'l'l‘llll5llIIitl urkerThe Iadapendenr Ensoniq Mirage User's Newsferrer

DISK HEUIEW5 - ENSDNIU DIEKS #5, §T, #5, figIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

By Erick Hailstone

For all of you who can't wait for new sounds, help ison the way. we are hearing from folks all over theplace who are developing their own disks. wouldn'tit be great if we could just sand this stuff throughthe phone line? Hmmmmmm.

Ensoniq has been vary busy. They have four new diskscoming out which brings ma to the subject of thisreview: DISK HEUIEMS I!

The first disk [#5] looks like this:

Lower Qgger

Hock guitar 5ths Solo rock guitarBlav ElevNylon string guitar Nylon string guitar

The sequences on all of these are killer. Somesamples are less obvious than others so thesesequences really put them into context. Lower sample#1 is fairly self-explanatory: distorted guitar inEths. This one has both better frequency responseand better distortion than the earlier disk. Thelower programs are status quo. chorusing, filtering,etc. The upper sample is great. Good attack andgood overall sound. The mod wheel is set so you canfade to a harmonic and octave up. The other programswill switch to vibrato and add some other tonalvariations.

Sample 2 is a clavinet upper and lower. Not much tosay about this one. If you've heard a clav that'sexactly what you'll get. Pretty standard variations.

Sample 3 is a nylon string guitar upper and lower.Not that this is written in stone but this is thebest guitar sample I can ever remember hearing andthat includes samples off of the high priced spreads.Tone is excellent and the attack is perfect. Ittakes a little practice to think like a guitar. Justremember when you strum chords put a small amount ofspace between each note in the chord.

Disk #5:

Lower Ugger

Brass fallingfbrass gliss BrassfwoodwindDraw bar organ Draw bar organElectric piano II Electric piano II

Sample #1 on this disk is your basic big band. Theupper is a combination of brass and reeds. Itsounded ok initially but the more I caught on to theright stylistic phrasing the more excited I got. Thesequence will tell the whole story.

The lower sample is literally what it says. Brassfalling - a punch with a quick downward slide. Brassgliss is a short upward slide. These are typicaldevices used in almost any big band arrangement.

Sample #2. Do I have to tell anybody out there whichorgan this is? You know the big heavy one with thewhirling, rotating speakers. It's a stock settingwith the bottom three or four drawbars all the wayout with percussion on.

Each of the programs has a different rotating speakerspeed. Dnce again. as far as this sample goes,they've nailed it.

Sample #3. Tou remember the first electric pianodisk? well. this is one for wurlitrer fans. This isa very funky sound. You don't hear people using itmuch anymore but it is perfect for some things.

Disk #? - This disk has more "traditional" sounds:

Lower Ugger

Bass clarinet ClarinetBassoon UboeChoir 1 and 2 Choir 3

The first two samples are very pure. You've got tokeep in mind that with all these types of sounds ittakes some practice to make the pitch and mod wheelsnatural sounding. The sequences again give you aclear idea of how to use these sounds as they wereintended.

The choirs give different ranges and different vowelsounds to work with. These are perfect settings forchurches that need to flesh out the choir.

Disk #9:

Lower Upper

Breathy bass ClavirimbaTymbello Perc bottleChainsaw bass Plucked brass

All of these sounds are things that can only occurwith a sampling device. Tou take two different

ISSUE NUMBER Q

sounds and graft them together, the attack of one tothe body of another.

Ereathy bass is an acoustic bass with air in front ofit. I'm not sure if the breath is from a singer or ahorn or what but it turns out to be a nice uniquesound.

Clavirimba? Elavinet and marimba. This sound ishard to describe but like all of the sounds on thisdisk they are familiar and natural.

Tymbello is the attack of a tympani and the body of acello.

Perc bottle is somebody blowing on a beer bottle witha bit more attack. I love this sound. Heal useful.

Chainsaw bass - electric bass with a chainsaw attack?I would've liked to have been there when they sampledthis one. Probably a lot of folks sitting aroundafterwards, counting their fingers. This is anunusual sound. You won't be pulling it out for youraverage pop tune. Heal gritty attack — don't play alot of notes together.

Plucked brass — this is your basic plucked stringthat transforms into a brass section.

The sequences that show these samples off are allwonderful.

PEFHHIN

Last night I was at a recording session where theMirage was used extensively and I must say it waskind of marvelous. This was a very small two-manstudio that does a lot of TU and radio spots. It wasnice to see this machine allow them to do things, tocreate ensembles that would never fit in the room letalone be affordable. In the future I'll pass alongexperiences from professionals who are recording andperforming with the Mirage.

Erick Hailstone studied composition and arranging atthe University of Nevada and at Berklee College ofMusic. He has been involved with synthesizers andrelated technology for the past seven years.Primarily a guitarist, his orientation has been inperforming and recording with these devices.

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In more traditional forms of synthesis, we wouldnormally start with our raw, full volume sound anduse a handy device called an envelope generator toshape its dynamic movement. The envelope generatoris a simple electronic device used to output acontrol signal which is (hopefully) more or lessanalagous to the acoustic envelope that we are tryingto synthesize. In other words, if we start with araw violin—type waveform (sound) and want to create aslow, bowed type of attack, we would set the attackcontrol on our envelope generator fairly high. Theeffect is that when we depress a key on oursynthesizer, the sound doesn't abruptly jump to fullvolume. The rate at which it builds is determined bythe attack-time setting. Likewise, we can effectchanges in the decay rate, sustain level, and releaserate by manipulating the D, 5, and H controls on ourenvelope generator.

9t this point I should note that the envelopegenerator does not act directly on the waveform inquestion: it merely sends a generic signal which is,in this case, used to control a device called a UC9,or voltage-controlled amplifier. 9 UB9 is a simpleamplifier-type circuit with one importantdistinction. Its output volume (actually, theamplifier's gain] can be controlled by a voltage.This is how it works.

The UB9 has three connections - audio input, audiooutput, and control signal input. This last willaccept voltages within a certain range, say D to 1Dvolts. If we connect our violin waveform to theaudio input and D volts to the control input, we willget no sound at the output. If we apply 1D volts tothe control input, we get our violin wave at theoutput, full volume. Neat, huh? The tricky part isthat if we apply a voltage that changes slowly from 0to 1D volts, the output will give us our violin wave,but it will build slowly from D to full volume.Conversely, if we apply a control voltage that beginsat 1D volts and decreases gradually to U volts, ourviolin wave will start out at full volume andgradually decay to silence. So where do these risingand falling voltages come from? Tou guessed it!From our friend the envelope generator. The basicprocessing circuit now consists of three parts. Durwaveform generator [in the Mirage it is called adigital oscillator or DD), our UB9, and our envelopegenerator (EB). The output of the DD is connected tothe audio input of the UB9. The output of theenvelope generator is connected to the control inputof the UB9, and the output of the UB9 goes [more orless] to the input of our monitoring system so we canhear our sound. Dne word though - if you look inyour parameter list in the Mirage in hopes of findingsomething called UB9, forget it. For one thing, theMirage uses DE9s (digitally controlled amplifiers]instead of UC9s. The only difference between DC9sand UC9s is that DE9s are controlled by numbersrather than voltages. 9nd, since I find UE9s notonly more familiar to most people, but also easier toexplain, I hope you'll bear with my somewhat obtuseapproach to outlining their function. 9lso, sincethis configuration is permanently "hard—wired" withinthe Mirage, and a DB9 has no controls of its own(only inputs and outputs] there are no parameters tochange that are directly a part of the DC9. The

envelope parameters present us with all the controlswe have for the DB9 {never mind about keyboardscaling and envelope generator velocity sensitivity -that's for later].

TDEIE i5 UDE UtDEI E5 Control that I've left forlast, primarily because in most "traditional"synthesizers it isn't included in the EB section atall. It's called "peak" and in other synthesizers itwould correspond to EB depth or EG intensity. Itsfunction is to control the intensity with which theEG controls the DB9. In other words, if you want tosynthesize a slow, bowed attack for the violinwaveform but don't want the waveform to reach maximuvolume by the time it has completed the attackportion of its cycle, you can use the peak control ofthe EE to determine how much effect the EB has on theDE9. If the peak control is set for its maximuvalue, the violin waveform will eventually reach itsfull volume. If the peak control is set for half ofits“ maximum value, the violin waveform willeventually reach half of its original volume. Newthe applications of this may not be immediatelyapparent, but they are there. Trust me.

9t this point, some of you may be saying, "well,that's just fine, Clark. But, since the Mirage cansample any sound, doesn't it sample the sound'samplitude envelope and everything? I mean, why do weeven need to mess with synthesizing all theseenvelopes and stuff, anyway? 9nd when are you comingover for dinner?"

well, that's a very kind offer and I'm free nextTuesday night. 9nd, yes, the Mirage will sample anysound, envelope and all. But let's take a look at apiano sample, just for fun.

First, go out and sample the C below middle E on anice Bdsendorfer piano. Remember, now, we want tocapture as much of the harmonic content as possible,so let's use a nice high sample rate. 9ll set?Good. Now, you should have about 2 seconds of sampletime, so go ahead and sample your note. what? Yousay the note must take about 9 or 5 seconds to decay?No problem. Sample the first 2 seconds and then loopthe sample. what? Now you say the sample sustainsforever, like an organ, and doesn't stop until yourelease the key? Easy. Find the decay control onyour amplitude EB {Parameter 52) and the sustaincontrol {Parameter 53). Set sustain (53) for D(since you don't want the piano to sustainugnaturally) and vary the decay control until thepiano sample has a nice, natural sounding decay.9nd, as long as you are at it, add a little bit ofrelease time [Parameter 59) because when you releasethe keys on a real piano, it takes a split-second forthe sound to die away. Uh, and if you can't find aBdsendorfer, you can try these ideas with the pianosample you received with your Mirage. 9nd, if youwant to do that, but are having some trouble keepingstraight which sample is which on the factory disk,read last month's article. 9nd, as long as you'redoing all this, you might as well start playing withthe attack control which will give you some fairlybizarre bowed—piano effects. what the heck, playwith all the controls indescriminately.

In more traditional forms of synthesis, we wouldnormally start with our raw, full volume sound anduse a handy device called an envelope generator toshape its dynamic movement. The envelope generatoris a simple electronic device used to output acontrol signal which is {hopefully} more or lessanalagous to the acoustic envelope that we are tryingto synthesize. In other words, if we start with araw violin—type waveform {sound} and want to create aslow, bowed type of attack, we would set the attackcontrol on our envelope generator fairly high. Theeffect is that when we depress a key on oursynthesizer, the sound doesn't abruptly jump to fullvolume. The rate at which it builds is determined bythe attack-time setting. Likewise, we can effectchanges in the decay rate, sustain level, and releaserate by manipulating the D, S, and R controls on ourenvelope generator.

9t this point I should note that the envelopegenerator does not act directly on the waveform inquestion: it merely sends a generic signal which is,in this case, used to control a device called a UB9,or voltage-controlled amplifier. 9 UB9 is a simpleamplifier—type circuit with one importantdistinction. Its output volume (actually, theamplifier's gain] can be controlled by a voltage.This is how it works.

The UB9 has three connections - audio input, audiooutput, and control signal input. This last willaccept voltages within a certain range, say U to 1Dvolts. If we connect our violin waveform to theaudio input and D volts to the control input, we willget no sound at the output. If we apply 10 volts tothe control input, we get our violin wave at theoutput, full volume. Neat, huh? The tricky part isthat if we apply a voltage that changes slowly from Dto 1D volts, the output will give us our violin wave,but it will build slowly from U to full volume.Bonversely, if we apply a control voltage that beginsat 1D volts and decreases gradually to D volts, ourviolin wave will start out at full volue andgradually decay to silence. So where do these risingand falling voltages come from? lou guessed itlFrom our friend the envelope generator. The basicprocessing circuit now consists of three parts. Durwaveform generator (in the Mirage it is called adigital oscillator or DD}, our UB9, and our envelopegenerator {EB}. The output of the DD is connected tothe audio input of the UB9. The output of theenvelope generator is connected to the control inputof the UB9, and the output of the UB9 goes [more orless) to the input of our monitoring system so we canhear our sound. Doe word though - if you look inyour parameter list in the Mirage in hopes of findingsomething called UB9, forget it. For one thing, theMirage uses DB9s (digitally controlled amplifiers)instead of UB9s. The only difference between DB9sand UB9s is that DB9s are controlled by numbersrather than voltages. 9nd, since I find UB9s notonly more familiar to most people, but also easier toexplain, I hope you'll bear with my somewhat obtuseapproach to outlining their function. 9lso, sincethis configuration is permanently "hard—wired" withinthe Mirage, and a DB9 has no controls of its own{only inputs and outputs} there are no parameters tochange that are directly a part of the DB9. The

envelope parameters present us with all the controlswe have for the DB9 [never mind about keyboardscaling and envelope generator velocity sensitivity —that's for later}.

TDBTE 15 ODE Ether E5 Control that I've left forlast, primarily because in mst "traditional"synthesizers it isn't included in the EB section atall. It's called "peak" and in other synthesizers itwould correspond to EB depth or EB intensity. Itsfunction is to control the intensity with which theEG controls the DB9. In other words, if you want tosynthesize a slow, bowed attack for the violinwaveform but don't want the waveform to reach maximumvolume by the time it has completed the attackportion of its cycle, you can use the peak control ofthe ED to determine how much effect the EB has on theDB9. If the peak control is set for its maximumvalue, the violin waveform will eventually reach itsfull volume. If the peak control is set for half ofits' maximum value, the violin waveform willeventually reach half of its original volume. Nowthe applications of this may not be immediatelyapparent, but they are there. Trust me.

9t this point, some of you may be saying, "Nell,that's just fine, Blark. But, since the Mirage cansample any sound, doesn't it sample the sound'samplitude envelope and everything? I mean, why do weeven need to mess with synthesizing all theseenvelopes and stuff, anyway? 9nd when are you comingover for dinner?"

well, that's a very kind offer and I'm free nextTuesday night. 9nd, yes, the Mirage will sample anysound, envelope and all. But let's take a look at apiano sample, just for fun.

First, go out and sample the B below middle B on anice Bdsandorfer piano. Remeber, now, we want tocapture as much of the harmonic content as possible,so let's use a nice high sample rate. 911 set?Good. Now, you should have about 2 seconds of sampletime, so go ahead and sample your note. What? Yousay the note must take about 9 or 5 seconds to decay?No problem. Sample the first 2 seconds and then loopthe sample. what? Now you say the sample sustainsforever, like an organ, and doesn't stop until yourelease the key? Easy. Find the decay control onyour amplitude EB [Parameter 52} and the sustaincontrol {Parameter 53). Set sustain (53) for D{since you don't want the piano to sustainugnaturally) and vary the decay control until thepiano sample has a nice, natural sounding decay.9nd, as long as you are at it, add a little bit ofrelease time {Parameter 59) because when you releasethe keys on a real piano, it takes a split-second forthe sound to die away. Dh, and if you can't find eDdsendorfer, you can try these ideas with the pianosample you received with your Mirage. 9nd, if youwant to do that, but are having some trouble keepingstraight which sample is which on the factory disk,read last month's article. 9nd, as long as you'redoing all this, you might as well start playing withthe attack control which will give you some fairlybizarre bowed—piano effects. what the heck, playwith all the controls indescriminately.

Dkay, now that we've got that out of our system.let's take a look at the filter and the otherenvelope generator. Don't worry. The hard part isbehind U5.

9 filter is just what it says. It filters out partsof the sound that we don't want, just like a coffeefilter filters out coffee grounds. The filter can bevery useful for producing rich, full-bodied sounds.Become a filter—achiever.

9nyway, the filter in the Mirage is what's called alow—pass filter (29 db—per—octave, resonant filterfor you techno—weenies out there] and its job is topass the low frequencies, and filter out higher[brighter] frequencies. The effect is that thefilter can be used to darken the sound.

The filter in the Mirage is a voltage~controlledfilter. It has three connections: an audio input, acontrol~signal input, and an audio output.(Beginning to sound familiar?) It acts just like aUC9, except that when voltage from the ED is appliedto the control input, the sound at the audio outputis closer to its maximum brightness, and when lessvoltage is applied, the sound becomes progressivelydarker. 9s a matter of fact, if you filter a soundtoo heavily, you will get nothing at the output,because you have filtered out all the frequencies.This is sort of like using tin foil for a coffeefilter. Baveat Emptor.

Like a UB9, the filter can change across time,gradually brightening andfor darkening a sound. wecontrol these changes with the filter EB, setting theattack, peak [intensity], decay, sustain, and releaseparameters for the desired effects.

Be aware, though, that the filter and amplifier worktogether. If you set the filter for a fast decay,the amplifier decay control may seem to have noeffect, since, if the sound has already been filteredcompletely out, there is nothing left for theamplifier to work on.

There are a couple of extra controls on the filter

USING MIX MDDE FDR DUIBKEH BH9NBES 9ND 95 SDUNDSIDISR

By Tom Darling

Midwest District Sales ManagerEnsoniq Borp

The two questions I hear the most are, "How manysounds can be stored on a disk?" and "Ban I changesounds faster than seven seconds?" well, have nofear, hackers, I have good news for you.

The answer to both these questions can be found inlearning how to use the Mix Mode {Parameter 29} toyour advantage. This Mix Mode is a much—overlookadfeature of the Mirage, which, if used properly, canallow you to store different wavesamples in each ofthe Mirage's digital oscillators. Bheck out SoundDisk #2 and you'll see how by calling up Programs LT.

that are not found on the amplifier. The onelabelled "Filter Butoff Frequency" {Parameter 35]sets the initial brightness (or darkness] of thefilter. If you wish to use the filter to darken asample over time, do not set this control too high.It sets the lowest point that the filter can go to —regardless of other settings.

"Filter U" [or resonance] sets the amplitude of theresonant peak at the filter cutoff point. I like tothink of it as "quackiness." Try it and see. It'sParameter 3?.

"Filter Tracking" (Parameter SS] allows the filtercutoff to be determined by key number. The effect isthat the higher on the keyboard you play, thebrighter the sound. This is the way many acousticinstruments act.

9nyway, I realize that this is a lot of informationto digest at one sitting. I suggest sitting downwith your Mirage, your parameter chart, and thisarticle, and try varying some of these parameters onyour factory samples as you go. Before too long youshould get the hang of it, and when you do you'llhave a basic understanding of the principles ofvoltage control. These principles apply not only tothe Mirage, but to 95% of all synthesizersmanufactured to date, so I feel it's prettyworthwhile stuff. Meanwhile, if you get hung up, youcan write to me cfo the Hacker. 9nd for furtherreading, check out SUNTHESIZEH S95IBS from GPIPublications [publisher of KEfSU9RD M9B9ZINE]. Untilnext time, "..the knee bone's connected to the thighbone..."

Blark Salisbury is Product Specialist with PortlandMusic Bo. in Dragon, and is also a partner in "TheMidi Bonnection," a Portland-based consulting firm.He has been actively involved in the composition,performing, and recording of electronic music forover five years, and is currently involved in produc-ing and marketing his own pop-oriented compositions.

L2, L3, and L9, you get four different synth soundsinstantly - and they play on all D1 keys. This isbecause each of the program variations don'tnecessarily have to be just different envelope andfilter settings on the same sample but can actuallyhold completely different samples. when you load alower sound from Sound Disk #2, you are reallyloading four different synthesizer samples — each ofwhich is stored in one of four lower programvariations.

Bonfusing? 9 little. Let's get into the "how to" ofthis. 9s I hinted above, the secret to this is theMix Mode. By storing a different sample into eachprogram variation and by using Mix Mode, you can haveeight lower and eight upper sounds for each of thethree lower and upper sound positions on the disk —9E sounds in all!

Eirst, load the M9SDS Dperating System and Sound 3from the M9595 disk. This configures the Miragelower and upper memory for eight samples each. Thisis an even division of memory for each sample. Youmay wish to change this as you go. Now, call upLower wavesample 1. (Make sure Parameter T? isturned DN.] Now, set Parameter 2? to 1. This isInitial wavesample. It tells the Mirage which one ofthe eight wavesamples to play first. Now, we use theMix Mode. Turn the Mix Mode DN (Parameter 2B]. Makethe sample. we have 32 pages of memory available foreach lower wavesample. This is plenty for mostsynthesizer samples since a synthesizer produces itswaveform in the beginning of its sound and thenbasically just replicates it out over the rest ofmemory. In fact, many times I've gotten greatsamples from synths in just one page of memory.

Using the Mix Mode like this, the Mirage will putyour first wavesample into Dscillator 1. Bscillator2 is still empty. Now, go to Lower wavesample 2 andset the Initial wavesample (Parameter 2? again] to 2.Make your second sample. This second sample will goto Dscillator 2. Set the top keys of these samplesto be whatever you like. You now have the following:If you sampled, say, a brass sound into wavesample 1and a clavinet sound into wavesample 2, you'll haveboth sounds activated when you call up Sound 1 Lower,Uariation L1. Now set Parameter 35 to DD. with theMod wheel back you will hear the brass (DscillatorT], and with the Mod wheel forward you'll hear theclavinet (Dscillator 2].

with Parameter 35 set between D1 and 31 the keyvelocity will control the mix of brass and clavinet.Layering can also be achieved by setting Parameter 35to DD and putting the Mod wheel halfway forward. Besure to set Parameter 39 to around 31 so you get aneven volume balance.

By continuing through all eight lower and upperwavesamples in this manner, you can really have eightcompletely different sounds, lower and upper, atcommand instantly by just calling up the four loweror upper program variations and then using the Modwheel. 9mazing eh? well, there's more — don'tforget that when you use the Mod wheel for a mix ofthe two samples, you actually get a whole new sound.9lso, you should try detuneing Dscillator 2.

well, that's the long answer to the two shortquestions. with each seven-second lower or upperload you can actually bring in eight sounds forinstant recall. 9nd, each disk can actually store upto 9B different samples.

Dn a slightly different subject, I've developed acertain technique for sampling synthesizers that youmay find quite helpful. I usually do one~page loops.I set the sample time to SD, (3Sk sample rate] andsample a B note, one octave below middle B. I alwaysallocate as little memory as I think I can get awaywith. This makes the one—page loops less apt to haveclicks.

I hope you found this article useful. I look forwardto writing more in the future. Take care and best ofsampling!

PLPNINB BETNEEN THE KEYSkeyboard Temperament

HY Ho I-In LDICI

9 curious phenomena of 2Dth century music ia a hiddenassumption that the equal—tempered scale is the onlypossible way to tune a musical instrument. Thus,instrument makers and synthesizer manufacturers neverconsider any alternative. This is sad, because mostsynthesizers could easily be designed to acceptalternate temperaments at the push of a preset,whereas their acoustic counterparts (harpsichord,piano, etc.) take hours to re-tune.

For those unfamiliar with the concept of temperamenta brief explanation may be helpful. Temperament isthe relationship of the pitch of notes within anoctave. Pythagoras understood the tuning ofinstruments back in early Greece and he developed theconcept of the "cicle of fifths." 9 pure interval ofa musical fifth has a pitch ratio of 3X2. In otherwords, the note that is a fifth above middle B is Band a pure B has a frequency that is 1.5 times thatof middle B. If you continue around the circle,jumping back an octave every once in a while so thatyou are still on the keyboard you will eventually getback to B. 9lmost.

The fascinating thing is that you don't come out onc, but beyond it. The new "B" is (1.5 Exp 12}/12s or1.D13S times the original B. This difference iscalled the Pythagorean Bomma, and the object oftemperament is to find a way to absorb this error.Pythagoras simply left the error between Bf and E andthe dissonance that this caused was called the"wolf." Early composers wrote in different keysbecause each key had its own harmonic structure and"feel." 9s the centuries passed, musicians triedvarious schemes to reduce the harshness of theinevitable "wolf" and these all involved ways ofdistributing the Bomma around the circle of fifths.Temperaments such as the Uan Zwolle, Rameau,Silbermann, werkmeister, and Kirnberger were inventedto reduce the wolf while maintaining nearlyharmonious intervals within chords. Bach wrote his"well-tempered" pieces for one of these temperaments.

During the nineteenth century, the ability totranspose from key to key became so desirable thatthe Bomma was split into twelfths, equallydistributed so that any piece could be transposed toany key. The price we have paid for the flexibilityof transposition is that no chord or interval istruly harmonious. Unlike the tight harmonies of afine string quartet, the modern keyboard has beatingpitches throughout.

Much Renaissance and Baroque music sounds verydifferent when played on the temperament in which itwas written. The modern synthesizer could provideinstant access to dozens of temperaments, but withfew exceptions the equal-tempered scale is the onlytuning provided or possible because the manufacturerhas embedded the pitch tables in the design of theinstrument.

SERUIBEShould your Mirage require service, you should contact the dealer where you purchased it first. Thefollowing is a list of 9uthorized Repair Stations which can perform warranty service. (Zip Bode order.)we'll be updating this list from time to time.

Mark RogersDaddy's Junky Music351 S. BroadwaySalem, NH 03D?9(503) B93-9920

Harry LerchDiatonics Inc.5950 New Hampshire 9ve.Takoma Park, MD 20912(301) 2?0-2322

Tim FloodTriple S229 washington 9ve.Belleville, NJ D?1D9(2o1 ) 751 -0951

Ken Nelmswizard Electronics1939 Tullie Rd.9t1anta, G9 30329(909) 325-9991

Dick SagendoreDnly Guitar Shop PI HegbuardsH2299 9 2121 Brookpark ea.Cllftfifl IJEIIC, I'lI"l' TZEIEEJ Cleveland‘ UH 5,5,-$31,

(519) 311-1232 (21s) T91-1900

Bob Kehres

Charlie DanellutMedley Music1091 Lancaster 9ve.Bryn Mawr, P9 19010(215) 52?-3090

Jim RubinoRubino's Music2529 Portage MallPortage, IN 95359(219) ?52—3159

Bob williamswashington Music Banter11151 Uiers Mill Rd.wheaton, MD 20902(303) 995-9909

RND( J1)The Post Dffice delayed and just generally scrambledour mailing of issue 93. If you didn't receive yourcopy, please give us a call and we'll mail one out.9lso, we're all out of issue #2.

BIB NEwS - what with cometition and learning curvesand all, Ensoniq has announced a price reduction fortheir sound disks — from $39.95 to $19.95. Elsewherein this issue you can find reviews for #5, #7, #9, 999. #10 (harp, guitars, and something referred to as"hot sounds of the 90s") should also be released bythe time you read this. They've also effectively cuttheir price on the blank, formatted disks by makingthem available in packs of five for $99.95.

Several of Ensoniq's reps and dealers are organizing"sound parties" in various areas. Typical admissionfee is a sample for trading. You should contact yourdealer for more information. (It's a good idea tocheck back once in a while anyway - several reps arealso dropping off little "not-for-sale" goodies asthey travel around.) If folks let us know aboutthese sound parties in time, we'll start publishing a"Balender of Events."

In case you're wondering - our "Letters" and"Questions 5 9nswers" sections haven't gone away.Since most questions are now being inbedded inlengthier letters, we've just thrown everythingtogether under "The Interface."

Mark DopkinsBood Buys1111 Grand 9ve.St. Paul, MN 55105(512) 292-9155

Mark KinsmanMusic Dealer Service9?D0 w. FullertonBhicago, IL B0539(312) 292-B171

Bryan MartensLightning Music5595 LBJ FreewayDallas, TH T5290(219) 3B?~119B

Larry 9pplebaumFbsic Tek Service11919 Uentura Blvd.Studio Bity, B9 91509(519) 505-9055

Paul MortePaul Morte Tech Service535-K North Eckoff St.Drange, B9 92559(?19] 539-2371

Jerry TietzBastle MusicS295 Belle RealBoleta, B9 9311?(905) 959-992?

Kerry KiritaLinear Sound591 55th St.Dakland, B9 99100(915) 552-B3?9

Ron PearsonNorthwest Drgan Service3911 DivisionSpokane, w9 9920?(509) ?9?-??B1

BLQSSIFIEDS

M.U.S.E. - Mirage User Broup for Elmhurst, IL area.Please contact J. w. 9dams, 259 Cayuga, Elmhurst, IL50125. (312) B39-3779.

San Diego Bounty Ensoniq Mirage Dwners: Let's start auser group to exchange sounds and ideas. Ball Paulat (519) 992-302?.

S9MPLES

Dallas 9rea Samplers — please contact 9rthur Bronosre swapping samples. 9lso have D9? with muchovoices. (219) 990-1000.

Sound Parties for Mirage owners in L9 area. Forinfo, call or write Jon St. James, Formula 1 Music,591 South Palm St., Suite D, La Habra, B9 90531.(213) 591-2?1D.

FREE BLBSSIFIEDSI

well, - within limits. we're offering free classi-fied advertising (up to 50 words) to all readers forexchanging or selling your sampled sounds on Mirage-readable disks. 9dditional words, or ads for otherproducts or services, are 15 cents per word.

THE INTERFPIBEDear Transoniq,

I've been using my Mirage to play out every weekend,three or four sets a night since I received it in9pril (9-13], and so far, no problems.

To keep my disks handy, I keep a piece of duct taperolled up on the left hand top of the unit and hangthem on their corners. Rustic, but it works. Ihaven't seen any adhesive come off onto the diskcase.

The biggest problem I have had with sampling my ownsounds is that the final sound usually ends upcompletely different from the original - nice, butnot the same.

Dne thing that caught me by surprise was when playingaboard a ship the Mirage went crazy} Mst have beenvoltage fluctuations. Same thing happened at anoutdoor picnic, but we solved it by running a specialextension cord just for the Mirage straight to thegenerator. I've seen constant-voltage transformersin the music magazines, but the prices were around$500 - which to me is ridiculous.

The magazine (TH) is interesting enough and surelyworth the $15!

Thanks,Jim MolnarBhicago, IL

Ed.: Many people are discovering that sampling's notlike "making a tape recording" - sea Blark's articleelsewhere in this issue. Probably the first thing totry is setting up the parameters using one ofEnsoniq's "plain vanilla" configurations from theM9505 disk. Regarding your powar—source problems:Ensoniq's being fairly shy about releasing anythinglike schematics, so it's kinda hard to guess what'sgoing on. I did find out their specs for linevoltage: 105 v to 130 v. 9nything outside this couldcause problems. The fact that a separate extensioncord solved your problem suggests that it may havejust been caused by noise on the line. You might trya line filter before spending any big bucks onconstant-voltage generators. (9 variable transformermay also be a cheaper solution.)

To the editor:

In Issue 3 Tracy Lord's letter complains about havingto pay for the 9dvaned Sampling Guide — adding anadditional $50 to the Mirage price tag. well, Idon't like the idea either but I really wouldn't mindso much if I could gg§_a copy of the Guide. when Ibought my Mirage on T123 there were no guides instock. I went ahead and paid for one but still havenot received it and I am going crazy. I have not

been able to get past the very basics of sampling.If anyone at Ensoniq reads this letter please send 95Guides to Lightning Music in Dallas, T9. Ensoniq'smarketing strategies are working - we are all payingthe $50 extra. But where are the Sampling Guides???The Mirage is definitely not working for me withoutthe help of the alleged 955. Help ma, please,Ensoniq!

Ronna BohenDallas, TX

Ed.: we passed this on to the Director of Marketingat Ensoniq. He said that they definitely want tohear about problems like this and that they're tryingto take care of glitches in distribution.

Dear Transoniq Hacker,

There are a few questions I have about the Mirage.

1. Ban you merge upper and lower memory for longersampling at max sample rate?

2. Suggested feature: "Loop Repeat Factor" — I'veowned my machine for 2 weeks and have filled over 90disks. 0n some of my samples I have rythmic figuresand it would be nice to tell the BPU to play the loopI times or infinite repeat.

Reap up the good work.

Doug MaslaLos 9ngeles, B9

Ed.: Unfortunately, the upper and lower memoriescan't be merged. The "Loop Repeat Factor" isdefinitely on the "wish list." You're not the onlyone to request this.

Dear Transoniq,

I'm vary happy you've started this — it should make abig difference.

9s far as your wish list goes I'd like to see moresynth disks such as Matrix 12, Dberheim, SuperJupiter, "MIDIed" combinations. 9lso Synclaviar,Fairlight, etc. 9nd one heading toward a betterpiano.

I'll be very interested to see how this 12-polefilter and software program works out.

Please start my subscription with your first issue asI don't want to miss anything.

Good Luck,

Del BarryFrobisher Bay, Banada

Ed.: Ensoniq's starting to crank out the disksfaster and faster. we hear that they're alreadyworking on additional analog synth sounds. They'realso starting to see some competition in this (DataDne for one). To get some "unlisted" samples, youmight check back with your dealer every so often -Ensoniq's reps are sometimes carrying around anddropping off samples of little bits and piecesthey've picked up along the way.

Dear Hacker,

Thank you for the M9505 information that you sent awhile back in res onse to m istter- The informationP YBS1599 PPPUi"PE Me to buy my Ensoniq and join theranks in Transoniq hackland.

I am looking forward to digging into this machine. Icut my teeth on microcomputers in 1975 with an 5900and have been a fan of 55x processors ever since andam very familiar with the 5909E in the Mirage. I'vebeen disassembling the BDM and am planning to diginto the operating system as soon as time permits.

Uuestion #2 of my previous letter, about temperamentseems to require some clarification. I've enclosed ashort discourse on what I meant by "temperament"since a fair number of people are not familiar withthe concept. I've briefly talked with Steve Bosciaat Ensoniq who informs me that temperament is notuser programmable. It is unclear to me if this isinternal to the Mirage custo LSI chip or whether itis just a matter of internal software. 9nyone whocan answer that question will be much appreciated.Meanwhile, I'll be looking for that answer myself.9lso enclosed is a chart I made to help me understandthe interrelationship of parameters. You are welcometo publish either if of use.

My observations after experimenting with sampling,are that the input frequency response starts rollingoff at 2-5 kHz and does a fair amount of damage tomost "interesting" samples. 9ttempts to digitize aharpsichord have been grim! I digitized a multi-burst (20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 1k, 2k, 5k, 10k, 20k)signal and found that with the playback filters wideopen the response was not limited by the playbackhardware, but had the same "response envelope" as theoriginal. This is consistent with the high qualityof the samples on the percussion disk. I haven't hadthe chance to experiment with the SD kHz plug—in (oreven to see one) but the internal sampling hardwareis clearly to blame for most of the disappointmentthat has been expressed. I'm planning to sampleexternally and download to see what happens. Itwould be fun to set up software to download from thewavetables in 9PPLE—Mountain Hardware to MacintoshBoncertware software. I'll let you know tr 1 getthis going.

I am bothered by at least two questions about the waythe Mirage was designed. The first question is noteasily solved due to hardware design, the second is asoftware adaptation and I hope to have enough info tomake my own operating system disks in the nearfuture.

1. wouldn't it have been nice if the architecturethat allows two different wavesamples to be "mixed"had also allowed for two sets of envelope parameters.Some very successful sounds have been created usingtwo envelopes. You can use M9505 to make linearramps with the wavesample data amplitude but this isnot too flexible and also compromises the quality ofthe 5-bit data in the samples (12 bits would be a lotnicer). It may be possible to re—assign voices tofour—note polyphonic in software, but I don't see anyway to do this with all B inputs.

2. It is odd that the loop function works the waythat it does. You can either play a sample all theway through once or you can go to an infinite loop(or finite until the oscillator is re—assigned toanother pitch). why not allow you to loop while thekey is held down and to break the loop when the keyis released to finish the sound? For short loopsthis would seem much more logical. For long loops itprobably wouldn't make as much sense since the andpoint would be too indeterminate. My proposal isthat the loop should be cancelled at key release andthe wavepointer just be allowed to increment to theend of the sample from wherever it is.

9s you can see, I'm very interested in the insides ofthe Mirage and am looking forward to finding outmore. I'll try to get some of my discoveries onpaper and send them along. In the meantime, I'mlooking forward to seeing more of your publication.My dealer gave ma a copy of issue #2 but I'd like tohave a complete set. I understand that #3 has buspin-outs. I've found most of the signals but wouldlike to have a complete schematic or whatever.

Thanks,

Dick LordDurham, NH

Ed.: Thanks so much for the info. we're printingboth your chart and your article elsewhere in thisissue. Please keep us all posted on your progress!(9re there more like you out there??)

we found out a little more info regarding yourtemperament question. The Mirage operating systemuses a look-up table to calculate the 12 steps of thechromatic scale. This is NDT in RDM or their custochip. It's loaded from the disk into R9M when thesystem boots. So, it can be changed — from withinthe operating system. (It's definitely not the kindof thing anyone can do from "the outside.")

Hi guys —

First of all, congrats and thanks for a so-far veryinformative and well-put—together newsletter; I lookforward to its arrival each month, Since I get muchmore use out of pre-recorded samples than in tryingto get my own, I hope that you can do reviews ondiskettes, since several companies are coming outwith them now,

I'm one of those studio—only' people with an H-channel deck, who does most everything [except thefirst track, which is usually percussion) "live totape" {i,e,, without using the sequencer), Uisualediting would therefore have little practical appealto me, I think, Hnyway:

Question: Since you can sync the Mirage from a drummachine, can you somehow send a syncfclick signal ofsome form {hopefully one that's cheap to create sinceI don't own a drum machine) to one channel of thetape deck, and then use the sequencer to record othertracks by syncing them to the sync track? We are NUTtalking SMPTE-compatible deck here, If that ispgsgiblg, I'd like to know how and then I'll getexcited about visual editing systems and I'll beasking you guys for product reviews of them,

Another question: Just what is it that makes preset§2 of Ensoniq'a cellofviolin sample so lush andreverberant? Is there a parameter or two that can betweaked to get that kind of sound out of otherinstrument samples?

If anyone out there is producing diskettes, and caresto know what might sell, this writer would jump atgood samples of a string harp, an oboe, or a frenchhorn,

If anyone in San Luis Ubispo County, California ownsa Mirage and would like to form a user's group andforswap samples, PLEASE call or write me,

Thanks again, Cheers!

John BartlettPUB 2a1aPaso Hobles, ca eaaaa .(ass) day ass-ssaa I eve 23a-aeao

(John, see Erick Hailstone's diskette review thisissue — maybe you'll want to hear the new Ensoniqdiskette #?, Clark Salisbury, HHEHER'S hotshotTechnical Hdvisor replies to your questions below -Ed.)

Uuestion §1:

SMPTE is not the only tape synchronization available,Tape sync functions come standard on manycommercially available sequencers, drum machines, andcomputer interfaces these days, This type of syncingrequires no special tape deck compatibility otherthan the sort of simul-sync capability found on anyprofessional or semi-pro multi~track deck, Roland's

MSG-7fiD, TH—7U7, TH-HUG, and meu-ao1 interface,Yamaha's EH1, Sequential's Drumtraks, Passport'sHpple interface and Emu's Drumulator are only a fewof the devices I know of that include tape synccapability, If you are looking for an inexpensivetape sync bok, I suggest checking out the Korg KNE-3U or the Mano Doc from Garfield Electronics, Eitherone provides tape syncing along with a few otherinputs and outputs for syncing various devices withnon—standard clock rates, The Korg also providesMIDI clock inputs and outputs, so it may be a biteasier to use with your Mirage, The KM5-3U retailsfor $195, the Mano Doc for about $250,

Question §2:

The reverberance that you hear in Program §2 of thecellofviolin sample is actually not reverb, It issort of a synthesized ambiance, created by increasingthe release time on the envelope generators and itworks quite well on any looped sounds, Use para-meters fiflfi and fififl (release), If the value of theseparameters is increased, your sample will take longerto decay to zero after you release the keys, 5e myarticle in this issue for a more detailed look atenvelope generators and their functions,

Clark Salisbury

UUESTIDN: Can we get on-line?

Ed.: By on-line I suppose you mean being able toread THHNSUNIU HACKER via computer hook—up [eitherdirect or on some already-established computernetwork], Not yet - maybe later, However, in thevery near future, we'll be able to get articles andletters fggm people via direct hook-up, the UnisNetwork, and Htari ST or IBM-PE compatible disks,

UUESTIUN: Is there any danger of blowing outsomething by using too big a signal for the HudioInput?

Ed,: Yes, The ratings on this input are 1UU mv peakato—peak (mic setting) and 1 v peak-to-peak (linesetting), There are protection diodes on the input,but if you submit them to more than about 5 v peak,you may damage something,

QUESTIUN: Sounds great, Feels funny, Dan I upgradethe keyboard?

Ed.: There's not much you can do to the built-inkeyboard without risking damaging something,Probably the best bet is to shop around for one ofthe MIDI keyboards and use it to drive the Mirage,{Better not read "Hypersoniq" this month.)

rrunsunin HIllIlIEl'504? SW EEII1 Drive; Portland. DH BTED1 [5D3l 245-W53

Editor: Eric GeislingerAssociate Editor: Jane TalismanTechnical Adviser: Clark SalisburySubscription (LLB. Funds]: i15f12 issues, Dversess: $25.Advertising Rates: Please send for rate card.Bach Issues: I1 ea.Rates for Authors: 4 cents/word upon acceptance.

Transoniq Hacker, SD41’ SW Zfith Dr., Portland, DR. 9'l'2Dl.[soc] 245--irss.

BULK; HATEU5.PD5TAGE

PAIDPUHTLAHD, DHFEFIH'llT ND. 91 3

DATED MATERIALTIME KFALUE

Transoniq Hacker is the independent use:-‘s newsletter forthe Ensoniq L-iirage. Transoniq Hacker is not affiliated inany way with Ensoniq Corp. Ensoniq and Mirage areregistered trademarks of the Ensoniq Corp. Opinionsexprmsed are those of the authors and do not necessarilyreflect those of the publisher or Ensoniq Corp.

Copyright 1935, Transoniq Hacker.Printed in the United Statm.

-

HYPERSDNIU

The rumor mentioned in last issue's "Random Notes"about a visual Editing System for ithe Mirage thatruns on the Macintosh is no longer a rumor, BlankSoftware has announced that "The Sound Lab" will bedistributed through Ensoniq's dealer network for$399.95, [Me should have much more information bynest issue, Preliminary word—of—mouth comments areHNDNETI)

'l'l'Ensoniq announces (right here!) the MIHHGEMULTISHMPLEH" — the rack—mount version of the Mirage,The rack version will have everything that thestandard version has ekcept the keyboard, Inaddition, it will have three MIDI connections (In,Dut, l Through] instead of two, The operating systemis also being expanded so it will understandHftertouch and Breath Controller signals fro a DI?keyboard, List price: $1395,

Ensoniq has also just released version 2,fi of theiroperating system, This should show up on all theirsound disks shipped after the third week inSeptember, The most important improvement is thatnow the Pitch Wheel will have an entire octave ofrange, Parameter #22 is now in units of semitoneswith twelve being the makimum,