I like the VCR description. I haven't heard of a description like that, but it is fitting. A lot of HiFi gear did look like that, and a lot of knobs and buttons were produced like that back then.
Wow, blast from the past! My guitar buddy had this in his rack, worked and sounded brilliantly live. At the time I had the Ensoniq TS10 synth. I have a sweet spot for this underrated brand.
I love these throw back videos. I never owned one of these, but I played my friends ocassionally. I always thought of this as Ensoniq's answer to the GP-8. You make it sound great.
see Ensoniq DP4 Effects Demo Tony McAnany. More guitar demos produced by Tony McAnany in early 90s: I recommend: Compact Disc CD1 Tracks 12-15 for guitar demo Compact Disc CD2 Track 02 for original music
I recorded a couple of albums in a studio with a DP/4 as the primary effects unit. It was everything portrayed here. The mod and delay effects were and are excellent. Super flexible in terms of routing too. If I wanted a single rack mounted unit for running my keyboard mix or as a guitar processor I'd struggle to find much better for the money back then or even now.
Well, this video was a blast from the past... I had a DP/4 in my studio back in the mid 90's, and used it quite a bit in post on both of my Shapnel solo albums... thx @LeonTodd
I had a Shrapnel compilation CD in my early teens that had one of your tracks plus the usual Racer X/Cacophany/Vinnie Moore/Howe cuts. I'd forgotten about it until now!
Owned one of these in the late 90s. I mostly play guitar dry because I found most effects intrusive with a few exceptions. This unit being one of them. It just sounded good to me instantly. It actually had some body between 200 and 500hz which a lot of digital stuff was sadly lacking in those days.
Thanks for putting this out Leon. I was hoping someone would get one of these in your hands. I have two DP4s and I just put a DP2 in a rack I had wired up and built at Rack Systems, when Dave and I had a break in our rig building schedule. Next, you should do a TC M5000
I think the 4 unit effects can end up a bit too delayed and noisey depending on wet/dry mix levels, I prefer it as two 2 unit effects with a mixer. Though the VCF distortion is nice when dialed in for guitar too. The chorus is synth gold.
A fried of a fried had a rack with obsolete gear we went to check out that he was trying to unload cheap in his studio around 2005 or so that plugins essentially replaced. I remember one of those because of the silver knobs. The only other things I can recall were an SPX-90 (or maybe 100), a half-rack Alesis delay or reverb unit with blue writing, and a Panasonic 3700 DAT recorder. Not for sale was a new at the time Avalon mic pre, a 70s Roland Space Echo, and an 80s Roland Juno 106 that looked brand new.
Lupins gonna love this , cant wait to hear this....i can smell the popcorn with beautiful synth like buttery lush ! What a chorus for whitesnake... Lupin says turn it up to rockstar level mate so lupin can learn a cool cat call... Amazing Leon )..theres definitely 2 kool cats in Australia 😺😺.
@@LeonToddI'll bring a cigar over.. re-read u r too fast for me .. fan of lupins dancing..685 bucks free shipping.. heck id dogpaddle across the pond for that sound
Dude! I watch your channel for years now. You are a rare example of modeling user/aficionado that actually explains reason and actual use case for such equipment (aside of owning and playing loads of different amps and effects), and is not just a preacher of a cult of "It is better because its the future and 'science'". That fact aside, you tested so much of old "future an science" rack gear, us younger "old people" lusted for and never actually heard proper. When I saw this gem in the title, I had to leave a comment and thank you for bringing us audio-visual joy. And for being such a nice and cool dude as you are. Sorry for the novel I just wrote. Keep rocking!
The DP-4 seems to have never lost its cachet with synth guys, often at a cold-dead-hands level. Whereas I remember being painfully broke when H-3000s were $600-800 routinely 20 years ago. Maybe the difference is that there were newer and (for some values of better) better Eventides out, but there were practically no DP-Pros on the market before Ensoniq folded. The DP Pro is really, really cool, though. Anticipated the Eclipse with dual engine architecture and has some really great delay algorithms. As an owner I’ll class that one as a “cold dead hands” unit.
This was my first multi-effects unit, and I used it primarily for guitar and a bit for studio. I loved the effects (especially the chorus, detune, and phaser). but I always had trouble with the UI for saving and recalling presets, etc. I had about decided to toss mine, but you shamed me some. I think my issues with it may have been a ESO (equipment superior to operator) error. So out of the bin and back to the rack it goes. And thanks for that.
@@LeonTodd I feel dumb. Never considered selling because somehow I just assumed because I was having issues no one would really want it. Which was just dumb. Thanks for the idea. Gives me another option.
I allways wanted to try the DP4. I drooled over it back in the 90-ties. It sounded fantastic in my headphones when you played thru it. Not the amp-sims, but the rest. Just made me want to own one even more than before. What does the plus do? @leontodd
I’d a jones for one of these … ages ago!!! Simply because Ensoniq synths are tops. And I couldn’t afford a Eventide rack. Cool to see it used with a guitar. But now we’ve the H90 (which is pretty boss). I’d still love to acquire one of these. But we will watch the prices now go up. Regardless, thanx for this Leon. You da man!!! PS: gonna request some The Church and maybe some Birthday Party riffs next time. And have a Violet Crumble for me. Can’t find ‘em latey.
Hey Leon are you planning on trying the Digitech GSP1101 in the future? Very good sounding unit if you spent some time tweaking patches. You can five effects (including compression and eq) at the same time.
I played in a band with a guy that had one of those along with his Demeter preamp and Rivera Power amp. I was running the ART SGX-2000Express rig with the pink splatter paint and a MosValve power amp. LOL. His tones were 1000X better. LOL.
Depends on what you need it for. They're definitely still usable, but they won't do the modern "super huge" ambient stuff like the newer Eventides, Fractals or Strymons.
Happy Rack Saturday! What's your favourite rack powerhouse?
Don't forget, Ensoniq started off as Commodore Computer, makers of the audio rich Commodore 64 and Amiga, which also have a part of music history.
Woohoo that dual delay sounded epic! 🤣 And yea it totally looks like a early 90's home stereo cd/turntable....but sounds insanely good.
Makes me expect Guy Fieri to pop out of it and say "hey bro check THIS out!!!"
@@LeonTodd 😂spot on
I like the VCR description. I haven't heard of a description like that, but it is fitting. A lot of HiFi gear did look like that, and a lot of knobs and buttons were produced like that back then.
Makes sense that they'd use what was widely available
Wow, blast from the past! My guitar buddy had this in his rack, worked and sounded brilliantly live. At the time I had the Ensoniq TS10 synth. I have a sweet spot for this underrated brand.
This box really reminds me of my Studio Quad V2...4 ins/outs, both series/parallel routing, and shares a lot of the same FX.
I love these throw back videos. I never owned one of these, but I played my friends ocassionally. I always thought of this as Ensoniq's answer to the GP-8. You make it sound great.
Glad you enjoyed it! So fun to revisit these
see
Ensoniq DP4 Effects Demo Tony McAnany.
More guitar demos produced by Tony McAnany in early 90s:
I recommend:
Compact Disc CD1
Tracks 12-15 for guitar demo
Compact Disc CD2
Track 02 for original music
I recorded a couple of albums in a studio with a DP/4 as the primary effects unit. It was everything portrayed here. The mod and delay effects were and are excellent. Super flexible in terms of routing too. If I wanted a single rack mounted unit for running my keyboard mix or as a guitar processor I'd struggle to find much better for the money back then or even now.
I had a DP4+ from the mid 90s until 2 years ago. Great unit. Used to be in my guitar rack and after that in my homestudio .
Utilized a lot by Daft Punk. A truly beautiful and underrated piece of gear!
Oh of course they would have been into this! The phaser and flanger would be perfect
One of the greatest effectsmachines ever, but noisy noisy nosiy.
Well, this video was a blast from the past... I had a DP/4 in my studio back in the mid 90's, and used it quite a bit in post on both of my Shapnel solo albums... thx @LeonTodd
I had a Shrapnel compilation CD in my early teens that had one of your tracks plus the usual Racer X/Cacophany/Vinnie Moore/Howe cuts. I'd forgotten about it until now!
That makes some very pleasing sounds indeed.
great, now I want one, THANK YOU.
And thanks for your closing thoughs, a lot of guitarists need to hear this.
dammmm this is BEAUTIFUL , I like it more than my Lexicons from 90s
Owned one of these in the late 90s. I mostly play guitar dry because I found most effects intrusive with a few exceptions. This unit being one of them. It just sounded good to me instantly. It actually had some body between 200 and 500hz which a lot of digital stuff was sadly lacking in those days.
Thanks for putting this out Leon. I was hoping someone would get one of these in your hands. I have two DP4s and I just put a DP2 in a rack I had wired up and built at Rack Systems, when Dave and I had a break in our rig building schedule. Next, you should do a TC M5000
I think the 4 unit effects can end up a bit too delayed and noisey depending on wet/dry mix levels, I prefer it as two 2 unit effects with a mixer. Though the VCF distortion is nice when dialed in for guitar too. The chorus is synth gold.
Poor man? No way, it was not cheap!! did you try and remove the big knob? Happy face!
A fried of a fried had a rack with obsolete gear we went to check out that he was trying to unload cheap in his studio around 2005 or so that plugins essentially replaced. I remember one of those because of the silver knobs. The only other things I can recall were an SPX-90 (or maybe 100), a half-rack Alesis delay or reverb unit with blue writing, and a Panasonic 3700 DAT recorder. Not for sale was a new at the time Avalon mic pre, a 70s Roland Space Echo, and an 80s Roland Juno 106 that looked brand new.
I have a TC Electronics G Major rack unit that collects dust. I'd love to see a video on that one. Killer tones Leon!
Lupins gonna love this , cant wait to hear this....i can smell the popcorn with beautiful synth like buttery lush ! What a chorus for whitesnake... Lupin says turn it up to rockstar level mate so lupin can learn a cool cat call... Amazing Leon )..theres definitely 2 kool cats in Australia 😺😺.
He's dancing on the car now
Yup two Kool cats in Australia .. you are too fast for me Leon, you gotta reread @@LeonTodd
@@LeonToddI'll bring a cigar over.. re-read u r too fast for me .. fan of lupins dancing..685 bucks free shipping.. heck id dogpaddle across the pond for that sound
Dude! I watch your channel for years now. You are a rare example of modeling user/aficionado that actually explains reason and actual use case for such equipment (aside of owning and playing loads of different amps and effects), and is not just a preacher of a cult of "It is better because its the future and 'science'". That fact aside, you tested so much of old "future an science" rack gear, us younger "old people" lusted for and never actually heard proper. When I saw this gem in the title, I had to leave a comment and thank you for bringing us audio-visual joy. And for being such a nice and cool dude as you are. Sorry for the novel I just wrote. Keep rocking!
I appreciate that mate. Context is so important with this stuff, and it's easy to forget how long audio gear has been pushing the boundaries.
Is it just me or did I hear a lot of Digitech 2101 in that unit? Miss my ol' 2101.
I dig it man 💯👏✌️🎸🎸 i grew up in the 80s. Great time for music 🎶🎶. 😊
The best!
20:45 is totally Butch Vig / Garbage track “Vow”
The DP-4 seems to have never lost its cachet with synth guys, often at a cold-dead-hands level. Whereas I remember being painfully broke when H-3000s were $600-800 routinely 20 years ago. Maybe the difference is that there were newer and (for some values of better) better Eventides out, but there were practically no DP-Pros on the market before Ensoniq folded.
The DP Pro is really, really cool, though. Anticipated the Eclipse with dual engine architecture and has some really great delay algorithms. As an owner I’ll class that one as a “cold dead hands” unit.
Been trying to find a DP-2 or a pro as well. This makes so much sense in a big synth setup
That’s a nice box!!
This was my first multi-effects unit, and I used it primarily for guitar and a bit for studio. I loved the effects (especially the chorus, detune, and phaser). but I always had trouble with the UI for saving and recalling presets, etc. I had about decided to toss mine, but you shamed me some. I think my issues with it may have been a ESO (equipment superior to operator) error. So out of the bin and back to the rack it goes. And thanks for that.
Seen the used prices on these? What case scenario you could probably sell it and buy a nice guitar!
@@LeonTodd I feel dumb. Never considered selling because somehow I just assumed because I was having issues no one would really want it. Which was just dumb. Thanks for the idea. Gives me another option.
I allways wanted to try the DP4. I drooled over it back in the 90-ties. It sounded fantastic in my headphones when you played thru it. Not the amp-sims, but the rest. Just made me want to own one even more than before. What does the plus do? @leontodd
Not sure what the diff is with the plus - more preset storage maybe?
I’d a jones for one of these … ages ago!!!
Simply because Ensoniq synths are tops. And I couldn’t afford a Eventide rack.
Cool to see it used with a guitar. But now we’ve the H90 (which is pretty boss). I’d still love to acquire one of these. But we will watch the prices now go up. Regardless, thanx for this Leon. You da man!!!
PS: gonna request some The Church and maybe some Birthday Party riffs next time. And have a Violet Crumble for me. Can’t find ‘em latey.
Violet Crumble Under the Milky Way tonight for me!
Ozzy vibes
Hey Leon are you planning on trying the Digitech GSP1101 in the future? Very good sounding unit if you spent some time tweaking patches. You can five effects (including compression and eq) at the same time.
Yes, on the list!
@@LeonTodd I’d send you my unit but international shipping to Australia makes me cry
Nice video! Any plans on doing the Digitech IPS 33b at some point?
If I can find one here, definitely.
I played in a band with a guy that had one of those along with his Demeter preamp and Rivera Power amp. I was running the ART SGX-2000Express rig with the pink splatter paint and a MosValve power amp. LOL. His tones were 1000X better. LOL.
There has half a dp4 in the asr10 sampler
Oooh!
Dyin' to know the name of the riff you start playing @14:14? Somebody please let me know 😁
Ragdoll - "Heaven Above"
You think the reverbs in this thing hold up to what we have today?
Depends on what you need it for. They're definitely still usable, but they won't do the modern "super huge" ambient stuff like the newer Eventides, Fractals or Strymons.
I used to lust for these - had every other 4x4 fx
Alesis quad , Sony srx 4 , art ???
Kawaii RV4 and Digitech Studio Quad were other 4x4's !
Ohhhh I meant to say the digitech studio quad - not a fantasy Alesis quad …
Also - Kurzweil KSP-8 is a nice big brother to the ensoniq
Early morning, kids are asleep, cup of coffee, AND some Leon?! Life is good.
Morning!
I sold mine to an ex-friend for... maybe $120 USD back in 2007... what the f*ck was I thinking... one of my biggest musical regrets to this day 😢
🥴
Was just looking on Ebay, 750€ and up, so not so poor man if you ask me.
It sounds good but the H3000 is way better!!!
H3000 is the best, period!
The sound is too dirty for a guitar