For a wavetable synth it's truly amazing that this thing was able to replicate a Roland jupiter 8 and an Oberheim with the possibility to have a big D 50 or korg wavestation pad. Ensoniq know how to build big sound with less ressource than other digital synth.
I keep thinking about how Ensoniq had been labeled as of 2000 as a success story among American synthesizer builders. For some reason, the backlash against the Fizmo hadn’t had its full impact. Didn’t they wind up folding early that decade?
I'm so glad to see you posting videos again ❤ Your work is absolutely fascinating, it inspires me, takes me on a journey and reassures me by telling me that other people have this passion for this musical genre ! 🔥
Eaglechild...soft melodies that bring feelings and reflections...every note played build a peacefull and sweet atmosphere...very good taste...congratulations...👍👍👍
I bought the Arturia SQ 80 V to find some new inspiration just a few days ago. As I've seen you comment on my videos a few times, I thought to return the favour. Very nice video here! I found almost all the presets after careful looking through the ultimate patch collection. Wierdly enough, even though the presets are almost spot on on the Artuia VST, I found some strange behaviour one some of the patches when playing them. I added a bit of effects to come closer to how it sounds on your SQ-80, but even thought I put the VST to have 16 voices, some sounds "clip" if you get what I mean. It doesn't appear to do that when you play on your SQ-80 which makes me a bit envious. The "Layers" sound behaves like that, for example. Could it be some setting that I'm not aware about perhaps? Anyway, again, great video showcasing this nice synth, and really nice playing!
Hey Lukas! Glad to see you here, and thank you so much for your kind words! ;-) I'm not entirely sure about the technical issues you're experiencing, but it's great to hear that you've found a potential solution with the "Reassign" setting. I recently sold my Ensoniq SQ-80 to make some space in my studio, but I still have my Ensoniq SD-1, which I cherish. Regarding the effects, if I remember correctly, I used the RC-20 Retro Color plugin, which might explain some of the differences between your VST and my setup. Hearing about your experience with the VST has actually made me quite interested in trying it out myself now that I no longer have the SQ-80! Cheers! ;-)
@@eaglechildkeys Yeah, according to Vulture Culture (among others here on RU-vid) the VST comes very close to the real deal. I think it's a tad bit expensive though for what you get. I think Diva is a better VST and it's cheaper, but that's a totally different synth, so maybe you shouldn't compare them. Anyway, I thought to maybe do a video of the VST one of these days with your sounds, or my emulation of them, and some of the other presets I've tweaked. We'll see. I think though that I'm probably not allowed to share my slightly altered versions of the presets that comes with the VST. I'm sure they are copyrighted, so maybe I'll share them in the format that SQ-80 V uses in that case. That way, you need the VST to use them. I don't know...Or maybe I'll just do a video with me fiddling with the sounds a bit and not share anything this time around, but I'm sure people will complain then...
@@roboticrealm I'm looking forward to seeing your demo Lukas ;-) I love hearing your chord progressions and your unique '80s style. Your patches are amazing, and you should really consider putting a price on them because there are very few people with such talent and taste for programming great sounds. You do excellent work man...
That Ensoniq sounds like a synth stack of analog, FM, Wavetable and a sampler MIDIed together and mixed with a rack of effects :P Great renditions of Dare and Bad English!
Hey Chris, I just bought an SQ-80, thanks in part to this video! Terrific sounds, as always. Is there any chance you could make these patches available for download or purchase?
@@erik_gerhard Hey Erik! Thank you! Unfortunately, I recently had to sell my synthesizer, and some of the patches I used are no longer available. However, I have used several patches from the collection you can find at this link (not sure if there is the Van Halen) Hope it helps! gearspace.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/1207777-ensoniq-esq-1-sq-80-ultimate-patch-collection.html
@@eaglechildkeys Ah thank you man, you're the best! I just bought a patchbank-should have come to you first! This patch collection is a lifesaver. Sorry to hear you had to sell this gem. It really reminds me of the Oberheim Matrix 6, my bucket-list synth. 😁 The filter can get real aggressive, but with the cutoff turned down just a touch? 😚👌
I’ve got a question, Eaglechild. Did you create those opening sounds? Somehow, I can’t wrap my head around the SQ-80 generating those sounds as it is s starting up.
Thank you! Some of the sounds are from here: gearspace.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/1207777-ensoniq-esq-1-sq-80-ultimate-patch-collection.html About the effects I used a simply chorus that comes with Bitwig studio and the Reverb is the VST RC-20 Retro color from XLN Audio ;-)
Hi there. Not sure, because I don't have the Arturia VST. However I think this sound it's only a Piano waveform with a bit of chorus effect, you can recreate something similar ;-)
HEY, I JUST FOUND YOUR VIDEO HERE AND WANTED TO CHECK OUT THIS SYNTH. I DIDNT LIKE IT, BUT I DID ENJOY YOUR PLAYING, AND I WANTED TO KNOW IF YOU MIGHT LIVE IN OR AROUND THE NY AREA? AND IF SO, IF YOU MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN TALKING MORE ABOUT POSSIBLY RECORDING 3 FULL NEW ALBUMS OF 80s ORIGINAL DANCE/ROCK MUSIC WITH ME? ( ONE ALBUM AT A TIME OF COURSE ) AND SOME OTHER OPPORTUNITIES TOO. LET ME KNOW. THANK YOU~
Hi! Thank you so much for your kind words ! I appreciate your interest. I currently live in Japan, so I’m not based in the NY area. Feel free to contact me via email ;-) Cheers! Best.
@@eaglechildkeys Hi! Konichiwa! : ) Well, i was hoping for an in person band member. I know people are working together through the internet these days,
@@eaglechildkeys But i know working on music together and playing together in person is always best! So that is what im looking for. Arragato anyway....
Hey there! Most of the patches are from here : gearspace.com/board/electronic-music-instruments-and-electronic-music-production/1207777-ensoniq-esq-1-sq-80-ultimate-patch-collection.html Others are a bit modified from me. I’m working in a custom soundbank :-)
I had one to it broke started having bad midi problems, and the battery gets warm and literally burns your hands, and the synth froze so bad that you couldn't even reset it too.
That's a pretty common issue, although it used to happen more frequently with the VFX. On my SQ80, if I leave no keys pressed during calibration, it doesn't show any error, but if I do, it does.
@@eaglechildkeys No keys are pressed when I turn it on, so I'm not sure what to do. I tried to turn my VFX on the other and it wouldnt power on.. I hope it's just a blown fuse!
@@anonymous_friend Check out this link. I'm not entirely sure if the connections are the same as in the VFX, but they probably are. You'll need to solder the board underneath the keys. It's a bit tedious, but if you have the time, do it because it will guarantee a 100% fix for the issue.
These are the most interesting sounds you could find? The only one which was remotely cool was "Ahhs". I've got an ESQ-1 and it has many very cool patches, even the factory programs are awesome. Since the SQ-80 was released later, I would think there would be even better sounds. Oh well. Ensoniq was a truly great synth company.
The SQ-80 is essentially the ESQ1 but with additional waveforms, if I’m not mistaken. Exploring other Ensoniq models such as the VFX, SD, or TS Series could provide a wider range of sounds (including atmospheric pads, etc.) I’ve also created some demos if you’re interested in checking them out. Cheers!
