E-mu Procussion (1989–1990)
The E-mu Procussion is a 16-bit digital sampling percussion module introduced in 1989 and produced through 1990. Built on the Proteus platform, it packed drum and percussion sounds into a 1U rackmount unit, with all samples drawn from the SP-1200 and Emax libraries — so the SP-1200 heritage is audible in the sound, particularly in punchy kicks and the characteristically "metallic" hi-hats and cymbals.
The module offers 16-voice polyphony driven by two custom E-mu 16-bit DACs, with 2 MB of 16-bit waveform ROM. It holds 64 internal presets arranged in 8 banks of 8, plus 32 user-defined setups in battery-backed RAM. Each of the 16 voices can be independently tuned, panned, assigned to any of the 8 individual outputs (plus a stereo pair), and sent through E-mu's digital reverb/chorus FX section. The sample rate is 25 kHz and the signal-to-noise ratio is rated at 90 dB. An optional sampler card could be added, though it's proven hard to find.
Mix (1991, p.109) called it "quite a box and one heck of a studio time-saver" at its $995 list price, noting it made sense as a dedicated MIDI percussion module when you already had drum machines in the studio. The original list price was $795, though street price commonly landed around $600. It was positioned as a direct competitor to the Alesis D4 and as a low-cost way to add quality percussion to a MIDI rig.
On the used market, expect to pay roughly $350–$500 depending on condition. Common issues include battery-backed RAM failure (replace the internal battery preemptively), dimming VFD displays, failing power supply capacitors, and output jacks that may need re-soldering. The custom E-mu DACs are no longer available, so preventive capacitor replacement is wise.
- 16-voice polyphony, 16-bit sampling
- 2 MB waveform ROM, 25 kHz sample rate
- 64 presets (8 banks of 8), 32 user setups
- 8 individual outputs + stereo pair
- 1U rackmount, MIDI in/out/thru
- Original price: $795 USD
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Related Models
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- Alesis DM5
- Alesis HR-16 (1987)
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