SCSIforSamplers.com - New SCSI Hardware for your Sampler

Most of the products we sell, such as Hard Drives, CDROM drives, SCSI Cases, SCSI Cables, Compact Flash cards, PCMCIA Adapters and Terminators Plugs, are brand new.

Our IBM SCSI Hard drives are brand new.

Our MCDISK, MCDISK-2 and Microtech PCD-47B and PCD-25B Media Card drives are brand new.

All our external products, such as external Hard drives, CDROM drives, Media Card drives, Combo and Rack enclosures, are assembled in-house and go through extensive burn-in and testing before they are shipped.

All products, new or used, must meet our quality standards and we don't sell worn-out junk (unlike many of the vendors you'll find on eBay). Every product we sell carries our same 30-day return option and 6-month warranty. We stand behind everything we sell 100%.

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>> What size Hard drives can I use with my sampler? If I buy a 50GB Hard drive for my Triton or MPC2000XL, will I be able to use all of it?

Each different make and model of sampler has a limit as to how much per-drive space it can use on any size SCSI hard drive. This point seems to confuse many people, who think that just because they buy a 50GB drive, their sampler should be able to use all 50GB. Sorry but it just doesn't work that way. All samplers have limitations built into their operating systems that determine how much space they will format and access on any hard drive, no matter how large the hard drive is. For instance, the Kurzweil K2500 can only access 8GB, Akai MPC2000 Classic can only access 1GB and even a newer sampler like the Korg Triton can only access 4GB of per-drive space. So no matter how large a hard drive you buy for your sampler, you will be restricted to actually using only the amount that the operating system can format and access. Therefore, it's a good idea to buy a drive that is on the smaller side in order not to waste huge amounts of disk space. And sometimes when people try to use a drive that is way over the usable drive space limit of the sampler, the drive won't work at all; the sampler seems to get confused by all the extra space and won't properly format the drive.

If you need more storage space, the best way to get around the drive space limitations is to take advantage of the SCSI ability to daisy-chain multiple hard drives together and assign them different SCSI ID numbers. For instance, since the Korg Triton can only access 4GB per drive, by using two 9GB units, each set on a different SCSI ID number, we can now access a total of 8GB of storage. Or you can use three 9GB drives and get 12GB of storage space. So using multiple drives is a good way to get around the small drive space limitations of the older samplers. We offer package pricing when you purchase more than one hard drive unit, so contact us for more information and pricing if you want to buy multiple hard drives to maximize your sampler's storage capacity.

If you have questions about any of these topics or options, please call or email us and we will be glad to help you figure out the setup that is best for you and your sampler(s).

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>> Can I use one of those USB-to-SCSI adapters with my sampler?

In most cases, the answer is no. These devices were made to hook the USB end into a computer and so they need a driver to be installed on the computer. You may have success with one if you plan to use it to hook up a SCSI external drive to your computer but even this is an iffy kind of thing. We've had customers try it and sometimes they work and sometimes they refuse to see the SCSI device. We always recommend using a real SCSI adapter card to hook up external SCSI drives to your computer, as these always work and are the most reliable.

If you plan to use the USB-to-SCSI adapter to hook up an external USB drive, like a CDROM drive or Hard drive or Media Card drive, to your sampler through the SCSI port, forget it - it just won't work. There is no way for you to install the necessary driver on your sampler, so the adapter won't know how to communicate.

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>> Will I be able to burn CDs from my sampler with one of your CDROM drives?

No. CDROM stands for Compact Disc Read Only Memory, which means it is a read-only drive and can only be used to load files. A CD burner is a CDR (or CDRW), which stands for Compact Disc Read (Write).

However, please note that most samplers do NOT have the capacity to burn CDs, even when you have hooked them up to a CDR drive. There are two reasons for this: first, most samplers do not have the necessary operating system support for burning CDs. Burning a CD is not a trivial process and the sampler manufacturers just didn't go to the trouble of incorporating the code needed to handle such a task. Secondly, SCSI is a data bus, not a music bus. This means that those wonderful sounds you make with your sampler don't travel down the SCSI bus - Data, such as sample data and sequencer data and whatever else type of data your sampler can create, is what travels on the SCSI bus, so that is the type of data that you can save and load with SCSI storage hardware. So even if your sampler had the code to handle burning CDs, it would generally be CDs containing sample files or sequencer files, not the audio output of your beautiful musical creations.

As a rule of thumb, if your sampler doesn't have (or offer as an option) a built-in CDR drive (like the Korg Triton Studio), then it does not support burning CDs. If you have any questions about the CD burning capabilities of your sampler, contact us and we will be glad to help you understand it further.

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>> What type of payments do you accept? Can I place an order over the phone using my credit card?

We accept all major Credit Cards by phone from US and Canada, Paypal payments from US and worldwide customers (with restrictions), Bank Transfers, Money Orders, Certified Checks, Personal Checks and Western Union/MoneyGram payments from everyone. Please see our page on Payment Options for more info about your options when paying for orders.

If you live outside the continental United States, you will need to obtain a shipping quote from us via email before you place your order. See our page on Shipping Info for full details on all our shipping options and requirements.

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>> Is this website secure? What can I expect you to do with the information I give you?

We take the protection of your personal and financial information very seriously and treat it as carefully as we treat our own. Our website is completely secure and uses no components that are downloaded to your computer. The only file we put on your PC is a cookie that is used for the Shopping Cart feature of the website. It is not a tracking cookie and is never read by any website other than SCSIforSamplers.com. We have tried to make this website completely free of the need for scripting and that is mostly the case but the Checkout pages do use a bit of javascript for validation purposes. If you cannot or will not enable scripting on those pages, then you can always complete your order by calling us and using a credit card over the phone or emailing us with the products and quantities you want to order, along with your Paypal email ID, and we will send you a Paypal invoice for the total.

Some people have asked why they do not see the little lock icon when they visit our website that indicates the site is secure. Since we don't take any personal, financial or payment information on this website, we do not need to use a secure (https) server. All the payment and financial information is done on the Paypal website and they are very secure, so no worries there.

When you give us your credit card and shipping information by phone, we process the order immediately, in most cases while you are still on the line. This information is used only to process the payment and is not kept after that task is completed. We don't keep it anywhere on our system, where it could be compromised later by hackers. We only keep your address and email information in our order files and those are kept on a PC that is not accessible from the internet.

When we ask you for your email address, it is only to be able to send you an order confirmation and tracking information. If we ask for a phone number, it is only used in the event we needed to contact you about your order. We do not use that information to spam you later nor do we ever share it with any third-party.

The bottom line is that we protect your information as if it was our own, we use it only in a very limited way to process your order and we never let it get used by anyone else for any other purpose.

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>> How do I tell what kind of SCSI cable I need for my sampler or other SCSI device?

Samplers use three different kinds of SCSI connectors and we carry cables for all three of these different SCSI types. The three connector types used by samplers are: DB25, SCSI-1 Centronics and SCSI-2 HD50. Each of these connector types use a different SCSI plug and this can get very confusing, so we have included a SCSI Cable Chart page that will tell you exactly which cable you need for your sampler and which lengths of the cable we have available. This page also shows you in detail what each of the three SCSI connector types look like, both male and female. This will help you in case you are trying to find a cable for equipment you got from a different vendor. You can also get a good look at the different connectors on the different SCSI cables we sell on the SCSI Cables page.

One question we get asked a lot is "I have a storage device with a different SCSI connector than my sampler; will I be able to use it?". You need to remember that it doesn't matter which of the three types of SCSI connector your sampler or storage device has on it - it is simply a matter of getting a cable that has the correct plug on each end. You can always find a cable the fills your needs here on our website, as we carry most possible combinations of the three SCSI connector types in various lengths.

We are also asked about using adapters on existing SCSI cables to make them work and we generally discourage that practice, as it opens the door for all types of weird problems, including SCSI data loss. It is much better to just buy the correct cable and forget about using adapters to make the wrong cable fit.

If, after using the resources on this website, you have questions about which SCSI cable you need for your sampler or SCSI device, please contact us and we will be glad to help you figure it out.

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>> Does SCSIforSamplers.com ship overseas?

Yes, we regularly ship our products to customers all over the world. However, please be aware that the shipping prices you see listed with each item are for UPS Ground service being shipped to the continental US only. Before you place an order to be shipped outside the continental US, you must first contact us and get a shipping quote. We prefer to ship outside the US using the USPS Express Mail service, as this provides tracking, insurance and approximately 5-10 day delivery to most parts of the world. We can also ship Global Priority Mail if you prefer; this is a cheaper service that is a bit slower, does not provide tracking and requires separate insurance. Just ask us when you send your email and we will be glad to get you a price quote on both shipping services.

Please see our page on Shipping Info for full details on our Shipping policies.

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>> Do your products work with both 120-volt and 240-volt power systems?

Yes! All our products have auto-switching power supplies, which means that they will work with power systems providing power anywhere from 90 volts up to 240 volts (50 or 60 hertz). This covers the power systems that are in use all over the world. There is nothing for you to worry about changing or setting and no switches to flip - the product you purchased from us will automatically adjust to the power being fed into it and work as normal.

There is one exception to the above statement: the MCDISK Media Card drive has an external power supply that accepts 110 volt power only. This means that in order to use it in a country that has 220 volt power, you will need one of the small travel-style step-down power converter plugs. We offer such a product, the CVT-1. The MCDISK only draws 14 watts, so a small converter like the CVT-1 is all you will need. The MCDISK is the only product we sell that requires any type of power converter.

Please note that on shipments to countries that use power other than the US standard 110-volt, we do not include a power cable, since the outlet types in these other countries do not match the US/Canadian plug type. This means you will need to obtain the proper power cable yourself. Our products all have the standard 3-prong power connector on them, just like your sampler, and you can usually obtain the proper power cable at any music, electronics or department store in your country at inexpensive prices.

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>> What kind of Return and Warranty Policies do you offer?

We want you to be completely satisfied with the products you buy from us and we realize that it sometimes takes a little time to make sure of this. Musicians often have such busy schedules; they don't always have time to immediately check out the new hardware they may purchase from us. Therefore, we offer the buyer 30 days from the date your order is delivered to try out the products you purchased and make certain you are completely happy and that the hardware is working up to your requirements. During and up to the 30-day mark, you can return products for a refund of the purchase price less shipping costs and 15% restocking fee. You can return the product for any reason at all as long as it is in the same condition it was when we shipped it to you. This 30-day return policy is available on all orders shipped to the US and Canada.

Please note that all products shipped to locations other than the US and Canada are usually not eligible for the 30-day return policy, which means that these sales are final. However, no matter where you are located, if you are unhappy with a product you bought from us and feel you have a valid complaint or reason to return it, please contact us and we will do everything possible to make sure you are satisfied with the transaction. We are first and foremost about making sure that our customers are happy with the products we sold them, so you should never hesitate to contact us and let us know what you think - your satisfaction is our main priority!

We sell only top-quality SCSI products and to back that up, everything we sell is covered by our 6 month warranty. Please see the Support page of the website for more information on these policies. We think they are very fair and more flexible than many other electronics vendors.

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We accept all major credit cards and Paypal payments!
We also accept payments by Bank Transfer, Western Union, MoneyGram, Check and Money Order. Click here for details
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