Understanding The Dp/4 - ENSONIQ DP/4 Musician's Manual

Section 2 - Getting Started
Understanding the DP/4
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This part of the manual provides an overview of the theory and operation of the DP /4. We'll
start by discussing the make-up of the DP /4 and its component parts; then we'll define some
terms you should familiarize yourself with; finally we'll see how they all fit together into a
coherent whole.
Let's begin by getting an idea of the component parts that make up the DP / 4.
Picture a rack of equipment containing the following:
• 4 state-of-the-art effects processors (we'll call them A, B, C, and D),
• a patch bay to route the input signals to the four units, and to connect them together in
almost any configuration, and
• a mixer for combining and adjusting the output levels of the four units.
4 Digital Effects
Processors
Effects Unit A
Effects Unit C
Patch Bay for connecting units
in different configurations
Sub-mixer for blending the
outputs of the 4 units
Effects Unit B
Effects Unit D
Mixer
Now suppose you could change the effect in all four units, repatch the patch bay into a whole
new setup, and adjust the levels on your sub-mixer, all with the press of a button (or with a MIDI
program change, or a press of the foot switch). That's the DP /4.
Of course, the DP / 4 does have certain advantages over the rig shown above. For example, all of
this is integrated into a single box. And the patching between effects units and the mixing of
their output signals is done digitally, without the cumulative noise and distortion that goes along
with amplifying and mixing analog signals.
Also, unlike the four separate units above, the four signal processors in the DP /4 can be
"ganged," two or four at a time, to produce effects which require more processing power than a
single unit can handle. The 2 Unit Pitch Shifter is an example of such an effect.
ENSONIQ DP/4 Musician's Manual