Ensoniq Corporation Transoniq Hacker Archive Issue

noniq

ASR-10: The First Stereo Sample

Hacker

The Independent News

Magazine for Ensoniq Users

I n t hi s i s su e

Articles:

"...if there were any argument for mono,

we could get rid of half the speakers in

our l i ves !"

— D av e S mi t h

Dave Smith, founder of Sequential Cir
cuits and designer of the Prophet line of

samplers and synthesizers hit the nail on

the head. We are a two-eared race of

music lovers, and the latest bit of good

news in our lives is the Ensoniq ASR-10.

By now, most people have heard about

the ASR's sleek good looks, its solid

metal casing and powerhouse digital ef

fects, but the big news is that this instru

ment actually samples in stereo. Being a
bit of a cynic, my first job in checking

out this new instrument was to do a quick

and dirty stereo sampling job. My second

job was to report my findings in these

pages.

Knowing a good thing when they have it,
Ensoniq made few changes from the EPS

to the ASR in the actual steps one goes

through to sample (or do just about any

thing). What this means is that if you've

ever sampled with the EPS or 16+, you
can jump into this machine and almost

immediately get some great results. The

first d i ffer en c e is t h a t t h e A S R h as two

inputs (of course). The big news is that
these inputs can go through the digital ef

f e c t s o f t he A S R b ef o re t h e s o u n d i s

sampled. What this means is that a mono

sound can go through a stereo effect and

the whole thing can be sampled in stereo.

Barry Carson

creating a stereo sample. A true stereo
sound can also go through the stereo ef

fects to create even a bigger stereo sound.
To make this all even more outrageous, a

stereo sound can be sampled going
through a stereo effect, the resulting

stereo sample can then be played back
through another stereo effect. Powerful

stuff, eh?

On the simpler side, mono or stereo
sounds can be sampled dry. I considered

this a bit of an acid test. I knew a huge

stereo sample of an enormous choir

bathed in massive stereo reverb would

sound great. What about a dry simple
stereo sample of a plucked instrument,

wo ul d it make a differenc e?

For this test I used an Appalachian Dul

cimer played into two microphones. I

placed these microphones one on each

si de of t he d ulc imer, nea r the s ound

holes. I kept the mics as close as possible
to minimize sampling the ambience of the

room (after all that is what those amazing
effects are for). Sampling is just like on

the EPS except the ASR counts off the
time of your sample for you. When a

stereo sample is completed, it is deposited
in two layers for you (layers 1 & 2 for ex

ample), one being the right channel, the

other being the le ft. These layers are
linked together so they can be edited as a

pair. In other words, when you adjust the
filter settings for layer 1, you adjust the

filter settings for layer 2 at the same time.

A powerful feature is the option of turn-

ASR-10: The First Stereo Sample

B a r r y C a r s o n c o v e r

A Cure F or Mu lt it ra ck Tra ns fe r Tr au ma

R o b b y B e r m a n 5

Programming the DP/4

D e n n i e E d w a r d s 9

Waveform Mutilation for SQs & KSs

J a c k S t e p h e n T o l i n 1 3

An SQ-R Primer for ESQ-l/SQ-80 Owners

Part m

Brian Rost 18

Keyboard Scrabble — ESQs & SQ-80s
W a l t e r C o o p e r 2 0

EPS & ASR Percussion Tips

T o m S h e a r 2 1

Reviews:

Basement Tapes: Jim Newton

Daniel Mandel 4

Syntaur Samples for EPSs & ASRs
A n t h o n y F e r r a r a 7

Ensoniq's ESS-13 & 15 for EPSs & ASRs
Pat Finnigan 15

Regular Stuff:

R a n d o m N o t e s 3

C u r r e n t O . S 3
H a r d D r i v e s L i s t 2

Ensoniq's Customer Service Q c& A

D e n n i e E d w a r d s 8

C l a s s i fi e d s 2 3

Hackerpatches
S a m M i m s & J e f f r e y R h o a d s 2 4

The Interface 26

H a c k e r B o o t e e q 3 1

ISSUE NUMBER 91, $2.50 JANUARY, 1993

ing the stereo link off for editing. This would let you get in and
edit each half of the stereo sample independently.

Tested and Approved Hard Drives for the EPSs

These stereo samples can be mapped across the keyboard or

stacked just like mono samples in the EPS.

The results of this session were really amazing. Playing back

the samples and switching my amp from stereo to mono made it

plainly clear that stereo sampling is an incredibly powerful tool

in the accurate reproduction of acoustic instrument sounds.
Trying to articulate the subtle differences between the sound of

a stereo sample and that of a mono sample taxes my limited

vocabulary. Words like vibrant and alive pop into my mind but
they really can't express what I'm hearing. My suggestion, get

your hands on an ASR 10 and do some stereo sampling. When

you think of the words that can describe what it sounds like, let

me know. ■■

Bio.: Barry Carson started sampling

years ago in the early days of the
Mirage. He has also sampled for the

EPS, EPS-16+, Prophet and Roland

samplers. When he puts his mind to it, he

c an e v e n r e m em b e r h ow t o c o u n t i n

hexadecimal.

The drives listed below are known to be compatible with the EPS and

EPS-16 PLUS at the time of testing. Changes in firmware or hardware by

drive manufacturers may make later versions incompatible (with the ex
ception of PS Systems, Eltskon, and Frontera whose drives are con

figured to work specificaiiy with Ensoniq products). Drives not included on

this list may also work just fine. For up-to-date information about specific

drives call Ensoniq Customer Service: 215-647-3930.

MANUFACTURER MODEL

O y n a t e k A l l M o d e l s

Frontera All Models

P S S y s t e m s A l l M o d e l s

Eltekon All Models

Rodlme 45plus, 60plus, lOOplus, 140plus

Microtech R45. N20, N40, N80, N100, N150
PL1 45 Meg Removable

M a s s M i c r o D a t a p a c k 4 5

Drives Reported to Work by Readers

The following drives have been reported to work satisfactorily with

reader's EPS systems. No guarantees — but they'll probab/y work with
yours. Try to try before you buy.

Jasmine Direct Drive 100 Quantum 100M, 21OM
PowerDrlve44 Seagate 80M
Syquest 555 (removable) Tech Data Model 60e

UNAUTHORIZED BREAK-IN

New WAVeBOY disk exposes direct audio input to EPS-16 PLUS Effects

Send any signal through the EPS effects processor, with the new

WAVeBOY Audio-In Effects Disk. Guitar, mic, or line level

audio. Works with all 13 factory algorithms. Disk also includes

Plate Reverb, Non-linear Reverb, and 3-voice Pitch-shifter that

can process external audio and internal sounds. Just $39.95

Also available, the amazing WAVeBOY Parallel Effects Disk.

Four different effects at once. Also only $39.95.

"A Genius-at-work kind of product... I can't imagine any

EPS-16 PLUS owner who wouldn't want to have this disk..."

-Craig Anderton, TH review, April, '92

Order now! Overseas add $6. PA Residents Add 6% sales tax.

Mastercard or Visa accepted. To order call [phone].

Or send cashier check or money order to:

WAVeBOY, P.O.Box 233, Paoli, PA 19301

W A V fi R n Y

INDUSTRI FS

2

Front Ponol

RND

H a c k e r N e w s

Things get awfully quiet this time of year. Happy belated holidays!
(This is being written in mid-December — we always forget to men

tion it in mid-November.)

Last month Clark told an Interfacer that he'd put together a VFX
wind patch for him. Well, due to interplanetary commitments of a na

ture way too complicated to go into here, Clark didn't quite make it.
However, we did recall (finally) that Jim Grote wrote an excellent ar

ticle on creating wind patches for the VFX in Issue #76 (still avail

able). It even included a bassoon patch. Check it out.

Jack Tolin tells us that the patch included in his Waveform Mutila

tion article in Issue #89 should have a Voice 3 Wave Direction of

Backward ( instead of For ward).

Also, the makers of Disk Wizard (reviewed in Issue #89) have moved
to: Lot 169, Stevens St., Munclaring, Western Australia 6073.

TRANSONIQ-NET

HELP WITH QUESTIONS

All of the individuals listed bel ow are vo lun tee rs\ Ple ase tak e that

into consideration when calling. If you get a recording and leave a

message, let 'em know if it's okay to call back collect (this will
greatly increase your chances of getting a return call).

All Ensoniq Gear - Ensoniq Customer Service. 9:30 am to noon, 1:15

pm to 6:30 pm EST Monday to Friday. 215-647-3930.

All Ensoniq Gear - Electric Factory (Ensoniq's Australia distributor).

Business hours - Victoria. [phone].

SD-1 Questions - Philip Magnotta, 401-467-4357,4 - 10 pm EST.

VFX Sound Programming Questions - Dara Jones, Compuserve;

71055,1113 or Midi-net and Fido-net. The local BBS is the Nightfly in

DaUas: 214-342-2286.

Sampling & Moving Samples - Jack Loesch, [phone]. Eastem

Time (N.J.). Call after 6:00 pm.

MIDI Users - Eric Baragar, Canadian MIDI Users Group, (613) 392­6296 during business hours, Eastem Time (Toronto, ONT) or call

MIDILINE BBS at [phone] 24 hours.

Mirage Sampling - Mark Wyar, [phone]. Eastem time zone
(OH). Calls between 6 pm and 11 pm.

SD- 1, sou nd pro gr a mmin g, seq ue n cin g, & M I D I - Eric O l sen ,

Pegasus Sounds, [phone]. Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: 4 pm to 9:30
pm Eastem Time. Sat: 12 to 10 pm. {No calls on Wednesday please!)

SQ-1 Questions - Pat Finnigan, 317-462-8446. 8:00 am to 10:00 pm

EST.

ESQ-1, MIDI & Computers - Joe Slater, [phone]. Eastem time

zone.

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Please let us know at least four weeks in advance to avoid missing

any issues. The Post Office reaily wiii NOTreiiabiy forward this
type of mail. (Believe us, not themi) We need to know both your

oid and your new address, (issues missed due to iate or no
change notification are your own dumb fauit-we maiied them!)

Current Ensoniq O.S. (Disk/EPROM)

EPS
EPS-M
EPS-16 PLUS 1.3/1 .OOF S Q -R P L U S
MASOS
MIRAGE 3.2 SQ-2 32
ESQ
ESQ-M 1.2 SD-1 32

SQ-80 1.8

VFX 2.30 KS-32
VFX-SD 2.1/2.00 ASR-10

SQ-1
SQ-1 32 2.03 KMX-16

SQ-1 PLUS 1.1

2.49/2.40 SQ-R 1.02

2.49/2.41 SQ-R 32 2.03

1.15

2.0 SQ-2 1.2

2.03

3.5 SD-1 4.10/4.10

4.10/4.10

DP/4 1.11

3.00

1.05/1.00

1.11 KMX-8 2.00

1.50

SD-1 Questions - John Cox, 609-888-5519, (NJ) 6 - 8 pm EST.

SQ-80 Questions - Robert Romano, 607-533-7878. Any ol' time.

Hard Drives & Drive Systems, Studios, & Computers - Rob Feiner,
Cinetunes. 914-963-5818.11 am - 3 pm EST. Compuserve: 71024,1255.

EPS, E PS-16 PL US, & ASR-1 0 Questi on s - Garth H jelte . Rubber
Ch ic ken S oftwa re . P ac ifi c Ti me (W A) . C al l a ny ti me. I f m es sa ge,

24-hour caUback. [phone].

ESQ-1 AND SQ-80 Questions - Tom McCaffrey. ESQUPA. 215­830-0241, before 11 pm Eastem Time.

ESQ-1 Questions - Jim Johnson, [phone]. 8 am to 5 pm Pacific

Time ( OR).

EPS/MIRAGE/ESQ/SQ-80 M.U.G. 24-Hour Hotline - 212-465-

3430. Leave name, number, address. 24-hr Callback.

B A C K I S S U E S

Back issues are $2.00 each. (Overseas: $3 each.) Issues 1- 30, 35 - 38,

67-72, and 83 are no longer available. Subscriptions will be extended
an equal number of issues for any issues ordered that are not available at

the time we receive your order. ESQ-1 coverage started with Issue
Number 13. SQ-80 coverage started with Number 29, (although most

ESQ-1 coverage also applies to the SQ-80). EPS coverage got going
with Number 35 (and also applies to the ASR-10). VFX coverage

(which also applies to the SDs) got started in Number 48. The SQs got
going in Number 63. (SQ articles also apply to the KS-32.) DP/4 cover

age started in #88 (much of which also applies to the ASR-10). Permis
sion has been given to photocopy issues that we no longer have

available — check the classifieds for people offering them. A free back

issue in de x is avai lab le wh ic h cont ains t he ta bl es of conte nt fo r all is

sues sinc e Num ber 4 3.

3

HACKER BASEMENT TAPES

Peeling Back the Layers

Tape: "boen marg" (the left handed path).

Ar tist : Ji m Ne wt on .

Contact info: 170 Mar Monte, La Selva, CA 95076, $8 for the tape.

••

Equipment: Mirage, Prophet 600, DX21, ESQ-1, Matrix 6R.

Drumulator and RX15, mixed on a portastudio.

I was really impressed by the songs on this tape. I'll let you

in on a little reviewer psychosis. Often I am afraid that I will

pop in the next tape to review and be thrown into an angst-

ridden search for how to say something nice when I'd rather
say nothing at all. (Or at least nothing at all nice!)

Daniel Monde!

Jim theorizes, "Like I'm onto the ethnic world scene... I'm a

timbre junkie. So when world music gets bastardized (god

forbid) by the majors — then what's left? What will be the

next BIG THING? Us! Some Eskimo with a portastudio in

his igloo. Some Chinese woman in Fuzhou. Some Maori

tribesman with a guitar in New Zealand. Some fella in Bath,
Maine. Get the picture? We'll all be listening to each other
without regard to skin color, religious practices, or financial

status. So, you heard it here first."

The only real technical problem I had was that the vocal

samples that were used throughout tended to be murky and

undefined. I don't know what the source was, but possibly

more time could have been spent on the EQ or setting the

samples up after the recording. It's given that the intent and

feeling produced by them was very well placed and worth it.

What Jim has done on this tape can be summed up by the
idea of an introduction. A lot of modern popular songs put a

lot of energy and talent into preparing introductions, crafting
them with care and patience to grab the audience and pull
them into the song. In fact you may have heard that in writing

(words) and in song writing — publishers and recruiters pay
careful attention to introductions and endings. The assump

tion is that carrying the song or the story and maintaining a

style are much easier. The difficult part is the get the atten

tion of the listener and then to conclude in such a way as to

satisfy or gratify the audience. This is what Jim has done. He

has sustained that initial interest throughout his songs.

The tape can be largely characterized by its exotic palette of

sounds. Samples of Tibetan percussion are salted throughout

this piece. Only the first song on the second side, THE NEXT

MESSAGE, stepped out of this boundary by using the drum

machines as the backbone to the song. Jim could have left
this one out of the collection in order to create a more

thematic and consistent sound. Jim says, "Okay — think of

Tibetans. On acid. Bad acid. But to Tibetans bad acid is

revealing."

I would say this accurately describes the mood of Jim's tape.

Even without the use of mind altering chemicals, these songs

wander around trying to get to the unknown portions of your
psyche and pull them out into the daylight. One could say

that Jim's music is evocative of movie sound tracks. But if
so, I think it would be more accurate to say that Jim's music

is evocative of large epic drama movie sound tracks. Not just
any movie, but that one that really left you feeling haunted.

Jim really works his synths. His rhythms are evolving and

wonderful pools for his other instruments to swim in. There

is_potential and drama even in the quiet passages.

The cover to boen marg can not go without mention. It is a

beautiful picture of what is apparently a Tibetan rug or paint

ing of a face. An extremely inviting package.

Ta pe : J av e l i n R i s in g .

Ar tist : Ji m Ne wt on .

Contact info: 170 Mar Monte. La Selva, CA 95076, $8 for the tape.

Equipment: ESQ-1, Mirage, EPS, Prophet, Moog, DX21,

RX15.

Jim's second tape is great. The overall sound is an improve

ment from his first.

The cassette cover continues in the standard he has set on his
first tape. The inner flap tells us: JAVELIN RISING — Re

corded August 1988 — March 1989 except NIGHTWATCH
(October 1989) at NightWind Sound, La Selva, CA. IN

SAHARA'S DUSK recorded January 1987 at Smallroom

Studio, Capitola, CA. Vaughn Visnius appears courtesy VOX

Studio. Cover Artwork: Visnius.

Jim says, "The influence here is from another part of the

globe..." and this time it is West Africa.

This tape seems more peaceful than boen marg. Jim excels at

creating an environment with his sounds. He goes beyond

placing the instruments in a given room with reverb. The

stereo placement, effects and choices of instruments are all

part of the craft that create the mood. Jim has a way of creat

ing a sound's shadow. But a shadow is a dynamic thing. As

the sun changes its direction in a long slow arc across the

sky, so does the length and character of the shadow change.

4

Jim uses a couple of repetitive sequences that would other

wise have turned me off. Yet, he manages to weave other

threads and colors in and out in order to hold my interest and

distract me.

The following is some titles and equipment/instruments used,
to give you a feel for what Jim's tape is like:

THE PEOPLE (ABANT U)

Mirage: West African lute, oud, trumpet ESQ-1: brass, per
cussion Prophet: little drone

SEDOND WIND

Mirage: African drums and shakers, guitars and Klung
ESQ-1: percussion, m'bha

DX21: marimba

IN SAHARA'S DUSK (STONES EXPLODE)

Mirage: voices, drums, guitars, talking drums, calabash rattle
Obie: Percussion sequence

RX15: accents

Prophet: small sounds sequence
ESQ-1: melodic and percussion accents

V O IC E S M A DE O F E AR T H

Mirage: percussion (loops + accents) voices, berimbau, mark
tree, bowed psaltry

ESQ-1: melody bass, accents Obie

Prophet: bass drones

It's a little bit like taking Instruments of the World 101. This
is good stuff. Very listenable. Looking forward to your next

release wherever it may be...! h

If you want your tape run through the ringer, err. Hacker, just
mail it off to: Basement Tapes, Transoniq Hacker, 1402 SW

Upland Dr., Portland OR 97221.

Bio: Daniel Mandel is a songwriter,
sound designer, and has sold pro
audio and keyboard equipment and

aHHHCSHH produced demo tapes for local bands.

A C u r e f o r M u l t i t r a c k T r a n s f e r

Trauma

Robby Berman

There are several inarguable reasons to transfer your trea

sured SQ-80 sequences over to your VFXsd/SD-1:

1. You have to sell your SQ-80 to finance your sd/SD.

2. You're outta tracks and you need more.

3. You want to centralize the brains of your outfit.

4. You want to avail yourself of the sd/SD's superior editing

capabilities.

If you've invested blood, sweat and years, as I have, getting a

sizable slew of songs elaborately sequenced on the SQ-80,
converting them to sd/SD sequences can be quite a project,

even when taking advantage of the sd/SD's facility for multi-

track recording over MIDI. The basic procedure is laid out in
the instructions furnished by Ensoniq. There's a bit more in

volved than the manual lets on, though. I thought I'd share
some things I've learned, to make your experience with mul

titrack transferring easier, frankly, than mine's been.

The SQ-80 receiving template

I've often found that even though I'm transferring my se

quences over to the sd/SD, I still want to use the sounds in
my SQ-80. Sometimes I just want to be able to easily check

out my transfers before finding new sounds on the sd/SD (or
some module or other) to replace the old ones. I've foimd it

helpful to set up a receiving template on the SQ-80^ that I use

to access its sounds from the sd/SD sequencer once everyth

ing's been sent across.

First, you have to decide on a group of MIDI channels that

you're willing to permanently assign to the SQ-80. It's good

practice in any case to assign the various instruments, mod
ules, drum machines, etc. in your rig their own MIDI chan
nels that you'll consistently use. aNd if you use the same

MIDI channels to transfer your sequences over to the sd/SD

from the SQ-80, life will be even simpler.

Let's say that in your studio MIDI channels 1 — 8 are the
ones you want to use. To create the receiving sequence, press
the SQ-80 Mix/MIDI button and set tracks 1 through 8 to

MIDI and channels 1 through 8. Don't worry about program
numbers or volume settings — those will be sent from the

sd/SD when you select the sequence over there. Once you've
created you SQ-80 receiving seq, you're likely to find it's the

only one you'll ever need (I've been using the same one for

years now).

5

Before playing back your transferred sequence, press the

MIDI button on the SQ-80 and set it to read "MODE=

MULTI." ALso, do make sure that any tracks on the sd/SD

that are meant to play SQ-80 sounds are set to send on the ap

propriate MIDI channels (1 to 8 in our example).

Multiple Note-ons In the Source Sequence

Here's a problem that stopped my transferring cold until I
finally figured it out. After transferring a particular sequence

over to the sd/SD, things sounded fine imtil one track would

fall out of sync, and then eventually the rest would go com

pletely nuts. I consulted an authorized technician and En-

soniq, to no avail. When I tinned my attention to the source

sequence, and remembered that it had taken a number of at

tempts to get one of the passages on one of the tracks right, I

was able to locate the problem.

Yo u k n o w h o w, w h e n r e co r d i n g o n t h e S Q -8 0 , y o u c a n s t a r t
playing over a prior take in the middle of a sequence and the

SQ-80 will switch automatically into record with your first
keydown? It turns out that the first notes that you're trying to

replace are not always erased cleanly, sometimes resulting in

a whole bunch of simultaneous and redundant notes. You

may not hear them on the SQ-80 (I sure didn't), but when you

try to play them over to the sd/SD as part of multitrack trans

fer, look out.

Pressure Settings

Here's a weird one. You may find that tracks you've set up to

receive a particular type of aftertouch will have been

mysteriously reset to some other kind when you check your

tracks after the transfer's occurred.

This is what's happening. Say you've set up sd/SD track one
to receive on MIDI channel one. You've set the pressure set

ting to CHANNEL (after pressing the performance button
labeled "Patch Select" twice), since the SQ-80 track used the

ROM sound KEYGTR (program number 017), recorded with

channel aftertouch. When you played the SQ-80 sequence,

program change 017 was sent out to your sd/SD track. Pro
gram number 017 in the VFXsd is DRAWBARS-1 (if you

have the factory internals loaded), and in the SD-1 it's IN

SPIRED, neither of which employ aftertouch. Voild, track

one's setting changed to NONE, blocking the transfer of your

aftertouch data. Grrrr.

The easiest way around this is to define your sd/SD tracks in

the manner of your choosing, set the proper pressure settings
for each track, and then disable the SQ-80's ability to send

any further program changes to undo your good work. This is
accomplished by pressing the MIDI button on the SQ-80 and

setting that page to read "ENABLE=KEYS-t-CONTROL-

LERS."

If you're having problems maintaining, shall we say, rhyth
mic integrity in your transfers, the first thing to do is to figure
out which track is the troublemaker. Make as many copies of

your blank receiving sequence on the sd?SD as there are

tracks in the SQ-80 sequence you wish to transfer. Now mute

track one on the SQ-80 and transfer the rest of your tracks to
one of your sd/SD templates. Play the transferred sequence

on the sd/SD. If everything now sounds okay, that means that
the first SQ-80 track is the source of your problems. If not,

repeat the procedure, muting a different SQ-80 track each
time until you've got a successful transfer. Whichever track

is muted at that golden moment is your bad boy. Transfer that

track over all by its lonesome (switch the sd/SD back to

RECORD SOURCE=BOTH or MIDI on the middle Seq Con
trol page). The sd/SD will be able to handle the multiple

note-ons when that track is all it has to handle, and you can

then examine the track using the event editor and remove the

offending stowaway events.

Transferring Tracks with Polykey Pressure
The sd/SD will not successfully receive polyphonic key pres

sure during a multitrack transfer. Any tracks employing

polykey must be sent over individually after all the others.

This is just something that hasn't been able to solved as of

this writing.

Track Vo lume

Okay, you've got your tracks transferred over and they check
out. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to easily recreate your

mix settings? It is, with a pocket calculator. Simply multiply

your SQ-80 volume setting for each track by 1.5714285 (99

divided by 63). Round the result off to the nearest full num

ber and dial it in on the corresponding sd/SD track. You'll be

all mixed up in no time.

Hopefully, the above pointers will help keep your eyeballs
from rolling back in your head as you transfer your sequences

from the SQ-80 to the VFXsd

or SD-1 in your life. Maybe
you've been languishing in

some multiple note-on night
mare of your own. Well, step
back into the daylight. And, by

all means, "Stop/continue." wm

Bio.: Robby Herman lives in

southern Illinois, surrounded

by five cats. His latest fur­lined recording is his double

album, "Rings and Rings."

6

S y n t a u r P r o d u c t i o n s ' S a m p l e D i s k s

F o r E P S s & A S R - 1 0 s

Anthony Ferrara

For : E PSs an d ASR-1 0.

Product: EPS 001-002-003 Musical Instrument Sample Disks.

Price: $9.95 each.

From: Syntaur Productions, 2315 Mid Lane #44, Houston, Texas 77027,

phone: [phone].

EPS 001-002-003 is a set of three disks which feature sam

ples from both current and classic sound sources as well as
the wizardry of Sam Mims. Hacker readers should be familiar

with Sam from his monthly Hackerpatch column and oc
casional feature articles. His soundsets for the ESQ-l/SQ-80,

along with various sound effects disks for the EPS-16 PLUS/

EPS, are known to you guys as well. Sam called me recently

from his current tour in Malaysia where he was supporting an

Asian pop-star, mentioning that he's planning more disks,

with a set of drum samples originally sourced at a recording

session in Florida.

The enclosed documentation for this disk set states: "Each

disk contains at least 1540 blocks of sample data." Further
details about the three disks are not really included, as there

is no booklet describing the sampling processes, patch
selects, etc. After having reviewed some of the Ensoniq EPS-

16 PLUS/EPS Signature Sets, I've come to take such infor

mation for granted. Sam's approach seems to focus his ener

gies on the highest quality sampling and formatting possible,

without worrying about such frills as a manual or demo se

quences. Here are my impressions, manual not-withstanding:

Disk One (EPS-OOl) contains five samples from the Kawai
K4 synth, which despite its budget price, is known for some

great sounds. K4 BELL PADS (345 blocks) is pretty self-de

scriptive and VFX-ish. K4 BUCCHUS somehow reminds me
of the taped string sample (in this case, with a human voice

layered in) found on the original Mellotron, favored by such
'70s progressive rockers as Yes, King Crimson, and Genesis.

Very impressive, especially when considering the relatively
light weight of only 358 blocks. K4 PLANET PAD (322

blocks) is a light, atmospheric variation on K4 BUCCHUS
with interesting swells and mutes on the patch selects.

K4 VOICES is a male vocal pad which consists of three

samples, which would nicely complement the female samples

found on the ED-004 (ANNA-VOXES) and ED-12 (CHOIR

GIRLS) disks included with the EPS-16 PLUS. K4 DIGA-

LOG, is quite useful at 175 blocks, with breathy bottle

sounds and percussive attacks. Sam feels that these samples
sound "bigger" than the original K4 because the EPS-16-f's

great synthesis ability allowed him to manipulate the samples
to have more presence than the K4.

Disk Two (EPS-002) contains Minimoog Bass 1 (94 blocks)
and Minimoog Sweeps (1451), with the sample soitrce being

obvious. Minimoog Bass 1 is similar to Ensoniq's HOT

MOOG, although Sam's version has a bit more of a heavy

and punchy edge to it. Excellent choice for a prog-rock or
dance bass lii^e. Sam chose to stick with the flavor of the

original Moog by preserving the legato mono-mode, as the
envelopes in this sample will not re-trigger when played with
legato articulation. Minimoog Sweeps consists of a single
wavesample, with the classic Moog white noise (minus the
pitch) taking over above C5. Interestingly enough, the Mini
moog itself was monophonic, while Sam's version is
polyphonic, which certainly adds something in the way of
practicality to the limitations of the original. This was Sam's

intention. The patch selects are absolutely wild, ranging from

fast stereo pans to a reverse of the attack-decay-sustain-

release envelope of the 00 patch.

Disk Three (EPS-003) rounds out this set with three samples
from one of the newer E-mu instruments, the PRO/CUSSION

drum module, which actually draws its material from the
Emulator III library of 16-bit samples. E-mu Clavarimba (110

blocks) is a single, perfectly useful, crystal-clear marimba

sample . E-mu Rap Kit, at 557 blocks, is one of the most in

teresting rap sets that I have heard. E-mu Rap Stuff (912
blocks) is more of the same, along with the obligatory needle

scratches on the turntable. The usual grunts and deep groans

often found on a Rap-oriented disk of this type are con

spicuously absent.

So who of you folks might best use these disks? Probably
they would be most useful for dance and rap applications, as

well as (particularly with the Moog and K-4 disks) prog-rock.

I can envision the E-mu Clavarimba sounding right at home

in a contemporary jazz or academic idiom.

This stuff is good.

One important observation would be that extremely high­quality disks of this sort are going to run you about $10 each,

well worth it. Each disk, by the way, can be ordered separate

ly. A booklet, info about the source instruments, as well as
some discussion of the sampling techniques used would have

greatly enhanced this set. I can't help thinking how helpful it
would have been to have had a few demo sequences to show
how Sam envisioned using the material. Maybe next time. I

7

readily admit that this is certainly not essential to hardcore

Hackers who are probably more interested in auditioning

sounds within the framework of their own sequences.

These observations do not detract at all from the otherwise

flawless sonic quality of these sample disks. A final bit of

good news is the fact that these disks are completely compat
ible with the new ASR-10. If EPS 001-002-003 are a good in

dication of the outstanding quality that we can expect from
Syntaur Productions, I would suggest that you order these

(and future) disks from Sam with total confidence, b

Bio: Anthony dreams of a ten record

deal with a major label, a beach front

house in Malibu, and a Ferrari Tes-

tarossa. He presently settles for a

black Ford Probe, and an independ

ent release on his own label, which
was reviewed in the July '92 Hacker.

Although a long-time resident of
Philadelphia, he still refuses to say

"youse."

L i s t e n i n g I n O n C u s t o m e r S e r v i c e

Dennie Edwards

Hello again from Malvern, PA. This is Dennie Edwards, Cus
tomer Service Rep for the Northwest Region, and it's time

again to share the most frequently asked questions by cus

tomers on our customer service line — (215-647-3930).

The following question applies to all EPS, EPS-16 PLUS,

ASR-10 samplers. The answer outlines a quick and dirty ap

proach to the process of making samples smaller. For more

in-depth information and explanation, please refer to the
Edit/Wave and Command/Wave sections in your owner's

manual. Next month Tony Ferrara will look at synchronizing

Ensoniq workstations to the popular Tascam 644/688 cassette

ho me M idistud io s.

Q. How do I make samples smaller?

A. Step 1: Look at the frequency response of the sound

source that you are going to sample. If the sound source has a

fuller frequency response like a cymbal or similar instrument,
then a sample rate of 44.1 kHz should be used to sample the

instrument into the digital domain. If the sound has a
response of 15 kHz — drums, guitars, pads, most voices, etc.

— then use a sample rate of 29.76 kHz.

Step 2: After you get a good clean sample and normalize the

gain, convert the sample rate and truncate to optimize

memory allocation. Both of the commands can be found on

the Command/Wave page of the EPS, EPS-16 PLUS, and the

ASR-10. Truncating data is simply re-allocating memory not

needed for the sample back to the dynamic RAM of the

machine. Let's look at an example. If your sample parameters

are as follows — Sample Start=(02), Loop Start=(37), Loop

End=(63), and Sample End=(63) — then you can truncate the

sample and re-allocate the memory used before the Sample

Start=(02) and after the Sample End=(63). Notice that the

coarse adjustment numbers (in parentheses), will change to

match the percentages of the length of the newly edited

samples. Sample Start will now = (0) and Sample End will
now = (99). After the sample has been truncated, it is ready

for the final step.

Step 3: Now convert the sample rate. For this example, let's

assume that the sound was sampled at 44.1 kHz. The sample
rate can be found by pressing Command, Wave, scroll using
the left and right arrows to the Sample Info page, and then

pressing Enter/Yes. Next, press the Edit button, underline
LYR=? , c ho os e t he ap pr op ri at e l ay er, u nd erl in e w s= ?, an d

then play the root key of the sample. We have just selected

the wave sample to edit.

Step 4: Press Command, Wave, and scroll until you find Con

vert Sample Rate. Press the Enter button. The current sample
rate should appear. Select the sample rate to convert to,

selecting a lower rate. Try a number around 29.76 kHz. Press

Enter and use the Audition Page. If you can't tell the dif
ference between the new and old, save the old data. The

machine will ask if you'd like to "redo conversion." After

answering Yes, you can now try another conversion with an

even lower sample rate. This process should be repeated until
there is an audible difference between the original sample

and the new edited version. Next, simply redo the conversion
with the lowest rate that produces the most desirable sound

an d s av e t his e dit , h

SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION

12 MONTHLY ISSUES

US: $23/year. All others: $32/year (please use International Money

Order, payable In US funds). Please make payable and mall to:

1402 SW UPLAND DR., PORTLAND, OR 97221

TRANSONIQ HACKER

8

Programming the DP/4

Dennie Edwards

One of the most important ingredients in musical production

is signal processing. Signal processing takes ordinary sounds

and brings them to life. It can bring clarity and separation to

the ear. Signal processing creates a picture to the ear and

mind similar to the way visual arts bring paintings to the eye

and mind. So with this in mind, let's learn how to paint with
a new and innovative paint brush...the DP/4.

A major key to unlocking the power of the DP/4 is to under
stand exactly what it is. It may appear to be as simple as a lit
tle box that stands only two rack spaces tall, but we can't

judge a book by its cover and neither can we look at the DP/4

and call it just another effects processor. First, we will review

just what is inside the DP/4.

The heart of the DP/4 contains four 24-bit Ensoniq Signal

Processor (ESP) chips. These ESPs are connected with a digi

tal patchbay and are mixed with a digital mixer. Because of

its unique construction, the DP/4 may be considered the most
flexible effects product ever invented. With the ability to

patch effects in series, parallel, and with feedback loops
never before possible in conventional units, the DP/4 delivers

audio quality that rivals products costing hundreds of dollars

more.

We'll begin with the types of presets and examine the most
powerful of all presets, the configuration, or config preset.

Depending on the number of inputs, there are many different

presets to choose from. There are two hundred ROM and two

hundred RAM presets.

The first preset is the one-unit preset. Simply put, it is used

when one wants to use one effect unit at a time and several

independent sources. A one-unit preset consists of an algo
rithm and all of its specific parameters. An algorithm defines

what type of effect(s) will be loaded into each ESP chip.

The second type of unit preset is called the two-unit preset.

These include more complex effects that require two proces

sors or two processors used in series, parallel, or feedback
loops. Also, there can be multiple input sources, both stereo

and mono.

The third type of preset is that of the four-unit preset. This
preset is a snapshot of all four units at a time. This preset is

used with a one-source input, whether it is mono or stereo.
Using this type of preset can give the user some of the most

wonderful sounds available. Imagine the possibilities of using

fo ur 24- bit E SPs fo r o ne sou rce !

The most powerful of all presets is the config preset which is
the main topic of our discussion here. Also, included in the

following are some helpful short cuts and tips on general use

of the DP/4. Understanding the DP/4 config preset will un
lock the power of the DP/4.

What is a config preset?

Config presets let you save all input source configurations,
effects algorithms, signal routing, and mixing of all four

units. There are 100 config presets in the DP/4 (50 ROM and

50 RAM). Presets 50-99 are the ROM and 00-49 are the

RAM.

Before we get started, we must prepare the DP/4 for our ad
vanced use. System parameter number 59 is "Show 100 con

fig presets=(yes/no)." Let's throw caution to the wind and set

this to Yes. We now can select all 100 config presets! First,

press System/MIDI, then using the right arrow, scroll to
parameter number 59. Next, turn the data knob, the large sil

ver round thing, and change the parameter to Yes. Now we

will select some presets.

To select a config preset, first press Config, then use the data

knob to scroll fast through the 100 presets. Next, press the
Select button. We have just selected a config preset. As long

as the LED above the config button is lit, we can select con
fig presets. Let's go a bit further. Now press the unit A but

ton. Notice that the display for unit A shows the preset effect
and the algorithm that is used to create that preset. The

presets that we will have access to by turning the data knob,

will be determined by the input configuration loaded by the

selected config preset. When a one-source config is selected,

four-unit presets can be selected. If the source config is a
two-source config, then we can pick two-unit presets, and

lastly, if there are four independent sources, a single unit

preset can be chosen for each unit.

Before we talk about editing a config preset parameters, let's
edit single unit parameters first. Select config preset 00,

"MonlnVocalSetup." (Press Config, use the data knob, then
press Select to confirm.) Next, press the unit A button. Cmp

should be capitalized in the display. Each of the four ab

breviations for the effects that are found in the bottom row of

the display corresponds to each of the four units A, B, C, and
D. The currently selected unit will have its effect abbrevia

tion capitalized. Go ahead and try pressing each of the unit

buttons and see how it works. With the A unit selected, press

the edit button. Parameter 00 should appear. If not, use the
left arrow to scroll till the LED display says 00. The display

9

now reads "A: EQ-Compressor, and Mix=99. Volume=86."

Here, we can select a new algorithm by using the data knob.

After we stop on a new algorithm, the unit will pause and

load the algorithm that we selected. Now we can use the left

and right arrow buttons to select parameters and the data

knob to enter values.

If we want to save our edits, simply push the Write button.

Now use the data knob to select the location to save the new

preset. If we want to save our edits as a config preset, press

config before the Write button. Remember that we can only

save presets to RAM locations 00-49. Next, press the Write

button again and use the left and right arrows to select which

character position, and the data knob to select which charac

ter for that position.

Here's a neat shortcut. If we press the unit buttons, a differ

ent character group will be selected. For example; A will
select the capital letters, B will select the lower case letters, C

will select the numbers, and D will select miscellaneous sym

bols.

There are many other shortcuts in the DP/4 that can help
make things a little quicker. For instance, when selecting sys

tem parameters, you can scroll through them very quickly by

pressing and holding an arrow button in the desired direction

and using the data knob to quickly scroll near the desired

location. Then we can go one parameter at a time using the

conventional way. Also, we can press the unit buttons to

move ahead seven parameters at a time. These are also
parameter groups that correspond to the particular unit

pressed. Try it and see. Bypassing a unit is as easy as double
clicking the unit button until the red LED is lit. To bypass all

units, double click on the config button.

Another shortcut is to swap the parameters between two units

without having to enter them in one by one. In the Edit mode,

press the Write button. Press and hold the first unit to swap,

then press the second unit. The display should say, "Hit

<WRITE> to Swap Units x & y."

What if we do not like our edits? As with all Ensoniq pro

ducts, there is an edit buffer. Press the Edit button to get back

to the original preset. There are also ways of recalling factory

Figure 1.

Serial routing between AB and CD

Input

Signal

Output

Signal

Parallel routing between AB and CD

Input

Signal

presets. Press and hold the System button and press the B

button to initialize the RAM presets. Pressing the right arrow
button will re-initialize the system and also recall the factory

presets. Pressing and holding the system button while press
ing the A unit button will act as a panic button and reset the

DP/4. The wake-up message will appear and the DP/4 will be
fresh without erasing a single parameter. What if we like the

first 50 presets of a given type (one, two, four, or config) and

do not want to write over those? Simply press system, then
select parameter number 62 and change the "Use Alternate

ROM Presets=No" to "yes." Presets 0-49 are now in locations

50-99. Very flexible. After toying with these features it is
now time to get our hands dirty and do some config preset

editing.

Editing a preset is very much like editing any of the other

presets. First, select a config preset to edit. Press config, then

use the data knob to select preset number 00, "MonoInVocal-

Setup," then press the select button. Next press the edit but

ton. Make sure that you are at parameter number 00, "1

Source Config." Remember, the left and right arrows select

which parameter and the data knob changes the value. If we

move the data knob we will select one of the config types.
When we stop moving the data knob, the display will flash,

"Updating Config." To continue editing the config para

meters, press the right arrow button. Let's look at the specific

parameters.

Parameter 00 is the Input Source Config. Config preset OO's
source config is the 1 Source Config. The display Shows, "1

Source Config" on the top line, and "12> ABCD" on the bot

tom line. This means that inputs 1 and 2 will feed units A, B,

C, and D. Use the data knob and select each of the different

settings, 2 Source, 3 Source, and 4 Source. There will be dif

ferent pages here depending on the input source configura

tion. The owner's manual has more information on those

input config dependent parameters.

Reset the Source config to the "1 source config." Next, press
the right arrow button. This parameter, "AB-CD routing,"
determines the signal path between the unit group AB section
and the unit group CD section. There are two possibilities,

series and parallel. (See Figure 1.) Now we will look at the
signal routing between A and B, and between C and D. These

ar e par amete rs 02 a nd

03. There are four poss

ible routings. The dif

fe renc e bet wee n F eed
back 1 and Feedback 2 is

Output

Signal

in the way the dry signal

is mixed with the wet

signal as shown below.
Also, parameters 04 and

05 are dependent on

par ame ters 0 2 a nd 03 .

(See Figure 2.)

10