-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Peake [mailto:
peake@...]
Sent: Saturday, April 01, 2000 12:23 AM
To:
analogue@...Subject: Re: [AH] MKS-80, Jupiter8, Virus: Are they apples and oranges?
At 5:13 PM -0000 3/31/00, Royce Lee wrote:
>I know this may seem like a tired issue, and it was to me until I came up
>with around 800$ and started to think about which synths to buy. Does
>anybody own both an MKS-80 and a Virus? What are there relative strengths
>and weaknesses? If you only had the money for one, which would you go
>for. . .or rather, which would you go for first?
Depends upon a few things. If you're only looking to use sound generation:
-The Virus is multitimbral and has multimode filters.
-The MKS80 is bitimbral and has self-oscillating lowpass filters.
-The Virus sounds digital.
-The MKS is analog with very good MIDI. Program change, volume, etc.
-The Virus has nice on-board effects.
-The MKS80 is analog. Sounds great. Excellent foundation for tracks.
If you need a module to complement an existing setup, I'd say the MKS
hands down. If you're just starting, the Virus would be more versatile.
The MKS can sound like the SH101 if you're into that sort of thing, and
it can also do huge, furry unison-detuned basses (I'm into that sort of
thing).
If you want to process external sounds, the Virus wins.
>I've heard some people complain about slow envelopes on the MKS-80 and
>sloppy sequencing. If that was that, I wouldn't even consider it further,
>but I know these kinds of complaints are often related to computer,
>interface timing problems.
I've used MKS80s for years and they've got good envelopes (much
faster than the Xpander or Chroma) and the MIDI is fine. Don't overlook
the importance of MIDI program change commands. You can use
the MKS for several sounds in one track this way, with individual volume
settings. One favorite: working on some rap a few years ago, I needed
a wormy glide lead that -started- from the same point in every chorus.
A MIDId analog without volume control wouldn't have been able to do
this-- I placed the note I wanted the lead to glide from before the actual
phrase, and simply set that note's velocity to 0 so it didn't sound. Nice
and hands free. (Yeah, yeah, yeah, you can do this easily on VAs but
-why-?)
Feeling a bit purist today,
Mike Peake, Your Psychic Friend
___________________
Specifications:
"It's the way gone that matters, as much, or more, than the destination."
-Ian McDonald- Terminal Cafe