Introduction - Mirage DSK-1 Manual

INTRODUCTION

When it was introduced in 1984, the Mirage Digital Sampling Keyboard made history by being
the first truly affordable sampling keyboard - the Mirage put sampled sounds into the hands of
musicians who didn't have the price of a house to spend on a keyboard. It has gone on to become
the most popular sampler ever made. It is also the best supported, with hundreds of sounds
available on diskette from ENSONIQ and other third party developers, as well as a wealth of
computer software and other peripherals.
The Mirage DSK represents a continuation of ENSONIQ's commitment to providing its
customers with low-cost, high-quality musical instruments. Thanks to a series of design
improvements and more efficient production techniques, it is possible to offer an instrument with
the same fine sound quality and virtually all the features of the original Mirage at a substantially
reduced price. Plus, the Mirage DSK features the added enhancement of stereo circuitry.
All the sounds ever developed for the Mirage will play on the Mirage DSK, including the
popular ENSONIQ Sound Diskette Library, which covers the full range of musical instruments
and other effects. See your ENSONIQ dealer for details about the Sound Library.
The Mirage is an eight-voice polyphonic digital sampling keyboard instrument - in many ways
similar to and in just as many ways different from a synthesizer. The Mirage allows you to
personally program sounds like many synthesizers and also features an on-board sequencer. But,
in addition, the Mirage will permit you to sample just about any sound you hear and create music
with it.
It's best described as a computer specially designed to reproduce and process sound. Like all
computers, it is a system consisting of two main parts--hardware and software. And here's where
it differs most from synthesizers.