OT + MKS-70 experiments

Yeah Blackhole still rules for reverb if you ask me - my Space pedal has something wrong with it though and scrambles parameters randomly playing back glitched sections of whatever it lands on. Time for a replacement maybe!

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Just want to say congratulations and I’m excited about this thread.

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Thanks!

I also need to thank @ignatius who sent me an original printed manual for the MKS-70.
And while I have a searchable PDF manual, the printed manual has made navigating the patch factors MUCH quicker.

I still haven’t taken a dive into getting the most out of dual layer mode just yet. Waiting on the new firmware eproms to arrive.

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new stuff… using the iPG-800 iPad editor for the MKS-70 has been real helpful, and the new EPROMs were required to make use of it.
Can see the whole patch at a glance.

Here’s a medley of the last 3 chord pads I made. A little Ableton Echo and NI Raum reverb used here and there.

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Sounding good.

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Getting acid bass lines out of the MKS-70.
It’s totally possible with a bit of imagination.

Crank the filter envelope’s key follow. This will shorten the envelope time for higher keys.
To offset that higher register of playing, lower the DCO’s coarse tune (range), and if needed - drop the DCO tune another octave.
Now, play the notes on your KB/sequencer in a higher register than usual, to offset the lower pitched DCO.

There’s further explanation on my instagram.
And extended audio here:

Anyone that’s ever told you the envelope’s on this thing are only good for pads and strings just isn’t trying hard enough.

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I still keep both for everything I own, each has their own benefit

Came across a zip file of some patch sheets from the old roland user group magazine. They’ve been good for exploring the patch settings and chase delay. These aren’t parameters accessible on the DT-800/PG-800 programmer, so it is easy to overlook them.

This one has been my favorite so far.

Here’s how it sounds…
“Alien Pad”
https://www.dropbox.com/s/eart8j1dr5t6tgl/MKS70-AlienPad-RUG-PatchSheet.mp3?dl=0

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New and fun.

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Haha, yea if they should ever reprint these.
“Old” and “Time-consuming” would be accurate.

It was fun to dial up a sound that was published as text way back when I was maybe 8 or 9 years old. I felt like a sonic archaeologist. :face_with_monocle:

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I miss those old sorts of patch sheets. Keyboard magazine always ran a couple of them every month. I think they taught me a lot about synthesis! They also taught me about synths I didn’t own, as I could see an instrument’s parameters listed. There was always a sense of excitement with the arrival of each issue, hoping they’d have a patch for a synth I owned.

Occasionally, the magazines went even further, with actual software code for the reader to copy down. Sometimes it would be months before any erroneous line of code my be corrected in a follow-up issue! I was never clever or patient enough to try that stuff.

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808 samples + MKS70. Working out some chord progressions.
Chords like these I really enjoy playing and listening to, but rarely find the drive to develop the tracks further, as additional elements just ends up getting in the way.

Anyway, chords played live and some envelope release and filter tweaks on the DT-800 done live (can’t p-lock or send simple CC automation!)
Triads with a diminished third an octave up. Using 1 timbre, in full 12 voice mode.

Also, made a special soundcloud account for embedding these experiments.

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Lovely stuff.

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Thanks!

My love for the Ensoniqs is closely knit to this kind of sound. That deep Brikha/Transmat style, subtle but loose modulation. MKS-70’s various envelope modulation options are ideal for such sounds.
Basically the same kinda stuff I made with my SQ-80 decades ago.

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To encourage you to develop it further: I really enjoyed that sketch :slight_smile:

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This is ace, reminds me of those 80s computer magazines that used to print BASIC programmes and you’d sit there and type the entire thing in for hours just to have your ZX Spectrum say hello or something!

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Yea! Exactly!

I had a really nice 70 and it’s a lovely synth, kind of regret selling mine. Just a classy classic.

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Great points here. There are some killer basses in this thing. A bit of chorus is an amazing thing on them too.

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Pads with a dual-tone patch and a bit of unison sounds fantastic too. Allows for a voice of low end, mids, top end, and noise, all detuned for dual mode and detuned again for unison. Plus you’ve got four envelopes to work with, separate LFOs, and chorus settings at that point. Only three notes though haha. Not that anything that thick needs more.

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