I am considering buying a used digital keyboard sampler. I did have an Ensoniq Mirage DSK, but I did not like the split keyboard, and the fact that you could not load in new sounds while playing ones already in. Plus I did not think it a practicle instrument. I read in Keybaord Magazine a while back that a good keyboard sampler to buy would be the Ensoniq EPS-16+. A dealer even told me I should consider and EMAX sampler. Also what about the Roland S-50 I have heard good and bad about this instrument. Or the W-30, or Casio's FZ-10. Any help would be greatly appericated.

All samplers are gonna have a split keyboard . The sound must be multisampled for the entire keyboard for it to be played across the entire keyboard . Especially for things like the EMAX which are notorious for having sounds for either the upper or lower half , rarely for both . Plus , do you sample and multisample you're own sounds ? If you don't , then you don't need a sampler . If you do , remember this - The EMAX is essentially a repackaged EMULATOR II ( 524K of sample memory at 8bit storage ) . The Roland W-30 is extremely limited in it's sampling and editing because it's also a work station , they had to cut corners somewhere . The EPS-16+ is a 16bit sampler but sounds for it are getting harder to come buy , as well as support because Ensoniq is not the same company anymore . You might want to consider more up to date samplers like the EMULATOR III or IV if you can afford them . Also , no sampler is more supported than the Akai stuff . The S-2000 , S-3000 , even the older S-1000 series . The CASIO FZ-1 has some great features but it's memory can only be upgraded to 2 or 3megs of ram . Also the ESI samplers from EMU systems are another more up to date system . Check out http://www.emulatorarchive.com to see the entire list and features of what EMU has made .

I'm pretty sure that you can't load samples while playing an EPS.

Thank you 800dv, yes I do like to create my own samples, that half the fun of owning a digital sampler. So I should consider an E-mu sampler? I know syntar productions carries sounds for the Ensoniq samplers. Provided they are still in business.

Actually you can load sapmles while playing a sample on the keybaord with the EPS. Ensoniq developed a way to do just that.

Okay, as far as I know the Emulator I and the Ensoniq Mirage&DSK are the only 2 samplers I know that have a permamently split keyboard. Which mean sounds when sampled are loaded into the upper or lower not across the keyboard. As for pre-load I'm not to sure but I doubt it. As for the EPS since it is a Prefromance sampler you should beable to play a sound across the entire keyboard, I still need to look into that. I know the Emax automaticlly multisapmes the sound across the keyboard. And most of todays samplers allow just that. Maybe not your own, but presampled ones on disk. EPS-16+ dose alot of features, and so do some of the latter Emulators like the EIII. But i need to go and play some of these to find out which one would be the best.