"Cherry Picking" internal programs on an Ensoniq ESQ-1

[Patchman]

I am trying to lean an esq1 I've recently purchased. If I'm understanding the manual under "Saving and Storage of Programs", internal programs can't singly be over-written (replaced) from a cartridge source (or saved to cartridge). It seems the exporting options are Bank A, Bank B, or both banks. Single programs can only be saved to a computer via a midi device (I really don't want to use tape). If this is true, here is my question:

Can I use a program such as MIDI-OX to send my favorite sounds from the internal programs and/or cartridge sounds for the sake of compiling 40 of my favorite programs, then send them back to overwrite the current 40 internal sounds?

What I'm trying to accomplish is cherry picking or customizing the internal sounds to my preference. I just don't know if this is possible, or the best way to accomplish this if it is.

Thanks,
Rich

[Rasputin]

I would say something like MIDIQuest to audition patches, and then when you've got your list of favorites then go and transmit the patch via SysEx and write it to wherever you want on the ESQ-1. You can easily do it one by one that way.

[meatballfulton]

MIDIQuest could send individual patches, but it's just as easy to create the banks in the program and send the entire bank across. Doing it patch by patch with sysex is very time consuming. It's a shame that all the free librarians that existed when the ESQ-1 was a current synth won't run on any of today's computers and OSes.

PS you don't really have to use tape, any digital audio recorder (including free ones like Audacity) will work just fine.

[groy]

If I'm understanding the manual under "Saving and Storage of Programs", internal programs can't singly be over-written (replaced) from a cartridge source (or saved to cartridge)...
...What I'm trying to accomplish is cherry picking or customizing the internal sounds to my preference. I just don't know if this is possible, or the best way to accomplish this if it is.

I'm not sure I understand the issue. You can save over patches in the internal memory, you can copy patches one by one from a cartridge by saving it over one you don't want, and you can also write patches one by one to slots in a cartridge (if you have a read / write cartridge).

[Patchman]

Thanks for the responses! Checked into MidiQuest, will certainly do the job quite nicely. Only downside is their cheapest solution is $150 US. I'm not sure what can be done with midi-ox. Groy; according to page 78 of the esq1 manual, you have to transfer entire banks. It does mention singles can be done via midi to another esq1, or to a computer programmed to accept such information. I don't know what program they are referring to. If you've been able to transfer singles in a specific order into a specific bank with free or lower cost software, I'd sure like to know how. Like I mentioned, I am new to all this, and can only go by what I read.

Rich

[groy]

Ok, I think what I don't understand is where are you trying to transfer patches to and from?

[Patchman]

I would like to have the internal 40 patches to be a compilation of selections from 7 different prerecorded cartridges I have. I don't know if this is possible with midi-ox, which is in my price range- free

I may have to spring for midiquest Essentials. It's tough not knowing what I'm doing, but this forum has been helpful.

Thanks,
Rich

[madtheory]

MIDIQuest will work with all of your other synths as well...

[groy]

I would like to have the internal 40 patches to be a compilation of selections from 7 different prerecorded cartridges I have.

Again, not sure I am missing something or not- the midi stuff is not going to help you unless you wanted get patches onto or off of a computer.

I'm not in front of my synth, but it's something like this:
Put in cartridge from which you want a patch > select the patch you want > click write > click internal / select one of the 4 banks then select an internal patch you don't want to keep (your selecting the internal location you want to write to) > confirm the write > repeat until you have all patches you want.

Pg 78 looks like it's about bulk transfer, midi, and tape transfer. You can save one by one, see pg 74.

[meatballfulton]

The cartridge of course has to be writable if you want to use it for patch transfers.

I owned the SQ-80 and the main reason I got it was the disk drive enabled easy patch and sequence swaps as well as backups.

You don't need actual tape for storage, any recorder you have...including your DAW...can be used for patch transfers.

[groy]

Does the cartridge have to be writable to save a patch from it to the esq internal memory bank?

[Rasputin]

Does the cartridge have to be writable to save a patch from it to the esq internal memory bank?

No, just load up the patch you want to save, click Write and then cursor over past the name until you get to the patch number field and cursor up/down until you get to an internal storage patch ID that you want to overwrite.

But clearly that doesn't work in reverse if you've got a ROM instead of an EPROM cartridge like Voice Crystal X or similar.

[Patchman]

Groy- you da man I feel like an idiot about now. I mistook the section "Write a Program" as creating a new or modifying program and skipped right over it. You saved me from spending money I really don't have. MidiQuest looks great, but I'll have to wait until I have "disposable" money. Being retired, disposable is somewhere between slim and never!

Again, great, knowledgeable people on this forum!
Rich

[groy]

The moral to this thread is to never read the manual.







just kidding!!!

[madtheory]

Awesome! Sort banks, rename and share ESQ-1 programs on this website with the Chrome browser.

https://f0f7.net/fe/#/SysexLibrarian