Whether you use your ESi sampler by itself or in a studio full of gear, you probably want to make the most use out of it. E-mu pretty much just offers the Turbo Kit as an upgrade option, but a lot more can be done to maximize your sampler. Here is a list of upgrades that you'll probably want to get if you haven't already:
- Install more memory. 4 MB is a somewhat limiting. The ESi samplers are expandable to 128 MB using standard SIMMs (only 4, 16, and 64 MB SIMMs will work).
- Hook up a SCSI CD-ROM to load the free CDs and Sample CDs you may buy. These can be bought new from E-Mu or used at Goodwill, etc. I got a 32X Toshiba used for $20!
- Get an External or Internal SCSI Zip drive. When you start filling up that memory, saving to floppy disks is just insane! You can score one of these easily on www.ebay.com.
- Install a SCSI card in your PC and attach it to your ESi SCSI chain. This will alow you to transfer files between your ESi and your PC using Sound Forge or ESi-Win.
- Buy an external effects processor such as the Lexicon MPX-100 or Alesis MIDI Verb, to apply real-time reverb, delay, and other effects to your samples.
- If you can afford it, get the ESi Turbo Kit. While the effects are supposedly mediocre, it will get you three extra sets of stero outputs.
That should give you an idea of what can be done to make any ESi sampler alot more powerful and easier to use. Now, below is an illustration of how to set up an ESi sampler in a common studio with a PC running a sequencer, a MIDI keyboard, and a mixer:
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