emusonacid! legacy

First off, hello form sunny Melbourne, Australia.
I have just purchased a E-Mu E4XT Ultra and am very exited, been looking foward to playing around with it.
Questions :

1. What midi keyboard do you all use, i mean should i get one with faders, knobs etc etc, i would rather pads like MPC to be honest.

I ask this becasue i am no longer using my computer AT ALL, so was wondering if i can control the parameters on the ULTRA in real time with knobs.

2. Whats the best way to sample vst's, should i sample every third or forth note to get the full spectrum ?

3.Can i import or sample drums and map them so i have my own kits saved on the unit ?

I make hip hop but dont like MPC's, LOVE E-MU, so im hoping this machine will be what im looking for.

Cheers, and i look foward to talking to you all about this bomb sampler..

Peace.

1. What midi keyboard do you all use, i mean should i get one with faders, knobs etc etc, i would rather pads like MPC to be honest.

Just take any midi controller you like. It's all about the ability to send midi cc (continious controller), if you want to do some live tweaking.

2. Whats the best way to sample vst's, should i sample every third or forth note to get the full spectrum ?

You'll have to make your own experience here!

3.Can i import or sample drums and map them so i have my own kits saved on the unit ?

This is possible. Try to upgrade to EOS4.7, since this version offers FAT32 support. There is a lot of discussion going on in this forum considering the sample transfer between PC and the EMU.

I make hip hop but dont like MPC's, LOVE E-MU, so im hoping this machine will be what im looking for.

The EMU sound is definately fat. Although I am an MPC fan, I like the sample engine and the filters in the EMU alot more. Especially the modulation matrix is excellent and easy to learn.