SQ80 V

How it works

Single-cycle wavetable + subtractive

Each oscillator (DCO) loops over a small waveform stored digitally at 8 bits: it can be a classic wave (saw, square, pulse, sine), a cycle extracted from a real sample (piano, voice, bass, organ, strings) or, on the SQ-80, even a short sampled transient (attacks, percussion) played once or looped. Changing the reading speed changes the pitch. The waves produced this way already have a defined timbre rich in harmonics, so the synthesis becomes subtractive: the analog low-pass filter removes the high frequencies and the envelopes move its cutoff over time.

Three oscillators and three DCAs

The three DCOs each have their own modulatable digital amplifier (DCA 1–3): you can mix different waves (for example a piano wave for the attack and a pad for the body), sync oscillator 2 to 1 (hard sync) or amplitude-modulate oscillator 2 with 1 (AM).

Transwave

In the Arturia version a Transwave is a sequence of waveforms (a wavetable): with one control and two modulations you choose the reading position and sweep it over time, obtaining timbres that transform without needing the filter (as in the Ensoniq VFX and SD machines).

Aliasing and 8 bits

With only 8 bits and variable reading frequencies, the high harmonics fold back into the spectrum (aliasing) and quantization noise appears: it is part of the character, more evident on high notes.

Filter and DCA 4

The 24 dB/octave resonant CEM3379 filter does not self-oscillate. After the filter, DCA 4 (with its dedicated envelope) defines volume and pan and, when pushed, adds a pleasant harmonic distortion.

Character and tone

A unique hybrid sound: 8-bit digital waves, grainy and with obvious aliasing (especially in the highs), passing through an analog 4-pole CEM3379 low-pass filter and a DCA that saturates harmonically. The result is warm and dirty at the same time, with rough upper mids (2–6 kHz) and full lows thanks to the filter. It excels at pads: choral, wide, nostalgic, with movement when you use the Transwaves. Basses and brass are solid, flutes and chimes convincing and with the charm of 80s samples. Limitations: programming more complex than average (many two-input modulations), filter resonance that doesn't self-oscillate, marked aliasing that sometimes needs managing. Compared with Prophet-VS V (vector synthesis, also digital + analog filter) it has more sampled waves and a dirtier character; compared with DX7 V and CZ V it is less glassy and warmer thanks to the analog filter; compared with Emulator II V it is a real synth, not a sampler.

Architecture

Original Ensoniq SQ-80 (1987–1989)

• Evolution of the ESQ-1 (1986): the same 32 waveforms plus 43 new ones (including percussive transients and 5 drum kits), 75 in total.
• 8 voices, 8-part multitimbral; three digital oscillators per voice generated by the Ensoniq DOC 5503 chip (designed by Bob Yannes, creator of the Commodore 64's SID chip), with 8-bit waves.
• Per oscillator: octave, semitone, fine, two pitch modulation inputs, DCA level with two modulations; sync and AM between oscillators.
• Analog 4-pole resonant low-pass filter CEM3379 per voice (32 resonance steps, non-self-oscillating), key tracking and two modulations.
• Final DCA 4 with pan; 4 envelopes with 4 levels and 4 times (Env 4 is wired to DCA 4) with velocity on the attack and on the levels and keyboard decay scaling; 3 LFOs (triangle, sawtooth, square, noise) with delay and initial level.
• 15 modulation sources; keyboard with polyphonic pressure and velocity, 8-track sequencer, floppy disk.

What SQ80 V (Arturia, 2022) adds

• Up to 16 voices, Unison with Detune, Mono mode with legato, Reassign, Reset Osc and Reset Env, modulatable Glide.
• Waveform browser with original SQ80 waves, Transwaves (including the VFX's X-waves, with modulatable reading position), Hidden Waves from the SQ-80 and ESQ-1; PWM control on the classic shapes.
• Envelopes in three modes: original SQ80, MSEG up to 16 points with loop and sync, DADSR.
• 3 LFOs with Triangle, Ramp, Square, Noise, Sine, Saw shapes, tempo sync, Human (randomness) and Poly mode.
• Mod Mixer that combines two sources with mathematical operators; every mod param has two bipolar modulation slots with 16 sources (3 LFOs, 4 envelopes, Mod Wheel, Velocity, Aftertouch, Keyboard 1 and 2, Breath, Velocity-Exp, Expression, Mod Mixer).
• MPE, arpeggiator (7 modes, 1–4 octaves, sync with triplets and dotted), undo/redo.
• 4 effect slots in series or parallel with 15 effects: Reverb, Delay, Tape Delay, Pitch Shift Delay, Chorus, Juno Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Overdrive, Compressor, Multiband Compressor, BitCrusher, Multi Filter, Param EQ, Stereo Pan.

The controls, one by one

Main panel — Globals and arpeggiator

Volume

Output volume of the instrument.

Arpeggiator On

Turns on the arpeggiator.

Rate

Arpeggio speed: 0.01–50 Hz in HZ mode, from 1 to 1/64 synced (also triplets and dotted).

Pattern

Ordered, Reversed, Up, Down, Up-down Inclusive, Up-down Exclusive, Random, plus a range of 1–4 octaves.

Sync

Free (HZ) or locked to tempo.

Hold

Holds the notes: when played legato they are added to the pattern, when played staccato they reset it.

Unison

Stacks voices monophonically; the number of voices is chosen in the bottom bar.

Detune

Amount of detuning between the unison voices: low values for thickness, high ones for a supersaw effect.

Main panel — Oscillators 1, 2, 3

Power

Enables the oscillator.

Waveform menu and arrows

Chooses the folder (SQ80, Transwave, Hidden) and scrolls through the waves with the arrows; the display shows the shape.

Oct

Octave from −2 to +4: e.g. Osc 2 at +1 for brightness, Osc 3 at −1 for body.

Semi

±12 semitones: +7 for fifths (synth brass and power chords).

Fine

±100 cents: 3–10 cents between two oscillators for the beating typical of pads.

LVL

Oscillator level; high values saturate the filter input (fatness and grit).

Main panel — Filter

Filter display

Drag horizontally for the cutoff and vertically for the resonance.

Frequency

Cutoff of the 24 dB/oct CEM3379 low-pass (about 35 Hz and beyond the audible range). Pads: 1.5–4 kHz; basses: 300–900 Hz.

Resonance

Emphasis at the cutoff; as you raise it the sound thins and drops in volume outside the band. It does not self-oscillate.

Mod Amount 1 and 2 / VEL

Amount of the two cutoff modulations (typically Env 1 and velocity): the classic filter opening with the envelope.

Main panel — Wheels

Pitchbend Wheel and Amount

Bend 0–12 semitones set in the box above the wheel.

Bend Mode

ALL bends all the voices that are playing; HELD only the held notes (useful for bending one note within a chord).

Mod Wheel

Assignable modulation source in every mod param slot.

Synthesis — Oscillators (DCO)

Waveform Browser

Banks: SQ80 Waveforms (original waves), Transwaves (wavetables with reading position and two modulation inputs; the X-waves are the VFX's transwaves), SQ80 and ESQ1 Hidden Waves (hidden waves, often inharmonic and ambient).

White cursor (PWM / position)

On classic shapes it sets the pulse width; on transient loops the PWM; on Transwaves the position in the wavetable (also by dragging the wave in the display).

Copy to DCO

Copies the settings of one DCO to another.

Octave, Semi (mod param), Fine

Pitch; Semi has two modulation inputs (e.g. LFO for vibrato, Env for pitch drop).

Sync (Osc 2)

Hard sync of Osc 2 to Osc 1: modulating Osc 2's pitch gives you sharp leads.

AM (Osc 2, mod param)

Amplitude modulation of Osc 2 by Osc 1: tremolos or, at audio frequency, metallic timbres.

DCA Level (mod param)

Output level of each DCO with two modulations; it can overload the filter. Modulating the levels with different envelopes creates crossfades between waves (sampled attack + body).

Synthesis — Voice

Mono

Monophonic; in legato, envelopes and LFOs don't retrigger. With Unison = mono with stacked voices.

Reassign

On: repeating the same key reuses the same voice (no buildup). Off: a new voice, the previous one continues its release.

Unison + detune %

Enables unison with a detuning percentage.

Reset Osc

Restarts the oscillators' phase on every note: consistent, punchy attacks (basses); off = more natural variation.

Reset Env

On: the envelopes restart from zero; Off: they restart from the current level (smooth legatos, no clicks).

Glide (mod param)

Portamento time with two modulations.

Synthesis — Filter, DCA 4, Tune

Key

Cutoff key tracking: 50–100% for sounds that stay bright in the highs, low for dark basses.

Freq (mod param)

Cutoff with two modulation inputs.

Resonance (mod param)

Modulatable resonance.

DCA 4 Level (mod param)

Final voice level; when pushed, it saturates harmonically (red clip light).

DCA 4 Pan (mod param)

Modulatable stereo position (e.g. slow LFO or Keyboard to spatialize).

Tune (mod param)

Global tuning 400–480 Hz with two modulations.

Synthesis — Envelope 1–4 (SQ80 mode)

Env Module Type

SQ80, MSEG or DADSR for each of the 4 envelopes (Env 4 governs DCA 4).

Env Copy

Copies the current envelope to another.

Full Cycle

The envelope runs through all stages without stopping at the sustain (for percussion and plucks independent of key duration).

V Attack

Velocity shortens the attack (stage 1): when you play hard the attack is more immediate.

K Decay

High notes shorten the decays (stages 2 and 3), like an acoustic instrument.

V Level Response and V Level Control

Amount and curve (linear or exponential) with which velocity scales the envelope levels.

Stage 1–3 LVL and Time

Levels and times of the three stages (bipolar): attack, decay, sustain.

Stage 4 Time and Release Mode

Release time; Release Mode creates an elbow-shaped release (fast drop then long tail) that imitates reverberation.

Synthesis — Envelope (MSEG and DADSR modes)

MSEG: points, curves, Presets

Up to 16 points (click to add, right-click to remove), draggable curves; the second-to-last point is the sustain and the last segment is the release; presets can be saved.

MSEG: Rate, Rate Type, Loop

With Loop the MSEG cycles at the set speed (Hz or sync straight, triplets, dotted): a hand-drawn LFO.

MSEG: Bipolar, Key Time, Vel Level

Bipolar output; speed that follows the keyboard (even negative); level that follows velocity.

DADSR: Delay, Attack, Decay, Sustain, Release

Traditional envelope, plus Key Time (shorter times in the highs) and Velocity on the level.

Synthesis — LFO 1–3

Rate (mod param) and Rate Type

Speed in Hz or synced (straight, triplets, dotted).

Wave

Triangle, Ramp, Square, Noise, Sine, Saw.

Initial

Initial LFO level when Delay is active.

Delay

Slope of the transition from Initial to Amp: low values = slow vibrato onset.

Amp (mod param)

Final LFO depth.

Reset

Restarts the LFO on every note.

Human

Adds slight random variations: less mechanical vibrato and movements.

Poly

One LFO per voice (with Reset on to always start from the same phase).

Synthesis — Mod Mixer, MIDI sources and Mod Param

Mod Mixer: Source 1, Source 2, Operator, Amount

Combines two sources with a mathematical operator to create new modulations (e.g. LFO multiplied by Mod Wheel = hand-controlled vibrato).

MIDI Modulation sources panel

Shows which MIDI sources are in use and where: clicking a source makes its destinations flash.

Mod param slots (two per parameter)

Click the + next to a parameter to choose among 16 sources, bipolar amount; right-click to bypass while keeping the value. Colors: LFOs yellow, envelopes orange, MIDI pink, Mod Mixer green.

Bottom bar

Unison (number of voices)

Voices stacked when Unison is active.

Poly

Polyphony up to 16 voices.

Undo, Undo History, Redo

Undoes and restores changes, even going back to a point in the history.

FX (4 slots, series or parallel)

Routing and slots

Series: 1→2→3→4. Parallel: 1→2 and 3→4 in parallel then mixed. Each slot has bypass, effect menu and Wet/Dry.

Reverb

Algorithmic reverb with pre-delay, decay, filters and mix.

Delay

Free or synced digital delay with feedback and tone control.

Tape Delay

Tape echo with warmer, less stable repeats.

Pitch Shift Delay

Delay Time (free or sync straight/triplets/dotted), Stereo Offset, Feedback and pitch transposition on every repeat: rising or falling cascades.

Chorus

Multi-voice chorus to widen pads and strings.

Juno Chorus

Juno-style chorus (from Jun-6 V): free or sync Rate, Depth, Phase up to 180°.

Flanger

Modulated comb filter with feedback.

Phaser

Phase sweep for movement on pads and EPs.

Overdrive

Saturation for basses and leads.

Compressor

Classic compressor to control peaks.

Multiband Compressor

Three bands with separate compression and expansion thresholds and ratios; high and low bands can be disabled.

BitCrusher

Bit and sample rate reduction to emphasize the lo-fi.

Multi Filter

Multimode filter at the end of the chain.

Param EQ

Parametric equalizer to sculpt the sound right in the synth.

Stereo Pan

Autopan: Amount and Rate (free or sync).

Sound design tips

Exploit the wave, then filter

• Choose the wave the way you choose a sample: it is what defines the character. The filter is there to tame the aliasing and add movement, not to create the timbre from scratch.
• Combine a wave with an interesting attack (transient, piano, pluck) on a DCO with a short envelope and a sustained wave (pad, saw, voice) on another with a long envelope: you get hybrid sample + synth sounds typical of the late 80s.

Filter and levels

• The DCOs' LVL levels drive the filter's saturation: three oscillators at maximum get very dirty; for clean pads keep them around 60–70%, for basses and brass push them.
• The CEM3379's resonance thins the sound and doesn't self-oscillate: for full basses keep it below 30–40% and compensate the volume.
• Key tracking of 50–75% on the filter keeps the brightness consistent across the keyboard, important with 8-bit waves that get harsh in the highs.

Aliasing and frequencies

• Aliasing grows with high notes and rich waves: for high leads close the cutoff to 3–5 kHz or use simpler waves.
• SQ80 pads easily occupy 200 Hz–4 kHz: a high-pass at 120–200 Hz (Param EQ) and a slight cut at 2–3 kHz put them behind the vocal.
• Hidden Waves can generate very low or DC components: check the low end with an analyzer.

Modulation

• Every parameter has two modulation slots: dedicate the first to structural modulation (Env, Keyboard) and the second to expressive modulation (Mod Wheel, Aftertouch, Velocity): the preset stays readable.
• Transwave: assign a slow envelope to the first input and a very slow LFO (0.05–0.2 Hz) with Human to the second: the timbre evolves without repeating.
• LFO with Delay and Human for natural vibrato and movement, especially on flutes and voices.

Velocity

• V Attack and V Level on the filter Env make pads and brass expressive; for house basses limit velocity on volume and use it on the filter.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting that Env 4 controls the final DCA: changing Env 1 doesn't change the volume.
• Using Full Cycle on pads: the sustain is ignored and the sound dies even while holding the key.
• Reassign off with long releases: repeated notes pile up and muddy the mix.
• Overusing unison: with 16 voices in total, polyphony collapses.

Presets to recreate

In genres and records

• Late-80s British house and rave: Adamski uses it in the 1989–1991 sessions, including the single Killer, and on every track of Liveandirect. Digital pads, organs and basses.
• Alternative and experimental rock: Mr. Bungle use it on their self-titled 1991 album.
• Funk and electro-funk: Roger Troutman among the users.
• Film scores: John Carpenter among the users; cold pads and hybrid timbres.
• Acid house and rave; late synthpop and new wave; 80s pop and AOR (digital pads and brass).
• Hip hop and boom bap: dark pads and 8-bit grain.
• Lo-fi hip hop and vaporwave: aliasing and grain.
• Synthwave and darkwave: cold pads.
• Ambient and new age; industrial and EBM; downtempo and trip hop; Detroit electro and techno (pads and stabs).
• 80s–90s video game music.