From: baird@nosc.mil (John M. Baird)
Subject: Re: Ensoniq SQ-1, SQ-2, KS-32 (LONG RESPONSE)
Organization: Naval Ocean Systems Center, San Diego, CA
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1993 18:45:11 GMT

From article <1993Jan6.163004.15059@dale.ksc.nasa.gov>, by sdavis@laforge.ksc.nasa.gov (Steve Davis):
> 
>   I'm in the market for a new synth, and have been looking at the SQ-  2

Steve,
Here is some information I have saved from the past about the Ensoniq SQ series.
I am interested in it because our chuch has one for worship services use.  We got
an SQ-2 in Oct 91, and have fairly extensively use since then.  For this Christmas,
we used it heavily (45 minutes of solid music, controlled by an Atari rather than
the on-board sequencer).  We heavily use most aspects of it with one major exception
(the sound-altering parameters).  During this time, we have had exactly one crash,
and that was during practice when we were practicing a tricky computer controlled
change in setups.  Also, we have the older 24-voice version, not the 32-voice 
version.  The piano is the same on both, but the newer one does have some more
sounds in it that we would like to have.  The SQ series is more oriented toward
rock than church music, but we still are happy with it.  We also have a Proteus-2
for the orchestral sounds.

For the price, it is quite a synth.  It uses sampled sounds, rather than FM generation
that the Yamaha uses.  First, an extract from the latest new prices listing from
rec.music.makers.synth:
Ensoniq SQ1             999     Goodman Music (Sherman Oaks, CA)        Jun 91
Ensoniq SQ2             1349    Gelb Music (Redwood City, CA)           Mar 92

Then, an extract from the used price list (also, the low-ball price for the SQ-2
shown is an anomaly, don't hope for this good a deal):
Ensoniq SQ-1 synth           750
Ensoniq SQ-2 synth           850,1300,1350
Ensoniq SQ-R synth module    400,700

Next, a copy of a message from someone who knows more about the sound generating
capabilities than I do that might be of interest.  The SQ-R+, SQ-1+, and SQ-2 all
have the same sampled sounds and sound generating capabilities.  The original SQ-R
and SQ-1 had a smaller, not-so-good piano sample in them.  By the way, if you want
to expand the  onboard sequencer memory, there is a way to buy the chips yourself,
and it costs ~$40, not ~$300 from the factory.  I have the address of the person
who knows what chips to buy, and we have done it, also:
> From: AS.TLK@forsythe.stanford.edu (Timothy Kaufman)
> Newsgroups: rec.music.synth
> Subject: Re: SQ 1 SQ 1 SQ 1
> Message-ID: <1992Feb10.190654.25123@morrow.stanford.edu>
> Date: 10 Feb 92 19:06:54 GMT
> Sender: news@morrow.stanford.edu (News Service)
> Distribution: usa
> Organization: Stanford University, California, USA
> Lines: 45
> 
> jkammone@cs.joensuu.fi (Janne Kammonen) writes:
> >
> >   HMMMM !
> >
> >This is my second try to get some user-comments about
> >Ensoniq SQ 1. So tell me what are the editing capabilities
> >like, is there enough samples to create sounds from
> >acoustic simulations to evolving New Age -soundscapes........
> >
> >So just tell me anything that pops in your mind about SQ1.
> 
> Sorry to be apathetic.  I have the rack version, which just lacks
> the sequencer (and a lot of the hardware, of course--sure wish I had
> that data slider.  Hope someone comes out with an editor for this
> soon...).
> 
> There are other boxes with more and better samples.  But the SQ's
> filters more than make up for it.  There are two per voice,
> selectable as 2 lowpass, or 1 lowpass/1 highpass.  Judicious
> modulation here brings a lot of life to those static samples.
> 
> As far as emulating things, it's ironic--I stopped using the Proteus
> for the couple of sax solos I have to cover in my band, because
> using a lot of velocity modulation on the filter makes the SQ sound
> far more dynamic and realistic, even though the raw sax samples may
> be better on the Proteus.  You can also come up with some good
> analog-type sounds.
> 
> No, the filters aren't resonant, but that effect can be achieved
> with some of the Transwaves.  A Transwave is a group of closely
> related single-cycle waves, and modulation can be used to change
> which of those waves is sounding, kind of like wavetable synthesis.
> Among the Transwaves are those that will produce resonance as you
> sweep through the wave chain, and a couple that modulate pulse
> width.
> 
> One gripe.  On any given parameter, you can pick one of about 15
> modulators.  Let's say you're on the pitch section.  For
> "modulation", you can only dial up one of the 15.  Well, it does
> have separate parameters for envelope amount and LFO, so you can
> have those 2 plus one other.  But if you wanted to, say, use
> both pressure and a foot-pedal for that destination, you couldn't.
> Maybe I've just been spoiled by the Proteus' very flexible matrix.
> 
> Tim K
> From: rost@rgb.dec.com (My name is Brian Rost)
> Newsgroups: rec.music.synth
> Subject: Re: SQ 1 SQ 1 SQ 1
> Message-ID: <1992Feb12.142911.17405@ryn.mro4.dec.com>
> Date: 12 Feb 92 14:18:00 GMT
> Sender: news@ryn.mro4.dec.com (USENET News System)
> Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
> Lines: 53
> 
> 
> In article <1992Feb10.132042.1138@cs.joensuu.fi>, jkammone@cs.joensuu.fi (Janne Kammonen) writes...
> > 
> > 
> >   HMMMM !
> > 
> >This is my second try to get some user-comments about
> >Ensoniq SQ 1. So tell me what are the editing capabilities
> >like, is there enough samples to create sounds from
> >acoustic simulations to evolving New Age -soundscapes........
> > 
> >So just tell me anything that pops in your mind about SQ1.
> > 
> >         : J.Kammonen :
> > 
> >   
> 
> Like another poster, I had the rack mount version (SQ-R) and did like it a lot. 
> Yes, it does new-age type sounds very well.  The editing capabilities are good
> with one main limitation: no resonance in the filters.  Other than that it is
> very flexible compared to most other sample-playback type machines. The newer
> "Plus" version has a good piano sound, and emulations of woodwinds, brass and
> strings in the factory patch set are quite good.  The drum kit programming is
> *extremely* flexible and quite extensive.
> 
> I do have an issue with the LCD display making editing difficult, compared to
> the larger displays used on other Ensoniq boards (like VFX, ESQ-1, etc., see
> below).
> 
> The biggest drawback is in the sequencer.  The 9000 note base memory is kind of
> small, and the expansion (to 50,000 notes) is expensive, $300 U.S. Plus when 
> backing up the sequences you need a computer as there is no on-board disk or
> tape interface.  If you don't plan on using the sequencer, no big deal, then.
> 
> If you're wondering why I said I "had" the SQ-R, I sold it because I decided it
> was an expensive boat anchor and didn't like programming it from the front
> panel (it has less control buttons than the keyboard version so patch editing
> is painful).  It sounds great though.  If I was primarily a keyboardist rather
> than a bassist, I'd still own it.
> 
> 					Brian Rost @rgb.enet.dec.com
> 
> 					508-568-6115
> 
> 	****************************************************
> 	*						   *
> 	*  The above does not reflect the opinions of	   *
> 	*  my employer.					   *
> 	*						   *
> 	*  If music is outlawed, only outlaws will be      *	   
> 	*  musicians.					   *
> 	*						   *
> 	****************************************************


Last, but not least, a copy of a message from a (historically) strong Ensonsiq
critic.  One of my early concerns about the Ensoniq line was reliability, and
the VFX series has several legendary problems in that area, but I have not heard
any bad words (other than Mr. Metlay), and our experience has been very positive:
> From: metlay@minerva.phyast.pitt.edu (metlay)
> Newsgroups: rec.music.synth
> Subject: Re: Ensoniq VFX-SD
> Summary: Here we go again
> Message-ID: <3206@blue.cis.pitt.edu.UUCP>
> Date: 16 Jul 92 15:51:24 GMT
> References: <1992Jul15.190609.4362@b30.ingr.com>
> Sender: news+@pitt.edu
> Organization: Atomic City
> Lines: 55
> 
> In article <1992Jul15.190609.4362@b30.ingr.com> garth@b30.ingr.com (Garth Smith) writes:
> >
> >I am new to the newsgroup and apparantly just missed an 
> >exciting discussion on Ensoniq...so forgive me asking a 
> >question that may have recently been discussed...
> 
> That's like describing the last interchange between Tyson and
> Holyfield as an "exciting discussion." |->
> 
> >I am considering purchasing a VFX-SD,  but have second thoughts
> >now,  as many music stores I have talked have discouraged
> >this purchase. For the money it seems like a good deal, 32
> >note polyphony,  26k note sequencer,  etc.,  so I
> >was surprise by the reaction I got.
> 
> You'll get the same divided reaction here on this newsgroup.
> The latest generation of Ensoniq boards have been the subject
> of a lot of controversy here; both the VFX and VFXsd synths
> and the EPS sampler had a number of reliability problems when first
> released, which limited their utility to very demanding users
> despite the obviously high price/performance ratio in each unit.
> Since then, hardware and software fixes have alleviated most of
> the problems, and newer revs of the machines have been released
> (the SD-1 is the newest version of the VFXsd), but some doubts
> remain in some people's minds... including, it would seem, the
> people at the stores you visited.
> 
> >What are the pro's/con's of this particular model?
> 
> The VFXsd can be upgraded to SD-1 status with a hardware swap;
> if the unit you saw had 32 note polyphony, it sounds like that
> swap was done already. The keyboard suffers from problems that
> are known about by Ensoniq, and can be fixed easily (it causes
> calibrate errors sometimes, due to a bad connector under the 
> board). If you trust the viability of these repairs, then the
> unit is hard to beat for the price, although there are other
> things about it that can be tough to get used to (the user interface
> is a bit weird, and the pressure response of the keyboard is quite
> uneven in some units). 
> 
> There are people on this Net who worship the VFX line, and will
> defend it against all comers. There are people on this Net who 
> mistrust the construction of the VFX line and will not risk their
> money on it, and say so. (Like me, for instance.) You'll have to 
> make your own decision, based on the yelling both sides will do.
> 
> My opinion? If you don't plan to play live and rely on it, get it.
> Otherwise, save your money and buy something that you can trust.
> 
> 
> --
> metlay@  | 
> minerva. | "This thing makes the COOLEST SOUNDS!"
> phyast.  |                                          --Space Cadet Stimpy
> pitt.edu |