The instrument
The Akai S5000 and S6000, released in the late 1990s, represented the end of an era of hardware samplers. Radically redesigned from their predecessors, the units were powerful machines with interfaces more closely resembling a computer than a simple back-lit display. They could handle up to 256Mb of RAM and could hold more than 25 minutes of samples in stereo at the highest sampling rate. The S6000 came standard with 128-voice polyphony, while the lesser model, the S5000, came with 64-voice polyphony standard but was upgradable to 128 as well. While more powerful than ever, the S series were about to be eclipsed by the power of DAWs.
Details
Control Panel: Removable with 320 x 240‑pixel backlit display. PS/2 keyboard input;
Polyphony: 128 voices;
Memory: 8Mb, expandable to 256Mb via four SIMMs.
Assignable outputs: 16, 16‑channel ADAT interface (IB1616A) optional;
Sample Rates: 44.1kHz and 48kHz.
Converters: 18‑bit A‑D converters with 64 times oversampling (Delta Sigma), D‑A converters are 20‑bit 128 times oversampling (Delta Sigma).
Digital I/O: S/PDIF and AES‑EBU (ADAT optional).
Effects: EB20 effects board (four effect channels);
MIDI: 2 sets of In, Out and Thru; 32‑part multitimbrality;
SCSI: 2 ports (50‑pin miniature) with termination switch;
Filters: Resonant, 26 types:
LFOs: Two, offering nine waveforms;
ADSR Generators: 2 (multi‑stage aux envelope generator);
Internal drive: Internal 1Gb Jaz drive available as an option.
(Source: Sound on Sound)