Ensoniq EPS

not super easy, but after awhile it makes sense in a late 80's matrix kind of way .. as far as how complicated i thought something like this would be i'd say i was pleasantly surprised.
it has no preset sounds ,i got mine at the thrift store and i ordered the syntaur starter pack .. but to be honest i dont use those sounds much .. it's a cinch to sample ANYTHING and play it back on this thing if you can get the hang of it .. the syntaur manual is a big plus here ..

from what i can tell this thing is loaded for what could be done back then, and really it has more stuff than i've used yet. the filters and envelope presets are awesome , really and that synthesized loop .. well i dont want to spoil the suprise.. the keyboard is sensitive .. .. i absolutely love using it's sequencer.. that in itself makes it worth what i paid ..

it's a sampler from a long time ago. but i swear to god i have nade some of the most incredible sounds come out of this thing .. i like to sample a few seconds of my voice, with just a sm57 going "ooh" and i swear the choirs i can build can keep me in happy space out land for a looong time at a stretch.
i make ambient psychedelic spacey shoegazer folk whatever music, it's known for hip hop, and i love the wu tang, but it'll do pretty really really well as well.. it can be as dreamy as it can be harsh
the keys have sensitivity tht makes the whole deal different than myothe keyboards.. its a really nice thing to have ! , , ..

i never thought id love one of these, but i've learned to , i'd be bummed if it was stolen.
i use it to trigger my juno 106, a drumtraks and ten the drum traks drives the arpeggiator in the juno 60 , and i use it to sequence the dave smith mopho as well, or not. like i siad befor i LOVE samplin my voice or one of my mono synths with it and using that synthesized loop function.
it was at the thrift store sittng ther for 45 bucks with no disk .. i got it for what i had in my pocket, which was about 23 dollars. came with an anvil brand case .

what the hell is with the rating on this thing? are you serious? ok, look ill break it down like this. depending on what you want id either go for a yamaha rack sampler or just deal with the price for a older mpc. most of these out there have boards already damaged and the owners dont know it yet. this all has to do with the power supply having serious overheating issues. for whatever reason it seems to be worse in the eps samplers from my experience. ive had two eps and eps16+. the eps wasnt built with a proper cooling system for the power supply. so after long use you will expecience crashing. or problems. dont get me wrong they were great. however they just wernt built well. theres also alot of issues that will come up that might not with an akai. my suggestion is if you come across one real cheap and are willing to tinker a little with getting some sort of cooling in there go for it. otherwise get something else. theres alot better options out there. if you want it for synth sounds skip this and get a mirage anyways. it has res filters, some of the best might i add, curtis. when it boils dow to it if you want a hardware sampler your better getting something else. id stay away from this one. theres a large amount of vintage hardware samplers outthere atleast try to go with one from a campany that still exists. trust me youll be glad you did.

All I know is I had an Ensoniq SQ-1 plus and it crashed constantly. I got so frustrated that I sold it for very cheap before I could take it outside and smash the piece-o-s__t on the sidewalk. I'm very hesitent to buy anything Ensoniq. I picked up a Yamaha SY-85 for $140.00 and have had NO problems! The sounds alone kick the c__p out of Ensoniq. I truely believe in Yamaha gear. My RX-21 drum machine is virtually indestructable. I couldn't make anything Yamaha crash if my life depended on it.

I'm not a sequencer, so I'm probably not a good person to ask

The aftertouch and velocity is nice. The feel is ok I guess. Not bad for a hundred bucks.

I've never heard an electric piano I liked on it, but there are some decent organs and synths. Nice flutes too. There's tons of disks out there to find. The bad sounds are really useless, but the good ones are incredible.

Hmmmm... I've had some problems with mine. It is ancient, and bought cheap so I can't complain. I would use it on a gig, but definetly not without a backup.

There are tons of sites with useful information. It was easy for me to ind somebody who remembered how to repair this fossil. As for Ensoniq, I think they are in trouble for overstating there profits by 500 million dollars... oh wait, thats Dick Cheney.

If I came across another one, and I was sure it worked I would buy another one. If mine was lost that is. I have too many disks to just throw away.

i dont have the software yet. i am sure that there is a disk immage out there. anyone who knows about this and how to boot the OS from SCSI can email me at el_mach3tero@yahoo.com

btw, ensoniq is my fav for ease of use with no manual. besides maybee... MOOG. i dono. i like them.

its cool i have the output expander and tons of ram. not that i use them but the output expander is cool. i also like the fact that i have the scsi.

its all my samples. of course they sound great.

i use a softsynth and then chickensystem translator or something to transfer it... but i havent had one in a while so... i forget how to do it... just i want people to email me about hte bootdisk.

12 bit rox0rz

u people who diss the 12bit sound have no idea about the way data is organized adn what it means to sound. i ahve been part of corportate research into it. you cant hear the difference between 10bits and 16 bits... basically (provided that the signal to noise ratio is perfect) you cant hear the difference so shutup. the only bad thing about this board is that it is heavy.

lasted a long long time. i dont know about those idiots who hav those 40mb SCSI pullout disk cartridges because that is a seperate issue. they should have used another disk.

DIE

HTTP://o9.ath.cx/

GEAR RULES LIKE SMELLY SPERM

I'm running OS version 2.49 with an internal 4X memory upgrade.

This has been my first experience with a sampler and also my first exposure to a 'professional' quality keyboard. I purchased it with the manual, which was written before technical writers came from liberal arts colleges. There are rough diagrams for some of the more complicated bits to communicate, and it introduces some interesting new terms, like "double-clicking" and what have you.

Like everyone else has said, once you build an understanding of the basic architecture of the OS, the keyboard becomes pretty simple to use-- even for a newbie. Sampling is basically plug & play and sequencing is very straightforward.

The keyboard doesn't feel great, but it's not too chintzy either. These days $2000 gets you nice weighted keys, but the EPS at least has great velocity & aftertouch. The midi capabilities, as everyone else has mentioned, are extraordinary. I bought this originally to sequence drum parts, but have been using it as a controller with Reason 2.0 recently and really enjoying it.

The LED screen is bright, large enough to contain lots of info, and is easy to read in the darkest of situations.

The sequencer is also a great tool. I've used it to lay multiple drum tracks, quantize on the go, and feed straight into my recording device. It's not exactly fair to compare it to a new workstation, but I think the things it does well really do hold their own against some newer keyboards. I do wish it had SCSI support to attach a zipdisk or a small HD.

As a sampler, you get a pretty good facsimile out of what you put in it to begin with. Granted, it's a lo-fi 12-bit facsimile, but to me that is the appeal. You can change the direction of loops on the fly, and divide the keyboard so that loops will play in different directions simultaneously.

At the time of this review (June 2004) there are still a number of individuals selling royalty-free samples on Ebay, usually for less than a dollar per disk. I've purchased entire libraries of samples, from 808 drumsets, to orchestal strings, and Moogs & Arps.

As a guitarist, I've relied on my external effects to add depth to the device, and I have no complaint with the sounds it produces.

It sometimes fizzles out on me, which is of some concern, but I have yet to try it live. It always works perfectly after powering down, but you don't exactly want to reboot and reload your samples while performing. If I bring this on stage it will be used for non-pertinent background & atmospheric sounds.

There's a pretty good community online keeping these machines going, but there's not much support otherwise.

Considering what I paid for this, it's really a steal. I don't think you can buy a 61-key midi controller for $125 that has this much midi implementation.

Again, the keyboard is not my main instrument, but it has helped me make music, and it's nice to sit with when I'm not 'feeling it' on the guitar. I'd replace it in a heartbeat, even if it ended up costing a little more. It's really made me want to play around with some of the other Ensoniq line of the same vintage-- especially the VFX and Fizmo.

I bought my EPS used in 1991 (but a friend knew the previous owner, so I knew what I was getting). I have OS 2.49 and still use to this day. For all the complaining about the "preset" sounds of the EPS classic - there really are NONE. That's what's great about this instrument. You can control every parameter of the sound. To me the biggest difference is not in the 20-voice feature but that there are no on board effects. That's fine with me. I can always use the MIDI functions, fly over sounds from my other sound modules (more modern) and guess what? Have MORE control over editing than the so-called modern modules have.
I always suggest that people running out to buy the latest synthesizer try out those "presets" without the effects, which they pile on to hype you. It's surprising how much they sound like the same old sounds from earlier synths.

I already touched on polyphony and effects.
As for the sequencer, I got the 4x memory. This is essential if you're using sounds from floppy disks, otherwise you might not be able to load more than 2-4 sounds at a time depending on their file size.

You can only work on one song at a time in the sequencer while it's powered on, but guess what? You can only play one song at a time in real life, so I have no problem with that.

As for the sampler, I don't use loops anymore - PLAYED OUT. I make original drum tracks and sequences using MIDI applications - so I really don't have to worry about the 12-bit vs. 16-bit sampling, etc. I can layer EPS sounds (if I wish) with other MIDI sounds and get all the effect I want. It's extremely easy to use.

Expressiveness of sound on EPS - again, it's as expressive as you want to make it. Like I said before, I don't think of it as having any preset sounds.

For it's age, it's very responsive, but you do have to get into advanced applications. You can control a sound down to its elemental waveform.

It's worked fine for me for about 13 years.

It's tough to get this one repaired according to a friend who has an EPS down. But there are more and more sites coming out with respect to the EPS (and showing it some respect).

If I no longer had my EPS I might have to try to get another - just in case I wanted to access some old ideas. To get something that does what it does is about $3,000 today.

I mainly use it as a controller for other MIDI sound modules and to sequence drum tracks...I've gotten away from the totally sequencer and sample loops style music. I play keyboard parts now mostly live to multi-track, like I do the guitar, bass, etc. That's easier than programming any type of machine to get a live feel. And it doesn't get in the way because unlike alot of these new synths it's not trying to play a song for me with a lot of presets.

Nothing can help you make music better than musical knowledge. To me my music sounds better now because I can play better. That's another reason why I haven't had to stay on the tecnological bandwagon.

This took me a while to get comfortable with. Having learned all I know of sampling from a computer, it was difficult scrolling through this interface. A week of manual-toillette reading got my chops up. It does take some getting used to however.

I'm giving it a 9 based on the price, and age. I originally got it 'cause of its sweet midi abilities. The keyboard can be split into 5 different zones sending 5 different midi channels (not to mention internal sounds) The keyboard is pressure sensitive, velocity sensitive, and it's got pitch and mod weels. Not band for the price of these things. It has a pretty cool sequencer as well. I was tracking sequences in it, then synching it up to cubase SX. My computer eventually exploded, so I was tracking for a while just using it and my 4-track. It doesnt get much more ghetto than that. But it was great.
It comes with a .5 meg of ram. I dont know how anyone could use that. I have the 2x expander, and desparately need the 4x. Apparently the 4X comes with a SCSI, but I hear it's not too great.
There's also an output expander that allows 8 more outputs (total 10) that's going for about 175 on ebay. How hard could it be to build one of these? it's a 9 pin cable. 1 ground, 8 hots? Anyone got the schematics?

The sounds on the disks are OK. The acoustic bass is pretty sweet, and mine came with an "E-MU CHORUS" disk wich is totally freaky. It kills me when people bitch about the low-fidelity (13 bit) of these. THAT"S WHY I BOUGHT IT. It tracks the DOPEST drums, and breaks. It's the authentic crunchy old-school hip hop sound(1988 yall!). Strings, synths blah blah... Make your own samples, and use its sound to your advantage.

Mine is working fine. I've had one error in the 2 months that I've had it (which resulted in my loosing a weeks worth of sequencing) but other than that, it's not caused me any problems. I'm pretty careful with it however, as I've read an awful lot eluding to its fragility (floppy disk etc) When I got it, one of the outputs didn't work, and still doesn't. It's been MONOFIED!

Nope

For the current price (under $300), these are a steal. They won't be for long however. The cat's almost out of the bag. If mine broke, I'd grab another for sure. I really need the memory expander. On ebay it goes for almost as much as the synth does...

I bought my fist EPS (I have 2 Keyboard-based units, and one EPS-M module) when it first came out, and have been using it faithfully ever since. I ran OS 2.40 for a LONG time, but eventually went to 2.49.

Basic use of the EPS is quite elegant, and the on-board sequencer is probably the coolest one ever implemented... just a bit underpowered by today's standards.

Editing and sampling from the main unit is an art, though, and takes some practice. Basic loading and saving of sounds, though is a piece of cake.

When a SCSI hard drive is added to the mix, the directory structure of the drive takes a bit of getting used to.

Manual is quite complete for basic operation and sampling, and is very well written

Unit can be set for 12,16, or 20 voice operation. Supposedly, this affects the unit's sampling rate, but to be honest, I can't hear the difference. I leave all 3 of my units at 20 voices all the time.

Keyboard is okay, but is a more traditional 80's / early 90's synth keyboard feel. A bit better than the average for the time, but not piano action or anything like that. Aftertouch is nicely implemented.

Expansion takes three forms: Memory (2X and 4X are available -- determines how many samples can be simultaneously loaded in RAM), SCSI (a rather finicky SCSI card is available, but more stable aftermarket units are better), and Output expansion that sends each of 8 available patch positions to its own channel. Note -- SCSI and the expander are built in to the EPS-M rack module.

The sequencer is great! Easy to use, nice feature set, very well done... Just not beefy enough to do major projects.

Although the samples are only 12-bit, they offer quite a bit of flexibility. There is a tendency for them to get "grainy" sounding, especially at the extremes of the keyboard. However, if careful multisampling is done, this can be minimized. Newer samplers just cannot get the gritty sounds that this unit can come up with.

I purchased a boatload of sounds over the years, and downloaded another massive set from the internet (I have over 600MB of ensoniq EPS samples, to give an idea). Quite honestly, these sounds range from "suck severely" to "awesome." It all depends on who did the sampling and how careful they were.

Aftermarket software is available to read and write ensoniq disks, and to visually edit the sounds on the screen. These can really help clean-up or fix a sample that is really close to being just what is needed.

I have used this unit for every conceivable type of music creation.

Ensoniq is out of business, but there are some folks hording parts and schematics are still available. There are some known problem spots:

1) Keyboard connector problem. The EPS will fail with a keyboard error during start up. This can be corrected by re-soldering a bad solder joint(s) on one of the boards. This is not for amateurs, though, so if you're not good at soldering, get someone else to do it for you.

2) Overheating (I've personally never had this happen, but it is a known issue)

3) Display Out. This is *usually* another cold solder joint.

4) Floppy disk drives. They are 3.5" drives, but are NOT the same as PC compatible drives. Take good care of your floppy drive!

5) Twitchy SCSI. This is especially true of the original Ensoniq adapter, which is not correctly internally terminated. Aftermarket SCSI adapters (which are still sold by companies such as Syntaur) are MUCH better and more forgiving. It is a bit of a crap-shoot to know which drives will work with these adapters, too. I've got a couple of 2GB drives that work with the Syntaur controllers, but are not even recognized by the original. On the other hand, my ancient 30MB Seagate SCSI drive works flawlessly with everything...

I treat all my ensoniqs with kid gloves. In fairness, though, my backup EPS has clearly been through hell and back (bought it used), and still works flawlessly.

Ensoniq is dead... Your best support is through user groups and a handful of people who still have knowledge, parts, etc.

I really like my EPS units, and will continue to buy up used/broken units to keep my existing ones alive and well. I guess that sums up my opinion fairly well.

I got my first EPS in 1989, and it is still alive and well and making all sorts of music. Sure, it doesn't compare in any way, shape, or form to the newer synths that are out there. Perhaps that is part of the charm of the unit.

yes, I'd like a better SCSI implementation, and more RAM! Always! More RAM! But I've learned to live within the limits.

These units are available on auction sites fairly frequently, and I think that they are worth every penny, especially with all the sounds that are out there on the internet available for download.

Its too bad that Ensoniq got swallowed up by larger companies, because there were obviously some clever folks with good ideas working there.

The best damn user interface ever implemnted exists with the EPS, EPS 16+ and the ASR-10! Its too bad ensoniq never created an expanded sequencer like the akai mpc3000/2000 (64/32midi ch.) on the Eps because I think this was the best sequecer ever put into a keyboard! I got on a waiting list back in 1988 to buy this sampler before it was even released! Then later I sold it in trade for a ASR-10 rack. Just recently I bought one on ebay with a 2X in mint condition. I belive v2.49 o.s. is the last o.s. ensoniq released.The ensoniq manual is good and the advanced user guide is essensial to learn what you need to know to get the most out of this sampler.
The disks that came with the eps are a joke compared to the signature series disks that were created years later. If you get this sampler you must find these sounds! They are very very good!

The eps is 20voice or 12voice depending how much quality you want on playback. I cannot tell the difference. I leave it on the 20voice setting. The eps came with 1/2 a meg. WHIMPY UH?? considering today you can find 256meg ram in a sampler! Its amazing how good that 1/2meg can sound, especialy if you load samples created with the eps 16+. Both the eps and eps16+ max out at 2meg(4X) or 1meg(2X). Unfortunatly the eps did not come with SCSI standard so you have to buy the expansion to get it. There is an 8 out expander that is available (on ebay) which gives you 10 total outs! Of course the eps is 13bit so the fidelity is not as good as an akai s-3000. For the money you can get this for now I dont care if the quality is not pro! The older grainy sound has a quality that cannot be duplicated by these new $2000.00 samplers.
The eps can control midi instuments very well. Just press 'command' then press 'instrument' then scroll to 'midi channel' and set to the appropriate # then scroll to 'program #' and you can scroll thru the banks of your midi chain and find what you want.

Expressiveness gets a 10. You couldnt get any better with the progamability of the patch sellect buttons off to the far left of the modulation+pich controler wheels. These buttons allow you to sellect from 8 diffrent layers to create 4 different paches(0-off X-on 00,X0,XX,0X). Also the Eps has polyphonic aftertouch.

As far as Sound goes the eps gets a 5.
The sampling from the eps input is good to poor. Althogh samples imported from the eps16+ are excellent. That is why it is important to get the latest samples like the signature series to load into your eps!
I belive these were created with 16bit converters.

Very reliable for gigs! Just dont spill anything on it! If you do flip it upside-down and dont turn it on for a few hours.

There is none! Ensoniq has merged with emu. Dont expect them to know anything about the old beast.

For $250 with 1meg(2X) of memory this is a bargin! If you are considering a sampler like this make SURE you get an awsome library or just plan to do alot of sampling. if you are looking for better sound I would suggest the EPS 16+/ASR 10 or AKAI S3000XL or if money is no object get a Roland S-760/XV-5080, they are the best!