Poly Analog Synth

[Skallawa]

Getting ready to upgrade my collection. I am looking for a poly that is able to do pads well. I am debating old vs new. For new I wouldn't mind a prophet 08 or Andromeda, for old I like the Jupiter 8 sound, but cannot afford the jupiter 8 price. Would a Juno be nice or a MKS 70?

My set up now.

Mopho, Virus TI, Novation x-station, V-synth, XV-3080 (tecno, orchestra, and vintage cards), and emu proteus 2000.

[zebastian21]

Originally Posted by Skallawa

Getting ready to upgrade my collection. I am looking for a poly that is able to do pads well. I am debating old vs new. For new I wouldn't mind a prophet 08 or Andromeda, for old I like the Jupiter 8 sound, but cannot afford the jupiter 8 price. Would a Juno be nice or a MKS 70?

My set up now.

Mopho, Virus TI, Novation x-station, V-synth, XV-3080 (tecno, orchestra, and vintage cards), and emu proteus 2000.

Andromeda would be my vote.... amazing for pads

[ChristianRock]

If it's only for pads, JX10 / MKS70 is excellent for analog pads... some people like it better than the Jupiter-8. Its slow envelopes make it useless for drums or 303 basses, but work extremely well for pads.
You also can't go wrong with the Juno-60.

[cosmos]

if you can afford the Andro. get it.
it will give you sooooo much more then just Pads ..
thumbsup

[Illusionrake]

MKS-80 aka Super Jupiter. Not as expensive as JP-8 and possibly better in terms of sound palette. JP-8 is more mellow (which might be a good thing for pads).

[d1rtynyc]

Originally Posted by Rake

MKS-80 aka Super Jupiter. Not as expensive as JP-8 and possibly better in terms of sound palette. JP-8 is more mellow (which might be a good thing for pads).

+1
I regret ever letting one of these out of my sight.

[Skallawa]

Noticed that nobody said anything about the Prophet 08. I take it that this is not the synth for pad sounds.

[OurDarkness]

Andromeda.

[clusterchord]

old: MKS-70 with or without the PG-800 programmer

ok Jup8 can do certain kind of pads (i.e. PWM stuff) better, but overall, MKS-70 is a pad winner over Jup. and is very cheap.


new: Andromeda. if u got the $$, there is just no contest. any type you want, it got warmth in spades.


digital for cheap: JD-990. complements my A6 beautifully. it excells at digital and hybrid pads/strings. workhorse.


edit: i had MKS-80, revision 4. its about the last polyanalog id get for pads n strings. very agressive crude, un-smooth curtis synth. its fabulous doing some other things and i miss it, but not for the intended application. Rev5 otoh, is much warmer, sorta like MKS-70 on steroids - same filter and vca yet with Roland VCOs instead of DCOs.

[Martin Dubka]

Roland JD-800

If you're dead set on analogue, save up for an Oberheim Matrix 12

[allcentury]

OBX-a!

[cramseur]

Too bad you said analog. I was going to recommend the Kawai K5000...but that's actually additive (digital).

+1 Andromeda

[aquablu8]

P 08 does nice pads...

[analogholic]

Originally Posted by clusterchord

MKS-80 Rev5 otoh, is much warmer, sorta like MKS-70 on steroids - same filter and vca yet with Roland VCOs instead of DCOs.

This is interesting...
Would you say that the rev 5 does pads "better" than the MKS-70 due to VCO:s, PWM?

I use a JX-10 and like it a lot, but it sounds a little "sterile" IMO at times

[clusterchord]

because its VCOs sound much "better" ?

seriously its just a more organic n rich sound. so its about character not a spec thing, as a consequence it is not entirely dependant on extra chorus processing as JX8/10/MKS-70 are, to put out anything vibrant and warm.

other than that, these machines got almost the same hardware, most notably the IR3R05 filter and vca chip and sftw envelopes.


on top of that MKS-80 does have a more flexible arhitecture too, with env to cross mod, dedicated PW/PWM as u mentioned (which sounds beautiful on both revisions btw), triangle wave, slider for HPF instead of 4-position switch etc..

[Mike6581]

In my opinion the Jupiter 8 is the pick of the crop mentioned initially Skallawa, I love mine to bits. I own a JX-10 too and although it's capable of some great sounds and blows a VA out of the water, the Jupiter 8 beats it hands down. Never tried a Super Juper so I can't really comment on that but seeing as they're typically less than half the going rate of a Jupiter 8 then that probably makes better financial sense. Though personally, I'm not too keen on rack-mounted gear.

I don't necessarily think DCOs are all bad, the Prophet 08 can produce some truly amazing pads and strings.

Of course, the king of pads is the CS-80...

[Beermaster]

If you want deep and interesting pads that evolve and have really amazing and unusual sounds- and also ANALOGUE then it HAS to be the Andromeda.

JP8, MKS80/70/ Juno 60 and all the rest have great core sounds and filters / chorus etc but they lack the ability to do the really deeper more complexed modulations that the A6 Andromeda can achieve ... and also they're not MIDI CC, Multitimbral,,, on an on and on.... and NEW ish

Don't waste money on a dinosaur with potential costly maintenance problems that doesn't get you the sounds you want.

[Skallawa]

Seems like the Andromeda is leading the pack and in my price range.

Just saw a JX10 for about $400. Think I should pull the trigger? Seems like such a great price.

Still going to get the Andromeda used also.

When will this gear lust end???

[Martin Dubka]

A word of caution - maintenance on an OB-Xa is hellish......

Still the pad monsters in my opinion are Matrix 12 and JD-800

Btw - when I say "pad" I'm not talking Prince pads. More involved, evolving, textural sounds. Depends what you're going for.

Also, why would you waste your money on a "pad machine" that didn't have PWM? You want every type of modulation available for more "movement".

[spol]

Jupiter V8 & M1K

[Synthetica]

Another Vote for the Andromeda.

[OurDarkness]

Originally Posted by Beermaster

If you want deep and interesting pads that evolve and have really amazing and unusual sounds- and also ANALOGUE then it HAS to be the Andromeda.

JP8, MKS80/70/ Juno 60 and all the rest have great core sounds and filters / chorus etc but they lack the ability to do the really deeper more complexed modulations that the A6 Andromeda can achieve ... and also they're not MIDI CC, Multitimbral,,, on an on and on.... and NEW ish

Don't waste money on a dinosaur with potential costly maintenance problems that doesn't get you the sounds you want.

+1000

[clusterchord]

Originally Posted by Skallawa

Seems like the Andromeda is leading the pack and in my price range.

Just saw a JX10 for about $400. Think I should pull the trigger? Seems like such a great price.

Still going to get the Andromeda used also.

When will this gear lust end???

well, not that they have they same sound character, but all i can say from my experience is, after getting Andromeda and pairing it with JD990, i haven't turned on my MKS-70 (JX-10 in a module) once. take it as u will. but A6 is so much more when it comes to pads, in all directions, and it naturally sounds organic n warm, stands beautifully in mix, unlike JX that always has to use onboard chorus, which comes with its set of problems in a busier production/arrangement, as much as it sounds great on its own.

not to contradict my earlier recommendation, it all comes down to ammount of money one is willing to spend - if u can afford A6.. get it. maybe pair it with a nice digital like JD990 down the road, and youre set for good. if you cannot, then JD990 plus MKS7O is a phenomenal bang-for-the-buck deal.

here as example of typical dark warm pad on andromeda, no chorus, just reverb:

http://www.babic.com/SYN/A6/clc_A6-MeltsInYourMouth.mp3

[sizzlemeister]

If your interest is strictly in pads, don't forget that a good pad relies on good effects.

For the price of a JP8 or A6 you might consider something like a JP6 or a P'08 and a pair of analog delays for stereo separation. Or an analog delay and a good dedicated reverb box (or reverb plug if you swing that way).

In my experience, unless you're capable of handling tech issues yourself, or have a good tech at hand and are willing to spend the money - old polys that rely on CEM chips (especially, at least) require more care than something like a Polysix or nearly any old Roland.

Speaking of Roland, while the JX10/8P is nice, I would recommend the JX3P (but NOT the MKS-30) if you need a dual oscillator per voice design. Much better envelopes and more interesting sound, although the architecture is more limited.

[Rusty_OHara]

IMHO:

Analogue: Alesis Andromeda A6

Digital: Roland JD-800/JD-990

Paired together equals awesomeness.

[TMB]

Originally Posted by Skallawa

Noticed that nobody said anything about the Prophet 08. I take it that this is not the synth for pad sounds.

I had the P8, kept it for a week and sent it back. It was a big let down. Didn't really seem to excel in any one area to well (might get flamed for that, but it's how I feel). I work on electronic music so that my perspective. I'd go with the Andy, I think you'd get a lot more, though you'd be paying for more....

[GYang]

Not MKS-80.
Save money and buy Sunsyn or Omega-8.

[dlmorley]

Originally Posted by sizzlemeister

Speaking of Roland, while the JX10/8P is nice, I would recommend the JX3P (but NOT the MKS-30) if you need a dual oscillator per voice design. Much better envelopes and more interesting sound, although the architecture is more limited.

Why not the MKS-30? It's basically a JX3p with velocity.

[dlmorley]

I'll throw an oddball in. Microwave 1.
I do love my Xpander for pads though. 6 Notes is tight though.
Other than that, I think you can get a lot of mileage out of combining 2 synths or more. Even my TX816 makes GREAT pad sounds when you programm a few modules to layer nicely.

[sizzlemeister]

Originally Posted by dlmorley

Why not the MKS-30? It's basically a JX3p with velocity.

Because its circuit is different: it uses the dreaded VCA/VCF filter combo ICs that keep dropping dead in Juno 106s.

I love the sound of the MKS30, actually, a very nice sounding synth, but prone to failure.