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Average rating:
4.4 out of 5
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Got mine when it first came out, and still use it on studio projects.
Flexable mod routings can make for some great pads. The "muddy" quality
often spoken about can be put to good use layered with more modern
digital synths that often have an overly bright quality to my ears.
Program both synth's together and think of the sound as a single element.
As others have said, it has a quality all it's own.
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My first "real" synth. I put a LOT of miles on mine until I got my Korg Trinity. Now it's smoked, 'cause I tried to save all my old tape data on the Trinity and the ESQ crashed bad while loading some bad tape data. Very susceptible to dirty power and cold--mine was useless for half of each winter and took forever to warm up during the other half. Like someone else said, it's muddy rather than fat, but all around an excellent board for the price.
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The ESQ-1 has a personality all of it's own. I'ts one of my favourite synths.
It is the easiest thing in the world to program, compared to the silly little LCD screens on some machines.
And the flourescent blue screen is real easy to see on dark stages.
The sounds are sort of like the DW8000, a hybrid of analogoue and digital, but _much_ more powerful.
It does some pretty amazing lead sounds as well, especially if you run it through a few cheap guitar stomp boxes.
The only bit I don't use is the sequencer. I got mine without a manual and can't make head or tail of it!
Another minor niggle is that the power supply sometimes makes a humming noise. I don't think that should detract from the fact that this is basically an amazing synth!
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The ESQ-1 sounds very powerfull. This is a real great advantage if you play in a live situation, together with e.g. a noisy guitarist. I bought my ESQ-1 in '87. All the digital synths I tried since, got buried under the rest of the band's sound. This is one of the main reasons I still haven't replaced it. When you try the ESQ-1 at first, it might sound a bit dull, but remember it hasn't got a built-in effects processor, and the default sounds are crap. If you play it through a multi-effects processor (I use an Alesis Quadraverb) the ESQ-1 really comes alive. Because of the flexible way you can route modulation sources (4 LFO's, 3 EG's, Velocity, etc.) you can create very dynamic and lively sounds. Once you get used to the ESQ-1, it is not difficult to create just the synthesizer sound you need. Especially usefull for dance/house etc. However, if you are looking for a device which provides good imitations of acoustic instruments, you should buy a GM box, which will approximately cost as much as a 2nd hand ESQ-1.
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Got this little gem 4 years after graduating school, where I took a class where
we were given an ESQ, a VFX, and some crap Roland and told to muck
about with them. The ESQ is less refined than the VFX (obviously), but way
cheaper. Its sequencer (8 track) outshines anything available in 86-87, and
is IMHO better than any sequencer on any KORG until just this year. The battery is a 3-volt lithium. Have it replaced by a techie unless you know
how to solder on a circuit without burning any resistors, etc. as the battery is
hardwired to the motherboard. I have nothing but respect for the VFXsd, but damn I love my ESQ-1.
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