Conference napalm::commusic_v1

Hi Nick -

Welcome to COMMUSIC! I and a friend are looking at purchasing two EPS at
a bargain price thru Union Music in Worcester MA. I am working with the
owner of that store, Carl Kamp, to help our DECMS (Digital Employees
Computer Music Society) get discount equipment as well as share patches,
information, samples, etc. We are also developing an Ensoniq User's
Group there. I think they have the latest documentation, but not sure
since I don't own one yet. I am *very* impressed with sounds from the
EPS. I don't particularly care for the "feel" of the clicky keyboard,
but I'll probably use my Kurzweil MIDI board for most real time playing
anyway. I'm using both a Mac with Performer 2.0 and Composer software,
and a Roland MC500. I think the best way to exchange sounds might be
to bulk mail the disks every so often. They are light and compact, so
it shouldn't cost very much. I plan on sampling my other synths such
as the D50 and Kurzweil 1000PX, as well as cross sampling the S550 sound
library. As far as I can tell, since Roland makes their sound library
available free, there should not be any copyright problems. The
copyright applies to the disk and its binary data, not the sound. The
EUG at Union has quite a large disk library developed which is public
domain. How about checking on the weight of the disks and the UPS or
mailer costs via US mail? Are you using double sided double density
disks (2DD)? Do you have the 9 factory disks, which include incredible
harpsichord, pipe organ, sax, drums, etc.?

dave

Here is a pointer to other notes of interest...

836 Mirage
857 Mirage
1001 SQ80, EPS
1291 EPS

Let's please try to keep this note focused on forming and improving an
Ensoniq User's Group and not go down the copyright rat hole. Please...
I am adding the keywords EPS, ENSONIQ, MIRAGE to this note. If anyone
knows of any other older notes that pertain to this topic, please add
keywords to them and/or put a pointer in reply to this note.

thanks,

dave

    
    
    I have an EPS with a serial number in the high 400s. I've had it
    since late April. I have not received any new documentation but
    I have picked through most of the menus anyway.
    
    Send mail if you need help or post questions here.
    
    /pjh

I have a Mirage, lots of sounds, and will ship myself to Alaska 
if you'll pay postage and handling.

Andy

    Good to see you guys...
    
    I have a few questions on the EPS:
    
    First:  How does one go about editing a sample.  I want to add some
            of the onboard effects to samples I have created.  Mainly
            velocity, and aftertouch.  As well as warping the sound
            with the harder you play (like the Dig EBass sounds).
    
    Second:  How to link sequences into songs and save the pan settings.
    
    Third:  Is it possible to create a total synth sound without usin
            a sample.  In otherwords can you use a sample wave form
            a create different sounds with the same wave???  How???
    
    I love my EPS, I even like the clacking keyboard.  But I being a
    neophyte to synths and the piano and general don't have much to
    compare it to.
    
    I have a huge amount of samples that I have created from CD's that
    I love to dink with.  If I could only force the sample to react
    like an instrument instead of a recording.  For anyone who has
    never heard of the Art Of Noise, you sould pick up a copy of any
    of their albems.  For the true synthoid experience, just listen.
    Fairlight II keyboards are incredable...
    
    Until the next time...
    

    
    
>    First:  How does one go about editing a sample.  I want to add some
>            of the onboard effects to samples I have created.  Mainly
>            velocity, and aftertouch.  As well as warping the sound
>            with the harder you play (like the Dig EBass sounds).
>
    
    <edit> <wave> then move the arrow key to the right (WS= prompt)
    Then hit a key to select a wavesample. You can't edit unless you
    select a wavesample.
    
    Once you do that, the <edit> pages work as advertised. Try the
    different loops. For a multi-wavesample patch you must do this for
    EACH wavesample.
    
    Velocity is accomplished in the <edit><amp> page, or the envelope
    generator for that, or the filter. One of those.
    
    Aftertouch? What kind of aftertouch? AT is a parameter, not an effect.
    If I get your drift, you are trying to make aftertouch *do* something.
    Well, the aftertouch is a parameter which can be bound to the
    oscillators. You want vibrato, it's something like <edit><mod> then
    you scroll over to the MOD= and you then move the ^ key until you
    get TOUCH or TOUCH+WHL.
    
>    Second:  How to link sequences into songs and save the pan settings.

    Not sure what the problem is, but... I can't answer for the "link
    sequences into songs" part since I don't use the EPS sequencer at
    all. The "save the pan" setting can be accomplished in a couple
    of ways - you could make a performance preset, or you could just
    change the pan settings and save the instruments to a new disk.
    
>    Third:  Is it possible to create a total synth sound without usin
>            a sample.  In otherwords can you use a sample wave form
>            a create different sounds with the same wave???  How???

    
    Absolutely. That's what the two filters, three EGs and other effects
    pages are for. Your biggest problem is finding a waveform, since
    it doesn't have an "oscillator" as such, it's not quite a synthesizer.
    
    Not only can you make different sounds with the same waveform, you
    can save those different sounds as "patches" using the <patch> sequence
    of keys. Then those little buttons over the wheels will actually
    do things.
    
    I'm glad you like your EPS. I really like mine too. It sounds like
    you have barely explored the nether regions of the <edit> mode pages.
    The EPS is an incredibly versatile sampler. 
    
    You can 'cajole' your samples to react like instruments, with some
    judicious use of filter parameters, envelope parameters, and amplitude,
    modulated by the keyboard velocity, the aftertouch, and the two
    wheels. It does take some practice.
    
    /pjh    

    Karl from Union reminded me that there is an Ensoniq Users Group
    meeting tonight at the store.
    
    Hopefully White Snake will be outta there by then. The place was
    over run with teenage girls. Argh...
    
    Young, innocent, nubile...
    
    {WHOA!} 
    
    Edd

    
    there are times when one wishes that teleportation was a reality.
    
    At least we got the girls in Vt too...
    
    /pjh

Thanx pjh
    
    You helped me out a lot.  And I fidured out how to link your sequences
    into songs.  It is soooo simple.  Edit Song Steps!  (command/Seq.Song.)
    and you can arrange and compose at will.  And after you have fit
    your sequences into a song, you can layer eight more tracks ontop
    of the sequence layers.  The EPS is amazing...!
    
    But, I am still against a wall when it comes to editing a wave form.
    
    I understand how you must select a wave to edit.  Once I do this
    and play around with the edit mode I can't distinguish any difference
    in the sound.  I have played with the different types of loops.
    I can edit a sample, but I am still confused as to how to program
    parameters on the EPS (and those funny black patch select keys).
    
    I wish the manual would inform me of how to step throgh it.
    
    A confused EPS hacker shreeks!

>    Third:  Is it possible to create a total synth sound without usin
>            a sample.  In otherwords can you use a sample wave form
>            a create different sounds with the same wave???  How???
    
This touches upon an interesting subject.  What you really want is a sampler
*and* wave table synthesizer in one box.  A sampler contains many cycles of a
waveform digitized over time.  A wavetable synth contains just one cycle of a
waveform that is read out over and over to create a continous signal.  So I
guess the question is, can you set your loop point in the EPS to occur after
only one cycle of signal data has been read?

Todd.

    
    re: .-1
    
      The answer is quite simply : yes. 
    
      You do this by getting into the start/end/loop menus and you just
    find a likely wave (it finds the zero-crossing for you) and you
    just setcher loop points. About as complicated as eating pizza.
    
    re: .-2
    
      For more interesting results, instead of editing the wavesample
    itself, try selecting a wavesample and playing with the filters
    (notably moving the Fc down), controlling it via the EG which is
    attached to the filter (one button up), and adjusting the resonance
    (Q) upward. Envelope generation can drastically change your sound,
    and the EPS has some 'preset' envelopes like 'string' and 'piano'
    which can do some nifty 'cross-mod'-ish sounds.
    
     Stick to basics first. You sound like you need to understand the
    components of synthesis first, which will help you get a lot more
    out of the instrument. The EPS has LOTS of things that a synthesizer
    has...but the waveform generation is pure sampler. If you have lots
    of waveforms to play with, try adjusting the length of the 'played'
    portion into smaller loops.
    
      One last thing. If you haven't figured this out yet, when you
    change a parameter, reply the note. These digital beasties don't
    have analog feedback characteristics, and you have to retrigger
    the noise to have it change (i.e. hit the key again). I really miss
    that feature, which is why I still have so many old analog keyboards
    lying about...
    
    /pjh

    Ire .11
    
    	I think you mean "rePLAY the note", not "reply the note".
    
    	We'll be glad to hear that he got it to work but ... 
    	
    		:-)
    	
    

    
    re: .-1, .-2
    
    and you should hear me play.... soon, folks, commusic VI hopefully.
    I've been gigging/working too hard. Got three candidates though.
    
    /pjh

Yup, you really can't know to much about sound and synthesis.
    
    I take it that the library could help me out a bit.  Bit I need
    a focus, a direction to head so I don't get swamped in the information
    age we live in.
    
Nick     

>      You do this by getting into the start/end/loop menus and you just
>    find a likely wave (it finds the zero-crossing for you) and you
>    just setcher loop points. About as complicated as eating pizza.
    
Is there some special software in the EPS that allows you to determine the
period of a signal?  In other words, given a periodic waveform that crosses
zero many times in one cycle (see below), can the EPS determine where to put
the loop point to capture one cycle?

                          ____
                         /    \
                        /      \
               _       /        \
              / \     /          \
\------------/---\---/------------\
 \          /     \_/              
  \        /                       ^
   \      /                        |
    \    /                      desired
     ----                      loop point
 

Thanks,

Todd.

    
    re: .-1 "setcher loop points"
    
      well, yes and no. It's mildly intelligent in that it seems to
    jump by a full wave (it's not exactly documented but it acts like
    it makes sure that the "n" point is one that matches the "n-1" point
    zero crossing in appearance. It depends on the complexity of the
    wave though. My piano sample was a good example of a confused loop.
    It occasionally got confused and apparently caught the middle crossings
    because the timbre changed dramatically. But my father's trombone
    made an excellent loop (although it was a complex wave) and it was
    very simple to set it up so that you couldn't hear the loop point.
    
    So I think that the EPS does at least attempt to determine an entire
    cycle, if you choose to step in cycles. Of course, you can also
    step by sample point. This makes for some really nasty noises at
    the loop points, as anybody who has sampled and looped probably
    knows.
    
    /pjh
    

    You can tell the EPS to autoloop or not.  It is a smart OS in that
    puppy.

    
    well, yeah, and then some. It does synthesized loops too, but you
    really need to listen to the results.
    
    Yup, relatively decent OS. How come they left off "delete a file"
    from the menu?????!!!! 
    
    /pjh

    
    
    Has anyone got the SCSI port upgrade yet???       I need one badly!
    
    I already have the drive, and the cable.    What's the price?
    
    Nick

>    Has anyone got the SCSI port upgrade yet???       I need one badly!

Union Music in Worcester MA says the 2x memory expander with SCSI will
cost about $500 installed.

dave

    
    
    Already have the 2x expander.  And I can throw an SCSI interface
    in myself.  Has anyone every looked inside their EPS?  It is kinda
    neat how things are setup.  I had a drive problem a few weeks back,
    it was easy to fix.  
    
    What I want to know is how a person could order the pieces parts
    fort the SCSI port.  It looks to be nothing more than a cable adapter
    to a 50 pin...  
    
    I'm calling Union Music tomorrow to see if they can help me.  If
    not, are there any others I could contact???  I've called Ensoniq
    and they don't talk to people who don't sell their products...
    
    Nick

Reminder...

The next installment of the Ensoniq User's Group (EUG) will be next
Monday evening at 7:30 pm at Union Music in Worcester, MA.

Time: 7:30pm-9pm
Date: Monday, August 29, 1988
Place:

Union Music
142 Southbridge St.
Worcester, MA 01608
(508) 753-3702
contact Jeff Majeau (keyboards) or Carl Kamp (owner)

Everyone is welcome, owners and interested.

I talked to Jeff this afternoon. He told me about the new ME1A 2x memory
expander for the EPS sampler that should be available in several weeks.
This unit is user installable, and with a little extra hardware has SCSI.
I particularly like this approach to incremental expandability. Prices not
yet set, but cheaper than the existing 2x expander, due to user installation,
probably around $295. I will be at the EUG next Monday, so I hope to see
some of you there. The Union gig is still set tentatively for Sept. 22.
Please send mail to SUBSYS::ORIN if you have not already responded.

dave

Jeff Majeau, the keyboard person at Union Music in Worcester Ma. sent me
an article from the Transoniq Hacker, an Ensoniq news letter. The article
goes into the hardware contained in the Ensoniq EPS sampling keyboard...

Keyboard Assembly:

identical to the SQ-80, 68HC11 �P for keyboard scanning and display control

Main System:

68000 CPU, 10 Mhz clock
68681 Dual Uart for keyboard and MIDI
68440 DMA chip, 4 channels, only 1 in use currently, ch. 2 for SCSI
1772  Disk Controller
32k x 16 ROM  O/S
32k x 16 RAM  O/S
256k x 13 RAM Sample RAM and sequencer
DOC II Digital Oscillator Chip, digital filtering


dave

    I had a small problem with my EPS that I thought I'd share.
    
    I used a Casio volume pedal on the CV socket. It worked fine for
    controlling the volume, BUT, I noticed that the sequences I recorded
    were sort of muted. If I STOPped the sequence then CONTINUEd it,
    it came back at full volume. Finally I realized that it was the
    pedal that wouldn't allow full volume whenever it was plugged in.
    	Have any other EPS owners noticed this? Is it not a problem
    with the Ensoniq volume pedal?
    
    		Mark
    

    Somewhere in this notes file I remember reading of an EPS owner
    who conserves him memory by trimming the samples, (was that you
    Paul H?) I have a question.
    	I got out the Grand Piano sample that comes with the EPS. I
    identified the layer that I wanted to keep. Next I identified the
    wave forms I needed for that layer. I then proceeded to eliminate
    *all* the wave samples that were not in that layer. Result: I trimmed
    the 948 block Grand Piano sample to a svelt 908 block sample. (I
    mean... Big Deal ;-} Am I missing something? Is there a way to free
    up more memory that I am not aware of and *still* have sound over
    the entire keyboard?
    
    	BTW except for memory limitations (my 2X memory is backordered)
    I love this synth more and more every time I use it.
    
    			Thanks,
    			Mark
    

    
    re: .-2
    
      Depends. Looks like a continuous CV does get seen on the CV IN
    port, and can affect your patches that use it. It's a misfeature
    in that if you are sequencing over time, you still have some real-time
    control of the volume parameter. The same thing is possible with
    the data entry slider.
    
    re: .-1
    
      That wasn't me, but I do it too. The reason you didn't save much
    space is that the vast majority of data in a sample is the sound
    itself. The note you referred to was dealing with smaller wavesamples
    although there were a LOT of them (power drums I believe). The Grand
    Piano is a LARGE wavesample, and the layers are just parameter copies
    of the large wavesample.
    
      To make it smaller (it won't sound right but go ahead and try
    it) you need to edit the wavesample, move back your loop end point,
    THEN move back the sample end point to match the loop end point,
    make sure the "loop point" isn't out of memory bounds, and then
    truncate the wavesample when it sounds right. You'll save memory,
    although you then compromise the sound.
    
      If you want a piano that uses less space, diddle with Rock Piano,
    especially the filter settings.
    
    

    Glad to see some other people doing more sophisticated things with
    their samplers. 
    
    /pjh

    RE: .25 (EPS sample question)                           
    Yeah, after I did the drum trimming (very good savings) I also
    tried the piano.  I liked the grand piano sound too so I did
    the exact same thing you did.  Like .26 says, the space is all consumed
    by the number and size of the wavesamples left in the layer that you
    kept.  Rather than mess with the wavesamples themselves at that point
    what I did was to figure out the range of the keyboard that I wanted
    since I did not use all the available keys.  Then I deleted the
    wavesamples that were saved for them.  It left me with a three or
    so octave piano that was smaller.  The problem with this is that
    this 'new' instrument is now song specific.  Jeff at Union has
    a very small piano sample that sounds so-so, if you are interested.
    -Tim
    PS: I had bought the demo EPS from Union, after using it for a week
        I realized the amount of disk drive usage and the button pushing
        that this demo machine had lived through was too chancy.  I
        brought it back to Union Music in Worcester and Jeff
        let me change it (plus a few bucks) for a new one.   I took
        the new one home and it wouldn't boot.  Pretty ironic, eh?
    

    Anyone out there with an EPS care to share some techniques on how
    you use the EPS?
    	I am about to join a band and would appreciate hearing from
    anyone that has used the EPS in a live situation. How did you manage
    loading your samples, and songs. How do you organize your disks?
    What do you have in the way of backup, both hardware and software?
    How delicate is the EPS in regards to schlepping it around? How
    sensitive is it to vibration, heat, cold, humidity???
    	I plan to get a Calzone case, or equivalent, fairly soon, to
    protect my EPS. I am a bit concerned about the survivability of
    the beast. The last time I gigged out was sooo long ago and with
    equipment that was far less dependant on the microchip. (ie: a Rhodes
    88).
    	Thanks for any advice and pointers in advance.
    
    			Mark
    

    I use a Mirage when gigging and by far the best thing I've done
    wa make a disc with the 3 sounds I use most often on it. (Horns,
    B3, and strings.) I just leave that one in the drive 95% of the
    time.
    
    EPS prolly makes this easier....
    
    Edd

    
    re: .-2
    
       I use it live. It's wonderful. I usually leave the piano on inst
    1, and load others in as needed. Being able to load while playing
    is a great feature. I could go on but now I won't.
    
    /.pjh_in_class.

I just called Ensoniq customer service and got the following info...

Ensoniq Customer Service
Joe Paschall
(215) 647-3930

1. Manual - The advanced user's guide is at the printers and should be
	    available at the end of the month. It will be sent to
	    everyone who sent in their owner registration card.

2. OS -     The OS is at version 2.1. I talked with Joe Paschall, the
	    customer service rep, who said that he will send me a copy
	    by mail. We can then make additional copies for ourselves.

3. Backup - I requested that a disk backup utility be added to the OS.
	    He said that is one of their most requested OS enhancements.
	    There are no immediate plans to add though.

4. 4X -     Joe said that the 4X expanders are not going to be built
	    until the DRAM prices come down. Since this is not likely
	    to happen in the near future, don't hold your breath. It
	    could be several years.

5. SP1 -    The SCSI port kit, which consists of documentation, chips,
	    and new OS, is readily available and costs $199.95 with
	    installation included. This is performed by the factory
	    authorized dealer/service centers.


dave

    New OS with the SCSI port kit?  Is that required or are they just
    including it?  I thought all you had to do was put the port on.
    I am concerned because I have been hoping to get some hardware type
    person to make me a homemade 8-output expander($295) and SCSI
    port (199?).  I have the new 2X memory cartridge.  If you take it
    apart you see an empty set of pins just waiting for a SCSI port
    to be put on.  I was hoping it would be relatively simple.  I'd
    be interested if any of you EPS owners attempt this.
    Dave, could you leave a copy of that new OS down at Union - I'm
    sure they'll want to add it to the their disk collection.  I hope
    with all these upgrades that it's not getting too big.  I also
    hope that they have been working on the sequencer.  I've had it
    hang the system and destroy sequences - seems to be in the copy
    track function.
    Oh!  I also should metion that Union Music gave me a brand new
    EPS (again) for the one that wouldn't boot correctly.  They have
    been fantastic to me!
    -Tim
    

Tim -

I just received the 2.1 OS in the mail from Ensoniq. I called up Jeff at
Union Music to let him know about it, and guess what, he just received a
version 2.2 from Bob Stillman the Ensoniq rep. Apparently, it fixes a bug
in the MIDI song pointer usage. So Union has 2.2 available for copying.
New factory sound disks will be arriving at the stores in the next few
weeks. Jeff has some advanced sample copies to listen to. Ensoniq claims
that 78 disks will be in the library before the end of the year. Each
factory disk costs $9.95, but they plan on offering them in groups of
five for a discount price. It will be interesting to see what sounds
they combine in these package deals.

dave
    

I hate to drudge up that boring old Mirage, but...  8^)

Anyone out there have the "mod" that cleans up the Mirage's output?  I
heard about this briefly at Union Music.  It's not a factory mod; I seem
to recall that it was a circuit in Keyboard Magazine.  Also, have there
been any new OS's since 3.2?  The feature that would help me most would
be MIDI volume control, which seems to be lacking...

Thanks,
andy

    
    Forgive the continued discussion on the obsolete old Mirage, but..
    
    I just bought a rackmounted Mirage (yes I already have the keyboard
    version, too, but the price was too good to pass up), and it came
    without the little rackmount "ears". I called up Ensoniq and they
    said I can only but these through dealer...not direct. They also
    told me that dealer cost= $3.75 for the rackmount ears. So I call
    up Daddy's in Salem, and they say the only thing they can find in
    their computer goes for around $40!!! I told them what Ensoniq said
    about the dealer cost for this item, and my answer was "could you
    call back tomorrow...we're really swamped in here...blah..blah..etc."
    
    I haven't called them back yet, but has anyone else had any experience
    trying to purchase rack ears for an Ensoniq product? 
    
    I want to have a comeback, if necessary, should these guys try to
    give me a line of bull on the price. Even adding in shipping and
    a hefty (100%) markup, the rack ears should not cost more than $10.
    
    What gives?
    
    Mike D

    Well, this confirms my suspicions that Ensoniq's customer service is
    rapidly degenerating.  I called 'em a few weeks ago and basically got
    told to "boze off, honko".  Nice guys. 

    Anyway, when I bought my 2 ESQ-Ms a year or so back, they arrived from
    the dealer with no power cords, no rack ears, and no manuals (comments
    on store are reserved).  I called Ensoniq, and they (without
    hesitation) agreed to take care of it, mailing me two kits containing: 

	a. a brand new manual
	b. a brand new power cord
	c. a set of rack ears, *with* screws
	d. various other literature

    My cost: $0.  They even paid the shipping.  Until recently, I would
    have expected them to do the same for you. 

    The "$40 for a set of rack ears" story is ridiculous.  I think I would
    take that to the store manager or owner (in front of customers).

-b

    
    Well, everything is straightened out. I called Daddy's and Frank
    (the manager of the Salem store) said he would order them for me
    and said it would be $10 or less. Rather than complain about somebody
    trying to charge me $40 (I mentioned it...and that it HAD to be
    a mistake of some sort), I complained to him about Ensoniq's customer
    service not being what it used to be, and making the dealers have to
    do this kind of stuff, hassle for the dealer-hassle for the customer-
    we're all in the same boat kind of thing, and I had no problem.
    He was straight with me. He said that the $40 thing was for some
    full 19" wide rackmount accessory, not what I wanted,   and he said
    $40 was even way too much for that. Everything's cool. I'm satisfied.
    Daddy's is alright after all. 
    
    Mike D

    I can honestly say that I have NOT found Ensoniq's service (over
    the phone) to be deteriorating.
    
    Nine months ago I called them to get a new panel for my Mirage.
    (The original is rusting.) Their response was "Contact your local
    dealer...")
    
    Two weeks ago I called them about the problems I outlined in 56.*
    Their response was "Contact your local dealer..."
    
    Edd

A friend of mine recently purchased an EPS. He had intermittent problems
with it from the start. Union sent it back to Ensoniq. They replaced all the
boards, and gave him a new warranty. Total cost to him...0. Total hassle
involved...4 weeks shipping and repair. Customer service was excellent.
Union Music was excellent. I've talked to Ensoniq customer service
serveral times. Both Joe Paschall and Steve Coszia have always been
extremely helpful. I doubt that you spoke with either of them. Perhaps they
had someone covering the phones, or a new trainee who goofed.

dave

    
     I complained *to Daddy's* about Ensoniq's service dept...but only
    for some sympathetic leverage...I don't really know who is supposed
    to handle small after-market items like rack ears. I didn't consider
    it a fault of Ensoniq's service dept. that they couldn't direct-ship.
    I really appreciate the fact that Ensoniq's service people told
    me how much the dealer pays for the rack ears. It was Daddy's that
    I was getting ready to get steamed up about. I don't believe that Ensoniq's
    service dept has gone down at all, and I admit I was probably wrong
    to bad-mouth them to the people at Daddy's. I just wanted to make
    sure I didn't get gouged on the price. The end doesn't justify the
    means. Sorry Ensoniq.
    
    Mike D

     <<< Note 1555.46 by DNEAST::BOTTOM_DAVID "and let the purges begin" >>>

>    I deleted my .39 and .41 since the person I was responding to feels
>    that I have no business or right to respond to this discussion.
>    
>    dbii

Not true. Incorrect conclusion.

Everyone has equal rights in this conference. Everyone's opinions are
important. My over reaction was hasty and I sincerely appologize to everyone
involved. We took the discussion offline, and it got even worse, with no
resolution. It is obvious that we have several widely polarized camps in
this conference, and it is easy for things to get out of hand. I guess the
lesson learned here is...

If you jump into it with both feet, better watch out where you land!

If we can all be a little more objective, it might help some. I guess I
shouldn't take such a personal interest in the welfare of American
music manufacturers. Ensoniq, Kurzweil, Alesis, Oberheim, and a few
others are all we have left. Having been a founder of Kurzweil, I still
take a very personal interest in their welfare. I also own equipment from
each of the above companies. Every company has it's good points and bad,
including Roland. Fortunately, nothing I've ever owned from Roland has
ever broken in 15 years of live performing and studio work. The only
problem I've ever had with any equipment was when my HR16 went schizo.
I sent it to Alesis, and they fixed it, and sent it back loaded with
all the latest demos. Now I have a quadraverb. It is superb. The Ensoniq
EPS is my all time favorite keyboard instrument. It's easy to use, solid,
reliable, and sounds magnificent. That's why I got so bent out of shape.
Ensoniq _really_ cares, and they need our support.

peace

dave

    Actually, it was a fellow named Steve who told me to "buzz off" (in so
    many words, of course).  Must have been a bad day.  Besides, it was
    posted as an *observation* ... and I think I'm entitled to my opinions
    (even if they are wrong 8-). 

    An aside - howcum everyone's been touchy lately?  It's not limited to
    this conference, either - every conference I watch has had an increase
    in the number (and severity) of flames of late.

    Sakes.

-b

         <<< Note 1555.48 by DYO780::SCHAFER "Brad - back in Ohio." >>>
                              -< It *was* Steve. >-

>    An aside - howcum everyone's been touchy lately?  It's not limited to
>    this conference, either - every conference I watch has had an increase
>    in the number (and severity) of flames of late.

Brad,

Perhaps it has something to do with the world situation...

Oil spills, terrorism, death threats, ozone depletion, riots, pestilence,
famine, homelessness, prejudice, drug wars, dropouts, taxes, elections,
national debt, elections, "defense" spending, layoffs, to name a few
(not necessarily in that order).

I don't know about you guys, but all of this stuff really puts me on edge.
Sorry about the flames, bud, I've been really defensive lately. Anyway, I
hope everyone has a nice long musical weekend to mellow out. Ignore the
papers, turn off the news, and above all, avoid yard work! (unless you like
it?)

8^))

take care,

dave

    Well, *this* Steve still has love in his little heart - what's left
    of it since I now have *no* MIDI gear .... aaaaaaaargh ... sob ...
    :-(
    
    I'd *love* to be able to get an EPS or a Mirage or ... naaa ...
    I'd never be happy with an SK-1 ... ;^)  For now all I get to work
    new tunes up with is my pocket analog sampler (aka cheapie tape
    recorder).  ('Course I'm still trying to get rid of my RS mixer,
    but ... ooh, ow!  leggo my hair!)

    Steve    

    re .49: Cold-turkey the caffiene. 
    
    I noticed I was arguing with co-workers, co-habitors, etc- and the
    arguments were not productive.
    
    So, I stopped drinking anything with significant caffiene.  No coffee,
    no tea, no coca-cola (the last is what _really_ hurt).
    
    But I'm feeling *much* better now ...  :-)
                                      
    	-Bill

    I think the root of many of these recent notes wars is that many
    people view the expression of a differing opinion as a personal
    affront.  They interpret any disagreement as a "fight".
    
    I'm very bummed by this because I love a good (well-conducted) debate
    and notes would be the PERFECT medium for such debates were it
    not for this seemingly pervasive attitude about disagreement.
    
    	db

    I can't believe what goody-goody's you people are.  What's wrong
    with a little violence, as long as the Corporation isn't made liable?
    Let's sling the hash, let it hit the fan, let it get out of control,
    let it crash break up into a million pieces and go down in flames.
    No, I changed my mind, we should be polite to one another.
    To
    

If you have any complaints about any Ensoniq product, service,
customer service, repair, sale, or anything else relating to Ensoniq, please
contact:

Steve Coszia  (215) 647-3930  Ensoniq, Head of Customer Service

If that doesn't work, I suggest contacting Bob Stillman, our local Ensoniq
area rep. He'll get word back to Ensoniq fast. Call Jeff at Union 753-3702 for
contact info. If we network these problems, we should get some action.
Thanks for your help. Whew, that's better :)

dave

    Argent's in London have just announced that they stock the new 
    EPS-M rackmount sampler, and that they will shortly take delivery of
    'a nuber of exciting new products from Ensoniq'. Details on the new
    exciting products, and price on the EPS-M, restricted to personal
    callers.
    
    They also claim to be 'sole distributors'...'for the West End'!
    
    Richard.

Union Music now has volume 6 (my organ disk got into it!) and the signature
series in stock for the EPS. Jeff says the signature series are really hot.
The guitar set and the Craig Anderton set are supposed to be loaded with
goodies. These are 3 disk sets listing at $39.95, so they're not cheap, but
I expect premium quality. I'm going in tonight so I'll post a review soon.

dave

ps. I recently upgraded to the 4X memory expander. What a pleasure to be able
    to load up all those instruments at once!

pps. These disks and memory expanders are helping me avoid a major MIDI fix...
     so far...however, the VFX is also in stock and well...8^))