Library Instrument

Ensoniq Mirage

Ensoniq's 1984 sampling keyboard, priced an order of magnitude below the Fairlight and Emulator, that made digital sampling affordable.

Type
Instrument
Creator
Ensoniq
Subjects
Computation Sound Memory Instruments Technology

Released in 1984 at around $1,695, the Mirage was an 8-bit digital sampling keyboard with 128KB of sample memory, 8-voice polyphony, and a built-in sequencer. It undercut the Fairlight CMI (over $28,000) and E-mu Emulator (roughly $8,000–$10,000) by an order of magnitude, putting sampling within reach of non-professional studios for the first time and reportedly outselling every other sampler combined in its first year on the market.