SQ80 emulating VSTi available

[maxmace]

I didn't get permission to spill the feature set for the SQ8X, but I think I dropped a big enough hint when I said it included "all the commercial bells and whistles" of other vintage re-creations. It expands on the SQ8L in 3 big areas, so have fun speculating on those

He also has some proposed things in there that are not set in stone, so a lot of the enhancements will be a surprise to me, too. I was already surprised that the upcoming free SQ8L demo has both the new GUI and the unbound hyperLFOs, so imagine what the SQ8X will have!

--M.

[MarsHottentot]

IT SLICES! It DICES!
Ordinary Emulations leave your tracks a MODERN MESS.

But the SQ8X is so RETRO SHARP, it can even cut through this beer can WITH EASE!

[maxmace]

Heheh...All yours for three easy payments.

I did not mean to sound like the (E)SQ was the be-all and end-all of synth architectures. There are a number of things it doesn't do; It does not have that digitally glistening electro-sound that trance synths have. It doesn't do wave sequencing or have an arpeggiator. The hardware version does not have built in effects like the Roland D-50.

Also, when it does an acoustic emulation, its more of a stunt than a specialty. In the same way that when a MiniMoog simulates an orchestral instrument with any accuracy you think "wow, I'm surprised it sounds as good as it does".

Finally, it isn't really a ROMpler in the 90's sense--even though the basic waveforms are ROM-based. It's more of a hybrid in the spirit of Dave Smith's Poly-Evolver.

What it CAN do is sound like other analogs, or like an FM synth, or it can give you a unique "ESQ" quality. I think the comparison to the Dave Smith Evolver is a good one, even though they have somewhat different character and specs--The SQ8L sounds more like an Prophet 5 or Evolver than it does a Prophet VS, for example, even though the ESQ and VS were built at the same time and the hardware and specifications were similar.

Admittedly, the VS was implemented more like an early Wavestation. It's just interesting to see the directions two different design teams went in the 80's, starting with the idea of sampled waveform oscillators. The the sound is almost entirely different.

--M

[Barf]

Will this new version be available before or after christmas 2008?










....impatient? me?

[sigikull]

Hi!
Sorry, I've been absent from this forum for so long (I was just lazy I guess).
Also, my apologies to anyone who's mail I didn't answer (I think someone complained on this forum). I must have forgotten or overlooked your mails.
Also, I didn't really plan for this update to take so long. I can't believe it's been half a year since the last. But I assure you that I'm not going to abandon this project and even if I did I wouldn't go silently.

The new SQ8L 0.91b is practically ready to go. It just has so many changes that I was really worried about bugs and stability. Also, the performance went a bit downhill at first. That's why the release was delayed to do further testing. But I think it will come out in a week or so.

As for me being crazy giving away the SQ8L for free:
Perhaps you're right. Perhaps I'll at least make it donation ware or something in the near future.
But if I succeed in making the SQ8X what I want it to be there'll be plenty of reasons to spend some money on it. To satisfy your curiosity I'll give you some hints about planned features (no guarantees though):

- Osc. FM as alternative to AM
- Additional filter modes
- Unison mode
- Combinations of several single sounds (also suitable for creating drum kits)
- Multi mode
- Arpeggiators and/or step sequencers (mainly for modulation purposes)
- Effect algorithms

Please be patient a little longer.
Sigi

[sinkmusic]

Hi Sigi
That new skin is gorgeous, i am impatient to play with it, and the foprthcoming features make it well worth the wait for the über version.

[AdmiralQuality]

- Osc. FM as alternative to AM

Please consider Phase Modulation over FM. Far more musically useful. You can try my Poly-Ana and compare oscillator FM with PM. (Poly-Ana was actually very much inspired by the E/SQ voice architecture.)

Also, audio rate modulation of the filter from the Oscs is HUGE. You can get that Minimoog/Prophet GROWL if you add that. It's about the only glaring omission of the E/SQ design I can think of. I'd make that a top priority if I were you.

As far as effects, who cares? We already have effects plugins. Do we really need a built in delay when 99.9% of us already have a preferred one? Hard-wiring effects to an instrument is just so paradigmatically backward, don't you think?

Still very impressed with this instrument! I own an ESQ-1, made a lot of music on it back in the day, and your plug-in is far more evocative of the original than any other commercial "emulations" I've heard. Filter might be a little off but the wavetable oscillator is BANG ON.

One last question. Do you have a deal with whoever owns Ensoniq's property these days (is it still Creative?). If not, are you worried about releasing a software clone of another company's product?

[DuX]

If SQ8X will be multi-mode [multi-timbral], will it have multiple outputs [as in output per timbre/program], too? There's so many multitimbral synths without the multiple outputs and that doesn't make any sense IMO, like Rapture for example. It gives me a headache, such a good synth with multitimbral capability and no multiple outputs so you can't process different sounds separately with different fx, shaaame.

Great synth! One of the best free VST synths ever.

Cheers!

[maxmace]

RE the legal ramifications of an ESQ clone:

Rainier has a letter from Ensoniq that he treasures. It says they will not support the old stuff and they don't care if he decompiles or re-engineers it, and he can make the specs available for people. Indeed, these documents have been available for 10 years and people are even selling his free documents on eBay even though Ranier forbids it.

Since Sigfried's VST is not a machine emulation (like the M.A.M.E. software), it does not re-use the Ensoniq hardware or code in any way. It resembles how BIOS ROM was created back in early PC days--the specs are matched, but the code is not duplicated. Admittedly, the BIOS guys were not supposed to be familiar with the chip they were duplicating, but Rainer has a letter giving him permission to do that, and even more.

I see no reason that Creative would fiddle with something in a way that would only make them look evil and petty over a "sound-alike" that does not legally tread on their patents.

The SQ8L only does them good: It serves to raise the profile of some of the great old technology they are sitting on. Maybe if they see the success of the SQ8L, they will bring back something like Transwaves or the DP-4 in a 21st century context.

--Mark

[Shy]

Creative is such a crappy company I wouldn't be surprised if they suddenly do say "stop, we'll take you to court". Creative is not good old Ensoniq, and not even Chuck Norris can raise their profile.

[audiojunkie]

Hi!
Sorry, I've been absent from this forum for so long (I was just lazy I guess).
Also, my apologies to anyone who's mail I didn't answer (I think someone complained on this forum). I must have forgotten or overlooked your mails.
Also, I didn't really plan for this update to take so long. I can't believe it's been half a year since the last. But I assure you that I'm not going to abandon this project and even if I did I wouldn't go silently.

The new SQ8L 0.91b is practically ready to go. It just has so many changes that I was really worried about bugs and stability. Also, the performance went a bit downhill at first. That's why the release was delayed to do further testing. But I think it will come out in a week or so.

As for me being crazy giving away the SQ8L for free:
Perhaps you're right. Perhaps I'll at least make it donation ware or something in the near future.
But if I succeed in making the SQ8X what I want it to be there'll be plenty of reasons to spend some money on it. To satisfy your curiosity I'll give you some hints about planned features (no guarantees though):

- Osc. FM as alternative to AM
- Additional filter modes
- Unison mode
- Combinations of several single sounds (also suitable for creating drum kits)
- Multi mode
- Arpeggiators and/or step sequencers (mainly for modulation purposes)
- Effect algorithms

Please be patient a little longer.
Sigi

Sigi,

I want to chime in and tell you how much I appreciate your hard work for this free software. It is WONDERFUL, and I thank you most greatfully! You are a very generous soul indeed. Thank you!

--Sean

[Mad Jack]

Sigi,

I want to chime in and tell you how much I appreciate your hard work for this free software. It is WONDERFUL, and I thank you most greatfully! You are a very generous soul indeed. Thank you!

--Sean

+1

[Barf]

I'm starting to feel like Cartman in that episode where he has to wait 3 weeks for the Wii to come out...

[djsubject]

I'm starting to feel like Cartman in that episode where he has to wait 3 weeks for the Wii to come out...

[VitaminD]

To satisfy your curiosity I'll give you some hints about planned features (no guarantees though):

- Osc. FM as alternative to AM
- Additional filter modes
- Unison mode
- Combinations of several single sounds (also suitable for creating drum kits)
- Multi mode
- Arpeggiators and/or step sequencers (mainly for modulation purposes)
- Effect algorithms

In the 'words' of Pinky (from the old cartoon)... "naaarrrfffff."



Multimode WITH Unison would be especially if I could save multimode sounds into one patch.. that is, I may have 3 patches playing at the same time, but could save them into one patch..

I'd actually prefer 1 stereo out to remain.. instead of multiple output pairs.. even though I understand the potential for having multiples.. I think it would be too messy to deal with in a song... on the mixer..