Ensoniq Fizmo

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The Ensoniq Fizmo was Ensoniq's last attempt at creating synthesizers. Developed in 1998, the Fizmo uses a Digital Acoustic simulation Transwave with 4 MB of ROM, up to 4 oscillators per voice : 48 voices maximum, with 3 separate fx units (24-bit VLSI effects with 41 algorithms) built in for further sound sculpting. The Fizmo featured 61 keys, and responded to : velocity & after-touch, as well as allowing the sounds to be split by : velocity & keyboard. The name F-I-Z-M-O was mapped across 5 real-time control knobs just above the keyboard keys, allowing real-time modulation of the waves for more user controlled evolving sounds than a usual synthesizer could provide, as well as also having 17 dedicated Sound and Effect editing knobs for further sound design and editing. The Fizmo also had 128 preset patches with 64 performance patches, an arpeggiator, a vocoder with mic input, 22 modulation sources/8 modulation destinations, programmable pitch bend range, an LFO with seven waveform choices synchable to the arpeggiator or an external MIDI clock, four-pole dynamic digital low-pass resonant filters with key tracking (33 settings, including fractional scaling), and three envelope generators that could be modulated by velocity, key scaling, and response to release velocity. The Fizmo was a fairly unique synth, and still remains a cult classic of sorts.

During its short commercial lifetime, the Fizmo was much criticized because of its unfinished operating system, editing peculiarities, unreliability (concerning the power supply adapter) and misunderstood concept and sound. To make things worse, its physical appearance wasn't welcomed. While it sported an analog synth-like appearance, it didn't sound like its virtual analog contemporaries (Roland JP-8000, Yamaha AN1x, and Clavia Nord Lead, for example), didn't sound like additive synthesizers (like Kawai K5000s), and to be fair, didn't sound like anything else. Also, its retro-looking 4-digit 7-segment display didn't convince magazines or customers with its cryptic symbols and strange abbreviations. But like many vanished, past-criticized things, the Fizmo found a loyal group of users which accepted it "as it is" and reached a curious cult status.

A limited-run rack version was also produced, comprising almost the full Fizmo's panel into a 5-unit rack standard.