The Ensoniq SQ-80 is a digital/analog
synthesizer
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
manufactured from 1987 to 1989. It was
Ensoniq
Ensoniq Corp. was an American electronics manufacturer, best known throughout the mid-1980s and 1990s for its musical instruments, principally Sampler (musical instrument), samplers and synthesizers.
Company history
In spring 1983, former MO ...
's update to its first synth, the
Ensoniq ESQ-1
Ensoniq ESQ-1 is a 61-key, velocity sensitive, eight-note polyphony (instrument), polyphonic and multitimbral synthesizer released by Ensoniq in 1985. It was marketed as a "digital wave synthesizer" but was an early Music Workstation. Although it ...
.
Compared to the ESQ-1, the SQ-80 includes 43 additional
waveform
In electronics, acoustics, and related fields, the waveform of a signal is the shape of its graph as a function of time, independent of its time and magnitude scales and of any displacement in time.David Crecraft, David Gorham, ''Electronic ...
s (including five drumkits), an enhanced sequencer, and a
floppy disk drive
A floppy disk or floppy diskette (casually referred to as a floppy, or a diskette) is an obsolescent type of disk storage composed of a thin and flexible disk of a magnetic storage medium in a square or nearly square plastic enclosure lined w ...
for storing patches and sequences. Synthesis-wise, the SQ-80 introduced the so-called ''2nd Release'', a low-cost solution to simulate
reverb
Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abso ...
-like effects. In contrast to the ESQ-1, the SQ-80 not only offers
MIDI
MIDI (; Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a technical standard that describes a communications protocol, digital interface, and electrical connectors that connect a wide variety of electronic musical instruments, computers, and re ...
in and out, but also MIDI thru jacks.
The SQ-80 was the first Ensoniq product to feature their patented ''Polypressure Keyboard'' technology. Unlike the ESQ-1 and
Mirage
A mirage is a naturally-occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays bend via refraction to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French ''(se) mirer'', from the Latin ''mirari'', meanin ...
, the SQ-80's keyboard offers channel pressure and polyphonic pressure (
aftertouch
Keyboard expression is the ability of a keyboard instrument, keyboard musical instrument to change tone or other qualities of the sound in response to velocity, pressure or other variations in how the performer depresses the keys of the musical k ...
) as well as programmable hardness (velocity). Since the keyboard does not use mechanical sensors for detecting velocity and pressure, it is immune to contact problems (which ESQ-1 and Mirage suffered from) and pressure sensor wear-out (like conventional keyboards).
Because of the hardware similarities, the SQ-80's
operating system
An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common services for computer programs.
Time-sharing operating systems schedule tasks for efficient use of the system and may also in ...
was later back-ported to the ESQ-1 to become the latest ESQ-1 OS Version 3.5, which is almost identical to SQ-80 OS 1.8 apart from the hardware-specific features (additional waveforms, floppy routines, and keyboard control).
This machine also features the same interface as its predecessor (ESQ-1) at a time when other synthesizers were getting harder and harder to program due to their frustrating obscure menu navigation systems. On the SQ-80 and ESQ-1, a large fluorescent display consisting of two rows of 40 alpha-numeric characters shows many parameters at once for a given section, and buttons placed over and under it give instant access to each one.
Notable users
*Chucho Pinto y sus Kassino 1988 -1997 ( "En la fiesta más grande del mundo" ) Puebla México in live edition 1997.
*
Adamski
Adam Paul Tinley (born 4 December 1967), known professionally as Adamski, as well as Sonny Eriksson, is an English DJ, musician, singer and record producer, prominent at the time of acid house for his tracks " N-R-G" and "Killer", a collaborati ...
– 1989–1991 recording sessions ("
Killer
A killer is someone or something that kills, such as a murderer or a serial killer.
Killer may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
* Killer (''Home and Away''), a character from ''Home and Away''
* Killer Kane, ...
" single) all tracks on ''Live & Direct'' (album)
*Louis Panzer -
Nocturnus
Nocturnus, currently Nocturnus AD, is an American death metal band formed in Tampa, Florida, in 1987 by the drummer/vocalist Mike Browning (formerly of Morbid Angel). They were known for their science-fiction themed lyrics and use of keyboards, ...
*
Mr. Bungle
Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout their career, the band is best known for music created during their most experimental era. During this time, ...
- Mr. Bungle (1991)
*
NTRSN - Hardlines (album)
*
Wintersun Project – All productions from 2005 onwards
References
;Bibliography
*
*
Further reading
*
External links
Rainer Buchty's Ensoniq Heaven (support community), including a VST emulator of the machineESQ/SQ-80 Resource Page - Step-by-step sound design specifically for the ESQ-1 and SQ-80 series
Music workstations
SQ-80
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