Technical
Info :
Polyphony
16 to 20 voices
Sampler
12-Bit, 52kHz to 6.25kHz
Sample
Time 5 seconds (52kHz) to 41.7 seconds (6.25kHz)
VCF
Digital filter with Hi, Band and Low pass
with many slopes
VCA
6-stage envelope including envelope preset
templates Keyboard 61 keys (velocity
and aftertouch)
Memory
480k internal (expandable to 2.1Mb)
Control
MIDI, SCSI Date 1988
EPS
means 'Ensoniq Performance Sampler'. The
EPS is just that with clever new features that make it not just
a professional studio music production tool, but also a powerful
live performance instrument. It's biggest feature is it's ability
to load new samples while playing the instrument, a feature you'd
be lucky to find on current synth/samplers. The EPS is somewhat
multitimbral in that you can have 8 instruments on-line one at
a time or stacked* and switching between them is as easy as pushing
one of the 8 instrument buttons. The 'Patch Select' buttons over
the Mod-Wheel allow for on-the-fly patch switching from a spot
where your hand is likely to be while performing! Its 12-bit sampler
is highly versatile with 40 sample rates to choose from (6.25
to 52kHz). However, higher sample rates mean less polyphony and
sample time. Unfortunately sample memory is miniscule at 480k
expandable up to 2.1Mb yielding from 5 to 40 seconds of sample
memory. Some of the EPS's goodies include an 8 to 16 track sequencer
(which steals it's memory space from the same RAM that holds the
samples) with quantizing, digital filters that seem like analog
and preset template envelope options. The EPS brought together
many facets of synthesis at it's time: sampling, synthesis and
performance. It blended these together in a superb machine that,
despite it's limited sample memory, is quite popular and useful
even today. Though it was later upgraded to the 16-bit EPS-16+,
the 12-bit EPS is a very cost-efficient alternative for any musician
in search of classic keyboard-samplers! * Although you usually
play one instrument part at a time, you can get all 8 up at a
time. With the EPS in Load mode by first selecting an instrument
and then double clicking another instrument both will be played
together. Continue double-clicking the other instrument buttons
to layer all 8 instruments!
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Ensoniq
EPS