| Name | Dig E-Piano1 |
| Type | Electric Piano |
| Blocks | 296 |
| Library | Ensoniq SLT-1 |
| Disk | ESD-3 |
5/5. This is a really great electric piano sound like the Fender Rhodes. However, the great sound is actually hidden on the ** patch. I have my own version of this sound where I stripped it down to just the wavesamples used in the ** patch. It takes only 159 blocks.
My only minor complaint is that the sustain is a little short for my tastes.
I haven't heard all of the sounds in the SLT-1 library, so I'm not sure whether this sound justifies the cost. I need to try out the Harpsichord on disk 7. Given that it is the only harpsichord sound that Ensoniq developed for the EPS and it is also pretty hefty at 710 blocks, I have a feeling that it is probably really good and along with Dig E-Piano1 would easily justify the cost of SLT-1. None of the other sounds that I have heard in SLT-1 jump out at me as being 5/5 material.
Dig E-Piano1 Demo (mp3 881KB) - A few notes in the middle sustained, then a little taste of Pachelbel's Canon in D (although I played it in C in this case).
OO - The bell sound from the ** patch plus a bright sustained synth piano sound mixed in at harder velocities. (3/5)
*O - The bell sound from the ** patch plus a distorted sustained synth piano sound mixed in at harder velocities. (3/5)
O* - Same as OO, but the bell sound from the ** patch is darker and quieter. (3/5)
** - A nice bell sound reminiscent of the Fender Rhodes. One sound at all velocity levels. Very playable. This is the sound in the demo. (5/5)
5/5. There is only one wavesample in each layer for the entire keyboard. Wavesample transitions are not an issue.
5/5. The attack is perfect. A wonderful bell tone.
4/5. The sustain is wonderfully alive, but a little short for my tastes.
3/5. @ 20 voices, 6+ notes for the ** patch. The ** patch has three layers and wavesamples. Two (layers 1 and 6) are the main sound and together provide the excellent chorused sustain. A third layer (5) provides a sparkle. You can drop layer 5 and still get a pretty decent sound with additional polyphony (10 notes).
5/5. Velocity sounds great on the ** patch. The other patches are a bit tricky in the velocity department. They each throw in a new sound which only appears at hard velocities. If you are a really accomplished player, this might actually be quite useful. To me, a not-so-accomplished player, it's finnicky and annoying. It's probably possible to tweak the parameters and get the sustained sound to be mixed in a more consistent way yielding a much better sound. Might even be able to get the sustain that I want.
Mod wheel does the usual vibrato.
This sound does not support aftertouch.
Syntaur appears to be the only place that still sells the old EPS sounds. You can buy SLT-1 from them.
Copyright ©2008, Ted Felix. Disclaimer