The Emu E6400 Ultra sampler stands as a cornerstone in the world of professional sampling, renowned for its exceptional sound quality, versatility, and robust build. Introduced in the late 1990s, this powerhouse sampler quickly became a staple in studios and live setups worldwide, offering an extensive range of features tailored to the needs of musicians, producers, and sound designers alike.

With its intuitive interface, powerful processing capabilities, and extensive connectivity options, the E6400 Ultra continues to be a go-to choice for those seeking unparalleled sampling functionality. Whether you’re looking to craft intricate soundscapes, emulate classic instruments, or push the boundaries of sonic experimentation, the E6400 Ultra delivers with precision and finesse.

In this review, we’ll delve into the various aspects of the Emu E6400 Ultra sampler, exploring its design and build quality, keyboard action, value for money, notable pros and cons, and ultimately, providing a comprehensive conclusion on its merits in today’s music production landscape.

Design and Build Quality

The Emu E6400 Ultra sampler boasts a design that exudes reliability and durability, making it a trusted companion for both studio work and live performances. Constructed with a sturdy metal chassis, this sampler is built to withstand the rigors of professional use while maintaining its sleek and timeless appearance.

One of the standout features of the E6400 Ultra’s design is its ergonomic layout, which places essential controls within easy reach for seamless operation. The front panel houses an array of tactile buttons, knobs, and a bright LCD display, allowing users to navigate through menus, adjust parameters, and monitor settings with precision and efficiency.

Furthermore, the E6400 Ultra incorporates a well-designed interface that promotes intuitive workflow, enabling users to focus on their creative process without being hindered by cumbersome menu diving or complex routing configurations. Whether you’re sampling sounds on the fly or fine-tuning intricate patches, the streamlined design of the E6400 Ultra ensures a fluid and immersive user experience.

In terms of build quality, the Emu E6400 Ultra is built to last, with attention to detail evident in every component. From the robust encoders and responsive buttons to the smooth faders and sturdy connections, every aspect of the sampler reflects Emu’s commitment to craftsmanship and reliability.

Overall, the design and build quality of the Emu E6400 Ultra sampler are second to none, providing users with a solid and dependable platform for their creative endeavors. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or an aspiring musician, the E6400 Ultra’s exceptional construction ensures that it will remain a trusted tool in your arsenal for years to come.

Sampling Resolution and Rates:

The Emu E6400 Ultra sampler offers a sampling resolution of up to 16-bit with rates ranging from 44.1 kHz to 48 kHz. This high-resolution sampling capability ensures pristine audio quality and fidelity, capturing every nuance of the original sound source with precision.
Polyphony and Voices:

With a generous polyphony of up to 128 voices, the E6400 Ultra provides ample resources for layering multiple sounds, creating rich textures, and crafting complex arrangements. This polyphonic capability allows users to explore intricate compositions without fear of running out of voices.
Memory and Storage:

The sampler is equipped with extensive memory options, offering up to 128 MB of RAM for sample storage and manipulation. Additionally, the E6400 Ultra features an internal hard drive or optional SCSI interface for seamless integration with external storage devices, allowing for virtually unlimited sample storage capacity.
Filter Types:

Featuring a versatile array of filter types, including low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and notch filters, the E6400 Ultra empowers users to sculpt and shape sounds to their liking. These filters offer precise control over frequency content, allowing for the creation of everything from warm analog-style tones to cutting-edge digital textures.
Modulation Sources and Destinations:

The sampler boasts a comprehensive modulation matrix, enabling users to route various modulation sources, such as LFOs, envelopes, and MIDI controllers, to a wide range of destinations, including filter cutoff, pitch, amplitude, and more. This flexible modulation system allows for dynamic sound shaping and expressive performance control.
Effects Processing:

Equipped with a powerful onboard effects processor, the E6400 Ultra offers a diverse selection of effects algorithms, including reverbs, delays, choruses, flangers, and more. These effects can be applied to individual samples or entire programs, enhancing sonic depth and dimensionality with ease.
Connectivity Options:

The sampler features a comprehensive range of connectivity options, including multiple audio inputs and outputs, MIDI I/O, SCSI interface, digital I/O, and more. This extensive connectivity ensures seamless integration with external devices and facilitates flexible routing and signal processing configurations.
User Interface and Workflow:

The E6400 Ultra boasts an intuitive user interface and streamlined workflow, allowing users to navigate menus, edit parameters, and create sounds with ease. The bright LCD display provides clear visual feedback, while the ergonomic layout of controls promotes efficient operation and creative exploration.
Overall, the Emu E6400 Ultra sampler delivers a formidable array of technical specifications, empowering users with the tools they need to realize their creative vision and push the boundaries of sonic possibility. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a budding enthusiast, the E6400 Ultra offers unparalleled flexibility, versatility, and performance in a compact and reliable package.

The Emu E6400 Ultra sampler boasts an intuitive and user-friendly interface designed to streamline the sampling and sound creation process. From sample manipulation to programming intricate patches, the E6400 Ultra’s workflow is optimized for efficiency and creativity.

LCD Display:

At the heart of the user interface is a bright LCD display that provides clear and comprehensive visual feedback. This display serves as the central hub for navigating menus, editing parameters, and monitoring settings, ensuring users can easily access and control every aspect of the sampler’s functionality.
Tactile Controls:

The front panel of the E6400 Ultra features a array of tactile controls, including buttons, knobs, and faders, strategically placed for convenient access during operation. These controls allow users to perform essential functions such as sample selection, editing, and playback with precision and ease.
Menu Navigation:

The sampler’s menu system is intuitively organized, making it simple to navigate through various functions and settings. Whether you’re loading samples, adjusting filter parameters, or assigning modulation sources, the menu structure is designed for quick and efficient access, minimizing workflow interruptions and maximizing productivity.
Sampling Workflow:

Sampling with the E6400 Ultra is a seamless process thanks to its intuitive sampling workflow. Whether you’re capturing audio from external sources or importing samples from external storage devices, the sampler provides straightforward sampling options with adjustable settings for sample rate, resolution, and length, ensuring optimal results with minimal effort.
Editing Capabilities:

The E6400 Ultra offers a comprehensive suite of editing tools for manipulating samples and creating custom patches. From basic waveform editing to advanced sample manipulation techniques such as time stretching, pitch shifting, and crossfade looping, the sampler provides all the tools necessary for sculpting and refining sounds to perfection.
Program and Patch Management:

Managing programs and patches on the E6400 Ultra is a breeze, thanks to its intuitive program and patch management system. Users can easily create, save, and recall custom programs and patches, organizing them into banks and categories for quick and efficient access during performance or production sessions.
Real-time Performance Control:

With its responsive controls and dynamic modulation capabilities, the E6400 Ultra offers unparalleled real-time performance control. Whether you’re manipulating filter cutoffs, modulating pitch parameters, or applying effects in real time, the sampler responds instantly to your touch, allowing for expressive and dynamic performances.
Overall, the user interface and workflow of the Emu E6400 Ultra sampler are designed to empower users with intuitive controls, streamlined navigation, and efficient operation. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a novice enthusiast, the E6400 Ultra’s user-friendly interface ensures a seamless and enjoyable sampling experience, enabling you to unleash your creativity and bring your musical ideas to life with ease.

The Emu E6400 Ultra sampler offers a comprehensive range of connectivity options, ensuring seamless integration with external devices and facilitating versatile signal routing and processing capabilities. Whether you’re working in a studio environment or performing live on stage, the E6400 Ultra provides the connectivity you need to connect with your gear and expand your sonic possibilities.

Audio Inputs and Outputs:

The E6400 Ultra features multiple audio inputs and outputs, including balanced 1/4-inch TRS connectors, allowing for flexible routing of audio signals. Whether you’re connecting microphones, instruments, or other audio sources, the sampler provides pristine audio quality and reliable signal transmission.
MIDI I/O:

MIDI connectivity is essential for interfacing the E6400 Ultra with external MIDI devices such as keyboards, synthesizers, and sequencers. With MIDI input and output ports, as well as support for MIDI over USB, the sampler enables seamless communication and synchronization with other MIDI-equipped gear, opening up a world of creative possibilities.
SCSI Interface:

The E6400 Ultra is equipped with a SCSI interface, allowing for easy connection to external storage devices such as hard drives, CD-ROM drives, and ZIP drives. This SCSI interface provides high-speed data transfer capabilities, enabling users to expand the sampler’s storage capacity and access additional sample libraries and sound libraries.
Digital I/O:

For digital connectivity, the sampler features digital input and output ports, supporting formats such as S/PDIF and AES/EBU. These digital I/O options enable users to connect the E6400 Ultra to digital audio interfaces, mixing consoles, and other digital audio equipment, ensuring pristine signal quality and compatibility with modern recording and playback devices.
CV/Gate Outputs (Optional):

Depending on the model and configuration, the E6400 Ultra may also offer CV/Gate outputs, allowing for control and modulation of analog synthesizers and modular synthesizer systems. These CV/Gate outputs provide voltage control over pitch, gate, and other parameters, expanding the sampler’s capabilities for interfacing with analog gear and integrating into modular setups.
Headphone Output:

A dedicated headphone output is provided on the front panel of the E6400 Ultra, allowing for private monitoring and auditioning of samples and patches. This headphone output features a high-quality amplifier and adjustable volume control, ensuring optimal monitoring levels and clarity for critical listening tasks.
Overall, the connectivity options of the Emu E6400 Ultra sampler are designed to accommodate a wide range of studio and performance setups, providing users with the flexibility and versatility they need to connect with their gear, collaborate with other musicians, and unleash their creativity with confidence. Whether you’re recording, producing, or performing, the E6400 Ultra’s extensive connectivity ensures that you’re always connected and ready to make music.

The Emu E6400 Ultra sampler is equipped with a versatile onboard effects processor, offering a wide range of effects algorithms to enhance and shape your sounds with precision and creativity. Whether you’re looking to add depth and dimension to your samples, create immersive soundscapes, or infuse your productions with sonic character, the E6400 Ultra’s effects capabilities provide the tools you need to achieve professional results.

Reverbs:

The sampler features a selection of high-quality reverb algorithms, allowing you to add lush ambience and spatial depth to your sounds. From subtle room simulations to expansive hall reverbs, the E6400 Ultra’s reverb effects enable you to create immersive sonic environments that enhance the realism and depth of your productions.
Delays:

With a variety of delay effects at your disposal, including standard delay, ping-pong delay, and tape delay, the E6400 Ultra lets you add rhythmic movement and atmospheric texture to your sounds. Whether you’re creating rhythmic patterns, adding depth to vocals, or crafting intricate soundscapes, the sampler’s delay effects offer endless creative possibilities.
Choruses and Flangers:

The E6400 Ultra includes choruses and flangers that can be used to add modulation and movement to your sounds. Whether you’re seeking subtle modulation for thickening up pads and textures or pronounced swirling effects for psychedelic flourishes, the sampler’s chorus and flanger effects deliver rich and dynamic results.
Filters:

Featuring a range of filter effects, including low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, and notch filters, the E6400 Ultra allows you to sculpt and shape your sounds with precision. Whether you’re cutting through the mix with aggressive filter sweeps or adding warmth and character with resonant filtering, the sampler’s filter effects provide powerful tone-shaping capabilities.
Distortion and Saturation:

For adding grit, edge, and harmonic richness to your sounds, the E6400 Ultra offers distortion and saturation effects. Whether you’re adding subtle warmth to basslines, dialing in aggressive distortion for guitar samples, or crafting gritty textures for electronic music, the sampler’s distortion and saturation effects provide versatile options for sonic enhancement.
Modulation Effects:

The sampler includes a variety of modulation effects, such as tremolo, phaser, and rotary speaker simulation, allowing you to add movement and modulation to your sounds. Whether you’re seeking subtle modulation for rhythmic pulsation or pronounced swirling effects for psychedelic textures, the sampler’s modulation effects offer creative flexibility and expressive potential.
Overall, the effects capabilities of the Emu E6400 Ultra sampler are designed to complement and enhance your sound design and production workflow. With a diverse selection of effects algorithms, intuitive controls, and flexible routing options, the sampler empowers you to explore new sonic territories, unleash your creativity, and elevate your productions to new heights.

The Emu E6400 Ultra sampler offers exceptional value for money, providing a wealth of features, functionality, and performance capabilities at a competitive price point. Whether you’re a professional musician, sound designer, or enthusiast producer, the E6400 Ultra delivers unparalleled value by empowering you to create, manipulate, and sculpt sounds with precision and creativity.

Feature-Rich Design:

The E6400 Ultra boasts a feature-rich design that rivals more expensive samplers on the market. From its extensive sampling capabilities to its versatile effects processing and comprehensive connectivity options, the sampler offers a wealth of features that cater to the diverse needs of modern music production.
High-Quality Sound:

Despite its affordable price, the E6400 Ultra delivers high-quality sound reproduction and sampling capabilities. With its 16-bit resolution, generous polyphony, and pristine audio converters, the sampler captures every nuance of your samples with clarity and fidelity, ensuring professional-grade results in your productions.
Flexible Workflow:

The E6400 Ultra’s intuitive interface and streamlined workflow make it easy to navigate menus, edit parameters, and create custom patches with efficiency and ease. Whether you’re sampling, editing, or performing live, the sampler’s user-friendly design promotes creative exploration and experimentation, allowing you to focus on your music without being hindered by technical limitations.
Reliability and Durability:

Built with a sturdy metal chassis and high-quality components, the E6400 Ultra is designed to withstand the rigors of professional use, ensuring years of reliable performance in studio and stage environments. Whether you’re on the road or in the studio, you can count on the E6400 Ultra to deliver consistent and dependable results, day in and day out.
Versatile Applications:

With its wide range of sampling, sound design, and performance capabilities, the E6400 Ultra is suitable for a variety of musical genres and applications. Whether you’re producing electronic music, scoring film soundtracks, or creating sound effects for multimedia projects, the sampler provides the tools you need to bring your creative vision to life with precision and impact.
Overall, the Emu E6400 Ultra sampler offers exceptional value for money, combining advanced features, high-quality sound, and reliable performance in a package that’s accessible to musicians of all skill levels and budgets. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a budding enthusiast, the E6400 Ultra empowers you to unleash your creativity, explore new sonic territories, and make music that resonates with audiences around the world.

Versatile Sampling Capabilities:

The Emu E6400 Ultra sampler offers a wide range of sampling options, including adjustable sample rates, resolutions, and lengths, allowing for precise control over the sampling process. Whether you’re capturing acoustic instruments, vocals, or electronic sounds, the sampler provides the flexibility and fidelity you need to capture every detail with clarity and accuracy.
Extensive Sound Editing Tools:

With a comprehensive suite of sound editing tools, the E6400 Ultra enables users to manipulate and shape samples with precision and creativity. From basic waveform editing to advanced time stretching, pitch shifting, and crossfade looping, the sampler provides all the tools necessary for sculpting and refining sounds to perfection.
Flexible Effects Processing:

The E6400 Ultra features a powerful onboard effects processor with a diverse selection of effects algorithms, including reverbs, delays, choruses, flangers, and more. These effects can be applied to individual samples or entire programs, allowing users to enhance their sounds with depth, dimension, and character.
Intuitive User Interface:

Designed with usability in mind, the E6400 Ultra boasts an intuitive user interface with tactile controls, a bright LCD display, and streamlined menu navigation. Whether you’re sampling, editing, or performing live, the sampler’s user-friendly design promotes efficient operation and creative exploration, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable user experience.
Comprehensive Connectivity Options:

The E6400 Ultra offers a wide range of connectivity options, including audio inputs and outputs, MIDI I/O, SCSI interface, digital I/O, and more. This extensive connectivity ensures seamless integration with external devices and facilitates flexible routing and signal processing configurations, making it easy to connect with your gear and expand your sonic possibilities.
Reliable Build Quality:

Constructed with a sturdy metal chassis and high-quality components, the E6400 Ultra is built to withstand the rigors of professional use, ensuring years of reliable performance in studio and stage environments. Whether you’re on the road or in the studio, you can count on the E6400 Ultra to deliver consistent and dependable results, day in and day out.
Overall, the Emu E6400 Ultra sampler offers a myriad of advantages, including versatile sampling capabilities, extensive sound editing tools, flexible effects processing, intuitive user interface, comprehensive connectivity options, and reliable build quality. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a budding enthusiast, the E6400 Ultra empowers you to unleash your creativity, explore new sonic territories, and bring your musical ideas to life with precision and impact.

Limited Sample Memory:

One drawback of the Emu E6400 Ultra sampler is its limited sample memory capacity, especially when compared to newer samplers on the market. With a maximum of 128 MB of RAM, users may find themselves constrained by the available memory when working with large sample libraries or complex arrangements, requiring frequent management and optimization of sample resources.
Outdated Connectivity Options:

While the E6400 Ultra offers a comprehensive range of connectivity options, including MIDI I/O, SCSI interface, and digital I/O, some users may find its connectivity options to be outdated compared to modern standards. For example, the lack of USB connectivity may require users to rely on additional adapters or converters to interface with newer computer systems and peripherals.
Limited Effects Selection:

Although the E6400 Ultra features a built-in effects processor with a variety of effects algorithms, some users may find the selection of effects to be limited compared to dedicated effects units or software plugins. Additionally, the quality and flexibility of the onboard effects may not meet the demands of certain production styles or genres, requiring users to seek out external effects solutions.
Complex Programming:

While the E6400 Ultra offers extensive sound editing and programming capabilities, some users may find its interface and programming workflow to be complex and daunting, especially for beginners or those unfamiliar with sampling technology. Navigating through menus, editing parameters, and creating custom patches may require a steep learning curve, requiring users to invest time and effort into mastering the sampler’s functionality.
Lack of User-Friendly Documentation:

Despite its intuitive interface, the E6400 Ultra may suffer from a lack of comprehensive and user-friendly documentation, making it challenging for users to fully understand and utilize its features and capabilities. Clear and detailed documentation, tutorials, and instructional resources may be limited or outdated, hindering users’ ability to maximize the sampler’s potential.
Limited Software Support:

As the Emu E6400 Ultra sampler is a legacy product, users may encounter limited software support and compatibility with modern operating systems and software environments. Updates, drivers, and compatibility patches may be scarce or non-existent, posing challenges for users who wish to integrate the sampler into their current setup or workflow.
Overall, while the Emu E6400 Ultra sampler offers a wealth of features and capabilities, including versatile sampling, sound editing, and effects processing, it also has its drawbacks, such as limited sample memory, outdated connectivity options, complex programming, lack of user-friendly documentation, and limited software support. Despite these shortcomings, the E6400 Ultra remains a formidable tool for musicians, producers, and sound designers seeking professional-grade sampling and sound design capabilities.

The Emu E6400 Ultra sampler stands as a testament to Emu’s commitment to delivering professional-grade sampling and sound design capabilities in a compact and affordable package. With its versatile sampling options, extensive sound editing tools, flexible effects processing, intuitive user interface, comprehensive connectivity options, and reliable build quality, the E6400 Ultra empowers users to unleash their creativity, explore new sonic territories, and bring their musical ideas to life with precision and impact.

While the sampler may have its limitations, such as limited sample memory, outdated connectivity options, complex programming, lack of user-friendly documentation, and limited software support, these drawbacks are outweighed by its numerous advantages and benefits. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or a budding enthusiast, the E6400 Ultra provides the tools you need to capture, manipulate, and sculpt sounds with ease and efficiency, enabling you to express yourself creatively and achieve professional results in your music production endeavors.

In conclusion, the Emu E6400 Ultra sampler remains a timeless and indispensable tool for musicians, producers, and sound designers seeking a versatile and reliable sampling solution. With its exceptional value for money, innovative features, and enduring legacy, the E6400 Ultra continues to be a trusted companion in studios and live setups worldwide, inspiring creativity and pushing the boundaries of sonic possibility.