Create accountLogin

Recent searches

No recent searches

Search options

Only available when logged in.
en.osm.town is one of the many independent Mastodon servers you can use to participate in the fediverse.
An independent, community of OpenStreetMap people on the Fediverse/Mastodon. Funding graciously provided by the OpenStreetMap Foundation.

Administered by:

Server stats:

256
active users

en.osm.town: AboutProfiles directoryPrivacy policy

Mastodon: AboutGet the appKeyboard shortcutsView source codev4.3.7

#synthesizer

9 posts9 participants0 posts today
Public *
Nielso

Tangerine Dream. Für mich war es ein kleines Erweckungserlebnis, in meinem Heimatdörfelein im Plattenladen (hatten wir in den 90ern wirklich!) einen Best-Of-Sampler von denen zu entdecken. Techno war ja nett gewesen, aber erst mit Tangerine Dream machten Synthesizer für mich auf einmal Sinn.

Heute ist die Band komplett neu/anders besetzt und zählt 57 Studio-Alben und 37 Singles und – wie könnte es anders sein – die meisten finde ich nicht attraktiv.

Aber hier kommt was vom Album „Hyperborea”, das mich noch immer fasziniert.

Überhaupt denke ich, dass die Zeit von 3-Minuten-20-Sekunden-Autotune-Pophits eigentlich durch ist. Dieses Genre können wir zusammen mit Spotify sterben lassen und endlich wieder gemütlich 20-Minuten-30-Sekunden-Epen hören, dazu kann endlich legal kiffen, wer's mag.

youtube.com/watch?v=rnJUGL1nbc

YouTubeSphinx Lightning (1995 Remaster)By Tangerine Dream - Topic
#nielsotunes#music#musik
Replied in thread
Public
Nielso

Like #Dexed for the #Yahama #DX7, #SQ8L claims to be #SysEx compatible with the corresponding hardware #synthesizer, the #Ensoniq #ESQ80 or #ESQ1. So this means you can load patches from your 80ties hardware synthesizer into the plugin and vice versa.

Sad story is that #UbuntuStudio 24.04 has lost Dexed for some reason, it comes with #Hexter instead which – on my system – completely fails to show the GUI, so it's even worse than SQ-8L. (I'd love to get Dexed back, even though it looked very confusing, I loved the sound.)

These two are related, because the famous DX7 and the ESQ1/80 were new around the same time, both being very digital (the ESQ1 having analog filters, though). The ESQ1 never made it to the same fame as the DX7 did but both sound like the 80ties.

Continued thread
Public
Nielso

Jump for joy!

#SQ8L, an #VST #plugin emulator of the #Ensoniq #ESQ80 #Synthesizer running on #UbuntuStudio #Linux 24.04 via #LinVST in #Carla plugin host. Needs #Wine.

All I had to do is wait. The plugin locks up Carla (and probably even Jack) for about half a minute.

So most likely it is trying to do something that ends in a time-out. When opening the GUI a second time, it pops up instantly.

Any idea on how to find out what this old #VSTi from 2008 is waiting for?

Btw., nerds:

$> file SQ8L.dll
SQ8L.dll: PE32 executable (DLL) (GUI) Intel 80386, for MS Windows, 7 sections

Feels a bit like Christmas.

The ESQ-80 basically was an extended/upgraded version of the #ESQ1, with the most obvious feature being a diskette drive in addition to the memory cartridge slot. But also, Ensoniq had changed the dumb old home-organ-style keyboard by one with responsive action and polyphonic aftertouch.

Continued thread
Public
Nielso

Today I found the Wavetables of the #Ensoniq #ESQ1 #Synthesizer online. Since these are not the same as samples, but rather 8bit mini-snippets, probably with the length of exactly one wave, the entire thing runs on two ROM banks containing 32kb data each.

After a bit of an exhausting week, I could do well with some meditative soldering in my unit, but the spart parts are on the way…

… it sounds cheesy and fun in this video: youtube.com/watch?v=3sT7rKyjwv

YouTubeensoniq ESQ 1 - one of the best hybrids everBy synthlegends
Continued thread
Public *
Nielso

I wish I could get this to run… (Screenshot stolen).

#SQ8L is a #plugin emulation of the #Ensoniq #SQ80 #Synthesizer.

Actually it does run a bit, I can play it via MIDI in #Carla, but this very old Windows #VST just crashes as soon as I want to open the GUI. I'm using #LinVST on #UbuntuStudio #Linux 24.04 and whenever a Windows plugin has trouble, it is due to the GUI needing #Wine.

Other elderly 32bit #VSTi plugins do work in my system.

This piece of software has not been updated since June 2008 and you can download it from here: buchty.net/ensoniq/

So now I'll keep on waiting for the spare parts for my #ESQ1 to arrive from China.

It's astonishing that this Ensoniq synth series isn't that popular today, because the sounds are quite unique. Perhaps it is due to the rather ugly user interface.

Or, more likely, it is because people don't want unique synths, they want that Behringer Moog copy and pretend it's somewhen in the 70ties.

Continued thread
Public
Nielso

Does any #electronics nerd have an idea what could be wrong with this funny old display? #fedihelp

The upper line has some segments that are always on everywhere, like a letter K without the first vertical line.

The second line is missing the lower right half vertical element everywhere.

It should read “ENSONIQ ESQ 1…” and “AND SEQUENCER…”

This is the display board of an #Ensoniq #ESQ1 #synthesizer, the first edition (metal case).

Voltages are all in spec. I tried cold spray on the ICs without an effect and I resoldered some stuff that looked dubious. But still.

Second image shows the chips apparently controlling the display.

Public
Rommudoh

One of the final modules for my #StackSynth project: the #noise generator. It outputs white, blue, and pink noise and uses a #3904 and a #TL074 with a lot of resistors and a couple of capacitors.
It is based on Moritz Klein's video: youtu.be/0yB_h_wFkh4
I prototyped it on solderless #breadboard and then designed the #PCB in @kicad and let @aislerhq manufacture them again. It turned out quite nice and sounds great.
#soldering #diysynth #synthesizer #KiCad #pcblayout #MoritzKlein

the prototype on solderless breadboard. it's a bit messy and has lots of resistors scattered around.
the finished board from the top. the components are placed in a neat grid and look very orderly.
Public *
vga256

when i saw this roland PMA-5 gm/gs compatible PDA-sized synth come up for sale locally, i almost dropped what i was doing to go pick it up

sadly, some research proved that it is not SC-55 compatible as I had hoped (would have made an amazing portable Ultima VIII: Pagan player), but is instead an SC-50 with SC-88 GS patches. I guess games sound funny on it. sadly passed.

A Roland PMA-5 Personal Music Assistant. A PDA-sized synth module with a touch screen and stlyus. It has a very clean design, and is clearly made for simplicity.
#synthesizer
Public
Ether Diver

First gear domino has fallen... my humble Zoom 1204 FX has sold! Naturally I did this (see attached pic):

Look, it's not like I wasn't gonna put the money back into the studio eventually... and they got me with one of their semi-random sales where they're like, "Hey, you own a couple Arturia products... wanna get V collection for $150."

(The post where I announced I was selling all this gear: ravenation.club/@etherdiver/11)

Screenshot showing someone (name and email is scratched out) has purchased Arturia's V Collection, an extensive bundle of softsynths that is very popular among music producers.
#Arturia#VCollection#Synthesizer
Public *
Nielso

„I have this old keyboard. You can have it. It has these digital sounds we were into back then because we were fed up with the 70ties. It needs a new battery.”

After learning that the guy was talking about his old #Ensoniq #ESQ1, I said yes without even looking at it. It was made almost 40 years ago. It has 8bit #wavetable oscillators and analog Curtis filters.

As with old cars with a flat tire, you soon notice that the tire is not big problem at all… somebody had replaced the pcb-mounted battery by one floating around in there, being easier to replace. I ordered a replacement part.

It turned out, that most of the keys didn't work any more. Luckily the keyboard is a very simple construction. So I inhaled a lot of Kontakt60 vapours, and while I was at it removed the nicotine residues from everything using alcohol… until I got a bad headache.

Does anybodyknow if I can upgrade the #firmware of this #synthesizer using the version 3.5 chips available from Ebay? Or does it depend on PCB bord revisions?

ExploreLive feeds
About