Akai S950

The Akai S950 is the rackmount sampler that sat beside the drum machine in classic hip hop studios. Released in 1988 as the follow-up to the S900 and made until 1993, its 12-bit grit and warm low-pass filter made it the go-to box for chopping and filtering samples.

History and specs

The S950 samples at 12 bits with a variable rate from 7.5 to 48 kHz. Lower rates buy more sample time and more grit. It has eight voices, eight individual outputs plus a stereo mix, 750 KB of memory expandable to 2.25 MB, and a 3.5-inch floppy drive. It was the first Akai sampler with time-stretch, handy for fitting loops to tempo.

The filter

Its two-pole low-pass filter with keytracking became a signature hip hop tool for pulling basslines out of records and rounding off samples. Pairing the SP-1200’s detune with the S950’s filter was a classic combination, and MusicRadar has noted how grainy S950 drum loops became especially prized in hip hop.

DJ Premier’s setup

DJ Premier samples and filters in the S950 and sequences on the Akai MPC60. He has said the machine’s sample limit forces him to be creative, a point many golden-era producers make about working inside tight memory.

Buying one today

S950s remain in demand. Check whether the memory expansion is installed, that the floppy drive works (many owners fit a floppy emulator), and that all outputs are clean. The custom S950FX operating system and waveTracing’s SP950 plugin recreate the S950 and SP-1200 sound.