Ensoniq KS-32

Most presets out of any board or box need tweaking. The KS-32 is no exception. There are some nasty/noisy artifacts that occur after envelope release. Perhaps an external noise gate will help. There is an organic analog quality to many of the sounds. Although this board was marketed to pianists/organists, you can get some rally fat Moog or Oberheim-type patches...if you spend the time programming. Not the most intuitive programming design- beware newcomers! I despise synth manuals...Roland should be run out of business for their horrible manuals, but I digress.

32-voice polyphony...not too bad for a near vintage synth. The Fatar keyboard is what first sold me on this board and has held up well for over 10 years. Maybe a little mushy for blinding 32nd note runs. The effects are fairly good, but no delay algorithym. I must admit that I found this board frustrating to use as a midi controller, especially in sequencer mode. Probably my own shortcoming from my manual phobia. It's all your fault Roland!!!

Ten years ago, the piano presets sounded great. Today, well... the #00 grand piano preset still works for me. Generally, the traditional type sounds are fairly realistic. . .less mid-rangey and boxy than many other digital synths of its day. You can pull a very eclectic range of sounds from this board, but you must sweat to do so, grass-hopper.

I've been gigging with this board for a long time. My KS has been very reliable...knock wood. It's been banged around alot and has held up well. And you save money from not having to work out at Gold's Gym! It's a beast to carry around. And my internal battery just died...lost all my personally tweaked sounds. But I can't blame Ensoniq for that.

I've never dealt with Ensoniq support. Customer support in my experience is a crude afterthought to most technical companies. They've got your money already. What's their incentive to spend time on a phone with you?

Buy a soft-shell case for this behemoth. This board is a tank to begin with, so you won't need an Anvil case -unless it's going on a plane. I'd never sell it...what would I get for it? $500? I'd sure replace this one for that price if I had to. I wish there was an easy way to replace the internal battery, like a stomp box-type latch or something. What really bothered me was when I turned on the KS and there was a "battery low" warning- but my programs were already gone. Arrrggghh! What I enjoy about the KS is that you can really slam the keys hard without having to worry about breaking them. My Korg 01W/fd begs for mercy with its stuck keys and broken springs, but the KS-32 can really take the hammering. It's a good board for preset-heads and tweakers alike. Buy the RAM card and save your sounds! Actually, you should back-up any software based gear. But then, I'm being obvious, aren't I?

Display is tiny, but the amount and distribution of buttons is decent. Layout is logical and sounds are easy to find once you've used it. Programming is fair.

Polyphony of 32 for its time was decent. Like others (roland comes to mind) the polyphony is very dependent on how thick the sounds are you are using. Keyboard is one of the best feels out there if you like hammer action/piano style. I bought this board for its feel and I have no regrets. Built in effects are good. Expansion is very limited and expensive. Good Midi Implementation. I've used this board as a master controller with good results. The sequencer is best used as a scratch pad for ideas. For any serious sequencing you will want something better.

Nice main piano sound, about 3 of the other pianos are useful. Good organs for a variety of music. I've done everything from rock to church gigs with this board and seldom had to use much else for basic organ sounds. Fair strings and pads, good woodwinds and a few nice solo brass round out the main sounds. The drum kits are useful, but not for anything to serious. The nice keyboard feel combined with good aftertouch makes the board a pleasure to play.

Never had a problem. I've heard horror stories about the keyboard, but I've not had a single issue and have used this board heavily. The case is very solid. (Read very, very heavy!!)

Never had to use them.

This has been a very good board to me, but I'd be skeptical about buying another only because so many people have had keyboard issues with them. I would probably go with a dedicated Fatar keyboard setup if my KS-32 was gone. It's their keyboard I love, after all.

This board is extremely easy to use. The menu heiarchy is planned very well, and the buttons respond with speed. I like how there is a button for each group of 10 patches in a bank. With this fact combined with the grouping of sounds by type, I can find a sound faster on this board than any other.

The sequencer is powerful, but the memory doesn't hold a whole lot. I've used memory cards with it. The built in effects are good. It's fully MIDI functional, and I've used the sequencer to control other boards in real time as well.

The strings leave a bit to be desired, but the pianos and woodwinds are wonderful. The drum kits are pretty cool as well. I'd have to say the most striking feature of the board is its incredibly realistic weighted piano keys. They're full size (not just width like most but length too), and have a realy wood feel to them.

It's never let me down. The sturdy metal casing is indestructable, however be prepared for a little more muscle use than with a cheap plastic cased board.

The only time I dealt with Ensoniq they were really cool. Their website has some good customer support, and local music retailers like dealing with them.

I love the board. It's great for someone who enjoys playing all types of music. It's much more suited to classical playing than most portable keyboards. I love the feel of it, and it's expressiveness is a real asset.

I think this is the easiest keyboard I've worked with. The sequencer is simple. Even though there are some missing features I would have liked to had on the keyboard. Like cloning tracks and copying measures. Overall, pretty straight-forward.

I do wish it had more expansion capabilities. I had a soundcard with extra patches and the internal battery ran down and I lost all the sounds. I also had a storage card that the same thing happened too. That was majorly frustrating.

The Pianos are ok. Overall I think the sounds are flat and lifeless. Many of the patches are useless and I never use them. It is not an expressive board. It seems lifeless to me.

Very dependable. I have never had a problem with the keyboard or the sequencer.
I just wish it didn't weight five thousand pounds. I have about broken my back carrying into gigs.

I have NOT had good customer service. It is impossible to get ahold of anyone. Then when you do the repairs are an arm and a leg.
The website is the worst of all. Horrible site.

I would NEVER buy this keyboard again. It is NOT worth what I paid for it. When I purchased the KSk-32 I was new to the market and didn't know what I was buying.
The features are limited to say the very least. I wish I had bought the Roland XP-90. I never use the keyboard because it's so heavy and the sounds are lifeless. It's a burden to me to use while performing.
What a disappointment for the amount of money I paid.

WOW! I couldn't believe it. I bought my KS-32 12/15/00, used, $379.00. All reviews mention prices three to six times that. Granted, the track 5 button is stuck down, but I use it 95% as a controller in my midi studio w/ a Roland SCC-1 card, Proteus 1 emu, Yammy TG-55 & Digital Orc Pro, so I easily work around it. Sequencer: don't use it. The "K" replaced an Ensoniq SDP-1 bought used ($600)in 1987. It's only problem was the need for was a "slap on the butt" every now and then 'cause every 7th note would go silent. The cure never failed. It's otherwise reliable history, and "feel", made me jump on the "KS-32. Also have XB2 v2, into Pro 860. A wirly 200, and a Clav E-7 for occasional live sessions. Sold my B3/122(tears)because of lack of space. I think the "K's" presets are great. Remember 90% of the ears you play to are totally unaware of what ANY instrument really sounds like. Gigged w/ real Hammonds for 30 years. You don't play a real Hammond, you RIDE it. There's no comparison for the thrill mounting the real beast! Roland & Ensoniq and others have done a fine job in reproducing the BASIC B-3 sounds. An easy-to-tap Leslie speed control would be nice on the "K". A manual more suitable for midiots like me would be really appreciated. The "telephone book" that comes with it, and most other comparable boards all seeem to have the same fault. First they explain the VERY VERY basics of midi, then immediately jump to terminology that assumes prior and vast knowledge of midi... and their product. Can any of them fathom the step-by-step concept? Once I get a decent understanding of the "K" (I figure ten years) I'm sure I'll never let it go. Mine's a little road-worn but it will never leave the studio. Chances are, based on other reviews and it's now permanent installation problems will be minimal. Bottom line, love the sounds, hate the programming aspects, and book. But keep in mind my admission of being a 1st class midiot. A Clav, a Wurly, or a Hammond require time to get a feel for them, not an education. In all fairnesss, my implication of being stupid might be tempered by the fact I've been using computers before IBM made PC's. But midi, and edititng, setting up for all the options... this stuff drives me up a wall. Theres gotta be an easier way accces the capabilities of these monsters. I'm lucky in having someone wh does have an understanding of midi. to assist. God help those that don't. Would be happy to discuss with anyone via <renles@epix.net> Yes, I'd buy it again. An expression pedal would be nice, It's a class A b*t*h to program.

The "8" overall reflects what I paid, what I use it for, and being realistic about my lack of understanding the manual. I played gut bucket R & B and Rock for 35 years. using the conventiona instruments mentioned. Onlt the XB2 leaves the studio now, and I hate that manual too!

Compared to other synts it do the job here, though its calculator sized display doesn't inspire you. I have maked some sounds and find it passable. The midi controller use are great. Havent tried the sequenser in very advansed ways, but learned it relativ fast.

polyphony = 32, yes sir, does the job. Find the effects very good, very alike a stand alone prosessor, its even an gate effect for the drums. expansion capabilities is bad to nothing, should have some expansion boards here or samples in such an excpensive unit. The MIDI capabilities seems very rich, love the hammer weighted keys.

guess you dont buy Ensoniq if you are like realistic sounds. Except from ONE ? good (16bit?) piano sample !! (vell done Ensoniq), the rest of the samples is very flat and tastes of zero dynamic. Seemed that Ensoniq forgot install a filter (that with lo pass and feedback), it has only "equalizing like" filters.

But i didnt say this synth is missing personality or good sides. The piano is ok, and some of the presets are also, but no dynamic. It is really the onboard effects that is saving this unit to sound ok.

solid as rock, German iron, some plastic parts that may fall off after 10-15 years.

It does the job on the gigs year after year, solid. Good midicontroller, good keys but sounds boring, found it to expensive when i bought it when compared to its sonic quality.

Sound editing 6; Sequence editing 7;factory sounds 5; manual 5.
The biggest problem with editing is the calculator-sized display.I own what's lest of an ESQ-1, an older sequencing synth with a far superior display. Why did they change that?

Polyphony is 32 voice(if you like unmodulated sine waves and the like), more like 8 voice if you want rich sounds. Fx are there, not as routable and flexible as they should be. Expansion is expensive -$125 each for RAM sound cards, $200+ for sequencer expansion. Since 20 of the 100 sound slots on any card are dedicated to the SAME drum sounds, there's a lot of waste. Some of us still play with real drummers.
MIDI integration is a huge problem. Some limitations I've found:
1)Cannot access layered sounds from outboard gear. The best sounds are stacked in presets, but only play that way from the keyboard. Bummer for a guitarist with foot pedal keys like me.
2)Cannot call up sequences or presets via MIDI, only sounds.
3) MIDI out and MIDI thru are separate and cannot be routed any differently, so sending prog change from the KS-32 and note info from a controller is impossible without a MIDI patchbay.

Sound quality and musical style of the KS-32 varies widely. It doesn't seem to know what it does best. Great for church organ work, but then why a 16 track song sequencer? Or why only 32 voices with that sequencer? Ensoniq knew this would be a problem, because they set up this whole "voice-stealing" hierarchy for the presets. Would have been way smarter to add a few more DCO's. Some of the orchestral sounds are excellent; maybe I'll sequence some Mozart. My unit also has an irritating amount of digital noise in all the sounds, making it useless in the studio

About 100 live gigs so far, and it has never died on me, unlike the ESQ-1, which periodically goes insane. However, it often is muted upon power up, and no front panel buttons work. Shutting it down, then repowering up fixes it, but that ain't right. I've had none of the keyboard related problems other users report.

I found this site when the Ensoniq site offered NO support whatsoever for any but their new keyboards. That's no way to build loyalty, guys.
This thing wasn't cheap.

I've bought my last ensoniq. In '93 it was a good product, but it doesn't roll with the changes very well. Oddly, now that I'm playing guitar more and keys less, I've outgrown it. If you can find one for under $800, it might be worth it, if you know exactly what you want it for.

As boards go I love the sounds. Most of my keyboard gigs are of the meat and potatoes variety. Great Piano and Rhodes and useable organs. The drum and bass sounds are great. Manual is OK as is the onboard seq but I use outboards sequencers as the editing is easier.

Poly is 32 notes with 8 channels, at least thats all I've ever been able to get. I bought this thing for the action but as someone said, more on that later.

When I bought it I loved it. As I said it is a good allround gig board BUT!!!!

ARRRGGGHH!!!. Within a year of studio only use there was already plastic bits falling out of it. Stupid me I never bothered to get it fixed within the first year. As a gig keyboard it has fared even worse. As a last resort I put a stick underneath the little plastic weight things so At least the thing will play. Now I'm lugging around a heavy(well not as heavy as my hammond /leslie setup) but heavy nonetheless and the action is somewhere between semi weighted and semi mollasses. I've had to reinitialize a few times and spent 175 bucks replacing some board that fried. I feel sad that this North American product does not stand up the way my Yammy Roland gear has. To be fair the keyboard is Italian. Italian design is great design but manufacturing execution is something else. Think Fiat, for that matter think GM

The word from my best techie - I've got a lot of gear, is that service for this company can be very slow. In terms of upgrade, the Ks-32 was the end of the line for that synth engine. I still like it I just wish it would hold together better. As it is I'm looking for a road replacement as I don't think it will take road work much longer.

If lost I think I would go for the rack mount or non weighted version. My main complaint is the keyboard which ironically is what made me choose it in the first place. As and earlier poster said, it is a love /hate thing. Hello ensoniq are you listening?

The KS-32 sounds pretty good right out of the box. The sounds are fairly easy to edit. The interface is easy to follow, and the sequencer is adequate.

The Fatar action is the best that I have ever played, but more on that later! The built in effects are adequate, no more, no less. The unit isn't very easy to expand upon. The memory cards are fairly expensive and there isn't a great variety of sounds that you can purchase for it. The on-board sequencer is ok, but I would have wish that they would have left it off, and saved me some money.

The sounds vary greatly on quality. The organs are pretty good, the brass are deplorable. It has a variety of clavs and pianos that are good in a variety of different situations. The strings are quite effective in a pop situations.

I have hated this keyboard as much as I have loved it since I purchased it. I love the action and like the keyboard, but it constantly breaks. I would say on average every couple of months I have had to get it fixed. I have had an entire new keyboard assembly put into it, no help, it is simply not reliable, I finally just gave up and play with it broken.

I have dealt with both Ensoniq U.S.A. and Ensoniq Japan with this keyboard, so I have two vastly different opinions of the customer support of Ensoniq. I bought the keyboard in the states, and have had to deal with the lousy service here in the U.S.A. and was totally dissatified. Then I moved to Tokyo. I have pushed this keyboard about five miles on top of a small luggage cart through the tokyo subway system to and down streets to get it to Ensoniq Japan. I could not believe the amazing service that I received there. I believe that the guy's name was Ichi. He is one of the most competent people that I have ever dealt with. They actually repaired the keyboard by reglueing it somehow. I was totally impressed. I don't really miss living in Japan, but I really miss the workers there. I am going to give them a 5 for customer support, a 1 for the u.s.a and a 10 for japan.

I just want this to work!! I have played on the "best" keyboards available and I always want to go back to the KS. I love it as much as I hate it. I will probably still own the KS in 50 years, still hating it, but refusing to get rid of it. I refuse to put a rating on it.

Very intuitive operating system. Pretty good presets & I usuallu hate factory persets. Editing is very easy & intuitive. Good manual.

32 voice polyphony. Kybd action is pretty good. Fairly good effects, but limited voice/effects mixing capabilities. Virtually NO expansion. Good MIDI implementation, incredible for a master MIDI keyboard controller. A dream in this aspect. OK sequencer but I had so much trouble w/ sequencer hanging my operating system & causing re-initializations (loosing ALL my patches & sequences), I had to stop using sequencer. I don't even go near it.

Fairly good expressiveness. Good pianos, B3s, clavs. Mediocre strings & brass unless you "create" them yourself. Probably good for all kinds of music. Good velocity & aftertouch.

Poor reliability. I've been through 3 motherboards & 2 keyboards. I really need a 3rd keyboard but can't afford it. Ensoniq has been really good about working with me on some of these replacements but still, too many breakdowns. Keyboard weights ALWAYS break off. Portamento totally unuseable while using multitimbrality.

Fairly unfriendly & mucho runaround but they ultimately came thru on some out of warranty issues for which I was very grateful.

I've played for 30 years. I'd probably buy another if stolen just because I have so many hundreds of hours invested in creating my own sounds. Otherwise, I'd never replace it for the bad reliability issues. I love the MIDI implemntation & incredible master keyboard implementation..