E-mu E4 Ultra (1998–1999)
The E4 Ultra was E-mu's high-end sampler at the tail end of the 1990s. It topped the E4 line, sold alongside the more affordable E5000 Ultra, and was positioned as the successor to the EIV. It's essentially an enhanced E-mu E4, running the EOS (E-mu Operating System) software. EQ magazine (April 1999, p.83) introduced it as "Faster, better, and more upgradeable. The most-advanced sampler in the world." The record on this model is thinner than you'd expect for a flagship. Few concrete specs survive across multiple sources, but the ones that do agree.
Mix magazine (October 1999, p.85) ran a Danny Elfman endorsement in which the film composer — who had used E-mu samplers since 1981 — praised the Ultras as fast, quiet, and reliable, noting that the sound was realistic enough that you couldn't tell live instruments from the samples. EQ magazine (April 1999, p.83) introduced the E4 Ultra as "Faster, better, and more upgradeable. The most-advanced sampler in the world." That's the kind of period reception that matters: the E4 Ultra was the working composer's tool, not the bedroom producer's toy. EQ magazine (April 1999, p.83) also noted the E4 Ultra's new 32-bit processor gave it ultra-fast MIDI response time and faster SCSI.
The verified specs are 64 MB of sample RAM, a 44.1 kHz sample rate, 16-bit playback, and 8 analog outputs. The original price is listed as $3,995, though no year is confirmed for it. No polyphony figure, filter specs, or effects details are documented in the sources available, so none are given here.
The user community fills in some of the rest. Gearspace posts describe the E4 as having a very distinctive sound, especially the filters, and being clean but characterful. The EOS workflow is repeatedly noted as taking getting used to. The OS is quite different from anything else, and the UI confuses people at first. Those who persist find a deep machine. One user put it this way: "The E4 is the only sampler I regret selling."
A 25-year-old unit comes with known problems. The memory-backup battery dies and takes your samples with it, the floppy drive is often dead by now, and the power supply caps can fail. Replacing the RAM battery is a common fix. None of this is fatal.
- Sample memory: 64 MB RAM
- Sample rate: 44.1 kHz
- Bit depth: 16-bit playback
- Audio outputs: 8 analog
- OS: EOS (E-mu Operating System)
- Original price: $3,995
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