ENSONIQ SQ-R
Related Models
SQ-80
Ensoniq SQ-80 is the expanded version of the digital-analog hybrid synthesizer ESQ-1.
It uses the different synthesis engine, and it's not directly related to the SQ-1/2/R series.
But as SQ-80 uses PCM samples and was released only 1 year before VFX,
the waveforms of SQ-80 and that of VFX / SQ-R give similar impression.
Ensoniq SQ-80 (1988)
VFX
Ensoniq VFX is their first fully-digital synthesizer.
Its synthesis engine is called DCS (Dynamic Component Synthesis).
Ensoniq VFX (1989)
Besides Transwave and All-waves, VFX has the following features.
A sound can have up to 6 layers.
Modulation Mixer mixes and scales various control signals
with various tracking curves.
Custom pitch table can be stored in each sound.
Using Patch Select Buttons,
the layer mute settings can be switched at once.
21-polyphonic.
The original VFX has 1.5MB sample ROM.
Most waveforms are shared with SQ series,
but VFX has more Transwaves that characterizes its own sound.
It's my impression that VFX's Transwave often produces slight looping noise,
and SQ's does much less.
Later the upgrade version SD-1 was released.
SD-1 has 3.5MB ROM including the 1MB piano, and is 32 polyphonic.
Ensoniq SD-1 (1992)
SQ series
SQ series are the simplified version of VFX series.
SQ-1 is the 61-key version, SQ-2 has 76 keys, and SQ-R is the rackmount.
The original SQs are 21-polyphonic.
Ensoniq SQ-1 (1990)
The plus versions (SQ-1 plus / SQ-2 plus / SQ-R plus) ]
were released in 1991.
1MB piano sample is added (2MB total).
The plus 32 voice versions
(SQ-1 plus 32 voice / SQ-2 plus 32 voice / SQ-R plus 32 voice)
were released in 1992.
Polyphony increased to 32, and 1MB more workstation-oriented ROM is added.
KS-32 is the weighted 76-key version of the plus 32 voice version.
Ensoniq KS-32 (1992)
Other Ensoniq Models
TS-10/12 are based on VFX/SD-1 architecture with added sample RAM (2MB normal) and a new feature called Hyperwave. Hyperwave is a sequence of up-to-16 waveforms like KORG WAVESTATION. (See Don Solaris's TS-10 page.)
Ensoniq TS-12 (1993)
Later, Ensoniq's Transwave evolved into 2nd-genearation Transwave in MR Series and FIZMO (See FIZMO page for its sounds.)
Ensoniq FIZMO (1998)
Transwave / All-waves
PPG Wave 2 and its reincarnation Waldorf Microwave series have
Wavetable - digital waveforms lined in a row - as the core of their oscillator.
The Wavetable can be seen as exemplar of Ensoniq's Transwave.
PPG Wave 2 (1981)
Waldorf Microwave (1988)
Roland D-50 is the first synthesizer with Jam Loop - different samples looped and played back.
Ensoniq's All-waves can be seen as the user-definable version of D-50's Jam Loop.
The sound of D-50 and other Roland LA synths
(see D-110 and MT-32 pages)
is also characterized by its breathy waveforms called "Spectrum."
Some of VFX / SQ's "Inharmonic" waveforms has similar breathy impression,
and it makes VFX / SQ even closer to D-50.
Roland D-50 (1986)
Using All-waves, all the ROM samples can be played back at once.
YAMAHA seems to have followed Ensoniq, and their
SY22 / SY35 / TG33 are the rare synthesizer that can do this
- reading out all the ROM - though the loop is not editable.
YAMAHA SY22 (1990)
KORG WAVESTATION has the most flexible function to align the samples - Wavesequence.
It's possible to tune, repeat and crossfade the samples.
Wavesequence with single cycle waveforms can be used like Transwave.
Indeed Wavestation emulates resonance with it.
KORG WAVESTATION (1990)
But KORG's wavesequencing speed is limited to a degree.
The looping speed of Ensoniq's All-waves can reach the audio range,
and produces new higher harmonics like
CASIO CZ's Octave Modulation,
though CZ is not a PCM but a digital waveform-generation synthesizer.
CASIO CZ-1 (1986)
E-MU Morpheus and its family are
the only non-sampler synths that can edit the sample loop like a sampler.
As being a sampler-synth, Kurzweil K2000 and Roland W-30 can also do this.
E-MU Morpheus (1994)
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8. 25. 2004