Distortion sound on ESQ-1

cromdubh · Post by **cromdubh** » Mon Apr 04, 2022 4:09 am

I've recently acquired an ESQ-1 and it sounds amazing but there is some distortion that's not always super obvious but definitely more obvious on certain patches.

https://vocaroo.com/12rlTrSpLu0K (especially clear on the first piano sound)
https://vocaroo.com/1dWFEE4JDXgf (on this one especially starting at 0:21 it's pretty clear)

I'm guessing it's somewhere in the filter, but I can't be sure. I also don't know if this is just "normal" for this synth. I know it has a reputation for being kind of gritty, but this distortion is not exactly consistent: sometimes the same note will be distorted and other times will sound more clearly.

I'd appreciate it if people could give this a listen (on good speakers or headphones) and tell me if it's normal and, if not, what the likely culprits are. My immediate guess is maybe some capacitors need to be replaced in the filter section, but that's just a shot in the dark with my very small electronics knowledge.

Thanks!

Post by **madtheory** » Tue May 17, 2022 1:22 pm

That's just the ESQ doing it's thing. That is the "grit"

If there were faulty caps in the filter section, it would not manifest like this. Also if it hasn't been done already, recap the PSU.

cromdubh · Post by **cromdubh** » Wed May 18, 2022 4:32 am

madtheory wrote: ↑
Tue May 17, 2022 1:22 pm
That's just the ESQ doing it's thing. That is the "grit" If there were faulty caps in the filter section, it would not manifest like this. Also if it hasn't been done already, recap the PSU.

Thanks, appreciate the reply.

Post by **madtheory** » Wed May 18, 2022 12:32 pm

You're welcome. It's a really great synth, full of character. Enjoy!

Distortion sound on ESQ-1

Re: Distortion sound on ESQ-1

Re: Distortion sound on ESQ-1

Re: Distortion sound on ESQ-1