Vintage Synth Explorer

Ensoniq • Mirage (DSK8, DSK1)

The Mirage preceded the revolutionary EPS and EPS-16+ sampler workstations in the Ensoniq line-up. Historically, the Mirage was one of the earliest affordable sampler synths, originally listing under $1,700. There have been multiple versions of the Mirage too, the DSK8 and the most common and popular known as the Mirage DSK1. Its sampling specs are pretty old-school, a maximum sampling-rate of 32kHz and 8-bit resolution means your sounds will be somewhat lo-fi. The limited 8 notes of polyphony and incredibly tiny amount of storage (128 kb) almost make you want to hide the Mirage in your closet. Even the sample editing is done via hex-code which is not a simple to concept to master. Most users will just load-in sounds from the Mirage's extensive sample library. Get samples for your Mirage here!

However the Mirage has one leftover from older synthesizers that has kept it popular through the years. It has analog filters! Five-stage envelopes for the VCA and VCF, a nice LFO and a low-pass VCF filter with keyboard tracking. There's also a sequencer (333 notes max) that is limited to say the least but is better than nothing.

Most people searching for a classic sampler/synth would look towards the EPS and EPS-16+ from Ensoniq. After all, their specs, design and quality are superior. However, there is a certain amount of nostalgia concerned with the Mirage. It has been used by Skinny Puppy, Vangelis, Jimmy Edgar, and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. Those of you who collect will love having a Mirage around, but for practical music production you would be better off getting an old Akai sampler.

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Posting Rules: Please keep your comments relevant! Do not post requests for help, do not use for sales, do not post unless you have something interesting to say about this instrument, or we may delete your post.

 

Dann Chinn

Posted 31 days ago

This machine was apparently used by Steven Wilson on early/mid-1990s recordings for No-Man and Porcupine Tree - don't know which ones, but a studio equipment list from the time definitely lists the Mirage, and at the time he was using a lot of sampling.

gezu one

Posted 34 days ago

i have 4 mirages. they are really bad ass. that poopoo guy doesnt know how to use a mirage obviously. or doesnt have the upward concepts OS discs, which makes a mirage multi timbral. i use my mirage stacked on different midi channels with my mpc's...drums are awesome on mirages. if you dont like the ensoniq mirage then maybe its because you dont know how to use music equipment to your advantage...who cares about sampling time anyways? thats just an excuse for someone who doesnt know what theyre doing...if you cant make something dope with a little sampling time, then you probably cant make any good with alot of sampling time either. and thats the truth.

poopoo the korruptah!

Posted 96 days ago

a mirage it is, cos it looks like this great big evil kickass beast of a thing and its a stoopid wimpy lil memory puny turd.
big and heavy as [beep] too
i had one for years that was so cumbersome and slow to be bothered with it ended up becoming a bench for a heap of other gear i had.
gave it away to a dude and it props up a bookshelf in his hallway.

Kazper

Posted 150 days ago

Great that you got it to boot, may need to sample something or load up some sound disks. It's a sampler and you need to get something in memory to playback something . :)

dutchweezy

Posted 181 days ago

Ohh the Mirage....My main squeeze since I used to rent it from the guitar shop back in 1990. Used it for Hip-Hop since back in the day and(insanely enough) still today. I compare it to the big machine in the movie War Games which they called the W.O.P.R. By the way if you just started using it and noticed the display is always flickering like it's broken, don't worry that is just the Mirage purrring like a wild 80's digital beast. I also like the sequencer: arm it, play it, hit the loop button! That's it! No bpm's or metronome to throw you off. It's all you baby! The sound is like warm velvety blankets while sitting by the fire on a cold winter night. Glitches and tricks must be learned through trial and error, and they are a plenty. Digital sunburst techno-colour spewing goodness!

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