Akai S900

The Akai S900 was released in 1986 as a professional 16-bit rackmount digital sampler. It was a major step up in audio fidelity from earlier 8-bit samplers, offering a maximum sampling rate of 40kHz. It paved the way for Akai's later, legendary MPC series and the upgraded S950.

The Akai S900 originally shipped with 64KB of sampling memory, but it was officially expandable up to 256KB. While tiny by modern standards, this allowed producers to store several short samples or drum hits at full fidelity. The memory was expanded using proprietary Akai memory expansion boards.

Yes, the Akai S900 can be seamlessly controlled by an MPC 60 via MIDI, as they were designed by the same engineering team led by Roger Linn. Connecting the MPC as a sequencer to trigger the S900's samples was a very popular studio workflow in the late 1980s. This combination gave producers MPC swing timing paired with high-fidelity S900 sampling.

Modern producers seek the Akai S900 for its distinct 12-bit downsampling capabilities and its warm, gritty analog filters. The S900 allows users to sample at lower frequencies, creating a lo-fi character that digital plugins struggle to perfectly replicate. Its raw, punchy drum sound made it a staple of late 1980s hip-hop and house music.