Ensoniq ESQM Synth Module Used

This Ensoniq ESQM is from the original owner who used it only his smoke free studio. It's in excellent condition.

The ESQM was Ensoniq's highly affordable and impressive digital synthesizer module , released in 1987. Although the waveforms are digital in nature, the filters are all analog.  In fact, for a digital synth the ESQM has many good old analog-synth features such as a ring modulator,and oscillator-sync. The envelopes and LFOs are can be freely routed to each DCO, VCA and or VCF. There are 40 preset sounds which are the usual not-so-great sounds.

The ESQM features eight voices with three oscillators per voice, and is fully multi-timbral. The wave ROM accessed by the soundchip contains 32 different waveforms, including standard synthesis waveforms such as sawtooth and square, but also sampled ones such as "piano", "voice", or "bass" (note that, although multi-sampled, these are still single-cycle waveforms, not true samples as such).

Each oscillator can be independently volume-controlled via its dedicated digitally-controlled amplifier, or modulated with an LFO, or an envelope generator. Oscillator amplifiers provide room to be overdriven, and thus produce moderate analog distortion as an additional effect on, for example, synth leads or organ sounds.

ESQ-1 has three independent LFOs, and three independent envelope generators that can be programmed to modulate any number of parameters. A fourth envelope generator is hardwired to the main output amplifier (but it can still be used as a modulation source for other parameters too), which also provides programmable panning for each voice. Its envelope generators follow the level/rate model and therefore provide more flexibility than the ADSR type of other machines. They are programmed with precise level/time settings, and like many other synthesis parameters, they allow use of negative values. Furthermore, they offer some rarely seen features (such as the option to tune the attack portion of the envelope with regard to keyboard velocity, enabling a voice to have a soft attack when played softly, and snappy attack when played hard) plus scaling of the envelope timing with the key number, thus easily enabling more natural envelope behavior.

Its low-pass filters are analog (CEM 3379), but digitally controlled, and thus can be modulated by a significant number of sources, including LFO, envelopes, velocity, aftertouch, modulation wheel, et cetera. Even though the filter resonance can be driven to extreme effect, the resonance setting features only 32 steps, and the filters do not self-oscillate. The synthesis engine is capable of processing polyphonic aftertouch over MIDI.

Furthermore, Ensoniq ESQ-1 features amplitude modulation,  oscillator sync, monophonic mode, and portamento.

The ESQ-synths have been used by Anything Box, Skinny Puppy, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Steve Roach.