E-mu Systems

E-mu Systems was an American music technology company founded in 1971 by Dave Rossum and Scott Wedge in Santa Cruz, California. The company pioneered affordable digital sampling with the Emulator (1982) and created the legendary SP-1200 drum machine that became a cornerstone of hip-hop production. E-mu's Proteus series of sound modules brought high-quality ROM-based synthesis to the masses. The company also developed key synthesizer technologies licensed by Oberheim and Sequential Circuits. Acquired by Creative Technology in 1993 and later merged with Ensoniq, E-mu ceased hardware production in the early 2000s.