Preserving the equipment that made modern music
The definitive archive for
vintage electronic instruments & studio equipment
One piece of gear at a time, documented at every level — history, manuals, schematics, parts, restoration data, and the sounds themselves. Researched from primary sources and preserved before it disappears.
What we're building
Not another product list. A complete, accurate reference for each instrument we cover — the kind of depth owners, techs, and restorers can actually rely on.
Complete documentation
Every owner's and service manual, schematic, and technical doc — readable online and translated into eight languages.
Repair & restoration
Interactive schematics, verified parts lists with modern replacements, calibration procedures, and reproduction data for panels and overlays.
Sound & preservation
Factory and third-party sound libraries, bootable OS disk images, the museum archive, and an in-browser player.
The first archives
We're starting with the machines that started it all — the E-MU samplers.
E-MU Systems · 1986
Emax I
The E-MU Emax I was E-MU Systems' first affordable sampler, released in 1986 as a direct competitor to the Ensoniq Mirage and Casio FZ-1. Built around a 12-bit, 27.7 kHz sampler with a legendary 4-pole Curtis CEM 3389 analog lowpass filter, the Emax delivered a warm, characterful sound that digital samplers of the era could not match. It offered 8-voice polyphony, real-time filter control, and a comprehensive synthesis section including LFO, envelope generators, and crossfade looping. Available in 61-key keyboard and rack-mount configurations, with 512K or 2MB RAM options, the Emax established E-MU's reputation for professional-quality sampling at accessible price points.
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E-MU Systems · 1981
Emulator I
The E-mu Emulator (Emulator I, 1981) was the first affordable digital sampling keyboard and E-mu Systems' debut instrument. Conceived by Dave Rossum and Scott Wedge after they encountered the $30,000 Fairlight CMI, it brought sampling to working musicians at roughly a quarter of the price. The 8-voice, 8-bit sampler (also sold in a 4-voice version) recorded about two seconds of audio at ~27 kHz into 128 KB of RAM, replayed it across a 49-note keyboard, and shaped it with four SSM2044 analog low-pass filters. Unit #0001 went to Stevie Wonder. Roughly 500 were built before the Emulator II succeeded it in 1984.
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E-MU Systems · 1984
Emulator II
The E-mu Emulator II (1984) is the sampler that defined mid-1980s pop. Building on the original Emulator, it paired 8-bit samples — replayed through μ-255 companding D/A conversion for an effective ~14-bit warmth — with eight SSM2045 four-pole analog filters, one per voice, giving digital samples an analog character the Fairlight lacked. It offered 8-voice polyphony, a velocity- and pressure-sensitive 61-note keyboard, an 8-track sequencer, SMPTE sync and built-in MIDI, and 512 KB of sample memory (1 MB on the EII+). At $7,995 — a quarter of a Fairlight's price — it became a studio staple for Depeche Mode, the Pet Shop Boys, Peter Gabriel and many more, backed by a factory library of around 100 diskettes.
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