Ensoniq VFX Home Page
Ensoniq VFX Home Page
This page is currently under construction. Please excuse our mess.
VFX Users Group Patch Archive
Info on the VFX mailing list
Info on the Transoniq Hacker, the
newsletter for all Ensoniq owners
What's the most current OS version for my synth?
How to reset the VFX when all else fails
What are the differences among the different members of the VFX
family?
Why does my VFX keep failing its keyboard recalibration?
What `secret' key combinations can I use on my synth?
*********************************************************************
Current Ensoniq O.S.
(Disk/EPROM)
EPS: 2.49/2.40 EPS-M: 2.49/2.41
EPS-16 PLUS: 1.3/1.00 MASOS: 2.0
MIRAGE: 3.2 ESQ: 3.5
ESQ-M: 1.2 SQ-80: 1.8
VFX: 2.30 VFX-SD: 2.1/2.00
SQ-1: 1.11 SQ-1 32: 2.03
SQ-1 PLUS: 1.1 SQ-R: 1.02
SQ-R 32: 2.03 SQ-R PLUS: 1.15
SQ-2: 1.2 SQ-2 32: 2.03
SD-1: 4.10/4.10 SD-1 32: 4.10/4.10
DP/4: 1.14 KS-32: 3.01
ASR-10: 3.53/1.5 KMX-8: 2.00
KMX-16: 1.50 TS-10/12: 3.04
KT-76/88: 1.60 Soundscape: 1.3.01
*********************************************************************
And here's some info on the rest of Ensoniq's synths:Press Preset+Master for that. Some other useful combinations are: Preset+Compare: Analog tests Preset+Soft Button 1: Initialize system (save your sounds before doing that!) Preset+Soft Button 3: Reset (similar to power-up cycle) --Ismail Dalgic <dalgic@ankara.stanford.edu>
Date: Fri, 19 Jan 1996 10:44:37 +0100
From: Henrik elf <elf@algonet.se>
Subject: ROM Versions on Ensoniq synths
Hi! This is how to display Current ROM-Version
Hope you've got some use of it!
ASR Series / EPS / EPS-16 PLUS
The software is disk-based; the version is listed on your diskette.
The EPROM version can be checked as below:
1. Press and hold (COMMAND)
2. Press (ENV1), then release both buttons
3. Display = NO COMMANDS ON PAGE
4. Scroll until display = SOFTWARE INFORMATION
5. Press (ENTER/YES)
6. Display = RAM VERSION = X.XX
7. Press (ENTER/YES)
8. Display = ROM VERSION = X.XX
9. Press (ENTER/YES)
10. Display = KEYBOARD VERSION = X.XX
DP/4 and DP/4+
The software version is displayed on the wake-up screen when the
unit is powered up.
ESQ-1 / ESQ-M / SQ-80
The software version is displayed on the wake-up screen when unit
is powered up.
MIRAGE
The software version is disk-based and listed on the diskettes.
SQ-R
1. Press and hold (SYSTEM)
2. Press (BANK SELECT), then release both buttons
3. Display = ENSONIQ SQ-R OS VERSION X.XX
SQ-1 / SQ-2 / KS-32 / KT Series
1. Press (EDIT SEQUENCES/PRESETS)
2. Press and hold (BANK 9)
3. Press (SCREEN 1)
4. Display = OS VERSION X.XX
TS Series
1. Press and hold (PRESETS)
2. Press the (SYSTEM) button
3. Display = SOFTWARE - ROM=X.XX KPC=X.XX
4. Release both buttons
VFX / VFXSD / SD-1
1. Press and hold (PRESETS)
2. Press the (MASTER) button
3. Display = SOFTWARE - ROM=X.XX KPC=X.XX
4. Release both buttons
Talking about turning power on/off seven times to get a reset, Nick said he couldn't believe it.Jim (I see no cave here...) Smith <smithj@hpsad.hp.com>Well, Nick, here's what I remember of it. Someone had the problem that the diplay would come up, and then only partially draw the "initializing" display, and then hang. They called Ensoniq and were told to power-cycle seven times, always turning off the machine at a particular point in the power-up sequence. On the seventh time, the display came up with something like "RE-INITIALIZE?" and if you answer yes, everything gets wiped.
I no longer have my back issues of the Hacker, and I haven't saved the notes string that mentioned it, but I believe Johnny Klonaris was involved in the string.
As for ridiculous, well, sometimes firmware designers do require strange interactions to hide functions that they don't want the customer to accidentally execute. Why, here at HP, .... anyway, I wouldn't put it past 'em. Haven't tried it, but it IS in the Hacker, sometime in 1990. In the letters section.
DRUM-SOUND MULTI-DRUM gate-kick all-perc room-kick all-drums gate-snare kick-drms rim-snare snar-drms close-hat hi-hats open-hat cymbals ride-cymb tom-toms dry-tom-l percusson dry-tom-h dry-toms gat-tom-l room-toms gat-tom-h gate-toms rm-tom-l congas rm-tom-h std-kit timbale gated-kit conga-lo room-kit conga-hi tamborine
This afternoon I decided to get the low down on the VFX problems myself from Ensoniq's own Joe Paschal, an Ensoniq Customer Service Rep with whom I have delt with before (To my satisfaction). Beleve it or not the Apex problem and the Keyboard Calibration problem ARE RELATED and CAN BE FIXED. (finally:-)
Under the keyboard proper, there are 3 circut boards that control the poly- key (tm) pressure. They do this:
| # # | # # # | # # | # # # | # # | # # # | # # | # # # | # # | # # # | | # # | # # # | # # | # # # | # # | # # # | # # | # # # | # # | # # # | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- +---------------------------------+ +----------------------------------+ | | | | | Board #2 +------------------+ Board #3 | | | Board # 1 | | | +------------------+ | +---------------------------------+ +----------------------------------+Now, It turns out that Ensoniq misdiagnosed the problem TWICE! and this new (one month old) conclusion is the result of the senior Ensoniq Tech's reseach and testing. The first problem (they thought) was the solder flux thing which would be on board #1. No. They then thought it was the cable that goes from board #1 to the motherboard. Wrong again.
There is a connector that connects board 2 to board 3. Over time and use, the keyboard begins to sag a little bit and this connector eventually starts to corrode (get dirty), come loose and the like. THERE"S THE PROBLEM! Ensoniq has determined that hard-wireing that connection solves the problem.
Of course this also explains the Apex deal, supporting the keyboard in the middle causes the connection to bend the other way, pry loose, etc.
Ensoniq will fix the problem free of charge and has instructed the service centers to do the same. (BTW my service center has decided to send bad VFX's to Ensoniq for repair.) I immedately posed the question to Joe: "Will this effect my old ESQ-1, SQ-80, Mirage (old Ensoniq's)." No. On the older synths, boards 2&3 are just one long board- thus no connection=no problem. I think the orginal EPS falls into this catagory as well, but I'm not sure.
Service Centers have been instructed to preform this mod to ANY Ensoniq that comes in for repair, regardless of the problem. If you want the repair done request that the service centers refer to bulletins #11 and #9B.
Here's the killer: the first SD-1's that came out have the SAME CONNECTOR! (that gives you some idea how long it's taken Ensoniq to fix this thing! :=) Now, of course, they just wire the two boards together, but still.
And a quote from Joe McMahon regarding the keyboard problem:
To quote the guys from "Car Talk": "This [machine] will take you to Nirvana." "Yeah, but you'll have to get towed back..."If you're in a bind, you might try the following:
If you haven't had it done, a temporary fix (one *I* have never tried, your mileage may vary) was posted to the list a while ago: | i hate to describe it, but i found a very low-tech solution to my | keyboard calibration problems (my vfx-sd hasn't had the fix applied | to it yet; i just never seem to find the time to get it to the shop). | | when it pulls the keyboard calibration error stunt on me, i simply | turn it off, place both hands flat across about an octave above and | below middle c, and press down on all of the keys simultaneously with | both hands until i hear things inside sort of shift. (it creaks, actually). | i know this probably isn't too good for it, but it always works... ;-) Swim at your own risk.
Press Preset+Master for that. Some other useful combinations are: