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Akai S-900

 

 

 

akai s900

info Country: Japan
Weight: 10,8 Kg
Dimensions: 482,6 (w) X 132,6 (h) X 410 (d)mm
audio demo trend price : 350€
manual factory patch demo video comments
Akai S900
Midi Digital Sampler (1986)

 

Rackmount sampler of the eighties, still widely used for oldschool sonic character

logo
akai s900

info RACKMOUNT Main S900 panel features a 40 x 2 backlit display, 29 buttons, 3 knobs and a data rotary encoder.

Front panel terminal connectors:
- Mic / line inputs
- pedal trigger play

Back panel terminal connectors:
- 8 individual outputs
- stereo main out
- Midi interface
- custom voice connector to link Akai-compliant synths like VX or AX series
Note: old 2-progs power cable, you can still mod it to standard one.




edit SAMPLING core based on a 8-bits CPU NEC manages 8 voices polyphony.
The monophonic sampling engine works at 12 bits resolution and relative DAC is a BA9221 with various recording frequencies modes:

s900 time - from 7,5 kHz for 63 sec. max.

- to 40 kHz for 11.75 sec. max.



editEDIT A sample can be stretched up to a maximum of 6 octaves with famous high-quality Akai interval algorithms; special Warp pitch allows to time-stretch a section. Than a single (or more) sample has to be be placed in a keygroup and once mapped, finally, this makes a program.
Each Keygroup features individual parameters such as:

- Midi channel
- zone assignment
- EG amplitude
- LFO amplitude
- VCF cutoff
- volume gain
- velocity switch
- tech



edit SAMPLE IMPORT it is possible to sample dump handshake over Midi which is NOT compliant to standard SDS protocol and requires special dedicated softwares.

midi transmission

It is also possible also to use the RS-232C parallel port with old communication soft, but I do not have much information about this protocol, but a dedicated software is dedicated for this task.


 

filter FILTER non-resonant filter based on a MF6CN-50 a switched capacitor VCF a kind of an hybrid analog-digital offers -12dB/ Oct. slope. The VCF section also features a simple key filter function for keyboard note tracking on octaves.

MF6CN

LEFT- S900 filter MF

- Click to enlarge picture -

 

 



lfo LFO
a single delayed triangle modulator vibrato with special "desync" option emulates natural acoustic vibration feeling. TIP: the LFO is triggered by modulation wheel or assigned to aftertouch.

ADSR



adsr ENVELOPE based on VCA BA6110 a 4-segments EG amplitude for each sample in keygroup + 1 EG overall amplitude bias for keygroup. The special positional crossfade tracks the amplitude up to +50% toward lower or higher octave. TECH: a second EG for filer is available when using OS 4.0.

ADSR





diskSTORAGE floppy disk drive format 3"5 DD 720 Kb capacity controller upd7265c.
The disk volumes are formatted at 800 Kb in Akai proprietary file system, thus the file system is not directly MS-DOS compatible, however ome third-party programs handle AKAI file system from PC computers.

ADSR Today it is possible to replace standard drive with a third part USB floppy emulator like HxC.



adsrOS most common is 1.2 version burnt into EPROM chip which is able to boots higher 4.0 with floppy disk. The lastest OS4 adds more extra features like s900 timestretch, crossfade and a second EG for filter.

os4

OS4 LATEST

*IMPORTANT* the EPROM OS 1.0 does NOT have boot option so new EPROMS are required to access 4.0 by disk.

*DOWNLOAD* S900 OS4 BOOTDISK TELEDISK IMAGE*






adsr MAINTENANCE / MODS
the inverter NEL-D32-43 power supply gets faulty and creates troubles with backlight; for replacement you can adapt a standard cheap display so do NOT get ripped by guys on Ebay: S900 / S950 displays replacement are STANDARD and cheap.

new display

LEFT- old display just dimes out and dies.

TECH: Also check out capacitors, bad soldering and click pops, take a look to this nice video tutorial about BAD RAM issues.


 

edit MEMORY:

akai s900 memory board

- 750 Kb sampling RAM (cannot be expanded)
- 32 samples
- 32 programs
- 16 keygroups.

LEFT- AKAI S900 MOBO - click to magnify picture -



edit EDITOR just some old programs around:

atari st s900 editor

- Soundfiler ST S900 by drumware (ATARI ST) PIC

- Akaisex converts between 12 and 16 bits akai samplers format (ATARI ST)


- Akai ZEROX (ATARI ST)

 


adsr EXPANSION BOARDS:

ib101a Ib 101a interface for Atari hard disk - special ASCSI (not SCSI standard! ) Atari volume hard disk.
ask-90 board Marion Ms9c - upgrade board to 16 bits resolution.
ask-90 board ASK-90 external trigger board- triggers 8 voices from external signal.

adsr ASK-90 TRIGGER CARD FOR SALE INFO!



 

adsr AKAI S900 vs S950 both machines sound the same.

s900 vs s950 What's the difference between akai s900 and s950? The s950 features a better floppy drive with higher density 1.44 MB, higher sampler rate, optional SCSI and digital interface and memory can be expanded. The S-900 needs OS4 for time stretch function and extra EG2.

However the ASK-90 is a must have expansion for analog sequencer and this feature is compatible only to S-900.


 

adsr AKAI S SERIES RELATED FAMILY OVERVIEW:

akai s612 S-612 (1985) the legend started here!
akai s700 S-700 (1987) upgrade version of S-612
also exists in keyboard version X-7000.
It seems that a model called X-3700 was a never-released prototype... or a plain hoax?

s950

S-950 (1988) is the S-900 updated version keeping same sound. Memory can be expanded to 2.25 MB, disk drive is now HD and DD, second ADSR and different expansion options.

akai s01 S-01 (1987) budget sampler, basic display no SCSI.
S-20 laptop version and Remix16 (and japanese 88) with improved options and memory.
akai s1000 S-1000 (1988) 2nd generation cd quality and SCSI
S-1100 boosted model comes with many optional boards and HD recording.
S-1000KB is the S-1000 keyboard version
S-1000PB playback, just plain sample reader.
akai s2000 S-2000 (1995) budget sampler between s1000 and s3000 series
akai s3000

S-3000 (1996) 3rd generation.
- S3000XL was an update with extra (SCSI, digital)
- S2800 cut-down version
- S2800I with SCSI standad
- S3200 added filter board + optional boards
- S3200XL all optional
- 3000CD includes a cd player
- 3000I with SCSI standard

akai s5000 S-5000 (1998) 64/128 voices, optional USB, digital I/O.
S-6000 was even bigger with some standard option and detacheable display, last of the S series then replaced hen by Z family like Z4 and Z8.

 

 

effet VST PLUGIN / SAMPLED VERSION some free samples disk resources and some plugins, however there are no official PLUGIN version of S900 sampler, but some interesting related programs:

s900 free disks


s900 S950

Soundlibrary Image DISKS

FREE!

n/a
EFM Oddse AKAIZER
FREE
AKAIZER


 

demoAUDIO DEMO

demo Disk SL-516 "Ooos" choir
demo Disk SL-515 "Glass Bell"
demo Disk PSL9046 "Hammond"
demo Disk PSL9005 "moog" with cutoff demo
demo Disk PSL9025 "Linn drum"
demo Disk SL-554 "Latin percussions"
demo Sampling with DSI TEMPEST
demo Sampling with Commodore 64
demo Sampling with ROLAND TR-909
demo Sampling with YAMAHA DX-7
demo  
demo Contribute please do send yourS900 beats


 

video VIDEO SELECTION

AKAI S900 - Beat Making Akai S900 Vintage Sampler Demo S-900 VIDEO MANUAL
- Beat Making Vintage Sampler Demo VIDEO MANUAL

 

 

 

Company: Akai
Model: S-900
Class: Sampler Module
Dates: 1986
Display: 40 x 2 backlit
Synthesis: sampler
Resolution: 12 bits
S. Rate: 7,5-40 kHz

Polyphony: 8 voices
Filter: low pass
Envelope: 2 EGs (OS4)
LFO: 1 modulator
Memory: 750 kb
Storage: disk 720 kb
OS: latest is V.4
DAC: BA9921
Demo: 10

 

s900 high res

 

s900 free disks
S900 / S950
Free disk images
Exchange club
page

 

manual
MANUAL

 

analog filter
SERVICE MANUAL

 


adsr

I remember an old ATARI ST program that tranforms samples from S900 to harmonics for Kawai K5 / k5m additive synthesizer. Any idea?
CONTACT.

EFM Oddse

 


 

 

 

akai s900 advertising
adsr original brochure

 

akai s900 scanning
adsr original brochure


akai s900 sampler
adsr original brochure

 

akai s900 sampler
adsr original brochure

 

s900 crash!
adsr adsr OS CRASH !

 

ASK-90 FOR SALE:

akai s900
INFO

 

S900 FOR SALE:

akai s900CHECK OUT EBAY OFFERS

 

title

 

 

 

audio demo motherboard chip

awardSPECIAL AWARDS:

solid solid
Old school king Classic Digital
comment

REVIEW "Sounds very good and raw. Each voice has a dedicated VCA with VCF - Classic sampler ever! "

manual manual
- great 12 bits sounds -polyphony
-solid built
-bulky
- cult -memory
  - storage

"Welcome to the Akai S900 sampler. This versatile sampler provides the flexibility associated
with more expensive machines, yet is quite easy to use once you become familiar with its operation" Akai manual


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