Ensoniq VFX-SD
The VFX-SD is the disk-drive-equipped variant of Ensoniq's VFX. The base VFX offered Ensoniq's "transwave" technology, wavetable-like oscillators that sweep through waveform sets for evolving, complex timbres. The VFX-SD added a built-in floppy drive plus a 24-track sequencer, which made it a full music production workstation. It was a popular studio workhorse in its day.
Surviving documentation is thinner than you'd expect for such a widely used instrument. The record confirms the VFX-SD is an enhanced VFX with some updated waveforms. It shares the same cartridge slot and is compatible with standard VFX patches. A single patch can combine up to six waveforms. The sequencer holds 25,000 notes, expandable to 75,000, and up to 60 sequences and songs. The famous "Mega-Piano" preset was 12-bit, per owner discussions.
Past that, the record goes quiet. No polyphony count, filter details, effects specs, dimensions or original price are documented in the materials on hand. A period street price of $350.00 U.S. dollars circulates online, though its provenance is unclear. Current used prices start around $190.00. Owners report the usual aging issues. Battery replacement is common, and some have swapped the floppy drive for a USB emulator.
What's genuinely known, in short:
- 24-track sequencer, 25,000-note capacity (expandable to 75,000), 60 sequences/songs
- Up to 6 waveforms combinable per patch
- Compatible with VFX patches; some updated waveforms
- Built-in floppy drive
- 12-bit "Mega-Piano" preset
- VFX-SD followed the original VFX
If you own one and have the original manual or spec sheet, the archive would like to hear from you.
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