E-mu Emulator X3 sounds fantastic!

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Strangely enough I have been recently working with it and must agree.

The copy protection is a nightmare and gave me a lot of trouble with VSTi version. It's a prime example how a copy protection can ruin a great software. And for a software that cost close to 800$ in its day the form of CP that is used is unforgivable.

After getting over the disdain of the ugly GUI I remembered quickly why I liked X3 in the first place. Even though the GUI is ugly and a bit small on modern monitors, from the functional perspective it is one of the best GUI's around. My first preference obviously would be everything on one page but X3's multi-page UI is as close as it can get to perfect. Everything is lied out in logical manner from the perspective of the workflow. Most important controls can be accessed from most pages and most tasks can be done by keyboard shortcuts. Knobs are a bit fiddly but everything can also take keyboard input. As far as workflow and usability are concerned X3 blows all the other software samplers out of water.

It is quite obvious that E-MU's long experience with hardware sampling and synthesis shines through it in every step. In that regard it is kind of hybrid of E-MU's samplers and synths and follows closely the design logic of E-MU hardware. So if you know how to program any of the Proteus modules you can easily figure out X3 and vice versa. Proteus hardware modules do sound better but X3 is as close as you can get.

So after revisiting X3 I think it is pretty sad that Creative screwed up E-MU. X3 had a potential to be a killer instrument. It was ahead of it's time in many ways. And of course it was also extremely badly managed by E-MU. Super expensive, horrible CP (there were huge CP dramas at the time it was released) and bad support because of the dieing company. I really wish someone would revive E-MU and Ensoniq inheritance and bring it properly to VST format.
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tomotello wrote: If you want to be save for the next 20 years, install it on a virtual machine (Virtualbox) drive it from you hosting system through virtual Ip-Midi ports with your newer sequencer software on your hosting system.
That's a fascinating approach; I wonder if you could recommend any tutorials around getting MIDI and audio to work in Virtualbox?
Ta, ~Pytch
Last edited by Pytchblend on Thu Apr 17, 2014 6:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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tomotello wrote::wink: yes, again one year later - I've installed it so many times - now on Windows 8.1. It only requires the key from your purchase - no online check. Also the same for the E-Mu Modern Symphonic Orchestra which has rule based articulation alternations implemented already in 2008 (!). Features that we hear as big innovations from IK Multimedia for Sample Tank 3 at NAMM in Jan 2014 (round robin articulations, let's see how it will compare with E-MU X3 from 2008 8) ) . Furthermore there was no other sampler around with such a straight forward support for MIDI bank - program changes support like we are used to have with Hardware devices. The only one I know these days is the Independence Sampler (former Yellow Tools now MAGIX) which supports full MIDI bank - program changes (128 prog and up to 16383 banks ) out-of-the-box.

However, - so, E-Mu X3 is still a good choice. If you want to be save for the next 20 years, install it on a virtual machine (Virtualbox ) drive it from you hosting system through virrtual Ip-Midi ports with your newer sequencer software on your hosting system. .. performance will be fine, as Hardware becomes faster and faster and this software was written for much lower system requirements :)
Cheers, Thomas
Wait, are you saying that the serial number is all that's required in order to install and activate? I thought there was some sort of challenge/response thing involved. Don't remember now as it's been a while since I had to actually install it. I recently picked up a new Windows 8.1 machine and would love to be able to get this going on there. Also... all of the expansion packs (including Modern Symphonic Orchestra). Could you clarify? <fingers crossed>

(I'm talking about X3 btw)
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Sequent wrote:
Wait, are you saying that the serial number is all that's required in order to install and activate? I thought there was some sort of challenge/response thing involved. Don't remember now as it's been a while since I had to actually install it. I recently picked up a new Windows 8.1 machine and would love to be able to get this going on there. Also... all of the expansion packs (including Modern Symphonic Orchestra). Could you clarify? <fingers crossed>

(I'm talking about X3 btw)
It is challenge-response. You enter serial and then it goes to online activation server to verify if it is proper serial. You can also do an activation by e-mail even though the link supplied in the installer does not work anymore. But I've heard that people have managed to contact Creative by sending an e-mail to generic support address and then have received their response code. So far the activation server seems to be working. Doubt it will be up for a long though.

Also take note that the VSTi version is prone to give activation trouble in various hosts even if the standalone is activated.
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robotmonkey wrote:
Sequent wrote:
Wait, are you saying that the serial number is all that's required in order to install and activate? I thought there was some sort of challenge/response thing involved. Don't remember now as it's been a while since I had to actually install it. I recently picked up a new Windows 8.1 machine and would love to be able to get this going on there. Also... all of the expansion packs (including Modern Symphonic Orchestra). Could you clarify? <fingers crossed>

(I'm talking about X3 btw)
It is challenge-response. You enter serial and then it goes to online activation server to verify if it is proper serial. You can also do an activation by e-mail even though the link supplied in the installer does not work anymore. But I've heard that people have managed to contact Creative by sending an e-mail to generic support address and then have received their response code. So far the activation server seems to be working. Doubt it will be up for a long though.

Also take note that the VSTi version is prone to give activation trouble in various hosts even if the standalone is activated.
This is what I thought. Not sure what tomotello was talking about then.

Anyway, I'll try installing it on my new machine and we'll see what happens.
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Buka wrote:anybody has this Xperience bank to share with me? this is why i started this topic :)

cheers mates
Your not allowed to share these as they are installed and authorized from cd

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I have an EMU MO PHATT. I really love it. Its all hip hop stuff in a wide range of phat sounds. I can sample it into my daw if I want ofcourse. there are kits as well as eeverything else. It isn't just drums either. It has lots of stuff for stand up DJ!

Its really gnarly and bombstomp. Its by Cakewalk DIMENSION PRO. its a 3rd party add on pack sold at cakewalk. sorry there aren't demos. but id like to make some demos. I just need software to watch my screen maybe and have terrific audio quality. maybe ill bust out my cam.

EMU' MO' PHATT BY CAKEWALK as well as 4 others I believe EMU too.

To me the sounds are real hip and up to date. FAT, Processed significantly, thick, gritty, smooth sometimes, and you can change the ADSR for the whole kit.

enjoy, its incredibly cheap for what I got.
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syntheticillusion wrote:
Buka wrote:anybody has this Xperience bank to share with me? this is why i started this topic :)

cheers mates
Your not allowed to share these as they are installed and authorized from cd
Someone could give him the CD, though. Im pretty sure it came with upgrade versions, so people who upgraded possibly have more than one copy.
my other modular synth is a bugbrand

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MadAnthony81 wrote:I have an EMU MO PHATT. I really love it. Its all hip hop stuff in a wide range of phat sounds. I can sample it into my daw if I want ofcourse. there are kits as well as eeverything else. It isn't just drums either. It has lots of stuff for stand up DJ!

Its really gnarly and bombstomp. Its by Cakewalk DIMENSION PRO. its a 3rd party add on pack sold at cakewalk. sorry there aren't demos. but id like to make some demos. I just need software to watch my screen maybe and have terrific audio quality. maybe ill bust out my cam.

EMU' MO' PHATT BY CAKEWALK as well as 4 others I believe EMU too.

To me the sounds are real hip and up to date. FAT, Processed significantly, thick, gritty, smooth sometimes, and you can change the ADSR for the whole kit.

enjoy, its incredibly cheap for what I got.
I still have a number of hardware E-mu units. I intend to keep all of them. One of the ones I have is an XL7. The sounds are great (even today) and on the Command Stations you have 128 voices of polyphony, a whole range of knobs to make editing a relative breeze, and there is also a pretty decent sequencer on board. Oh, and you can load it up with up to four cards. Not as immediate maybe as having things virtually on your daw... but no c/r either. :)

I still haven't had a chance to try installing X3. Maybe this weekend.
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So... I just finished installing Emulator X3 on my Win 8.1 64-bit computer. Installation went without a hitch and the online authorization also was seamless. Obviously, the authorization server is somewhere out there and still running. I was actually pleasantly surprised that the 64-bit version was on the disc! So far, so good: everything seems to be working as expected. :tu:
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(...)I think it is pretty sad that Creative screwed up E-MU(...)
Me too :(
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FYI: For those that have ProteusX-2 that can't get it to run on Win7 can load it's libraries into the VX version. If you would like to use sounds from the Proteus library in other samplers and you own Kontakt 4 or 5... you can use VX to export Proteus ESB banks to EOS which Kontakt is able to read & convert (badly) to Kontakt format. You can then save the program with samples that are now wav files.

If you just want to use the converted Proteus programs in Kontakt, then you simply need to disable or adjust the LP-filter that Kontakt inserts with every conversion and adjust the decay and release time as needed.

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I just bought and installed X3 with the Modern Symphony Orchestra sound set. It's working pretty well in Win7 64bit with a couple little niggles. For the price though, it can't be beat.
Dan

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Dan_E10 wrote:I just bought and installed X3 with the Modern Symphony Orchestra sound set. It's working pretty well in Win7 64bit with a couple little niggles. For the price though, it can't be beat.
Dan
Also working in Win 8.1 64-bit. While I was installing I looked at the booklet again and noticed that Kirk Hunter is credited as the recording engineer on that one. :)
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anyone know if activation online still works for Emulator x3?
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