E-MU PROTEUS 2500 rack synthesizer with MANUAL emu

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This is a really great sounding synth. It is in perfect working condition, but is missing the tap tempo button. The tap tempo still functions perfectly, just no button. Includes manual and power cord. I will package this very securely and ship Fedex ground fully insured. The Proteus 2500's front panel contains 16 real-time controller knobs, 48 buttons, a 2 × 24 — character LCD, and a 4digit LED display (see Fig. 1 ). When I first saw the unit, I was concerned that such skimpy displays would be inadequate on a device of such complexity. My fears were unfounded, however; most of the buttons have built-in LEDs, and extra status indicators are scattered all over the front. The E-mu engineers did an excellent job of providing appropriate visual feedback for all operations.The controls are grouped logically, and many of them have several functions. The 16 controller knobs, for example, might control the mix of your sequencer tracks, or they might provide quick access to common synth-programming parameters. Similarly, 16 buttons are arranged into two rows on the unit's bottom-right. Those buttons serve many purposes: they can mute tracks, give you quick access to a menu page, trigger sounds, and assist with step recording.The 4-digit LED display can show sequencer tempo, the number of the Pattern in use, the current bar:beat position, or sequencer tracks and channels. A Select button lets you choose what you're viewing, and an Edit button lets you change it. Beneath the LED display are a set of transport controls for the sequencer and a Tap button that allows you to easily set the tempo. Cursor controls and a large data wheel let you freely change the parameters you're viewing, and a convenient Enter key flashes when it needs to be pressed. In addition, plenty of dedicated buttons access specific Proteus functions and menus.Also on the front panel are a headphone jack, a master-level control, indicators for MIDI In and Out activity, and a power switch (which offers a handy delay feature to keep you from switching it off in the middle of a performance). Altogether, the Proteus 2500's front panel is well designed and intuitive to use.On the rear panel are six unbalanced analog outputs on ¼-inch connectors for the main stereo signal and two stereo auxiliary sends (see Fig. 2 ). A coaxial S/PDIF connector carries the main stereo signal in digital audio form; if you prefer, you can configure that connector as an AES/EBU output.The Proteus 2500 has one MIDI In and two MIDI Out ports. Two ¼-inch jacks accept either normally open or normally closed footswitches. Also on the rear panel are a standard IEC power connector (no wall wart!) and a USB port for connection to a host computer.You can use the USB connection with the included E-Loader application (Mac/Win) to manage Patterns and Songs stored on the Proteus (see Fig. 3 ). Data transfer works in both directions; you can back up the module's music onto your computer, or you can download sequences (in Standard MIDI File format) to the Proteus. If your computer doesn't have a USB port, ELoader can use MIDI ports instead (but the transfer of data will be much slower). Some operations — such as upgrading the Proteus 2500 operating system — require the use of MIDI ports.The presence of a USB port is encouraging, but unfortunately, the implementation doesn't go quite far enough. I wanted the ability to have a USB-connected Proteus 2500 show up as an available MIDI device on my computer, just as my USB-connected MIDI interface does. Instead, I had to use up limited MIDI connections and run multiple cables to the Proteus. read more

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