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Originally Posted by
amino
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The MKS-80 is NOT a rack version of the Jupiter-8. They both have 8 voices, but that's about it. They are totally different synths if you look inside them. The Jupiter-6 and MKS-80 (rev 4) however, have interchangeable voice cards. Still they are all Rolands and they have more in common with each other soundwise than with any Oberheim or Sequential synthesizer.
Agreed; the many online comments suggesting they're about the same are great examples of the misinformation floating around.
After reading all the assessments here i'm dizzy. Too much opinion all over the place. Bottom line they all differ markedly; don't be lazy and expect a definitive answer here, instead go out and find a way to compare directly. They'll all have the same general Roland sound but are still quite different.
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The MKS-80 is arguably a rackmounted Jupiter 6 or 8, its never been thought of anything but that. Its not a true rackmounted version, so it is a bit different, but its got a pretty close sound to the Jupiter 6 or 8. I have played both. The jupiter 8 is better in my opinion
They have the same general Roland sound but aren't that similar in many ways actually. The 8 has more of the vintage fuller, slightly more powerful and rawer analog sound of that earlier era while the MKS-80 has your typical mid-80s analog-digital hybrid - tighter, faster envelopes, sharper, more refined sound as heard on other synths such as the VS, along with better midi control. If you consider the time in which a synth came out it's a pretty good clue as to the type of sound characteristic it has.