Sq8l

[briandc]

After starting the thread on "patch wars," I thought the only way to really get interactive here without it getting to dispersive, would be to take one (FREE) synth at a time, and ask everyone to "tweak it good" and come up with a neat patch to share here.
What do you think?

I thought I'd start with SQ8L (although it could've been any other), since it seems quite basic and yet quite pleasurable to work with.

Anyone up to it?


brian

[bpblog]

i'd join in. love the old sq8l.

[bob bobwood]

Neat idea, are you thinking of doing like one synth a month or perhaps weekly ? One a week would take well over 76 years to go through all the free synths currently available. I'm no sound designer, but I'm sure I could provide at least one patch. So I'm in.

[briandc]

Great!!

We can give it a week or so before starting a new one. If we could make a sub-forum for this kind of thing it'd be great!

SQ8L is a "light" version, so it looks like voices can't be saved to memory. (A screenshot before closing might be a good idea, folks!!)
I'm awaiting info from the programmer about the complete version that allows saving..


I once had a friend (we lost touch after high school) who could make his Casio CZ101 do things that a DX7 couldn't!! -I have always wished I could be that talented!

I'll see if I can post a few patches over the weekend.

brian

[codec_spurt]

Great!!

SQ8L is a "light" version, so it looks like voices can't be saved to memory. (A screenshot before closing might be a good idea, folks!!)
I'm awaiting info from the programmer about the complete version that allows saving..

brian

It is only "light", as in, it is not "heavy". It is the full emulation of the actual synth. It is is one of the closest "emulations" you are likely to see in the vst world. To do with the chip. Research it. You will see what I mean...

The idea was that Sigi was going to do a multi-timbral version with extra features... And that would be paid. I think he got a bit upset that so few people donated to the hard work he put into this vst. Can't blame him.
I didn't donate to be honest, but I did offer to pay an upfront fee, no questions asked, no obligations, as a down payment on the new version - SQ8X.

Everything can be saved to memory. Back up the original banks first, but don't forget it has a ROM so the originals can be set back quite easy... Still, back them up to a directory that makes sense to you... if anything goes wrong just dl again.


I wouldn't wait too long to hear back from Sigi. Unless I am mistaken and very much out of touch - he dropped out a good while ago. There is more chance of getting an update of EnergyXT2...

See my patches:
http://www.kvraudio.com/product/sq8l_sq ... /downloads

Oh, in fact, my patches are the least of it - some kind soul has compiled all the original banks too (respect to 1-2-Many).


Sorry, maybe I got it wrong and you knew about those. It is worth repeating anyway, just coz 1-2-Many's original banks are, well, I don't know....
well compiled, thorough, extensive... Words fail me....

You can save patches. It is a fully functional working emulation.


This is the last page of the years long SQ8L thread - it should show you the state of play.

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic ... start=1050

Sigi is the sig of Siegfried Kullmann - the guy that actually programmed it
with help from Rainer Buchty - who did work on the chip
http://www.buchty.net/ensoniq/


Anyway, they are a pair of geniuses. And very generous for giving their time so unselfishly. A bit of feedback would be nice. I'd pay up to a hundred bucks for this btw (for the spec they gave for the SQ8X), but it don't look like it will ever happen.


Oh well. It's a top ten VST. And you have thousands of patches (don't forget SysEx.) It's free, available AND you can save patches!







Edit:
Double negatives, you know.

[quayquay17]

Ok confession time:

I feel like a somehwat accomplished sound designer. I'm comfortable with my level of skill, very proficient with VA style synths, and even built some of my own DX7 patches.

But when I use SQ8L, I've honestly never built my own patch.
There's something about the interface, and the "digital" approach to "VA". I just can't get it, and can't see myself getting it!

[codec_spurt]

Btw, can I enter one of the patches I already programmed?

Would that be cheating?

I could always tweak a parameter or two if you don't let me.
Technically that would be ok?

Or do you want stuff from 'init'.

I think all mine were just versions of existing patches, with a few 'init' versions chucked in.






In fact, I am serious, there is one particular patch I am really proud of.
It makes SQ8L sound like a TB-303 compared to a Juno.

I think it is called Mod-Wheely, and I did a few versions of the patch.

Anyway, if it is ok, it is in one of my soundbanks I linked to and if I can, I would like to enter it. You tweak the modwheel and it does a bit of an Eric Morecambe "WAHEY".



I've lost it at the moment (the patch that is ).


Anyway, good luck! Superb, warm, fat, clear, cutting, buzzy, resonant synth!

[codec_spurt]

Ok confession time:

I feel like a somehwat accomplished sound designer. I'm comfortable with my level of skill, very proficient with VA style synths, and even built some of my own DX7 patches.

But when I use SQ8L, I've honestly never built my own patch.
There's something about the interface, and the "digital" approach to "VA". I just can't get it, and can't see myself getting it!

It would help if you had ever had your hands on a real life Ensoniq. Those that own them and own everything else too, say they are the easiest to program when you know.

The design of the SQ80/SQ8L has the 'soft buttons' - taken from interfaces from fighter jets. As does the later VFX and SD-1.


But there is no point in me romanticizing.
There is a manual. In fact there are two.


Check the links I gave. One of these manuals is one of the best manuals ever made not just on crosswave synthesis, but one of the best synthesis manuals ever written anyway. It's work on EGs is exemplary - The SQ8O had 5/6 stage EGs.

I just had a quick look - maybe one of these is one of them:

http://memi.de/~buchty/ensoniq/manuals/SQ80.pdf
http://www.buchty.net/ensoniq/files/sq8 ... manual.pdf


Spend an hour or two with it and it will just click - it is certainly a lot easier than the Korg M1 or Wavestation.

Really. The rewards it brings are rich. I have a real life Ensoniq SD-1 - it is the only hardware keyboard I have. The SQ8L is pretty close technology.
For free, nothing comes close, learn to program it. A joy, a revelation.
All free. Danke Rainer, Sigi


In fact, I just checked - the musician's manual is the first link I gave by the legendary Bill McCutcheon - Amazing sound designer - but what a teacher.
He is like the Yoda of synthesis - dl that first link I gave, and then tell me that it didn't enrich your entire knowledge of synthesis in general.

So, danke Bill too.


I'm not being clever or disingenuous - an hour or two with this manual and you will 'grok' it...



That manual is quite hard to find. I have spent hours looking for it myself.
I got lucky this time. You got luckier


Download it - see what you think.


Spend a quiet afternoon with it. You will be best of friends....

[quayquay17]

http://memi.de/~buchty/ensoniq/manuals/SQ80.pdf
http://www.buchty.net/ensoniq/files/sq8 ... manual.pdf


Spend an hour or two with it and it will just click - it is certainly a lot easier than the Korg M1 or Wavestation.

Thanks codec!
I'll definitely check this out next time I'm out of song ideas!
(when I do the sound design and learning stuff)

[briandc]

Thanks everyone, and also for the links to manuals of the SQ80. I've never owned one, and I don't know exactly why I chose to start with this particular synth. Maybe because it doesn't have too many buttons.

For those who don't know, I'm using KXStudio (linux) and I run my VST instruments through FeSTige or Reaper. SQ8L works very nicely (not all behave so well in native FeSTige, which I prefer), but this one does. Sometimes simplicity has the most beauty.

@codec_spurt: Thanks for the background on this little synth. It's good to hear that it's not "limited" in its capabilities. If a "full" version comes out I might consider a purchase. (First, I want to see what it can do. Hence this thread.)

And yes, tweaking pre-existing patches is game. (I do it all the time, so how could I say no?? )
-The important thing is that it's something YOU've created. Talent, and sharing it.


I've always been convinced that some of the best "sound tweakers" are just normal people, who do it for fun rather than for pay. So I'm excited to see what people are able to make it do!

The "downside" of having few controls, knobs, etc, is in the fact that you sometimes have to scroll a bit to find the parameter that you want to adjust.

Already spent a couple hours with it last night... fun! I've got one patch made, which basically changes into about 4 different timbres depending on the mod wheel position.

----Oh, BTW: I suppose it would be ideal to post BOTH your preset patch (whatever file format the synth uses) as well as a sample mp3/ogg/wav file for others to preview it.

brian

[codec_spurt]

Glad I could help.

My patches are free but few.
Like I said - check out the link 1-2-many gave - it has the original banks and then some....


It's funny coz I am going on a total nostalgia trip with my SD-1 - The guy that has the top bank of sounds on the net is looking for sounds I have. We are trading. But it's not that easy, as some of the sounds are still copyrighted and being sold.

But, it's ok, we have enough to trade. I have over 4000 sounds for my SD-1 - it's a poor man's Kurzweil.


Anyway the people are good and he got some stuff I want, and I got some stuff he want...


Just forget about the full version of SQ8L. Maybe Sigi is working on it at the moment, but I think the way he has constantly ignored threads about this, means he dont gaf. The only person that is nearly as rude as him is J from XT Software.
But then again, I have to give respect to Jørgen Aase from XT Software because he gave a licence to somebody, he didn't have to....It's just that he is not very responsive. So, respect to Jørgen.


The project is dead. It is safe to say. I welcome corrections. You won't ever get the SQ8X. It ain't ever gonna happen.


Enjoy what you have, free and powerful.

[briandc]

Ok, here's one, made to emulate the moog Magic:

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/86426969/moogmagic.ogg

I was inspired by a video on youtube, and although it's not perfect, it's somewhere along the way--I think..

Anyway, I'd like to share the patch file, but I can't find individual files, only banks. Also, I notice that it's not possible to name patches (or at least I can't find out how..)

Do sounds have to be loaded in a complete bank?? I thought separate patches could be loaded and saved one-by-one..

Also, I can't load the banks offered here at KVR. I've downloaded them, but Reaper gives a "missing header error" or something.
Any suggestions?


brian

[Jace-BeOS]

I think you have to load them through the control panel of the synth (?). I don't have it in front of me this moment, sorry.

[Axis1~SL61]

After starting the thread on "patch wars," I thought the only way to really get interactive here without it getting to dispersive, would be to take one (FREE) synth at a time, and ask everyone to "tweak it good" and come up with a neat patch to share here.
What do you think?

I thought I'd start with SQ8L (although it could've been any other), since it seems quite basic and yet quite pleasurable to work with.

Anyone up to it?


brian

This was a good idea, but I think you chose the wrong free synth to get it started... though don't get me wrong, I love the sound of the SQ8L, it's just that it's such a pig to program -- I'm using it in a song I'm doing right now, but it's such a hermetic programming system that I had to give up trying to find even a simple thing as changing the Attack of the Amplitude Envelope. I concluded that I would have to read the PDF manual only to change the envelope, and that's one of these basic things that should be immidiate and straightforward ... so I just gave up and chose another synth. Your idea is good, but chose another synth to get it started -- leave the SQ8L for a later date when the thing is already rolling.
Just my opinion...

[maxmace]

The multi-stage envelopes are not that tough, they just give you an added degree of precision over ADSRs.

I made a couple pages at ScoreForSale that explain the envelopes. Here is a quick introduction to the concept (which I hope is also fun to read).

And here is a little Flash app that explains all of the parameters you could possibly run into (even ones you may never use).

Welcome to DEEP SYNTHESIS folks. You can do it! The real mental trick is to understand that the SQ8l/ESQ1/SQ80 is semi-modular. The modules are not hard-wired in a chain like a Juno or Moog. It's more like a hardware version of what Zebra can do.

Once you get the concept that you can patch an LFO or Envelope to just about anything (for just about any audible purpose), you've essentially grasped why the beast is so versatile.