ENSONIQ: Let's talk about this great American synth manufacturer

[SteveCoscia]

Just saw this post - I've been away for two weeks.

 

Glad to see so many positive remarks and I understand why some folks felt otherwise about Ensoniq products. Thanks to the musicians who bought our products and put their trust in us.  Customers were Ensoniq's highest priority.  

 

I started with Ensoniq in October 1984, about three months prior to the first Mirage shipments.  It was an interesting ride and I learned much about management, operations and customer trends.  Ensoniq's best feature was the company culture - employees were urged to do the right thing.  Many people who worked at Ensoniq still say it was the best job they ever had. 

 

I was the 16th employee; those early days were long and productive.  We worked 6 days a week often and sometimes came back to the office late at night after eating dinner at home.  It felt great to be part of a high-tech startup.  We were on a mission to disrupt the industry and make sampling affordable.

 

Here's an old photo from December 1984.  L to R - Robin Weber, myself and Dan Garrett. 

 

The Mirage’s guts are featured - Dan is pointing to the Q-Chip.  We were three young and optimistic managers who believed great things were about to happen. 

 

 

[Floyd Tatum]

On 6/5/2024 at 12:14 PM, Jim Alfredson said:

In the past month, I stumbled upon a badly beat up ESQ-1 with four broken keys for $100 and an EPS for free. I repaired the ESQ-1 (the actual keybed was broken, but I made my own replacement parts out of pin headers), replaced the battery, and loaded some cool sounds into it.

I had an ESQ-1 in the 80's, and got some good mileage out of it.   I remember the nice warm sound (which I assume had a lot to do with the filter).

One memory I have is sequencing David Sanborn's '87 hit Chicago Song on it.  That song was big in '87.  I sequenced a version of it on ESQ-1, minus saxophone, and it was good.  I wrote a sax chart for it, and tried to get people to play it on gigs.  A really good player I know, a Sanborn fan, commented how good the ESQ-1 sounded.

It wasn't the easiest sequencer to use.  That was early days for sequencers.   As I recall, I had to break the song up into 4 and/or 8 bar chunks, then string them together - I can't remember the details, just that it was labour-intensive. 

I never had reliability issues, but then again, I carried it in a decent hard case, and it was local gigging.  I think I had it for a couple of years.

 

[David Emm]

I just recalled the great mileage I got from some Three Stooges and Tonight Show sounds on an FX disk. Some would see it as weak sauce now, but back then, ending a piece with some Stooge chuckles was a winner. 🤪

[jerrythek]

6 hours ago, tapes said:

You sure? I’m talking about the ”L.A. Riot” series, volumes 1 & 2. There are definitely some patches/folders under his name. 

1) That was not a Signature Series release, done by a third party (Chronic Interactive if I recall)

 

2) He was name checked, not involved…

[jerrythek]

4 hours ago, SteveCoscia said:

Just saw this post - I've been away for two weeks.

 

Glad to see so many positive remarks and I understand why some folks felt otherwise about Ensoniq products. Thanks to the musicians who bought our products and put their trust in us.  Customers were Ensoniq's highest priority.  

 

I started with Ensoniq in October 1984, about three months prior to the first Mirage shipments.  It was an interesting ride and I learned much about management, operations and customer trends.  Ensoniq's best feature was the company culture - employees were urged to do the right thing.  Many people who worked at Ensoniq still say it was the best job they ever had. 

 

I was the 16th employee; those early days were long and productive.  We worked 6 days a week often and sometimes came back to the office late at night after eating dinner at home.  It felt great to be part of a high-tech startup.  We were on a mission to disrupt the industry and make sampling affordable.

 

Here's an old photo from December 1984.  L to R - Robin Weber, myself and Dan Garrett. 

 

The Mirage’s guts are featured - Dan is pointing to the Q-Chip.  We were three young and optimistic managers who believed great things were about to happen. 

 

 

Great pic! You were one of the great things about the company, my friend. 

[scoopicman]

Here are my Ensoniqs.  The DP/4 is still amazing!  I used the heck out of it, especially during the 90's.

 

[My Keys And Me Are Vintage]

16 hours ago, SteveCoscia said:

Just saw this post - I've been away for two weeks.

 

Glad to see so many positive remarks and I understand why some folks felt otherwise about Ensoniq products. Thanks to the musicians who bought our products and put their trust in us.  Customers were Ensoniq's highest priority.  

 

I started with Ensoniq in October 1984, about three months prior to the first Mirage shipments.  It was an interesting ride and I learned much about management, operations and customer trends.  Ensoniq's best feature was the company culture - employees were urged to do the right thing.  Many people who worked at Ensoniq still say it was the best job they ever had. 

 

I was the 16th employee; those early days were long and productive.  We worked 6 days a week often and sometimes came back to the office late at night after eating dinner at home.  It felt great to be part of a high-tech startup.  We were on a mission to disrupt the industry and make sampling affordable.

 

Here's an old photo from December 1984.  L to R - Robin Weber, myself and Dan Garrett. 

 

The Mirage’s guts are featured - Dan is pointing to the Q-Chip.  We were three young and optimistic managers who believed great things were about to happen. 

 

 

Must have been a fun time to be working in that company, so much potential for Ensoniq. I had just bought my first synth, a Korg Poly 800, around that time! Oh, how I remember the managers wearing those suit vests in the 80’s! And those ties! It was still years before the Jerry Garcia ties come out and all we had were crappy ones until then! I look around at my modern office and not even a tie to be seen! 

[J.F.N.]

Working in a synth/keyboard store in the 90's in parallel with my musicianship, I remember the Ensoniq machines as very musical, several of our pro player customers were using the KS, TS, KT, and MR machines if I remember the "names" correct, I recall the TS and the MR, including the MR Rack, being very popular. Soundwise they were ime always more "raw", ie. not so polished, and kind of the same raw I feel we have in Kurzweil's machines as well, we used to call it "American" vs. "Japanese" style comparing the three big ones with Ensoniq and Kurzweil..

 

[SteveCoscia]

On 6/11/2024 at 11:49 AM, My Keys And Me Are Vintage said:

Must have been a fun time to be working in that company, so much potential for Ensoniq. I had just bought my first synth, a Korg Poly 800, around that time! 

 

Yes it was a fun time with boatloads of potential.  I moved from NY to PA and was thrust into a whole new life, professionally and personally.  Unicord (pre-KORG USA) was where I previously worked and the Poly 800 was a major home run.  Keyboard technology advanced quickly in the early 1980s.  Many good memories.

[wineandkeyz]

On a recent band road trip I pulled up the Dixie Dregs' "Bring it Back Alive" album. As I recall, T Lavitz used a ton of Ensoniq gear for that album, but I haven't been able to find a list anywhere.

 

(Tip: For non-city dwellers, "Assembly Line" isn't the most calming music to listen to while negotiating DMV traffic.)

 

As for me, I have owned an SPM-1 Sampled Piano Module, an ESQ-M, an E-Prime, and a ZR-76. I wish I still had them all (except for the SPM-1, which had limited polyphony for its purpose).

[JoJoB3]

Speaking of this awesome company I've recently uploaded an Ensoniq SQ80 Sereis playlist to my channel showing editing basics via their speedy UI (everything 1 or 2 button presses or data slider away) plus it's basic but so very fun onboard sequencer.

**Dripping in Meris? You bet.** (that company's awesome too).
 

 

[Jim Alfredson]

I've been on the hunt for a writeable cartridge for the SQ80 but unfortunately the vintage ones are getting very expensive. I just found this DIY solution. I'm hoping they get more stock soon.

https://www.tindie.com/products/zensynth/oshdiy-ensoniq-esq-1sq-80-eeprom-cartridge/

 

I also found this one on eBay, a 16 in 1 cartrdige, which appears to be what @JoJoB3 is using: https://www.ebay.com/itm/145448468550

And finally there's this one, which is a 64 in 1. It's kind of expensive but pretty amazing you access 64 banks in one cartridge. https://www.ebay.com/itm/296297872787

[JoJoB3]

6 hours ago, Jim Alfredson said:

I've been on the hunt for a writeable cartridge for the SQ80 but unfortunately the vintage ones are getting very expensive. I just found this DIY solution. I'm hoping they get more stock soon.

https://www.tindie.com/products/zensynth/oshdiy-ensoniq-esq-1sq-80-eeprom-cartridge/

 

I also found this one on eBay, a 16 in 1 cartrdige, which appears to be what @JoJoB3 is using: https://www.ebay.com/itm/145448468550

And finally there's this one, which is a 64 in 1. It's kind of expensive but pretty amazing you access 64 banks in one cartridge. https://www.ebay.com/itm/296297872787

Yes, have that same 16 in 1  (ebay). Mighty nifty and swift for an old 80's board.  I bet you'll make an even more capable DIY.

They should work the same on the ESQ1 btw
 

 

[SteveCoscia]

15 hours ago, JoJoB3 said:

Yes, have that same 16 in 1  (ebay). Mighty nifty and swift for an old 80's board.  I bet you'll make an even more capable DIY.

They should work the same on the ESQ1 btw
 

 

 

Hey @JoJoB3 - this sounds real good. Nice warm ambiance. 

 

The ESQ-1 is a powerful synth for its time - Ensoniq sold a boatload.  The ESQ-1's inception happened after the Mirage's market disruption. Sampling became more mainstream thanks to the Mirage's affordability and Ensoniq sensed that the three overseas keyboard competitors would shift their R & D towards new samplers.  While they were busy developing new samplers, Ensoniq developed a killer synth/workstation.  The ESQ-1 was S/W intensive and numerous OS EPROM versions were issued. It was hard to keep with all the revisions.  I think we finally settled on OS 3.5 or thereabouts.

 

[My Keys And Me Are Vintage]

Ensoniq not only released frequent firmware updates to address bugs, they added many new features each time! It was like getting a gift each time the new chips were dropped in their socket! 

[YashN]

Does anyone know the lowdown on FIZMO? I read on GS that this was going to be Ensoniq's Physical Modeling synth, hence the 'Fiz Mo', but as this engine wasn't ready before launch, they integrated the Transwaves engine instead.

 

What are the main differences between FIZMO and older Ensoniq Transwaves synths like the TS-10 and similar?

[Doerfler]

found this photo, 1988 or 1989, I'm playing an Ensoniq EPS on an Ultimate Apex stand. I know, right? 

 

[AUSSIEKEYS]

1 hour ago, Doerfler said:

found this photo, 1988 or 1989, I'm playing an Ensoniq EPS on an Ultimate Apex stand. I know, right? 

 

 

Man love it. And am equally impressed you spent your savings on that keyboard while neglecting to waste money on nice pants. Thats dedication right there.

[RABid]

I had the MR-76 with 2 ROM expansions. Loved that keyboard, until it started sporadically changing patches as I played. Found floor units in two different stores that would do the same thing. Turned out to be a problem with the jog wheel. Got rid of it and acquired the MR Rack. To me it was the best sounding ROMpler of that time.

[Tom Brislin]

I had the original VFX, and eventually the TS-12, which I still have. It works but the keys have gotten awfully squeaky over time. Still love it and managed to sneak in a few orchestra hits on the latest Kansas album for fun. The effects engines on both VFX and TS had sounds that I have yet to reproduce on other gear. The patch-select buttons (routed to a double footpedal) enabled me to quickly access different tones within one preset, and gig with it as my only board back in the 90s. My bandmates didn't love helping me schlep it around, though (they called it the "Star Destroyer"). It was a heavy beast!

[wjwilcox]

I still have my SD1 that I bought used in 1995.  It is showing it's age and has an aftertouch issue, but still sounds unique.  I got a lot of mileage out of it's marvelous sequencer.

[Dave Weiser]

My first love - an ESQ1 that I got in 9th grade, in 1987! That's where I learned the basics of synthesis - the ESQ1 front panel. Later, I gigged in the 90s with a KT76, which couldn't be beat for sounds/price/feel. And I co-owned a studio that had a DP4 and EPS16+. All were amazing products, very well designed and very robust. 

 

I grew up in PA, not far from their HQ. My dad was a music teacher and he and his colleagues thought of Ensoniq as the hometown team. Wish they were still around. Much respect to their team.

[JoJoB3]

3 hours ago, Dave Weiser said:

My first love - an ESQ1 that I got in 9th grade, in 1987! That's where I learned the basics of synthesis - the ESQ1 front panel. Later, I gigged in the 90s with a KT76, which couldn't be beat for sounds/price/feel. And I co-owned a studio that had a DP4 and EPS16+. All were amazing products, very well designed and very robust. 

 

I grew up in PA, not far from their HQ. My dad was a music teacher and he and his colleagues thought of Ensoniq as the hometown team. Wish they were still around. Much respect to their team.

 

Memories. I remember the day I got an EPS 16+ (sampler) for xmas when I was a lil shaver.  Still going strong btw.

 

After some time experiencing their unique design, UI, and overall and neverending fun factor my Ensoniq fanaticism was locked. Had to SQ80 and ESQ1 later

[JoJoB3]

BTW: to any owners of, a helpful tip in regard to random freezes/crashing with SCSI drives with the EPS 16+ (ME-16 orig scsi add-on, not the GoTek stuff, etc).

When everything is connected, booting the EPS 16+ via the floppy disk (latest O.S.) and then working with scsi drives (SyQuests here) solved things.
For some reason booting the O.S. from a SCSI drive caused this frustrating issue.

I had originally thought it power supply/heat related. Nope. A deep-dive in forum archives produced this teeny tiny reply from a user in a thread.
I said wth, let's give it a shot. BAMM, steady going.

I do not know if this applies to the earlier EPS model.

[niacin]

On 7/1/2024 at 2:50 AM, Jim Alfredson said:

I've been on the hunt for a writeable cartridge for the SQ80 but unfortunately the vintage ones are getting very expensive. I just found this DIY solution. I'm hoping they get more stock soon.

https://www.tindie.com/products/zensynth/oshdiy-ensoniq-esq-1sq-80-eeprom-cartridge/

 

I also found this one on eBay, a 16 in 1 cartrdige, which appears to be what @JoJoB3 is using: https://www.ebay.com/itm/145448468550

And finally there's this one, which is a 64 in 1. It's kind of expensive but pretty amazing you access 64 banks in one cartridge. https://www.ebay.com/itm/296297872787

 

My first pro synth was an Ensoniq KS-32, later replaced with an MR-rack and a Fatar controller.  In a recent bout of nostalgia I picked up not one but two SD1s.  Gigged with one of them on the weekend.  Damn it sounds good.  Has a presence in a live mix that I haven't found in other companies' boards.  And the effects are as good as anything out there.  Ordered one of the 64-in-1 cartridges and it arrived today.  Happy days.

[Jim Alfredson]

9 hours ago, niacin said:

 

My first pro synth was an Ensoniq KS-32, later replaced with an MR-rack and a Fatar controller.  In a recent bout of nostalgia I picked up not one but two SD1s.  Gigged with one of them on the weekend.  Damn it sounds good.  Has a presence in a live mix that I haven't found in other companies' boards.  And the effects are as good as anything out there.  Ordered one of the 64-in-1 cartridges and it arrived today.  Happy days.

Bringin' sexy back!

[Tom Williams]

Uli, are you paying attention? 🙂 

[TommyBoy]

Cool stuff.  My Senior Project in Engineering was creating a MIDI interface between my Commodore Amiga 500 and Ensoniq Mirage. I ended up getting an A on the project mainly because during my demonstration the audience of engineers was fascinated by the sounds coming out of the Mirage! Showmanship vs Competence LOL.

 

I loved that keyboard. The amount of hours I spent sampling EVERYTHING into it was some of the most organic fun I've ever had musically.  I think that was around 1989, 1990?

 

I still have a floppy that I stored a bunch of my creations on. I wonder if I'll ever get to hear them again.

[YashN]

4 minutes ago, TommyBoy said:

Cool stuff.  My Senior Project in Engineering was creating a MIDI interface between my Commodore Amiga 500 and Ensoniq Mirage.

I loved that keyboard. The amount of hours I spent sampling EVERYTHING into it was some of the most organic fun I've ever had musically.  I think that was around 1989, 1990?

 

I loved Music-X on the A500, also used trackers like OctaMED.

 

I might have spent more time playing Kick Off 2 on it though 😆

[TommyBoy]

3 minutes ago, YashN said:

 

I loved Music-X on the A500, also used trackers like OctaMED.

 

I might have spent more time playing Kick Off 2 on it though 😆

 

For the life of me I cannot recall which DAW I used for my demo. I've thought about it previously, and can't come up with a name.  Neither of the two you mentioned ring a bell.  It was probably something extremely simplistic.