Advantages of Older or Different Operating Systems
It would be nice and easy to saythat the latest operating systems for each EPS/ASR instruments wasthe best to use, absolutely. This is the case with the OriginalEPS - there is no advantage of using an older operating system,since the last (2.49) has everything and fixes everything.
This is not necessarily the casewith the 16-Plus or the ASR-10/88. Although the last operatingsystem for each may be the most reliable to use, some of theolder operating systems do have certain benefits.
Bali basik (no movements) mac os. Below is a chart of most of thereleased and unreleased operating systems, a description ofpossible usages, and a download. Recommended OS's for regular useare in bold.
Important Note: These downloads that do not work on Windows XP. Please see Article 32, Floppy Image Boot Disks for all-in-one Win98 boot floppy images, that allow you to write OS floppies on any Windows operatingsystem.
Scratchy Mac Os Update
Instrument | Operating System | Blocks | Usage | Download-File Here |
1.95 | 167 | Of no use; introduced automated sequencer mixing, added SCSI support. | Download | |
2.35 | 167 | Of no use; fixed various bugs. | Download | |
2.40 | 167 | Of no use; added a buggy COPY FLOPPY DISK function | Download | |
2.45 | 167 | Of no use; interim OS | Download | |
2.49 | 167 | Recommended for use; fixes COPY FLOPPY DISK, adds several SCSI and Sequencer functions | PC Download Mac Download | |
1.00 | 167 | First release, no advantages to use | Download | |
1.10 | 167 | Useful for translating Sequences/Songs from Original EPS format (avoids length bug in 1.3) | Download | |
1.17 | 167 | Beta unreleased OS; adds LOADFILE event operation in Sequencer. Macros do not work. Click here for related information | Download | |
1.19 | 167 | Practically identical to 1.17; no differences observed. | Download | |
1.30 | 167 | Last OS release. Adds important features such as MIDI Bank Load, Seq Loop parameter saved, several handy sequencer features. Introduces Seq/Song length bug. Does not include LOADFILE event command. | PC Download Mac Download | |
1.25 | 174 | One of the first releases, no advantage to use. Only works with ROM BIOS versions lower than 1.5 (usually 1.0). | PC Download | |
1.61 | 173 | Useful for quick normal operation without Audio-Tracks and Akai/Roland translation. Requires ROM BIOS 1.5. | PC Download Mac Download | |
2.01 | 222 | Adds Audio-tracks (RAMTracks and DiskTracks). There is a performance tradeoff in speed of operations and sonic response in certain situations. Larger in size, load time is slower. | PC Download | |
2.51 | 222 | Fixes for 2.01 (assumed) | PC Download | |
3.00 | 382 | Adds Akai/Roland translation. Perhaps slows down normal operation slightly compared to 2.01; not confirmed. Adds sonic bug in PHASER+REVERB algorithm (adds a scratchy tone). Still larger in size, load time is slower. | PC Download | |
3.52 | 382 | Fixes PHASER bug, other minor functions not mentioned. | PC Download | |
3.53 | 382 | Differences from 3.52 unknown. | PC Download Mac Download |
Summary and Suggestions | |
Use 2.49; you have no advantage using any prior OS's. | |
Use 1.30 on a regular basis. However, in any case where you are translating Original EPS Seq/Songs, use 1.10. Also, you might want to use 1.17/1.19 in cases where you want to automatically load new Instruments in a Sequence. | |
For common everyday use, we suggest using 1.61 (yes, the older one!). However, you will have to use 2.0 for Audio-Tracks, and 3.53 for Audio-Tracks and/or Akai/Roland translations. It is not documented if 3.53 is more reliable in normal operation than 1.61, other than quicker operation; however, it might be. |
Only the ASR Operating Systems are available for Mac download, since the Mac cannot write images with the OS on them to floppy disk. PC users: Simply run the.exe file, and it will install the file and the EDE109 program, which will automatically start and gives you the proper instructions to. I'm using Mac OS X 10.4.11 and Safari 4.0.5. I clicked on a news video which started out ok,but within about 5 minutes the audio got scratchy; it also started slowing down which made listening to it bothersome. I have the same issue, I am on Mac OS Sierra 10.12.6. Teams call sound quality is very poor, internal speakers of Mac buzz if I am in a call on Teams. I started to think that speakers have issues but that's not the issue. Let me give you an example. I can clearly listen music on Spotify while there is no call on Teams. Scratch is a free programming language and online community where you can create your own interactive stories, games, and animations.
Downloading Information
All the downloads are a Disk Images that can be usedwith most/any popular Ensoniq-disk-writing program. Only the ASROperating Systems are available for Mac download, since the Maccannot write images with the OS on them to floppy disk.
All the downloads are a Disk Images that can be usedwith most/any popular Ensoniq-disk-writing program. Only the ASROperating Systems are available for Mac download, since the Maccannot write images with the OS on them to floppy disk.
- PC users: Simply run the .exe file, and it will install the file and the EDE109 program, which will automatically start and gives you the proper instructions to write the file to a Ensoniq floppy. Important Note: These downloads that write OS's to Ensoniq floppies do not work on Windows XP. Please download a Floppy Image Boot Disk from Article 32, Floppy Image Boot Disks.
- Mac users: UnStuff the Disk Image, and use EPSm to write the image to Ensoniq floppy. (If you do not have EPSm, you will need to purchase it from the author - click here for more details.)
Scratch Mac Os
Checking your OS versionand the ROM BIOS version
On all Ensoniq keyboards, press COMMAND and then double-clickon the ENV1 button. Scroll up 1 to the SOFTWARE INFORMATION page,and press ENTER-YES. You will see the OS version first (RAM),then press ENTER-YES again. You will see the ROM BIOS (ROM)version. Press ENTER-YES again, and you will see the KEYBOARDversion (not of any use).
On all Ensoniq keyboards, press COMMAND and then double-clickon the ENV1 button. Scroll up 1 to the SOFTWARE INFORMATION page,and press ENTER-YES. You will see the OS version first (RAM),then press ENTER-YES again. You will see the ROM BIOS (ROM)version. Press ENTER-YES again, and you will see the KEYBOARDversion (not of any use).
MiscellaneousInformation
Scratchy Mac Os Catalina
- EPS OS 2.4 truly introduced a 'virus' into certain Ensoniq diskettes - the bug in the COPY FLOPPY function created the inability to edit certain files on the disk, although they could load and play their sounds. So if you have sounds that perhaps went through this stage - check them out.
- Notice that all operating systems for the EPS's were 167 blocks, while the ASR OS's would and could grow in size. This is likely because of a redesign of placement of the operating system and the management of that within the memory system
- Ensoniq decided against the LOADFILE commands within the 16-Plus because of the glitches of audio that would occur when an instrument would load
- Ensoniq apparently released 2.49 in hopes that OS 2.50 would include the backup/restore feature that was in development. This wound up on the 16-Plus, but for some reason Ensoniq never released/adapted the backup/restore feature for the Original EPS. Also, interestingly, the majority of ASCii text strings contained in the 16-Plus OS are the ones involved with the backup/restore feature. This suggests that the feature was a later inclusion in the 16-Plus OS, as most of the text string information is either on the main sound chip (OTIS) or the ROM BIOS chip.
- There have been rumors that there are slightly different versions of the 16-Plus's ROM BIOS; e.g. 1.0a, 1.0f. We do not know of any differences between systems; however, we do know that some Waveboy effects have some glitches within early-made 16-Pluses (particularly in Europe). Perhaps these two things are related
- Ensoniq did recommend at the time of the ASR 2.01 release that using 1.61 would be a good idea to those who did not desire the audio-track features. However, as mentioned above, Ensoniq has not mentioned anything about the later OS's being more efficient/less buggy than 1.61
- The only operating systems that require a certain ROM BIOS in the machine are the ASR OS's; however, remember that any OS that used the earlier BIOS 1.0 is worthy of being discarded and upgraded to at least 1.61. So if you have ASR ROM BIOS 1.0, get 1.5 from an Ensoniq Service Center!
- For a list of bugs that still remain in the latest OS's, click here.