Yamaha A3000 Digital Sampler
January 16, 1997
Hold that beat! Yamaha is back into the pulse of digital sampling with the launch
of a powerful new digital sampler at Winter NAMM, the A3000. The versatile yet affordable sampler
is dually suited for both techno/hip-hop applications as well as for the requirements of the
professional musician. It also includes a popular "analog-like" control interface for that familiar,
organic feel.
The A3000 features full 64-note polyphony, three effect blocks for each program, 4-band total EQ,
recording effect, optional 12 analog outputs and expandability to 128 Mbytes of sampling RAM. The
unit has a retail price of $1,700 and will begin delivery following the NAMM show.
"Techno/hip-hop mixers and professional musicians alike will find the A3000 an ideal sampler
choice because of its professional feature set, 'analog' feel, and affordable price," states Avery
Burdette, product manager, Digital Musical Instruments Department, Yamaha Corporation of
America. "Yamaha will have a real winner with the A3000. It's a high-quality unit with the right price."
The feature/price ratio of the A3000 was designed with a dual solution concept in mind. The first
was to address the techno/hip-hop market's need to easily create loops, breakbeats and other DJ
effects in real time. The second was to offer a solution for the professional musician for sampling
and playing back instrument sounds for traditional music production and studio work.
The "analog-like" retro feel of the A3000 is reminiscent of the popular CS1x synthesizer released at
Summer NAMM 1996--designed to offer the familiar ease, simplicity and warmth of the early analog
synths and effects with the accuracy and consistent repeatability of digital. To provide a tactile,
"hands-on" user experience for realtime control, the A3000 has five rotary encoder knobs and an
easy-to-use voice editing architecture. The encoder knobs are also pushbutton switches, which
allow the user to adjust parameters and navigate around the interface by pushing the knobs as well
as turning them. Techno/hip-hop DJ's will also appreciate the unit's ability to produce very "Lo-Fi"
grungy voices with a sampling rate that varies from 48 kHz all the way down to 11 kHz.
The A3000 comes in a 2RU rackmouted professional package in a distinctive bluish/purple color
and offers many professional features: It offers an internal hard drive bay for an optional internal hard
drive. An optional SCSI interface is also available. The unit also provides an option for additional
analog outs or digital I/O. The A3000 will support S/PDIF and optical drives if the digital I/O option
is chosen. It uses 72-pin SIMMs for easy RAM expansion. The A3000 features on-board sequencer
playback of SMFs (Standard MIDI Files) and will record in real time. The unit includes a 40x2 LCD
display. A variety of sampling rates is available: 48 kHz, 44.1 kHz, 22.05 kHz, and 11 kHz. For more information, visit their web site at www.yamaha.com. | 
