MATRIXSYNTH

The Differences Between the Ensoniq SQ-80 & VFX

This one is via Paul McLean on the AH mailing list, posted here with his permission. Someone on the list asked how the two compared and Paul chimed in. It's a fascinating insight on two synths from someone that worked closely with both at Ensoniq:

"I have both an SQ-80 and VFX and was working at Ensoniq in those days (both are prototypes actually), so I feel qualified to chime in. They sound very different.

First off the wave samples are all different and there are a lot more in the VFX. That being said, there are a number of total junk samples in the VFX (guitar sting, duct tape pull, really?). So what does this mean?

For what its worth, the organ samples come from my 1950s Hammond M2. Unfortunately they were hacked up and had all their charm removed by the sound designer in charge of the wave table and given meaningless names (ORGAN1, ORGAN1....) instead of the drawbar number names that I gave him (ORG888000000, ORG888880000....).

Second, the resolution of the samples are different. The SQ-80 is based (like the ESQ-1) on technology from the Mirage (first-generation DOC chip, MC6809), so the samples are 12-bit with no interpolation on playback. The VFX is based on the technology in the EPS (DOC2, MC68000) and so uses (if I recall correctly) 13-bit samples with linear-interpolation on playback.

I suppose the over-used cliches are true, the SQ-80 sounds "grittier" and the VFX sounds "smoother".

Third, the filters. The SQ-80 uses CEM 24db/oct resonant filters for each of its voices. The VFX implements its filters on the DOC chip for 2 filters per voice and they have a variety of cutoff rates and types (lowpass/highpass). They DO NOT offer resonance. This isn't as much a problem as you might think due to the "Transwaves" in the VFX (of which more later). I asked Bob Yannes (founder and some sort-of technology executive at Ensoniq) why they dropped the resonance, he answered (as I recall) that it came down to a cost trade-off for the silicon and as mentioned would be mitigated by the wave-samples and Transwaves. I think also that that sort-of filter sweep sound was considered to be pretty dated at the time and so maybe not so important.

Transwaves. These are sets of single-cycle samples that can be swept through giving wonderful moving sounds. Things like pulse width modulation which wouldn't normally be possible on a wavetable-based synth can be emulated here. I've also gotten wonderful 'resonant' sweeping sounds with these. That said they don't quite replace filter resonance. I don't think the transwaves in the VFX, or TS series ever lived up to their promise. I haven't tried a FIZMO though.

Miscellany: The VFX lets you layer up to 6 voices (complete synthesis chains) per key, the SQ-80 mixes 3 oscillators into a VCF-VCA chain. The VFX has many more and much deeper modulation options. The SQ-80 voice has a ring modulator, none on the VFX. The effects on the VFX are mostly wonderful (8-voice chorus is a dream, the Leslie sim is bloody awful).

I'm sure I'm forgetting stuff.

Conclusion? I'm afraid its the same AH conclusion. Get both if you can, they really do not overlap. I like that the VFX makes me seriously rethink my approach to sound design. It has been my main keyboard since 1989, though recently retired for a TS-12 which unfortunately also does not replace it! I still use both the SQ-80 and VFX for recording.

The good thing is, they are both insanely cheap. (and the poly-pressure keyboard on both is to die for!)

Regards,
Paul McLean
Denver CO / San Jose CA"

Made Of Wood - Compilation Featuring Ciat Londbarde Instruments

"Compilation of various artists working with Ciat Lonbarde instruments

Group: soundcloud.com/groups/ciat-lonbarde
credits
released 17 July 2013
a big thanks too, Elina for her help and support all this time, everyone who contributed for this release, Peter.B for making all those great instruments and sharing his designs, thank you all from the heart, punks"

via Floppy Brain on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

Madrona Labs Alto on Sale for the Summer

"Until July 30, the full version of Aalto is on sale now for $50. That’s $49 off the regular price of $99."

The Buchla of software synths. Details & demos: http://madronalabs.com/products/aalto

Yamaha CS-15 & CS-30L

via Connor 'Macleod' Eck on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge

YOUTH by KiNo & Video with Jeff Blenkinsopp & Malcom Cecil's TONTO

YOUTH from KiNo on Vimeo.

KiNo and his producer Sonic Wizard Jeff Blenkinsopp [Pink Floyd insider]

KiNo Live Rig from KiNo on Vimeo.

The above is a video on KiNo's live rig featuring Jeff Blenkinsopp & Malcom Cecil's TONTO. You might recall the suitcase sized rig Jeff refers to from this previous post on KiNo's Kickstarter campaign. KiNo is working on an new concept single called YOUTH.

About KiNo
http://poetofsoundandimage.com/9

Details on YOUTH via Facebook (be sure to click through for a gallery of pics):

"Written, demoed and performed in New York.
In production: Los Angeles, New York, With contribution from Nyc, Roma, Istanbul, Paris, Korea.

I got on to making YOUTH, ever since the Gezi Park events in Istanbul broke out the mass movement of young people, among them my friends, mostly apolitical creatures lunging protests against their mobster government led by a cunt. YOUTH is a concept/single that I wasn't planning on embarking on until I secured some sort of backing. But, I found myself in the thick of it, thanks to my friends who have been demonstrating incredible tactics of subversion, to expose, expose and disarm their oppressors in the government and the media. It has been an intense period of pounding successful resistance coordinated on facebook and twitter. I couldn't escape the net of solidarity. They are young people getting some results. So, I couldn't resist turning to YOUTH. It's my reaction, a unifying (re)action in fact to connect the dots on what has been happening across the globe for quite sometime, created by the organic, non-idealogical energy, the sole capacitor of change, bearer of subversion and crafty people of liberty, the youth! As a poet, instead of sticking labels on people, I must help remove them to remind the essence of a human being unadulterated by nationality, religion, language and ideology. The concept-single is all about this. It's form is in the ubiquitous cross-cultural language of image, sound and word. And it is being made as we speak, with many collaborators contributing. It's an exciting time to focus and inspire each other, the bolt of awareness is conducting in a very fast pace. We all know what's in progress. We are the current face of change.9, Los Angeles"

Also see the KiNO and TONTO labels below for more.