Vintage Digital

Ensoniq

Classic Recording Studio Equipment

ENSONIQ was a professional audio equipment company that was founded in the United States in the mid-1980s. The company initially focused on producing synthesizers, samplers, and other digital audio equipment for musicians and recording studios.

In addition to their synthesizers and samplers, ENSONIQ also produced a range of digital effects processors for use in recording studios and live performances. One of their most notable products in this category was the DP/4, which was introduced in 1992. The DP/4 was a four-channel digital effects processor that featured a range of high-quality effects, including reverb, delay, chorus, and flanger. It was also capable of creating complex, multi-effects chains that could be easily recalled and edited using the unit’s intuitive interface.

The DP/4 quickly became a popular choice among recording engineers and music producers, due to its high-quality sound and flexibility. It was used on countless hit records in a variety of genres, from rock and pop to electronic and hip-hop. In addition to the DP/4, ENSONIQ also produced other digital effects processors, including the DP/2, which was a two-channel version of the DP/4, and the DP/Pro, which was a rack-mounted unit that combined the functionality of the DP/4 and the DP/2.

ENSONIQ’s legacy of innovation and high-quality products continues to influence the development of digital effects technology today. Despite the company’s eventual acquisition by EMU Systems in the late 1990s, their range of digital effects processors remains highly respected among recording engineers and music producers.

Ensoniq were a keyboard manufacturer back in the 1980s, but their legacy seems destined to be their first multi-effect processor, the Ensoniq DP/4. Using their experience from keyboards and samplers, Ensoniq developed their first effects processor in 1992 towards the end of their keyboard era, and to this day, the Ensoniq DP/4 is still sought being after.
Following on from the huge success Ensoniq enjoyed with the DP/4, the Ensoniq DP/4+ took a successful recipe and added subtle updates to the interface. The Ensoniq DP/4+ creates 24-bit digital effects using four independent processors, and features four independent inputs and outputs with full internal mixing capabilities.
The Ensoniq DP/2 is equally at home in a professional recording studio, home studio, guitar rig, MIDI setup, or PA system. The Ensoniq DP/2 creates 24-bit digital effects using two independent processors, and features two independent inputs and outputs with full internal mixing capabilities and discrete stereo processing.
The Ensoniq DP Pro released in 1997, was the final effects processor to come out of Ensoniq. It came after the success of the DP/4, DP/4+ and DP/2 processors. Unlike the DP/4 & DP/4+, the Ensoniq DP Pro was a stereo effects processor. Sadly two channels of processing was not all it lost, it also lost the more intuitive interface of the DP/4 series of processors.
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