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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