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Description
Dive into the world of professional sampling with the Emu Emulator IV, a powerhouse in the DJ Gear category. This iconic audio sampler is revered for its precision and flexibility, making it an essential tool for both studio and live performances. The Emulator IV offers an expansive sound library and a user-friendly interface, perfect for DJs and producers who are looking to craft unique sounds effortlessly.
With its legendary 128-voice polyphony, this sampler allows for complex layering and detailed soundscapes. Whether you're triggering one-shot samples or creating intricate loops, the Emulator IV handles it all with remarkable ease. Its robust sampling engine supports a wide range of sample rates and bit depths, ensuring your sounds are captured with the utmost clarity and depth.
The Emulator IV also features comprehensive MIDI integration, making it seamlessly fit into any existing setup. The large, backlit LCD screen offers intuitive navigation, and the ergonomic layout ensures that all the essential controls are at your fingertips. With this sampler, you can manipulate samples in real-time, offering endless creative possibilities for your music production needs.
Key Features:
- 128-voice polyphony for intricate layering
- Extensive sound library included
- Supports multiple sample rates and bit depths
- Comprehensive MIDI integration
- Backlit LCD screen for easy navigation
- Ergonomic layout with intuitive controls
- Real-time sample manipulation capabilities
Videos
Thought-Forms
My 90s sampler workflow (E-MU EIV, Zuluscsi, Emulator X3, Translator 7)
Reviews
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Emu Emulator IV.
Comparisons
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Arturia's software emulates the Emulator II, not IV, offering a similar sound profile for those seeking that vintage vibe.
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Korg Kross 2 and Roland Fantom-06 are contemporary workstation keyboards with integrated samplers, often recommended for replacing the Emulator IV.
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The main difference between the Emulator IV and Ultra models is a faster processor in the Ultra and the option to add the rare RFX32 card for enhanced capabilities.
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Users describe the E6400 Ultra as the most powerful E-mu sampler, with advanced Z-plane filters and a robust modulation matrix for complex synthesis.
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Features and functionality
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Korg Wavestate and Yamaha MODX are recommended for those who prefer modern samplers with large storage capacity over vintage hardware limitations.
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The 1010 music nanobox tangerine includes an input but may require extensive menu navigation, noted by users as a potential drawback.
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The E-mu Emulator IV's unique Z-Plane filters allow morphing between response curves, influencing late '90s drum & bass sound, especially in tracks by Ed Rush & Optical.
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The Emulator IV's real-time modulation via patch cords allows for extensive parameter control, similar to modulation matrices in modern soft synths.
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The Emulator IV features autosampling, automatically sampling and assigning sections across keys, simplifying the process of integrating synth patches.
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User experience
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Some enthusiasts still rely on Emulator III, IV, and Emax for their unique sound, despite the availability of modern alternatives.
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Owners emphasize the distinctive sound quality of hardware samplers like the Emulator IV, attributed to unique converters and op-amps, unreplicated by software samplers.
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Some owners prefer the 16-bit samplers for a "raw" sound quality, highlighting a middle ground between older 12-bit machines and more modern options.
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Use cases and applications
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The Emulator IV is praised for its real-time pitch shifting, crucial for creating distinctive jungle and drum & bass sounds by speeding up drum breaks.
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The Emulator IV is favored for its ability to sample synth patches during composition, allowing for a streamlined workflow before final recording.
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Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 0 Reviews and 1 Rating
Artist usage
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This article states he used a pair of Emu EIV racks while on tour with Genesis in 2007.
Roger O'Donnell's keyboard rig for the Cure's Swing Tour '96 consisted of "Apple Powerbook 5200CS (plus CD-ROM drive); Furman power supply; Emu E4K keyboard sampler; Emu EIV rack sampler (with Emu CD-ROM library); Emu Proteus synthesiser; Emu UltraProteus synthesiser; Kurzweil PC88 master keyboard; MOTU MIDI Time Piece II; Roland XP50 synthesiser; Yamaha ProMix 01 mixer; Zip Drive."
In a 2016 post on Gearspace, Rhys Fulber discusses his experience creating Fear Factory's "Demanufacture" and mentions using the Emu Emulator IV.
Long a fan of digital equipment, Steve tries to keep as much of his recording chain digital as he can, but feels that you can only get the best out of such a system if analogue signals entering the digital domain (for example vocals and acoustic instruments) are recorded to as high a spec as possible. Consequently, although his setup is based around four Alesis ADAT XT digital multitracks, an Emu EIV and Yamaha 02R and 01V digital desks, the mics and preamps at his disposal comprise some of the finest (and most expensive) analogue gear around — of which more later. Steve: "That's the kind of signal path I like; you go straight from this very expensive analogue input stage into the 02R, and then digitally on to the ADATs."
David Bergeaud was confirmed to use the Emu Emulator IV, as evidenced by listings of synths and samplers he used for "Ratchet & Clank," which were shared by a fan Facebook group.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/ratchetclankfans/posts/8289617861060344/
"Roland JV2080 + expansions, EMu Proteus, AKAI S1000 but we built our own samples for the games… I had an Emulator IV for PDZ but switched to Gigasampler. Also JP8000 on that game….but soft synths were starting to happen…"
In this 2024 video by Youtuber Groovin in G, he outlines the samplers favored by Source Direct in the 1990s (@1:40 mark). Among those named is the Emulator IV rack sampler, which (according to the evidence in the video) the duo used more for sampling from vinyl and sound quality than for its timing (the duo would apparently transfer the EMU-created samples to their Akai for sequencing, once they had them sounding right). The Emulator rack samplers of the time were percieved as a bit lax in their timing feel compared to the surgical precision of the Akai S series... but they had more synth-like tone shaping capabilities and great overall sound quality. Even much later rack samplers like the first of the Yamaha A3000 series were seen as "loose" in their timing compared to the much older Akai S series.
Goovin in G cites quotes from a 1990s Future Music interview (he holds up the issue and shows a screenshot of the quote re: their 3 main samplers), so his research checks out.
Also, you can briefly see the EIV occupying the top rack in the closing seconds of this 1996 documentary for Dutch TV (@8:55).
Note: the improved/expanded Emu E4XT model didn't ship until years after this documentary was shot, so it must be an original EIV model.
Album Usage
The Emu Emulator IV has been featured on the following albums:
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Emu Emulator IV, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
Community setups
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