Hi all,

Most synths from the 80s can still be sourced quite easily, even if you have to pay a premium these days.

But the Ensoniq ESQM / SQ80s seem very rare. I was wondering if this was due to the fact they have all given up the ghost by now or whatever? IE were not built to last?

ESQ1s are popular enough but then they may have been made slightly diffrent.

Its very rare to see either of these on SOS adds or Ebay. Anyone have any info or better, one for sale in good nick? Been scanning said adds for litrally months. Theres got to be something I dont know. I worry I finally find one and its on its last legs by manufacture.

(Sent via iPhone and no doubt riddled with typos as a result.)

Probably - I seem to recall they weren't very well made, and one of the SQ80-era Ensoniqs' features, polyphonic aftertouch, was really cheaply made. Also, reliability of the Ensoniqs from that period is questionable, - I remember VFX's in particular were really flaky and buggy.

Also, Ensoniqs in general seemed to be more popular in the US than Europe - there are probably more over that side of the pond than over here.

Why do you want one? It seems there are probably more interesting second hand synths to buy - at least, ones that aren't inflated by fashion...

Hello Desmond.

I worried you were going to recomend me a VST so you and Elf could gang up on me as usual haha :]

Im a bit fan of the Ensoinq ESQ/SQ sound mate. Its made from commadore sound chips and is very lo fi and by something like say a JV5080 standards, crap sounding, but that is its charm.

I had an ESQ1 that I sold due mainly to the size. Id rather have the rack. Were moving house very soon and possibly abroad so I have to slim down hence the rack appealing. But id rather have an SQ80 due to the more waveforms and disk drive.

I have a very limited set up by modern day standards. 4 Roland analogue synths and an Akai sampler, all hardware as you know. But I do miss certain patches such with sounds that analogue synths cant give, chiors, ahhs, bells, organd etc etc. I know I could sample them but im lazy and tend to only sample phrases.

So, I may be right, the reason there thin on the ground is due to not lasting the distance. Amazing isnt it. My roland gear, even stuff like my toy-ish SH101 and MC-202 are as goood as new.

I may try Ebay .com (USA) but could only get the rack. Not importing keybords if I can help it.

(Sent via my iPhone and no doubt riddled with typos as a result)

+1 for Ensoniqs, they have a certain charm - been through an ESQ-1, ASR-10 and a couple of VFXs, though I can't remember if either of those worked properly...like Desmond says, very flaky. The SQ80s do seem quite collectible - eg this one went for £300 on eBay 10 days ago. I'd quite like a Fizmo sometime.

Quote Kolakube:

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I worried you were going to recomend me a VST so you and Elf could gang up on me as usual haha :]

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Nah, I'm very aware of the irrational desire to buy real synths, even if the prices are often not worth the utility or sounds you get back out of them...

Quote Kolakube:

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Im a bit fan of the Ensoinq ESQ/SQ sound mate. Its made from commadore sound chips and is very lo fi and by something like say a JV5080 standards, crap sounding, but that is its charm.

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Fair enough, can't argue with that!

Quote Kolakube:

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I have a very limited set up by modern day standards. 4 Roland analogue synths and an Akai sampler, all hardware as you know. But I do miss certain patches such with sounds that analogue synths cant give, chiors, ahhs, bells, organd etc etc. I know I could sample them but im lazy and tend to only sample phrases.

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Or maybe pick up a more modern romper, even something that's still got a nineties kinda vibe to it, like an SY77/99 or a JV module, you can get things like JV1080's or XV5050 for cheap, which you can always grunge up a bit if they're too clean for your taste. Or maybe something like a Kurzweil K2000 rack might be a nice one for those things...

Quote Kolakube:

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So, I may be right, the reason there thin on the ground is due to not lasting the distance. Amazing isnt it. My roland gear, even stuff like my toy-ish SH101 and MC-202 are as goood as new.

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Yeah maybe. I do think that back in the day, Roland were a great synth manufacturer and made really solid, lasting and beautiful gear. However their modern keyboards all look like ghastly Argos toys to me...

Quote Kolakube:

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I may try Ebay .com (USA) but could only get the rack. Not importing keybords if I can help it.

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Yeah, you never know, and some of these things do fly a bit under the radar.

Not that many were sold so they're a bit thin on the ground anyway (they came out around the same time as the D50 which everyone was mad for).

Mine weren't flaky or flimsy but the battery had a tendency to go and it was a bugger to replace. I suspect many just binned their ESQ/SQ thinking it was terminally broken.

I think they were great synths and had an SQ80 until the end of last year.

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Website / Music Lab Machines / Blog

Quote desmond:

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Quote Kolakube:

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I worried you were going to recomend me a VST so you and Elf could gang up on me as usual haha :]

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Nah, I'm very aware of the irrational desire to buy real synths, even if the prices are often not worth the utility or sounds you get back out of them...

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Me too, just for the record - you *know* how many hardware synths I have littering my studio Kola!

But an Ensoniq wouldn't be high on my nostalgia list. They were flakey indeed, as others have mentioned. If you get a good one they seem to last forever, but those seem to be in the minority.

I'd echo the suggestion of something from the Kurzweil K series. They really are built to last in my experience and sound every bit as enticing as any Ensoniq I ever used.

And don't get me started on the Ensoniq VFX. Whoever designed that thing should be found, marched out and egged!

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An Eagle for an Emperor, A Kestrel for a Knave.

Adamski … 'Killer'

All synth noises and sequencing on an ESQ1 with a 909 synced up.

Best demo Ensoniq could ever have had (four weeks #1 in the UK, held Madonna off the slot) but this was the era of the DX, D50 and M1 - didn't stand a chance!

I really liked my ESQ1 and did some great stuff on it. Sequencer - while limited to 8-tracks - was a doddle ... very easy - great scratchpad if nothing else.

Modulation possibilities are up there with the Oberheim Xpander and some great sounds to be had. Quite 'digital' but could be quite 'analogue' lush too with due care and attention (some of my favourite string pads were ESQ1 and I sampled a good few which I still use today). Wish I'd sampled more off it now - I could make a nice little Kontakt library out of it.

Dunno about the unreliability thing (apart from the battery). My ESQ1 was fine. I foolishly sold that (can't remember why) but picked up an SQ80 a bit later at a ridiculous price (because I missed the ESQ) - think I swapped it for something actually... I think the shop was glad to get rid of the SQ. And that just went on and on for years and now is being enjoyed by a chum of mine. He's quite young, barely out of short trousers, but likes the old stuff and is creating whole tracks with it. Both the ESQ and SQ were built like tanks and I had no problems at all.

Word of warning re SQ80 - the keyboard (because of the polyphonic aftertouch mechanism) is VERY noisy and clackety. Not a problem in itself but it is if you're a night owl and work in the wee hours - you could be waking up people in neighbouring streets!

Very underrated synth(s).

P.S. To the chap who wants a Fizmo, DON'T. It was never finished.

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Website / Music Lab Machines / Blog

(I thought Adamski's Killer was an SQ80 and 909? - seem to remember that from live stuff and interview with MT)

I had two ESQ-1s and the only time either crashed was when I was demo'ing the first one to a buyer!

The VFX was the start of the unreliability due to a manufacturing mistake which made the positioning of the boards prone to breaking. Mine was one of the original batch, but the previous owner had managed to get Ensoniq to rebuild it to address this issue - and it was then heavily toured a couple of times round Europe and home a fair bit before I let it go (from someone who demanded I sell it to him). I always like Richard Barbieri's comments about it : great synth, but whoever did the presets should have been shot and it should have been sold with a load of empty patch slots.

It certainly had a more 'metallic' sound which contrasted against the Roland D and Korg M series' of the times. I liked it..



Back to the point, they hold their value s/h as they are good machines. Not ultra hi-fi, but an excellent architecture that's a doodle to program. Good times!

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Veni, Vidi, Aesculi
(I came, I saw, I conkered)

Hi guys,

Yeah im aware of romplers from the Yamaha TG through the Roland JVs. But they havent got that unique sound of the Ensoniqs.

On a JV1080 for EG, a piano sounds like a piano and a house organd sounds like a hammond. On an ESQ/SQ80 they sound, well, terrible but like I say in a great way. Sort of like a fairlight, in the way its 8 bit but sounds great if you look from the right angle.

There really is nothing like an ESQ/SQ80.

Yep, Adamski was a legend. 2 albums made using nothing more than that and a 909. He couldnt even use effects as the SQ80 only had 2 outputs so at least 6 of the sounds were raw. Now that exites me. The totaly opposite of infanite everything. Yet Live and Direct his first album recorded live onto cassette at various gigs in the late 80s is superb.

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(Sent via my iPhone and no doubt riddled with typos as a result)

Quote Dave B:

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The VFX was the start of the unreliability due to a manufacturing mistake which made the positioning of the boards prone to breaking.

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Yeah, that, but also the OS was a bit of a dog, buggy and crash and underdeveloped. I think they finally managed to get the VFX semi-stable by the last versions, but even then it was flaky, iirc...

Quote desmond:

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Ensoniqs in general seemed to be more popular in the US than Europe

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Looks like they still are. I was disappointed last month when I was outbid on this TS12 for £165. Looks like the last one of these went for £460 in Canada, and this TS10 just went for over £700 in LA. If I'd know they were that sought-after I might have pushed the boat out a bit.

Quote hollowsun:

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To the chap who wants a Fizmo, DON'T. It was never finished.

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But...it's purple. And SOS loved it. Did I mention it was purple?

Hi, I have an SQ80 which I bought new in the late eighties. It hasn't been gigged, has spent some years in cupboard, and has now come out along with my other toys acquired over the years, as I finally have a small room available to set up in. I don't have any problems with it, the battery is still fine - although that could be due to relatively low use over the years. The keyboard is a bit clicky, but if that is the price to pay for poly aftertouch, so be it. What contemporary keyboard would you have to get, at what price, for this feature?

The sounds area bit different, well described here (admittedly from a 1996 perspective)
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/1996_articles/jul96/ensoniqsq80.html

As you have noted, it has no effects at all, so a chorus unit / delay would help fatten appropriate sounds. The wavetable DCOs may be a bit thin, but there are other synths that will do 'fat' - that's not why I keep the SQ80. One of its best features is its impressive modulation section - there are sounds on the SQ80 that I haven't come across anywhere else.

Lots of useful information here
http://www.buchty.net/ensoniq/ and you may want to consider the SQ8L VSTi, if it is the sounds you are after, rather than the hardware.

In putting together my 'toys' I have remembered what a pain MIDI connection of several keyboards/modules is, sysex transfer, patch editing, and I have yet to set up a song such that I can test how easy (hard!) it will be to recall all the required settings. VSTs are so much simpler... but there is a fantastic attraction of real hardware that easily offsets the pain of getting it to work

Bill

Quote hollowsun:

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Adamski … 'Killer'


Word of warning re SQ80 - the keyboard (because of the polyphonic aftertouch mechanism) is VERY noisy and clackety. Not a problem in itself but it is if you're a night owl and work in the wee hours - you could be waking up people in neighbouring streets!

Very underrated synth(s).

P.S. To the chap who wants a Fizmo, DON'T. It was never finished.

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+1 On the keyboard, same shiz on my EPS 16+
I love it but I manage to piss every one else off with it :-D

I love the ESQ's, they are very under rated.. errm I mean they are [ ****** ] so don't buy one.. The analogue filters also suck ;-) ;-)

I don't get the Fizmo hype, the American's love em and pay way too much for them

BillyB:-

If you wana sell it give me a shout via PM. Got cash ready now.

Everyone:-

I should add for those of you cursed by the devil there is a superb VST with a very accurate reprisentation of the ESQ/SQ80. (EDIT - Oops, re reading billys post he mentions this) Infact this may be why the price's are low.

Heres the direct comparrison doen by one of my musical hero's Chris Husselbeck.
He's was a legend from the days of the Amiga.

<a href="capp.itec.kit.edu/~buchty/sq80/sq8l/SQ80vsSQ8L.mp3" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>

(Opens a sound file)

EDIT 2 - Damn link wont work. Cut n paste then

capp.itec.kit.edu/~buchty/sq80/sq8l/SQ80vsSQ8L.mp3

Of course, putting it blunty id rather have sexual relations with a cammel than use a VST. You all know why, nothing to do with sound quality as the sound file above confirms. Its to do with touch, taste and smell.

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(Sent via my iPhone and no doubt riddled with typos as a result)

Edited by Kolakube (25/07/12 01:03 PM)

Hello all.

Im quite ill at the mo. Been running a high temp of 104 for a few days on and off. Bloody killer. Aches and sweats 24/7!

Anyhow I have been meaning to tell you all about my new SQ80.

I managed to make Bill an offer he wasent prepared to refuse but that was fair to both of us. Bill turns out to be a top guy, delivered the synths from neigh on Hull to Newcastle when I got ill the day before we were supposed to meet halfway at Rippon. I offered to still meet him (no matter how ill Id have turned up in a cofin to get an SQ80.)
He's an absolute dimond and i am both deeply gratefull and would like to publicly thank him. A fantastic asett to the SOS forum and demonstrates the calibure of its members in a bright and possitive light. He simply turned around and said. Mickey, no way are you driving or getting a lift in that state. Im coming to you, and that was that.

Unfortunatly due to being bed ridden I have had little time to play bar trying it out for an hour on the day. It is is absolutly stunning condition, virtually unmarked, original box, manauls the lot. I must say, this is probablies one of the best examples of an SQ80 in the world. No exageration!!

For someone like me who is a huge fan of small simple set ups and therefore a huge fan of what Adamski achived with little else I feel like all my birthdays have come at once. I will cherrish this instrument and wring everything out of it over the next decade and the rest of my life.

I am so pleased I posted this thread though not my intentions to end up with a purchase and not Bills to end up with a sale either, but im certain Bill knows its gone to a very loving home.

Thanks again Bill. Your an absolute Gent!

Ok, Codine wearing off, owwww. Back to bed to stare at it on a stand. Does me for now.


PS - Now tell me VST guys, that you could get all that from a guy mailing you the VST version?? It would litrally join your other 3 million VSTs and never get noticed again. Yet I have made a new friend in Bill, have an instrument that excites my phisically and yes, it tastes great!!!

(May not be back for a week till better.)

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(Sent via my iPhone and no doubt riddled with typos as a result)

A happy ending!

Hi Folks

Mickey is way too kind, I just didn't want a death on my hands

The upside of going to see Mickey is that I got to play with his toys, specifically a Nord Lead 3. What a beast. Particularly struck by the parameter feedback in the form of LED rings etc. Just about to start a separate thread on this asking for folk's opinions. Hopefully see you there.

And yes, there is no doubt that the SQ80 has gone to a good home!

Bill