Ensoniq VFX SD Synthesizer Workstation

[@drnockaable]

I have the sd. And i just bought a eps 16 plus. All i need now is the asr .

[@Dreekol15]

Just picked up an sd-1 (21 voice) with no os floppy. It's my first synth and boy am I lost, haha. This at least shines a bit of light on how to do things with the keyboard. Keep'em coming!

[@HankCoffey]

Thanks Andres! I actually play guitar, so my channel content jumps around. But my next videos should be keyboards for a while. I'm messing with them. 👍

[@magicspiral3323]

Got mine for free. Someone offloaded it to me and all I had to do was solder the under the joints back together under keybed to solve the calibration issue and replace the ram battery.

[@HankCoffey]

Mine was 1 out of focus pic on Craigslist. $150. I go look at it expecting junk. It was in excellent condition. 🙂

[@shawnaebbeson7882]

The VFX line (including the SD-1) is very deep. They have been my favorites since I first saw one in 1990. I have a VFX, VFX-SD, as well as (2) SQ-R+/32 and an SQ1 Plus, and many other synths in my studio. The beauty of the sequencer is that you could have up to 24 Tracks in Song Mode. Song Mode allows you to chain sequences together. The sequencer is pretty powerful and very easy to use as well. I have some pretty new stuff in my studio and live rig, but the Ensoniq VFX-SD still gets A LOT of use in my work :) On the system disks, Ensoniq also included some drum sequence loops that you could copy/paste together and make a full sequence/song out of them.

[@HankCoffey]

That's cool man. I'm going to put a HxC USB floppy emulator in this thing soon. I'll have to load stuff on it via midi, then save to USB. I have 1000s of VFX patches.

[@shawnaebbeson7882]

@@HankCoffey I have a number, myself - all on floppy :) My floppy disks work, even after 30 years :)

[@brianlindon5221]

@@HankCoffey I cant wait to see you showing how to put vfx files on usb as my gotek wont read anything on sd-1 at the moment, just keeps saying disk not ready

[@HankCoffey]

@@brianlindon5221 Hey Brian, I should be putting the HxC in the VFX this week. But I have a huge backlog of footage for videos... My next video will probably be a Kurzweil... I can try to squeeze the VFX in after that one? Your hfe files probably weren't made from images the VFX can read. You need proper blanks. My guy put a bunch of blank VFX images on my drive for me... I haven't even installed it yet. So we'll see if there are any problems. I DO know, that I will have to dump sounds onto the VFX via midi cables... then save those patches to the HxC.... I have 1000's of patches in sysex on my computer. I think that is going to take a lot of time. :(

[@HankCoffey]

@@shawnaebbeson7882 cool man, my VFX library is all in sysex on the computer.

[@paulorr7471]

Man awesome video. I think I might be able to make a sequence on my vfxsd now. Keep publishing!

[@HankCoffey]

Hey thanks Paul. Sadly I don't make keyboard videos anymore. I want to make one every once in a while, but haven't yet. I am a guitarist mostly.

[@paulorr7471]

@@HankCoffey I am a guitar player also. Just darling in keyboards. I am fascinated with the VFX. I am trying to learn as much as I can. I documented your process to hard copy and will try making my own presets. Your video was incredibly helpful! In the 90's a friend of mine had the keyboard and he played guitar and sang as a solo act. He programmed the VFX to play background at the push of a foot switch. I never saw it in action but I am dying to figure this out. Why? Because it is there, no other reason. So, anything you can do would be much much appreciated. Best wishes, Paul

[@HankCoffey]

@@paulorr7471 cool man, you should check out the TS series Ensoniqs as well. The sequencer works about the same. They sound awesome as well. Like you, I play with the keyboards sometimes. But I haven't felt like making any more vids with them. I use software synths mostly now.

[@bestgameplays2]

That Synthesizer looks so good, price?

[@HankCoffey]

Around $300. I got this one real cheap though 🙂👍

[@nixcanpor810]

those drums sounds so good

[@HankCoffey]

Thanks Nix! I like em.

[@txdap786]

Simple but sounds good...I saw one at a goodwill store open auction and the price at that time was $80

[@The1stMrJohn]

HANK.... FRIDAY 29th May 20 minutes past the hour, no livestream happening on KZbin 😵

[@HankCoffey]

Sorry JohnJohn, I got it fixed. 👍

[@B-free7]

I still have my VFXsd and I made a lot of money doing gigs in the 90's and it still looks and play great because I kept it in a flight case, it still play the only problem I have now is I can't get it to record anymore when I press play record I don't here the click,do you have any information on why this could be? i still have the original manual but I don't think it mention this problem, thanks for your video.

[@HankCoffey]

The sequencer has to have a Operating System loaded in. So if there is ever a factory reset, or the internal battery dies, You have to load the Sequencer OS Floppy. The OS is glitched somehow.

[@B-free7]

@@HankCoffey I bought a OS version 2.10 about 4 months ago I'll try it Hank thank's again

[@HankCoffey]

@@B-free7 yeah, my OS disk has the optional user bank sounds and sequences also.

[@B-free7]

@@HankCoffey thanks again It's been put away for awhile it's like starting all over,I figured why buy another Sequencer I have a couple if midi keyboards but this is worth holding on to

[@HankCoffey]

The sequencer is why I keep my Ensoniqs. Playing keys acapella isn't fun for me. I'm a guitarist.

[@niffneeds2138]

I had a vfx sd for years. Will the TS 12 Play my vfx sd sequences? I’m looking to purchase an TS 12 but want to be able play my old sequences. I know the SD-1will

[@HankCoffey]

The VFX-SD, and SD-1 are upgrades from the VFX model. So they are compatible in most ways. The TS series is a different keyboard. I'm 95% sure the VFX data is incompatible with the TS.

[@yacineel-belghiti9760]

Hello .please i'm looking for a sound on the ensoniq vfx SD called mini lead ( it's like a squar with portamento ). Does it exist in a vst version .

[@HankCoffey]

I don't think there is a vst of the Ensoniq VFX. I am sure I have the sound on my keyboard. It's in storage, so I can't check.

[@yacineel-belghiti9760]

@@HankCoffey thanks my bro

[@billylegal33]

if your selling the vfx il buy it .....nice video thanks

[@HankCoffey]

Thanks Billy, I'll never sell it. Thanks for the offer though.

[@brianlindon5221]

The vfx inside looks a lot like the Sd-1. it doesn't have the CART button on, just bankset. and the Sequencer disk went from 2.0 to 4.0 which mine has, the shop I bought it from had the "custom Chips" and fitted them for me for a cheap price at the time. I still haven't found another keyboard that plays the sounds as punchy or has an easy to use sequncer. The only problem I came across was the polyphony in sequencer would soon get used up as sounds were layered. I think I paid about £1800 for it at the time when it was new.

[@HankCoffey]

Wow man. Mine was on Craigslist with blurry pics for $150. I drive there thinking it would be junk, it was pretty much mint... I got lucky.

[@tonyjackson5261]

The SD-1 has an OS ver 4.0 what did they add?

[@tonyjackson5261]

@@HankCoffey WOW you lucked UP!

[@brianlindon5221]

@@tonyjackson5261 Hi Tony, not sure what it added , maybe extra polyphony and fixed some sequencer bugs from 2.0 ? It was 2 eprom chips that were replaced inside keyboard and an update floppy disk with 4.0 software on.

[@electreelife]

Hey Hand did you save a copy of those OS files of for the vfx sd /sd-1 ??? cant find it anywhere for the emulator

[@HankCoffey]

The keyboard is in storage, so I don't have the file with me. I think the SD-1 uses a different os. For a VFX SD you can search VFX SD Sequencer OS download. There is a forum post thread where a guy links to the IMG file. You'll have to convert that to .hfe using EPS DD format. If you can't find the link, email me. I can't post links here.

[@shahinebellil2387]

Quantiz???

[@tonyjackson5261]

So you got a VFX-SD and a TS-12 too. Which sequencer you going to use? Also how that TS-12 keyboard working new that you took the weights out? Been thinking of doing the same thing.

[@HankCoffey]

The TS plays great without the weights. I'll use both sequencers... Depending on the one I'm playing. I just use them to control the keyboard, I don't control other stuff with the sequencers.

[@dlichtenberg]

I’m using my TS12 to control 4 other modules and synths, super easy to sequence! A midi thru box is the key

[@HankCoffey]

@@dlichtenberg I don't have room to leave my stuff set up. So my boards stay in storage shelving. I play them one at a time. One day I'll have room. Most of the time I use my computer synths.

[@tonyjackson5261]

@@dlichtenberg Did you do any upgrades to your TS-12? I don't have a lot of room either, I just got a broken Roland S-10 lot smaller than the TS.

[@persoundproducer]

sounds great deep and doomy thanks for intro

[@drnocka-rocksteady]

I wonder can i download the sequencer disk.

[@HankCoffey]

Yeah, it is available if you Google search. People share the IMG in a few message threads. It might be available on R-Massive also.

[@JGHFunRun]

I seem to have accidentally copied all of my INTn sounds to ROMn... How do I fix this?

[@HankCoffey]

You mean ROM to INT? I don't think you can write on the ROM banks. Different INT sounds have to be loaded from disc. Or sysex.

[@JGHFunRun]

@@HankCoffey No, I have INT sounds, I know for sure because they're what I mainly use. I need the ROM sounds back, I wonder if the chip corrupted and it's defaulting to the INT sounds

[@HankCoffey]

@@JGHFunRun I have no idea man. I wish I could be more help.

[@TheEricMatthews]

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. I have had mine since 1990, second owner. I was in Boston and he had an ad in the paper and he was this cool creepy German guy. I rode the train to his place and gave him $1600 for it. For 90 years it's been my main keyboard for all of my work, mostly just a composition tool and midi controller for the last 15 years. I had the battery replaced by a pro shop in the late 90's and just this week I got the LOW VOLTAGE warning. Thanks for your vid because now I know how to open the thing up. You are great. kzbin.info1RM2pPIs_fw

[@HankCoffey]

No problem Eric, thank you.

[@annother3350]

90 years?

[@marcogkross483]

Compré un ensoniq vfx sd , puedo ponerle los sonidos del sq1 ???

[@HankCoffey]

La mayoría de los sonidos SD-1 se reproducirán en VFX SD. SD-1 es una versión más nueva. Hay algunos sonidos que no suenan bien.

[@marcogkross483]

@@HankCoffey ok,muchas gracias

[@zahidulislam2169]

Do you sing

[@HankCoffey]

Sometimes

[@acidzydeco]

🎤I WANT MY VFX 🎤

[@HankCoffey]

Dernt dernnn du der derny derny da dern da dernt.... Dernt

[@HankCoffey]

Hey Michael, I did the whole stream today and I don't even think I was live... You guys were talking in chat and I thought I was on.

[@acidzydeco]

I noticed there was a twitch video with KZbin comments flowing in there

[@acidzydeco]

Your twitch channel, Hank.

[@HankCoffey]

@@acidzydeco I have a way to stream to Twitch, Facebook, and KZbin at the exact same time. It just didn't connect to KZbin today... I made the Facebook feed private.