- Release Year: 1993
- Polyphony: 32
- Sequencer: 30000 notes
The Ensoniq TS-10 was a synthesizer and music workstation introduced by Ensoniq in 1993.
The story
It was gifted to me by a musician who owned it but had it in a non-working condition. He had kept it from a friend of his with the intention of repairing it at some point, but time passed, he didn’t do anything about it, and when it was time for him to move, he couldn’t take it with him. That’s why he gave it to me.
During the first test startup, an error message appeared with a code indicating an issue with the memory backup battery. After opening its case and replacing the battery (first installing a special socket to make future replacements easier if needed), upon startup, the machine displayed another battery-related error message, but in a different way. It said, “Low Battery Voltage.” After this message, the machine wouldn’t boot. After some time, I managed to identify the problem. The plastic base of an integrated circuit (OTTOR2) had cracked, and one side of it had slightly shifted/opened up, causing a pin from the IC to lose contact with the board. This pin was responsible for detecting the battery’s status.
Since I didn’t have a professional level of expertise in electronics repairs at the time, the first thing I did was tighten the plastic base with a cable tie to see if it would resolve the issue. And it worked! The machine started up! Unfortunately, I never proceeded with a proper repair, meaning I didn’t replace the IC’s base. However, the machine works perfectly fine.
This synth must be the dirtiest machine I’ve ever received. Its interior had dirt, traces of moisture, some rust, dead insects, and more. I assume it was used for outdoor concerts and was probably left outside overnight between performances. After a lot—and I mean a lot—of cleaning, I can say it was restored to a usable condition.
I also installed a USB drive emulator, purchased from monotanz. I haven’t explored it extensively yet, but it seems there’s a huge variety of sounds available online.
It has an exceptional sound for its time, and I’m planning to use it soon.
Downloads
| (coming soon) |