Any AKAI sampler experts out there?

[suicune]

We've got a band who want to remix some 20 year old material and we're trying to recover the original samples.

Does anyone know what format an S1000 sampler uses with a zip disk? We've got old S5000 zip disks that read normally, but this one disk doesn't read. We think it may have been created using an S1000 instead, or maybe its just a dead disk, but I haven't managed to find a definite answer on disk formats via google so I'm hoping some guru here might know the answer.

[Sardi]

I'm unclear what you're using to try and read the disks.

Is it an S5000? If my memory serves me correct, both the S5000 and S6000 used FAT for the drive format which made it much easier to transfer samples back and forth to the computer.

Having said that, I believe they can still read the older AKAI formatted disks. Perhaps it is indeed a bad disk.

Can you attach the ZIP drive to your computer? If so, you could use Chicken Systems Translator or something similar to extract the samples - assuming the disk is OK.

If you need the samples and program patches then the only way would be to get the original machine used and recall it that way.


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[Sardi]

Just found some good info here that may be of use.

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/musi...ppys-into.html


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[suicune]

Sorry if I wasn't being clear enough.

I have a USB zip drive attached to a mac pro. We no longer own either sampler. I have Chicken Systems translator. It does not see the disk.

The gearslutz thread you linked to seems to refer specifically to floppy discs - I know these used a proprietary format. What I am trying to find out is whether S1000s also used their own format for zip disks as well or not?

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by suicune

Sorry if I wasn't being clear enough.

I have a USB zip drive attached to a mac pro. We no longer own either sampler. I have Chicken Systems translator. It does not see the disk.

The gearslutz thread you linked to seems to refer specifically to floppy discs - I know these used a proprietary format. What I am trying to find out is whether S1000s also used their own format for zip disks as well or not?

I have that same drive somewheres around here and used to use it as a sneakernet system to go from my online machine to my daw and back. Every one in a while I'd get a disk (both the 100 meg and 250 med disks) the drive wouldn't be able to read. Or I'd get a disk stuck in the drive. I'm willing to bet your problem disk is toast.

[Sardi]

Originally Posted by suicune

Sorry if I wasn't being clear enough.



I have a USB zip drive attached to a mac pro. We no longer own either sampler. I have Chicken Systems translator. It does not see the disk.



The gearslutz thread you linked to seems to refer specifically to floppy discs - I know these used a proprietary format. What I am trying to find out is whether S1000s also used their own format for zip disks as well or not?

The AKAI sampler will format the ZIP disk for use so it doesn't matter if it's a floppy or ZIP disk, the format will be the same.

I dare say if Chicken Systems Translator won't read it, then the disk may be faulty. The only way to be 100% sure would be to get hold of an S1000 and SCSI ZIP DRIVE. Actually, any AKAI sampler would do the trick.

I have an old S2000 here with a SCSI ZIP drive, but I'm located in Australia so probably not a lot of help.


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[mjslakeridge]

I remember when the zip drives and disks first came out. I thought 250MB was a CRAZY amount of storage. The zip drives had a pretty short period of popularity when the USB flash drives came out. I threw my zip drive and disks in the trash years ago. Probably should have kept them as a novelty.

[Sardi]

The original ones were 100MB. When the 250's came out I was like WTF!?! HAHA!!

Then the excitement dissipated when I realised I needed to upgrade the drive to use the larger disks.


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[suicune]

I finally got it figured out and the disc did still work. I'd forgotten that when I first launched translator I had skipped the authentication process in case it required a reboot that I wasn't able to do at the time. Which disables the proprietary disc reading. I've never used the software before. Switched it back on and refreshed and there it was! A 20 year younger singer all still intact. Thanks for the help all

I remember at uni we had G3s with DVD RAM drives - that seemed like absolute magic. You could put MORE THAN ONE session on one!! Mind you they took an age. Now I find myself looking at 4TB SSDs - can you imagine where we'll be in another 20 years?

[Sardi]

Good to hear.

And yeah, I remember DVD-RAM drives too. :)


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