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Emulator III XPs
E-MU Systems / Samplers

Emulator III XPs

1993

The E-mu Emulator III XP was a professional 3U rackmount sampler workstation — an expanded variant of the Emulator III line released in the early 1990s. It offered 32 voices of polyphony (double the original 16-voice EIII) with 16-bit sampling at 32, 44.1, or 48 kHz. Unlike the original Emulator III, which used 16 analog Curtis CEM3387 low-pass filters, the XP moved to a programmable digital low-pass filter per voice, alongside dedicated filter, amplifier, and auxiliary AHDSR envelopes, an LFO, and an arpeggiator. It featured a real-time 16-track sequencer, SCSI mass storage, full MIDI, RS-422, and AES/EBU digital I/O, with three stereo submix output pairs. The XP represented E-mu's evolution of its flagship sampler into a studio-integration-focused rackmount format.

Background and Release The Emulator III XPs (also referred to as EIII XP) appeared in the early 1990s as an expanded version of E-mu's flagship Emulator III platform. While the original Emulator III debuted in 1987-1988 as E-mu's premier "Digital Sound Production System," the XPs variant brought increased voice count to 32 voices and came in a rackmount configuration, addressing the growing demand for high-capacity sampling in professional studios.

Significance in Sampler History The EIII series, including the XPs, occupied a critical position between affordable Akai samplers and ultra-high-end systems like the Fairlight Series III and Synclavier. The XPs maintained the EIII's distinctive analog filter architecture using the Curtis CEM3387 chip—shared with the Waldorf Wave/Microwave—giving it a warmer, more synthesizer-like character than purely digital competitors. Its 16 individual voice outputs with automatic denormalization from the main mix provided flexible studio routing.

Notable Users and Legacy The broader Emulator III family was used by major artists including Depeche Mode, Genesis, and JellyFish. The XPs variant continued this legacy into the 1990s, though specific high-profile users are less documented. Today, EIII XP units remain sought after by vintage sampler enthusiasts, with prices ranging from approximately $75 to over $900 depending on condition and functionality, reflecting both their historical significance and the challenges of maintaining aging sampler technology.

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