Ensoniq Fizmo - Public Reception

Public Reception

During its short commercial lifetime, the Fizmo was much criticized because of its unfinished operating system, editing peculiarities, unreliability (concerning problems with the external power supply adapter and/or the Fizmo's internal power supply DC regulator) and misunderstood concept and sound. To access most of the operating system, the software tool Emagic SoundDiver is required (A Fizmo Only version of the editor can be downloaded free from the Fizmo User's Yahoo Group - see below). 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. You can visit the Fizmo User's Yahoo Group here, and the Facebook Fizmo User's Group here.

An estimated 500-2000 were produced.

100-500 limited-run rack versions were also produced, comprising the full Fizmo's panel into a 5-unit rack standard.

If one is looking to purchase a Fizmo they usually appear on eBay every few months.

Read more about this topic:  Ensoniq Fizmo

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