Creative Labs USA announces the return for Ensoniq for 2011

[jaudiotube]

i dont know about a comeback lol.... i mean... things were made back then that still work now... nowadays they make things that stop working after a couple years of use ON PURPOSE so that they can sell another one.

these days its all about money.. a company that sells big products that cost alot of money factor in that most consumers who make a purchase like that are most likely one or two time customers at most... especially since there are so many different companies that it would be dumb

[steevee1945]

Well, it's December and no new Ensoniq.

I owned several Ensoniq keyboards - none of them samplers.

I bought them for one feature - their sequencer.

It was the most intuitive, useful composition tool ever on the market.

If they were to market a new keyboard with that sequencer on it, I would buy one again.

[elektrogeist]

agreed the original ensoniq engineers made the brand what it is/was. any further revival of the "name" will be merely for marketing purposes of an inferior product.

[soundcrillz]

my 2 cents is that hardware seems to finally be becoming obsolete , u can tell by the rapidly falling prices on used mpc's etc. todays producers didnt grow up like us coveting hardware that we couldnt afford plus they want the convenience and flexibility of software so i cant see them goin out and spending g'z on a hardware sampler. that market is more for the nostalgic older heads, most of whom stopped caring and got kids or rent or house payments and dont really have disposable doe like that.

[TheDaydreamSound]

@soundcrillz Good point. Thanks for the comment!

[jaudiotube]

@soundcrillz not exactly... hardware is what makes that classic sound we all know and love... like the bump and punch of the asr10 or the mpc 3000... im only 23 and i use an mpc 2kxl along with logic but i use the mpc for drums all day...

nowadays your right that software has the majority of users but keep in mind most of the new people using it have no knowledge of music and just throw together whatever.

in the end i think the best combo is hardware sound, computer (digital) quality.

[jaudiotube]

i know that with plug ins and eq, parallel compression and tweaking can get the mpc sound in a daw, i think its easier and just better to use actual hardware.

just my 3 cents lol

[soundcrillz]

@jaudiotube i agree with u about older hardware having a certain gritty sound to it, some of my fav. beats that i made were on my mpc 2k for that exact reason. but what i was sayin was tht for a company to develop a product it has to make sense financially otherwise the y will go bankrupt, and with most new producers turning to software it doesnt make financial sense for a company to develop hardware. plus the distinction of being "hardware" is not gonna make it sound dirty

[soundcrillz]

@soundcrillz ...its the components that they used to use, such as the a/d d/a converters that colored (distorted the sound) in such a way that suited hip-hop music really well. Most recently released hardware sounds very clean

[NeedleFactoryTube]

ensoniq made the last great keyboards/samplers. l thing you might see ensoniq vsti since the success of the freeware ESQ.

Great vid :)

[TheDaydreamSound]

@NeedleFactoryTube Thanks!

[smackyjack]

AMEN! I don't care if Creative labs want to make money, I want them to build a decent Ensoniq. MP3s stink, but you can't tell that to the average listener.

[Hyper5nic]

Hopefully the return of Ensoniq will also mean they'll support and do maintenance of the vintage models...

Although i doubt that because other companies such as Roland and Korg, say they can't support or repair, lacking the expertise or parts to offer this kind of service.

I will look forward to any new product the newly formed group will conceive.

;-) Especially if they sound as great as the older brothers and sisters of the same family.

Liking this channel a lot, so keep it up! ;-)

[TheDaydreamSound]

@Hyper5nic Thanks!

[Hyper5nic]

Say hi to your twin brother from me. ;-) Nice channel.

I was looking for information on the ASR-10.

Remembering when it first came on the market, i hardly had money to buy a lower grade keyboard. Playing it in the music store did make me like the sound a lot.

:-) I hope music artists and listeners will eventually come to like the original dynamics of music. If not, a lot of people will become hard of hearing or maybe even deaf from listening to music on an ever 'louder' level.

Peace

[Hyper5nic]

Say hi to your twin brother from me. ;-) Nice channel.

I was looking for information on the ASR-10.

Remembering when it first came on the market, i hardly had money to buy a lower grade keyboard. Playing it in the music store did make me like the sound a lot.

:-) I hope music artists and listeners will eventually come to like the original dynamics of music. If not, a lot of people will become hard of hearing or maybe even deaf from listening to music on an ever 'louder' level.

Peace

[professorquack]

I agree with compressed formats not being needed. I think its still popularized because it's cheaper (bandwidth) to sell. Ear buds being popular make it so people can't tell the difference anyway, which is also sad. unless there is a reason for overhead big business will quash it.

[TheDaydreamSound]

@professorquack Thanks!

[smleonard55]

Just been watching your video on utube.

So pleased to see you are looking to restarting ENSONIQ.

I always liked them because wear great sounds, the sequencer was easy to use, they wee robust and more than any thing reliable.

I still use the old ESQ1 EPS and SQR32

Am not at all interested in software synths,  to many fiddly knobs and messing with a mouse etc. Its hardware for me!

Best of luck.

[TheDaydreamSound]

@smleonard55 Thanks man!

[35thFOUL]

Sheeeeeeeeee@t!!!!! How can we be in the same town, have some of the same equipment & same views & never have met each other? We even got the same couch! Play on, DayDreamSound!

[lumanikus]

I agree on the compression front and quality loss, technology no longer requires this music neutered compression. On the ensoniq front i have seen some successful marques of motorcycle's brought back by true passionate enthusiasts. I have seen failures when people think a badge will sell a product that doesn't honor its original spirit and it legacy.

[ChrisSousa9]

I disagree. Ensoniq released the Mirage so everyday musicians could afford to integrate sampling into their music. Of course it wasn't easy to use. Look at the technology back then. You programmed in hex, a musicians nightmare but an engineer/technicians dream. The ESQ-1/SQ-80 has to be the most underrated synthesizer of all time. Ensoniq designed products not to use presets, but for people to dig deep into sampling/synthesis. Thats not for everyone. Most people don't want to do that.

[absdilsey]

Anyone remember the ASR 88 very rare ...

[sweeterthananything]

Missed this vid when you posted it. A couple pieces that get overlooked are ESQ-1/SQ-80. IMO they're among the best synths for someone looking for electronically generated sounds to start with - nice modulation routings (almost like a modular synth), simple but usable sequencer, sound unlike most digital OR analog synths, the perfect combination of options and limitations to make you work and push creativity. I'd rather listen to a beginner using an ESQ-1 and an EPS than most using Reason.

[Mannievh]

I have a Ensoniq EPS from 1988 for sale. Mint condition, anyone interested? message me.

[SuperCharlyManson]

keep it real man true talks

[VectronMusic]

Well if I had something to do with with revival, I'd make something affordable. My dad bought an EPS in 1988 because he needed a "real" grand piano sound. Obviously, it didn't satisfy, and he bought a couple proteus modules the next year, but he explained to me how much cheaper it was than Akai. They made instruments for musicians, not for millionaires. I don't know exactly what it would be, but it would have to give something expensive, current. and popular a run for it's money.

[Z2zero]

Having owned an Akai S950, I disagree that akai was superior to Ensoniq. The EPS offered 13-bit sampling compared to the 12-bit akai. Also, the D/A converters on the EPS are 16-bit. What more, you could sample at 8 different bandwith settings (or thereabouts) all the way up to 51kHz!

Ensoniq should re-issue the EPS Classic with increased memory and a hell of an FX-section. Imagine being able to re-sample 13-bit through quality FX, incl EQ and noise gate. Even R&B producers would want one.

[TheDaydreamSound]

@Z2zero Thanks for the comment man! I completely agree. The EPS was more versitile however the sales numbers couldn't compete with Akai at the time. The ASR-X can re process samples down to 13bits and has a pretty good FX/EQ section. it's an underrated machine but it's worth checking out.

[lvrsnvy]

love your points man and im stoked about the new ensoniq gear coming out but...i was waiting for you to play the whole time lol its cool tho just subscribed!!!

[EsarPeesar]

It sounds like they could be trying to cater to a public demand as a means to capitalize. My question is what would their product offer (other than the Ensoniq name) to the musical instrument market. The information is limited. Software is where it's at now a days. It would be very nice though to have a new keyboard sampler that would be able to communicate with current computer technology and have all the sample editing feature that the old Ensoniq's had plus more.

[xiphi81]

If Ensoniq is going to make a comeback, I realy hope they will make a next generation Fizmo (hardware synth).

[TheCyBeRkNoT]

Man I wish I had ASR-10 but I can't afford it right now Guess I am going to have to save up

[ThePlughugger]

Great analysis. Will spread this link.

[lordtoranaga]

love the effect. very creative. I gave up on mp3 years ago. I record all my records at 24bit 44.1khz

[lordtoranaga]

love the effect.  very creative

[furryhat1]

i think its only a matter of time before one of these companies releases a cheap 12 bit sampler with warm converters (EPS for example) re marketed for the hip hop bedroom producers, I thik it would sell tons, surprised it hasnt been done yet

[peterpiper0815]

I think a new hardwaresampler with a great OS and nice sound and build like a tank is near impossible. you need the designers of the 80s/90s samplers and musicians and also a way to rebuild electronic parts of this time at a really good price (I think thats the hardest part). BTW chances are good that the display problem of the MPC2000 and XL will soon be forgotten. There is a thread about new displays on mpc forums

@TDS: I really like your videos. even since your new cam (and sound)

[peterpiper0815]

I never liked mp3 and I also cant really understand why people (musicians, beat makers) get mp3s, sample them , make a beat and save it also as a mp3. IMO a complete waste of their creativity cause it COULD sound great.

next Topic: Ensoniq.

I doubt that something really interesting will come. I also dont belive in todays build quality. But who knows (who ever thought that the Yamaha TX16W could have such a nice alternative OS (Typhoon2000). Its a complete new sampler with it. Amazing)

[peterpiper0815]

First I want to second that comment about FLAC. Its a lossless compression format and don't effect the quality in any way. What goes in will come out. I wonder why this format isn't more popular in these days (days of GB and TB). I'm a vinyl collector but I also record my vinyl to DAW (32bit) and save them to the FLAC format. Sounds great!

[maxfischer36]

re-release the ESQ-1

[RikAmmo]

1 - I agree the word "young" is not a good thing when describing Ensoniq's so-called comback. I imagine Maschine type of gear or software.

2 - Do a video on Roger Linn Designs. Linndrum 2 is due soon. The tempest is out and The Linndrumm 2 I imagine will be without the sytnh ans maybe sampling capabilities.

[BeatMakerTV]

Yeah I got Logic, Protools, Reason and all that, but ain't nothing like using an ASR-10 or a ASR-X. Great sounding Machines.

[dragonsagoth666]

FLAC is _lossless_ compression. That's fine: it converts to original WAV 1:1. It was a mistake to mention it along with MP3 and WMA.

[ka365]

Please Please Please bring back Ensoniq we need them so right now. These japanese synthesizers are just rehashed stuff from the 90s . Ensoniq were innovators that invented the Workstation concept with the ESQ 1. And they invented the greatest sampling keyboard ever created with ASR 10. They left the game with the MR 61 which was light years ahead of the game then all the current synthesizers and even the manufactures of today. Ensoniq please pick up where you left off at the ASR10 & MR-61.

[SlimMixer]

i'm still addicted to the EPS16+ & ASR-10 =)

[belikewater313]

why my comment is deleted? weird. thought here is a fair discussion where all means are relevant. more an one side point of view.

[TheDaydreamSound]

@belikewater313 Hi Beelikewater313,

I'm not quite sure how your comment got removed. Please feel free to post it again. You're right you can freely post your comments and thoughts here.

Peace,

TDS

[DJKevWest]

Ive always loved Ensoniq products but I don't see it being the same or even hardware. It will probably be them using the Ensoniq name rather than Emu on their soundcards and midi controllers. Maybe a software sampler. Its going to be some bullshit.

[belikewater313]

@DJKevWest sorry- but you stuck too much in the past dude

[DJKevWest]

@belikewater313 how so?

[perspeeks]

Also, hardware samplers aren't being made anymore? How about stuff like the Korg Microsampler? :)

[immasuperninja]

@perspeeks he probably meant analog

[perspeeks]

@immasuperninja The only analogue "sampling" is tape... :)

[immasuperninja]

@perspeeks my bad man you know what i mean tho ;P lol

[perspeeks]

FLAC is lossless, man- there's no quality difference between FLAC and WAV/CD.

[immasuperninja]

@perspeeks still tho man there is a def loss of quality when compared to vinyls and casettes etc.

[belikewater313]

you dunno understand what i mean. maybe its my bad english maybe it's the panic for somethin new .

somethin whats better is as what you have and with what you roll a long time in premier status.

somethin with the same quality but with more features. i never said that they create a "Maschine 2" or somethin...

i said... the same the chip , effects& some other unique features in combine with technique of today.

no pad or somethin like that.

still a ensonsiqu keyboard (maybe with hammerfall) ..

[belikewater313]

@belikewater313 : so please tell me what is not right that CL do that?? And why it's not good when all the characteristics of the ensoniq samplers are still there... only the handling are optimized and the possibilities... (no worst design , pads or somethin like that)???

And no i'm not a Quantity vs Quality type. I hate all the DAW users. buy my technics MKII when all people buy serato to deal with mp3. Buy only hardware to create music. No (illegal downloaded) Ableton .

[belikewater313]

@belikewater313 : Put out every month a lot of money for vinyl records...

I bought an EPS few weeks ago.

So please don't frontin in tis way...

peace.

[Cku221]

You're talking the same quantity vs quality argument. Now the new generation of music and how its distributed is driven towards the main ones purchasing..aka the youngins that love the radio basura. the faster it goes out the better.

[16647]

also i swear man if they try to make something like a "maschine"or a plug-in im gonna fal over dead laughing.here's some advice for creative labs just make hardware keyboard with pads that has either the asr-10(chips)or the eps-16)sound) then throw a new twist in there and there you go oh yeah and dont forget the asr-10's legendary sound quality inregards to its effects and please dont try to sell it for 5000 dollars or else man if your tryin to capture the true ensoniq heads then forget it!

[16647]

well...lonnnng sigh.as a ensoniq/hip-hop/sampling veteran...i really really dont know why or how at this point any big company(especially after the niko)WOULD EVER EVEN THINK OF A HARDWARE PICE!and of course like always they will find some guys that dont know shit about the lil things about the asr-1o or the eps-16what makes it timeless so whe they ay young i hope they mean guys that were there when the asr-10 was made or my age lie when the eps-16/asr-10 was at it's finest for hip-hop!

[belikewater313]

maybe with a plug-in feature...

i mean with feature in example...that the consumer can edit things on the pc... the DAW can control the ensoniq , usb to midi... data change through usb... and so on.

i mean ..i don't know how many hardwaresamplers are coming out last decade ..but i know about the korg microsampler and the endless possibilities which it gives the user. i don't know i'm happy with it when it comes out , (bought 2months ago my first eps16) but maybe the product will even better.

[belikewater313]

great post !

you want know what i think about the so called comeback of creative labs/ensoniq?

i think it's possible to create something new with the unique sound of the ensoniq samplers in combinate with the new features today-hardware samplers have.