Akai s6000 - Never listed with ADAT.

Been looking to get one of these but I have never seen one listed with the ADAT card.

This is probably the sampler's strongest point in terms of expansion yet it never comes up on eBay.

Was there a bug with the ADAT?

I just read that with that card you get 16 digital outputs. That's insane! Perhaps the ADAT card is quite hard to come by these days or something? Or maybe it wasn't used quite as much due to the USB option?

But let me put it to you this way...

Screen on a wire > ADAT.

I just read that with that card you get 16 digital outputs. That's insane! Perhaps the ADAT card is quite hard to come by these days or something? Or maybe it wasn't used quite as much due to the USB option?

I've seen them on eBay for around £100-150. They aren't gold dust by any means. Not sure what you mean by USB. Surely that's just for data transfer between storage systems rather than streaming audio. And the USB and ADAT are separate ports IIRC. So you could have both.

Yes, 16 streams in a lightpipe is a tantalising prospect indeed for those of us with limited analogue inputs.

*Edited due to my own stupidity...

I thought the ADAT card would give you 16 individual digital outputs

One day I'll actually pay attention to digital connections and learn about them.

scoobylol wrote:I usually assumed most people used digital outputs as a way of transferring to the computer so they could tighten things up in a DAW without having to use any more AD/DA converters. Like digital multi-tracking, but then I've never seen an audio interface with more than two digital connections anyway. I think mine has one set of SPDIF connections.

That's correct. ADAT allows for 8 channel multitracking. S/PDIF allows for 2 channels.

But if you can re-sample within the S6000 and then transfer it via USB, in that situation it would negate the ADAT wouldn't it?

Not sure I understand what you mean. The USB is simply to transfer audio files to and from the sytems' storage. SO if you have audio on your PC that you wish to load into the sampler, the USB will do that. The ADAT on the other hand, will effectively stream 8 separate channels through one cable ready for your DAW on separate tracks. No unneccessary DA/AD. You can also use the analog outs on the s6000 but I'm really only interested in the ADAT as I've used up all my extra analog inptus on my interface.

How would you impliment 16 digital outputs Shosta? You've got me inspired/interested brother!

For 8 channels, I would simply lightpipe the ADAT out of the device into the ADAT in of my interface and set up 8 channels in my DAW as ADAT inputs 1-8. So, in effect, you gain 8 inputs on top of however many analog inputs you already have (in my case, I have 8 analog so it would add another 8 channels with one cable).

Practical and elegant.

Another cheap solution for exandign your setup via ADAT is the behringer Ultragain which gives you 8 channels of ADATs. I wouldn't trust the mic pres on that but for line level inptus, it's pretty transparent and could handle non-critical sounds (that don't need the better conversion).

He doesn't mean 16 physical individual outputs, ADAT on the S6k is > a further 8 individual outputs through one digital lead... You obviously need a ADAT compatible input on your audio interface or it won't work.

vinyl_junkie_1620 wrote:He doesn't mean 16 physical individual outputs, ADAT on the S6k is > a further 8 individual outputs through one digital lead... You obviously need a ADAT compatible input on your audio interface or it won't work.

Yes, thanks for clearing that up.

Yeh I realised how idiotic I was being and edited my post.

My point with the USB connection was more along the lines of, could you re-sample internally and then send that file via USB to your DAW and sequence in there. Although now I understand the ADAT connection more it seems like you'd just be doubling your workload doing it like that.

scoobylol wrote:Yeh I realised how idiotic I was being and edited my post.

My point with the USB connection was more along the lines of, could you re-sample internally and then send that file via USB to your DAW and sequence in there. Although now I understand the ADAT connection more it seems like you'd just be doubling your workload doing it like that.

I don't know why I'd bother to just send a sample over USB if ultimately, it will be going back to the DAW - after all, you wouldn't be using the converters on the 6000. Might as well do all the editing ITB. I'd want to utilise the effects on the s6000 hence the ADAT appeal.

Maybe I still don't understand what you mean?

scoobylol wrote:*Edited due to my own stupidity...

I thought the ADAT card would give you 16 individual digital outputs

One day I'll actually pay attention to digital connections and learn about them.

I don't think its stupid at all. Its probably the same reason why people never bothered with the ADAT. The 6000 came out at a time when computer DAWs were starting to get better and interfaces were still very expensive. ADAT options on an interface, though somewhat common today, were very expensive options. I use a Rosetta 800 at work and the ADAT board was about £300. You can get a prosumer interface for that money nowadays.

Shostakovich wrote:

scoobylol wrote:Yeh I realised how idiotic I was being and edited my post.

My point with the USB connection was more along the lines of, could you re-sample internally and then send that file via USB to your DAW and sequence in there. Although now I understand the ADAT connection more it seems like you'd just be doubling your workload doing it like that.

I don't know why I'd bother to just send a sample over USB if ultimately, it will be going back to the DAW - after all, you wouldn't be using the converters on the 6000. Might as well do all the editing ITB. I'd want to utilise the effects on the s6000 hence the ADAT appeal.

Maybe I still don't understand what you mean?

Ok so say you've got Rhodes piano sample 1. You've chopped it and what not, you've got some modulation going on there with the effects ITB, and now you want to put it into your DAW.

Option 1: Multi-track via the ADAT in real-time.

Option 2: Use the S6000 re-sampling facility I assume it has to record the new sample along with the modulation back into the box, and then send that new sample via the USB back to the computer complete with any FX that were record during the re-sampling process. So you've done all your editing, you're just sending a finalised sample bounced as a WAV, as opposed to tracking it out in real time.

Yes, I did understand that. But I don't understand *why* you'd go through all that hassle of option 2 if your DAW allows you to do the same thing.

The advantage, IMO, of the tracking via ADAT option 1 would give you the felxibility to track with effects and modualtion from the sampler in *real time*. Simply re-sampling with effects (assuming it does this a la ASR) will leave you with a static, non-dynamic sound.

The other advatage, of course, which is slowly becoming moot with new advaceses in processors, is that 8 tracks of static audio in your DAW will pull away a lot more CPU resources away from other aspects of your project. 8 MIDI channels sent out from your DAW will not. Not mentioning any sotrage and the fact that you will be duplciating audio with Option 2 (once for the arrangement, once for the rendered track).

That's why I thik option 1 is more elegant - saves time, effort, CPU, and storage.

Very fair points sir.

*tips hat*

I've got an S6000 with all options fitted although the RAM is not max. I had to buy both a S5000 and an S6000 to achieve this; the donor S5000 was then sold on for a fair price having removed the optional ADAT card from it.

I spent a while checking deals on the bay before I purchased.

I noticed that there was a business that was buying Akai samplers and parting them out to sell the options separately. They were even taking stock S6000's to flog the options to S5000 owners. Obviously this 'asset-stripping' process is more profitable than selling units as they are. The USB, ADAT, eight analogue outputs, 64 voice polyphony and Fx cards are quite easy to sell to those wishing to upgrade and extend the life of S5/6000's.

The ADAT is the rarest of all the cards though, I think it is also an option on certain Akai DPS HD recorders.

The S5/6000 with USB makes a great combination with the MPC4000 as both can interface with the Aksys software and use keygroup programs.

Shostakovich wrote:Been looking to get one of these but I have never seen one listed with the ADAT card.

This is probably the sampler's strongest point in terms of expansion yet it never comes up on eBay.

Was there a bug with the ADAT?

where are you located?


ive got an s6000 maxed besides the eb-20 effects board... also an XT20 ADAT that is available...


let me know where your located and if your interested... location is important because im not shipping something like an ADAT and im not into the paypal drama neither...