Z4 or Z8

does anybody have one or have any experience with one?

I had a Z4 for a bit, and it is really cool, ak.sys worked like a charm with my PC running Win98...I had a million samples at my finger tips, I could lay out programs on my screen, no problem....but!!!!

It sounds really...REALLY->thin & metallic, just bad....I have the fattest moog samples, I put them in the Z4 and they sounded like absolute shit, the pole filters make it sound it even more digital. Another thing, I dont know if it was my Z4 only, but because it is basically a self contained PC, the hard drive inside of it would casue this nasty hard drive hum to come out of the audio outs. I sold it on eBay and bought a s1100 & s950, real samplers. =)

So the Z4....cool concept, shitty parts, this is why I have no faith in the MPC1000, Akai is too "made in china" for me in 2003.

Whats up Boogie, Doveski.

I've never used a Z4 or 8, read good reviews and complaints mostly about crashes and clunky effects. But if what you're looking for is a slick platform for grabbing samples, the sampling automation and program layout automation are killers. They speed up the process of putting together nice multisamples quite a bit from all I've read. Can't speak for the quality of hardware, though they do seem a bit "plasticky" next to older S series boxes.

I've owned in the past an S2800 (dug it, was confused at first by the multiple loops per sample concept) and currently own an S5000. (which of course only has one loop per sample, though multiple loops did allow for some neat tricks) The 5k is a real nice piece if you can snag one with a USB add-on. Connect to ak.Sys (which has given me more than the occasional "hardware disappeared" type bogus message but it's a nice free program for building programs and multis), more memory, great loop-creation assistance and a nice screensaver feature which turns off the screen after so many minutes.

One thing I miss from the 2800 was that it booted with 4 default samples loaded (a sine, square, triangle and saw wave if I remember correctly) which I always tweaked and played with before loading my own sounds. Also, older S boxes can transfer samples via MIDI using programs like Recycle, whereas Akai's newer beasts all require the use of ak.Sys.

Anyway, there's my rundown of some of my personal knowledge rack samplers. Also check out emulations of rackmounts in software like the 2 samplers in Reason, Giga, all that jazz. I've only played Reason's samplers but it's crazy what computers can pull off today.

Peace,
-tank.

thanks for the info guys. I'm looking to get another sampler because my s900 is old and it just dies out after about 30 minutes of use. I'm looking for something that is similar in operation but with timestretch capabilities. I love my 900, (I love using the keygroups)but its becoming a pain in the booty to have to wait until it decides it wants to play again. any ideas suggestions???

s5000 or EMU e6400???

DOVESKI wrote:s5000 or EMU e6400???

if you have the time could you explain the differences between the two. thx.

dont know much about the emu, but i got a s5000 and it kicks @ss. i havent even gotten that deep into it yet. i only use like one program, maybe 2 that i sampled and created to have a bass patch. very nice to have and you can still use your stuff from wax, a criteria i try to stay to. but then again i just got a ms2000 synth and that will probaly be making its way into some of my tracks soon enough.

mesh wrote:dont know much about the emu, but i got a s5000 and it kicks @ss. i havent even gotten that deep into it yet. i only use like one program, maybe 2 that i sampled and created to have a bass patch. very nice to have and you can still use your stuff from wax, a criteria i try to stay to. but then again i just got a ms2000 synth and that will probaly be making its way into some of my tracks soon enough.

how much did you pay for it and where did you get it from??

mesh wrote:dont know much about the emu, but i got a s5000 and it kicks @ss. i havent even gotten that deep into it yet. i only use like one program, maybe 2 that i sampled and created to have a bass patch. very nice to have and you can still use your stuff from wax, a criteria i try to stay to. but then again i just got a ms2000 synth and that will probaly be making its way into some of my tracks soon enough.

HA! you ended getting the MS2000, good choice.

hell yeah dove, thanks for the input on that one(that was you right?)

well you'll hate me for this but i got the s5000 from my boss for free. kind of a present with my raise. but you can get em on ebay for around 5 bills pretty loaded up. check em out.

Boogie Man,

A friend of mine had the Z4. He sold it two months later because he too felt it sounded thin. It's a common complaint with that sampler.

How much do you want to spend on this new toy? Something like a Z4 or Z8 isn't cheap. You probably won't find any used ones. The Z4 was never popular and not many of the Z8 samplers get resold. I'm assuming that you want a used one since you own an S900 already.

There is a world of difference between the Z series and your S900. Would you be happy with another S900? They sell for about $200 in like new condition. You could buy an S900 in excellent condition for that price and probably sell your defective S900 for $100.

haha sh*t... I almost thought this was about the two BMWs... but it wasnt in Off topic. Thats the car side of me

MPC_Producer wrote:Boogie Man,

How much do you want to spend on this new toy?
Would you be happy with another S900?

Im willing to spend 500, and probably not, because I want timestretching capabilities.