Emax I
From the Community
From the community
3 discussions- EditorialGetting the classic 12-bit Emax grit — sampling tipsTipsRrichard.dekkard Resident Expert — Emax Owner StaffStudio·2mo ago00
- EditorialGotek / floppy-emulator options for the Emax — what works?ModsRrichard.dekkard Resident Expert — Emax Owner StaffStudio·2mo ago00
- AnsweredEditorialEmax won't boot — stuck after power-on. Where do I start?RepairRrichard.dekkard Resident Expert — Emax Owner StaffStudio·2mo ago01
- View all discussions
Models & Configurations
Emax I Keyboard — 512K
new $2,495
$350 – $600 used
Emax I Keyboard — 2MB
new $3,295
$450 – $800 used
Emax I Rack
new $1,995
$300 – $500 used
Emax SE
Emax HD
Emax Plus
Document Library
Manuals
3Service & Technical
1Utilities & Downloads
Emax Plus — Operating System
1.0 (Plus)Final Emax I OS. Full external SCSI support — hard drives and CD-ROM, multiple SCSI IDs — on top of all SE features. The most capable Emax I operating system.
Emax SE HD — Operating System
1.1 (HD)Emax SE OS for hard-drive-equipped (HD) units — adds internal hard-disk sample storage and management on top of the SE feature set.
Emax SE — Operating System
1.1Emax SE OS (1988). Adds the SE additive-synthesis engine — build sounds from scratch, not just sample — and fixes numerous bugs in the original 1986 Emax OS.
E-MU Emax I EMXP Editor / Librarian v3.11.4
SoftwareEditor / librarian software for Mac or PC
Audio Demos
Compatible Sound ROMs
EPROM Archive
E-mu Emax
MIDI Implementation
How It Compares
How it compares
The Emax I against the samplers it shipped beside. Its edge: 12-bit conversion paired with a real per-voice analog filter — at a fraction of the Emulator II’s price.
| Sampler | Year | Resolution | Max rate | Voices | Sample RAM | Filter | Storage | Launch $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-MU Emax I | 1986 | 12-bit | 42 kHz | 8 | 512 KB | Analog · SSM2047 | 3.5″ floppy | $2,995 |
| E-MU Emax II | 1989 | 16-bit | ~39 kHz | 8 (exp.) | 1 MB (exp.) | Analog | 3.5″ floppy / SCSI | — |
| E-MU Emulator II | 1984 | 8-bit (companded) | 27.7 kHz | 8 | 512 KB–1 MB | Analog · SSM | 5.25″ floppy | $7,995 |
| Ensoniq Mirage | 1984 | 8-bit | 10–33 kHz | 8 | 128 KB | Analog · CEM | 3.5″ floppy | $1,695 |
| Akai S900 | 1986 | 12-bit | ~40 kHz | 8 | 768 KB | Digital | 3.5″ floppy (rack) | — |
Launch-era MSRP and specs; “—” = not reliably confirmed. Sources: Wikipedia, Vintage Synth Explorer, the Emulator Archive.
Parts & Components
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Factory Sound Library
Modifications
Owner Registry
Production figures for the Emax I were never widely published, so there’s no official record of how many were built — or how many survive. This registry is a community census: every owner who logs their unit makes it the closest thing there is to a real count.
Serial number, condition, and configuration are aggregated anonymously into the census.
System Components
Manufacturer
E-MU Systems
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Specifications
- lfo
- Sine, triangle, square, sawtooth, random
- midi
- In / Out / Thru
- filter
- 4-pole Curtis CEM 3389 analog lowpass VCF
- outputs
- Stereo main + 8 individual voice outputs
- storage
- 3.5-inch floppy disk
- keyboard
- 61 keys (keyboard version)
- envelopes
- 2x ADSR (amplitude and filter)
- polyphony
- 8 voices
- sampling rate
- 27.7 kHz
- sampling depth
- 12-bit
Gallery
