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Roland MKS70
3.9 3.9 out of 5, based on 2 Reviews

Rack mount version of the JX-10.


23rd February 2012

Roland MKS-70 Super JX by mahasandi

  • Sound Quality 5.0 out of 5
  • Ease of use 2.0 out of 5
  • Features 4.0 out of 5
  • Bang for buck 4.0 out of 5
  • Overall: 3.75
Roland MKS70

This is a rackmont version of the jx10 it is a dco analog synth know for its pads.
Popular users include Angelo Badalamenti.Think twin peaks intro strings.
Very smooth filters this is not an aggressive synth at all very roland sweet and smooth.
But the hard part is editing.I thinkyou really have to have th pg800 to go into editing on this synth which I had and still its not so easy.
If this was not the case and this synth was easily edited then I feel it would be a lot more fun to work with.

I do like what it does sound wise despite this.
In fact it really does excel at pads. Bouncy sharp aggresive sounds look elsewhere but for smooth deep pads this synth is cut of that cloth.

You can update the os to 1.08 and this makes it friendly with software editors.
In fact even 1.05 works with Unison I think.
But I like tactile synths and find more looking at screens tedious and uninspiring .
If you don't get bogged down by this stuff this is a really good find.


from vintage synth.com:

The MKS-70 is an identical rackmount version of the JX-10 synthesizer. Released in 1985 it combines two individual JX-8P synth engines for an outstanding warm and analog sound which is used in many modern studios all over the world. It comes with onboard effects like Chorus and Delay and offers a wider range of programming using the optional PG-800 Programmer. This programmer is highly recommended for those who will be programming unique sounds since editing from the rack-face itself is cumbersome and tedious. The MKS-70 has a "chase-play" function which allows programmable delayed repeats of voices from either of its tone modules. The chorus is either off, slow or fast.


The onboard chorus is a sweet addition and really gives the stereo feel to the pads.
Although it is more intuitive with a pg800 I still felt that the strange architecture of having some voices editable and some not a problem on some older synths is a real downer and I felt got in the way of quick edits sometimes" woops not that tone...."

However it is far more interesting then any softsynth and miles cheaper then an mks80 so it has something pretty appealing to offer especially if you consider what this thing would cost to make nowadays.

All in all its a classic unit and produces some beautiful instruments/sounds

21st September 2018

Roland MKS-70 Super JX by Synthpark

  • Sound Quality 5.0 out of 5
  • Ease of use 2.0 out of 5
  • Features 4.0 out of 5
  • Bang for buck 5.0 out of 5
  • Overall: 4
Roland MKS70

The MKS70 is a much underrated machine. I have both the MK80 and MK70. The sound could hardly be smoother than here, probably due to the nice Roland filter, but the oscillators have a nice complex tone, they don't sound as dead as in many modern analogues. The only downside is the lack of PWM.

The chorus is the key. It gives the sound an amazing depth without any artefacts usually encountered (cheap sounding pitch shifting). Its like to have a synth with dimension D. The complained lack of hard attack is not a big deal, its punchy enough. There are enough hard sounding synths out there but only a few with this tone.

The cross mod section is essential to get those 80ies weird synth patches in more industrial styles like depeche mode. And the fact that you can layer two different sounds with 2 DCOs each, with different cross mod settings gives you amazing possibilities. In result, this synth can hardly be substituted by any other.

The confusion with this synth often comes from the fact that's it is used with "the wrong taste". The previous owner tried to make all kind of sounds to recreate acoustic instrument timbres, but this is not the strength of this synth, it's more new wave and dark wave.

 

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