Patches and discussion for Ensoniq VFX family

halo ALL,

hv anyone tried the soldering methods to solve 
the re-calibration problem for the VFX ???

not too sure about it, will it worsen the problem.
after powering up my VFX after these donkey years,
i really find the sounds are damn good! 

Killer organ, nasty organ, Mini-lead, FM piano, tom sayer
all these sound still can be use in this new milliemun.

rdsg,
john

--- In Ensoniq-VFX-SD@yahoogroups.com, "Harry" <ebbrecords@y...> 
wrote:
> 
> Hello there, 
>   I have experienced problems with my VFX-SD as well which are 
similar
> to what the others have faced.  I picked it up in a pawn shop a few
> months ago for $249.00 (after talking the guy down from $499: 
either I
> have the gift of gab or he just wanted to get rid of it).
>   Mine crashes every now and then too, with stuck notes and 
sometimes
> random notes come out of nowhere.  I simply turn it off and on again
> and it comes right back up.
>   I am not using it as my main board though; I pretty much just use 
it
> for bass and drums in the track mode.  
>   When I got mine, I was unaware that the disk drive had failed.  I
> cannot format disks in it or anything and cannot load my old disks 
in.
>  I know that it is a drive problem, but it does recognize when I 
pull
> a disk out when it is trying to read one.  I will eventually send 
mine
> to TheSoniq to do a complete overhaul on it.  I have cleaned it and 
it
> does heat up, so that is probably what the hanging issue is.  As a
> result of the disk drive being faulty, I cannot load the sequencer, 
so
> I am really using it about 1/3 of its potential.  I also have the 
same
> banks in both RAM and ROM, so I know the memory was wiped.  I have
> lots of disks with sounds, but no way to get them in the VFX.
> 
> Does anyone have any sound for it in a format where I can play them
> into the VFX with either a Roland XP50/60/80 format or Yamaha MDF-II
> format?  I have a Roland XP60 and Yamaha MDF-II (MIDI Data filer).
> 
> I can bring them into the VFX via Sys-Ex mode at that point and can
> enjoy extra sounds.  This limitiation I have has caused me to get 
back
> into the programming mode on the VFX-SD though and that has been
> reqarding.  I used to have one many years ago and know the board
> inside and out.
> 
> It is also still amazing that most of the sounds on the VFX-SD still
> hold up, even to today's standards.  Of course, the piano on the 
XP60
> is superior, but for the oboe, clarinet, flute, sax, and just about
> any other lead sound, I still run to the VFX (or my SQ2 32-Voice 
which
> is very similar in voice architecture), for the solo sounds. I also
> use the drums sounds, namely the Ballad-Kit.  I use it on two tracks
> though through the XP60's sequencer.  I have a custom Ballad-Kit 
that
> uses just kick and snare on Channel 10 so it can work with my other
> drums kits that are in use on other GM synths.  I also use the Tom
> sounds from the Ballad-Kit on Channel 11 and since the key mapping 
is
> different than the GM map, I simply program the toms for the GM kits
> on Channel 10 and then play them in again on Channel 11 just for the
> VFX.  It works well and I have a very big sound. 
> 
> Aside from the poly-key and heating issues, Ensoniq was way ahead of
> the game with this series.  It is too bad that some of the guys from
> there could not design a new version of the VFX and take the world 
by
> storm again.
> 
> Anyway, thank you and that is all for now.
> 
> Harry Ebbeson III
> Ebbeson Management Group
> www.geocities.com/ebbrecords
> 
> > >>