As if I didn't have enough shit...
From the original Analog Industries archive. Some links and images from that era no longer resolve.
Those of you that are quick like little bunnies might have noted that there was an MKS-80 for sale on Analogue Haven’s used page for a minute today. I say “was” because I bought that bitch. I’ve been wanting one of these for nigh on 20 years, and I finally knuckled down and got one. Now I need to scare up an MPG-80, I guess. I can live without it, of course, but it’d be nice to have. (Oh, it’s a Rev 5, for those of you curious about such things.)
29 comments
Nice. My rev 5 is probably my favorite synth. Unfortunately, the programmer cost me just as much as the synth did. (I didn't use mine very much until I got the programmer. You absolutely need one.)
Mine doesn't have an AES/EBU output though, you must have found a special model. ;)
Heh. You're funny.
Is there a recommended software programmer in lieu of the MPG80?
-CR
awesome. congrats. i have one too. w/the mpg-80. every once in a while i think of selling it but then come to my senses.
the mpg-80 is cool but not totally necesary. the resolution of the sliders is kind of limited. they. have a very short throw. it can be tedious.
the motu unisyn editor is really simple and fast.
Unisyn is good and all, but it's OSX only. I need one that is for PC, as my music computer is same.
-CR
there's a patch editor somewhere for PC. i couldn't find it. there's these two places though in case you need a pdf of the manual etc.
http://www.analoghell.com/studio/mks/index.cfm?mks=80
http://johnbuckner.com/mks80/
midiquest mks-80 editor:
http://www.squest.com/Windows/Instruments/mks-80/index.html
jealousy consumes me...
but, i do have a pair of A7s here for the weekend. :-)
I have had nothing but bad luck with editor/librarians since Opcode stopped making Galaxy Plus Editors. I miss Opcode, the integration between Galaxy and Vision is still unsurpassed.
There's a freeware editor for Windows, I'm sure you can find it with a search. I could never get it to work, see above.
the mpg isn't what it should be, it just doesn't feel like it's part of the synth, like you'd expect. Actually, I prefered the sound of the Jup 6 or 8 also. It's a great box, i just never used it enough so ended up selling, sold the Jup 6 as well, but often miss that one. Sold an Xpander also... never missed it, but of course it has it's place. Come to think of it, I traded the jup 6 + other gear to Rogue for the xpander, prolly why I missed the jup 6 so much, just never cared for the Xpander.
sorry rambling... Somehow, i got the Jup 6 shipped to me for $250 from some place in Oregon, in like new condition. what a deal! the mks+mpg-80 was like $800. '96-'97. hard to find deals anymore, thanks to ebay mostly.
Congrats! I've got one w/mpg that I bought off a guy in '89. He wanted a Korg M-1 so I gave him 400 for the pair before he traded it in! I love it and the programmer is cool...however I have a difficult time recording and editing the SysEx data that it spits out. For one thing, you need to filter everything except sysex on the midi output of the MKS or you will get crazy data loops that crash the thing. I use Logic as well, which unfortunately doesn't really allow you to edit sysex very easily. So I think you might be better off with a software editor anyway.
Try Midiquest or Soundiver (if you can find a copy of it ,apple discontinued it when bought emagic)
I used to do MKS80 backups with Soundiver, but unfortunately I remember SD not having a tone editor, it was only performance parameters one was able to reach...
There's a guy who sells an environment for Logic that replicates the function of the MPG, with a few added features for $20. I've used it, it works, and it has the benefit of putting the upper/lower buttons right in front of you. Pretty cool if you happen to use Logic.
Regarding TheTwlo's comments, I may be wrong but from what I remember the MKS-80 uses the same 4 voice cards as the Jupiter 8, so I don't really understand how the Jupiter 8 could sound better?
I bought my mks80/mpg80 from a music store here in LA right after the 1994 earthquake. The guy sold both for $600 because the MPG was smashed and "couldn't be fixed", according to their tech. The pc board inside was split in two, so i clamped it back together and used 30 wires to reconnect the traces. It's still got a dent in the front panel, but I've been using it for the past 12 years. I love this synth!
I seem to remember you saying you were a Nuendo user, in which case, this mks-80 midi panel might be of interest to you:
http://www.cykong.com/CubaseSX/SXpanels.htm#Roland%20MKS-80%20+%20MPG-80
i also think the J6 sounds better, & find the 80 sterile & dry for my purposes
There's quite a bit of misinformation about this subject out there. I have a _lot_ of experience with all three synths, and let me state for the record (and future Google searches from Underworld cover bands 20 years hence) that the following is true:
A Rev 4 MKS80 and a Jupiter 6 are almost exactly the same. The only significant difference is that the MKS80 has 16 oscillators, filters, and VCAs, where the Jupiter 6 has 12.
A Rev 5 MKS80 is kind of its own thing. Roland replaced the CEM chips it used for the OSCs, VCFs, and VCAs with chips of its own devising. It is still true analog. However, it sounds a bit different due to the different chips. A tiny bit thinner, as there's less CEM distortion overall.
Anyone that says an MKS80 is a rackmount Jupiter 8 is quite simply wrong. Personally, of the four synths, I prefer the Jupiter 8. However, not only is it not worth the money it commands these days, but they're fucking huge and heavy. My second favorite is the Rev 5 MKS80, conveniently. As far as what will ultimately end up on a CD, the consumer won't know the difference, so the entire conversation is moot. The net result of all four synths is basically the same: monster sync leads and fat-ass pads. It's what you have the most fun playing that is important.
-CR
Oh, and Rozzer, that's exactly what I needed. I knew there was something like that out there. Thanks for that.
-CR
Ya the MKS80 is a sweet synth, especially for the money. Ive used my friends REV5 and was very impressed. I have a jp6 to compare it too and it definently has a little thinner sound. I would have to agree with some of the previous posts that the mpg80 is okay, but not really worth the money. The resolution on the controlls can definently be annoying if you arent accoustomed to them.
I use mine with a Peavey 1600X. It works well (3 pages of 16 faders+knobs, but it's laid out pretty logically). I saw this a while ago too, looks rather interesting:
http://www.cox-electronics.com/
that nuendo midi panel is awesome looking. wish i had that..
You can use it in Cubase, as well.
-CR
i'm bonded to logic for midi/mixing but getting friendly w/DP lately.
Small correction - the Rev. 4 uses Roland IR3109 VCF ICs (same as Juno 60, Jupiter 6/8, SH-101, JX-3p, etc.), not CEM VCFs. The VCOs and VCAs are CEM on the Rev. 4 though, CEM3340 and CEM3360 respectively.
Whoops. My bad.
-CR
"and future Google searches from Underworld cover bands 20 years hence"
Thank you Chris for the image of some poor bastard doing his best Karl Hyde schtick for a bunch befuddled mid-western barflys. I would definitely pay to see that, if only to hear what this imaginary cover band thinks the lyrics are.
Any time you don't know a phrase, you'd replace it with "Colonel Sanders" or "chicken," and get along fine. I'm as big an Underworld fan there is without getting obsessive, but I don't understand his fascination with KFC.
-CR
Near as I can tell, it's a British thing. There's a site devoted to the hundreds of fast food places in the UK that rip-off the KFC brand image.
Au contraire mon freire. The Jupiter 8 (mine is 12-bit) is worth every penny.
dunno nuttin' about no revs, but i had both J6 and the mks 80 at the same time, the mks 80 was a $200 pawn shop find. i actually liked my mks 30 + programmer much better than either, but take it with a grain of salt as i love and actually prefer a lot of cheesey keyboards these days- got rid of all the monster polys, just not my thing anymore.
nice find, you can never have to much gear
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