Presets #1-32 (bank 1) of the Ensoniq Fizmo. Recorded direct with no post-processing, intending to show the presets available on the instrument without regard to any further tweaking.
It was my pleasure, I had long since been thinking the same think. Granted, the real meat of this instrument lies in tweaking it, but even with that being said there was no reason for no one to have done something like this up to this point, especially with the preponderance of these types of preset demo videos for most every other synthesizer out there.
It sounds like wavetables created from audio out of a DX7, played back through some kind of high pass filter, with a low pass filter in parallel. I listened to this in order to compare it with Groove Electronic's 3rd Wave. Definitely some similarities. I played a Fizmo in a shop in Birmingham, UK in the '90s. Unfortunately I had no money.
The Fizmo is a very nice and unusual synth. Definitely worth owning in my opinion. Another synth that is very unusual is the Kawai K5. Hard to program and the factory patches sucked, but it really could yield some interesting sounds with its additive synthesis.
Had an ESQ-1 back in the 80s. In the pre-DAW days it got me through. Great for idea sketching and full tracks even-as long as you kept within the 8 voices/8 tracks/Sequencer memory limitations. Even created convincing drums with the ESQ-1. Bought it again in the early 2000s, but it was only good for nostalgia at that point. Wouldn’t buy an ESQ-1 again, but this Fizmo seems like it’s in the synth sleeper category with boards like the KORG MS2000. Which I was attracted to for the looks initially then the CZcams demo vids sold me on the sound. Snatched an MS2000 right up! I may do the same with the Fizmo! Still got love for Ensoniq.
Interesting how subjective synths can be. I bought an ESQ a f ew years ago, and it's become my favourite synth - capable of sounding analogue thanks to the filter, but with the sophistication ofsampled waves and three "oscillators". Whereas the MS200 that I bought when it first came out was a real disappointment. I hoped it would bring back the magic of the Mono/Poly that was my first proper synth after a Casio home keyboard, but for some reason I found it really awkward to use.
I love my esq1…I was saving up to buy a fizmo when they came out but by the time I had enough money ensoniq was no more and the fizmo wasn’t available anywhere
You know, it sounds kind of weird comparing to main-stream synths, but it got a very unique position in synth history ever. I've owned one Fizmo-Rack for collection, very rare gear honestly. (just shipped very small volume into market), A true synth freak can't without Fizmo, I love it.
Seems to me part of the reason these are rare is because at the time they came out their sound was considered somewhat strange, boring and limited which is why they didn’t sell, except to a very few. I also recall a phrase that summed it up. Fizmo caca. Perhaps it was ahead of its time? I’m shocked at the current prices people are asking for these now however. Had I known I would have bought one way back when but it was pricey then too. I found it very unique at the time but to this day I’m not sure that I’ve heard anyone utilize it to its full potential?
I love the way the Fizmo looks, but I've never been especially impressed by the sound of it. I always expected it to sound a lot... weirder than it does. From what I understand it was originally intended to be a physical modelling synth (hence the name) but then that aspect fell through.
It's the most unique sounding synth I own...out of 10 synths, all of them classics. These are just the presets and not at all a good representation of what this synth is capable of. I think it has some of the worst presets of any digital synth I've come in contact with. Once you start tweaking it though, it's capable of breaking through into other dimensions of reality.
at this point I think any engineering terms (physical modelling) become meaningless compared to now seeing this instrument as something unto itself ~ the way some synths are. A specific sound ~ fits in there with the GEM (General Music) S3 and the Technics SX-WSA1 and the Yamaha FS1r ~ niche synths that sort of failed at the time, but we can now see (or at least appreciate) were well designed and different. Like finding an old Danelectro bass or Trixon Speedfire drum kit. No, not your main synth but one that you would turn to when writing songs, composing or adding atmospheric elements to a soundtrack or soundscape.
It really is unique, it kills me thinking about what it could have been though; the framework is there for an incredibly powerful synth engine, but frankly the wavetables that are included are very sonically limited. Even using a standard swath of Waldorf wavetables would have created a more powerful synth, I believe. That being said though, the Transwave technology does allow for theoretically more complex wavetables.
Only real issue with these, IIRC, is that the power supply was iffy and prone to failure. Many of these came up for sale in the in early 2000s because of failed power supplies. Once it was swapped with a more suitable replacement these things were pretty solid. I really wish I had grabbed one back then, they're going for outrageous $$$ now.
@@yargnad it's NOT the power supply. This is a common misconception about this synth that is all over the internet. It's the voltage regulator chip inside that needs replacement. At some point it just draws too much power inside the synth and that's what fries it... Swapping just the power supply will not be a sufficient solution to the problem, you need to swap the chip inside. There's also some other small part (forgot the English name now, had mine serviced so long ago, sorry) that is better to have looked at, but that is not something that will kill the synth. The original voltage regulator chip is a ticking time-bomb however...
Lol, the importance of the Fizmo in synth history is as important as Roland D-70's DLM synthesis technology. Nobody knows what it is, and those of us who have it forgot about it... 😮
Very weird board. I looked at it, when it was coming out. Happy to not have bought it, as I only had money for one item. As a third or tenth board in a collection, I would reconsider, just for these moments of inspiration.
There's no way to overrate this synth. Nothing else sounds like it period. These are just preset sounds....nothing special. Once you start programming is when the magic happens.....as with any synth. The fact that you judge it on presets alone tells me you're not a synth programmer and that you just want a box of preset sounds that others made for you to dial up on command....aka 90% of electronic musicians today.
Thank you. Really. It has only taken 20 years for someone to post the audio the unprocessed presets.
It was my pleasure, I had long since been thinking the same think. Granted, the real meat of this instrument lies in tweaking it, but even with that being said there was no reason for no one to have done something like this up to this point, especially with the preponderance of these types of preset demo videos for most every other synthesizer out there.
I think someone should buy the rights to this synthesizer and mass produce it. They would have way more success than in the 1990s.
A VST would do, it is a digital synth
@@oliviermalhomme9923UVI HAS A SOFTWARE VERSION OF THIS SYNTH !!!
Love the sounds on this synth .
It sounds like wavetables created from audio out of a DX7, played back through some kind of high pass filter, with a low pass filter in parallel. I listened to this in order to compare it with Groove Electronic's 3rd Wave. Definitely some similarities. I played a Fizmo in a shop in Birmingham, UK in the '90s. Unfortunately I had no money.
Awesome synth, can't be replaced by anything else realy. Proud owner of a rack version :D
The Fizmo is a very nice and unusual synth. Definitely worth owning in my opinion. Another synth that is very unusual is the Kawai K5. Hard to program and the factory patches sucked, but it really could yield some interesting sounds with its additive synthesis.
i guess I'm kinda randomly asking but do anyone know a good site to stream new tv shows online ?
thanks, I went there and it seems like a nice service :D I appreciate it!!
@Bo Maddox happy to help :D
Had an ESQ-1 back in the 80s. In the pre-DAW days it got me through. Great for idea sketching and full tracks even-as long as you kept within the 8 voices/8 tracks/Sequencer memory limitations. Even created convincing drums with the ESQ-1.
Bought it again in the early 2000s, but it was only good for nostalgia at that point. Wouldn’t buy an ESQ-1 again, but this Fizmo seems like it’s in the synth sleeper category with boards like the KORG MS2000. Which I was attracted to for the looks initially then the CZcams demo vids sold me on the sound. Snatched an MS2000 right up!
I may do the same with the Fizmo! Still got love for Ensoniq.
Interesting how subjective synths can be. I bought an ESQ a f ew years ago, and it's become my favourite synth - capable of sounding analogue thanks to the filter, but with the sophistication ofsampled waves and three "oscillators". Whereas the MS200 that I bought when it first came out was a real disappointment. I hoped it would bring back the magic of the Mono/Poly that was my first proper synth after a Casio home keyboard, but for some reason I found it really awkward to use.
All ms2000 has going for it is nasty aliasing. And good luck "snatching" one up, better start collecting.
ESQ-1... I should have never sold it. Happy to have Fizmo
I love my esq1…I was saving up to buy a fizmo when they came out but by the time I had enough money ensoniq was no more and the fizmo wasn’t available anywhere
You know, it sounds kind of weird comparing to main-stream synths, but it got a very unique position in synth history ever. I've owned one Fizmo-Rack for collection, very rare gear honestly. (just shipped very small volume into market), A true synth freak can't without Fizmo, I love it.
would you write a letter to my wife in support of my Fizmo purchase?
Seems to me part of the reason these are rare is because at the time they came out their sound was considered somewhat strange, boring and limited which is why they didn’t sell, except to a very few. I also recall a phrase that summed it up. Fizmo caca. Perhaps it was ahead of its time? I’m shocked at the current prices people are asking for these now however. Had I known I would have bought one way back when but it was pricey then too. I found it very unique at the time but to this day I’m not sure that I’ve heard anyone utilize it to its full potential?
It was only 500$, got one when it came out, I'm still digging into it. A very strange one indeed. But I keep finding inspiration out of it.
Thanks a lot for uploading this!! 👍🏼🎹🍻
This was a departure from GM sounds for soundscapes. Behringer could bring it back and add more wavetables and whatnot.
I love the way the Fizmo looks, but I've never been especially impressed by the sound of it. I always expected it to sound a lot... weirder than it does. From what I understand it was originally intended to be a physical modelling synth (hence the name) but then that aspect fell through.
It's the most unique sounding synth I own...out of 10 synths, all of them classics. These are just the presets and not at all a good representation of what this synth is capable of. I think it has some of the worst presets of any digital synth I've come in contact with. Once you start tweaking it though, it's capable of breaking through into other dimensions of reality.
@@Abruzzo333 yeah the presets really do not do it justice. Amazing synth.
at this point I think any engineering terms (physical modelling) become meaningless compared to now seeing this instrument as something unto itself ~ the way some synths are. A specific sound ~ fits in there with the GEM (General Music) S3 and the Technics SX-WSA1 and the Yamaha FS1r ~ niche synths that sort of failed at the time, but we can now see (or at least appreciate) were well designed and different. Like finding an old Danelectro bass or Trixon Speedfire drum kit.
No, not your main synth but one that you would turn to when writing songs, composing or adding atmospheric elements to a soundtrack or soundscape.
I wish arturia would make this as a vst. It would be a no brainer. This and a good jd800....
Bought a Yamaha CS1X instead of Fizmo or the Nord back in the late 90s. Played on one and was not impressed at the time, now I think it sounds great!
It really is unique, it kills me thinking about what it could have been though; the framework is there for an incredibly powerful synth engine, but frankly the wavetables that are included are very sonically limited. Even using a standard swath of Waldorf wavetables would have created a more powerful synth, I believe. That being said though, the Transwave technology does allow for theoretically more complex wavetables.
Ensoniq was a very underrated company. I would kill for an ASR 10. That made a lot of great songs.
Only real issue with these, IIRC, is that the power supply was iffy and prone to failure. Many of these came up for sale in the in early 2000s because of failed power supplies. Once it was swapped with a more suitable replacement these things were pretty solid. I really wish I had grabbed one back then, they're going for outrageous $$$ now.
@@yargnad it's NOT the power supply. This is a common misconception about this synth that is all over the internet. It's the voltage regulator chip inside that needs replacement. At some point it just draws too much power inside the synth and that's what fries it... Swapping just the power supply will not be a sufficient solution to the problem, you need to swap the chip inside. There's also some other small part (forgot the English name now, had mine serviced so long ago, sorry) that is better to have looked at, but that is not something that will kill the synth. The original voltage regulator chip is a ticking time-bomb however...
Damn good for pads and ambiences.
Thank you, this is awesome. This is really helpful. Good clean recording. Trying to decide whether to buy one or not.
Brilliant piece of kit
w o w ~ so unique and has this kind of retro-sounding-modem-connecting-warmth (if that makes any sense).
Ooooh!!! A western egg you have there bro!😍😍😍
Lol, the importance of the Fizmo in synth history is as important as Roland D-70's DLM synthesis technology. Nobody knows what it is, and those of us who have it forgot about it... 😮
Very weird board. I looked at it, when it was coming out. Happy to not have bought it, as I only had money for one item.
As a third or tenth board in a collection, I would reconsider, just for these moments of inspiration.
its price overshot from $1K to $3.5K like wtf.
Reverb
Low end is no joke
nice sounds
Why no one want to do a video about ts10 saxophone and trumpet shake effects
I've got a ts12 recently, what's this about?
Btw hancock was played wrong...
What is your meaning of this synth?Playing the presets from time to time?Programming new sounds?Composing?
like for chameleon
does this have aftertouch?
Yup 👍
It's an ok synth. But also overrated and together with people who try to sell it like it was a brick of gold...nah.
There's no way to overrate this synth. Nothing else sounds like it period. These are just preset sounds....nothing special. Once you start programming is when the magic happens.....as with any synth. The fact that you judge it on presets alone tells me you're not a synth programmer and that you just want a box of preset sounds that others made for you to dial up on command....aka 90% of electronic musicians today.
@@Abruzzo333 yeah, unless you have one, you have no idea.
The Sound is....Not soooo good
Yet so useful and very tweekers delite. A fake analog that did it right, for the time. I'll never sell mine.