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Average rating:
4.4 out of 5
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There are very few things in life that have no redeeming features. For example Mussolini, a man responsible for the unprovoked invasion of Abyssinia and many other atrocities made the Italian trains run on time. Hitler, responsible for the murder of over 6 million people and starting WW2 invented the motorway and gave Germany its national health system.....The same cannot be said of the ESQ-1. Out of a sonic arsenal of 24 synthesizers it is the only one that I have sold simply because I could not find a use for it. No matter what you do with it the ESQ-1 will always sound thin and weedy, not fitting in with any mix at all well. The sequencer is basically redundant, who else, apart from the occasional vagrant has no access to a copy of Cubase and an old Atari STE? Of course it has to be said that sound is subjective and so maybe you should check one out for yourself. But definitely, DEFINITLY don�t buy one without making sure you like it�s �unique� sound first.
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Just bought one for �200.Model #0111, a metal cased version with v3.5 OS,expanded SEQ + cartridge,plus pedal and manuals. It's totally immaculate and looks like it just came out of the box. So it looks good so far... This is my favourite synth. I've just spent an entire weekend programming it and the results have amazed me. I thought it'd be similar to a Korg DW/EX8000-WRONG! Ballsy at the bottom end with a top end that can go through sheet steel. Sometimes sounds very digital in a DX sort of way, then dumfounds you with huge,lush analogue type sounds that constantly evolve in a very wave synth type way. Programming is EASY but also extremely flexible for those of us that like to mess around. Almost everything can modulate everything else. Very simple editng system considering it has one data entry slider. Quick and intuitive. Haven't looked at the sequencer yet, but then again I haven't looked at the manual either, a testament to the designers and engineers at Ensoniq. Some American and European(and a FEW Japanese) synths tend to have that undefined charachter - the ESQ1 certainly has it.
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I absolutely love my ESQ1. The ESQ1 is the heart of my midi setup. I mainly use it as a sequencer to sequence a Roland JV1010, a Korg EA1, and a Boss SP303. I'll occasionally use a sound from the ESQ for a track here or there but it's the sequencer that I really love. It's got to be the most intuitive sequencer ever made. I'm not a big fan of software sequencers and I've tried and owned many hardware sequencers and found the ESQ to be the best for me. I actually ditched a korg triton for my current set up. The triton sounded too digital for me and the sequencer had too many nested menus. The beauty of the ESQ is the big green display. No stupid nested menus. Everything does exactly whay it says it does. Very, very esy. The only sequencer that came close to this was my Ensoniq ZR76. Kudos to Ensoniq for creating such user friendly sequencing over the years. As far as sounds go on the ESQ, the presets suck so you really have to roll up your sleeves and dig in to editing your own sounds. Which thankfully, is quite easy. It's all right there on the front panel. Push ENV1 button and there's all the parameters in bright green right in front of you. Couldn't be easier. You can create some really wacked out textures with this board. But like I said, I'm all about the sequencer. Get the sequencer expansion cartridge and a new battery and you're ready to roll. This synth is a classic so get one cheap while you still can because they won't be around forever.
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I bought the ESQ1 for about $220...(Good price??). I have it for one week now and the internal battery had to be replaced..I called a music store and they would charge me $60 to replace it !!..So i took it to my dad who did it in 15 min.!! Thusfar, i am very pleased with the sound and functions on this thing...I would like to know on which tracks the ESQ1 have been used actually...Cheerz..
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esq1 sounds great,as a hybrid synth(digital controlled w/analog filters/digital+analog oscs).i had the module ver. esqm in 87 costed $850 and later in 91 i got the esq1 at $450.both sound warm and punch but both got o.s. problems.the esqm went crazy and changed programs randomly when receiveing program change message,and esq1 lost the ability of multitimbre one day i powered it on.so,only for a goos hybrid synth sound,3 out of 5.max.
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