Ensoniq DP4 as atmoshpere generator

[dialectic]

Most interesting, thanks for sharing. So once you had the patches programmed and the feedback was occurring, were there any further manipulation applied to either the DP4 unit itself or its parameters?

Oh, and nice camera work too by the way!

[Teknobeam]

Superb !!

[cixelsyd]

Excellent atmospheres. Impressive there is no audio input. I really liked the visuals in the video too.

Inspirational

[kpsiegel]

Very nice work Don. I am glad I got my DP/4 before you published this cause now the price is going to go way up

I just recently got my DP/4 and it definitely has exceeded my already high expectations. I had never thought about using it as a standalone ambient processor so thanks for giving me the opportunity to waste days of time trying to program stuff into it!

Would love to hear how you were putting your patches together on this. I saw that you didn't even use the filters. Impressive. The next step in the evolution should be pretty interesting I would guess.

[CfNorENa]

Spectacular.

DP/4+ was my first-ever FX processor. I initially found it fussy, difficult to use, and too grainy and lo-fi. So I replaced it with a Kurzweil Rumour & Mangler combo. Which I love, since they're so easy to program, and so clean. But then I came to miss the heavily "effected" sound of the DP/4. So I picked up another one -- and now I'm happy as a clam! Not that I'm capable of these sorts of sounds. Maybe some day...

[Crawling Wind]

Very cool! I need to try that myself.

[audioconsult]

nice, especially the last bit

[Don Solaris]

Reason i did this. Every time Eventide H7000/Orville/H8000 topic is brought up, we all see those fancy v-sig screenshots, wow! wow! comments, yet never hear any creations form those who posted them.

Well, here's mine. On a shitty old el-crapo DP/4+.







@dialectic: I used MIDI control for two patches. Once with mod wheel, other time with keyboard. In both cases it is very difficult to play "right on" notes so i had to improvise.

@kpsiegel: Next project will include feedback path algos and filters, for going obviously into physical modelling. But with these machines, you never know. Setup chain can look perfect on a paper, yet when you build it, might sound totally shitty.

[Amber_tron]

I feel silly for never coming across this amazing piece of gear. It would do wonders when I'm working with drone and ambient music.

I'm guessing they're a little hard to come by?

[MJS7]

Nice - gotta love Ensoniq.
Is it just me or do others wish they were still around making hardware? I know they merged with Emu and then kinda went stale, but in their heyday they had some innovative stuff for the time. With different project planning/marketing, who knows what they could have come up with?

[MJS7]

Originally Posted by Amber_tron

I feel silly for never coming across this amazing piece of gear. It would do wonders when I'm working with drone and ambient music.

I'm guessing they're a little hard to come by?

Not really but they can be expensive sometimes depending on who's selling them.

[EvilDragon]

I miss Ensoniq.

[TheBrightSide]

You could look at the ASR 10 sampler too, it has a DP2 in it (half the processing power).

[silent5]

Tremendous! Theres not a lot of demos of this unit online (perhaps this is why it's so cheap these days?) but this goes above and beyond what most people would be expecting from a demo video of an effects box. Well done.

I've only had my dp4 for a few weeks but that's long enough for me to know its a keeper. This box sounds just right with synths for some reason.

And yes, I too miss Ensoniq. They made some great and often overlooked machines.

[silent5]

So I took a crack at this myself today and the results were quite satisfying. 4 units in series, with an impulse from the noise gen tickling a phaser with heavy feedback and some s/h, then a ddl/lfo, and finally a reverb. I love this box even more now. I'd recommend this excercise to anyone who is either getting to know the DP4, or who has maybe grown tired of it.

Many thanks Don for getting the creative juices flowing!

[Ghosted]

LOL, this guy I used to work with was all into that stuff...

hans fjellestad - music

[LAVLAB]

Dope!

[zerocrossing]

Originally Posted by CfNorENa

Spectacular.

DP/4+ was my first-ever FX processor. I initially found it fussy, difficult to use, and too grainy and lo-fi. So I replaced it with a Kurzweil Rumour & Mangler combo. Which I love, since they're so easy to program, and so clean. But then I came to miss the heavily "effected" sound of the DP/4. So I picked up another one -- and now I'm happy as a clam! Not that I'm capable of these sorts of sounds. Maybe some day...

Yeah, I can't get into the DP/4 sound either.

[CfNorENa]

Originally Posted by zerocrossing

Yeah, I can't get into the DP/4 sound either.

But that was my INITIAL reaction. Now I love it.

[Oli]

I have a DP/2. It does sound pretty lo fi. I assume it is due to the low sample rate. S/N is not great either, and some algos are inherently noisy too. However, it has its own character which can be really useful. I wouldn't want to rely on it for everything though. Anyway, i like lo fi, but don't like being bound to lo fi only, like back in the day.

Programming DP/2 can definitely get interesting, and a little wild if not careful. I'm not really a fan of the interface though.

I think Ensoniq made a number of disappointing interfaces, and also some presets/marketing which was some what out of sync with their major market areas.

[Ghosted]

I had a DP-4 for many years. I always though the reverb sucked, but I still miss some of the modulation programs.

[MJS7]

Originally Posted by Oli

I think Ensoniq made a number of disappointing interfaces, and also some presets/marketing which was some what out of sync with their major market areas.

ASR-X...?
It was their entry into the "groove" box / MPC market. The interface and marketing was terrible, even for the time. It had Ok effects but what an awful interface. A tiny screen with two tiny skipping knobs and some clacking rubber pads underneath.
Then when they decided to release a "Pro" version, they just kept it the way it was but painted it fire engine red. Yeah, THAT will bring the sales!


Hmm... on second thought, no wonder they aren't around anymore.

[CfNorENa]

Originally Posted by Oli

Anyway, i like lo fi, but don't like being bound to lo fi only.

Precisely.

@Ghosted: It's my understanding that the reverb algorithms on the DP series are derived from those of the higher-end Lexicons (not sure which models: paging sean costello). Obviously they don't sound the same, but the lineage is worth noting, I think. Anyway, to pick up Oli's point, I wouldn't want to be limited to the DP's reverbs, but they can be excellent for out-of-this-world spacey sounds...

[Don Solaris]

I found small room reverbs in DP4 to be its weaker point. Larger cavernous spaces is where the unit shines. There are no such presets, so one has to build his own. Which is why one might get wrong impression of DP4 reverbs.

The unit is a bit lo/fi due to 32kHz sampling rate. But hey, it worked nice for Daft Punk. Hint...hint: [ROM 37] Key Funk Flange; [ROM 38] Key Funk Phaze

Effects engine in TS-10 is bit differently implemented parameter wise. I tried copying parameter for parameter and they just don't sound the same. I couldn't get some of the larger reverbs from the TS-10. Not sure where's the catch but it feels frustrating particularly with LF decay parameters - they just behave differently. I want my TS verb into DP4.