« Simple loop sampler »

Aimed at DJs and home studio hobbyists when it was issued, the S20 was never one of Akai's sampling flagships. But it's a humble and efficient performer that still sounds great, and is one of the easiest and therefore most immediate and satisfying sampling experiences going. So simple to get a great loop going quickly and augment it with further samples. The four track recorder thing is almost impossible to use, and there's nothing in the way of filters or FX, but otherwise it's still a useful tool. Somewhat surprisingly there's been a recent return to basic, hands-on hardware samplers like this, including from Akai.