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Emulator I : Sample Diskette Library
 Overview The initial factory sound library for the
Emulator I was rather limited, and you had to buy blank formatted diskettes from E-mu Systems to create your own samples. It was quickly realised that a sample library was vital to achieving Emulator sales, and Kevin Monahan at E-mu
developed a strong factory library during 1982/83.
Sample Library The Emulator came with a Production Set of 10 diskettes, including Brass, Violin, Piano and FX. The diskettes
came in a bright "E-mu" blue box. The factory library expanded throughout 1982, and there were 99 diskettes available in mid 1983 and 129 in the Fall of 1983. The majority of the samples
were of acoustic instruments and FX, however the Synclavier and Prophet 5 did make an appearance!
The sample library continued to be available from E-mu for another five years, but eventually all the copies and even the masters
were sold to customers. The Emulator Archive has built up a collection of over 200 sample diskettes and we have around 80% of the factory library.
Ordering Factory Samples E-mu initially allowed customers to
request which two sample banks they wanted on each diskette that they ordered . A 10 character code identified each sample bank in the factory library and E-mu customised sample diskettes
for every customer order. This approach proved unworkable once there were 100's of customers, and at the end of June 1983 they switched to a numbered set of factory sample diskettes with a pre
-determined pair of sample banks. Customers could then order a diskette number from the Master Sound Library Index.
The Sample Bank Numbers The 10 character code for sample bank identification was as follow:
XX-YYY-ZZZS or XX-YYY-ZZZMn
XX = two digit number that identifies the Sound Family
YYY = three digit number to identify the Instrument
ZZZ = three digit number representing differences in playing style
There then followed a code which determined how many samples where in the sample bank. The letter S denotes a single sample
and Mn is a mult-sample with n samples within it.
Early sample diskettes were made up of two single samples. Once multi-sampling software became available in mid 1982, E-mu added
around 20 multi-sampled instruments and FX. However most factory diskettes contained just two samples, as the sample time was so limited at 2 seconds for each bank.
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Production Set
* Trombone/Trumpet
* Pipe Organ
