What fantastic use of Akai architecture (brought mine 20years), I own the S5000, I'm going look at lowering the resolution down, you vid is truly inspirational. thank you. Its funny that we spend so much time trying to chase the light of those pure sounds of yesterday. The Akai Sampler ranges will be much sort after even in 20 years from now.
Found this on accident on eBay from someone in Canada. Dude sold it to me for $200 USD and it quickly became a little gem. Glad to see it getting recognition!
@@mathiasrockband just seeing this 5 years after…wow! If that’s true it’s been a power house in my music since 2016. Been used on some of my most successful records
That's rad. I have since picked up an AX73 and now want one. Haha. It's all good though, at the time I needed a lighting rig for stage more than a sampler. Glad that you have gotten sonmuch use out of it. They really are magic.
Totally digging the sound of that thing... Especially on the lower bit rates, and get that beefy/crunchy sound. Surprised by the amount low-end too! By the way, that song at the end is awesome.. Just an enjoyable video to watch, as always.. :)
Thanks Xavier! Yes, the low end on this is phenomenal and totally unexpected if you're never had those early Akais and know it from before. I appreciate it even more now today than in '87 when I bought it.
This video inspired me and now I have a S2000 and a S3000xl. I was very lucky and got them for free as someone was throwing them out. Both work perfectly.
@@neumannhaus My only advice is to become a member of the musical community in your area. I run some Facebook groups and organise events specific to music making for my city/state. A mate hit me via the Facebook group I run when the dude was off-loading his unwanted gear, so it was simply in the right place at the right time, but that also wouldn't have happened if I didn't help others locally. Peace!
Hi Espen, you make me understand, after each of your exciting video, why i was more creative with a lonely DX7 and a 4 track tape recorder 25 years before ! Theses gear developed imagination and inventivity by theirs limitations. Thanks a lot for sharing these treasures so well. Ah, 'cause of you, i bought a Yamaha qx3...my best investment these days !
That's how I feel at times too Frank, but a very long time making tracks has given me some tricks tp pull to be able to boost the creativity and this is one of them, old gear, as you know. Good luck on the QX3, it's awesome! :)
@@evetsnitram8866 I use the Roland Juno 2 as a master keyboard in this video, but all sounds are sampled from the Korg MonoPoly into the Akai S700 as seen in this video. No sound from the Juno 2 is heard.
@@EspenKraft I almost bought one back in '86, opted for the Juno 1 instead to save a hundred bucks. It was my first synth and I wasn't aware that it didn't have a velocity sensitive keyboard like the Juno 2.
I'll be glad when the fad for retro minisynth modules reaches sampling. All the samplers these days are aimed at loops and rhythm, not this kind of sampling.
@@EspenKraft More than welcome! It's the plain truth. After seeing your video about this sampler, I looked online for it and I realized how rare it is, amazing! These old toys are fantastic, all of them!
Wow - I have an Akai S700 sitting on top of my bookcase that I haven't used in probably 2 decades. I should pull it out and give it a little TLC. This video has inspired me.
Don't turn it on before you've checked the power supply first! Gear sitting unused for 20 years is like a bomb, it might go off when you turn it on again. Vintage gear should be turned a couple of times a week to get warm.
What a coincidence! Took a chance on this sampler just a month ago (in Norway) for cheap, not really having much experience with hardware samplers! Purchase justified, tutorial much appreciated. Takk, Espen!
After having some time in the vst world, I can now say that I truly can hear the difference of old school hardware and modern vst. There is just something missing in the vst world I can't put my finger on!
@@Curious_Skeptic I think Espen mention this before, but even the little things like the smell of the gear when it gets warm and the white noise they make when they aren't playing any sounds. It all adds up to a sensory experience that VSTs just don't give you. Don't get me wrong; VSTs are awesome in their own ways, but if yr using them as an alternative when deep down you really love old gear... 🤔
I've recently bought a Cyrus Soundkey to plug in my DT770 Pro headphones as a replacement for the Skullcandy audio card on my Tosh laptop, because essentially it sounded pants. Listening again, man your demo sounds sweet now. I'm just blown away by the bottom end of the S700. 12 bit witchcraft! Many thanks Espen.
Toughest thing to step back is one Line display....and floppy disks Those machines were for patient people. Got a mpc 2000xl in past and first i did was replacing floppy disks to flash memory. Great video... Total throwback!
After spending many years cutting up samples and making programs on Akai S series sampler screens, I would honestly rather leave them in the past ;) Great nostalgia though.
I had the Akai S700 and Roland MKS100 back in the day, both great and unique samplers (Also the Juno 2 which I see you're using as a controller keyboard). I remember velocity filtering the Amen snare on a track with the S700 in the early 90s, that analogue filter sounded way better than the all digital S1000 at the time.
Yeah no thanks. I would rather just use a software sampler and use a bit/sample rate reducer and not have to deal with the limitations of crappy outdated tech ;)
@@sacredgeometry yes, there are lots of reasons to use this and that. Some people buy expensive watches for... things I don't understand :D But always the best tools are those that work for you. My best tool during the last years has been Caustic 3 on my Android phone. And it has a sampler as well, "packed up" with limitations and hardware rack sampler style UI :D But no bit depth control awww!!!
Well there you go...out comes my S3000XL from the pile of rackmounts collecting dust. Excellent stuff Espen! You even had me listening to the PSB's Paninaro & Love Comes Quickly. It's been a while.
Thank you for this video. This video, and one by Paolo "SynthMania" about sample CDs, have given me a new insight in samplers. I'd always been dismissive of them, associating them with the worst of 1990s "ah yeah!" and orchestra hit samples. But really and truly, they're just synthesisers that happen to have really flexible oscillators. And it's nothing short of surprising that the low sampling rate actually leads to amazing results. A bit like the Waldorf Microwave (I/II/XT) I suppose. Now I won't go and rush to Reverb or Ebay to pick up a sampler, because I still have a Yamaha EX5 with a whopping 64 MB of memory and 16 MB flash - and it takes an equally whopping 45 minutes to load that 64 MB. But I'll definitely keep them in mind. Sure, it's easier to do it on a computer, but when your job consists of working with a computer, having actual hardware that you can touch is so much more satisfying. Food for thought.
If your smartphone was close to you when you was listening to Jethro Tull's song - your smartphone was listening it too... and then AI powered algorithm showed you some things you could like.
I hope, with all my precious bodily fluids, that the music producing generation of nowadays stumbles upon this and feels a need to watch and learn. The beauty and purpose of the earliest AKAI 19" rack sampler, those having brought to life all those other later S- series AKAIs, E-MUs and YAMAHAs, has never been melted to core better than here. Even myself, always fully aware of those unique possibilities put to the table by those rack samplers; having never owned one, instead walking that MPC and SP-12 path since I remember; I learned a huge lot here, and I bite my behind even more than ever, not having made myself an owner of one of these. At the peak of my music producing enthusiasm, there were the S5000 and S7000 to compete with my philosophy of producing, that being using a sampler/sequencer machine instead of a stand alone sampler. Well, I should have used both simultaneously instead. Maybe I'll give it a new go, and get an MPC and a late S-series sampler to go places I have never been before.
Loved this - your passion for your gear just shines through! My first sampler was a Yamaha A3000 in 1998, so I missed the heyday of the Akais by a decade or so, but I have occasionally wondered about picking up an oldskool sampler for fun. You showcased the S700 beautifully here. It's not my preferred style of music at the end, yet I still felt a twinge of 80s love inside. You take the viewer on a very pleasant journey with this video, so, congratulations, you just got yourself another subscriber! ☺️
Thanks for saying! Yeah, I make the music I love and others will use the S700 for other things, that's the beauty of music. Btw, I have the A3000 as well and it's fantastic.
@@EspenKraft me too but my Akai is 3000i CD rompler,but i got lucky I got the euro one with audio ins to sample where as some of them could only sample from the CD got all my analog kit and a few more samplers.one of may fave samplers from the Ninetys though was My Zoom st224 sample tracker (still got it)dya ever try them .plenty of dems on here good vid man subbed!
Looks super fun. I have an s1000 but only really use it on drums. Now I'm inspired to turn the sample rates down, resample some synths, and see if I find something cool. Floppy disks 4 life ... lol
Very nice. It makes me want to get a USB drive for my S900. I like how you sample gear you already own to get that analog filtered low bit rate raspiness. Bravo. And nice take on the "fairlight breathy" sound in your own DIY way.
My first sampler was the S950, eventually I upgraded to S3000XL but to be honest I preferred the 12-bit sound and crunchy filter of the 950. It didn't even have a filter envelope (though I think you could upgrade to get it), but filter could keytrack and respond to velocity. Making kicks and snares "snap, crackle and pop" with the filter just sounded so amazing! Nothing like it since. EDIT: When you brought the filter down on that synth pad, I recognized the warmth right away. :) Even though we mainly used it for beats, it really sounds good on anything!
Yes and most demos of these samplers are beat related so it was fun showing this samplers from another side as well as my music is very pads/strings driven.
It has the same specs as the s612, but with the latter you can adjust start and stoppoints and the filter in realtime through dedicated sliders and knobs
Stephan S - my first sampler, cost just under £1000! Bought another a few years back for £40 including a flight case. I did a Morgan Hendry circuit bend on it (worth a google) which sounds amazing.
@@TheeDuhscientist It's perfect for sampling sources that are uncapable of creating different tones... trash cans, beeps, metal, springs and more... i love it
Thanks Woody! The snare is a combo of several snares processed and sampled back. I was going for something similar to Fine Young Cannibals' "She Drives Me Crazy".
I saw a video of Ian Anderson using an AKAI Sampler in his home studio to record parts of "Crest Of A Knave" and I wanted one. I always loved the off-white panel of the units which stood out in the rack against all the black modules.
Very inspiring video! I just scored an Akai X7000 for $30! 8 of the keys need cleaning/fixing and not sure if the disc drive works but it's been fun messing with it so far!! Can't wait to try out these tips!
My first sampler I bought was the Akai X7000, which I had to carry through Birmingham City Centre (UK) to the train station. That keyboard was so, so heavy, I've no idea how I got it back home on the train. It's amazing, but I was more prolific musically when the equipment I had was limiting.
Oh for sure, I am also so much more prolific with limited equipment. The limits force the creativity to emerge and erupt in unexpected ways. Laptops are amazing for production but... the tyranny of too much choice, too many options. Recently I fired up a bunch of crappy old VST plugins that I have ignored for a while, and, guess what...!? Great music started emerging very rapidly. Physical or technological limits encourage artistic creativity to be fully unlimited! 👍
Give someone creative limits, they will do everything they possibly can to exceed them. Give them huge choices, they will explore. Exploring soon gives way to aimless wondering.
I love hardware samplers. I own an A3000 and A5000. They are absolutely magical as your Akai is. I have an MPC2500 which has it's very own sound too. I'd love to collect some more. Great video ! Thanks !
I've noticed this. The prices of gear go through the roof once you've done a walkthrough of them. Also the ones for sale become a little thin on the ground! The Elka EK22 comes to mind. As does the Crumar BIT01.
Owned one of these, with the memory expansion. 16 sample storage was enough to multisample my family’s piano back in the day and also used its 13pin interface to run samples through my VX-90(AX73 rack).
Oh man... the warmth from that filter. It feels like getting a hug from a piece of technology.
well said kkkk
I really can’t watch this video - I have tears coming down. So much memories
Each time I use this I get flashbacks from a time 30 years ago when I had my whole life ahead of me and everything was so fresh and new...
I was thinking the exact same thing, and then i read your comment... Is this what "getting old" means?
Nostalgia is a powerful thing
Dude... Bandcamp.com
That's the spot to find music like this. Mr. KRAFT are you on band camp sir?
@@brandonbanks1408 Sure, I'm on all streaming platforms. :)
espenkraft.bandcamp.com/
Yes! The s700 was my first sampler too - I've had mine going on 20 years now and I still use it in my live setup. Thanks for this great video.
Thanks! :)
What fantastic use of Akai architecture (brought mine 20years), I own the S5000, I'm going look at lowering the resolution down, you vid is truly inspirational. thank you. Its funny that we spend so much time trying to chase the light of those pure sounds of yesterday. The Akai Sampler ranges will be much sort after even in 20 years from now.
Thanks! :)
Found this on accident on eBay from someone in Canada. Dude sold it to me for $200 USD and it quickly became a little gem. Glad to see it getting recognition!
I think I sold it to you.
@@mathiasrockband just seeing this 5 years after…wow! If that’s true it’s been a power house in my music since 2016. Been used on some of my most successful records
That's rad. I have since picked up an AX73 and now want one. Haha. It's all good though, at the time I needed a lighting rig for stage more than a sampler. Glad that you have gotten sonmuch use out of it. They really are magic.
Oops signed in as another account. Same Mat though
5:14 I got chills, that pad really sounds so nice and warm. Like something out of Tron. =)
Yep, like Pink Floyd crossed with Giorgio Moroder playing on a new Tron soundtrack.
Totally digging the sound of that thing... Especially on the lower bit rates, and get that beefy/crunchy sound. Surprised by the amount low-end too!
By the way, that song at the end is awesome.. Just an enjoyable video to watch, as always.. :)
Thanks Xavier! Yes, the low end on this is phenomenal and totally unexpected if you're never had those early Akais and know it from before. I appreciate it even more now today than in '87 when I bought it.
I remember being introduced to this when I was a student and being blown away by its capabilities. We wasted many a lunchtime playing with it.
This video inspired me and now I have a S2000 and a S3000xl. I was very lucky and got them for free as someone was throwing them out. Both work perfectly.
Man, I wish I could stumble across deals like this! I'm so jealous!
@@neumannhaus My only advice is to become a member of the musical community in your area. I run some Facebook groups and organise events specific to music making for my city/state. A mate hit me via the Facebook group I run when the dude was off-loading his unwanted gear, so it was simply in the right place at the right time, but that also wouldn't have happened if I didn't help others locally. Peace!
I’m in love with the chords you played from ~5-5:58mins!! I started hearing melodies and harmonies in my head right away.
I'm like that as well :)
I think he played Terminator music . Slowed down samples makes him click to do that always. 😃
had no idea old samplers sounded this good, thanks for the vid. nice song too
Thanks! :)
Hi Espen, you make me understand, after each of your exciting video, why i was more creative with a lonely DX7 and a 4 track tape recorder 25 years before ! Theses gear developed imagination and inventivity by theirs limitations. Thanks a lot for sharing these treasures so well. Ah, 'cause of you, i bought a Yamaha qx3...my best investment these days !
That's how I feel at times too Frank, but a very long time making tracks has given me some tricks tp pull to be able to boost the creativity and this is one of them, old gear, as you know. Good luck on the QX3, it's awesome! :)
this s700 filter has some resonance build in, i hear it, this sounds so good
Wow, that filter sounds so nice! Great work as always, Espen!
It's a great little gem for sure, thanks! :)
Omg the downgrading resolution sounds surpisingly realy really good !!
Even 4khz sound very usable.
Sounds almost Mellotron like.
I think this dude single handedly made this machine usavailable on eBay for showing people how great this machine was
Nah, I made the video to show how great the S700 can sound.
You weren't joking about the filter holy shit!!!!!! Very nice video. Subbed
Hey, awesome! Thanks :)
Superb. Just because its old doesnt mean alot of heart and soul wasnt put into the development. Excellent video and why I will NEVER abandon hardware.
Thanks for saying! There IS something about old hardware yes. :)
Always good to hear someone say Mono Poly as two separate words rather than Monopoly as in the game. Great synth and great sampler.
Love them both! :)
Looks more like a Roland Juno 2.
@@evetsnitram8866 I use the Roland Juno 2 as a master keyboard in this video, but all sounds are sampled from the Korg MonoPoly into the Akai S700 as seen in this video. No sound from the Juno 2 is heard.
@@EspenKraft I almost bought one back in '86, opted for the Juno 1 instead to save a hundred bucks. It was my first synth and I wasn't aware that it didn't have a velocity sensitive keyboard like the Juno 2.
@@evetsnitram8866 Yes, the reason I use the J2 as a master keyboard as well. I just love the feel of the keys of the J2.
Wow what a beautiful sound for non-resonant filter
I'll be glad when the fad for retro minisynth modules reaches sampling. All the samplers these days are aimed at loops and rhythm, not this kind of sampling.
which ones are you talking about?
@@xisotopex I was wrong. MPC One seems to meet my needs as a sampler particularly with its autosampling feature.
Incredible....Love Akai S Samplers and their amazing filters. Thank you for the inspiration.
Cheers!
Amazing! You, sir, are a perfect teacher! Everything's so simple after you explained it! Great job! Thank you!
Thanks for saying, I appreciate this! :)
@@EspenKraft More than welcome! It's the plain truth. After seeing your video about this sampler, I looked online for it and I realized how rare it is, amazing! These old toys are fantastic, all of them!
Wow - I have an Akai S700 sitting on top of my bookcase that I haven't used in probably 2 decades. I should pull it out and give it a little TLC. This video has inspired me.
Don't turn it on before you've checked the power supply first! Gear sitting unused for 20 years is like a bomb, it might go off when you turn it on again. Vintage gear should be turned a couple of times a week to get warm.
@@EspenKraft I'll need t look up how to check the power supply now! LOL! Thank you for the tip.
Oh, MY! it´s been a looong time since I haven't heard a track that sounds like a real "Pet Shop Boys" 80'ies classic!
What a coincidence! Took a chance on this sampler just a month ago (in Norway) for cheap, not really having much experience with hardware samplers! Purchase justified, tutorial much appreciated. Takk, Espen!
Nice! Kos deg med den da :) Takker
This is full on Pet Shop Boys. I love it. And what a sampler!
Cheers!
Where is that snare from? I have to have it
This channel just gets better and better...Liked, loved and subscribed. 👍
Many thanks! :D
the chord progression is abaolutely awesome
Oh, that sounds nice. Finally a demo that does one of these old machines justice.
Sweet, thanks! :)
After having some time in the vst world, I can now say that I truly can hear the difference of old school hardware and modern vst. There is just something missing in the vst world I can't put my finger on!
VSTs are like watching a movie shot on a tropical island. Hardware is like BEING ON the tropical island…
@@Pamberjack_ nice!
@@Curious_Skeptic I think Espen mention this before, but even the little things like the smell of the gear when it gets warm and the white noise they make when they aren't playing any sounds. It all adds up to a sensory experience that VSTs just don't give you. Don't get me wrong; VSTs are awesome in their own ways, but if yr using them as an alternative when deep down you really love old gear... 🤔
I've recently bought a Cyrus Soundkey to plug in my DT770 Pro headphones as a replacement for the Skullcandy audio card on my Tosh laptop, because essentially it sounded pants. Listening again, man your demo sounds sweet now. I'm just blown away by the bottom end of the S700. 12 bit witchcraft! Many thanks Espen.
I stil have my 950 somewhere! incredible what we did with the limited possibilities we had back then!
Toughest thing to step back is one Line display....and floppy disks Those machines were for patient people.
Got a mpc 2000xl in past and first i did was replacing floppy disks to flash memory.
Great video... Total throwback!
Thanks! These does not use floppy disks so there's no possibility for floppy emulators on this.
Ok, this makes me want to dust off my S950. Great video!
Thanks! :)
djTLMtv, I’m about to grab a rack full of 1100’s!
I loved my 950 other than the weight of it. But it was certainly well built. A little jealous I'll say.
You won't be alone.
After spending many years cutting up samples and making programs on Akai S series sampler screens, I would honestly rather leave them in the past ;) Great nostalgia though.
Nice Petshop boys-esque song at the end of the video :) Cool chords! Great sounds & filter on the Akai S700, cheers!
Thanks man! :D
I miss my S950.
I used to use my buddy's 700 before I had my 950. Great filter!
I had the Akai S700 and Roland MKS100 back in the day, both great and unique samplers (Also the Juno 2 which I see you're using as a controller keyboard). I remember velocity filtering the Amen snare on a track with the S700 in the early 90s, that analogue filter sounded way better than the all digital S1000 at the time.
aaaaaand the prices skyrocketed
@Daenerys Targaryen really??
@Daenerys Targaryen asking price is not always the real value - or even selling price :)
Sami Jumppanen True. You gotta check the actual sold auctions because a lot of people post stuff with ridiculous asking prices and it doesn't sell.
Yeah no thanks. I would rather just use a software sampler and use a bit/sample rate reducer and not have to deal with the limitations of crappy outdated tech ;)
@@sacredgeometry yes, there are lots of reasons to use this and that. Some people buy expensive watches for... things I don't understand :D But always the best tools are those that work for you. My best tool during the last years has been Caustic 3 on my Android phone. And it has a sampler as well, "packed up" with limitations and hardware rack sampler style UI :D But no bit depth control awww!!!
You are brilliant. I used an X7000 for a long time.Used every sampler from Akai till the S6000. The s1100 was the bomb as well.
Thanks! Akai really had some good one for sure :)
Nice one Espen...I always looking forward to your Friday Video 😀
Cool man! Friday is the day :)
Well there you go...out comes my S3000XL from the pile of rackmounts collecting dust. Excellent stuff Espen! You even had me listening to the PSB's Paninaro & Love Comes Quickly. It's been a while.
Thanks! Use the Akai! :)
Thank you for this video. This video, and one by Paolo "SynthMania" about sample CDs, have given me a new insight in samplers. I'd always been dismissive of them, associating them with the worst of 1990s "ah yeah!" and orchestra hit samples. But really and truly, they're just synthesisers that happen to have really flexible oscillators. And it's nothing short of surprising that the low sampling rate actually leads to amazing results. A bit like the Waldorf Microwave (I/II/XT) I suppose.
Now I won't go and rush to Reverb or Ebay to pick up a sampler, because I still have a Yamaha EX5 with a whopping 64 MB of memory and 16 MB flash - and it takes an equally whopping 45 minutes to load that 64 MB. But I'll definitely keep them in mind. Sure, it's easier to do it on a computer, but when your job consists of working with a computer, having actual hardware that you can touch is so much more satisfying.
Food for thought.
Cheers!
I got chills watching this video
Funny, this showed up in my feed after I’d been listening to Jethro Tull’s Under Wraps. Your song sounds like it could have been on that album!
If your smartphone was close to you when you was listening to Jethro Tull's song - your smartphone was listening it too... and then AI powered algorithm showed you some things you could like.
the filtered pad sound is amazing! ok, the chords are helpful for that feeling, but it really sounds amazing!!
It sure sounds nice :)
I hope, with all my precious bodily fluids, that the music producing generation of nowadays stumbles upon this and feels a need to watch and learn.
The beauty and purpose of the earliest AKAI 19" rack sampler, those having brought to life all those other later S- series AKAIs, E-MUs and YAMAHAs, has never been melted to core better than here.
Even myself, always fully aware of those unique possibilities put to the table by those rack samplers; having never owned one, instead walking that MPC and SP-12 path since I remember; I learned a huge lot here, and I bite my behind even more than ever, not having made myself an owner of one of these.
At the peak of my music producing enthusiasm, there were the S5000 and S7000 to compete with my philosophy of producing, that being using a sampler/sequencer machine instead of a stand alone sampler.
Well, I should have used both simultaneously instead.
Maybe I'll give it a new go, and get an MPC and a late S-series sampler to go places I have never been before.
Thanks for insightful comments, I appreciate it! :)
yes please. then they can all buy that stuff from me, have a storage full of that crap and waiting years to see the prices getting higher.
Loved this - your passion for your gear just shines through! My first sampler was a Yamaha A3000 in 1998, so I missed the heyday of the Akais by a decade or so, but I have occasionally wondered about picking up an oldskool sampler for fun. You showcased the S700 beautifully here. It's not my preferred style of music at the end, yet I still felt a twinge of 80s love inside. You take the viewer on a very pleasant journey with this video, so, congratulations, you just got yourself another subscriber! ☺️
Thanks for saying! Yeah, I make the music I love and others will use the S700 for other things, that's the beauty of music. Btw, I have the A3000 as well and it's fantastic.
@@EspenKraft me too but my Akai is 3000i CD rompler,but i got lucky I got the euro one with audio ins to sample where as some of them could only sample from the CD got all my analog kit and a few more samplers.one of may fave samplers from the Ninetys though was My Zoom st224 sample tracker (still got it)dya ever try them .plenty of dems on here good vid man subbed!
Looks super fun. I have an s1000 but only really use it on drums. Now I'm inspired to turn the sample rates down, resample some synths, and see if I find something cool.
Floppy disks 4 life ... lol
This is epic!
The x7000 was my first sampler in the 90's. I make my first demo using it and a boss dr550.
You've inspired me to learn how to use my S1000HD. I traded an old synth for it, but have never used it.
Do it! I have a S1000 video on my channel as well.
Very nice. It makes me want to get a USB drive for my S900. I like how you sample gear you already own to get that analog filtered low bit rate raspiness. Bravo. And nice take on the "fairlight breathy" sound in your own DIY way.
Thanks! :)
Pet shop boys and Fine Young Canibals mix...🤩 👏👏👏
The snare was made to mimic FYC yes :)
When you're dad gives you music tutorials.
It's "The Fine Young Pet Shop Balls".
@@electronash "Ever fallen in love with a West End Girl?"
@@itstheterranaut
Call the police, there's a madman around.
My first sampler was the S950, eventually I upgraded to S3000XL but to be honest I preferred the 12-bit sound and crunchy filter of the 950. It didn't even have a filter envelope (though I think you could upgrade to get it), but filter could keytrack and respond to velocity. Making kicks and snares "snap, crackle and pop" with the filter just sounded so amazing! Nothing like it since.
EDIT: When you brought the filter down on that synth pad, I recognized the warmth right away. :) Even though we mainly used it for beats, it really sounds good on anything!
Yes and most demos of these samplers are beat related so it was fun showing this samplers from another side as well as my music is very pads/strings driven.
Your channel makes me want o buy loads of stuff.
Holy when the filter came on that was some nostaligic af sounding stuff crazy!!!
I must own this now! Haha Seriously an amazing machine AND performance! :)
Thanks Nathan! :)
Wow a time travel back to my studio during the late 80'ies. Thanks!
Thank you ! :)
Your chord voicings are magic gorgeosity.
Sweet, thanks! :)
This does give your sampled synth sounds a nice warm sound, very 80's sounding, your demo song reminds me of an early Pet Shop Boys song, nice work!
Thanks Philly! I like that :)
It has the same specs as the s612, but with the latter you can adjust start and stoppoints and the filter in realtime through dedicated sliders and knobs
I love my S01, a even more restricted sampler but it has the perfect balance of Lo-Fi an Hi-Fi
Stephan S - my first sampler, cost just under £1000! Bought another a few years back for £40 including a flight case. I did a Morgan Hendry circuit bend on it (worth a google) which sounds amazing.
Oh yes, S01 was my first sampler and it’s STILL in use! It really does some kind of magic to the samples!
@@TheeDuhscientist It's perfect for sampling sources that are uncapable of creating different tones... trash cans, beeps, metal, springs and more... i love it
Super device even through times remains relevant !!!
11:18 - Very much like Pet Shop Boys. Once again, awesome!
Nice, thanks! :)
I just wanted to write exactly the same comment. :D
I think Espen is the third secret member :)
80’s nostalgia! I’m so glad I found you!! Bravo 👏
Thanks for saying! :)
what a brilliant track, the vocal sample was perfect! where the snare sample come from?
Thanks Woody! The snare is a combo of several snares processed and sampled back. I was going for something similar to Fine Young Cannibals' "She Drives Me Crazy".
ah, you succeeded, that's where I heard it before!
cool
That snare is money
@@EspenKraft The snare reminded me of the sound from New Order's True Faith
I saw a video of Ian Anderson using an AKAI Sampler in his home studio to record parts of "Crest Of A Knave" and I wanted one. I always loved the off-white panel of the units which stood out in the rack against all the black modules.
@ 5:10 when the filter was set, my jaw literally dropped
It's great!
Activate #JanHammerMode
What a beautiful piece of equipment. Sounds amazing.
Sweet!
Strong Pet Shop Boys vibes from the demo track
He went FULL Pet Shop Boys there.
I really regret selling mine. Another great tutorial Espen!
Never sell gear! ;-) Thanks :)
The '90s are the new '80s
Such a beautiful sound, thanks for sharing. That demo track was quite agreeable.
11:05 sounds like Pet Shop Boys Paninaro bass line!
I thought of Erasure "Love to hate you".
I can hear that too 😁
used to work on s1000 then s2000 then s3200xl... all sold but listening to your video could make me buy one again 😁
Cheers! :D
9:42 Goblin - Profondo Rosso. Nice!
Very inspiring video! I just scored an Akai X7000 for $30! 8 of the keys need cleaning/fixing and not sure if the disc drive works but it's been fun messing with it so far!! Can't wait to try out these tips!
Awesome, you'll love it :)
My first sampler I bought was the Akai X7000, which I had to carry through Birmingham City Centre (UK) to the train station. That keyboard was so, so heavy, I've no idea how I got it back home on the train. It's amazing, but I was more prolific musically when the equipment I had was limiting.
Oh for sure, I am also so much more prolific with limited equipment. The limits force the creativity to emerge and erupt in unexpected ways. Laptops are amazing for production but... the tyranny of too much choice, too many options. Recently I fired up a bunch of crappy old VST plugins that I have ignored for a while, and, guess what...!? Great music started emerging very rapidly.
Physical or technological limits encourage artistic creativity to be fully unlimited! 👍
Give someone creative limits, they will do everything they possibly can to exceed them.
Give them huge choices, they will explore.
Exploring soon gives way to aimless wondering.
The final piece sounded absolutely wonderful!!!
Awesome, thanks John! :)
@@EspenKraftYou are welcome.
I got turned on to "Chill-out" music a couple years ago. Do you produce and sell any on iTune?
Oh man! sounds awesome!! Whats the chords progression around min. 5??
Thanks! I'm working on enhancing the chord progression into a full production/track.
Seriously. Beautifully haunting!
I'd really reminds me of the progression on the track Resonance by HOME, there was a guy who analyzed it in great detail
That filter is gorgeous, and great demo too!
Thanks :)
Akai also made the AG6500 Receiver, I guess it's a better price than the others at the time 1972 ...
Great vid, I really appreciate the S700 now, that analog filter is so good.
Thanks! :)
Reminded me Pet Shop Boys' - Heart
That filter gave me the goosebumps
Those chords at 5:31 magic
I love hardware samplers. I own an A3000 and A5000. They are absolutely magical as your Akai is. I have an MPC2500 which has it's very own sound too. I'd love to collect some more. Great video ! Thanks !
Thanks! :)
Throw some toasty snare rolls in there at teh end ; )
Just discovered your videos, really nice stuff!
Would be nice seeing a video with all of your 12-bit samplers!
Thanks! I have a video with a 12-bit sampler shoot-out. 5 different ones.
My fav is the s950...MPC60 without pads...
S950 has the analogue filter too which the MPC60 doesn't have.
that will be the SP900
Amazing sampler, beautiful sound, nice review and awesome music, cool!
Nice, thanks! :)
aaaaand.....the price goes up ;) luckily I got the keyboard version for 5$
great video though!
Thanks! Yes, the prices will go up after this ;-)
I've noticed this. The prices of gear go through the roof once you've done a walkthrough of them. Also the ones for sale become a little thin on the ground! The Elka EK22 comes to mind. As does the Crumar BIT01.
yes thankfully now they can buy the crap from me. fucking in storage for 20 years and worth shit.
Klaas J. Sorry you feel this way. I'll take it off your hands... $50? 😘
nice Espen! that was magic alright ...when you dialed it down it was pure bliss in c minor :D
Sweet! :)
its so beautiful
sooo buttery smooth! love it
Awesome!
what reverb/ delay did you use on top of this?
@@Superlover It'sa combo of the Lexicon PCM81 and Eventide H3000 D/SE that does the delay on this. One in mono and one that expands in stereo.
absolutely awesome. pet shop boys at the end 😘😘😘😘
love that filter. it’s really magical!
Love the 'art of noise' type vocal sample :)
Steve Grumpka yess. Moments in Love. I couldn’t place it until I read your comment!
Owned one of these, with the memory expansion. 16 sample storage was enough to multisample my family’s piano back in the day and also used its 13pin interface to run samples through my VX-90(AX73 rack).
Yes, the 13 pin output is great when you have the Ax or VX. Multisampling on this isn't the way to go today imo :)
Excellent demo! Thanks for taking the time posting this.
My pleasure, thanks! :)