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{{Short description|Non-programmable polyphonic digital piano}}
{{Short description|Non-programmable polyphonic digital piano}}
{{Draft topics|music}}
{{AfC topic|product}}
{{AfC submission|||ts=20230812001448|u=Snarke|ns=118}}
{{AFC submission|d|nn|u=Snarke|ns=118|decliner=Dan arndt|declinets=20221222055600|ts=20221222042138}} <!-- Do not remove this line! -->

{{AFC comment|1=Fails [[WP:GNG]], requires significant coverage in <u>multiple</u> independent secondary sources, not just a single source. [[User:Dan arndt|Dan arndt]] ([[User talk:Dan arndt|talk]]) 05:56, 22 December 2022 (UTC)}}

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{{Infobox synthesizer
{{Infobox synthesizer
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Two years after [[Ensoniq]] debuted the [[Ensoniq Mirage|Mirage]] digital sampler, they introduced the '''SDP-1 "Sampled Digital Grand"'''. Unlike their flagship product, the SDP-1 samples are in permanent memory and can not be changed. However, where the Mirage could assign at most two different samples to sections of the keyboard, the SDP-1 has multiple samples distributed across the keyboard.<ref name="Manual">{{cite book |title=The Ensoniq Piano Musician's Manual |date=1985 |publisher=Ensoniq|url=https://mega.nz/file/CUdGXK6Z#OSRCeJGoVM0mgEurGMyVExuIATHsudTDVssnNQ0LPo4|access-date=11 August 2023}}</ref>{{rp|3}}<ref name="IM">{{cite journal |last1=Hastings |first1=Tony |last2=Trynka |first2=Paul |title=Ensoniq SDP-1 |journal=[[International Musician]] |date=September 1986 |volume=12 |issue=30 |pages=84–85 |url=http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/ensoniq-sdp-1/11129 |access-date=11 August 2023}}</ref>. It has a 76-key keyboard (longer than the Mirage), with a weighted, [[Keyboard expression|velocity-sensitive]] action.<ref name="QChip">{{cite journal |last1=Ellis |first1=David |title=The Q-Chip Piano |journal=Electronics & Music Maker |date=October 1986 |issue=Oct 1986 |pages=29–31 |url=http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/the-q-chip-piano/1707 |access-date=11 August 2023}}</ref> It was advertised as having 12 presets (10 keyboard instruments plus an [[string bass|upright]] and [[electric bass]]), but it would be more accurate to say it has samples for nine instruments: [[piano]], electric ([[Rhodes piano|Rhodes]]) tine piano, [[marimba]], [[vibraphone]], and [[clavichord]], plus the two basses. The piano samples included a standard piano, a "brighter" sounding piano, and a slightly detuned "honky-tonk" piano. The two electric piano patches are basically the same except one includes a [[chorus effect]]; likewise for the two clavichord patches. The two marimba patches are "hard" and "soft" (with chorus) mallets. There is one vibraphone sample set.<ref name="SOS">{{cite journal |last1=Jenkins |first1=Mark |title=Ensoniq Sampled Piano |journal=[[Sound on Sound]] |date=September 1986 |volume=1 |issue=11 |pages=8–9 |url=http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/ensoniq-sampled-piano/1645 |access-date=11 August 2023|issn=0951-6816|oclc=925234032}}</ref>
Two years after [[Ensoniq]] debuted the [[Ensoniq Mirage|Mirage]] digital sampler, they introduced the '''SDP-1 "Sampled Digital Grand"'''. Unlike their flagship product, the SDP-1 samples are in permanent memory and can not be changed. However, where the Mirage could assign at most two different samples to sections of the keyboard, the SDP-1 has multiple samples distributed across the keyboard.<ref name="Manual">{{cite book |title=The Ensoniq Piano Musician's Manual |date=1985 |publisher=Ensoniq|url=https://mega.nz/file/CUdGXK6Z#OSRCeJGoVM0mgEurGMyVExuIATHsudTDVssnNQ0LPo4|access-date=11 August 2023}}</ref>{{rp|3}}<ref name="IM">{{cite journal |last1=Hastings |first1=Tony |last2=Trynka |first2=Paul |title=Ensoniq SDP-1 |journal=[[International Musician]] |date=September 1986 |volume=12 |issue=30 |pages=84–85 |url=http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/ensoniq-sdp-1/11129 |access-date=11 August 2023}}</ref>. It has a 76-key keyboard (longer than the Mirage), with a weighted, [[Keyboard expression|velocity-sensitive]] action.<ref name="QChip">{{cite journal |last1=Ellis |first1=David |title=The Q-Chip Piano |journal=Electronics & Music Maker |date=October 1986 |issue=Oct 1986 |pages=29–31 |url=http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/the-q-chip-piano/1707 |access-date=11 August 2023}}</ref> It was advertised as having 12 presets (10 keyboard instruments plus an [[string bass|upright]] and [[electric bass]]), but it would be more accurate to say it has samples for nine instruments: [[piano]], electric ([[Rhodes piano|Rhodes]]) tine piano, [[marimba]], [[vibraphone]], and [[clavichord]], plus the two basses. The piano samples included a standard piano, a "brighter" sounding piano, and a slightly detuned "honky-tonk" piano. The two electric piano patches are basically the same except one includes a [[chorus effect]]; likewise for the two clavichord patches. The two marimba patches are "hard" and "soft" (with chorus) mallets. There is one vibraphone sample set.<ref name="SOS">{{cite journal |last1=Jenkins |first1=Mark |title=Ensoniq Sampled Piano |journal=[[Sound on Sound]] |date=September 1986 |volume=1 |issue=11 |pages=8–9 |url=http://www.muzines.co.uk/articles/ensoniq-sampled-piano/1645 |access-date=11 August 2023|issn=0951-6816|oclc=925234032}}</ref>


The upright and electric bass patches, if activated, replace the main samples on the lower end of the keyboard, and two voices were allocated to the bass samples, allowing the remaining eight to be used for the main keyboard sound. The split point is not configurable, but this isn't as inconvenient as it would have been on a shorter keyboard. Generally, the oldest notes would be 'stolen', but the SDP-1 retains the lowest note on the upper sound patch to help preserve a chord's integrity.<ref name="QChip"></ref>
The upright and electric bass patches, if activated, replace the main samples on the lower end of the keyboard, and two voices were allocated to the bass samples, allowing the remaining eight to be used for the main keyboard sound. The split point is not configurable, but this isn't as inconvenient as it would have been on a shorter keyboard. Generally, the oldest notes would be 'stolen', but the SDP-1 retains the lowest note on the upper sound patch to help preserve a chord's integrity.<ref name="QChip"></ref>


The control panel offers limited options aside from patch selection. The right hand samples can be shifted down an octave to compensate for having the left hand keys reassigned to the bass samples. The [[MIDI]] channel that the SDP-1 uses for output can be selected. There is a volume control slider, a transposition slider, and a "stereo" button to switch from monophonic to stereophonic output. The back panel includes 1/4" output jacks for Left/Mono, Right, a stereo headphone jack, and a separate output for the bass. There's also a jack for the pedals, a small tuning knob (labeled "[[A440 (pitch standard)|A440]]"), and the usual MIDI In/Out/Thru.<ref name="Manual"></ref>{{rp|4}}
The control panel offers limited options aside from patch selection. The right hand samples can be shifted down an octave to compensate for having the left hand keys reassigned to the bass samples. The [[MIDI]] channel that the SDP-1 uses for output can be selected. There is a volume control slider, a transposition slider, and a "stereo" button to switch from monophonic to stereophonic output. The back panel includes 1/4" output jacks for Left/Mono, Right, a stereo headphone jack, and a separate output for the bass. There's also a jack for the pedals, a small tuning knob (labeled "[[A440 (pitch standard)|A440]]"), and the usual MIDI In/Out/Thru.<ref name="Manual"></ref>{{rp|4}}


The SDP-1 came with a two-pedal pedalboard that could be placed on the floor beneath the keyboard. Along with the common [[sustain pedal]], the SDP-1 offered a [[sostenuto pedal]], which sustained the notes being held at the time the pedal was depressed, retaining them in their original timbre ''even if a patch change was made afterwards'', which one reviewer described as a "very exciting performance technique."<ref name="SOS"></ref> A sostenuto pedal was very unusual, especially for keyboards in the SDP-1's price range.<ref>{{cite web |title=Piano Pedals: What They Are For |quote=Most [digital] keyboards come equipped with a ... jack ... labeled “sustain.” ... Unfortunately, there are no analogous soft and sostenuto pedals for digital keyboards... |url=https://www.skoove.com/blog/guide-piano-pedals/ |website=Skoove |date=17 May 2023 |publisher=Learnfield GmbH |access-date=26 August 2023}}</ref>
The SDP-1 came with a two-pedal pedalboard that could be placed on the floor beneath the keyboard. Along with the common [[sustain pedal]], the SDP-1 offered a [[sostenuto pedal]], which sustained the notes being held at the time the pedal was depressed, retaining them in their original timbre ''even if a patch change was made afterwards'', which one reviewer described as a "very exciting performance technique."<ref name="SOS"></ref> A sostenuto pedal was very unusual, especially for keyboards in the SDP-1's price range.<ref>{{cite web |title=Piano Pedals: What They Are For |quote=Most [digital] keyboards come equipped with a ... jack ... labeled “sustain.” ... Unfortunately, there are no analogous soft and sostenuto pedals for digital keyboards... |url=https://www.skoove.com/blog/guide-piano-pedals/ |website=Skoove |date=17 May 2023 |publisher=Learnfield GmbH |access-date=26 August 2023}}</ref>

{{Drafts moved from mainspace|date=December 2022}}


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
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* {{cite journal |title=Review |journal=[[Keyboard (magazine)|Keyboard]] |date=September 1986 |page=142}}
* {{cite journal |title=Review |journal=[[Keyboard (magazine)|Keyboard]] |date=September 1986 |page=142}}
{{Refend}}
{{Refend}}

[[Category:Piano]]

Revision as of 13:35, 4 November 2023

SDP-1
ManufacturerEnsoniq
Dates1986 - <1997.[a]
Price$1,395
Technical specifications
Polyphony10
Synthesis typeDigital Sample-based
Velocity expressionYes
Input/output
Keyboard76-key
External controlMIDI

The Ensoniq SDP-1 is a non-programmable velocity-sensitive weighted-action digital-sample-based keyboard/controller that was available in the late 1980's.

Features and architecture

Two years after Ensoniq debuted the Mirage digital sampler, they introduced the SDP-1 "Sampled Digital Grand". Unlike their flagship product, the SDP-1 samples are in permanent memory and can not be changed. However, where the Mirage could assign at most two different samples to sections of the keyboard, the SDP-1 has multiple samples distributed across the keyboard.[2]: 3 [3]. It has a 76-key keyboard (longer than the Mirage), with a weighted, velocity-sensitive action.[4] It was advertised as having 12 presets (10 keyboard instruments plus an upright and electric bass), but it would be more accurate to say it has samples for nine instruments: piano, electric (Rhodes) tine piano, marimba, vibraphone, and clavichord, plus the two basses. The piano samples included a standard piano, a "brighter" sounding piano, and a slightly detuned "honky-tonk" piano. The two electric piano patches are basically the same except one includes a chorus effect; likewise for the two clavichord patches. The two marimba patches are "hard" and "soft" (with chorus) mallets. There is one vibraphone sample set.[5]

The upright and electric bass patches, if activated, replace the main samples on the lower end of the keyboard, and two voices were allocated to the bass samples, allowing the remaining eight to be used for the main keyboard sound. The split point is not configurable, but this isn't as inconvenient as it would have been on a shorter keyboard. Generally, the oldest notes would be 'stolen', but the SDP-1 retains the lowest note on the upper sound patch to help preserve a chord's integrity.[4]

The control panel offers limited options aside from patch selection. The right hand samples can be shifted down an octave to compensate for having the left hand keys reassigned to the bass samples. The MIDI channel that the SDP-1 uses for output can be selected. There is a volume control slider, a transposition slider, and a "stereo" button to switch from monophonic to stereophonic output. The back panel includes 1/4" output jacks for Left/Mono, Right, a stereo headphone jack, and a separate output for the bass. There's also a jack for the pedals, a small tuning knob (labeled "A440"), and the usual MIDI In/Out/Thru.[2]: 4 

The SDP-1 came with a two-pedal pedalboard that could be placed on the floor beneath the keyboard. Along with the common sustain pedal, the SDP-1 offered a sostenuto pedal, which sustained the notes being held at the time the pedal was depressed, retaining them in their original timbre even if a patch change was made afterwards, which one reviewer described as a "very exciting performance technique."[5] A sostenuto pedal was very unusual, especially for keyboards in the SDP-1's price range.[6]

Notes

  1. ^ The journal Transoniq Hacker[1] notes that in 1997 Ensoniq discontinued "support" for "older products," including the SDP-1.

References

  1. ^ "Hacker News" (PDF). Transoniq Hacker (148): 2. October 1997. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b The Ensoniq Piano Musician's Manual. Ensoniq. 1985. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  3. ^ Hastings, Tony; Trynka, Paul (September 1986). "Ensoniq SDP-1". International Musician. 12 (30): 84–85. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  4. ^ a b Ellis, David (October 1986). "The Q-Chip Piano". Electronics & Music Maker (Oct 1986): 29–31. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b Jenkins, Mark (September 1986). "Ensoniq Sampled Piano". Sound on Sound. 1 (11): 8–9. ISSN 0951-6816. OCLC 925234032. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
  6. ^ "Piano Pedals: What They Are For". Skoove. Learnfield GmbH. 17 May 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023. Most [digital] keyboards come equipped with a ... jack ... labeled "sustain." ... Unfortunately, there are no analogous soft and sostenuto pedals for digital keyboards...
  • "Review". Keyboard: 142. September 1986.
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