Ensoniq SQ1

Software was replaced once due to total lock up problems (had from new/just out). This update lost all the demos (which were impressive and unable to be matched by you, as per usual, mainly due to apparent mixed/shifting FX). There were four xeroxed update pages for the manual.

I find the velocity sense is a bit erratic at times - sudden LOUD notes during quiet playing. I have been told by the guy who replaced the battery that this was a problem with the key springs, most likely. Hmmm...

I have one memory card around somewhere, never used. A whopping 32K and cost around Aus$160!! Times they are a changin'..

Sequencer all but idiot proof and mega easy to use.
I have no problems with any of the effects. Reverbs and rotary & even the feedback-distortion in is fun.
Midi-wise, driving it with first Amiga Bars&Pipes then CueBASE, it has never so much as dropped a note on me. (kisses SQ-1)

I like all the organs - even the pipe organ is passable, although I wish it didn't have infinate octave coupling. I like many of it's quirky sounds. Analogue Power, Easter Island (good for Peter Gabriel-esque efforts)AstroVox, WonderYears, Minstrel, Eastern Percussion and a whole swag of others I am used to and can go straight to for the right sound at need. You can't get every colour under the sun out of it, but you can do a bold coloured poster that gets 80% of the idea accross. I work mostly in CueBASE now, using a Roland JV1010 as a workhorse, but I put down ideas on the SQ ALL THE TIME just for speed of entry & usable sounds. The perfect sketch pad to enlarge on later AND I still rope it in for recordings quite often, to use a sound I love and which I can't find an equivalent for.

When I first bought it it Xmas time all round, as far as sound quality and easy-to=-use sequencer went. Still have recordings from that time I am pilliaging for new songs and they sound supprisingly good after the passage of time.

It had the lock-up problem - total, no screen, no sounds no anything, and this usually happened when you hit ENTER instead of YES. The update made YES/ENTER interchangeable. No problems since update.

Only the slightly kinky velocity sense as mentioned other than that. No problem really in a live situation, and for recording,..so you play or play-sequence again till you don't get any random loud notes.

I heard Ensoniq's staff all defected to KORG. Give KORG a ring and see if they can rout out one of these fossils? 8^)

I deal with a local electronic repairer who can fix anything tho not always so cheaply. They said fixing all the key springs would not be worth while, rather than doing it and charging me $600 or something, so I trust them. RYTRON Pty Ltd, if you need a reparer in Newcastle NSW Aust. 8^)

Well worth every penny and four times what I paid for it in enjoymrent and productivity.
I would think SERIOUSLY about finding another if stollen, but not 100% sure - sentiment only goes so far.
RYTRON have even kept my Prophet 5 operational, though it does have major strokes now and then, and I have to sit programming a short list of favourite patches back in - like the classic Brian Ferry "Jealous Guy" string patch, with sweeping detuned oscilators.
The SQ1 has NEVER gotten in the way, and currently holds the sketch for a tune i have high hopes for when i get my Tascam 288 back out of the pawnshop.

Im a guitar player but i bought this thing about 10 years ago. It was my third or fourth keyboard (casio types). Anyway, this thing was easy to figure out. I did/do have the manual somewhere in a box i think.

polyphony - as much as i need personally
action - pretty good, cant complain (p.s. theres a time and place for weighted keys...... I think.)

sequencer rocks
3 extra points for an easy ass very functional sketchpad

sounds are pretty damn good, but i wish they had more strings and synth.
Still trying to make a "kashmir" sound, a "comfortably numb" sound, and a "you make lovin fun sound".

ive taken it apart a few times. the contact springs under the keys tend to get dirty. its tedious but cotton swabs and alcohol does the trick.

changed the battery once

i going to take a wild guess and say they dont have customer support.

overall ive always liked this thing because, as a guitar player ive been able to take my very limited piano/keyboard skills, with the use of a very easy rec/seq ,and make some cool songs.

p.s. anyone who knows where to get the memory cards let me know please.

This keyboard is actually very easy to use. It was the first pro synth that I used, and I actually got a hang on the features within the first days of palying with it.

I think the polyphony is 28 keys, or something like that. I really liked the split and layer effects. They were so easy to use. Just press a few buttons and there. It has one memory card expansion. It's great.

The organ sounds are excellent with presets 04 (today's organ) and 31 (organ 1) being the best. Excellent for latin music, such as santana. The strings sound very decent for their age, but I like them a lot. The synth sounds are okay, but kind of dated for today's standards. The piano is okay, the lowest octave and the highest octave sound like crap (they remind me of the little kid pianos) but if you can work around those, it is very realistic. I especially liked its pads and its electric piano (20 encore). It is okay to use in gigs i think even today.

It is very reliable. There was only a couple of gigs where it went bezerk on me and started playing by itself. It was on a church, but I think that was because of bad power outlets. Only had to repair it once in the past 13 years because I dropped it and a couple of the keys broke.

none, i never dealt with them

I actually played this keyboard in a Latin band at school. It was my teacher's but right now I am actually looking for one of my own, that's how much i liked it. I like its old sounds and how they still work today, i don't like the fact that the screen is kind of small, it's okay though, i mean it was made in '91. I really liked it. It's perfect for beginners I think. You will not be disappointed.

I just got a used sq1. I did because of the unigue sound quaklity. Having fool around with other workstations, I was able to get some work done. It is a night mare without the manual. I have contacted the company that represents Ensoniq here in the states (EMU)and they don't have any information on the SQ1 neither do they have the manual or replacements parts. I allowed my musical instinc to guard me until I can purchase a manual from GOD knows who.

The keyboard is great. It was built solid.
I am still trying to work my way around it without the manual. I like what I seen so far. The expansion capabilities unique especially when you are using multiple tone generators and combining different sounds to form a unique sound and it goes to the next level when you add the effects.
The sequencer is easy to use though it is time consuming without the manual.

The expansion capabilities unique especially when you are using multiple tone generators and combining different sounds to form a unique sound and it goes to the next level when you add the effects.
After using Yamaha for so long in stage performance, I never thought that I would find another keyboard that would bring much color to my music. I am very comfortable with the ensoniq

yes I can rely on it. Until I can find the manual no I wouldn't use it without backup.

I tried but they would only give me what I want in gernman and that does not work.

For the sound yes.
Korg triton Extreme. I think the trton extreme would be the best keyboard for ensoniq to look at if they were thinking of coming back in business. combine the triton extreme with the most recent roland ( )you have the best worskstation in the whole world.

I bought my sq back in 92 for 1200 bucks (Australian) What a ripper of board. easy campeesie to use. I say that now 12 years later but I know back then i must have had some dramas. I Have a manual. If you want a copy email me elgog@hotmail.com. I can only send you a photo copy if you pay approx 10 dollars (Australian)

SQ is the definitive keyboard. Sequencer is great. I use it mainly for sketching. Never used the expansion or slot or midi. Just direct recording.

You gotta take the good and the bad. Although because i use it as a sketch pad and I try to show people songs using it, the first response is "Its a bit 80's " Im sick to death of it. I whish people had more ceative scope and saw the big picture.

error 129, 130,132,127,. I cant rely on it for saving sons

zip, zilch nada!

Can you get parts to replace instead of costly technical reapairs.

Total simplicity.

Nice all-around workstation. I use it with an esi-32 sampler, a planet phatt, and a 14 channel mixer. It is the main workhorse and works great. I am constantely resetting it after every creation to rid any memory or lock-up problems. It never has a song stored on it when I turn it on. Backup your work when you are done for the day!!

I only use about 10% of the sounds. It's main function is midi.

I bought this thing back in 89' and it was new out of the box. I'd be lost without it. Don't want to start over with learning a new workstation. It has been stored for three years now. Took it out of the box and the battery was toast. Tore open the case and put a new one in and it still runs strong. It's had endless hours on it, but it will crash if you don't overdue it.

None

It's worth every penny I spent and I'd buy it again in a heartbeat, basically because I know this unit inside and out and am too comfortable with it to buy another. Besides, upgrading to a more recent keyboard is too damn costly.

I've never opened the Manual and used this SQ1 on my first three albums in the 80's and use it live even today. Once in studio I do replace the preset Organ and Piano, but 16 track sequencing is a huge cost saver. I can sequence 4 entire songs (with purchased expanded memory) and step into the studio with little setup up time and be finished with recording in under an hour (including drums). Then I can spend the rest of my purchased time mixing and mastering.

I use the Grand Piano, Piano/Strings, various Basses and various Winds and Brass in everything I do, whether Jazz, Pop, or Dance. In the 80's I used the Organ constantly. In the 90's I stepped up to a real Leslie and haven't looked back. But I wouldn't kick this Organ out of bed.

Keyboard is not weighted but is touch-sensitive (quite desirable back in '88). I like this because the action is quick.

When using as a sketchbook the chorus and verb is more than efficient. Expect to use professional effects on pro-gigs.

One external expandable card slot is annoying, but useful for adding other presets or carrying an extra song or two in your pocket. Not useful for pro-gigs, but nice for sketching no tunes.

This was my first sequencer. It took me over in the 90's, even made me a little lazy, it is just SO EASY TO USE. I use to pair it up with my Roland 808 and the drums practically wrote themselves. Putting together whole songs is a breeze, but I advise stepping up to software for your home-studio's PC before taking it pro. Even then, the SQ1 is an incredible tool. Real time saver.

In '88 these sounds blew us all away. I still like the Piano, Basses, Horns, Winds, etc. The available SpFX are sorta "cheesy" today, but not unuseable. That really all depends on you and how creative you are. If you're looking for a BOT to just write all you jams for you, the SQ1 is not for you. There requires are real musicianship to make this dinosaur worthwhile. In my opinion (a real musician) the SQ1's sequence software and sounds are indespenceable.

Mine has never crashed in 16 years. Battery went dead a few years back. I sent it in for a new battery replacement and Ensoniq upgraded the memory and software ver for free.

I gig with it. Never had an issue as far as reliability goes.

As stated above. See "Reliability". Hard to find support anymore though. I think EMU bought them out.

Today don't spend more than $100 for an SQ1, upgraded or not. They are far too common, and easy to get your hands on. Besides there is better gear on the market today.

I use mine with an electric piano, hammond/leslie combo, and an old Roland for analog.

Presets are shite - i never use them.
Editing sounds is easy so make your own sounds.
Manual is essential and fairly straightforward - if you can get hold of one....

Polyphony is a big problem as most presets use 3 layered sounds. So play a Gm7 pad chord with a c Bass and your almost out of notes!
The effects are good (rotary especially) but limited. No delay is a drawback.
On board sequencer is a wonder. You can REALLY warp out with this. I use the sequencer just to create super-weird sounds to sample. Awesome - see you can run the sequence and then change parameters in real-time for the most bizarre effects.

Organ sounds famously good
Drum sounds dull and shit. Synth Kit sounds are crisp and good though.
Bass sounds also superb. Real deep booming bowel melting bass is possible.

Unreliable. Hook it up to Cubase VST32 for SYSEX saves the simple way.
Dead easy to back up the info with Sysex but don't use it for gigs

Total shit.
If it conks out (rare) then just buy another, but keep the old one for parts.
Crashes often (especially when memory almost full) but doesn't often totally conk out.

Can't survive without it, but I think that's just me.
I would advise having it as a "sketchbook" sequencer.
You know, stick it at the Mother-In-Law's or in the garden shed to potter around with to generate ideas.
Used in this way its one of the best.

half the sounds are stuck on vibrato when the vibrato wheel is on zero. anybody know where i can find a replacement manual? maybe i could actually USE this thing once in a while.

bombed. company said send it back for $700 they'd fix it. how generous.

horrific. plus no music dealers in southwest florida would touch it because of difficulty in dealing with ensoniq. makes a nice paperweight.

expensive lesson. check with local dealers to see if they service a keyboard not purchased through them.

I use it as a Masterkeyboard. Sometimes I use the internal Sounds for playing around, but usually not for production.
Don't know much about the sequencer.

Very late 80ies like, very clean. Great FXs. The Sound 'Todays Organ' says everything about it. If you like it, it's ok.

It's working and working...

A Great Masterkeyboard for me.
I would buy it again.