Convert Akai Sample CDs into Logic and Ableton Instruments – Free Browser Tool

I still go back to my Akai sample libraries. Basses, chord stabs, drums and instruments that I remember from those early days of making music.

In my earlier Akai S-Series sample libraries post, I talked about my experience with the samplers and revisiting their libraries.

I then added a browser-based sample disc extractor to make getting the sounds out of those old disc images easier.

That got me thinking about the next step.

Getting the WAV files is useful. But what happens when you want to load the piano, bass or marimba as a playable instrument, with its samples already arranged across the keyboard?

That’s what this new converter is for.

From an Akai disc to a playable instrument

An Akai program contains the instructions that turn a collection of samples into an instrument.

It tells the sampler which notes each sample should cover, which samples should respond to different playing velocities, and how they should be tuned and played. It can also contain envelope, filter and other settings that affect how the instrument responds.

If you only extract the audio, you still have the sounds, but you need to rebuild the program yourself.

This converter reads supported Akai disc images and uses their program information to create instruments for Logic Pro Sampler and Ableton Live Sampler.

You can browse the programs on a disc, choose the ones you want and download them with their WAV samples.

You can select several instruments together, so you don’t have to rebuild a library one program at a time.

Try the converter

Everything runs locally in your browser. Your disc image and sample audio stay on your computer.

1. Drop a supported Akai ISO or IMG file onto the converter.

2. Browse or search the programs.

3. Select the instruments you want.

4. Choose the Logic or Ableton export format.

5. Download and unzip the package.

For Logic, load the exported EXS instrument through Sampler’s instrument settings menu.

For Ableton, drag the exported ADV or ADG file onto a MIDI track with Sampler available.

Keep the accompanying Samples folder with the instruments.

If your DAW asks where the samples are, point it to that folder.

For a large library, start with a few programs and check them before exporting larger batches.

What I’ve been trying

I’ve been checking pianos, basses and other multisampled instruments in Logic and Ableton. These are useful tests because there’s more going on than a single sample stretched across the keyboard.

A piano might use different recordings for different notes and playing strengths.

A bass might have several samples across its range. Getting those relationships across makes a real difference when you sit down and play.

How close is it to the original Akai program?

The converter carries across the sample audio, keyboard and velocity mappings, tuning, and supported loop and playback information.

It also translates levels, pan, envelopes and supported filter settings.

Some of those settings need approximation because the destination samplers behave differently.

Ableton Instrument Rack exports can use separate Samplers where keygroups need different envelope or filter settings.

Some modulation, effects and model-specific features remain unconverted. Each export includes a report explaining the conversion and any gaps.

So these are playable conversions built from the Akai programs, with limitations to bear in mind. They aren’t a promise of identical sound or behaviour to the original hardware.

Which discs does it support?

This version reads supported native Akai S1000, S3000 and CD3000 sampler disc images.

It doesn’t convert every disc carrying the Akai name. S900 programs, ordinary audio CDs and generic data discs aren’t currently supported by this instrument converter.

Programs with missing samples or invalid mappings may also be skipped.

If you want to recover individual sounds or audio tracks, the Sample Disc Extractor covers a wider range of formats.

For me, this is another way of getting those old libraries back into a session.

Load a few instruments, play them, and see which ones still spark an idea.

If you run into any issues, please let me know in the comments.