Digital made easy
Digital synths have long been notoriously tricky to program, both hardware and software. SQ80 V bucks the trend with an immersive digital architecture that can be tweaked instantly, hassle-free.
Ridinga wave
Created by the same engineers responsible for the Commodore 64 - considered the best-selling computer of all time - Ensoniq’s SQ80 was up against stiff competition.
At the time of its release, the digitization of hardware synthesizers was well under way - but it went on to become a cult classic.
Here was a digital synthesizer that offered a degree of warmth and character usually reserved for its analog peers; flexible voice and modulation controls that didn’t require 10,000 hours of practice to program; a workhorse keyboard that produced an unprecedented array of timbres to suit any style, without the stellar price tag of similarly capable instruments.
After finding success with the Commodore 64 computer, former MOS Technology engineers Robert Yannes, Bill Mauchly, Bruce Crockett, David Ziembicki, Al Charpentier, and Charles Winterble spent several years on projects that ultimately didn’t materialise. The best selling computer of all time was a tough act to follow.
Waveforms
SQ80 V’s unique voice is all about combining and manipulating waveforms.
Each of its 3 oscillators can be assigned a different waveform; SQ80 V unites classic waveforms from the original built-in library with hundreds more that we’ve added, ranging from the familiar to the abstract. The resulting range of sounds at your disposal is simply enormous; soft moving string pads, plucky pulse width basses, glitchy industrial percussion...
SQ80 waveforms
The Complex Oscillator generates harmonically rich tones by folding a waveform’s peaks and valleys back on themselves.
Transwaves
An additional technology taken from Ensoniq’s follow-up generation of synthesizers, including ‘Transwaves’, a pioneering form of wavetable application.
ESQ-1 hidden waveforms
ESQ-1 preceded the SQ80, but had the same software. The same ‘hack’ was applied to produce a new selection of unique waveforms.
SQ80 hidden waveforms
By ‘hacking’ the original SQ80’s software, users unearthed a series of unpredictable waveforms made entirely of manipulated code.
Shades ofanalog
SQ80 V’s unique voice begins with its 8-bit oscillators and endless hybrid waveform combinations.
It’s when these components collide with its emulated CEM 3379 analog filter that it truly comes into its own. By processing digital sounds through its emulated analog filter and amp, SQ80 V can inject organic imperfections, crunchy harmonics, and tangible lo-fi distortion into your modern mixes.
Using our proprietary TAE® technology, we remodeled it in unparalleled detail to bring you a virtual instrument that sings, barks, and growls just like the original hardware.
Layer uponlayer
From the immediacy of its controls to its games console aesthetic, SQ80 V is as charming, edgy, and accessible as the real deal. Use it in your DAW or as a standalone instrument and, quite literally, make waves.
Main Features
- 3 digital oscillators based on the original DOC chip
- Over 400 waveforms across 4 unique banks
- Amplitude Modulation and Hard Sync
- 4 analog DCAs; 1 for each oscillator, 1 master output
- Analog resonant low-pass filter based on the original CEM chip
- 4 polyphonic envelope generators with 3 modes; SQ80, DADSR, MSEG
- 3 LFOs with 6 waveforms
- 8 MIDI sources
- Modulation mixer for combining 2 modulation sources
- Built-in 7-mode arpeggiator
- Up to 16-voice polyphony with Unison mode
- 4 FX slots across 2 busses, configurable in series or parallel
- 15 master effect types
- Advanced Brightness, Timbre, Time and Movement macro controls
- 200+ factory presets, including 40 from the original SQ-80 instrument
- MPE compatibility
