In his latest video, synthesist Starsky Carr takes a look at the combination of the Roland MKS-80 Super Jupiter and the Retroaktiv Super Controller, which he describes as the ‘Superer Jupiter”.
Can it really beat the classic Roland Jupiter-8, which now goes for $20,000+ used?
Check out the video and share your thoughts in the comments!
Video Summary:
“The Roland MKS-80 Super Jupiter is often labelled as an enhanced Jupiter 8 in a box – even Vintage Synth Explorer calls it something like that. Here I look at it along with the Retroaktiv Super Controller.. which really does feel like it brings the instrument up to date and makes it a whole lot easier to use. Essentially if you’re thinking of buying an MKS80 or if you’ve got one you never really use… GET ONE OF THESE. They’re cheaper than the original MPG80 controllers, and blow them out of the water as far as functionality is concerned.
I forgot to mention the build quality… which is excellent. Everything has that old school hardware feel. The buttons are lovely and clicky, the knobs are boltwd to the chassis,the sliders feel nicer than my jupiter or Odyssey. No complaints there.”
“Beat it,” no. Its not a contest! Everyone hears a slightly different angle, no matter what version of a synth you have. If I was keen enough on the Jupiter aroma to have an MKS, hell yeah, I’d want to get a better grip on it. Thing is, you finally have to point, say “THIS one” and get on with it. Sound-wise, no version of a Jupiter wimps out.
‘Aroma’
…. stench
“Sound-wise, no version of a Jupiter wimps out.”
That’s the money quote right there.
I think there’s a lot of reverence for vintage synths, though, that’s based mainly on the fact that synth options were pretty limited in the ’70s and 80s, and a handful of vintage synths got used on everything. You can’t really say that about any modern synth.
Look beyond that, though, and there are dozens of modern synths that can run circles around these revered vintage synths.
Maybe in number of functions, but old synths always have more air and detail in their sound. Go to a Guitar Center and play synths and then go to the Vintage Synth Museum in LA and tell me it’s the same. New synths are almost all thinner and more sterile than old synths, and I’m saying this as someone who has spent considerable time with both. It has to do with how their circuitry is built and it’s worlds apart in how they are produced.
It’s less about circuitry, and more about the crappy components with values all over the place. that allow synths from the same batch to not sound exactly the same. Manufacturing was just not up to par, unlike today’s technology. The noise that was hated back in the day is praised today.
I think this is a market that will die with the release of their revivals…
Spending 1000 on a device, which is just spitting midi from sliders and knobs seems absurd…
I don’t think that market will die out mostly because it is a quite small niche market. If a MKS 80 owner buys the controller it will surely make their use of the MKS 80 much easier and faster which for many will be worth the extra outlay,
As you mention “ niche market”, when owners have their controller, then they wont buy a 2nd one…
I was speaking about the controller market in general not just for MKS80. Also I believe that most MKS 80 owners wont buy one straight away! So sales of that specific controller probably will trickle on for years!
There will alwys be collectors. Marked will never die out.
Yeah, I’m always dumbfounded how these companies charge these ridiculous prices for controllers!!! Especially some of these DAW consoles!!!
If the MKS-80 is a Rev4 you’re in for a treat.
Has a Jupiter-8 ever actually sold for $20k? I know that’s what some people are asking for them but who has actually paid anywhere close to that for one recently?
A friend of mine sold his for 25k and put an addition on a house with the money he made from the sale.
I call BS. An addition on a house costs more than that these days! Lol.
Check Reverb Transaction History, it sold many times above 20k.
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Admin: Personal attack deleted (name-calling, ableism).
I used to own this back in the day. It sounded phenomenal.
At that price point, just go for Black Corporation’s take on the Jupiter …
It would be great if they do a 16 voice clone, I’d totally buy that one!
Personally I think 16 multi-oscillator analog voices is overkill. Eight is more than enough for most people. Though, sure, in certain multi-timbral live cases it can be useful. To me, those numbers make sense in digital, where the sound doesn’t start to turn to mud. Because, unless you neuter the analog sound with filters to a spectrum so small, a good digital synth would be a perfectly fine substitution anyway. The lack of long releases in the background of an already full analog sound for so many notes can easily be covered by some good reverb, without there being any detriment to the overall experience.
But, to each their own, of course… 🙂
I’m a player, often use synth sounds stacked under piano/fm electric piano, do a quick arpeggio sweep with sustain pedal over three octaves and 8 voices are done with halfway through…
This you do on digital, I suspect? You ever tried that on a 16-voice analog ala Moog One or that Behringer Oberheim one? Because I am rather sure this won’t sound as good as on a digital synth. Unless you thin out the sound, as I said before, that makes the analog impact irrelevant. Both synth types have their use-cases; if you need a lot, don’t waste money on analog… That’s just number-dropping by manufacturers.
I hope the Behringer 16 voice, being somewhat easily available for the masses, will take care of this view of more is better.
+1 with MYC. “Less is More” is more important than some people think. I love giant synth sounds too, but mud is not a sexy aspect of a good mix. My pre-mixdown activity is trimming fuzz and excess so there’s room for the song to be heard. C’mon, if you’re a synth player, you’ve been there more than once. A Jupiter-EIGHT leaves room for some twos and fives. A SIXTEEN would just damage your plumbing.
Right on. If Roland could have made these sound good with more than eight voices, they surely would have. It’s not about crunching numbers, as money was no issue in that era of music.
It’s a different story with hybrids like UDOs range of synths. The digital oscillators are their for a reason: with so many voices, they simply wouldn’t sound as good if they went full analog.
I have an MKS-80 with the MPG programmer. I believe mine is a Rev. 5. Either way, it sounds great. I’m grateful for the extra functionality like velocity and aftertouch, which the keyboard Jupiters lack. I’ve barely ever played a JP-8 but I used to own a JP-6 and found the MKS to be quite different from that. I’d need to spend more time on a JP-8 to make an informed decision, but in general between the price and the functionality offered by the MKS, I’m completely content with what I have. I would never pay what JP-8s are going for these days.
This controller looks really nice and has some welcome features. I may decide to get it at some point. If I didn’t own an MPG, it would be a no-brainer.