what I loved about my old ESQ-1 was the sequencer and finely timing sounds so I could almost do the equivalent of Trig/Sound Locks back in the day - and you are right - ASM Hydrasynth mod matrix reminded me immediately of the ESQ-1. I did 2 whole 'albums' worth of tunes using the ESQ-1 in almost realtime recording to a TEAC Portastudio.
That piano at 3:05 sounds quite ropey in the lower octaves, but it's iconic (albeit unrealistic) when played higher. The SQ-80 piano was a key sound of late '80s and early '90s house music for producers that didn't have an M1. Among other seminal house tracks, it was the main sound on records by Jimi Polo and K-Klass, but it's most famous because of Adamski's 'Killer' from 1990. (The unforgettable 'Killer' bassline was created on an Ensoniq keyboard). In fact, Adamski's debut album was entirely made with just an SQ-80 and a TR-909.
I had one of these in the 90s. After listening to it in this video I think I'll sell a thing or two and pick one up again. These mid-late 80s synths are incredible!
I found one of these at a Value Village for $19.99 CAD during the pandemic. I've owned synths before, most notably a DW8000. I didnt know what this one was, but I knew it was gonna be cool as hell, especially for $20! Man my heart was pounding.
Thanks 4 your vid and tips. Just finished refurbishing mine. Had to replace battery, replace all tact switches, cleaned sliders, cleaned all keys and the buss bars, and re-seated all the ICs that had sockets. Absolutely love it !
Hi There, I just picked up an SQ80 at an estate sale. I had gone there to grab the TEAC 80-8 reel to reel. It was in mint shape. So I walked around and saw a couple of keyboards. I remembered the SQ80 from the ad and had looked it up as a sought after keyboard synth. I have a Roland Synth/Midi / Rhodes / and Baby Grand in my studio here. I am a guitar player, but my keyboard player is coming over to play this new addition. You, like most others, have said the SQ80 is a great synth. So we hope to enjoy it in our jams here and maybe utilize it for some recording. I did learn some from your video. So thanks for putting this out there.
Loved it! any chance you can share those racks you made for the ESQ-1? Never thought i could have this sort of workflow and I have a ESQ 1 myself. thank for uploading
That's a great walkthrough, Luke. I used to own an SQ-1 and then a TS-12 back in the day. Really loved the sound of those Ensoniq synths even though I sadly wasn't terribly great at programming them. Speaking of the ESQ-1, do you happen to know if Per Gessle of Roxette used some of the standard ESQ-1 sounds for "The Look"? He's stated that he wrote the song while teaching himself to program his new synth but I haven't seen anything more detailed about the sounds that was used.
@@synthseeker Its a CZ3000 with an 8 track sequencer. There seems to be a bit of a debate about which came first as in a synth with an 8 track sequencer. :)
Interestingly Glen Darcy said that the Hydrasynth edit buttons were inspired by the Oberheim Matrix expander, which surprised me since it reminded me of the ESQ-1 as well. The button layout for the ESQ-1 was inspired by the Minimoog. Good video!
Hi SS, not sure if you still have the ESQ1, but do you remember the base patch you used for your Harpello (your patch 33)? It sounds awesome to me and I'm looking for something similar on my ESQ1.
Hey SS! Im Doug. a new owner of an ESQ 1, it has sftwre 3.5 on it. The first day I hooked MIDI in/out to it to control from Ableton, the board went haywire and started throwing error codes... Any advice on settings or how I can get my ESQ connected to Ableton for similar processing and control?
That’s pretty standard behavior for an Esq. it was very early days of midi and they guys at Ensoniq didn’t foresee somebody turning 3 knobs at the same time to control parameters, so the Esq will crash the os when you do that. If you handle one parameter at a time you should be ok
@@synthseeker I just want to try out a hybrid synth and want one which can produce warm, lush pads, dark tones. Yeah, SQ-80 is hard to find, I've checked it already.
The ESQ-1 changed my life back in 1987. The built in Sequencer deserves the nobel prize and made me create real songs. The sounds? well... not that great
Only digital synths are parameter based in the way I meant that statement, and additionally I should probably have clarified that the ESQ-1 parameters are only scanned on note events, unlike most other synths where they are continuously scanned. :) when you’re holding down a note, and you tweak the filter parameter you will hear no changes until you retrigger the note.
@@synthseeker ok. That makes sense. The ESQ-1 was my first “real” synth. Bought it twice in fact. 1st time back in the 80s because of the of the 8 track sequencer-big deal before DAWs. And the second time for nostalgia☺️. It has a unique and distinct sound for sure.
what I loved about my old ESQ-1 was the sequencer and finely timing sounds so I could almost do the equivalent of Trig/Sound Locks back in the day - and you are right - ASM Hydrasynth mod matrix reminded me immediately of the ESQ-1. I did 2 whole 'albums' worth of tunes using the ESQ-1 in almost realtime recording to a TEAC Portastudio.
Very cool…I love the darn thing.
+1!
Let’s hear them.
That piano at 3:05 sounds quite ropey in the lower octaves, but it's iconic (albeit unrealistic) when played higher. The SQ-80 piano was a key sound of late '80s and early '90s house music for producers that didn't have an M1. Among other seminal house tracks, it was the main sound on records by Jimi Polo and K-Klass, but it's most famous because of Adamski's 'Killer' from 1990. (The unforgettable 'Killer' bassline was created on an Ensoniq keyboard). In fact, Adamski's debut album was entirely made with just an SQ-80 and a TR-909.
All tools are valid and we certainly have an abundance of amazing gear available both old and new. Thanks for sharing!
I had one of these in the 90s. After listening to it in this video I think I'll sell a thing or two and pick one up again. These mid-late 80s synths are incredible!
Arturia makes a very nice virtual SQ-80 if you want something that won’t break over time. ;) but I understand the allure of hardware.
"It has no knobs, but it got balls!". And oh boy did you catch ASM there. Great sounds man.
Just an observation, it could be derivative of something else. :)
I found one of these at a Value Village for $19.99 CAD during the pandemic. I've owned synths before, most notably a DW8000. I didnt know what this one was, but I knew it was gonna be cool as hell, especially for $20! Man my heart was pounding.
Huge score! Way to go!
That's awesome! Congrats on owning a piece of history in addition to a useful instrument.
My limited experience with Ensoniq is that they had some amazing sounds for the time. I really enjoyed this walkthrough and demo. Thanks for sharing!!
Happy to share. A good ESQ-1 or SQ-80 (it’s younger sibling) is a great find!
Thanks 4 your vid and tips.
Just finished refurbishing mine. Had to replace battery, replace all tact switches, cleaned sliders, cleaned all keys and the buss bars, and re-seated all the ICs that had sockets. Absolutely love it !
It’s a great synth especially after applying modern fx. :)
Hi There, I just picked up an SQ80 at an estate sale. I had gone there to grab the TEAC 80-8 reel to reel. It was in mint shape. So I walked around and saw a couple of keyboards. I remembered the SQ80 from the ad and had looked it up as a sought after keyboard synth. I have a Roland Synth/Midi / Rhodes / and Baby Grand in my studio here. I am a guitar player, but my keyboard player is coming over to play this new addition. You, like most others, have said the SQ80 is a great synth. So we hope to enjoy it in our jams here and maybe utilize it for some recording. I did learn some from your video. So thanks for putting this out there.
Hey good on you man! You’ll probably want to run it through a modern FX pedal or two but it should be great! Have fun!
I loved this Synth in the 90s( I used to have the Sq1 Plus)Totally Underated. Greetings from Argentina
Greetings from Boston! It’s nice to meet another ESQ-1 person!
I have heard of the ESQ-1... I agree, it does quite good... Much better than I thought 🙂
I didn’t really scratch the surface. Ensoniq made great products. They also designed their own chips on many of their synths!
If you would rather have this as a VST, or just want to explore programming a parameter-based synth, check out raw SQ-80 V from Arturia. :)
Thanks for this tip. Adding to my jammy-do-list
Sho’nuff.
Loved it! any chance you can share those racks you made for the ESQ-1? Never thought i could have this sort of workflow and I have a ESQ 1 myself. thank for uploading
Unfortunately, they all use third-party plug-ins, but they’re easy to build. Just read the chapter in the Live manual on effect racks.
That's a great walkthrough, Luke. I used to own an SQ-1 and then a TS-12 back in the day. Really loved the sound of those Ensoniq synths even though I sadly wasn't terribly great at programming them. Speaking of the ESQ-1, do you happen to know if Per Gessle of Roxette used some of the standard ESQ-1 sounds for "The Look"? He's stated that he wrote the song while teaching himself to program his new synth but I haven't seen anything more detailed about the sounds that was used.
I have no insight into their sound design but I do love that track. :)
I love my ESQ1. I partnered it with a Casio CZ5000 too. Looking forward to connecting them to Live as well :)
I’ll have to go look up the CZ, I’m not familiar with the 5000.
@@synthseeker Its a CZ3000 with an 8 track sequencer. There seems to be a bit of a debate about which came first as in a synth with an 8 track sequencer. :)
ESQ1 is featured in Adamski's 'Killer' video
Certainly sounds like it could be. :)
Interestingly Glen Darcy said that the Hydrasynth edit buttons were inspired by the Oberheim Matrix expander, which surprised me since it reminded me of the ESQ-1 as well. The button layout for the ESQ-1 was inspired by the Minimoog. Good video!
Thanks! I don’t think the layout buttons match the Moog but the three Osc model certainly does! :)
It sounds so much better when you play it. 😀
TWO sliders. Why would anyone ever need more than two sliders?
I enjoyed icyorg a lot. Anabras too. And Mini M.
I never touched the DCA/OSC buttons at the time because I never understood what they did (I do now).
Also funny that you bypassed the 8 track sequencer on it. But I understand why. By today's standards, that sequencer is a little...baroque.
Thpfpfpfpft!
Hi SS, not sure if you still have the ESQ1, but do you remember the base patch you used for your Harpello (your patch 33)? It sounds awesome to me and I'm looking for something similar on my ESQ1.
The ESQ one is in storage at this time, so I can’t really dig it up, but if you remind me in July, I’ll try to recall where it was. Sorry!
Hey SS! Im Doug. a new owner of an ESQ 1, it has sftwre 3.5 on it. The first day I hooked MIDI in/out to it to control from Ableton, the board went haywire and started throwing error codes... Any advice on settings or how I can get my ESQ connected to Ableton for similar processing and control?
Depends on what the error codes are. Do you need copies of the old reference manuals? I’ve got pdfs floating around somewhere.
That’s pretty standard behavior for an Esq. it was very early days of midi and they guys at Ensoniq didn’t foresee somebody turning 3 knobs at the same time to control parameters, so the Esq will crash the os when you do that. If you handle one parameter at a time you should be ok
Thanks for clarifying! I hadn't considered that!
Hi Luke HNY !! I just bought mine yesterday, and know nothing about how to use it, it needs a battery, how difficult is it to do ? Thanks
It was easy with the right tools. Here’s a link to the howto guide I used. th-cam.com/video/JSvE2r57pGo/w-d-xo.htmlsi=7ajvBjT7I3ozVqMH
Nice! This one or Korg DW 8000? Can't decide.
Do you want to gritty 80's digital sounds? ESQ-1 (or SQ-80 if you can find a deal on one.)
@@synthseeker I just want to try out a hybrid synth and want one which can produce warm, lush pads, dark tones. Yeah, SQ-80 is hard to find, I've checked it already.
LO STRUMENTO DI HORUS ENSONIQ TUTTE PIETRE MILIARI X CHI SUONA LIVE
I am a fan. :-)
The ESQ-1 changed my life back in 1987. The built in Sequencer deserves the nobel prize and made me create real songs. The sounds? well... not that great
I think the sounds are great with a little external process luvin’!
How you gonna talk about how weird the lfo at zero is and not even demonstrate it? Wtf man. Now i gotta try and figure out what you mean on mine lol
Sorry! It’s an exercise for the observer! ;)
Aren’t all synths parameter-based? Weird way to say the opposite of “knob per function”.
Only digital synths are parameter based in the way I meant that statement, and additionally I should probably have clarified that the ESQ-1 parameters are only scanned on note events, unlike most other synths where they are continuously scanned. :) when you’re holding down a note, and you tweak the filter parameter you will hear no changes until you retrigger the note.
@@synthseeker ok. That makes sense. The ESQ-1 was my first “real” synth. Bought it twice in fact. 1st time back in the 80s because of the of the 8 track sequencer-big deal before DAWs. And the second time for nostalgia☺️. It has a unique and distinct sound for sure.
I'm a big fan too. :) @@WrvrUgoThrUR
Omg that ableton filter resonance sounds horrible, reminds me why I never touch any digital filters
OMG you’re right! The sound demonstration using it causes ears to bleed!🩸
@@synthseeker 👍😂