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The return of Ensoniq Paris


Alndln3

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Sort of. Over at GS in the new products section a long time Paris user developed a 64 bit ASIO driver for the system that he's charging $50.00 for. I guess this is good news for those who still have that system and still swear by it's sound quality. Details here.......

 

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/new-product-alert/1245363-ensoniq-paris-64-bit-asio-driver.html

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Good to hear that someone's keeping it alive. Paris was a really great system, not just for its day, but, I'd say, for any day. Very well thought out, sensible user interface, and it sounded just fine.

 

Me, I'm still trying to help people keep their Mackie HD24/96 HDR and MDR recorders working. Few DAW editing tools make as much sense as on the Mackie HDR24/96. That's my preferred tracking system. If someone wants to take home a Pro Tools file, I give them a set of WAV files and send them on their way.

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Good to hear that someone's keeping it alive. Paris was a really great system, not just for its day, but, I'd say, for any day. Very well thought out, sensible user interface, and it sounded just fine.

 

.

I know Craig had one way back. Don't know if he still does but if so he may wan't to pull out of storage.

 

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I know Craig had one way back. Don't know if he still does but if so he may wan't to pull out of storage.

 

No, it's long gone. But it was a great system, and I still have original masters for Linda Cohen's last classical guitar album in the PARIS format. So I'm glad to hear I may be able to transfer them to some other format.

 

I believe the reason for PARIS's reputation for "good sound" was because it made the transition from 16 to 20 bits. I'm not a golden ears snob kinda guy, but I could hear a definite, obvious difference. There was no doubt 20 bits was better than 16. I liked the UI as well.

 

Ensoniq was a great company...but a perfect illustration of how a couple missteps can bring a company down.

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I still have original masters for Linda Cohen's last classical guitar album in the PARIS format. So I'm glad to hear I may be able to transfer them to some other format.

 

I never got close enough to PARIS to learn what's inside, but doesn't it make WAV files somewhere along the line like every other recording system? Like any other DAW, the editing/playlist functions are internal and don't transfer to anywhere else - that's why everybody uses Pro Tools. However, a new ASIO driver would allow the hardware to get audio in and out of a contemporary computer. If the PARIS software will run on a contemporary computer, you could at least use it again.

 

Maybe.

 

There was another issue, too, and that's with the PACE dongle. The software that supports that dongle doesn't run under 64-bit Windows 7 and later (I don't know that the Mac situation is) and since it's a challenge-and-response piracy protection system, it needs new response codes now and then, and the last ones issued have expired. Maybe the $50 solution also bypasses the PACE protection.

 

By the way, PARIS is an acronym for Professional Audio Recording Integrated System.

 

 

 

 

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I never got close enough to PARIS to learn what's inside, but doesn't it make WAV files somewhere along the line like every other recording system? Like any other DAW, the editing/playlist functions are internal and don't transfer to anywhere else - that's why everybody uses Pro Tools. However, a new ASIO driver would allow the hardware to get audio in and out of a contemporary computer. If the PARIS software will run on a contemporary computer, you could at least use it again.

 

Maybe.

 

There was another issue, too, and that's with the PACE dongle. The software that supports that dongle doesn't run under 64-bit Windows 7 and later (I don't know that the Mac situation is) and since it's a challenge-and-response piracy protection system, it needs new response codes now and then, and the last ones issued have expired. Maybe the $50 solution also bypasses the PACE protection.

 

By the way, PARIS is an acronym for Professional Audio Recording Integrated System.

 

 

 

I don't think the software is required. In fact the author of the drivers is using it with Reaper and Pro Tools. Since Apple doesn't use ASIO Mac users are out of luck on this.

 

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I don't think the software is required. In fact the author of the drivers is using it with Reaper and Pro Tools. Since Apple doesn't use ASIO Mac users are out of luck on this.

 

Oh, so this is about using only the hardware box, not the PARIS system. OK. I can get that. I'm in favor of being able to put something to good use that you already own. It's But does it really sound better than, say, a Focusrite Scarlett? I don't know. And it did have a nice control surface. Does that work with Pro Tools or Reaper?

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Oh, so this is about using only the hardware box, not the PARIS system. OK. I can get that. I'm in favor of being able to put something to good use that you already own. It's But does it really sound better than, say, a Focusrite Scarlett?

 

Personally I have no idea but users over at GS describe it as analog sounding only better. I guess there has to be some reason there are die hard users around who used it on old PC's until recently.

 

And it did have a nice control surface. Does that work with Pro Tools or Reaper?

 

I'm guessing they're using it in Mackie Hui mode like other control surfaces that are not directly supported. Just a guess on my part.

 

Edited by Alndln3
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  • 1 year later...
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I'm late on this thread, but I'm a long time PARIS user.  In case anyone runs across this I wanted to clear up a couple of questions and misconceptions about the 64 ASIO (written by the incredible Mike Audet - ensoniq.ca) and PARIS in general, espcially in 2020:

  • The ASIO driver, along with 64/32 bit driver (need to load this first), allows PARIS to run on a modern PC running Win 10 64.  My PARIS rig is running on an Intel i5 9th gen, Asus Z390 mobo, and Win 10 64.  All SSHD.  The PARIS EDS cards are in a 13 slot Magma.  Super fast, silent, and about as modern as it gets in the first half of 2020.  The drivers include both PARIS 2.2 (no PACE) and PARIS 3.0 (PACE).  The niggle is that PACE and Win 10 64 are not compatible.  Intelligent Devices has not supported PACE in PARIS 3.0 for years, but there are solutions out there that allow one to clean that  problem up and make 3.0 usable.  No guilt here since ID is not supporting the product anymore.
  • PARIS records in 16 and 24 bit depth.  It can't do 20 as far as I know.
  • PARIS will output 16 and 24 bit wav files for a final mix.
  • PARIS native files (paf) can be imported to and exported from Reaper.  This allows PARIS to swap files with a modern DAW.  Even if you like the PARIS sound, Reaper allows you to do some things like:
    • Use Reatune for pitch correction
    • More advanced tools for manipulating audio - stretching especially
    • Dither and noise shape a 24 stereo wav to a 16 bits.
  • The ASIO driver also allows PARIS hardware to play with other SW.  I haven't used this yet.

Why use PARIS in 2020?  For me, I'm used to it.  It's been used to record big name artists, so it's way past good enough for me.  Those who are more knowledgeable than I say that it has an analog sound like tape, only clearer.  The mix "hangs together" better than other DAWs, especially ProTools from the same era (early 2000s).  You can "push" various gain stages and get warmth like an analog system, not hard clipping as you would expect.  Generally PARIS is pretty tolerant of going into the red slightly.  I know I've occasionally clipped a track a little and don't hear hard clipping.  You have to really smash a signal before you get nasty distortion.  The magic is apparently partly in the hardware EDS cards and partly in the SW.

PARIS is also very low latency.  I just play to the live tracks when I'm recording new tracks. 

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  • 7 months later...
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Rich Kelley,

Just found your post from last July 2020 about PARIS. I am aware of Mike A. and have already contacted him. He is not able to help me unfortunately.

I own a PARIS MEC and C16 and purchased a CD of 3.0 for MAC. Foolishly I did not install it before ID shut down and I am DESPERATE now to find some way to do so as there is now no way to get an authorization code to allow installation anymore from ID.

Would you happen to know anyone or anywhere that has a licensed copy I could buy to let me use me system ?

 

Thanks !

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  • 6 months later...
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Something has happened to my Paris Patch Bay. Turned computer on and now have no Interface 442 showing.says "I/O modules used in this configuration of Paris are not available." This is the only Paris systems Ive ever uploaded and it's been working fine for 30+ years. Any ideas out there? I still have all the floopy disks for it but the computer I been using doesnt have a drive for them. Was thinking about having someone convert the floopys to a CD and reload Paris.

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I have an old Paris project that was backed up on CDs. Neither my Mac nor my Windows 10 computers will read the disc. Is it some kind of proprietary file type? Does anyone have a working system who can get the audio files from these discs?

Please contact me.

Roland

rolandm60@gmail.com

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