Does anyone know if there is a program (like Gigasampler or Halion) that can read disks or CD-ROMs originally made for Akai or Ensoniq samplers? Both Windows XP and Vista are unable to read these CDs; I understand that they are written in different formats and wonder if the simple installation of a program could "do the trick" or I would always have the same problem.
Thanks
A.

Hi A
Most software samplers (Including Halion and Kontakt 2) can read Akai samples, (Amongst many other formats) so I would pop over to their web sites to see if they also support Ensoniq.
Hope this helps

Bill

Fran and Bill,
many thanks for your answers: much appreciated!

Most of the softies can read the Akai disks, but all you usually get is the multi-samples, mapped out. The actual filters, envelopes, LFO's etc., don't get included (AFAIK), and you have to figure that out for yourself.

Not very important for loops, but synth patches and acoustic instruments can sound radically different without their associated programming.

Bill,
I have decided to have a go at Kontakt2: it looks like the most powerful program of the lot and can read almost all the known formats. The only limit is that apparently cannot read floppy disks and I have quite a bunch of them from the Akai and Ensoniq days... I have also a few Syquest HDs connected to my samplers through a SCSI port and wonder if they would work with my PC.

Diki,
I don't know if Kontakt2 or Halion can read the programs as well, but having to reprogram everything from scratch doesn't worry me much. After having programmed tons of patches with my Ensoniq ASR10 (a real nightmare when it comes to user interfaces ... ) working with a soft sampler (and a BIG LCD display) looks like a dream...

Hell Dreamer
For only 79.90 Euro, suggest you to use this tool too: http://www.extranslator.com/formats.html
then you are able to use any softsynth that you like.
Is really one amazing tool, seem that about every professional recording studio use it.
cheers

Thanks Dom,
will have a look at that too...