Ensoniq DP4 / DP2

[Críoch]

Any owners of either box here?

They appear to go for cRaZY enough prices - but guess they offer a lot of fx power given their in/out configurations.

Classic bit of kit - given its age

[Markus Wolf]

DP2 are half of a DP4 . These boxes are pretty good for Techno and they have been used on countless records from back in the day. ITCHY Whoretits?, Mathew Jonson and allot of other artists. If you can get one relatively cheap lets say $200 for a dp4 I would say grab it. I recently sold my dp2 for like $150. The technology is kind of old and they do break down, after all it is 20yr old gear. Now im going to say something that might shock you but really if youre running Ableton for example you dont need to spend money on external gear. With all the available built in effects and vsts that deal with effects really you have more options ITB at basically no extra cost. I generally use a mixture of hardware synths and software synths, but i find creating effect chains and automation ITB works perfectly. Plus the delays and effects are easier to sync when they are itb. Ive seen these boxes anywhere between $125 and $400. BTW I would also have a problem spending like $1400 on an eventide h3000 just because i would be worried about repairs. If you really want to use external effects maybe check out the eventide space and time factor pedals pretty good and allot of the algorithms are from some of there original effect boxes like the h3000, orville, and the 7600.

cheers

[OHADOHAD]

I have a DP2, love it! Paid 160 euro for mine... awesome sounds, easy programming, great presets..
I say grab one if you find a good price.

[Ploy]

There is 2 models of the Dp4. Dp4 & Dp4+. Of the 2 my preference was for the Dp4. It has a bit more of a lofi or gritty sound to it vs the plus model which is slightly cleaner due to a higher noise floor I think. (I can't be bothered to look it up, do your own research.) Dp2 is half a dp4 but I wouldn't be bothered with that because the real crux of the dp4 is the flexibility of the routing configurations that can be created. 4 in 4 out, 2 in 2 out, 1 pair and 2 mono or whatever else it allows. Cool. It also has a foot switch input so you can use a pedal to engage the effects on/off. I think it also takes an expression pedal too. It's also possible to control and automate a shit ton of parameters using the continuous controller parameters in addition to the 4 knobs on the front. At the time it was released this was a mid- higher range effects unit. It's not in the class of an H3000, a Bricasti or High end lexicon but it was certainly a good step up from entry level boxes like a midi verb or entry level lexicon. It's a multi effects boxes vs things like the Strymon or space those boxes are several variations on a single effect. An eventide space is a quality sound but it's not the same as a h3000 and that is in the depth of programming. Of course it's possible to use in the box effects and create long complex chains but often sound quite clean and a bit sterile for my taste. Whatever.
For 200-300 it's pretty hard to go wrong. The main issue to be on the look out for is a dead or dying battery. That itself is not much of a problem. Sysex dump swap the battery and then sysex back in your patches. Beyond that they are pretty solid boxes and seem to be quite well made. I didn't experience any problems with any I've owned other than a battery issue.

Here's an interesting example of what can be done with the Dp4.

youtu.be/7UhVB7irTzw

[TheBinaryMind]

I own a DP4+, great piece of gear, quite inspiring. I had to change the battery, it wasn't too complex, although you'll have to do some soldering because the original is put practically directly on the main board.

If you can get your hands on one, go for it, but check all inputs and outputs.

[OHADOHAD]

DP2 is also flexible for a 2 in/out fx unit.
You can do serial/parallel/stereo, and if you don't want to spend 300-400 euro, I think you can defiantly do millions of things with the DP2 as well.
Basicly, DP2 can do exactly what the DP4 does and got the same Inputs and sound, only difference is the 4 IN/OUT Vs 2 IN/OUT.. and i guess that's up to you according to what you need and want to spend.
Anyway both units are great!

[Barfunkel]

Used to own a DP/4. A great sounding unit for the money, but I sold it because I prefer a more hands on UI. It's not hard to use for a rack unit, but for a knob tweaker (uh, err, that sounds a bit kinky) like me pedals and tabletop units are better.

If you don't mind a bit of menu diving, I definitely recommend one.

[Críoch]

Thanks a lot men.. You are all making me drool even more for one. Yeah, think I'll add it to the list. Lots of good comments on the sounds which is what you want.

Gotta keep the eyes out now.. See if there's one for the right price . There was one up on ebay the other day., got smashed up by parcelforce & the seller was auctioning it for a 2nd time after it being returned. Went for pretty much the sane price as a perfect boxed one a few weeks before. People must be nuts for them. I'd much rather a perfect one than a bashed expensive one.

[A.M.Smith]

just throwing it out there that the Lexicon MX series might be worth a look. you can have them for a steal used these days and they have all the routing and I/O you could need. probably loads cleaner sounding than the DPs but I am rather fond of many of the algorithms. I've always got some synth routed to it. The tape delay is surprisingly good. not that it sounds like tape...just good...also the reverse delay is real sweet.

[Críoch]

Cool. Someone else mentioned those Lex's too. Will investigate some more.

[extinguish]

I sold my DP4+ and haven't regretted it once.

It sounded great but the interface was uninspiring and wasn't getting much use

[Hades]

I sold my DP4+ and haven't regretted it once.

It sounded great but the interface was uninspiring and wasn't getting much use

so, what did you replace it with ?

[extinguish]

Well the money went towards more eurorack

As for the replacement I'm just using plugins (valhalla, soundhack, ableton etc.) Is missing the feedback routing feature of the DP4 which is quite cool, but I can set up feedback routes in ableton with sends etc. if I really want too.

[A.M.Smith]

Cool. Someone else mentioned those Lex's too. Will investigate some more.

I use it constantly. If I could find another MX200 for ~100USD I would buy another...just make sure you get one with the power supply...turns out they take a weird PSU and it took me a while to track one down and almost fucking up the unit with an incorrect PSU.

[seanocean]

i picked up a DP/2 earlier in the year , but the previous owner sold it with a bad battery (and maybe a host of other issues). i think with all ensoniq gear you should be aware that they need some maintenance. i LOVE the sound of the DP series. but this is the second piece of ensoniq gear i've had that failed on me after the ESQ-1, and i'm just a little upset about it taking a crap on me while i'm making a song that relies on it's unique character. i'm probably going to get it repaired and deal with it. but, i think maybe i should have gone with something else.. TC electronic rack prices don't seem so unappealing after dealing with this.

[seanocean]

I own a DP4+, great piece of gear, quite inspiring. I had to change the battery, it wasn't too complex, although you'll have to do some soldering because the original is put practically directly on the main board.

If you can get your hands on one, go for it, but check all inputs and outputs.

Think the outputs are shot on mine. I talked to an ensoniq tech and he said the battery on the dp series is just for memory. not like the ESQ-1 where the thing won't do anything w/o a battery. How can you tell if your outputs on the unit are bad? I am thinking mine are toast because i can bypass it and still nothing comes out.