Akai S1000
S1000 tech specs
Akai S1000
- Released: 1988
- Clearance price: £1999[1]
- Company: Akai
- Type: Sampler
- Polyphony: 16 voices
- Timbrality: Multitimbral
- Sample rates: 22.05 kHz, 44.1 kHz
- Sample resolution: 16-bit
- Audio out: 8 + stereo pair
- Control: MIDI
- RAM: 2 MB — 32 MB (2 MB ×4 or 8 MB ×4)[2]
- Storage: 2HD/2DD 3.5" floppy disk, ACSI (optional), 512 MB SCSI (optional, £99[3])
- Display: 40×8 character / 240×64 pixel LCD
- Features: Velocity can offset sample start, timestretching
- Size: 3U
The Akai S1000 was a 16-bit, 44.1 kHz sampler, released by Akai in 1988. With its high fidelity and large screen, it superseded the Akai S900 to become ubiquitous in electronic music studios. Many bedroom producers made music using little more than an S1000 and an Atari ST to sequence it. Certainly in the UK, this combination was a popular way of producing music in genres from jungle to speed garage.
A seldom talked about feature of the S1000 is that each note's velocity can offset the start of its sample, so quieter notes can skip the louder initial part of the sound, allowing a more expressive use of single-note samples.
Version 2.0 of the S1000's operating system introduced primitive timestretching, allowing a sound's pitch and length to be altered independently of one another. Far from seamless, this distinctive sound became popular in its own right, featured on songs such as Josh Wink's "Higher State of Consciousness" and Double 99's "RipGroove".
Accessories
RAM
There's understandably conflicting information online about whether the S1000 supports up to 8 MB or 32 MB of RAM, so let's clear that up. The S1000 came with 2 MB of RAM, in the form of a single EXM005 2 MB RAM board in one of its four slots. Originally, it could be expanded to a total of 8 MB of RAM, by buying three more EXM005 boards. Akai noted this in their literature at the time. Shortly before the S1100's release, they released the EXM008 8 MB RAM board, allowing the S1100 and the S1000 to be expanded to a total of 32 MB of RAM.[2]
Interface boards
- IB-102 ACSI interface[4][5]
- IB-103 512 MB SCSI interface[4][5]
- IB-104 AES/EBU digital audio interface[4][5]
S1100
S1100 tech specs
- Released: 1990
- Company: Akai
- Type: Sampler
- Polyphony: 16 voices
- Timbrality: Multitimbral
- Sample rates: 22.05 kHz, 44.1 kHz
- Sample resolution: 16-bit
- Audio out: 8 + stereo pair
- Control: MIDI
- Synchronisation: SMPTE timecode
- RAM: 2 MB — 32 MB[6]
- Storage: 2HD/2DD 3.5" floppy disk, SCSI
- Display: 40×8 character / 240×64 pixel LCD
- Features: Velocity can offset sample start, timestretching, digital effects
- Size: 3U
The S1100 added digital effects, digital outputs, and separate DACs (the S1000 multiplexed a single DAC across all its outputs), and had higher quality ADCs. In other words, it was higher quality, and no longer needed outboard gear. As long as you don't mind menu diving, you can do more with it, a MIDI sequencer, and nothing else. It also has SCSI as standard.
Most notably for film and video, it has SMPTE timecode in and out, so it can be used to play sound effects that you can cue up in a list.
Rather ambitiously, version 2.0 of the S1100's operating system turned it into a stereo direct-to-disk recorder... but not an especially good one. It's better to use it as a great sampler.
S1100EX
The S1100EX was essentially a second S1100, minus the user interface. You can use one to double the polyphony or timbrality — and outputs — of an S1100. Or you can daisychain together up to six S1100EXes to a single S1100 for a ridiculously opulent setup, at least for its time.
Quotes
Another instrument that I like very much is the Akai S1000, because I think it's probably the most direct sampler at present. You just plug your microphone into the front panel and you can instantly start recording your sounds.
— Jean-Michel Jarre, 1990[7]
The S1000 and S1100 are probably the only pieces of equipment that I'm almost entirely satisfied with. I think they're probably the most beautiful invention in music ever. They're more fundamentally important than piano or guitar. To me they are like time machines. H.G. Wells would have had a heart attack if he'd seen them.
— Youth, 1993[8]
We have five or six samplers, but my favorite by far is still the Akai S1000. It's an old tank now, and the screen has faded so that I almost can't read it, but I know it inside out. It's the most spontaneous thing for making up little tunes.
— Michael Sandison, Boards of Canada, 2002[9]
Notable users
S1000
- The Future Sound of London[10][11]
- Jean-Michel Jarre[7][12]
- Leftfield[13]
- Clint Mansell[14]
- Man Machine[15]
- Meat Beat Manifesto[16][17]
- Moby[18][19]
- More Rockers[20]
- Gary Numan[21]
- Mr. Oizo[22]
- The Orb (×2)[23][24]
- William Orbit (×2)[25][26]
- Pet Shop Boys ("several")[27]
- Kevin Saunderson (×2)[28]
- Snap! (×2)[29]
- Soul II Soul[30]
- Stereo MCs (×2)[31]
- Youth[8]
S1100
- The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy[32]
- The Future Sound of London[11]
- Meat Beat Manifesto[17]
- Nine Inch Nails (×2)[33][34]
- The Prodigy[35]
- Snap! (×2)[29]
S1100EX
See also
References
- "Music Village" Music Village (Vendor), Sound On Sound, Oct 1992
- "Akai S1100" Paul Wiffen, Sound On Sound, Dec 1990
- "Turnkey" Turnkey (Vendor), Sound On Sound, Nov 1989
- "Akai Professional Musical Instruments Catalogue 1988-1989" Akai, 1988
- "Akai Professional Sampler Catalogue 1989" Akai, 1989
- "S1100 service notes" Akai, Nov 1990
- "The Synthetic Realism Of Jean-Michel Jarre" Richard Buskin, Sound On Sound, May 1990
- "Musical Youth" Paul Tingen, Sound On Sound, Jan 1993
- "Northern Exposure" Ken Micallef, Remix, Jul 2002
- "Past, Present and Future" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Aug 1992
- "Future Talk" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Jan 1994
- "Sound And Vision" Phil Ward, Music Technology, Aug 1993
- "What instruments were used on Leftfield's Leftism?" Entropy, Gear Space, Nov 2007
- "Headache music..my rig was MC-303, with AKAI S1000, an Atari 1040 running Creator which would become Logic. As far gear went this was my set up, & a Roland JV 880. I’d had a Nord Lead too but it got burned out when lightning hit our building & I couldn’t afford to get it fixed." @iamclintmansell Twitter, Apr 2020
- "Machine Head" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Jul 1991
- "Meet the Beat" Steve Cogan, Music Technology, Jan 1991
- "Message In A Sample" Phil Ward, Music Technology, May 1993
- Everything Is Wrong Moby, 1995
- "Recording Moby's 'Why Does My Heart Feel So Bad?'" Tom Flint, Sound On Sound, Feb 2000
- "Earth beats" Roger Brown, The Mix, Apr 1995
- "Gary Numan: A New Flame" Jonathan Miller, Sound On Sound, Jul 1996
- "Key 1999 Tracks: Mr. Oizo — 'Flat Beat'" Chal Ravens, 2019
- "Tune In, Turn On, Chill Out" Tim Goodyer, Music Technology, Jun 1991
- "The Orb" Mark Prendergast, Sound On Sound, May 1993
- "The Heart Of The Bass" Tim Goodyer, Music Technology, Nov 1990
- "William Orbit" Paul Tingen, Sound On Sound, Oct 1991
- "Pet Sounds" Ian Masterson, Music Technology, Dec 1993
- "Inner Space" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Jun 1992
- "SNAP! to tomorrow" Roger Brown, The Mix, Nov 1994
- "Soul Searching" Tim Goodyer, Music Technology, Jun 1989
- "Stereo Speakers" Phil Ward, Music Technology, Apr 1993
- "The Streets Of San Francisco" Kean Wong, Music Technology, Jul 1993
- "Trent Reznor" Greg Rule, Keyboard, Mar 1994
- "Classic Tracks: Nine Inch Nails 'Closer'" Richard Buskin, Sound On Sound, Sep 2012
- "The Lone Raver" Tim Goodyer, Music Technology, May 1992
External links
Reviews
S1000
- "The New Standard?" David Mellor, Sound On Sound, Nov 1988
- "Akai S1000" Simon Trask, Music Technology, Dec 1988
S1100
- "Akai S1100" Paul Wiffen, Sound On Sound, Dec 1990
- "Akai S1100" Simon Trask, Music Technology, May 1991
- "Some Like It Hard" David Mellor, Sound On Sound, Jul 1992
S1100EX
- "Akai S1100EX" David Mellor, Sound On Sound, Sep 1992
Tips
- "Making the Most of your Akai S1000 Sampler" Steve Howell, Sound On Sound, May 1989
- "Making the Most of your Akai S1000 Sampler" Steve Howell, Sound On Sound, Jun 1989
- "Making the Most of your Akai S1000 Sampler" Steve Howell, Sound On Sound, Jul 1989
- "Hands On: Akai S1000 Sampler" David Mellor, Sound On Sound, Feb 1992
Deep dives
- "Akai sampler disk and file formats" Paul Kellett, 2000
- "Akai S1000 SysEx communication" Frank Neumann, 2002
Downloads
Documentation
S1000HD
- "S1000HD manual" Akai
- "S1000HD service notes" Akai, Apr 1989
S1100
- "S1100 service notes" Akai, Nov 1990
Samplers: Akai S900 | Akai S1000 | Casio FZ-1 | Roland W-30 | Sequential Circuits Studio 440