Virtual synthesizer that recreates the 1986 Ensoniq ESQ-1 polyphonic digital/analogue hybrid with its 32 officially licensed original waveforms and expands it with modern features.

For the 32 original waveforms, Cherry Audio obtained official licensing from Creative Technology, the current owner of the Ensoniq intellectual property, and meticulously emulated the CEM3379-based analogue filters as well as four DCAs, four multistage envelopes, three LFOs, amplitude modulation and oscillator sync. Instead of programming via display, soft buttons and data slider as on the original, you edit every parameter directly on the interface. Two layers with 32 voices each allow split and stacked sounds, a modulation matrix with 41 sources and 85 destinations, polyphonic aftertouch and MPE add expression, and an arpeggiator and 16x4 step sequencer add motion. Patches and banks can be imported from SysEx files or directly via MIDI from the hardware and exported again as hardware-compatible SysEx files.

Features

• The 32 original ESQ-1 waveforms, officially licensed from Creative Technology
• Two layers with 32 voices each for split and stacked modes
• Four-slot modulation matrix with macros, 41 sources (with MPE options) and 85 destinations
• Arpeggiator and 16x4 polyphonic step sequencer per layer, syncable and transposable, with humanise and macro motions
• SysEx import of patches and banks via drag and drop or MIDI, plus export to hardware-compatible SysEx files
• Nearly 400 presets including the original factory presets; 20 effects in three effects chains

Technical details

• Type: virtual instrument (synthesizer)
• Operating systems: Windows, macOS
• Plug-in formats: VST2, VST3, Audio Unit (macOS only), AAX, standalone
• Architecture: 64-bit
• Licensing: computer-bound, internet connection required for activation

System requirements

• macOS 10.13 or later (including macOS 12), native Apple M1 support
• Windows 7 or later (including Windows 11)
• Processor: quad-core
• RAM: 8 GB

The licence is registered with the manufacturer at https://store.cherryaudio.com/redeem. You will receive your serial number and the download link by e-mail immediately after purchase.