Ensoniq

Ensoniq Corporation was an American manufacturer of electronic musical instruments and audio equipment, active from 1982 until its assets were acquired in 1998. The company specialized in digital sampling and synthesizer technology, and its products were widely used in studios and on stage, noted for affordability and distinctive sound.

Notable products include the Mirage digital sampler (1985), the EPS line, the ESQ-1 and ESQ-M keyboards, the VFX and VFX-SD polysynths, and the ASR-10 sampler/workstation. These instruments helped popularize digital sampling and wavetable-like synthesis in the 1980s and 1990s.

In 1998, Creative Technology, a Singapore-based company known for Sound Blaster audio products, acquired Ensoniq's assets for about $77 million. The Ensoniq brand was gradually retired as its technology was integrated into Creative's product lines, though its legacy continues in discussions of vintage gear and in influences on later sampler/workstation designs.