Akai S900

The Akai S900 is the rack sampler that made sampling a studio staple. Released in 1986, it gave producers a reliable 12-bit sampler with a real screen and eight separate outputs, at a time when rivals like the Fairlight cost as much as a house.

History

Akai had tested the water with the S612 in 1985, a rack sampler with no display. The S900 was the real thing: 12-bit sampling at up to 40 kHz, eight voices, eight individual outputs and a 3.5-inch floppy drive in a two-unit rack case. It landed just as hip hop was moving from drum machines to sampled breaks.

The sound

Its 12-bit converters give drums weight and a slightly gritty edge, and the variable sample rate lets you trade fidelity for sample time. The bigger win was workflow: clear editing on the display, dependable looping, and a box that simply kept working session after session.

Who used it

The Dust Brothers, who went on to produce the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique, moved to an S900 after starting out on a Roland sampler. Across hip hop, house and pop it became a common rack sampler in late-’80s studios, and its direct upgrade, the S950 (1988), became a boom bap classic in DJ Premier’s hands.

Buying one today

S900s turn up regularly and cost far less than an S950. Check that the floppy drive reads disks, the display and backlight work, and all eight outputs pass audio. A floppy emulator makes loading sounds painless. Listings often mix in the S950 and S1000, so check the front panel.