-----Original Message-----
From: N. Kent [mailto:
ndkent@...]
Sent: Saturday, April 01, 2000 11:50 AM
To:
analogue@...Subject: re:[AH] MKS-80, Jupiter8, Virus: Are they apples and oranges?
> 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?
>
> 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.
>
> Any input would be appreciated.
>
> - -royce
Probably beaten to death, but some things didn't come up. (for what its
worth I only own an MKS-80, but have played the others)
Firstly the Jupiter 8, dropped from later discussion, will outpower both
in the big classic synth sound department. Obviously not all will have
MIDI and a MIDI one will certainly be more expensive. Also (unless
someone has a heavily modded one) its not going to have much
articulation-- no velocity, aftertouch.
As to the MKS-80, no one brought up that the Curtis chip and Roland chip
ones sound different.
Computer interface timing problems are realative, it certainly isn't
bad, neither are the envalopes.
Someone mentioned it self oscillates. I think thats in error, it just
has resonant filters.
I think a lot of people will agree that it just doesn't get too
extreme... Reviews of the MKS-80 are very relative, its way more
powerful than most analog polys but doesn't wind up at the very top of
the peak either. In general some might be dissapointed that its not that
extreme a synth, but in the vintage synth department it does take the
prize IMHO for remote manipulation of parameters, its easy via sysex to
play the parameters live, thats the reason why I hold on to mine (I have
a bunch of analog polys, so the sounds it can do are covered). I wound
up buying a Memorymoog soon afterwords because after a certain point the
MKS sound just doesn't go further, sure, it has great sync/crossmod and
a solid feature set, but won't do those fizzy all over the place sounds,
or the kind of cutting sounds I was after (it does nice cutting sounds,
just not the ones I was going for)
okay, as for the virus-- its got the most features hands down. The MKS
will do a more classic analog synth sound IMHO while the Virus will do a
wider range of sounds. The stuff I don't like are the oscs aren't quite
robust and solid sounding to me. The coolness of 2 filters is partly
negated by having only one set of knobs shared by both.
nick kent