In an interview with with The Archivest Dj Lethal said that he used this back in the day.
more"With my pay-off from the Housemartins, I invested in a proper desk, a little eight-track reel-to-reel, and an Atari [ST computer]. Eventually I got an [Akai] S900 and then an S950. The S900 was fairly rudimentary. The S950 you could and still can do pretty much anything you want.”
moreWhen asked in this [reddit thread](http://www.reddit.com/r/edmproduction/comments/1vagak/i_am_optical_ama_virus_recordings/) what kind of equipment Optical uses, he responds: "I have owned (and still do mostly) as best as I can remember: Mackie 32/8 32 channel - (I have had 3 altogether), 3 x [Emu E6400 Ultra](http://equipboard.com/items/e-mu-6400-ultra) (also [E6400 orig](http://equipboard.com/items/e-mu-6400)), Akai S750, S900, [S1100](http://equipboard.com/items/akai-s1100), [S3000](http://equipboard.com/items/akai-s3000xl) samplers, Alesis Quadraverb, [Focusrite Green Eq](http://equipboard.com/items/focusrite-green-eq) x2, Focusrite Green Compressor, [Focusrite ISA430 Producer Pack](http://equipboard.com/items/focusrite-isa430-mkii-producer-pack), [Lexicon Alex](http://equipboard.com/items/lexicon-alex-digital-effects-processor), [Lexicon MPX1](http://equipboard.com/items/lexicon-mpx1), [Alesis MidiVerb4](http://equipboard.com/items/alesis-midiverb4-dual-channel-parallel-processor), [TC Electronics Fireworx](http://equipboard.com/items/tc-electronic-fireworx-multi-effect-processor), [TC Electronics Finalizer](http://equipboard.com/items/tc-electronic-finalizer-plus-studio-mastering-processor), [Joe Meek VC1](http://equipboard.com/items/joemeek-vc1-studio-channel), [Drawmer MX40](http://equipboard.com/items/drawmer-mx40-pro-four-channel-punch-gate), [Sherman Filterbank](http://equipboard.com/items/sherman-filterbank), [CryBaby Wah Pedal Boss Pedals](http://equipboard.com/items/dunlop-cry-baby-wah-pedal) - Too many, [Novation Basstation](http://equipboard.com/items/novation-bass-station), [OSCar](http://equipboard.com/items/oxford-synthesiser-company-oscar-synthesizer), [Sequential Circuits Pro1](http://equipboard.com/items/sequential-circuits-pro-one-synthesizer), [Prophet 5](http://equipboard.com/items/sequential-circuits-prophet-5), Wurlitzer, PPG Wave 2.1, [Neumann TLM 105](http://equipboard.com/items/neumann-tlm-103-condenser-microphone)*, Fender Strat 1972, [Oberheim/Viscount GM1000](http://equipboard.com/items/oberheim-gm1000), [Korg Z1](http://equipboard.com/items/korg-z1), [Kawai K1r](http://equipboard.com/items/kawai-k1), Otari Status 16R Mixing Console with Eagle Automation. [BSS DPR-402 Compressor](http://equipboard.com/items/bss-dpr-402). and more I can't recall right ow ;o)." *The Neumann links to the 103 because the moderator who approved this post believes Optical wrote 105 by mistake. If anyone believes this to be in error, please follow up in the comments section so that we can adjust :)
more"A few years ago I picked up 3 AKAI S900s for about 100$ each, and this year I got an AKAI S950 (for the time-stretching option). "
moreAt 0:03, two S900s can be seen stacked on top of one another, and at 1:58, Freddie mentions them.
more"The Akai S900 is my favourite toy at the moment. I really like it very much - that and the Mac, they're a good pair. I did the whole Swimming to Cambodia score, the Jonathan Demme film, with one drum hit for the entire percussion sampled into the Akai, and it sounds like 50 different things. It's a lovely drum with a lovely sound to it, so I goofed around with it a bit and that's all there is. I don't think you'd ever suspect that it's just that one hit."
more""There are three sound sources", he explains. "There's an Akai S900 which has samples transferred from the Fairlight Series III, a Roland Super Jupiter and a Roland MKS20 piano module. All of those go into an Akai MIDI mixer and through two effects: a Yamaha SPX90 and an Alesis Midifex. They're all mapped by a Cooper Electronics MIDI Link, and I play them from a KX5 slung round my neck and a couple of Yamaha pedals. They put out program numbers to the MIDI link and that sends out separate program numbers to everything else. In other words I'll build up an entire patch with sound sources, a mix, effects and a stereo output, and store it. Then, when I send one program number into it from either the keyboard or from the pedal, it'll send the appropriate numbers out."
moreFrom the FAQ page found on The Enigma Archive: "From the credits of various albums, it is known that Michael Cretu uses or has used the Waveframe 1000, Audi Frame Workstation, MIDIMoog, PPG System, Korg M1, C-Lab Notator, Takamine 6 and 12 String, Tom Anderson Electric Guitars, Otari DTR-900, Akai 900, Linn 9000, Prophet 2002, X-Pander, EMS Vocoder, DX-7, and Roland Super Jupiter."
moreSoulbrotha using a S900 when in studio. It is also featured on the covers of "That's it EP" and Soulbrotha's solo "The Golden Era isn't finished".
moreI acquired my S900 from the then manager of Swan Yard Studios just as they were closing back in 2002, it had been used on countless recordings in the 80's and 90's along with an Oberheim Matrix 6r i bought and an Oberheim DPX-1, none of which i own today. The S900 was very similar to a later S950 i owned from what i can recall.
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