Cherry Audio ESQ-1 Recreation - Loads Original Patches

After a brief period of tease, Cherry Audio has now announced their software recreation of the 1986 Ensoniq ESQ-1 hybrid synth, with official licensing for the original waveforms - timed to coincide with the instrument's 40th anniversary. As ever the  now standard Cherry Audio FX engine is included..

• Uses the original 32 ESQ-1 waveforms, licensed from Creative Technology (current owner of the Ensoniq IP) - Cherry Audio calls this a first-of-its-kind collaboration.
• Emulates the hardware's analog filter behaviour, based on the CEM 3379 chip, plus the four DCAs, four multistage envelopes, three LFOs, amp modulation and oscillator sync.
• Dual-layer architecture with 32 voices per layer, enabling split-keyboard and dual-stack multitimbral setups.
• Modulation matrix with four click-to-assign slots and dozens of source/destination options.
• Arpeggiator plus a 16x4 programmable polyphonic step sequencer - both syncable and transposable, with humanize and macro motion settings that go beyond the original.
• Three effect chains with 20 studio effects; chains can be saved, recalled and shared with other Cherry Audio synths.
• Nearly 400 presets, including the original factory sounds.
• Polyphonic aftertouch and MPE support.

The standout here is the patch compatibility. The plugin imports individual patches and banks from ESQ-1 SysEx files or directly over MIDI from the hardware, and exports SysEx files the original hardware can read. For anyone still running an ESQ-1, that two-way patch exchange is more than a nostalgia feature - it makes the software a working extension of the hardware rather than just a lookalike.

Check Tim Shoebridge's introduction:
 

The ESQ-1 was always an odd, characterful machine - a digital-wave/analog-filter hybrid that didn't sound like the Yamaha and Roland gear around it in the mid-80s. The licensed waveforms and modelled CEM filter are the parts that matter for getting that specific texture, with the sequencer, mod matrix and effects added for current workflows.

Ensoniq ESQ-1 is available in AU, VST, VST3, AAX, and standalone formats, and a free 30-day demo is available.

• macOS Requirements: 10.13 or above. macOS 13 Ventura supported. 64-bit required. Native Apple M1 or greater processor support, including Ultra. 3.4 GHz Quad-Core or M1 CPU with 8GB of RAM is recommended. Hard disk space: 173 MB
• Windows Requirements: Windows 7 or above (including Windows 11), 64-bit required. Quad-core computer with 8GB of RAM is recommended. Hard disk space: 173 MB

Price $69

https://cherryaudio.com/products/esq-1-synthesizer

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