Here’s another segment from the noise experiments I produced using the Roland MKS-80. I’m enjoying the sound of the triangle wav setting on the LFO that you can hear at the end.
Noise Jam Segment 2
Synthesizer Noise Jam #2
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Tag Archives: Roland MKS-80
reKon Audio VST-AU MKS-80 Editor
If you know anything about the Roland Super Jupiter MKS-80 you know that it’s glacially slow to program the beast without using the Roland MPG-80 programmer. That’s all well and good, but the MPG-80s are pretty hard to come by and if you do find one you might have to sell a kidney to pay for it.
That’s where the reKon Audio VST-AU MKS-80 editor comes in. It’s a software editor for Mac and Windows that has an interface modeled after the MPG-80. It’s got all the real-time controls that the MPG-80 has, plus a patch librarian, randomizer, and more. What I have found most useful is the ability to run it as a plugin.
In Ableton Live I was able to save the patch data with the set. I also mapped many of the controls in the editor to sliders and knobs on a MIDI controller. In the process of setting this up, I thought that there would surely be noticeable latency going from the MIDI controller to the reKon plugin, then to the MIDI out, and back into the MKS-80, but it was fast and fluid. I did notice some minor aliasing when sweeping the filter, but I got the same result when I made the adjustments directly on the MKS-80.
Here’s a mono lead sound that I programmed using this technique. Please pardon the self indulgent playing, but I’m pretty pleased with this patch and it was a breeze to program with the reKon plugin. I’m also impressed with the quality of the MKS-80 VCOs over a broad frequency range. With sampled and modeled waveforms you often end up hearing artifacts or undertones in the high frequencies. Not so with this beast.
Self Indulgent Synth Solo
Roland Super Jupiter MKS-80 Rev 4 Versus Rev 5
There’s quite a debate out there on the internets about the sound of the Roland Super Jupiter MKS-80 rev 4 versus rev 5. The one I’m testing at the moment is a rev 5. So I decided to see if I could match one of the rev 4 comparison sounds that I found posted on Gearslutz.com in this thread about the topic. I knew that I couldn’t match it exactly because on the unit I’m testing the tune knob isn’t functional and it does not respond to velocity. However, I thought it would be interesting to see how close I could come.
I tuned the instrument, awkwardly, with the pitch wheel in lieu of a functional tune knob. The main difference I hear is that in the rev 4 example the velocity is routed to the VCF, where in my example the VCF is re-triggered with the same intensity on each note since the velocity is not functional. Here are the examples so that you can be the judge. Compare the first phrase in “Rev 4 versus Rev 5” to “Rev 5 Reprogrammed”.
Rev 4 versus Rev 5 example from Gearslutz.com moderator Don Solaris:
Rev 4 versus Rev 5
My attempt to match the Rev 4 example above:
Rev 5 Reprogrammed
Roland Super Jupiter MKS-80
I am currently borrowing a Roland Super Jupiter MKS-80 with the option to buy. This is the first time I have been able to experiment with one of these instruments. Unfortunately this one has some technical problems. First of all the tuning knob doesn’t work. The potentiometer looks fine and moves smoothly, but the pitch doesn’t change and it’s always about a quarter tone flat as if the tune knob was all the way to the left. Secondly, the unit does not respond to velocity. This might be due to a bad dynamics sensitivity slider, which is visibly bent. Finally the memory area switch is not working consistently. When set to the internal memory, the unit responds with the message “INSERT CARTRIDGE” when trying to change patches and no cartridge is available. Fortunately I have been able to intermittently coax it into patch changes with a MIDI controller. Other than being out of tune and not responding dynamically it sounds great. I have recorded lots of examples, unfortunately they are all out of key, so I can’t use them for anything official, but it’s giving me a good idea about what the instrument is capable of. I made this two part microtrack with a couple of presets already programmed into the MKS-80.
Out of Tune 119
Wanted: Roland Super Jupiter MKS-80 with MPG-80 Programmer
Dear ACB readers, I am looking for a Roland MKS-80 rack mount synthesizer preferably with the companion MPG-80 programmer as shown in the photo above. I have a very specific project in mind using the GMS and something like the MKS-80 together. There are several of these synths available on eBay and even a few on craigslist (although not in my area). Unfortunately the prices seem somewhat inflated, so I am asking around the old fashioned way. Please contact me directly (keston [at] audiocookbook [dot] org), or in the comments, if you know of one available for sale. If you sell me yours you’ll have the pleasure of being able to hear sounds and phrases that I produce with it here on ACB, and a mention in the liner notes for the second Ostracon album. Thanks!