Ensoniq ESQ-M User Manual

1

M u s i c i a n ' s M a n u a l

Version 1.0

ESQm Soft Copy Manual

Creation and Revision Information
OCR and PDF conversion by Mark Wynkoop http://www.markwynkoop.com/
Version 1 September 2007

1. Pages 31, 32 missing

2. OCR not 100% manually verified

Copyright and User License:

User License: This manual is FREE for the use of the ESQ/SQ80 community.

Sale of this softcopy manual is PROHIBITED. Sale of this information on eBay
is PROHIBITED. If you find this information bundled in any sort of for-pay

distribution, you have been cheated. Report the seller to eBay.

ESQ-M — Musician's Manual

ESQ-M Musician's Manual:

Written, Designed,
and Illustrated by: Bill McCutcheon

Cover Design by: Gilligan Designs, Inc.

Copyright © 1987

ENSONIQ® Corp

155 Great Valley Parkway
Malvern, PA 19355

All Rights Reserved

This Manual is copyrighted and all rights are reserved by ENSONIQ Corp. This document may not, in whole or in part, be
copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form without prior
written consent from ENSONIQ Corp. The ESQ-M software/firmware is copyrighted and all rights are reserved by

ENSONIQ Corp.

Although every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the text and illustrations in this Manual, no guarantee is
made or implied in this regard. Software/firmware are sold as is and are not covered by warranty.

IMPORTANT:

"This equipment generates and uses radio frequency energy and if not installed and used properly, that is, in strict
accordance with the manufacturer's instructions, may cause interference to radio and television reception. It has been tested
and found to comply with the limits for a Class B computing device in accordance with the specifications in Subpart J of
Part 15 of FCC rules, which are designed to provide reasonable protection against such interference in a residential
installation. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment
does cause interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the
user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures."

* reorient the receiving antenna
* relocate the instrument with respect to the receiver

* move the instrument away from the receiver
* plug the instrument into a different outlet so that the instrument and receiver are on different branch circuits

"If necessary, the user should consult the dealer or an experienced radio/television technician for additional suggestions.
The user may find the following booklet prepared by the Federal Communications Commission helpful: 'How to Identify
and Resolve Radio-TV Interference Problems.' This booklet is available from the U.S. Government printing Office,
Washington, D.C. 20402 Stock No. 004-000-00345-4."

In o r d er t o fu lf il l wa rr an t y . requ i r em e nt s th e ES Q- M sh ou ld b e ser v i c e d on ly by a n a u t ho ri ze d
ENSONIQ Repair Station.

Th e EN S ONIQ seri a l nu mber l a b el must appear on the o u t side o f the Uni t or the ENSON I Q wa r rant y is
void.

*ENSONIQ, ESQ-M, ESQ-1, and Mirage are trademarks of ENSONIQ Corp.

Part # 9310001301 Model MM-11

ESQ-M Musician's Manual — Table of Contents 7

Introduction

9 Section 1– Getting Started

10 Basic Connections

10 Power
10 MIDI
10 Amplification

11 Rear Panel Connections
12 Front Panel Controls

15 Making Noise

15 Turn it on
15 The Sounds
16 Internal Memory
16 Cartridge Memory
17 Selecting a Program
17 Changing Programs Remotely
17 A Note About Program Numbers
18 When You Remove the Cartridge

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

18 Battery Maintenance

18 Rack-mounting the ESQ-M

19 Section 2 - Getting in Deeper

20 PROGRAM Mode - Changing Programs & Tracks
20 Changing Programs

20 Track 0
21 Changing Tracks
21 More About Tracks
22 Diagram — The ESQ-M as Nine "Virtual" Synthesizers

23 PARAMETER Mode

23 About Parametric Programming
23 Pages

23 The Param button
24 The Control Keypad
24 Selecting a Page
24 Selecting a Parameter

25 Parameter Chart
26 Changing a Parameter
26 The Compare light/*C* Prompt
27 The Edit Buffer & the Edit Program

3 Table of Contents

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

29 Section 3 - "Global" Functions

30 MASTER Page

Controls Master Tuning, Velocity Sensitivity, Pedal Function & Pitch Bend 32

MIDI Page

Controls The ESQ-M's MIDI Configuration

39 Section 4 - Programming the ESQ-M

40 Waveforms

40 Digital Waveform Memory
40 What's a Waveform?

40 Synthetic Waveforms
40 Sampled & Multi-sampled Waveforms

41 Names
41 Selecting a Waveform
41 Check Them Out

42 The Waveforms

45 Modulators

45 About Modulation
45 Selecting a Modulator
46 Modulation Depth

46 Modulation Sources
46 LFO's (1-3)
47 Envelopes (1-4)
47 Velocity (VEL & VEL 2)
48 Keyboard Tracking (KYBD & KYBD 2)
48 Mod Wheel (WHEEL)
49 Foot Pedal (PEDAL)
49 External Controller (XCTRL)
49 After-touch (PRESSR)
50 Using Modulators
50 Modulating Oscillator Volume
51 Negative Modulation
51 Modulating Filter Cutoff Frequency
52 Limits of Modulation

53 Voice Diagram - ESQ-M Voice Architecture

55 Programming Pages

56 OSC (1-3) Pages

58 DCA (1-3) Pages
60 DCA 4 Page
62 FILTER Page
64 LFO (1-3) Pages
66 Understanding the Envelopes
72 ENV (1-4) Pages
74 MODES Page
77 Split/Layer Page

4 Table of Contents

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

81 Programming Conventions

83 Section 5 - Saving and Storing Programs (& "Hidden" Functions)

84 Write Page

84 Saving a New or Edited Program
85 Bailing Out
85 Copying an Existing Program to Another Location

86 Storage Page — Data Transfer

86 MIDI Transfer of Programs
86 MIDI Connections

86 PROG TO MIDI - Sending One Program via MIDI to another ESQ
87 BANK TO MIDI - Sending All Internal Programs to another ESQ
87 Cartridge - Bank Copy
87 Transferring Cartridge Programs to the Internal Memory

87 CART A TO INT
88 CART B TO INT
88 Transferring Internal Programs to a Cartridge

88 INT TO CART A
99 INT TO CART B

89 Hidden Functions

89 How to Find them
89 Functions:
89 Soft Reset
89 Software Version
90 Memory Reset
90 Filter Tune
90 Analog Tests

91 Section 6 - Applications

93 Using the ESQ-M with a sequencer

93 Connections
93 The ESQ-M as one synthesizer
94 The ESQ-M as nine synthesizers

94 Some important points about MULTI Mode

95 Using the ESQ-M with a MIDI Guitar Controller

97 The ESQ-M in conjunction with an ESQ-1

97 Programming the ESQ-M from an ESQ-1: System Exclusive Messages
97 Sequencing the ESQ-M from an ESQ-1
98 MIDI Overflow Mode - the ESQ-M as a voice expander for an ESQ-1

5 Table of Contents

ESQ-M — Musician's Manual

101 Section 7 - Appendices

102 About the Program Sheet

102 ESQ-1 to ESQ-M Parameter Reference
103 Blank Program Sheet

104 Program Control Block Structure

107 ESQ-M MIDI Implementation Chart

108 ESQ-M MIDI Implementation Specifications

111 ESQ-M MIDI Parameter List

116 ESQ-M Specifications

Introduction 6

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

CONGRATULATIONS

Your new ESQ-M Digital Wave Synthesizer Module gives you all the great sounds and true multi­timbral capabilities of ENSONIQ'S ESQ-1 Digital Wave Synthesizer in a compact, rack-mountable
package.

If all you want to do is play one sound at a time from a remote keyboard (as you would with most
MIDI voice modules), you'll find the ESQ-M to be a versatile synth with a wide variety of sounds to
choose from. If, however, you are one of those who likes to explore every capability of an
instrument, and tends to push things to the limit, you are in for a treat. The ESQ-M is just the kind of
machine you've been waiting for.

The voice architecture of the ESQ-M is exactly the same as that of the ESQ-1 – all ESQ-1 sounds
play just fine on the ESQ-M, and vice versa. The ESQ-M gives you full access to all the same
programming pages and parameters that have made the ESQ-1 a favorite among programmers and
players alike.

Like the ESQ-1, it has:

 forty Internal Programs
 a cartridge slot for an STC-8 Program cartridge for 80 more programs
 true stereo output (Left/Mono and Right audio outs)
 a CV/Pedal input
 eight dynamically assigned voices

 true poly-timbral operation, able to receive polyphonically on nine MIDI Channels at once

Unlike the ESQ-1, the ESQ-M does not have the built-in sequencer.
TRACKS?

The ESQ-M does, however, have Tracks. Since there is no sequencer, you may ask, what do
Tracks have to do with anything? Well, a Track on the ESQ-M functions the way a Track of an
ESQ-1 sequence does when you send it MIDI information from a remote instrument. The Tracks are
the mechanism by which we are able to play multi-timbrally (using different sounds simultaneously)
into the ESQ-M. Each Track can "listen to" a different MIDI Channel, and respond polyphonically to
information coming in on that Channel.

Each Track is a separate MIDI target with its own:

 Program (patch)
 Program number
 MIDI Channel

 Volume (mix) level

There are nine Tracks, numbered 0-8. Conceptually, Tracks 1 through 8 correspond to the Tracks of
the ESQ-1 sequencer, and Track 0 corresponds to the "straight synth" section of the ESQ-1. In
most ways Track 0 is identical to the other eight Tracks.

When the ESQ-M is in MULTI Mode, each track will receive independently on its own MIDI
Channel, each with its own Program and mix level. This makes the ESQ-M ideal for use with a
sequencer, or with a controller keyboard capable of sending different "zones" of the keyboard on
different MIDI Channels. You can address up to nine different sounds on the ESQ-M without ever
sending it a Program Change, just by playing into the unit on different MIDI Channels.

The ESQ-M, in effect, can act like nine separate synths set to receive on nine different MIDI
Channels. The only catch is that those nine synths share the same eight voices, so no more than eight
voices can be playing at any one instant. You'll find that this usually isn't much of a limitation. Most
of the time you won't be using all eight voices, and the ESQ-M's ability to play lots of different
sounds at once can make eight voices sound like a whole band.

Introduction 7

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

Also, the ESQ-M's MONO Mode implementation makes it excellent for use with the new generation of
MIDI guitar controllers, allowing one, for example, to play a different sound on each string.

FEATURES

With three Digital Wave Oscillators per voice, thirty-two sampled and synthetic Waveforms to choose
from, and 15 routable Modulation sources, the ESQ-M is capable of producing a wide variety of rich,
complex sounds. You can program Splits (for different sounds on each half of the keyboard), Layers
(for two sounds playing together), or even a Split/Layer mode, in which two totally different pairs of
sounds play on each keyboard half.

Forty Programs, or 'patches', are stored in the Internal Memory, with another eighty available on an
external, plug-in Cartridge, giving you 120 sounds to select from instantly. These Programs can be
played as is, or they can be modified to suit your taste and then renamed and stored, either in the
Internal or the Cartridge Memory.

Editing of all programs, and 'global' functions (such as Master Tuning, Bend Range, MIDI Channels,
etc.) can be done easily from the front panel, using the 16 character fluorescent display. Or, you can
program the ESQ-M remotely from an ESQ-1 or a computer (with the right software), by enabling
the ESQ-M to receive System Exclusive messages.

Audio outputs are provided for true stereo as well as a mono output. Programs can be panned
continuously between the left and right channels. The ESQ-M also has an Amplitude Modulation
(AM) mode which can produce bell and ring-modulator type effects, and a Sync mode for hard sync
effects.

ENJOY

Getting great sounds out of the ESQ-M is simple – just read the section entitled Getting Started,
then plug it in and play. Learning to take full advantage of its enormous flexibility will take a bit
longer–it will do a lot. However, if you can open your mind to a few new concepts (like Track 0),
allow yourself to experiment a little, and when all else fails read the Manual, you'll find the ESQ-M
becoming one of the most-used, and most useful, instruments in your entire rig.

8

ESQ-M — Musician's Manual

Section 1

—

Getting Started

9

M through

a mixer, in stereo, be sure to pan the

Left input fully left, and the Right

Mo v e th e Vol u me S l i der of t h e

M up about half way. Switch

the audio system On. While playing

t th e

amplifier volume for normal listening

levels. If you hear no sound from the

M w hi le play in g t he m aste r

keyboard, switch the audio system Off

and check your audio and MIDI

If y o u w a n t t o d r iv e add i t i o n a l

instruments from the same master

keyboard, connect the MIDI THRU

M to the MIDI IN

jack of the next instrument in line.

This jack simply "passes along" the

signal received at the MIDI IN jack,

w i t h

o u t t ra n s m i tt i n g an y da ta

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

BASIC CONNECTIONS

POWER

Insert the Power Cable into the receptacle on the back of the ESQ-M. Plug the other end of the cable
into a grounded AC outlet. (The proper voltage for your ESQ-M is listed on the Serial Number Label
on the Rear Panel.) Turn on the ESQ-M and make sure the Display lights up. If not, check your
connections and power source.

MIDI

Of course, you'll need to connect the ESQ-M to a MIDI keyboard or other controller before it will
make any noise at all. Any instrument which has a MIDI OUT jack can be used to drive the ESQ-M.

Conne ct the MI DI OU T jac k of the ma ste r i nstrument to the MIDI IN ja ck of the
ESQ–M as shown below, using a standard 5-pin MIDI cable.

jack of the ESQ-

generated by the ESQ-M itself.

AMPLIFICATION

Make sure your Audio system is turned off (or down) when making connections, to avoid damaging
speakers or other components.

Connect the Audio Outputs of the ESQ-M to a mixer, instrument amplifier, stereo, or any other sound
system, using 1/4 inch audio cables. If your system is stereo, connect the Left/Mono and Right
Outputs to two channels of your mixer, stereo, etc. If not, use the ESQ-M's Left/Mono Output only.

If you're running the ESQ-

input fully right.

ESQ–

th e m a st e r k e yb o a rd, a d j us

ES Q-

connections.

Rear Panel Connections

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

AUDIO OUTPUTS:

1. RIGHT -- To operat e the ESQ-M in

Stereo, connect this Output to a channel of your
Mixer and pan that channel Right. If n o th in g
is co nn ec t e d to th is ja ck , bot h cha nnels of
the ESQ -M' s Ou tput wi ll be c o m bin ed and
sen t out the Le ft/ Mo no Output.

2. LEFT/MONO -- When operating the ESQ-

M in Stereo, connect this Output to a channel of
your Mixer and pan that channel Left. To
operate the ESQ-M in Mono, use t his j a c k
only. Agai n , if nothing has been connected to
the Right Output jack, the Left/Mono jack will
produce a Mono signal that is the sum of the two

channels of the E S Q - M' s O u tp u t . Spe cs :

(Bot h Audi o Outputs): 1 KOhm output
impedance, DC coupled. Line level output into
10 KOhms or higher (one voice=1 Vp-p
typical; all voices= 15 Vp-p)

3. CV/PEDAL

Th is jac k i s f or con ne ct in g an opt io n al
ENSONIQ Model SW-10 Control Voltage
F o o t P e da l , w h ic h i s a ss i g na b le a s a
Modulator in the Pro gram Section of t h e
ESQ–M. (Note that incoming MIDI Foot
Pedal information (MIDI Controller #4) will have
the same effect.) Or, the CV Pedal can serve as a
Volume Pedal when PEDAL=VOL is selected on
the MASTER Page.

Specs: [Pedal Input]: 3-conductor
(Tip=control voltage input, Ring=2KOhm
resistor to +12 Volts, Sleeve= ground). 500
KOhm input impedance, DC coupled. Input
voltage range=0 to 10 volts DC. Scan
rate=5mS (maximum recommended
modulation input= 25 Hz). For use with an

external control

voltage, use a 2-conductor cable with the voltage
on the tip and the sleeve grounded.

4. MIDI IN

Rec ei ves MI DI info r mat io n fr om o th er
instruments or computers. The MIDI Output of a
MIDI keyboard or other controller must be
connected to this input with a standard Spin
MIDI cable in order for the ESQ-M to make any
sound.

5. MIDI OUT

This jack sends out MIDI (Musical Instrument
Di gi ta l I nt er fa ce ) i n f or ma ti on to oth er
in s t ru m e nt s an d co m p u t e r s . Si n ce th e
ESQ–M is primarily a receiving unit, much of
the time there won't be a reason to plug anything
into this jack. It is important mainly for sending
data, such as Program Banks, to other ESQ products
and computers.

6. MIDI THRU

This j ack "pa sses alo ng" al l inf orma tion
received at the ESQ-M's MIDI In jack. It is used
for chaining MIDI devices together when driving
multiple instruments from a master keyboard or
sequencer.

7. FUSE 1 amp fast-blow fuse socket.

8. AC LINE IN

The supplied line cord should be connected
here. The correct voltage for the ESQ-M is listed
on the Serial Number label on the rear pane l. If
you tr av el , r em emb er th at th e ESQ–M will
only operate on this voltage.

11

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

FRONT PANEL CONTROLS

All the programming, performance and data transfer functions of the ESQ-M are handled from the
sixteen Front Panel buttons, the Volume and Data Entry Sliders, and the 16-character fluorescent
Display. Many of the controls perform multiple functions depending on what mode the ESQ-M is in
You should read the following descriptions carefully in order to get the most out of your ESQ-M.

1. POWER

Rocker switch to turn the unit's power on
and off. Press the switch at the top to turn
the ESQ-M on; at the bottom to turn it off.
You should always make sure the volume is
turned down on your mixer or amplifier
before turning the ESQ-M's power on or

off.

2. VOLUME

Slider control to adjust the output volume of
the ESQ-M.

3. Write button

This button is used to put the ESQ-M onto
the WR ITE Pa ge, w here new or edited
Pr o gra ms c a n be save d to In ter na l or
Cartridge memory locations. The button is
also used to initiate the actual Write (or save)
procedure once you have decided on a new
name and memory location for the new
Program. See Section 5 for complete details.

4. Compare light

This LED lights when you change any of the
parameters of the current Program. What the
Compare light is actually telling you when
it's lit is that the Program you are listening to
is the Edit Program — the contents of the
Edit buffer. Pressing the Pa ram button
again will cause the ESQ-M to switch back
to the current Program, causing the Compare
light to go out. For more information about
the E dit b uffer an d usi ng the Com pare
function, see pp. 26-27.

5. Param button

Pressing this button puts the ESQ-M into

Parameter mode. In Parameter mode the
various parameters (or variables) that make
up the ESQ-M's Programs and its "Global"
settings can be selected and modified.

In Parameter mode the display shows:

1) the name of the current Page

2) the currently selected parameter on that
Page, and

3) the current value of that parameter.

Once the ESQ-M is in Parameter mode,
pressing the Param button toggles back and
forth between the Edit Program and the
currently selected Program in the ESQ-M's
memory, causing the Compare light to go on
or off (see above). See pp. 23-27 for more
on Parameter mode.

Pre ssi ng the Pa ram button also all ows
access to the Storage Page, which is not
technically a parameter page, but which has a
format similar to the parameter pages. The
Storage Page handles all the data transfer
functions of the ESQ-M (sending Programs
over MIDI, transferring Program bank s
between the Cartridge and the Inte rnal
Memory, etc.) From the Storage Page you
can also e xecute a numbe r of "hidden"
functions, su ch as tu ning the filters, re ­in it ial iz ing t he mem ory , ch ec k in g th e
so f t war e v e r sion n u m ber, e t c . The s e
"hidden" functions are covered in Section 5.

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

6. Program button

Pressing this button puts the ESQ-M into
Pr ogram mod e. T hi s i s t h e n orm al
performance mode, the one your ESQ-M
will probably be in most of the time.

In Program mode the display shows:

1) the number of the current Track
(ex.— TRK 0),

2) the name of the Program (or "patch")

currently selected on that Track

(ex.— PIANO1), and

3) the Program number of that Program in

the Internal or Cartridge memory

(ex.— 001).

You can always press the Program button
to quickly find out what Program is selected
on the current Track. See Section 2 for an
explanation of Program mode.

7. CONTROL KEYPAD
The ten buttons of the Control Keypad are
each labeled with a number (as on a standard
numeric keypad) and a Page Name. These
buttons perform a number of different
functions, depending on what mode the
ESQ-M is in, and what you did immediately
before pressing the button. Each of these
functions is described in more detail in the
relevant section of this manual.

In Program mode, the but t ons of the
Control Keypad can be used to directly

key in the number of the Program you want
to select. The full 3 digit number, including
zeroes, must be entered. (For example, enter
0-0-2 to select Program # 2; enter 0-3-5 to
select Program # 35.)

In Parameter mode, these ten buttons
select the Pages which contain the various
para met ers av a ilable on t he ESQ -M .
Where there are more than one of a certain
kind of Page, (such as OSC 1, OSC 2, and
OSC 3) you are asked, after pressing OSC,
to enter the number of the Oscillator you
want. You have approx. 2 seconds to enter a
valid number.
The buttons of the Control Keypad also
allow you to take a short cut to any particular
parameter (bypassing the Scroll button), by
entering the parameter number immediately
after you select the Page. Again, you have
approx. 2 seconds to enter a valid number

after selecting a Page.

13 Front Panel Controls

On the Write Page, you can use these
buttons to directly enter the Program number
of the memory location to which you want to
save a new or edited Program.
IMPORTANT: In all the above functions
the buttons of the Control Keypad are
subject to a timing cycle. That is, when you
select OSC, the ESQ-M waits about 2
seconds for you to tell it which OSC you
mean (1, 2 or 3). If you don't respond in
that time, the Display goes back to wherever
it was previously. Once you select a Page,
the ESQ-M again waits about 2 seconds for
you to directly enter a parameter number,
after which it assumes that a new button­press is meant to select a different Page. If
you find yourself furiously pressing lots of
buttons and not getting the results you
expect, slow down, let a few seconds pass
so that all timing cycles are out of the way
and then select your page, parameter, etc.

8. Scroll button

The Scroll button has various functions
depending on what mode the ESQ-M is in:

In Program mode, pressing the Scroll
button will advance to the next higher Track.
At Track 8 the ESQ-M will "wrap" around
to Track 0 when Scroll is pressed.

In Parameter mode, p ress ing Scroll
advances to the next Parameter on the current
Page. Again, the Display will "wrap" after
the las t para meter on a Pa ge, cycling
endlessly through the available parameters as
the Scroll button is repeatedly pressed.

On the Writ e Page, pr essi ng Sc ro ll
advances the cursor to the next character, or
to the destination Program number, as you
select a name and a new location for an
edited sound.

On the Storage Page, once you have
selected the Storage (or data transfer)
function you want, you press the Storage
button while holding down the Scroll button
to initiate the transfer.

NOTE that pressing the Scroll button only

scrolls the Display forward, to the next
higher Track, parameter, character, etc. You

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

can, however, scroll backwards, to the
previous Track or parameter by holding
down the Scroll button and pressing the
D o w n A r r o w / N o bu tt on . In f ac t,
whenever you are holding down the Scroll
button, the Data Entry Slider and the Up and Down
Arrow buttons will perform the Scroll function
instead of their usual functions.
As for the S c r o l l button itself, you will

notice that any actions performed by this
button actually occur when you release the
button, not when you first press it. So when we
say "press the Sc r o l l button" in this
manual, what we really mean is "press and
release the Scroll button."

9. U p A rr ow/ Ye s a nd Do wn Ar ro w/ N o
buttons

Also called INC and DEC (for increment and
decrement) buttons, these two buttons
perform various functions depending on
what mode the E SQ - M is in. In almost
every case, these buttons perform the same
function as the Data Entry Slider. The
difference is that pressing the Up and Down
Arrow buttons changes things one value at a
time, while moving the Data Entry Slider
sweeps quickly through all the available
values.
In Pr og ra m m od e , pressing the Up or
Down Arrow button will select the next
higher (or lower) Program to be the current
Program on the Track. So, where pressing
Scroll selects a new Track, pressing the Up or
Do w n Ar r ow b ut ton s cha n ges th e
Program that will play on that Track.

In P arameter mode, pressing the Up or
Down Arrow button will change the value of the
current Parameter (the one showing on the
Display). So, where pressing Scroll selects
a different parameter, pressing the Up or Down
Arrow buttons changes the value of that
parameter.

On th e W rite P age, pressing the Up or
Down Arrow button will change the flashing
character one character, or one digit, at a
time, as you edit the name and select a new
location for an edited sound.

answer "YES" and proceed, or answer "NO" and
cancel the procedure.

Scro l l Fun ction s: As mentioned above,
when the Scroll button is being held down,
the Up and Down Arrow buttons (and the
Data Entry S l ider) perform the Scroll
functions instead of their normal ones. The
most common application of this is to press
the Down Arrow/No button while holding
down the Scroll button, in order to scroll
back to the previous parameter.

10. Data Entry Slider

The Data Entry Slider generally performs the
same function as the Up and Down Arrow
buttons. However, it sweeps through the
entire range of available values, whereas the
buttons adjust values one step at a time It is
often most effective to use the Data Entry
Slider to "get in the neighborhood" of the
Program or value you want, and then use the Up
and Down Arrow buttons to zero in on the
exact value.

The same descriptions given above for the Up
and Down Arrow buttons apply for the functioning
of the Data Entry Slider, with a few exceptions:

Yes /N o Fu nc t io ns : When the ESQ-M
expects a YES or NO answer to a question,
the Data Entry Slider will be ignored, and
only the Up Ariow/Yes or Down Arrow/No
button may be used to respond.

Writ e P a g e: On the Write Page you can
press the Down Arrow/No button while
holding down the Scroll button to scroll
backwards, but moving the Data Entry Slider
with the Scroll button held down will have no
effect.

11. Display

The 16-character vacuum fluorescent display
provides all the necessary info about Track,
Program and Global settings, as well as data transfer
and other procedures.

12. Program Cartridge Slot

Ins ert an ENS ONI Q S TC- 8 o r o t her
Program cartridge into this slot to expand the
number of available Programs to 120.

Yes/No Functions: Occasionally, when
performing a function which will alter the
co ntents of the ESQ-M 's memo r y,
youwill be asked a question before proceeding,
such as "RESET ALL MEMORY?" In such
cases you will use these buttons to either

14 Front Panel Controls

ESQ-M - Musician's Manual

Programs 041 through 120 are the Cartridge
Programs. When no cartridge is inserted here,
onl y Pr ogram s 00 1 thr ou gh 0 40 ( the fo rty
internal Programs) can be selected. The contents

of an ENSONIQ Program cartridge are divided
into Banks of forty Programs each:

Bank A contains Programs 041 through 080;
Bank B contains Programs 081 through 120.

MAKING NOISE

TURN IT ON

When you turn the ESQ-M on,

the Display will show a wake-up message ...........................

After about three seconds the ESQ-M will put itself
into Program mode, and should default to 'TRACK 0,

Program #1. The Display should now show ....................

If you've been playing with the controls, and the Display doesn't appear as shown above, do this:

1. Press the Program button

2. Move the Data Entry Slider up and then all the way down
What you have just done is to 1) put the ESQ-M into Program mode, and then 2) select Program #1
(by moving the Data Entry Slider all the way down). The ESQ-M is now on Track 0 with Program
#1 selected. This is a good starting point for exploring the sounds.

ENSON IQ ESQ-M

TRK 0 PIANO 1 0 0 1

THE SOUNDS

Each of the three Program Banks, (Internal, Cart A and Cart B) designates a large area of memory
which contains forty Programs. If no cartridge is inserted in the Cartridge port, only the forty Internal
Programs are available. Once a Cartridge is inserted, all 120 Programs are instantly available.

Internal and Cartridge Memory

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

INTERNAL MEMORY (001-040)

The ESQ-M holds 40 different Sounds, or "patches" in its Internal Memory. We refer to these
Sounds as Programs. You can change Programs simply be moving the Data Entry Slider or by
pressing the Up and Down Arrow buttons. You can also change Programs on the ESQ-M by
sending it a Program Change from your Master keyboard. For most MIDI keyboards, this is simply a
matter of selecting a new Program from the front panel of the master keyboard.

The I nter nal M emo ry consists o f Progra ms 0 01 th rou gh 04 0. (Note that the Program
Number of the current Program on a given Track is always shown on the right side of the Display.)
The Internal Memory retains its data even when the power is Off.

CARTRIDGE MEMORY (041-120)

Before you can select Programs 041 through 120, an ENSONIQ E2PROM or Voice-80 Storage
Cartridge must be inserted in the Cartridge slot on the right side of the front panel.

Be sure to insert the Cartridge as shown below, with the label side facing down and the writing on the

end of the Cartridge facing right-side-up. /

The Cartridge Memory consists of Programs 041 through 120.

The contents of an ENSONIQ Program cartridge are divided into two Banks of forty Programs each. Bank A
contains Programs 041 through 080. Bank B contains Programs 081 through 120.

The procedures for selecting, editing and saving sounds are identical to those for Internal sounds. When a
Cartridge has been inserted, all three Master Banks (that is, Programs 001 through 120) are instantly available.

There is one im port ant difference between the STC-8 E2PROM Storage Cartridge and the Voice­80 Program Cartr idges — you cannot "write to" or alter the contents of the Voice-80 Cartridges. They
are read-only devices and the sounds on them cannot be changed (though you can ed i t a sound fro m the
Voice-80 Cartridge and t hen save it somewhere e lse). T he E2PROM Cartridge, on the other hand, is
for storing the Programs that you create or get from your friends. You can write to it just like the Internal
memory.

The E2PROM Cartridge also retains its data when the power is Off, whether or not it is plugged into the ESQ­M Cartridge slot. When there is no Cartridge in the slot, only Programs 001 through 040 can be selected.

16

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

SELECTING A PROGRAM
To select a different Program, move the Data Entry Slider or press the Up and Down Arrow buttons. As

you do so, the name and the Program Number showing on the Display will change to reflect those of the new
sound that you have selected.

Note that Cartridge sounds are not treated any differently from Internal sounds. When a Cartridge is
inserted, the Data Entry Slider and the Up and Down Arrow buttons will continuously move through all
120 Programs without differentiating between the Internal and Cartridge sounds

Another way to select a Program on the ESQ-M is to enter its Program Number directly from the
Control Keypad. You must enter all three digits of the number, including the leading zeroes in
numbers below 100. For example:

 to select Program # 3, enter 0-0-3
 to select Program # 42, enter 0-4-2
 to select Program # 105, enter 1-0-5

and so on. There is a timer function at work when you enter Program Numbers directly — after you enter
a valid digit, the ESQ-M waits two seconds for you to enter another valid digit. If you don't, it goes back
to the original program. If this happens to you, don't get flustered— just enter the Program Number again.

CHANGING PROGRAMS REMOTELY

To select a new ESQ-M sound from your master keyboard simply select a new patch from its front
panel. This will send a MIDI Program Change command, instructing the ESQ-M to change to the
designated sound. Different instruments have different methods for numbering their Programs — see the
note below.

Some instruments have access to less than 120 Programs, and therefore cannot send the full 120
Program changes that the ESQ-M will recognize. You can only send the ESQ-M Program Change
numbers as high as your master keyboard is capable of transmitting. So with some instruments as a
master, you will not be able to remotely select all of the ESQ-M's Programs.

Some instruments, on the other hand, send the full 128 Program Changes available through MIDI. The

ESQ-M will ignore Program Changes over 120.

A NOTE ABOUT PROGRAM NUMBERS

MIDI Program Numbers can be a little confusing. On the ESQ-M (and the ESQ-1) you will find the
Programs numbered from 1 to 120. Several other synths, including the DX-7, also begin numbering from
Program Number 1.

True MIDI Program Numbers, the numbers actually sent and received by MIDI instruments, begin at
Program Number 0. (Computers, unlike people, tend to number things starting from zero instead of
one.) So ESQ-M Program Number 001 actually corresponds to True MIDI Program Number zero (0).
ESQ-M Program Number 120 corresponds to True MIDI Program Number 119. And so on. The
Program Number shown on the ESQ-M is the True MIDI Program Number plus one. Some instruments
reference their Programs starting from #0, some starting from #1. Hence the confusion.

The trick to keeping things straight is this: if the instrument you use with the ESQ-M lists Program
Numbers beginning from #0, you will have to add 1 to the Program Numbers on that instrument to come
up with the corresponding ESQ-M Program Number. If the instrument lists Program Numbers beginning
from #1, any Program Number on that instrument will be the same as the corresponding ESQ-M Program
Number.

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

WHEN YOU REMOVE THE CARTRIDGE

The ESQ-M remembers which sound you had selected for each Track, even if it's a Cartridge sound
and you remove the Cartridge. If you remove the Cartridge when a Cartridge sound (# 041 to 120) is
selected, the Program Name on the Program Page is replaced by the word *CART*, indicating that a
Cartridge Program is selected but no Cartridge is present. The Program Number will still reflect the
Cartridge location. If you reinsert the Cartridge, the proper Program name will reappear, and all will
be as it was.

The sound you hear while the Cartridge is removed will be that of the Internal sound which occupies
the same relative memory location in the Internal memory that the selected sound does in the absent
Cartridge. Subtract 40 (for CART A sounds) or 80 (for CART B sounds) from the Program Number
showing on the Display to arrive at the number of the Internal Program that you will hear. For
example, if Program # 042 is selected, and you remove the Program Cartridge, the Display will read:

TRK 0 *CAR T* 042

The Program that you will actually hear playing (until you re-insert the Cartridge or change Programs)
will be Program # 002.

BATTERY MAINTENANCE

The reason that the ESQ-M "remembers" Programs and other parameters when the power is OFF is
that all of its Internal RAM (Random Access Memory) is "Battery Backed-up". The battery that keeps
the ESQ-M's Memory intact is located inside the ESQ-M, and when it becomes discharged, it must
be replaced by an authorized ENSONIQ Repair Station.

The battery that came in your ESQ-M is good for up to ten years of life. You will know when it
needs replacing, because the ESQ-M will tell you so. One day you will switch the Power ON, and
instead of its usual wake-up message, the Display will read:

BATTERY VOLT LOW

meaning, of course that the Battery voltage is low. When this message appears, you should make sure
that all Programs are saved to a Cartridge or computer librarian, and then take the ESQ-M to an
authorized ENSONIQ Repair Station as soon as possible to have the battery replaced.

You can check the status of the battery on the Analog Test Page, which is one of the "hidden"
functions on the Storage Page (see p. 90). When the battery is in good shape the Display will read
"B=00" on the Analog Test Page. Any reading above 00 indicates a battery that is on the way out,
and will need replacing very soon.

RACK MOUNTING THE ESQ-M

The ESQ-M can be rack mounted in a standard 19" audio rack by installing the rack mount hardware
included with the unit. To mount the ESQ-M in a rack:

1. Fasten the rack mount "ears" to the sides of the front panel with the supplied screws, making sure
that the oval mounting holes face the front of the unit.

2. The ESQ-M occupies two standard rack spaces (3 1/2"). We recommend the use of nylon
washers when rack mounting any unit.

3. If you are installing another piece of equipment directly below the ESQ-M in your rack, it may be
necessary to remove the rubber feet from the underside of the cabinet.

18 General Information

Section 3 — Getting In Deeper

ESQ-M — Musician's Manual

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

PROGRAM MODE — Changing Programs and Tracks

The ESQ-M is always in one of two modes – Program Mode or Parameter Mode. These modes
are entered by pressing either the Program or the Param button on the front panel.

When you press the Program button, the display will show :

1) which of the nine Tracks is currently selected,

2) the name of the Program currently playing on that Track, and

3) the Number of that Program

In Program Mode, there are only two things you can do:

1) change the Program which is playing on the Track, or

2) select a different Track.

CHANGING PROGRAMS

To change to a new Program, first press the Program button to make sure the ESQ-M is in Program
mode. You now have a number of ways to select a new Program.

 Press the Up Arrow/Yes or Down Arrow/No buttons to step through the Programs in

memory one at a time.

 Move the Data Entry Slider to zip through the programs more quickly.
 If you know the number of the Program you want, you can enter it directly from the

Control Keypad. You must enter all three numbers, including the zero for numbers smaller
than 100 (such as "0-3-5" for Program #35, etc.) If a Program Cartridge is inserted, Programs
# 001 through 120 are available to be selected. If no cartridge is inserted, ONLYPrograms #
001 through 040 are available.

TRACK 0

In most cases, when using the ESQ-M like a normal synthesizer, it's just as well to leave it on Track
0, and ignore the other eight. (By "normal" we mean a unit that is simply played from some master
controller, one patch at a time.) The other eight Tracks are there primarily as a way to get at different
sounds simultaneously when using the ESQ-M with a sequencer, guitar controller, "smart" keyboard
controller, or any other device which is capable of sending on several MIDI Channels at once.

If you use the ESQ-M in OMNI or POLY modes, there is little reason to stray from Track 0 — in
OMNI or POLY modes only one Track (the selected Track) responds to MIDI data at any time. So
changing Tracks doesn't make much difference, since in OMNI or POLY mode Track 1 will behave
exactly like Track 0, as will Track 2, Track 3, and so on.

As it comes out of the box, your ESQ-M will be in OMNI mode — that is, it will respond to all
enabled data coming in on any MIDI Channel. This is fine if it's the only remote MIDI instrument
you'll be using. If there are others, you will probably want to go to the MIDI Page and select POLY
mode. In POLY mode the ESQ-M will respond only to data coming in on the Base MIDI Channel
(which you also select on the MIDI Page). See the section "MIDI Page" for details on selecting
MIDI mode and MIDI Channel.

20 Program Mode

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

CHANGING TRACKS

To select a different Track, press the Scroll button, and the ESQ-M will advance to the next
higher Track. The display will now show the number of the new Track, along with the Program on
that Track and it's Program Number. If the ESQ-M is in OMNI or POLY Mode, the sound you hear
will change to that of the new Track (this is not the case in MULTI or MONO Modes).

To scroll backwards, that is to go back to the next lowest Track, press the Scroll button and
hold it down while pressing the Down Arrow/No button. (This works when using the
Scroll button in any mode – pressing Scroll scrolls forward, and pressing Down Arrow/No while
holding down the Scroll button scrolls backward.)

If you continue pressing Scroll, the ESQ-M will continue advancing to the next Track. When it
reaches Track 8 (the highest numbered Track), pressing Scroll brings you back to Track 0.

MORE ABOUT TRACKS

When things really get interesting is when you put the ESQ-M into MULTI mode. MULTI mode is
an ENSONIQ innovation which allows the ESQ-M to respond to nine different MIDI Channels at
one time. This is where the Tracks come in. More detail on using the ESQ-M's multi-timbral
capabilities in specific applications is available in other sections of this manual. Here we'll just cover
some of the basics.

Imagine This:

Imagine nine synthesizers, each receiving on a different MIDI Channel, each totally independent,
capable of receiving key information, Program Changes and controllers (pitch bend, MOD wheel,
etc.). Now here's the tricky part: these nine synthesizers share a pool of eight voices.

The eight voices are dynamically assigned. That means that when one of the nine synths needs one, or
two, or five (or even all eight) voices, it gets them. When it's through with a voice, it puts it back in
the pool, where the voice is again available for any of the nine synths. If one of the synths needs to
play a note when all eight voices are already in use, it will "steal" the voice that has been playing the
longest — the oldest note.

Obviously, all nine synths cannot be playing at one instant in time. At any one instant, only eight
voices can be playing, but those eight voices can be playing any combination of sounds from any of
the nine synths.

The scenario above exactly describes the behavior of the nine Tracks of the ESQ-M in MULTI mode.
In MULTI mode each Track acts like a separate synthesizer, with its own:

 Program
 Program number

 MIDI Channel
 Mix level

Each track will receive independently on its own MIDI Channel. So you can send into the ESQ-M on
MIDI Channel 1 and the Program on Track 0; send on MIDI Channel 2 and get the Program on Track
1; send on MIDI Channel 3 and get the Program on Track 2, and so on. All at the same time. See the
diagram on the next page.

The ESQ

-

M as nine "virtual" synthesizers

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

The above picture illustrates the concept of the ESQ-M as nine "virtual" synthesizers: each Track as a
separate, independent synth, receiving on its own MIDI Channel, with all nine Tracks sharing a pool
of eight dynamically assigned voices. This illustration shows Track 0 receiving on MIDI Channel 1,
Track 1 receiving on MIDI Channel 2, Track 2 receiving on MIDI Channel 3, and so on. These are
the default values — how the MIDI Channels are assigned as the ESQ-M comes out of the box. You
can, of course change the MIDI Channel of each Track, and whatever values you select will be
remembered by the ESQ-M, even when the power is Off. See the Section on the MIDI Page (p.

32) for more details.

22

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

PARAMETER MODE

ABOUT PARAMETRIC PROGRAMMING

To modify or "edit" Programs, the ESQ-M uses a method known as parametric programming.
You may well have already encountered some form of parametric programming on other synthesizers.
What this means is that instead of having a separate knob or Slider for each function, you have one
master Data Entry Slider and two buttons which adjust the value of whichever parameter you
select.

The 16 character display shows you one parameter, or variable, at a time. Oscillator Pitch, Master
Tuning, MIDI Channel and Filter Cutoff Frequency are all examples of parameters which can be
selected and modified. Whichever parameter is showing on the display at any given time is considered
the current parameter, the one whose value will be modified if you move the Data Entry Slider or press
the Up and Down Arrow buttons.

This approach has many advantages, the most obvious of which is that it greatly reduces the amount of
hardware-- knobs, switches, sliders, etc.-- needed to control a wide variety of functions. (If the
ESQ–M had a separate control for each function, it would literally have hundreds of knobs, buttons,
switches and such.)

PAGES

Parameters on the ESQ-M are organized into Pages. Each Page is really just a collection of
parameters related to some function, such as the pitch of each oscillator, the volume of each
oscillator,the filter frequency, etc. On the ESQ-1 with its larger display, all the parameters on a given
Page are displayed at once when you select that Page. On the ESQ-M when you select a Page you
see one parameter at a time and use the Scroll button to advance to the next parameter on the Page.

You can think of the ESQ-M in relation to a book -- when the ESQ-M is in Parameter mode, each
time you press one of the buttons on the Control Keypad, you are in effect "turning to" that function's
Page. The name of the Page appears in the left side of the display. Once you have turned to the Page
you want, the Display shows you the parameter which was last selected on that Page. You can now
Scroll to the Parameter you want to adjust, and change its value using the Data Entry Slider and the Up
and Down Arrow buttons.

THE PARAM BUTTON
Pressing the Param Button puts the ESQ-M into Parameter Mode. In Parameter Mode,

the ESQ-M displays, and lets you adjust, one parameter at a time. When you press the Parameter
button, the display will show:

1) the name of the current Page

2) the name of the current parameter, and

3) the value of the current parameter

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

THE CONTROL KEYPAD

In Parameter Mode, the 10 buttons of the Control
Keypad serve multiple functions. You'll notice
that each button has a Page name as well as a
number. These buttons allow you to select any
of the Programming or Global Pages, and to then
go directly to any parameter on the Page.

SELECTING A PAGE

To select to a new Page, first press the Param button to make sure the ESQ-M is in Parameter mode.
The display will show the currently selected Page and Parameter, as illustrated previously. To select a
different Page, press the button directly above the Page Name.

To select the Master, Storage, MIDI, Filter, Modes, or Split/Layer Page, press the button
above its name and the Page is selected. The Page name will show on the left side of the display, the
current parameter in the middle, the current value of that parameter on the right.

The OSC, DCA, LFO and ENV buttons each serve to select more than one Page. (This is because
the ESQ-M has three Oscillators, four DCA's, three LFO's and four Envelopes per voice.) When
you press any of these four buttons in Parameter mode, you will be prompted to enter a second
number, telling the ESQ-M which Oscillator, DCA, LFO or Envelope you want to select.

For example, suppose you want to go to the OSC 2 Page. First press the Param button. Then press
the Control Keypad button above OSC. The display will flash the message:

Now press 2. This selects the OSC 2 Page. When you press OSC, DCA, LFO or ENV, the
ESQ-M waits, flashing the question mark, for about 2 seconds. If you press a valid number
within that time, it selects the proper Page. If you don't, it will return, after 2 seconds, to
wherever it was previously. (If you didn't select the number in time, and the Display reverted to
the Page it was previously on, don't panic. Just let a few seconds pass, and try again.)

SELECTING A PARAMETER

Once you have gotten to the Page you want, the Display will show the last-used parameter on that
Page (it remembers which parameter was last selected for each Page). There are two ways to select a
different parameter:

1. Press Scroll. Pressing the Scroll button will advance to the next parameter on the Page.

Again, you can press the No/Down Arrow button while holding down the Scroll button to
scroll backwards through the parameters. Or,

2. Enter the Parameter number directly after selecting the Page. Each parameter on

each Page has a number associated with it. After you select a Page, if you immediately press the
number of the parameter you want, the ESQ-M will go directly to that parameter.

24 Selecting Pages and Parameters

Page

Missing

Page

Missing

ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

THE EDIT BUFFER & THE EDIT PROGRAM
You can edit a Program, while keeping the original Program intact, because the edited version is kept

in a special area of Memory called the Edit Buffer. Whenever you change any parameter of a
Program, the altered Program is put in the Edit Buffer, replacing whatever was previously there. Only
one Program at a time can reside there — the Edit Buffer always contains the results of your last edit.

If you like the results of the changes you have made to a Program, you should rename it and save the
new Program permanently, to another Location. The procedure for this is covered in Section 5.

When you press the Param Button to toggle the Compare light on and off, what you are doing is
alternating between the Program in the original Memory Location and the Program in the Edit Buffer.
We refer to the Program in the Edit Buffer as the Edit Program.

You can return to the Edit Program, even after selecting another Program (as long as you don't change
any parameters there) by pressing the Compare Button. This puts you back in the Edit Buffer, and
any changes you make will affect the Edit Program.

The rule of thumb is this: Whatever Sound you hear, that's what you're editing.

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ESQ-M – Musician's Manual

Section 3 — "Global" Functions