Mike Martin Posted June 12, 2005 Share Posted June 12, 2005 I had an 01/W which I sold. I later got the 01/WR, but I miss the keyboard. Hardly ever use the rack. I could edit the keyboard version with my eyes closed...the button layout on the rack is so different...oh well. -Mike Martin Casio Mike Martin Photography Instagram Facebook The Big Picture Photography Forum on Music Player Network The opinions I post here are my own and do not represent the company I work for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowthrough Posted June 13, 2005 Share Posted June 13, 2005 Originally posted by jay da cop: Bought an Obie Matrix 1000 brand new when they first came out, traded it for an analog board, got rid of the board, bought another Matrix1000. Still have it. Jay +1 - I did the same thing ! (but I got a white faced Matrix). also- rebought a TX802 this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthizen2 Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 I'd love to get a MKS-70 for both space and 2x the synth power reasons but I have a feeling the MKS would be less intuitive due to the way you have to address the two different synths. They kinda missed a trick by not being able to have it 12 voice polyphonic but I suppose that would have bumped the cost up.The MKS70/JX10 most certainly can be 12-voice polyphonic: you need to put it in "Whole" mode. There are 3 modes: Dual, Split, and Whole. Whole mode is like playing a 12-note JX-8P. But be sure to use the mix mono output or the mixed stereo output, NOT the output that puts JX8P #1 in left channel and JX8P #2 in right channel. This causes some notes to spit out the left and some notes to spit out the right channel (very annoying). It seems Roland "cheated" to achieve the 12-note poly by assigning regions of 6-note clusters to one of the JX8p's, and it alternates between the two synths as you climb up the keyboard. So you can hear the "cheating" when you use the dual output, not the mixed output. So if you hit a cluster of 6 notes and then press the 7th note, that 7th note will borrow its sound from the 2nd synth. Kurzweil PC3, Yamaha MOX8, Alesis Ion, Kawai K3M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kayvon Posted June 14, 2005 Share Posted June 14, 2005 Woah, thanks for setting me straight about the polyphony synthizen2. I dunno how I could have missed that, I was looking at replacing my JX-8P with an MKS-70 so I downloaded the manual a while ago but I must have just misread the thing. I feel a gear acquisition mission coming on Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanS Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 Excellent score Dave, wanna sell it? What we record in life, echoes in eternity. MOXF8, Electro 6D, XK1c, Motif XSr, PEKPER, Voyager, Univox MiniKorg. https://www.abandoned-film.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C.J. Lewis Posted June 15, 2005 Share Posted June 15, 2005 I've had a couple JD-800's in my life, always wanted a JX8P + controller, but never found one in good enough condition to buy it. For me today, just about everything is soft, except for my AES and PC1X. ivorycj Main stuff: Yamaha CP88 | Korg Kronos 2 73 | Kurzweil Forte 7 | 1898 Steinway I Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted June 17, 2005 Author Share Posted June 17, 2005 Arrrrrghhhh! I'm so bummed! I got the synth yesterday. I hooked it up this morning, and it sounds great. If only the @#%^%$E#@ display worked!!!! Ever try to operate an MKS70 with no display? This is literally the first thing I've bought off of eBay. It was handled by a place called BayListers, that I guess is some kind of middleman. I've sent them an email but gotten no response. What does one do in this situation? Am I stuck just paying for the repair out of pocket? If so, I'm probably going to stop the charge to Baylisters on my card. Any feedback/guidance would be appreciated dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 Originally posted by ivorycj: For me today, just about everything is soft... damn... hate when dat happens. "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 That sucks Dave. When buying old synths one thing to look for is any mention of display quality. You have to assume no mention is bad, because if the display is working and clear they will usually list that. I guess your first recorse is to contact BayListers and hope they have not yet forwarded money on to the owner, and hope they do everything possible to protect their rating. Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RABid Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 I forgot, I did buy a Wavestation SR, sell it a few years later, and then bought it again during the winter. There is something about the sound of those wavestations that stills holds up today. Robert This post edited for speling. My Sweetwater Gear Exchange Page Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted June 17, 2005 Author Share Posted June 17, 2005 Originally posted by Rabid: I guess your first recorse is to contact BayListers and hope they have not yet forwarded money on to the owner, and hope they do everything possible to protect their rating.I'm hosed... The only thing Baylisters is willing to do is to allow me to return the synth and give me back my money. What sucks is that a friend of mine has a display for the thing, and could totally repair it for me, but it'll cost me a bunch of $ that I'm not willing to spend. Suck factor is high... dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITGITC Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 Trying to find a picture of what you're talking about Dave. Is the one you have a keyboard, or a rack? http://www.vintagesynth.com/roland/images/mks70.jpg Can you go back to the seller, ask him if he knew that the display doesn't work, and see if he'll reimburse you the cost to get it repaired? I'd at least try to negotiate with the seller directly, if possible. If that can't happen, then I'd get my money back, go out tonight with a couple of friends and drink until you forget your name. Good idea, huh? Sorry you're bummed. Tom "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent." - Victor Hugo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted June 17, 2005 Author Share Posted June 17, 2005 Originally posted by Is There Gas in the Car?: Trying to find a picture of what you're talking about Dave. Is the one you have a keyboard, or a rack?MKS70 is only a rack (the photo you have in your post is it). The keyboard version is called JX-10. Can you go back to the seller, ask him if he knew that the display doesn't work, and see if he'll reimburse you the cost to get it repaired? I'd at least try to negotiate with the seller directly, if possible.Baylisters won't put me in touch with the seller (which is actually really stupid) and I'm gonna rip them a new one on their rating as soon as I get my money back. I even offered to give them my number so the seller could call me, but they refused. The sad thing is that a friend of mine is a synth tech, and could definitely repair it for a lot cheaper than the owner will have to pay (she even has an MKS70 display that she is more than happy to sell me!) but, I'd also have to pay for her time, and so it'll still cost me more than I'm willing to pay to get it to be functional. I paid for a functional synth, and I don't see any reason that I should have to put any more $ into it. dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rainbird Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 Sold a Juno-106 to buy a JX-8P. (In a sense, I ended up buying the JX-8P twice, as it has needed a few repairs over the years...but I don't regret buying it.) And when I finally realized that I *did* regret getting rid of the Juno-106 and bought another one, the person I bought it from became a good friend, so I still feel like I came out ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthizen2 Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 Dave, Sorry to hear about this aggrivating situation you're going thru. Don't let that put you off of buying gear on eBay - I've gotten great synths and great deals from eBay auctions, it's just a little hit-and-miss at times. Just get your money back from this wanker and try for another one, there's always at least 1 for sale on any given day. Kurzweil PC3, Yamaha MOX8, Alesis Ion, Kawai K3M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 Sorry to hear about this dB.I know how bummed you must be. Is the display showing any sign of life at all or is it as if no power were applied? I'm just wondering if it could be something simple like a bad connection possibly due to shipping. If this were the case I might consider opening it up and jostling some wires before sending it back. Or if your friend could take a real quick look for $20 or so to tell you if it's something other then the display. Just a thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted June 17, 2005 Author Share Posted June 17, 2005 Originally posted by Markyboard: Is the display showing any sign of life at all or is it as if no power were applied? I'm just wondering if it could be something simple like a bad connection possibly due to shipping. If this were the case I might consider opening it up and jostling some wires before sending it back. Or if your friend could take a real quick look for $20 or so to tell you if it's something other then the display. Just a thought. Well, they packed it so that it was well padded on the front, back and sides, but very little padding on the top and bottom. The MKS70 uses a VFD, which do not react terribly well to stress. When I first turned it on there was the littlest bit of blue light, but it faded immediately, and hasn't shown up since, leading me to believe that the VFD has been compromised. Hownestly, I don't want to go inside the thing, because I don't want to give them any reason to not refund my $. My friend the tech says the displays are a nightmare to get to in those, so I don't wanna mess with it. dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Markyboard Posted June 17, 2005 Share Posted June 17, 2005 Yeah I'm with you on this. It still sucks - sorry Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted June 22, 2005 Author Share Posted June 22, 2005 Okay, here we go again - I just won another MKS-70 on eBay - this one for $60 less than I paid for the last one! Boy, I sure hope this guy packs the synth better than the last seller did... dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enveloop Posted March 9, 2006 Share Posted March 9, 2006 Hi, first of all I´m new to this forum -hello everyone I have recently got a MKS 70, and it seems that it is not working properly, so I would like to ask you guys for help... as synthizen said before, when you put the module in "whole" mode, you get a 12 note polyphony, which is obtained by alternating both internal synthesizers. This is my problem: it seems that one of the synthesizers is not working properly, because when I switch to this mode and play a scale, the notes assigned to it sound with a very low volume in comparison to the rest. Is there anything I can do about it? Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Bryce Posted March 10, 2006 Author Share Posted March 10, 2006 Originally posted by enveloop: I have recently got a MKS 70, and it seems that it is not working properly, so I would like to ask you guys for help... as synthizen said before, when you put the module in "whole" mode, you get a 12 note polyphony, which is obtained by alternating both internal synthesizers. This is my problem: it seems that one of the synthesizers is not working properly, because when I switch to this mode and play a scale, the notes assigned to it sound with a very low volume in comparison to the rest. Is there anything I can do about it? Thanks! Are you jacked into the total mix out, or the parallel outs? If memory serves, the parallel outs are a bit odd in that you need to plug into jacks 1 and 4 if you're not using all four of them... Just a shot in the dark... dB ==> David Bryce Music • Funky Young Monks <== Professional Affiliations: Royer Labs • Music Player Network Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enveloop Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 Yes, I have tried every possible combination of outputs, always with the same result. Yesterday I found this this page describing several test modes. I´m wondering what the test#4 does; maybe where it says "Adjust trimpot on that module on Module Board A. for a maximum swing on the ocsilloscope", it is describing the procedure to adjust the output volume, but this is just my guess. Anyway, if someone has any other ideas I would be more than thankful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnzed Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 Hello! I hope this thread is still active, I realise that I'm a couple of months late. Anyway, I used to be the proud owner of a JX-8P including the lovely PG800 but sold it in 1987 to buy an ESQ-1. Now, in hindsight I wish I had kept the JX (and my 101, 303 et al..) but I really needed multitimbrality. I used the ESQ-1 and a Mirage Rack (running drum sounds and used as a data store for the ESQ-1) to play for the next 18 months. Anyway, I have seen a used JX-8P at a local shop and am thinking of buying it. It has no PG-800 :-( but the price is pretty good. So good in fact, that my intention is to use the JX as a master keyboard for my computer rig and consider the analogue sounds as an extra - from my old tapes quite an extra, in fact! So, I'd like to know about the MIDI performance of the 8P. I'm talking about the response of the keyboard to MIDI out. I've been looking for a decent synth action KB with aftertouch for a while and most of the existing controllers are a bit naff, Novation and CME aside. The JX comes in cheaper than those options and if I recall correctly the synth action wasn't half bad - not exactly weighted but enough for my current purposes. Any comments on MIDI out performance and keyboard action? Cheers, John. Oh, does anyone use any sort of computer editor for the 8P? I realise I'm going to feel a bit cramped without the PG800 but I expect some sort of editor will help a bit. Longer term, I could get something that outputs sysex as I believe the 8P handles this, unlike the JX10 which appears to have bugs in this area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
synthizen2 Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 Originally posted by johnzed: Any comments on MIDI out performance and keyboard action?The JX8P is known to have a poor aftertouch (AT), the synth having aged (of course). The velocity is fine but the AT strip needs to be re-graphited or replaced. I believe Roland still carries this part in stock. I find Korg synths from the same time period still have an AT that is rock solid. Originally posted by johnzed: [..........] does anyone use any sort of computer editor for the 8P? I realise I'm going to feel a bit cramped without the PG800 but I expect some sort of editor will help a bit. Longer term, I could get something that outputs sysex [..........]You'll find a good PG800-like editor for Windows at this site: http://members.iquest.net/~twilight/utils.html , go to the second item in the list. There's also PG800 software for the Amiga! I have two sysex-enabled controllers: the Peavey PC1600 and the Kenton Control Freak. Both would be excellent alternatives to a hardware PG800. Kurzweil PC3, Yamaha MOX8, Alesis Ion, Kawai K3M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real MC Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 I don't sell much stuff. When I buy something I plan on getting at least ten years use out of it. Most of my gear I have owned for almost twenty years. I sold my Moog Liberation - owned it since 1988, but when the Voyager came along I just didn't need it and it was neglected. Sold a couple of Crown power amps that I stopped using, they were replaced by more compact amps. The Clavinet was an exception to my ten year rule - I didn't keep it that long, but I got it cheap back then. The Alesis 3630s are soon to be gone too, I'm upgrading to better compressors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mú Carvalho Posted June 19, 2006 Share Posted June 19, 2006 I just bouth recently a nice Rhodes Mark II el piano. And next step, I hope to find a clavinet Honner in good condicions. Not to put on the road, but I have already the perfect place in my studio for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnzed Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Thanks, synthizen. I really appreciate the speed and completeness of your reply. Thanks to your excellent answers I shall: test the AT in the JX that I'm looking at. If it's iffy and I can't reduce the price by a good amount I guess I'll have to leave it. In the meantime I will contact Roland UK to see if they have the fix you mention. One of the reasons I wanted to go for the 8P was becuase I used to have one and was feeling nostalgic. I sort of remember now that the AT on my model was a bit dubious, whether it was because of my keyboard skills at the time or a genuine problem I'll never know but I've used AT keyboards for a while now so should be able to tell if it's not working as well as it should. Great news on the virtual PG-800. I'll go have a look now. Thanks again. PS I guess I'll leave off looking for a Korg. Unless something comes up I may end up getting something with zero character, i.e. a USB controller - which will be a bit of a shame but probably the sensible way to go. :-( PPS Knowing me I will end up getting the JX-8P anyway, heart over head and all that. As long as it works... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilwe Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 Hi all !! I too was experiencing too many troubles with both the MKS-70 and JX8P. I'll focus at the MKS-70 right now. Mine was working for two years with no problems, than suddenly one day the entire display went "888888888888888888" - which means that all the characters lights up as "8", but still the text is a bit more bright so you can notice that the data sent as text is ok (no gibrish). I replaced the powersupply caps, a few ICs on the assigner and display boards - to no avail. I did enconter other types of problems during trying to fix it - One of the synth boards played weak, distorted sounds - which became to be a bad CPU on the problemtic synth board. In other occasions the entire display went blank or the unit just restarted itself sponteneously or froze up. Even more strange was that when I laid the unit on its side (90 degrees) it worked ok. But still could not find any contact problem so far. Lately it doesn't make any of the above mentioned problems rather than "only" displaying "88888888888888" .... Has anyone managed to solve any of these problems ? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gilwe Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 enveloop, you may want to check the CN3 connector on the problematic synth board. This one leads the signal to the output board, and might have a bad conatct problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NuSkoolTone Posted July 18, 2006 Share Posted July 18, 2006 You know an MKS-70 has been on my "To get" list for awhile, but have read lots of things about sometimes the voices or filters going bad. Is there a diagnostic mode to test all the voices/filters to make sure they are working correctly? Is this test reliable/accurate? I remember my ESQ-1 has a mode like this. This is where you put your gear list that no one reads anyway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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