Ensoniq FIZMO transwave synthesizer

YouTube via bbow73

"For an ebay auction. Machinedrum in background. This is a very fun synth to tweak, it always ends up in strange unexpected places. All the knobs make it look like a virtual analog, but it's more like a wavetable synth, but still very different (but just as gratifying) as a virtual analog."


via this auction

"For those of you who are curious, then I have to say that the Fizmo is very different from Waldorf style wavetable synthesizers. I might go as far as to say that it is esoteric. You could spend a good deal of time programing a patch, make one turn of the transwaves and have an entirely different sound on your hands. Some of the transwaves are non-musical, and the harmonics will animate is a very strange way. I thought that this was going to be a good alternative to a Microwave XT, it is a very different animal. To further complicate things the effects section is based off of the DP-4 processor which introduces the ability to integrate effects into the modulation matrix, this synth has a pretty steep learning curve. I admit that I bit off more than I could chew with this synth. Consider yourself warned, all sales are final. Having said all of that, the thing sounds beautiful. The swirling and transforming textures are organic and alien at the same time. I've never heard anything else like it. In the video I tried to demonstrate how quickly a sound could transform in dramatically bizarre directions, but the mic on my camera is small, and most of the base response was not captured, but I assure you, this thing will shake your windows. **The Fizmo has been criticized by based on the voltage regulator and a processing delay from the real time controls. I have not observed either of these" Which means if you pick this one up you better take care of it. See this article on Carbon111 for more info on the Fizmo regulator fix.