This is a few pieces of my collection I am currently using for an Audio Geist track. Real musicians have their own gear:) What you see in the picture is a Fostex MR 8, Korg Kaoss Pad, MicroKorg, Roland JX-305, Solaris Estradin 314 (Soviet synth made in a bomb factory!), Akai MPC1000, Yamaha DX7 II FD, Casio SK1, and a few others propped up. I bet I have a hundred miles of cables and cords.
jarrydn
Hello fellow audio geek!
Nice collection bro :). The JX-305 is the keyboard version of the MC-505, no?
I grabbed an MC-505 with the intention of using it as a sound source, MIDI'd up to my Amiga for some old school fun, but I haven't really dived too deeply into it yet. I find the sounds a tad uninspiring. What are your thoughts, and/or tips?
the-aenigma
Thanks! The JX-305 is the keyboard version of the MC-505. While I have never used the MC-505, I have gotton a lot of milage out of the JX-305. It has all the drum kits one would ever need on a keyboard for all genres. Also the synth patches range from basic string and brass to quite a few more exotic sounds. Some of the presets do sound a bit flat, but with all the built in effects and arpeggiator, you have a ton of options to add spice to the patches. Editing them is easy and you can make them sound any way you want including the drums. It also makes an excellent midi controller.
The only downside to this beast, is that there are no buttons for fills/breaks or intro/outro for the drum patterns. Only a start and stop button. While some people moan about this, all you have to do is program them into the sequencer. It takes more time, but it's worth it. Also the type of memory card it uses is 4 mb, it has been obsolete and out of production for years. Luckily I have one. They are expensive as hell if you find one.
Although I have seen it used as a stand alone piece by other artists, it is better used in combination with other synths. I often use it with my MPC-1000 and MIcro Korg, even my Yamaha DX-7. They seem to compliment each other. While many websites overprice the JX-305 at usually around $1000-$1200, I got mine for $275 on Ebay a few years ago. I wouldn't trade it for anything.