MusicRadar Verdict
Not for everyone, but brilliantly retro, and well worth exploring.
Pros
- +
Great retro sounds.
Cons
- -
A bit niche.
MusicRadar's got your back
Vintage samplers are still sought out for their distinctive sound.
One undisputed heavyweight in this area, the E-mu Emulator II, with its 8-bit sampling engine processed via analogue amp and filter sections, was widely used in the mid-'80s by those who couldn't stretch to Fairlight or Synclavier systems.
Third-party libraries fulfilled the sonic needs of EII owners, with one such being OMI's Universe of Sounds.
Rhythmic Robot Audio have painstakingly re-sampled, edited and looped large portions of this library direct from an Emulator II, and recreated the full experience in NI's Kontakt. Volume 2 focuses more heavily on analogue and digital synths - though real instruments aren't neglected - and is all the better for this in our view.
There is old-school digital character on offer here in every one of the 534 instruments.
“I actually specifically remember making a deal with myself": Billie Eilish reveals what she had to do in order to become “looser and jazzier” with her vocal delivery
“These guitars travel around the world and they need to be road ready”: Jackson gives Misha Mansoor’s Juggernaut a new lick of paint, an ebony fingerboard and upgrades to stainless steel frets in signature model refresh
“I’m surprised and saddened anyone would have an issue with my performance that night”: Zak Starkey explains why he got fired from The Who