Ensoniq ESQ-1 Synthesizer - Part 1 - Overview and Sound Demo
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2024
- Ensoniq ESQ-1 Synthesizer Overview and Sound Demo.
In this one I’m looking at the Ensoniq ESQ-1, which is an 8 voice polyphonic synthesizer from 1986.
When it was released it was considered great value for money as it would cost twice as much to get something else with similar features.
It has 32 waveforms and an analogue filter, making it a hybrid synth, as everything else is digital.
The oscillators have sync and amplitude modulation.
It has 3 LFOs and 4 envelope shapers, which gives you an enormous amount of sound creating possibilities.
When you add in that there is a sequencer as well, it’s not surprising it wiped the floor with the competition.
In this video I take a basic look at the ESQ-1 and check out some of the sounds.
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Thank you for your video tutorials on the ESQ-1! I am picking up a non-working unit today and am excited about fixing it and getting to know this amazing instrument. Your videos convinced me to take a chance. I will let you know how it goes.
Good luck. Hope it goes well!
Just got one of these, and your videos are how I'm going to learn it. Also have a Mirage, so hopefully I can find some similar videos on that, as well.
Bound to be some out there.
Excellent! I have an SQ-80, which is the next gen of the ESQ-1, and I have a similar feeling - I'm barely scratching the surface with it. Love to see more!
Thanks, I'll hopefully get back to it at some point.
Good overview! I still have some of those patches on my ESQ-1. Slostr, Mixed, Moods...some of the stock sounds really stood the test of time. They're the sounds everyone kept. I was always attracted to the aesthetic of the ESQ-1. It's so very 80's. I always loved the VF display, and the little 'infinity mirror effect' that the display had. It's just very characteristic of that era. Classic synth. I'll look forward to more videos from you!
Thanks, yes the display is so much better than most other synths of that time. It seems that the ESQ-1 is pretty well covered on UA-cam, so I'll just have to see how much interest the video generates, but I'll certainly be looking at more synths as time goes by.
Slowstr and Mixed to this day are still my faves
@@RunningonairMusic that display was probably the most expensive part of the whole synth since it was custom manufactured. It provides a great user interface for the esq( and sq80) . You should try the sequencer as well, it is so intuitive and powerful as an idea pad! You could get an expansion for 10000 and 20000 notes and you could layer and merge the recorded tracks indefinitely. Nobody in the business had something like that. Stunning piece of kit, still today
My first synth! I saved up and bought it when I was in high school.
great starter synth!
Mine too! Then VFX and Eps.
The Ensoniq ESQ-1 I bought 1987 is really the best synth I've ever owned and even feel some kind of love for because it was so simple to develop patches with, in part thanks to the large display. I could do so much that also sounded so good.
Like the intro song in this video, I hear it is the ESQ-1 playing, especially the wave bell. Awesome! ❣️
Indeed and I see you found full too. Great synth and easy to program. I'll be doing more videos on it, but i expect you'll already know what it does.
It was the closest you could get to a PPG at that time. I never had the money to buy a real PPG, but I now have a Waldorf microwave which is close. But the esq is so much easier to program
@@Johnsormani One of easiest user interfaces ever, with 10 softkeys (5 above, 5 below the wide display) for quick access to 10 parameters at a time, and dedicated page buttons for every function, so absolutely no menu diving! Works equally well for sequencing, too.
@@ShallRemainUnknown correct, unfortunately the midi integration wasn’t that great so if you try to use an external controller it will often crash if you are going too fast. Have an sq80 as well, also nice
Thank you for this video. I bought my ESQ1 back in 1988. I already had a D50 and was looking for something not too expensive to complement it. I don't think it was selling as well as expected, so I got it new at quite a reduced price (around £800 if I remember). I was doing a lot of stuff that involved live sequencing (C-Lab Notator!) and I found it really useful that I could get up to 8 sounds out at the same time via MIDI using the Mix/MIDI function, which also allows you to set the relative volumes individually. You can get some lovely fat sounds out of it, and I still use it for some retro 80s stuff.
Good combination, I've got a D50 too. I'll probably start doing videos about that at some point. Yeah, the multi timbral feature is really handy for midi studios. I got my esq in 93, I guess, for £200 and sold it in the 2000s (foolishly). Bought one back and restored it. I used it extensively on a synthwave track I did last year (ua-cam.com/video/3z_CSlCeOmI/v-deo.html) . It's as you say, really good on retro tracks.
I bought mine in ‘86 when it came out . I still remember my first encounter with it in a small shop in Rotterdam. By 1988 it was already superseded by the sq80, so no wonder you got it cheap. It actually sold as hotcakes in 1986, regarding it was a niche brand.. still my favorite synth of all time ( I still have that unit). I used it together with a dx7 ( which I also still have) live , which was an awesome combination.. the fact that you could select the next sound while playing ( holding) the former sound made it an excellent performer. .the sound was super fat through a good PA too. The last few years I started collecting some of the other Ensoniq, like asr10, SD1 ( great synth) sq1/sqr, MR. Rack, and yesterday I finally added a SQ80 to the family.
This absolutely BLOWS AWAY the DX7
It's a great synth, that's for sure.
Panning is actually sophisticated, can use envelope and modulators to control pan.
Yes, i was a little unfair on that point.
Yes and you could make it even more dramatic with the mod wheel as extra control, which is awesome
I lucked in to one of the module versions of this. Surprisingly powerful architecture for back then. The module is harder to program as it doesn’t have the well layer out buttons but it does come in the strangest Gumby-green colour 🤓
yeah, it's got a lot going for it, for mid '80s synth. Enjoy.
Lucky B. I am looking for an ESQ-M since years . I missed the boat when you could buy them for less than 75£ , but now they are as rare as hens teeth. The esq has a really clever midi overflow setting so you can easily expand the number of voices this way
@@Johnsormani is that like a bug or something I have sq-80 i think it only has 8 voices or something
I just recently got an ESQ-1 as well:) so the video is helpful! I‘m enjoying using it so far for sound design and making patches, although I’m finding using the sequencer a bit tricky. any advice or help using the sequencer would be appreciated, specifically If there is a way to overdub the notes without replacing the current ones? it would make things much easier. I’m liking the Track made using these sounds too. 🎹🌌
I have used the sequencer but mostly I use sonar (DAW) for all my sequencing. It makes more sense to have it all in the same place. I'd consider joining the ensoniq user group on facebook, they may be able to suggest something, if you can't find any sequencer videos.
00:34 "everything else is digital". In fact only the 3 oscillators and DCAs 1 thru 3 are digital. The rest of the signal path includes the analog filter, analog DCA4, analog panner, analog 8-voice summer, analog master DCA5 (CEM3360) controlled by the volume slider, and the analog output preamp where the metronome is mixed in. I had to look up all that in the schematics for a new patch set in the works.
Sure, once the waveforms are converted to analogue, the entire signal path and it's components are analogue, so as you have rightly pointed out it's a bit more complicated than "everything else is digital". BTW, I really enjoyed your moving waveform video, although I haven't tried it on my ESQ yet.
@@RunningonairMusic I've always thought that the moving waveform capability was one of the most important strengths of the ESQ-1 & SQ-80. There are already some fascinating original patches in your videos using static waves, can we look forward to a video from you with moving waves?
Thanks and yes that sounds like a great idea! Have a great Christmas!
An Esq 1 was my first synth . Unfortunately it stopped working after a year and a half so I got a defective one.
did you get fixed or dump it?
@@RunningonairMusic I bought a Korg T3 and traded the Esq1 in . I forget what they gave me for it but I'm sure it was not much. Although my T3 is in a case now . last time i had it out it was still working . I did have the floppy drive replaced which failed after around 5 years.
I got pretty lucky. I just found one on marketplace and got it for $160. Looks like i eventually need to solder a new battery in it however
That's pretty good!
@@RunningonairMusic I thought! Thanks for all your UA-cam videos. Really informative
No problem, thanks for watching!
Great video! Love the sound of ESQ-1 pads. The 'barely scratching the surface' feeling (for me) is down to the poor idea button programming. Unfortunately it’s just not much fun.
Well, It's a logical layout and a lot better than some synths, but it's much easier to program a synth when all the sliders are just there. I'm glad you don't have to do deep dive programming, like the D50, at least.
@@RunningonairMusic yeah, Ensoniq obviously had some very clever, focused developers.I guess that futuristic looks was just more commercially attractive. Still got an Alpha Juno1 with the same misery, selling my 105 at the time like an idiot 😂 Wooden ends just seemed so antiquated. Always loved the D-50 sound and why Roland made a equally awkward mini-me is kinda laughable 😆
NB: Any plans for a ESQ-1 sound library?
Maybe at some stage. Although there are loads of patches on the web already. I'd like to do more with the d50 but mine is playing up, so i'll have to wait till it's fixed.
@@jm6734 of all of the synths i had back then, the only synth I ever sold was the Juno 6. It is striking that the only one of my synths that is actually now worth more than I payed for it new is that same juno6 . It was very much a one trick pony to me . Ok for the studio but unusable live. I replaced it back then (86) with the ESQ1 ( still have it) and was a happy camper. Unfortunately the midi implementation of the esq1 is pretty basic. It was the early days of midi still, the result of that was that you can’t really use the esq with an external knob control very well since it won’t change anything as long as you hold the tone ( like filter cutoff).:the programming actually is very intuitive and quick. I never felt the need that much to program it with an editor or knob interface ,like stereoping or behringer bcr2000( which I have). Compared to abysmal user interfaces like the dx7 and some other synths of that era this was a godsend.
Could you emulate the c64 sid chip analog synth sounds on the esq-1/sq-80
Not really. You're better off getting dedicated sid based synth.
Love the sound, how would one save your patches on the ESQ-1 vs the SQ-80 which has a floppy drive?
Sorry don't know about the sq80. You could check out the Facebook ensoniq group, if you have questions about that.
ESQ-1 has an output for storing data on cassette (or whatever), and sends and receives SYSEX files.
There is a cartridge interface to store more sounds. Nowadays there are cartridges available on eBay with 16*40 sounds for less than 100£ . For archiving you could use sysex, . I never tried the tape backup but that might work too,
Im thinking i had one of these i picked up for nearly nothing around 97 or 98. Once again didnt know what i had and traded it off.
Yeah, It happens.
Intro music please. What piece is it?
Hi, It's this one ua-cam.com/video/3z_CSlCeOmI/v-deo.html thanks for asking.
A really nice synth straight from the 80s that i love ! btw i am trying to sync a drum machine the cool and with many features but underated Roland R5 to the synths clock but with no luck, if anyone here can help me out just reply ! Nice video too.
Sorry, not familiar with that.
@@RunningonairMusic Seems a bit of a pain and need to check both manuals again, thanks for the nice video on this great synth though
If I remember correctly you will have to select a special midi sysex setting in the esq for syncing. I synced a tr505 back in the day without issues
it has same chips as oberheim so has that big oberheim filter sound u cant get from korg roland etc u can program it +get sounds exactly like oberheim
Yeah, It was an easy way to build a synth back then. I do sometime wonder if we lost something in the way of originality though. On the other hand, it does make them much easier to fix and more reliable. Found this list of chips and synths, which is quite interesting. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CEM_and_SSM_chips
No... No oberheim sound. Curtis Sound to be correct.
@@lulukot7377 Yes, they both used Curtis chips.
The saw tooth of the esq is so powerful, so it is very easy to replicate prophet5 or oberheim-like sounds. 3 oscillators, detuned with some subtle pitch modulation and you are in the ballpark . Nobody would believe this had digital oscillators. Btw you can download the single samples from the net to use in your daw or sampler .
I just changed the battery and all my sounds still say brass brass brass brass brass. Anyone know how to fix that please ?
Probably best to head over to the Facebook ensoniq user group and ask about it. From memory, a battery change should reset to factory sounds but it may depend on the software level.
@@RunningonairMusic Thanks so much, is there a way to upgrade the software ?
You should be able to find everything you need here: buchty.net/ensoniq/
Also did you check out this? ua-cam.com/video/laGgB9s6CGI/v-deo.html
U have the bells ?
Do you mean patches? The synth can do bell sounds for sure.
@@RunningonairMusic u have the " JBELS " ?
@@x-mkt-x168 not sure, I'll have to check next time I get the synth out.
@@RunningonairMusic thanks