E-mu EMAX II [1997 – 2002]

My first sampler. A definite nostalgia factor associated with this one, as Depeche Mode toured with Emaxes for several tours. So I just had to have one. The moment I got it, I realized that its 2 MB memory simply wasn’t enough, so the same week I bought an Akai S2000. I never really used the Emax’ sound engine in my music. I still loved the sound, which was very soft and powerful, but compared to the Akai, it simply was too cumbersome to use. It served mainly as my main keyboard until I sold it in 2002.  Visually the Emax is extremely pleasing, and it is a very versatile keyboard: for example, in case you didn’t have a real mixer, you could connect 5 (I think) external stereo sound sources to the insert buses at the back and let the Emax mix the signals and output them all through the Main Out. Therefore an excellent first keyboard for anyone who might want to expand their setup later. With more RAM and a software editor I probably never would have sold it. A real beauty. I regret not having it anymore. The nostalgia factor is still enormous.