Originating as a manufacturer of various synthesizer parts like processor chips, keyboards, and internal components, E-Mu Systems had ambitions to produce their own full-fledged synthesizers. They unveiled the Audity, their first synthesizer, at a 1980 AES convention. The Audity was offered at the low, low price of $69,200 ($200,000 today adjusted for inflation) but since the company couldn\u2019t raise funds to manufacture it, the project was shelved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meanwhile, a lucrative licensing deal with Sequential Circuits ended as well. Spurred by the loss of Sequential, the failure of the Audity, and inspiration from the Fairlight CMI sampler, Rossum and his team got to work on their first keyboard workstation. The result was the Emulator, a floppy disk-based sampler that played recordings back as musical notes on the keyboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Research from developing the Audity was used to craft the Emulator. The new product, offered in four-voice and eight-voice models, had limited functionality: one filter and the ability to play one loop. After the Emulator was premiered at the 1981 NAMM convention, E-Mu systems gifted the first unit to Stevie Wonder. Folks like New Order, Tangerine Dream, and Genesis utilized the Emulator\u2019s unique sampling capabilities on their tracks, and it was featured prominently on Michael Jackson\u2019s legendary Thriller<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n