FS: various items - Boss FC50 MFC, Emu Esi-32 rack sampler, patchbays etc.

[Rainer Straschill <moinsound@googlemail.com>]

Hi everyone,

there are a few devices lying around my place which I really don't
need anymore, so if anyone is interested.
The majority of devices are of low value but might be of interest to
some - some are of such low value that pickup (Munich/Germany) would
be the best option indeed.
I'm mostly interested in trade offers, especially if you're interested
in more than one thing. Come to think of it, this might be the best
option, because someone interested to buy a used audio patchbay might
not get me hot enough value-wise to even get my butt up and bring it
to the post office.
If interested in anything, contact me offlist, please.
All devices are fully functional and look great optically, unless
otherwise mentioned.

1. E-mu ESi-32 Rack Sampler:
The 2HU rack sampler classic by E-Mu, maxxed out at 32MB of RAM, SW
version 3.02. Some of its tech specs: 32 voices, eight outputs, SCSI
connectivity, built-in FDD, reads both AKAI S-1000 series and E-Mu
EMAXII, EIII sample libraries. Comes with the E-Si Production Set
Vol.12 (2CDs, containing different acoustic and electronic
instruments, world music and some groove loops) and the EIII VolX
Production Set (note: this is a 1:1 copy of the original CD, which got
lost). All of these CDs are E-Mu proprietary format, so you can't
browse them on your PC; but I believe a free software is available for
doing it. Some specs: http://www.vintagesynth.com/emu/esi32.php

My comment: this was E-Mu's attempt to bring a somewhat stripped-down
of their then-flagship Emulator III. The Emulator/Emax series was (and
still is) famous for its filter sounds. Non-typical for samplers of
that time, a very powerful DSP was included, allowing for
timestretch/compression, and one nice performance feature is to scrub
samples with a MIDI controller (e.g. pitch wheel). If anybody is on
the lookout for a rack sampler with only 2HU space requirements, this
is the thing to get.

I'd also throw in a SCSI 2-space enclosure, a small SCSI harddisk (I
believe it's 1 or 2 GB), SCSI CD-ROM drive and SCSI cable so you're
immediately set.


2. E-mu Proteus 1/XR+:
The Proteus is a ROM sample player based on the engine of the Emulator
III, so it shares its sonic properties with the ESi-32 mentioned
above. This rare 1/XR+ version combines the soundset of the original
Proteus 1 (rock/pop sounds mainly) with the soundset of the Proteus 2
Orchestral (with classical orchestral sounds) and double the storage
capacity for user presets. 6 audio outputs, 1HU rackmount.
Getting the most out of this will require to get a computer editor;
again I remember there was a free one (for the PC platform).

My comment: This has for a long time been my main synthesizer; for
those of you familiar with my JANUS album, this is where the majority
of sounds (drums, bass guitars, piano, strings, orchestral percussion,
bass clarinet etc.) came from. If for some reason someone is on the
lookout for a small, versatile "bread and butter" hardware synth, look
no further.


3. Patchbays: Behringer PX2000 (2 or 3 of them):
A 24-channel audio patchbay. As with patchbays, every channel has 4
connectors (2 front, 2 back), which can be individually configured for
thru (front to back connected), parallel (all four connected),
normalized (back jacks connected, inserting one on the front will
break that connection and then behave as thru) or half-normalized
(same as before, but if only one jack is inserted on the front, the
connection between the two on the back will remain).
Simple, sturdy, works well. There are some marks from the paper strips
I used to glue to it to mark the connections.


4. Ibanez "Soundtank" AW-1 AutoWah stompbox:
Basic guitar/bass stompbox with a very workable autowah effect. Used
to use it with a simple synthesizer on clavinet sounds to bring out
ultra-funky grooves. Knobs say "range", "sens" and "depth". Runs on
batteries or external PSU (both not included).

My comment: I'd recommend this especially on percussive keyboard
sounds (e-piano, clavinet, etc.) to give an otherwise boring sound new
life.


5. Boss OS-2 Overdrive/Distortion:
Your run-of-the mill distortion stompbox. Separate gain and level
settings allow to work well with the amplifier of your choice. The
nice thing about it is a dial marked "color" with allows you to
seamlessly go from bluesy distortion to ugly, eighties-metal
distortion. Runs on batteries or PSU (both not included).


6. Yamaha MCJ-8 MIDI patchbay:
1HU rackmount programmable 8in/8out MIDI patchbay. This does not work
as a MIDI interface and also doesn't allow for tricky routing, so it's
basically your cheap solution to connect a multitude of synths (which
you don't use simultaneously) to a computer with only 1 or 2 MIDI
ports.


Best,

             Rainer