Organic Digital Wavemaker SQ80 V is Ensoniq’s classic ‘80s Cross-Wave synth reborn, weaving hybrid lo-fi character, complex industrial textures, and thousands of unique waveform combinations into a quick-fire softsynth enhanced for modern production. Digital synthesis unravelled. Where Digital Dreams are Made Digital synthesizers are often known for sounds that are razor-sharp, crystal-clear, and precise – SQ80 V has other ideas. Explore a detailed software resurrection of a digital anti-hero that’s out to break the rules. Capture the grit, character, and charming imperfection favoured by John Carpenter, Adamski, Mr Bungle, and countless others with an instrument that’s simultaneously complex and accessible, focused and intricate, edgy and dream-like – and unlike anything you’ve heard before. The Digital Edge SQ80 V’s perfectly-modelled 8-bit 5503 DOC chip delivers digital sounds that are uniquely full of organic character, ranging from silky smooth to razor-sharp – all ready to customize & play in seconds. Analog Character Digital oscillators collide with an emulated analog filter and output circuit for sinewaves that growl, harmonics that sizzle, and warm lo-fi timbres that are perfectly imperfect. Waveforms Evolved Explore thousands of possible combinations of waves, instrument-style transients, hidden waveforms, and VFX transwaves for sound design potential that surpasses the original hardware. Digital Made Easy Digital synths have long been notoriously tricky to program, both hardware and software. SQ80 V bucks the trend with an immersive digital architecture that can be tweaked instantly, hassle-free. Riding a Wave Created by the same engineers responsible for the Commodore 64 – considered the best-selling computer of all time – Ensoniq’s SQ80 was up against stiff competition. At the time of its release, the digitization of hardware synthesizers was well underway – but it went on to become a cult classic. Here was a digital synthesizer that offered a degree of warmth and character usually reserved for its analog peers; flexible voice and modulation controls that didn’t require 10,000 hours of practice to program; a workhorse keyboard that produced an unprecedented array of timbres to suit any style, without the stellar price tag of similarly capable instruments. Waveforms SQ80 V’s unique voice is all about combining and manipulating waveforms. Each of its 3 oscillators can be assigned a different waveform; SQ80 V unites classic waveforms from the original built-in library with hundreds more that Arturia have added, ranging from the familiar to the abstract. The resulting range of sounds at your disposal is simply enormous; soft moving string pads, plucky pulse width basses, glitchy industrial percussion… SQ80 Waveforms – The keyboard’s original factory library, ranging from sinewaves to unique drum transients, all distinctly synthetic in its nature. Transwaves – An additional technology taken from Ensoniq’s follow-up generation of synthesizers, including ‘Transwaves’, a pioneering form of wavetable application. ESQ-1 Hidden Waveforms – ESQ-1 preceded the SQ80 but had the same software. The same ‘hack’ was applied to produce a new selection of unique waveforms. SQ80 Hidden Waveforms – By ‘hacking’ the original SQ80’s software, users unearthed a series of unpredictable waveforms made entirely of manipulated code. Shades of Analog SQ80 V’s unique voice begins with its 8-bit oscillators and endless hybrid waveform combinations. It’s when these components collide with its emulated CEM 3379 analog filter that it truly comes into its own. By processing digital sounds through its emulated analog filter and amp, SQ80 V can inject organic imperfections, crunchy harmonics, and tangible lo-fi distortion into your modern mixes. Using the proprietary TAE® technology, Arturia remodelled it in unparalleled detail to bring you a virtual instrument that sings, barks and growls just like the original hardware. Layer Upon Layer From the i