whack time scale.

now, the sequencer is NOT unusable, but it is totally 100% unlike anything the mpc can do. think of it like a 4 track cassette deck where the speed keeps fluctuating. it is good for dirty scratchpad type stuff but basically you don't know what is going to come out of it after you recorded...it will be a bit wonky.

also, as for the 'sound of s-series'...this is not that sampler. first of all it's sample editing facilities are attack and decay volume only, no filter, and i think it has a dirty character all it's own.

love this machine though. would be perfect being triggered by an mpc if you really want tight sequencing...the midi on the s-20 is actually pretty incredible.

^Thanks guys. Thinking about getting one just to use as a sampler then, since the sequencer sounds like its totally shit, lol. I can just trigger and sequence with my Motif 6.

Do you you think the s20 is better for drums than the s2000? For old school boom bap type drums.

gertie wrote:s20 bang is cos of 32khz sample rate
zoom sampletrak has this rate too

Is there something special about 32khz rate because I sample at 22khz on my motif and don't notice anything special in particular. It kind of filters some high end, but doesnt necessarily make them hit harder.

jk81 wrote:

gertie wrote:s20 bang is cos of 32khz sample rate
zoom sampletrak has this rate too

Is there something special about 32khz rate because I sample at 22khz on my motif and don't notice anything special in particular. It kind of filters some high end, but doesnt necessarily make them hit harder.

no, don't get so caught up in the numbers. making your samples 'hit harder' is a combination of things - sample rate, bit depth, ad/da converters, gain, etc etc.
i dont think sampling at a lower rate into a nice, modern sampler like the motif is going to add anything - it will probably just reduce the high end.

i do like the sound of the s20 though...it is unique.