Ensoniq DP/4

There's a lot of parameters in this unit. I can be a problem sometimes but if you know how to navigate thru it you'll get the sound you're looking for. In this case, the manual is an asset!

The DP$ is part of my guitar rig and I love it...but not for every fx. I use it for delays, reverb and other modulations...THE REVERB IS ONE OF THE BEST I'VE EARD!!! Rich and deep with modulation if you want. Distortion are not very good....too many things to tweak before you reach an ok sound...but for reverbs....

It's my second DP$...I've had one before and sold it. It was in great shape for ever and my new one is used but works perfectly. Ensoniq is a very good brand and they built durable units.

In general, I love the unit. Most of the effects are great and the DP$ is well built. Good price...don't know why because some of the modulations and reverbs are absolutly amazing.

This isn't the easiest unit to use. It seems like a few more dedicated buttons on the faceplate would have been a big help. Once you get the hang of it, it's not that bad.

I'm using this with my synths and samplers, my Aria Pro II bass, and my cheapy Yamaha guitar. I plan on running vox through it, but I haven't gotten around to that yet. The DP/4 can be noisy or quiet depending on what effects you use and how you set up your gain. If you want it quiet, it's easy enough to set up that way.

The effects sound great. It took me some time to warm up to this unit, but once I figured out how to work it, I really came to love it. The reverbs are damn good. They're very different from the Lexicon reverb sound, though. They sound darker and more realistic to me. The amp sims are great, the chorus is great (not the same as an analog chorus, but still having its own unique character), phaser is nice, delays are awesome, eq is good enough for me to sell my analog parametric eq, and the compressor is good too. Special mention goes to the VCF-Distort effect, which is a digital voltage controlled lowpass filter, followed by distortion, followed by another filter. Both filters are resonant and set up as envelope followers. Cutoff and resonance can be programmed seperately. This effect is awesome for all out distortion (sometimes followed by a guitar amp), for filter funk, for wah/autowah, and for bassing things up (leave cutoff low).

If the DP/4 only allowed one effect at a time, it would be a good effects box, but the fact that it allows 4 at once (configured any way you want, and with tons of programming options) makes it awesome. the DP/4 has four inputs and outputs, so you can use the four effects on one, two, three or four sources however you want. The DP/4 makes strings sweeter, basses bassier, leads aggressive and cutting or low fi or huge or whatever you want, guitars sound great, basses sound great, drums sound great. You can make synths sound like guitars and guitars sound like synths.

Just a quick note, since some effects are actually two or three effects together, you can sometimes program more than four effects at once. Sweet!

I'm not sure about this. I haven't brought it out of my studio, and it's kinda old. It seems pretty sturdy though.

Ensoniq no longer exist. The company was bought my E-Mu, who was bought by Creative, and now focus on software and computer accessories. It's a shame, really, because Ensoniq and E-mu both made great hardware.

I play industrial and EBM primarily, but I also play triphop and I'm trying to start a Radiohead style synth-rock project. The DP/4 excels at all of these genres. Distorted, aggressive industrial sounds come just as easy as lofi electric pianos and soaring strings. You need decent material to feed this thing, but the sounds that come out are far superior to the sounds that come in.

I just sold off a lot of gear, so my smaller and faster setup consists of a Minimoog Voyager, Virus KB, Roland JD-990, E-Mu ESI-2000, Ensoniq ESQ-1 (Ensoniqs rule), Aria Pro II bass, and Yamaha guitar, plus various low end Lexicon effects and some Boss racks.

When I was researching effects, I really wanted a Fireworx. However, they cost three or four times as much, and the TC Electronic demo cd left me a little cold. I was so happy with the DP/4 that when I sold some of my synths, I considered buying a DP/2 to complement it, but instead I went with a Boss VF-1 (I'm still waiting for delivery). It seemed like a waste of money to buy another DP unit (DP/2 is basically half a DP/4, but with a few extras thrown in). The VF-1 will give me some different effects, plus the COSM amp sims, and the Boss/Roland sound instead of the Ensoniq sound, which I already have. I could have gone with VST's, but I don't like being forced to use the computer everytime I want to play/write/program. I just love hardware!

The DP/4 helps me make music by bringing my sounds where they need to go. If stolen, I would buy again, even if I had to sell other gear to afford it.

I have the dp/4+ OS ver 2.02 - Very flexible in how you can set it up - take a moment with the manual and get it set up once the way you want it and leave it. I use ch 1 for a mic, ch 2 for an fx send from my little mixer and ch 3-4 fed direct from an extra pair of outs from my DAW {like another fx send}. Very easy to write presets. Takes midi for tempo and program changes and easy to dump settings into a sequencer for recall later.

I think the large plate reverb sounds really good - very dark and hangs so nicely in the decay. Tempo delay and some distortion effects are cool, too. Flange isn't great but chorus is good. The feedback options chaining multiple effects is killer.

I bought mine used and it was flashing 'dead battery' on startup - I soldered {yes, you have to actually solder on the board to change the battery} a little battery holder and put in a new battery in about 20 minutes and I'm no big expert on soldering. No problems and it has worked perfectly for the 2 years I have owned this unit.

no idea

One box handling multiple I/O with multiple effects I like {I was already familiar with the ASR-10 and it's effects and these are very similar} is why I bought this unit. Vocal mic preamp, a little reverb for my external drum machine and a stereo effect for a soft synth all at the same time in 2 rack spaces . . . at the used price levels they are at it doesn't get much better than this.

DP4 is easy to setup, just connect cabels and select effect with a wheel. After that you could start to learn how to edit your own presets. If you have ever used Ensoniq samplers it feels like you are at home with this equipment!

Im using DP as an mixer to 4 different synths mks's & tx81z.. its handy setup system cause DP4 has 4 input (+mic) and all those inputs can be connected to one stereo output/ or two / 4 mono.
Actually i have two DP4's and i use that another one as vodcoder and for more complex effect systems -with putting those chips in serial.
There's really good parametres in many algorithms like lets say flanger, if you put its feedback very high and widht low and very small value to center, it creates reverbish atmosphere with sort of lfo on it.. i tried same with my Yamaha A4000 effectprocessor which has pretty much same parametres but it didnt sound nearly as good.
DP4 is famous about its reverbs though..

It has survived 12 years now, so it can be described as reliable machine. I bought it at this year so i cant really say, but so far no problems.

When EMU (Creative) bought Ensoniq, development of ensoniq devices stopped, but theres some support still in EMUs pages if you know what to search from their site.
Many Ensoniq products are still that much popular and wanted that theres started to become pretty much 3rd-party support.
Floppy drives & SCSI kits to samplers and midi-editors and so on. Some one is at the moment creating FB memorys to 16+!
--
But still.. i wish that there comes someday ASR11 where is resonant filters, internal hd, digi IO's, big flashmemory and DP4+ inside! it would be worlds best sampler without question.

I have made music since 1993, acid house, ambient and sometimes electro. And those old analogs are just perfect for that.. and when connected to DP4.. =D
My dreams has come true! At least one of those ;)
I also have EPS16+ which is very good to experimental sampling tricks, A4000 is more ordinary sampling tool with power -16+ has btw, one of this DP4 effect chips too.. but because its in sampler it is possible to load new effects to it. -Waveboy made few very good new algorithms to it. Like Demolition Disk! No other equipments can do those things..
I wish it would have digi i/o's.

Like someone else said, don't buy this if you don't plan on "tweaking" your effect settings to get the most out of this very versatile box. Some presets are very useable right away (especially the presets for vocals and clean guitar). This was the first effect unit I owned, the learning curve was rather steep but it pays off. The manual is decent.

Overall, the DP-4 is a really good sounding effects unit. I bought mine in '93 (my unit is still working properly and I have used it a LOT over the years). The most important thing is to drive the inputs hard enough, but not too hard, in order to get the best S/N ratio. Experiment with the noise gate, especially for single coil guitar sounds, it's really flexible and can work wonders.

No problems whatsoever. Like I said my unit will be 10 years old next year, and it's still in great condition. Use common sense. Don't drop this thing. Don't turn it on until after you turned on the equipment connected to its input, to avoid spikes. Watch the OL LED's to check you're not frying the A/D converters. When built into a rack, leave 1 U above and under the unit, as this thing runs quite hot. Handle this unit the way you should and you'll probably never have problems with it.

Never dealt with them. It's too bad Ensoniq as such doesn't exist anymore, they should have continued this product line. The DP/4 was WAY ahead of its time in terms of sound, just like many of their synths (TS series). Great gear.

The DP/4 is a high quality unit that got nowhere near the critical acclaim it deserved. This thing works for a wide range of production styles, all you have to do is take some time to get familiar with the possibilities. Sound quality is excellent. If it were stolen, I'd try to find one second hand. There's absolutely nothing to hate about this piece of equipment - It really helps you create your own sounds -it is above all a creative FX tool, not just a "preset FX box". If you see one of these second hand and in good condition for a reasonable price, you owe it to yourself to check it out - it might be just what you need.

Very intuitively and well thought out... Manual is great so far.

Nothing to worry about... it all sounds VERY good...

no problems so far

It really has all you could wish for a good effects processor... very good price/value ratio. If you have more money go for an Eventide effects processor but even then the DP/4 is still a very good unit I wouldn't miss.

Okay this unit is very complicated at first, and seems very overwhelming, all the different settings and having to mix the dry and wet, but once you get the hang of it, you'll be able to program patches in a short amount of time, i know exactly what i want and i can usually program a complex sounding patch in a about 5 minutes. IF YOU ARE NOT A MAJOR TWEAKER AND/OR DON'T LIKE CREATING YOUR OWN EFFECTS, DON'T BUY THIS UNIT.
The manual is very detailed and helpful. The one thing that is frustrating about this unit is the fact that there is so many possiblities.

I love the sh*t out of this unit, i would most likely not have been able to write half the song i have if not for this thing, it is truely inspiring. Endless amounts of possiblities. The way it's set up is very unique. Basically you can set the thing up to have 4 very high quality effects of any kind(dual delay, tempo delay, multi delay, reverbs: hall, large plate, small plate, small room large room, reverse, nonlinere, 8 voice chours, phaser, flange, pitchshifting, and that's only half the effects) in any order you want. You want a chours, a delay, reverb and then another chours, you've got it. Plus you can decide if you want them in serial parrell, or in 2 kinds feedback. The effects are out standing, the delays are the best i have ever heard, i have a lexicon lxp-15 and i personally like the reverbs better in the ensoniq, it just goes to show i can't listen to other people, you have to listen to your own ears and personal taste.
The cool thing about this is it's great for studio work as well. It has 4 inputs and 4 outputs. so if you had a bass you wanted flange on, vocals you wanted reverb on, guitar you wanted delay, and keyboards you wanted pitchshifting on, at the same time, then no problem.
With this unit my mesa boogie studio .22+ and my ada mp1 i can get any sound my sick imagination desires. IF you want to make over the top effects, or you don't want to sound like anyone else i really recommend you get one of these, i see them for about 400 on ebay, you won't regret it and you'll never need another effects processor again.
The only reason i don't give the unit a 10 is because there is a 1 second pause between patches and the sound cuts out. I don't see why you couldn't get the sounds of you favorite artist, but why would you want to, be yourself, create your own sound, that is what this unit is great for. I'll never buy another effects unit for my guitar again, i am truely satisfied

i've had no problems. i would use it without a backup

never needed them, plus they aren't around anymore

The only way to describe what i in terms you could understand is i play gothic/darkwave/deathrock. And i also play metal as well. This unit is the perfect match, we were meant to be. My one true love. My destiny, my.... anyway.
I've been playing for over 7 years. I own a ibanze rg guitar, a mesa boogie studio .22+, a ada mp1, a lexicon lxp-15(For vocals in the studio) a digitech rsp7(for my bass) a samik bass, a mackie 1404 mixer, an alesis adat, and m audio monitors, hey they asked.
Hell yes i would buy it again if it were lost of stolen, i could never re-create my sound with anything else, believe me i've experimented.
I love every thing about the thing, except for the pause inbetween patches. If i had to pick the one best thing about this unit it's the fact that you can have any four high (i do mean high) quality effects in any order). now some of you might complain that this unit, "colours my tone too much" well imho that's wanted effects are for, so you don't sound like everyone else who just plugs in and plays. Yes the effects can be as suttle as you want, but why would you want that, i personally like over the top, highly choursed overly reverbed out delayed notes.
Personally i couldn't compain this unit to anything else as far flexibility and quality.
With out this machine i couldn't create the musical world in my head, thank you so much ensonqi you rule.

Extremely easy to get a good sound - I first encountered it in '94 at a friend's studio. We used it for my guitar tracks. Editing is about average ease, similar to the Digitech's I've used. Manual - never looked at it, so I can't rate it. No upgrades that I'm aware of, I bought it used.

Sorry, but I really don't have anything bad to say about this unit. (well, the flange isn't great.) If a piece of gear could be a soulmate...

Running a Charvel Model 1 single humbucker guitar through this unit and directly into a Tascam board, then into ADAT's. I've used three units (the first one at the studio I tried, the one at my commercial studio, and one at home), and have NEVER had any noise/hum from any of them. The reviewer above must have had a bad unit, bad ground, or bad cables somewhere in the chain. <shrug>. I think the effects are great, but like anything, you have to tweak them to get a really unique sound. No amps - after this unit, I've sworn off amps! (well, sometimes I'll still use a Marshall) It really is the guitar sound for me. The "LA Studio Guitar" and "NY Studio Guitar" patches sound very close to the guitar sound on Don Dokken's "Up From the Ashes" cd - very smooth and sustaining.

The distortions, reverbs, and chorus are great - I don't care for the flanges though. The Darth patch is really cool for vocals. :)

My only gripe with it is you can't really get a raw, crunching Marshall wall-of-sound (I think it's only possible with a real amp or a POD...). But for what I play, which is "polished" sounding hard rock, that's not a big deal.

Yes and no - I never rely on a single piece of gear, I ALWAYS keep a backup unit of some type.

Never dealt with them.

Hard Rock, metal. This unit works great for my style, I used it on Thor's Thunderstuck album a few years back, for a remake of "Court of the Crimson King". Same setup as above, straight into the board. It didn't work as well where we needed a "Judas Priest style" crunch.

Playing 26 years now.

Other gear includes: Digitech RP300, Digitech GSP21-Pro, Boss DS-1, Arion SD-1, Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Crybaby Wah, Digitech S100, Marshall Valvestate 8100, Marshall 1912 cabinet. Fender Custom strat, Charvel Model 1 and Model 4, Yamaha RGX-321, and a few other guitars.

It's very easy to figure out how to string together multiple FX. The layout is very simple and flexible. Editing has always yielded wonderful results and I've had a lot of success shaping sounds to fit the mix without extra eq or compression. The manual is more for reference than anything. I've only ever refered to it to understand which direction the diffusion was going in. I have upgraded my unit, but It has done nothing new for me other than allow for easier or more reliable midi dumping.

Despite the fact that this is one of my all time favorite FX boxes. The D/A converters in here are really bad. It's always noisy, and it distorts very easily. This has always been my gripe with this unit. Will you want it for your pristine clean hall verb? Probably not, but that's not what it's meant for. I use this for sound design and for mixing, so it's always going into a board of some kind. Artists who I know have used this? Duran Duran did for sure.

I've had the same box with no problems and I've beat the shit out of it for nearly 6 years now. This is a Champion of Dependable Modern Electronics.

I've never had a problem and so I've never had to deal with the company. but getting the upgrade was of no effort aside from making the phone call.

Usually I go the DP/4 for intense multi FX that I just cant get out of anything else. Bueatiful Choruses with hints of distertion, Frequency tunable, Useable speaker emulations. It's very pretty if you can get past the Noise in the loust D/A. Not the greatest reverbs, but the delays and and Chorusing are the bomb.

Very easy to understand this unit's interface. I had it up and running (wihthout even glancing at the manual) in minutes. The features are intelligently laid out and invite exploration. By the time I had read the manual a few times, I really had the functionality down cold and managed to get some amazing things out the box. Very cool.

My setup was pretty simple: Mesa/Boogie Triaxis preamp, the DP/4 and a power amp. The tones were very nice and generally pretty transparent. I didn't notice any glitching or artifacts with the unit. But the 1 second of silence while it reconfigures itself for a new patch... eeek! That's way too long, even for a complex little computer like this. I had to leave myself a full bar in songs where I switched patches, which is lame.

This is where my story gets really sad. My original DP/4 (purchased brand new in the box with warranty - thank goodness) lived only 4 weeks before I started noticing it was making kind a sputtering sound all the time. The noise got worse and worse. I changed tubes in my preamp, checked my wiring. I wire studios and am very familiar with various wiring schemes. This box was set up in my rack with Canare starquad wire. The noise was definitely NOT coming from anything but the DP/4. I called tech support and was told to change my tubes and wiring. I told them I already had. They were helpful, but could offer no suggestions. The next week my unit totally died. I took it back to the store where I bought it. It was in repair for two weeks. The motherboard was replaced. I got the unit back and a week later the noise came back. It died again (this time while I was ON TOUR!) and had to serviced in Hawaii by an authorized dealer. The motherboard and power supply were replaced.
I used the unit for less than four months and the whole problem started AGAIN! I called Ensoniq and they were very helpful. They had many suggestions and offered to service the unit again, even offering to arrange for a loaner for me. After many phone calls, they generously offered to give me a brand new unit in exchange for my problematic machine. I thankfully accepted this offer, and the unit operated normally until I sold it two years later and the new owner tells me it's still going strong! I learned to carry a backup to every gig as a result of this experience. I don't think it's a reflection of Ensoniq quality on an overall basis, but I would probably never buy one of their products again.

Despite my sad tale of electronic misery, I must say that Ensoniq earned my respect with their quick and decisive customer service. I have never been treated so well by any company and if I ever get arrested on tour, I would be tempted to call them for help instead of my mom.

Overall, the unit is pretty good. I think it does a nice job of producing many different effects, and you gotta love those routing options. As a guitarist and studio operator, I found the unit to be of good quality. I eventually replaced it with a TC Electronics GForce for live use, and I would say the DP/4 is *nearly* as good, but not quite as transparent or dreamy. The TC chorus and reverb algorithms are so complex and beautiful that I use either of those effects in place of the 4-unit alrorithms I used to use on the DP/4.
That being said, the DP/4 is a great value and has plenty of good tones. Again, don't base your decision to buy one of these units on my disastrous reliability experiences. I think my first unit may have just been a dud, and anybody can have an off day.