Hey folks! Big news dropping today over on MusicRadar — Cherry Audio is releasing their brand-new emulation of the legendary Ensoniq ESQ-1, and it's happening right around their own anniversary in late June 2025 (hitting us right as we're all getting into summer vibes). What makes this announcement genuinely special is that they aren't just celebrating one milestone — both Cherry Audio and the original hardware are marking major anniversaries at once. The ESQ-1 first launched back in 1985, which means it's turning a solid forty years old this year! That's four decades of some seriously iconic sounds powering everything from early electronic music to film production work everywhere you've heard lush analog pads and complex textures over the past twenty years.
Cherry Audio is positioning their emulation as "faithfully reproducing" all those rich, evolving characteristics that made the original ESQ-1 so beloved — which for anyone who's done serious synthesis or worked in DAWs, should mean a really convincing recreation of what made hardware-based production sound so warm and alive back when computers weren't yet doing everything. The fact they're dropping this on their own anniversary makes me curious about whether there are any bonus features included since the software studio itself is celebrating years behind the scenes building out its entire catalog — I'd love to hear from anyone who's tested a preview if Cherry has been quietly adding little touches that really nail the character without it just being another VST.
I'm genuinely hyped for this release because Cherry Audio tends to do something special with their emulations rather than just churning them out like so many other developers these days, and when they commit to faithfully reproducing those specific textures from classic hardware while also maintaining modern compatibility that most of us need — I think there's a really solid product heading our way. Also see: https://www.gearslutz.com/forums/synths-samplers-keyboards-sequencers-equipment-and-gears/1426703-esq-1-turns-40.html
Source: MusicRadar
Cherry Audio is positioning their emulation as "faithfully reproducing" all those rich, evolving characteristics that made the original ESQ-1 so beloved — which for anyone who's done serious synthesis or worked in DAWs, should mean a really convincing recreation of what made hardware-based production sound so warm and alive back when computers weren't yet doing everything. The fact they're dropping this on their own anniversary makes me curious about whether there are any bonus features included since the software studio itself is celebrating years behind the scenes building out its entire catalog — I'd love to hear from anyone who's tested a preview if Cherry has been quietly adding little touches that really nail the character without it just being another VST.
I'm genuinely hyped for this release because Cherry Audio tends to do something special with their emulations rather than just churning them out like so many other developers these days, and when they commit to faithfully reproducing those specific textures from classic hardware while also maintaining modern compatibility that most of us need — I think there's a really solid product heading our way. Also see: https://www.gearslutz.com/forums/synths-samplers-keyboards-sequencers-equipment-and-gears/1426703-esq-1-turns-40.html
Source: MusicRadar