Roland MKS-80 Super Jupiter Repair

Posted on March 6, 2011 by John CS Keston

I recently purchased a Roland MKS-80 in need of repair. Several things were wrong with it including the tuning knob, dynamics slider and “insert cartridge” errors when trying to change the patches from the front panel. Without being able to tune the synth or utilize the dynamics, the instrument was effectively unusable, but I decided to buy it anyway in the hope that it could be repaired. After several days and more than thirty hours of research, parts swapping, and troubleshooting I managed to get it working properly. Read on for an illustrated story of the repair process and audio from the fixed unit.
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Prophet 08 Stereo Filter Sweep

Posted on March 5, 2011 by John CS Keston

Here’s another sound from the DSI Prophet 08 recorded during random patch browsing. I’d describe it as a stereo filter sweep.

P08 Stereo Filter Sweep

Prophet 08 LFO Random Pitch

Posted on March 4, 2011 by John CS Keston

This sound from the DSI Prophet 08 reminds me of computer room sound effects from ’60s scifi flicks.

P08 LFO on Random Pitch

Prophet 08 Wobbly Analog Special Effect

Posted on March 3, 2011 by John CS Keston

Here’s yet another sound from the DSI Prophet 08 recorded during my recent random patch browsing session. Since I didn’t bother making notes of which patch I was using for which sound I am left up to coming up with names and descriptions of my own creation. Let’s call this one Wobbly Analog SFX. I’ve been granted an extension on the loan of the P08 from its owner, so expect to hear some programmed sounds in upcoming entries.

P08 Wobbly Analog SFX