I've got an Ensoniq SQ2 keyboards, its sample based and has 3 "voices" per patch. Its got a few generic analog waveforms, triangles and things, and I was wondering if anyone knew whether it was possible to get the voices to modulate each other, hard sync being what I'm looking for. I've been looking through the manual and haven't been able to find anything but the thing weighs a ton and reads like a dictionary so I might have easily missed something.

No, I'm afraid there's no hard sync. The ESQ-1 had an okay sounding hard sync but it was an entirely different machine.

The SQ-2 is basically a cut down version of the TS-10 and the TS-10 doesn't have anything like oscillator syncing. Instead it featured something called tranzwaves which is awfully similar to the type of wavetable synthesis featured on the PPG (and later Waldorf) synths. Some of those tranzwaves could sound hard sync like and some even more interesting. Check the manual. I'm not sure if the SQ synths feature tranzwave technology but if they do then you're in for some interesting sounds.

cheers,

Quick update here. First off it's "Transwaves" and second here's a small demo of SQ2 that sounds like its using a PWM transwave: http://homepage.mac.com/synth_seal/files/j_sq2/sq2_polyphony.mp3

Not exactly hard sync I know but at least there's a convincing PWM. Check out the entire website actually since there are some more demos of different transwaves.

cheers,

yeah, if you want some hard sync, most of the cheap 2DCO synths could manage it and it sounds pretty good, i.e matrix 6, jx and mks series.

JX3P in particular. If you get one with the programmer. I'm still trying to find one.

cheers,

the programmer is nice to have, i bet, but dont let its absence disuade you from getting one. The jx3p is not complicated enough to really warrant its existence. Once you get familiar with it, your fingers fly and its not such an issue.

But the jx3p sync is quite powerful, like a handsaw roughly slicing through a two by four.