S3000 & S3000XL Difference in Sound?

the s-xxxx/i series of samplers where made in japan and used the exm002 and exm008 memory modules the s2800i and s3000i were cut down versions of the s3000 board series they only had 2 exm connectors for ram so that they could only access 16mb of ram

the boards are identical to the s3000 they just did not connect the extra sockets they all use the same os v2.0 and its the same manual for all

the s3200 had all expansions fitted

the 2nd filter board
digital output input boards
smpte boards
scsi board

all versions can be upgraded to s3200 status except the cd3000/i and s2800i due to no room for filterboard
due to the main board being under the output board

all can be made to 32mb the s2800/cd3000/i/s3000i which need additional soldering

the early s-series samplers used the mpc3000 engine and adc and dac chips and output boards they have a crisp sound and sound more analog than the xl range

the xl range where made in china to reduce costs

the xl range did not have fx built in but required the fx card expansion for efx
the xl range also used standard simms for memeory modules making it cheaper for the consumer to upgrade
the xl also could be upgraded with the 2nd filter board but it is not the same as the filter board as the s3000 series

the s3000 series filter board used the same exm socket as the memory modules and wont fit the xl range
the xl range used newer adc and dac which offer better noise floor and sound but because of this they sound more clinical and digital and harsh

the xl range added the 8mb battery backed ram/rom boards for storing sound when switched of but were very expensive and now impossible to get

the s-series used a personal lcd manufacturer called nanox who designed the lcd to akai spec so you cant get of the self lcd modules to replace and akai parts where charging £300-400 for replacement

i am in talks with the manufacturer to get new lcd screens with led backlights to the same spec as the akai as akai dont support these devices any longer the manufacturer as opted to help in preserving the lcd for us

there will be a modification required to the mother board for the new lcd module the hi frequency dc converter will need removing and a curent limiting resister put in its place to prevent damage to the led backlight

the led backlights dont dim over time

good info, thanks.

jhulk wrote:the xl range added the 8mb battery backed ram/rom boards for storing sound when switched of but were very expensive and now impossible to get

I got one recently
not ****ing cheap though

I thought it was flash memory, rather than battery-backed?

My S3000XL

DEFO says made in Japan,
(among hip hop producers here in the UK the old S series samplers and the older MPCs are still very popular and I literally see them around all the time here, at studios in people’s homes, live on stage, everywhere I’ve probably seen at least 10 S1100s/s2000s and s3000s/s3000xls/s3000cds and so on in the last week alone).

the majority of the S3000xls here say made in Japan on them.

I have seen a 3000xl that was made in china though and I examined it and it seemed different to mine in build quality, the rec gain and main volume knobs could be easily loosened the data wheel was not as sturdy and felt to be made of a different material, same with the buttons and so on.

In regards to sound, I hear these machines all the time, literally every day and we still often lay down tracks on a daily basis here with them. I could happily speak on all of them (every S series/MPC) but know most about the s3000xl vs the mpc2000xl as I have pretty recently gone into the comparison in a lot of detail myself (including opening things up, comparing wav files and so on, which is all a waste of time really lol as I already know how both sound)

My S3000xl seems to sound relatively close to an mpc2000xl (I’m pretty shore of that as one of the most prolific hip hop producers at the music school I attend uses a 2000xl and I’ve chilled with him and heard the sound of the mpc2000xl raw as in just the mpc2000xl and no other soft or hardware involved, he/we also experimented with the down sampling features and he showed me how the eb16 interacts with the mpc2000xl and gave examples of how it sounds)
but I have found personally although by default they sound very similar that the s3000xl can tend to sound a hell of a lot grittier then the mpc2000xl if you are using the s3000xls as standard floppy drive, just simply because you have more options in regards to down sampling/re sampling (plus the s3000xl resample’s much quicker, it takes a while on the mpc2000xl) and of course most people would rather down sample and have everything (drums, lead sample, bass) on one floppy then save to multiple floppies increasing the risk of one failing on you.

Whereas mpc2000xl on the other hand (which is an awesome machine and I am very envious of the auto chop loops into even segments to pads features as this requires a calculator and patients on an S) is a lot easier to upgrade to zip of cf and often comes if brought used with one of the for mentioned already installed. Meaning a user of the mpc2000xl with usually feel less inclined to down sample.

So although they by default sound similar in reality the workflows of the 2 machines tend to guide you in different ways that often would lead to a noticeably different sound being produced from even the same sample.

Also after external (or internal) fx, compressors, reverbs, filters and maybe even more fancy vst type or expensive flashy hardware fx could most of us really tell if the sample were hearing came from an s1000,2000,3000,3000xl or whatever, really? and does it really matter?

I mean all that really matters is that the end result does not sound lifeless, like a 24bit wav that has been totally untreated and regurgitated out of the ass hole of a DAW/modern day computer, rite?

but what about the s3000 compared to the s3000xl

ceetheproducer wrote:Also after external (or internal) fx, compressors, reverbs, filters and maybe even more fancy vst type or expensive flashy hardware fx could most of us really tell if the sample were hearing came from an s1000,2000,3000,3000xl or whatever, really? and does it really matter?

No and no.

All Akai S series samplers since the first one to the S-6000, hardware was done and designed by David Cockerell (Same man who designed the EMS VCS-3 synth)
He was working for ElectroHarmonix in the earaly 80's at the time and working on a digital looper/sampler pedal but when the company went down it never came out. Akai then employed him and that idea/product he was working on at EH basically came to be the S612.

Later on Chris Huggett joined the team and did all the software from the S-1000 up to the S-3200. After Akai he joined Novation, put the Wasp filter into the BassStation and designed the supernova

A lot of the facroty sound disks were done by another English guy called Steve who also wrote the manuals.

The MPC-60 and 3000 hardware was also designed by David but and with software by Linn..and of course a lot of other input from Linn commanding what he hardware should be/look like.

A lot of interesting information in that topic. I bought a s2000 and a CD3000XL (that samples from analog ins, SPDIF or CD by the way) four months ago. On my CD3000XL it's written "made in japan" on the back casing. So from what I read in that topic and from what I guess, that "china / japan" thing is not 100% reliable and should not be taken into account too seriously no?

s3000 vs s3000xl

well acording to a lot of sources the official stats are that the 3000xl is an upgraded s3000 and there ment to sound identical or pritty dam close, heres an example of a well known wesite claiming that

http://www.vintagesynth.com/akai/s3000.php

BUT

i am pritty shure a lot of people including several well known websites and retailers are getting a bit confussed as the way in which akai nammed the models of the s series was very random

just going on ear, toutch and look (i know a guy who owns an s3000 and i own an s3000xl), i'm very (100%) shore that the s3000 is more low fi in every way from the os to how it looks (it is of a better build quality the s3000xl i think myself) to how it sounds.

i'm pritty shore the s3000 sounds closer to the mpc3000 (theres onli 2 producers in my area with an mpc3000 and both are minor celebs and have no time for me so im not goin to get chance to 100% verify this anytime soon but i have herd an mpc3000 before a lot of times, my dad had one as a kid it has a very distinctive sound, to me the s3000 reminds me of it, i am pritty shore the s3000 is the rackmout version of the mpc3000 minus the sequencer and with a slightly differnt os) and both to my eyes look and feel very well built.


where as the s3000xl to me sounds like an mpc2000xl very very very much so and is of a simal build quality (not totaly cheap like the new akais built well enough to last but not 100% rock solid).

MPC series and S series were completely different developments and the product lines were kept quite separate.

The S-3000 came out in 1992..The MPC-3000 in 1994.. In 95 Akai released the XL models

The S-3000XL was made from the S-2800, a cut down and slightly cheaper S-3000, many of the parts like the data wheel, LCD and buttons though were the same as all the other Akai's.
I might still have a pic somewhere of the S-2800XL which is the prototype of the you guessed it the S-3000XL

The OS on the non XL was practically the same bar the addition of a new "Multi Mode" and the MESA computer editing, that was the XL's selling points, no big leap from the S-3000.

The Prototypes of the XL's all had that Modular Editing System by Akai written on it. There is one of the S-3500 which became the S-3200XL. These were all handmade inside and not allowed to be re-sold

i was doing a lot of searching about the s3k model line because of a recent addition to my collection of rare sampling goods and this thread was super informative im glad its here....

now to see if anyones interested in ressurecting this discussion about the development and history of the S series

many people may have never seen one of these as im told theres literally a handful of them ( like four total i was told) but maybe it'll encourage someone to post some more facts about these great samplers

Hi.... I just got the s3000!! But I only have the s3000 xl manual. I know it is pretty similar but I dont have too much experience in this and with the 3000xl its even harder to undesrtand

Please somebody give me a little help...

thanks...

paradiso...

paradiso wrote:Hi.... I just got the s3000!! But I only have the s3000 xl manual. I know it is pretty similar but I dont have too much experience in this and with the 3000xl its even harder to undesrtand

Please somebody give me a little help...

thanks...

paradiso...

almost the same machine the mnual should guide you well! this is easy to use. hit sampling button select input source, main out or analog in etc... set sampling time, then record!

Hey guys!
I got my S3000xl today. Luckily, it's the "made in Japan" version. I just had to open it and find out which D/A converters it's using. All outputs (8-out + main out) are using PCM69AP chips, which seems to be the exact same DAC that is used in MPC3000. So, looks like the Japanese s3000xl is comparable to MPC3000.

...

jhulk wrote:i am in talks with the manufacturer to get new lcd screens with led backlights to the same spec as the akai as akai dont support these devices any longer the manufacturer as opted to help in preserving the lcd for us