Akai S950 MIDI Digital Sampler

The Akai S950 is a 12-bit sampler designed for musicians and producers seeking high-quality audio and versatile sampling options. Building on the success of the Akai S900, the Akai S950 retains its predecessor’s best features while adding a range of enhancements.

One major upgrade is its increased sampling rate from 40 kHz to 48 kHz, which brings a new level of clarity and precision to recordings. With up to 99 Mult samples, the Akai S950 can accurately capture and reproduce the rich tonal characteristics of acoustic instruments such as pianos and strings, providing a natural, lifelike sound.

The Akai S950 is equipped with a 40-character, 2-line Liquid Crystal Display and an intuitive operating system that simplifies editing and sound control. This allows musicians to create, modify, and experiment with high-quality sounds easily, enhancing their creative workflow. The Akai S950’s editing capabilities go far beyond those of the Akai S900, with functions like looping, alternate looping, reverse playback, and precise start and end point settings.

Additionally, advanced features like Crossfade Looping, Positional Crossfades, and Splice Crossfades enable seamless transitions between samples and eliminate unwanted audio artefacts. With Auto Locate Start Point and Pre-Trigger Key Editing, you can quickly find and edit the exact section of a sample, capturing attack transients perfectly.

One standout feature of the Akai S950 is its Analog VCF (Voltage Controlled Filter), controlled by an ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release) envelope. This allows for precise shaping of the sound, giving users greater control over tonal dynamics.

By combining this capability with the option to load synth waveforms, the S950 can be used to create entirely new sounds through hybrid synthesis. This flexibility makes it suitable for use as a standalone percussion module or a powerful sound generator in combination with MIDI drum machines and sequencers.

The Akai S950 offers extensive memory options, with a standard 750 kB memory capacity providing up to 63.35 seconds of sampling time, expandable to 2.25 MB with the addition of memory expansion boards.

Its 2DD/2HD internal disk drive offers reliable storage and is compatible with Akai S900 sound libraries, as well as the ability to load S1000 sound libraries, providing access to a wide range of sounds. Additionally, the Akai S950 can load sound library disks while performing, making it an excellent choice for live performances.

The Akai S950 supports multiple interface options, including compatibility with hard disks, DATs, and CD players. The ATARI SUPRA/ACD DAT Interface IB-105 allows connections to several hard disk models, enabling digital-digital transfers from CDs or DAT players.

With support for sampling rates up to 48 kHz, the S950 is capable of capturing the full potential of professional DAT recordings, making it a versatile and powerful tool for studio and stage use.