re. EIIIXyes it has SCSI, Yes you can get it to work with CF Flash via a bridge. You can create images on the CF cards that replicate a CD and read them.
But, it will not read CDs with an ordinary CD SCSI drive. You have to use a x2 drive for some reason. So you have to put a 2x SCSI drive on it to read AKAi and import that way.
Do note this is the last Emu Sampler that read EII and EIII samples correctly. The later E4 Ultra series does not read or convert properly and often LFO is assigned 100pc to Pitch and other weird quirks. The timings of envelopes, filter frequency setting are all wrong too
in any case the EIIIx sounds much better than any other later E-mu sampler and i A/B them. The EIIIx is terrifically loud too with amazing bottom end and a very analog sounding filter. Its 90pc of the way to a EIII with an analog filter in my opinion and it can be found cheap. If you get an EIIIXP you can upgrade it to have sampling with the insertion of 3 chips into sockets and soldering on some jacks. The input has similar 'gain scaling' magic that was deployed on the EII, with modern IC chips. essentially, anything that goes in maxes the ADC resolution, so 'quiet sample' does not mean 4 bit of DAC - as is the case on your 24 bit 192hz audio setup.
This is what, Rob Lodes, of Digidesign had to say about the EIIIX way back, when comparing it to the past products (full post here
http://machines.hyperreal.org/manufacturers/Emu/info/e-mu.History.txt:
" EIIIx
=====
This machine almost never saw the light of day. It was canceled something
like 3 times. I don't know who the people were that stuck to their guns to
keep it alive but they should be praised and looked at as role models for
all of us.
The EIIIx is the Emax II done right. They made it 32 stereo voices. They
put in two H-chips, digital in (both spdif and AESEBU), if you got the
analog add on it could sample at 44.1 or 48 (
this input is better then
anything I've used to date, it sounds awesome).The put in all kinds of very cool software including realtime sample rate
conversion (go digital in an what ever sample rate and it comes out the
digital outs at 44.1) and a host of other dsp code. These guys can write
the killer dsp.
It's 16 part multi-timbral. The filters "model" the EIII's filters in that
they are 4 pole low pass resonating. The modulation capabilities are
decent (but not up to xpander levels).
They put in very good SCSI support. You can even hook it up to a Macintosh
a transfer sounds back and forth. It's expandable to 32 meg that's user
expandable.
Over all it's one of the best sounding samplers you can get your hands on."
