Pricing and availability

We compare 600+ stores and found this item at 1 store. Prices updated .

Average Price: $570

Standard/Professional

$500

$1501+

Price Tier

Budget

Standard

High-end

* Product prices and availability are updated by Equipboard every 24hrs and are subject to change. Equipboard may receive compensation for purchases made at participating retailers linked on this site. This compensation does not affect what products or prices are displayed, or the order of prices listed. For more information, please refer to our affiliate disclosure.

Description

When it comes to classic hardware samplers, the Oberheim DPX-1 stands out as a versatile workhorse for both live performances and studio sessions. This classic unit gives you the ability to load and play sample disks from a variety of formats, making it a go-to tool for musicians who treasure the vintage sound of the 1980s. With its ability to read E-Mu Emulator II, Sequential Circuits Prophet 2000, and Akai S900/S950 disks, the DPX-1 broadens your sonic palette by seamlessly integrating into a modern setup, while still delivering that nostalgic warmth and texture.

The DPX-1 is designed with simplicity and efficiency in mind, providing an intuitive interface that allows you to focus more on creativity and less on menu diving. It’s a great choice for those who want to incorporate the unique characteristics of classic samplers into their music but prefer to avoid the complexity often associated with vintage gear. The front panel offers straightforward controls, so you can quickly access the essential functions needed to manipulate your samples in real-time.

Whether you're a seasoned synth enthusiast or a newcomer eager to explore the world of sampling, the Oberheim DPX-1 provides a robust platform for sonic exploration with its highly compatible disk format support. This feature-rich sampler ensures you can integrate a range of sounds effortlessly, making it an invaluable asset in any musician's toolkit.

Key Features:

  • Reads E-Mu Emulator II, Sequential Circuits Prophet 2000, and Akai S900/S950 disks
  • Easy-to-use interface for real-time sample manipulation
  • Compatible with multiple sample disk formats
  • Vintage design with modern connectivity options
  • Ideal for both live performances and studio settings

Product specs

Brand Oberheim
Model DPX-1 8-Voice Digital Sample Player
Finish Black
Year 1987
Categories Digital Synthesizers, Samplers
Analog / Digital Digital
MIDI I/O MIDI Input, MIDI Output, MIDI Through
Polyphony 8 Voices

FAQs

What type of media can the Oberheim DPX-1 read?

The Oberheim DPX-1 is designed to read sample disks from popular formats such as the Emulator II, Akai S900, and Sequential Circuits Prophet 2000.

How many voices of polyphony does the Oberheim DPX-1 support?

The Oberheim DPX-1 supports 8 voices of polyphony, allowing for complex layering and playback of digital samples.

Can the Oberheim DPX-1 be integrated with modern MIDI setups?

Yes, the Oberheim DPX-1 features MIDI Input, Output, and Through ports, making it compatible with modern MIDI setups for sequencing and control.

What is the primary function of the Oberheim DPX-1?

The Oberheim DPX-1 functions as a digital sample player, enabling musicians to play back samples from various formats using its onboard capabilities.

Is the Oberheim DPX-1 suitable for live performances?

The Oberheim DPX-1 can be used in live performances, especially for musicians who require playback of samples from vintage digital formats. Its MIDI capabilities enhance its usability in live settings.

lieslrosellc

lieslrosellc

Oberheim DPX-1 Demo

Video thumbnail for Oberheim DPX-1 Demo by lieslrosellc

Oberheim DPX-1 Demo

lieslrosellc

lieslrosellc

Video thumbnail for Oberheim DPX-1 and HxC floppy emulator by DeftAudio

Oberheim DPX-1 and HxC floppy emulator

DeftAudio

DeftAudio

Video thumbnail for Synthesizer Review: Oberheim DPX-1 by Python Blue

Synthesizer Review: Oberheim DPX-1

Python Blue

Python Blue

Reviews

Owner Insights

We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Oberheim DPX-1.

Features and functionality

  • The Oberheim DPX-1 could benefit from a modern version that loads vintage sample libraries via USB or SD cards and emulates instruments.

    Source

Software and compatibility

  • Waldorf Blofeld's sampling is limited to 64MB and requires pre-transfer sample manipulation on a PC, with slow MIDI transfer speeds.

    Source

User experience

  • Users report the Blofeld struggles with MIDI functions, missing bank change messages, and experiencing lag, making it unreliable for live performances.

    Source

Comparisons

  • The Nord Wave is noted as a reasonably priced modern synth capable of loading samples as oscillators, alongside the Blofeld.

    Source

Use cases and applications

  • A combination of the Akai AX60 and S612 is praised for its workflow and sound, highlighting the benefits of integrating sampling in analog synths.

    Source

Critic Reviews

Oberheim DPX-1 Refurb 1 – AMSynths

amsynths.co.uk

The Oberheim DPX-1 refurb review takes a nostalgic yet critical look at this classic sampler. While it's praised for its ability to replay Emulator II samples and its flexible modifications like the Gotek floppy emulator, the DPX-1's notorious power supply issues and cumbersome repair process weigh it down. The review highlights both the technical challenges and the rewarding sound experience, making it a mixed bag for vintage enthusiasts.

Oberheim DPX1 (MT Feb 87)

muzines.co.uk

The Oberheim DPX-1 garners praise for its ability to seamlessly replay samples from various samplers like the Ensoniq Mirage and Emulator II, automatically recognizing and adapting to different disk formats. It offers faithful sound reproduction and ease of use, making it a boon for musicians wanting diverse sounds without delving into complex sampling. However, it falls short on performance features like sequencers and lacks separate audio outputs, which might disappoint some users. Despite these limitations, the DPX-1's versatility and straightforward operation make it a compelling choice for many musicians seeking convenience and compatibility.

positive

3.0 out of 5

Based on 1 Review and 5 Ratings

5 star
4 star
3 star
2 star
1 star
atonalmeasure

Emulator II playback device !

I acquired my DPX-1 from the then manager of Swan Yard Studios just as they were closing back in 2002, it had been used on countless recordings in the 80's and 90's along with an Akai S900 i bought and an Oberheim Matrix 6r none of which i own today. The DPX-1 was a sample player expander which had SSM filters, it was basically an Emulator II playback engine in a rack.

Artist usage

Add artist
See how Keith Emerson uses Oberheim DPX-1

Keith Emerson

Keyboardist

Emerson, Lake & Palmer

...
Verified via Soundonsound

This Sound On Sound article states that Emerson owned an Oberheim DPX-1.

See how Klaus Schulze uses Oberheim DPX-1

Klaus Schulze

Guitarist, Bassist

Tangerine Dream

...
Verified via Muzines

List of equipment used by Klaus Schulze, from the February 1993 issue of Sound on Sound:

4x Akai S1000PB (32MB) 2x Akai S1000KB (32MB) Akai S900 Akai S612 Akai S7000 Moog Modular CIII 2x Moog MiniMoog Studio Electronics MIDIMini Mellotron Yamaha CS80 Yamaha CP70 Yamaha TX81Z Yamaha SY99 Korg M1 Korg M1 EX Korg T1 Korg T3 Korg DVP1 Roland U110 Roland U220 Roland D50 Roland S50 sampler & monitor Roland Planet S & editor Roland Super Jupiter & editor 2 Roland TR505 Roland Octopad Roland JD800 Roland Super JX10 4x Hohner HS2/E sampler 5x Hohner HS1/E sampler Hohner HS1KB sampler Waldorf Microwave GDS computer synth Misc. Crumar keyboards Fairlight CMI Series II SCI Prophet 2000 SCI Prophet 2002 Emu Proteus/2 Emu Proteus/3 World Emu Emulator II Kurzweil K1000 Kawai K4 EMS Synthi A PPG Wave 2.2 Linn 9000 4x Oberheim DPX1 Yamaha RY30 drum machine Sonor timpanies and octo toms Paiste gongs and cymbals Martin 12-string guitar

See how Lol Tolhurst uses Oberheim DPX-1

Lol Tolhurst

Drummer, Keyboardist

The Cure

...
Verified via Musicfanclubs

"I'm using a rack system, composed of two Oberheim DPX-1 sample players, which play Mirage, Prophet, and Emulator disks. I've also got a rack-mounted DX7, a Roland digital piano module, a Roland Super Jupiter module, and a Roland DP-5 multi-effects unit. It's all controlled by a Simmons computer mixer, which has about 64 programs in it. Through that mixer I change all the MIDI channels on all the modules. I control the mixer through a Roland MIDI MKB-200 keyboard controller. You can assign split points to the keyboard, so I do that for a lot of songs where there is, say, a piano, a koto, then a trumpet sound. Rather than take an Emulator and things like that on the road, I wanted a very easy live setup, so that I could do most of the work beforehand. That's another reason for having those two Oberheim sample players. An Emulator disk takes a long time to load, and you can't say, "Sorry, Madison Square Garden, I've gotta load this disk." We've worked out a system where we can keep switching back and forth [between the DPX-1s]. The only other alternative would be to use something like a hard disk, which I don't really want to do because the hard disk has to be installed in the Emulator and is notoriously unreliable on the road. The good thing about having a rack system is that it can be well protected. You can throw it off the back of the truck and nothing will happen to it."

See how Jens Johansson uses Oberheim DPX-1

Jens Johansson

Keyboardist, Composer

Dio

...
Verified

Taken from an article authored by Richard Karsmakers in October of 1995.

Karl: What musical hardware do you use?

Jens: Oberheim Matrix12, matrix1000's, Matrix 6R, DPX-1. Korg PolySix (I have around 10 of those), Yamaha DX7+TX816 rack, Roland D20, DS-330, Hammond + Leslie (I have two actually), Korg CX3 as a "touring hammond", and a bunch of others. I also rent stuff a lot.

I'm not too crazy about the "new breed" of keyboards like the K2000 etc; they sound a bit thin to me. But whatever.

See how Tony Kaye uses Oberheim DPX-1

Tony Kaye

Keyboardist

Yes

...
Verified via Muzines

"I've been using Oberheim for donkey's years; but for this tour I wanted to go beyond what I had last time, so I got in touch with them and found they were developing the DPX. That was exactly the way that I was going, except that every time you want to change a sound, you had to put in another disk. In the beginning, I decided to get nine of them and put all the sounds in and allocate every preset to a different sound. About halfway through that process, Oberheim asked me what I wanted and I said, 'make me a hard disk version of the DPX1'. So they said 'OK' and built it. Now I have everything on two hard disk systems. I guess I could have had two Emulators, but having two little units in a rack is much better."

See how Freemasons uses Oberheim DPX-1

Freemasons

Music Producer

...
Verified via YouTube

spotted in the video

See how Paul Robb uses Oberheim DPX-1

Paul Robb

Keyboardist, Composer

Information Society

...
Verified via Mixonline

Included in his studio are synthesizers such as the Roland MKS-70, two MKS-50s, a MKS-80 and D-50; Yamaha TX-81Z; four Oberheim Matrix 1000s, E-mu Orbit and Morpheus, and a Casio VZ-10M. Sample players include Kurzweil 1000AX+, Roland U-110, Oberheim DPX-1, E-mu Proformance Piano and Proteus (as well as the Proteus 2 and 3), Alesis NanoBass and samplers, including a Casio FZ-10M, two Akai S-1000s and three Akai CD-3000s. He also turns to E-mu Procussion, Roland R-8M, Alesis DM-5, Roland BD-1 and a Roland SPD-11 for drum sounds.

D

David Ferguson

Keyboardist, Composer

Random Hold

...
Verified via Soundonsound

David Ferguson's equipment list:

Apple G3 266 computer, 96Mb RAM/4Gb HD. Akai S3000XL sampler. Alesis ADAT XT digital recorder/BRC remote. Alesis Microverb effects. Bit 99 synth. Drawmer DS201 Gate & LX20 compressor. Emagic Logic Platinum 2.6 sequencer. Emu Proteus 1, 2 & 3 sound modules. ("On the album, the 'Hall Strings' preset from Emu's first Proteus module is used a lot, because it's a great marcato string sound.") Emu Proformance piano module. Ensoniq VFX synth. FriendChip Timecode Refresher. Iomega Jaz drive. Korg 1212 PCI card. Korg DRV3000 effects. ("Weird and sometimes wonderful.") Korg Wavestation SR synth. Lexicon MPX1000 effects. Logan String Melody keyboard. ("The last of Random Hold.") Mackie 32:8:2 mixer. Oberheim DPX1 sample player. Roland D550 synth. Roland S760 samplers/SP700 playback unit. Sony 600Mb optical drive. Sony DTC690 DAT recorder. Spirit Absolute 2 monitors. SPL Vitalizer enhancer. Symetrix 511A noise reduction. Tascam DA30 MkII DAT recorder. TC M2000 Wizard effects. Yamaha AN1x synth. Yamaha SPX50 effects.

See how David Bergeaud uses Oberheim DPX-1

David Bergeaud

Guitarist, Keyboardist

...
Verified

David Bergeaud confirmed his use of the Oberheim DPX-1 by listing it among his synthesizers on eBay, indicating its role in his various game projects. For further information, refer to the Facebook group post on Ratchet & Clank fans.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ratchetclankfans/posts/8289617861060344/

Genre Usage

Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.

Used With

Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Oberheim DPX-1, it is most commonly used with the following gear.

E-MU PROTEUS 3 ETHNIC SOUND module
E-MU PROTEUS 3 ETHNIC SOUND module Synthesizers & Sound Modules
3
E-Mu Proteus 2 Orchestral module
E-Mu Proteus 2 Orchestral module Synthesizers & Sound Modules
3
E-Mu Proformance piano module
E-Mu Proformance piano module Synthesizers & Sound Modules
2
Akai S1000
Akai S1000 Audio Samplers
2
PPG Wave 2.2
PPG Wave 2.2 Synthesizers
2
Roland D-50
Roland D-50 Synthesizers
2
C-Lab Notator
C-Lab Notator Audio Sequencers
2
E-Mu Emulator II
E-Mu Emulator II Synthesizers
2

Community setups

Show yours
deepsignalstudios

deepsignalstudios

Gear IQ 493

More Oberheim Synthesizers

Oberheim OB-X8

$3,999.99 - $4,999.99

 
Charlie Puth Daniel Kim The Weeknd
14 artists using
Oberheim TVS-PRO

$64.99 - $12,500.00

 
Adrian Utley Martin L. Gore Lorn
7 artists using
Sequential Prophet-6

$3,289.36 - $3,499.99

# 1

Rank

Kevin Parker Thom Yorke Trent Reznor
168 artists using
Moog Grandmother

$999.00 - $1,084.00

# 4

Rank

Dominic Fike Deadmau5 Martin Garrix
52 artists using
Korg Minilogue

$411.00 - $699.99

# 10

Rank

Aphex Twin King Krule Misha Mansoor
132 artists using
Moog Subsequent 37

$1,475.01 - $1,899.00

# 14

Rank

Skrillex Neil Halstead Charlie Puth
68 artists using
Arturia MicroBrute

$299.79 - $652.00

# 15

Rank

John Dwyer Adrian Utley Noisia
64 artists using

Similar

Gear Guides

  • Added to Equipboard on by

    silverx
    silverx

    Gear IQ 45