Ensoniq SQ2

This keyboard is really easy to use. The menus are literally not dificult, and you're able to pick it up right away. The sounds sound alright. Not great or superb, but alright. Perfect for those who are beginning and don't want to spend a fortune.

This keyboard has 32-Voice polyphony. An awesome keyboard action. It has many effects, some are pure crap. Others are quite good. It all depends on the price you pay. I paid $175.00, so it was quite good.

It doesn't have any after touch. You press the keys and it produces sound. Some of the instruments are very realistic, like the acustic guitars, others, like the clarinet, suck!

I've used it at gigs with my band so yeah it is quite good. Or it would be perfect to use at practice or backup.

Ensoniq doesn't exist anymore.

If this was stolen, I would definately get it again. For the $175.00 I paid, it would be worth every cent.

Awesome little keyboard. It was my first workstation, which I bought from my music teacher. I use it for the trumpet and synth sounds with my HS band. The presets sound alright. But they are good enough for me since it's my first pro keyboard. I've tried Korg M1, Korg N364, Yamaha DX7, Roland XP-10, Roland D-50, Korg Triton Le, etc. and those sounds beat the SQ2, but for someone loking for their first pro keyboard, I would definately recommend it.

I really don't know what all this is, but I will find out...

Great sounds! That's all I gotta say. They aren't Korg or Roland sounds, but for $175 (which is how much I paid) they're great!

After a week, it hasn't crashed...yet...

Huh. Ensoniq doesn't exist anymore. Sorry.

If this got stolen, I would definately buy it again. For the $175 i paid, I would. I think, for a beginner on a tight budget, this would be a perfect add-on. I also recommend Yamaha S03.

I pulled my SQ-2 out of storage after many years, and hearing it with fresh ears, thought I'd write a quick review here. I loved this thing when I bought it back in 1992 for $1599. Ensoniq was one of the leading synth makers at the time. The ease of use comes in time after reading the manual, which is very thorough and well written. At the time there was also a user group of sorts and subscribers to the newsletter received information on different patches (sounds) and tricks.

The sequencer was a good feature for me to have at the time. The 76-key keyboard is a plus. The keyboard itself is very good quality and has both aftertouch and pressure sensitivity that work very well. I bought mine with the expansion kit installed by the dealer. I also found a couple of memory cards, pre-loaded with 160 patches each. SQ2s are now going for under $300 on eBay if you need a cheap MIDI controller and sequencer, it's a pretty good deal.
However - if you are looking for analog synth capabilities like real-time control of pitch, waveform, modulation and timbre, then look elsewhere. Yes it has a mod wheel and pitch wheel but other than that - you play the keys and it plays back the sound thats loaded in the bank. (Hmmmm, can you say mellotron?)

The expression of the keybpoard is well done and realistic. The organ sounds are very good, as are some of the analog synths. The electronic basses are good and there's a good fretless bass, but all the others suck. The piano sounds are OK but a little too bright. I have spent over an hour modifying the heck out of several piano patches before I created a really good one.
The drum samples, some are OK and others get very stale. For instance, there is only one ride cymbal. There is one good crash cymbal and several weak ones. I spent several hours creating three custom drum kit patches which were suitable for my rock and metal songs, but they end up sounding monotonous on recordings with live instruments. You can change the "envelopes" and "filters" but you are not really getting a different timbre or attack like you would on a real drum. The hip hop, rap and Latin drum kits are all pretty good though.
The default reverb really sucks and the thing is, almost all patches and voices are routed through the reverb. If you want to use outboard effects, get this: you have to go into each voice within each patch OR into the Effects page of each patch to get a DRY signal! Again, the opposite of what you get with an analog synth. If you are interested in analog, it does have Sine, Tri, Square and Saw waves and you can create some good Moog- and Arp- like sounds with some work.
Some of the strings and orchestral sounds are very good. Bassoons and flutes are pretty good, trumpets and brass are OK, saxes are weak. Some of the percussion instruments are good, but again, you are limited to the samples that they recorded.
Bottom line: out of the box, the SQ2 sounds good, but a little too "clean" and digital. Many of the patches will sound dated by today's standards, well I guess depending on what you listen to, because in '92 smooth jazz and new age were very popular. If you are willing to read up and invest the time, you can get some good sounds and create songs pretty easily. The SQ2 is very well suited to jazz and to a lesser extent, classical. Probably also very good for latin, soul, pop and funk. For space rock or metal, I would rather get a used Korg or Roland cheap (if possible) or something like a multimoog.

Never had any problems. The lithium battery had to be replaced after about 10 years. Sometimes experience glitches in the sequencer droning on or certain sounds not playing, but I think it has to do with switching modes or accidentally pulling a card out when in use. Usually just switch modes or, last resort turn it off, and back to normal.

I don't think I ever dealt with them, but they must have done a good job training the dealers, because they sold me lots of Ensoniq accessories and their accessories are well designed and documented. I don't know if Ensoniq is still around today...?

Like I said, if you can get one for $300 on eBay (or want to buy mine?) it's a good deal. As long as you're not looking for an actual sampler or real-time manipulation like with a joystick.

Well, first of all this is the third synthesizer I've bought. Though this is the oldest of all (the others are a Roland RS5 and a Korg NS5R, the "R" stands for Rack module). I've also tried a Roland XP80 and a Korg N364, and must say the SQ2 is second to none (price-quality relationship, in my country Chile, SouthAmerica, an XP80 is three times more expensive), so the SQ2 stands on its own, though this wasn't a top-of-the-line Ensoniq, it was a kind of budget synth. The presets are very easy to use, it has two main banks INTERNAL ( 80 patches) and ROM (100 patches). The latter can be edited and stored in the Internal Bank, so I strongly advise you to get a third party software to edit and store your sounds through SyseX messages in your PC, which is indeed very easy and useful and free since there's a free software on the net.
I bought a used SQ2, of course, but it was in pefect condition, it also had one of the ROM expansion cards (very hard to find these days), so I actually have 160 extra sounds on banks A and B. I have 340 sound in total.
The presets range from good to almost great IMHO, compared to Roland RS5, and from very good to excellent compared to Korg N364. I'm more into acustic sounds: pianos, strings, winds (flutes) and brass, in all of these it surpases Korg and equals Roland RS5 (which has a Roland XV tone generator inside). Editing patches with software is a breeze, so is loading them to the SQ2 (it just takes few seconds).
The scuencer is very basic, I'm not a built-in sequencer expert, I use Cakewalk instead, and after some teaking it works fine, though I'm using "instrument defintions" for a SQ1 (which is an oldest and smaller version of the SQ2)
The manual is long, but well written, though you need to know some basics about sythns before making computer sequencing

Polyphony is 32, which is fine for what I do (jazz, R&B, classic rock,) but it falls short for complex compositions, so you will need more than one synth to create this kind of "masterpieces". It has a voice priority feature, which lets you decide, just in case, what sounds it will drop off during sequence playback.
The keyboard action is fine for me. It's supossed to have semi-weighted keys, but I find they are just normal synth keys with a very nice feel, they offer plenty of control. There four settings keyboard action, you have to decide which suits your style best.
The effects are basic, but they're good. They range from reverb to rotary and distortion, etc. They can be edited and stored, and you can have two effects applied at the same time since it has 2 effects units. There are no insert effects, only global.
You can also use three internal voices to make up a complex sound, which is a nice feature. Of course, it has picth bend wheel and modulation wheel that can be assigned to control other applications.
MIDI is fine. Remember this is a pre General MIDI machine, so patches are in a different arrangement. But once you master its inetrnal sounds, there no problem at all, except with DRUMS, because they don't have the same distribution on the keys as GM machines, this is a headache at first, but you can edit your own GM kit and store in the Internal Bank. This has not been a problem for me since I'm a drummer myself and I play accoustic drums while the SQ2 plays the rest of the band.
It's 8 part multitimbral when using an external secuencer, and it's 16 part multitimbral, when using the internal secuencer in "song mode". I've created some cool sequences with the internal seq. but using Cakewalk is much easier.
It's a great controller, for the price I paid I only could have gotten a Roland A-33 with no sounds inside. With the SQ2 you get a controller (with aftertouch) and very usable sounds and a basic sequencer to control other modules as well. Here you can split your keyboard in 8 parts and send this to another module with a diffrent sound on each part.
It doesn't have floppy disk drive.
I'll give it an 8, just because of polyphony.

Instruments are very good. Though this is not a synth for techno and dance (styles that I really hate BTW)so I can't complain. Pianos are nice, a little bit thin, so you have to tweak them a bit, but they far better than any X or N series of Korg, and second to some Rolands.
It has some great Organs, flutes, trumpets, and a great Violin, one of the best I've heard. There some interesting pads that last as long as you keep pressing keys. I don't know, some say Korg's got the best pads, but compared to the pads I've created with the SQ2, they pale, SQ2 has more phat and consistance. Korg synths rely heavily on the effects, not the SQ2, sounds are good on their own, that's a big difference. I must admit that sound quality is a subjective feature, so I think it must be judged according to your intended purpose. This is no machine for making strange noises or weird sounds, it more close to the real thing.
It responds to velocity and aftertouch.

Well, I haven't gigged with it, but it has never crashed in a week, which is fine, my RS crashed twice the first week. I think I can depend on it, With the former owner it's been on stage almost over 10 years, and still working, that's a good point. It well built, like a tank, all metal, it weighs 14 kg, some 28-32 pounds I guess.

Ensoniq no longer exits. What else can be said here. I knew that when I bought it. Anyway, customer service in SouthAmerica is awful even for new brand products...so no complaints...

If it were lost or stolen I would certainly buy it again if I had the money. Although it is an old machine is very well built, it has some unique sounds which you will not find in the market because Ensoniq is gone. It's well worth the price I paid. I paid $900 for a brand new 61 key Roland RS5 and I find myself using a lot more this Us $400 76 keys 12-year-old machine, so it's got to be good. I think I'm keeping mine for ever, or perhaps I would only trade it for an Ensoniq MR76. I wish it had more polyphony and a floppy disk drive, then it would be a monster at this price range...

The presets sound good except for guitars and the string tones...probably theres stuff that I can do on it, but a lotta limitations in my music capability and the fact theres only two other ensoniq users in my hometown hinders my chances of knowing more about it.The pianos, dynamic grand, classic grand and 90's keys are my fav piano tones, forest flute is sexy...

32 bit polyphony is what I've got. Wouldnt be able to comment on the keyboard action cos I dont know what to expect.(I'm not a keyboardist y'know).The sequencer is quite easy to use, though I havent figured out how 'append sequence' helps..same goes to 'scale track' too..I do a bit of sequencing, not professional though, but I'm still earninfg..where can I get some tips on that? I guess the sq2 has all other capabilities mentioed above, but I should confess I've used only 15% of wahts in it, so I wouldnt be in authority to comment on it.

Only the piano tones and the flute tone sound realistic to me..and yeah the same goes to the drum kits too...

my ensoniq which my dad bought from saudi arabia, was bought to cochin my hometown in the year 1995, ever since my dad bought it, he used to cracked distorted sound while playing the tones/sequencing/play9ng back after sequencing which he attributed to the headphones he was using. Ever since we brought it here, we've plugged it to our home audio speakers and the same thing still happens.I was totally disappointed when a local band used it on three way system and when the sound still distorted...its kind of high level cracking sound htat spoils whate ver you're doing on it....couldnt get help.Is there anybody out there who can advise on what to do?

I sent a mail to them with the above problem sometime in 1998, and havent got a reply since...is the company still there, I heard they'd teamed up with some other company..

I would lose it, nor let somebody teal for two main reasons: one, i cant afford another one, second the time I've spent with it has crated a special bond..its al eotions yu know...and of course I love the piano tones on it much better than the ones onmy bros Korg N264.
I wish there was someone who could assist me on what to do about the problem on my keyboard and give tips on sequencing on this babe..

after about a month i had pretty much began to master the usage end without a manual

the action on the keys is ok

the organ sound are just great,about as close to the B-3 AS going to get. the clavinet sounds impressed me once i got better at manipulating. Work on the piano sounds to no end, their just marginal at best. Strings,ok. synth horns good

crashed and has been in the shop going on two months now.unexpected event 124

really great tech at my local keyboard (mom's music, louisville) shop. he's doing about as much as you could hope for dealing with an out of business company.

trying to purchase another one now. does anyone have or know of sq1 sq1 plus or sq2 for sale

I purchased the SQ2 in 1987 in Norfolk, Virginia. As a vocal musician
with limited keyboard skills, I was able to increase my writing and composing abilities. The presets sounds are still the best for me personally. I have heard some of the newer boards by other companies but I still feel that the SQ2 is a Classic. I hope to find a manual today on the Internet.

My board is 32 voice polyphony. keyboard action is fine for me since I am not a trained keyboard player. Effect are great and easy to use.
I purchased an expansion board at the time I purchased the board. Midi is great, but does require some effort to use with newer modules. It has a 16 track onboard sequencer. Easy and flexible to use.

All instruments are realistic, depending on the intended result. I use it mostly for Gospel Production. Onboard effect are great for me. Reaction is fine. Velocity and after touch are ok also.

Since I have had the board for more than 15 years and it's still kicking, I consider it very dependable. I only had to change the battery once. (In 2001) How's that for well built technology?
It has been used for studio production and live gigs.

When I was able to contact the company they were very helpful and friendly. I can't remember where they were located. The store that I purchase it from has repaired it over the years. (Broken key) I repaired one broken key myself. (used krazy glue)
Had a slight problem once re: initilizing. I had done a data dump from a new sound module and the board went crazy. I took it to Audio Light and Musical in Norfolk, VA where I purchased it and Ben the technician fixed it. I suggested to him that he take the battery out and let it sit for a while and then put it back in. It worked.

I would definitlty buy it again. I have it almost as long as I have been married and it's like a girlfriend that my wife is not jealous of. I am not a keyboard player. per se. My expertise is as a Performing vocalist and writer. I own a few other sound modules which usually sit on the shelf unused or get thrown in the closet. I love the board. I wish I was able to get all of the sounds that were created for the board. I used to get them from the store I purchased the board from. I was using a yamaha md4 to load and unload the sounds. The data filer died last year and I have been unable sysex the sounds back and forth. It helped my music tremendously.
Thanks Ensoniq for you pioneering efforts.

I have owned this synth since it was new (1993), and I 've only cracked the manual about 15 times. Right out of the box, it is pretty easy to use and the presets are easy to set up to make it a master board (which is one of its uses in my studio). The aftertouch selection is cool. I like the unit (I did have a VFX SDII for 1.5 years beforehand though and fell in love with Ensoniq).
The manual is laid out well and is a good reference.

It has 32 note polyphony. It also has a sequencer onboard (16 track in Song mode, 8 track in Sequence mode). It os a little short in the memory department though (9500 notes without the upgrade). That is enough for about two songs for me. I wish there was more memory for that onboard from the factory though. It is not floppy based and maybe that is why they did it that way.
The action is non weighted synth action with channel after touch. it works well and is responsive for me ( I do miss the real piano key feel though).
The effects are ok, I think the distortion is kind of cheesy, but the other effects work well when sequencing. You can have the effects change while playing in Song mode. This is good for changes in the mood of the music and sounds.
It can be expanded with RAM cards and getting the memory upgrade. That is about it. But with third party disks available and editors, getting new sounds is easy.
The MIDI is cool on it as well. It has the usual OMNI and Multi modes, but also has their proprietary MONO A and MONO B options. These two options allow to use the keyboard with a guitar synth and have a different sound for each string on the guitar and keyboard. That is a neat feature. You could have the same aoustic guitar sound on each channel to help with the expressiveness of the keyboard. This is also a way so emulate ployphonic after touch.
You can use this as a controller as well and send on 8 channels at once if need be. Since this unit is pre-GM, you only have 128 program changes per channel to make.
The sequencer is the usual Ensoniq sequencer, which I find to be pretty cool and easy to work with. The problem that I think most people have with the sequencer is that fact the display is very limited (2 lines by 24 I think). This can be a real pain, but can be worked with anyway.
I like Ensoniq sequencers (go try the VFX, SD, or TS series). They kick some major butt and are probably the best hardware sequncer you can find in a keyboard.
It does allow you to Audition tracks when you are making changes (quantizing, etc...) or when you want to over dub a track. There is also an add mode where you can add more stuff to the same track (adding hi hats to the kick/snare track).

The sounds are cool as well. The piano is pretty good, although I wish that the sustain on the higher end of the piano sounds was longer. Maybe that is we get for having only 2MB of onboard sounds.
The strings are nice. Pads are okay (my Korg does pads better). Choirs are kind of cheesy (just can't beat out the Kurzweil for choirs). Basses are okay. Classical sounds are really cool. Try the Forest Flute patch and see what I mean. Or the Bassoon patch. I especially like the Violin patch. It is very exressive and sounds great. The Soprano sax also sounds good. This has some good lead sounds as well. I have had to tweak some of them though and raise the output to get them to sound good. The distorted guitar sucks, though. Can't really use it for anything. The acoustic guitar sounds really cool and works for Flamenco music or classical music.
The third party sounds are okay too. Ensoniq did maximize the use and quality of their sounds with only 2MB of waveforms.

I have used this keyboard almost every day since I have owned it./ I have used it in my studio, just about every weekend on gigs (in the rain, snow, heat, humidity, etc....) and it has NEVER failed. I have not even replaced the internal battery yet and it was supposed to last 5 years. All the keys work, all the buttons work. Everything works perfect as the first day I pulled it out of the box. I do clean it and my studio is smoke free, but not smoke free on all the gigs. This thing is a tank and I give it the highest score I can for reliability.

I've not dealt with Ensoniq for CS issues, but my friend who owned a VFX SD had to send it in because of the famous keyboard calibration error. They were efficient is fixing his problem.

If it were lost or stolen, I would find another and use it. I would also love to have the SQ1 Plus 32 voice (61 key version). I really like them and when you actually take some time to learn your instrument, it is worth it.
I have been playing for 25 years or so and was classically trained. I also own Korg, Alesis, Yamaha and Roland products and still love my Ensoniq the best.
I did compare this unit to the Quadrasynth when I was looking to buy. I was also looking at an X2 from Korg, but chose the Ensoniq over all else.
This keyboard is quite nice and I do like it a lot. It has all the features that I need (I do not sample or anything). I do layer it with my other synths and get a great sound.

The preset sounds are good. Not good for techno, but good for a cover band. If you're an analogue sound fan, leave this keyboard alone, but generally it sounds better than many other second hand keyboards at this price.

Don't even bother trying to edit patches unless you really really want to. It's hard and unrewarding.

The manual is a little daunting initially, but it's laid out fairly well, as is the keyboard interace.

32 note polyphony - good news. The keys don't try to pretend they are anything other than they are - synth keys - so unlike some keyboards, this one doesn't feel like you're playing a sponge.

The effects are good and actually save the sounds. They are easy to change and manipulate, but a little un-expressive once you're all involved.

It can be expanded greatly, both for sound storage and sequencer storage.

There is reasonable midi capacity.

It does have an on-board sequencer, and it is fairly easy to use despite the tiny screen. HOWEVER - THIS KEYBOARD HAS A REPUTATION FOR CRASHING WHILE SEQUENCING. Apparently it has something to do with notes being held over bars. Ask any Ensoniq user who sequences about "Unexpected Error A?????" and they will roll their eyes - guaranteed.

The instruments are rather good, and the piano sound - while tinny - is much more realistic than similar keyboards of the time/price. Many other keyboards cover their piano with reverb to try and sound realistic. Not this one. It sounds good.

I use mine for cover music and it's perfect. The keyboard can be split into many different sections wherever you want. It's fantastic. I don't enjoy using it in my origonal band though. Not expressive enough.

It has velocity sensors that are adjustable depending on how hard you play, and aftertouch. Fantastic.

Built out of metal, my SQ-2 has been in luggage sections of aeroplanes without a cover, dropped, slammed, survived a car accident where the car itself was written off, has dents and has been generally abused terribly on it's travels around Australia. Never has it missed a beat in 5 years - and I've used it every weekend.

THE SQ-2 WILL NEVER DIE!!

Never dealt with the company, but they used to have a newsletter they'd send out to you every month. They didn't seem as knowledgeable and professional as you would expect from their keyboard. Do they still exist?

I would not buy an SQ-2 again, but only because I would want lots of other goodies out there. But if you want to fool around in a band, or you're a beginner who wants a real keyboard to get into bands with (rather than something that has a wealth of "Rhumba 2", and "Disco Beat 4" written on it), then this is your keyboard.

The presets sound good only the first time ever. Then you realise
thay are pants - Editing is a bitch - a thin lcd - way too many
parameters although I've seen an editor on the net (the link is dead
now).

The Keys themselves are very nice - it makes a good master keyboard.
The effects are also quite good. The onboard sequencer is only good
if you've never used computers before.

As far as I'm concerned the sounds are 'shite' - it kind of may work
for classical/score type music but the sounds themselves aren't
powerful enough - and you can absolutely forget your Jungle/Hardcore/
Trance - I've only ever used one sound off it. With effects off the
sounds sound even crapper.

I've had it almost since it came out and it still works although there has
been a background hum for the last few years.

The company aren't too bad - UK help was good.

If it broke no way would I buy one again - I would probably get a
jp8000 or nord or Juno or something with character. Good as a master
keyborad though.

This keyboard is very user friendly but you have to sit down and take the time to figure out how to work it but once you do you won't be sorry

The man feature that I like on this board is the sequencer ensoniq has built them an awesome 8 track machine. The sounds aren't that great but you can edit them to fit your playing needs and wants.

This Keyboard has a pretty decent set of sound alot of vintage stuff nothing I would call great, but like I said you can play with the sounds to fit your needs so overall i guess the sounds are pretty good.

This keyboard is very dependable but the things that come along with it are a little faulty. The sustain pedal has given me problems several times so be careful and treat it kind.

I back ensoniq 110% this is a great board and if mine ever goes down I will be ABSOLUTELY sure to buy another

I have been playing for ten years and I have yet to find a keyboard with a sequencer that I like better.It is very hard to find one of these keyboards nowadays but if you do I would advise you to buy it at any cost.

The presets are not good, they are terribly reliable on the effects which are superb. The editing sounds is a complete pig - you think FM is complicated!!! Saying that i've got some fine sounds out of it but its taken hours.

The sequencer is OK but not the most straight forward of arrangers.

My SQ2 only has 21 voices - there maybe an upgrade patch, etc but I've seen or heard of it. The built in effects are superb but the midi spec is very limited and you can hardly control any parameters over midi.

Note there is no cc for resonance or brightness -you can assign one controller but seeing there is resonance on the SQ2 squelchy acid bases are not going to happen.

I got my SQ in 1991 for then it was ahead of the game - now the poor midi spec and limited sounds reduce it to little more than a controller keyboard.

Rock Guitars on this machine are superb mainly due to the effects - no other keyboard I've heard is as good.

All sorts except techno/trance/dance for which it is pants!

If you edit your own sounds or use the on-board sequencer save to a storage device as often as possible. This beast has crashed on numerous occasions losing me hours/days of edited sounds/songs

Ensoniq on their old compuserve forum were almost surly - stay clear of them.

If it broke i would not buy another one or for that matter any Ensoniq product.

Presets are great with editing very simple. The manual is comprehensive.

The 32 note polyphony is cool. Effects are a key stroke away. Also include are card facility and on board tracking

The instrument of the SQ2 is the Dynamic Grand. Awesome piano. Its focus is on 70/80's music. The velocity and aftertouch are great.

Dependence is secondary. The gig question poses many situations. Like any computer generated device, their would have to be a second keyboard. If the world was good, I would only use one keyboard the SQ2

If the SQ2 was stolen, I would by another one. I have been piano/keys for about 10 years. Overall the sonics of the SQ2 make a great keyboard, sounds programmed with a current decade, still holding currency now.