Some more Akai AX-80 Sounds By: Synthpro

[snorbert]

Incredible atmosphere to these sounds. Hope you don't mind me saying, but your playing style in this demo reminds me of Jean Michel Jarre's early albums, with a little bit of Gary Numan in there too... :-) Thanks very much for showing what this synth can do!

[synthpro]

@snorbert Thank you very much!!!! I don't mind you saying that at all, Both JMJ and Gary Numan are two of my favorite musicians.

Thanks again and your welcome for the demo of the AX-80.

Take care,

Jareth

[HSMHaterzhehe]

how much do these cost?

[synthpro]

@HSMHaterzhehe They run from about $300 to $600 depending on condition.

[bestrickie2]

I love it J you really know your stuff. Yeh with the fazer it really brings out a lot of chorus to. Cheers!

[computron808]

How do u like it?? My friend told me that when u go 2 turn the knobz it doesn`t react rite away.He said therez a little bit of a delay when your turning the knobs.Is that tru?Cause I was thinkin about getting one.I heard the sounds are very similar 2 a juno 106.N thatz what I`m lookin for.N the ax-80 half the price of a juno 106..Any other things about that u don`t like?

[synthpro]

@computron808 I love my AX-80! Mine actually responds fairly well. I have never had a problem with delays in control that I can think of. The only drawback is that you do have to use one knob to tweak all the paramaters, but it really isn't that bad at all once you get the feel for it. This synth has a lot to offer and they are very reliable. The only problem thing you really have to watch for is a leaking battery and the wire bridges breaking loose betwwen the interface boards.

Take care

[dzlvs8]

In the begining did you actually say yabadabaoo?

[lanzauno]

nice vid man. trying to pick one of these up this weekend. do you know if parts are available for these synths if something breaks? are they difficult to have repaired?

thanks

[synthpro]

@lanzauno Thank you! It is not real easy to find parts for the AX-80. I have rebuilt some other Akai gear such as the AX-73, and X-7000. It was tough finding the parts. The good thing is that I have never seen too much go wrong with the AX-80. The most problems happen with the interface buttons because the solder bridges break loose. It is not a hard fix at all.

hope this helps you out.

Jareth

[realityfakers]

Love some of these sounds you are getting (I have an AX80 also and if you program it well it sounds amazing through outboard effects), too many people write it off based on the presets. Like your Numan cover too.

The only thing you should change is to pronounce AKAI properly ("ACK - EYE"), just a tip. :)

[realityfakers]

@realityfakers And when I say "properly" I mean as used in the west by almost anyone who's ever owned some Akai gear - not the Japanese pronunciation if that is what you are using.

[taigkyo]

@realityfakers, this guy isn't from the west; he's from the southeast! That's how it Akai would be pronounced in Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia... YouTube is truly international, they even get Texans on here sometimes ;-)

[InsertName125]

@taigkyo I agree. But, I don't think realityfakers was refering to the Western U.S. He was refering to the Western Hemisphere.

Then again, I don't care how synthpro pronounces anything. He knows the insides of a synth better than I'd ever bother to. The more people who can repair these things the better as far as I'm concerned.

[MrSYSTEM20]

I remember making some fascinating sounds on the AX80 I had back in 1987.

I ended up having to sell it thing to finance a divorce..I never forgive her for

the things she did. I got my freedom, the state of california sent her to prison.

[synthpro]

@MrSYSTEM20 Man, sorry to hear about your AX-80 and the divorce. Maybe you will find another AX-80 sometime.

[MrSYSTEM20]

@synthpro Me too, I miss it :)

[grIMProducer]

i have,and absolutely love this board but before i get too into editing patches id like to get the "back up tape" i.e just the sounds that i play into the board that reset the original parameters so if i get too crazy i can reset it back to default. can any one get me the audio for that via like an mp3 or something . thanks.

[Laura041974]

I've seen one on ebay but the "cicle switch " is missing and needs "bridging". Can you tell me what this means? It won't come on without. Is this a standard part or specific to this synth? I'm too ignorant to fix it. I found a Polymoog but that's £500 with 4 days left! Last one I saw ended over 1K! How was your move and have you found a job yet? You should apply to Moog or DSI, then you could help develop new synths. See YT films of the Moog Factory in Ashville, Carolina.

[synthpro]

@Laura041974 I am very sorry for the late response! Yes, I can tell you what all of this means. The circle switch is a knob that allows you to adjust the amounts of each section. The bridging is part of the wiring harness that connects the membrain button panels together. The solder tends to break loose and cause bad connectionsbetween these boards. It is a very common problem on the AX-80, but an easy fix.

The move went well. I would like to work for moog or DSI.

Take care,

Jareth

[Laura041974]

Thank you for replying. It ended at £113, I didn't bid for it because it had been in a loft and I was worried about damp. It was local, I find few nearby. Most of the nice ones are in the Home Counties, London way. Do people post or is it better to collect in person? I don't have skill to mend one so am wary of getting anything faulty.

[HappyProducer]

@synthpro She was actually referring to the voltage selector circular switch having fell out (as it does) as fitted to some market's AX80s. I know because I bought the AX80 she is talking about and fixed it that night :)

[synthpro]

@HappyProducer Oh, Thanks for that bit of info! I have always worked on the American models only, but do know the voltage selctor switch you are talking about.. Glad to hear you got it going.

Take care,

Jareth

[HappyProducer]

@synthpro Thanks, yeah I'm glad too. Great/interesting synth. A change from the usual stuff.

[synthpro]

@HappyProducer The AX-80 does have a unique sound. The interface is like a time machine that takes you back to the 80's, haha.

[themagickreport]

looks like guitar center in here...minus the akai your synths are garbage

[synthpro]

@themagickreport Sorry you feel that way. They may not be much to you, but I enjoy all of them very much. Ijust restored a polymoog so now it is also part of my setup.

[TRaddcliff]

@themagickreport really...i think that MOOG in the foreground in kinda nice.

nice of people to come online just to shoot someone down. weaksauce.

keep up the demos dude.

[synthpro]

@TRaddcliff Oh yes, I love my Moog Little Phatty.

I agree.

Thanks and take care,

Jareth

[themagickreport]

@synthpro its that stupid lil fatty, w0rst synth moog ever made

[themagickreport]

all im sayin is his room looks like damn guitar center with an akai in it.

[DJPandaTack]

those are some solid sounds man, i like these a lot

very well crafted

[felshout]

Great, Saving sounds as a wave works really good, do you have any experience? I have a few tapes(=wav) in a cubase song. So I can select (by solo) a tape and send it to the AX-80.

I also did some work on the SH-201.

Regards Erik Elshout

mysynthsounds.webhop.net

[felshout]

Great sounds

I am looking for some good AX-80 sounds. Are you willing to record your sounds as a wave. (tape out to audio card) looking forward to exchange some sounds.

Regards Erik

[synthpro]

@felshout Thank you Erik.

I will see what I can do for you. I honestly have not had much time here lately, but I will try to make a wave file as soon as I can.

Take care,

Jareth

[offthelinegt]

@buzzsaw1003 indeed

[MichaelBlue72]

Nice collection! I dumped the SH201 after a week or so, but the rest is great! Love to hear some direct sound, no off the camera mic, and some work with the Radias and AX80 together. :)

[synthpro]

Thank you!

Yes, the SH-201 is not one of the best synths, but I have done some programming to mine and made some great analog string sounds. and stuff. It was my first synth and it was great to learn on because of all the features it had and the tape echo built in is nice. I only used the mono connection for a long time, but when I finally got it connected to a stereo connection it is not bad. Still not as powerful as my other synths, but still a great little synth.

Thank for watching.

[smackyjack]

The second most under rated synth ever. The first I think is the Kawai SX240. The third being the AX60..I dig your synth room as well.

[synthpro]

Thanks! I agree with you. The Kawai SX240 is an amazing synth!

Thanks for watching!

[zzzxtreme]

i see a moog. u naughty boy

[synthpro]

That is my moog little phatty you see. I also have a polymoog I just got done restoring.

[StudioF]

beautifull sounds

[synthpro]

Thank you!

[directmusic]

...like your freaky synth - bedroom! ;-)

[synthpro]

Thanks! I like it until I have to clean it. I clean my room every two weeks and move all the equipmet out. It can be a job!

Thanks for watching!

[analogpro7]

is that a korg radias!??! what in the world are you messing with the akai for when you got such an incredible synth right above it??

[synthpro]

That is a Radias. I love it! The reason I use the akai is because it has got a VCF and some great sounds. A lot of times I will have the Radias working as a MIDI sequencer playing the akai while I play a different part on the Radias and moog. I look at each synth in my setup as a guitar player would look at his guitars, each one has a different color or warmth of sound. The one keyboard that the Radias has just about replaced is my Roland SH-201. It makes my Roland sound like a toy.

[socalsynths]

Radias is not an analog synthesizer; it is a modelled digital synth, and although it sounds great, it cannot create the kind of timbres (live) that an AX80 or any other analog can.

[layzer80]

emensly under rated synth because the presets sucked balls. excellent programming dude. sounds like you found the hidden treasure under the crappy presets!

[synthpro]

Thanks! You are right. The presets do suck. You would think Akai would have took the time to make better presets. Thanks for watching!

[FanatikJ]

Excellent!

[synthpro]

Thanks!

[Synthshop]

can you post the patch data wav file for these patches. I would like to try loading them into my AX-80

[synthpro]

I will try to get them up soon. Thanks for watching!

[soapisgood]

1:55 sounds just like the pleasure principle

[attorks]

Good to see that the next generation also enjoys the previous generation synths. Nice setup you have.

[synthpro]

Thanks for watching. I wish I had more vintage synths, but they are too expensive. I am trying to find a polymoog now.

[chrstman]

I used to own a polymoog. That thing was a beast and the roadcase that went with it was so large that it had casters on the bottom of it. I made the dumb mistake of trading it for a Casio CZ-1. Your right about the cost of vintage synths. Certain models go for 4 to 8 and even upwards close to 10 grand for a Prophet 5 or Jupiter 8.

[synthpro]

Wow! Thats cool! was yours the synth model or the keyboard model? I put a bid in on a polymoog on ebay a few days ago and won! It is a 280a. I got it for $300.00 and was shocked to see I won it for that price. I will have some demos up soon.

Thanks for watching!

[analogpro7]

congrats on the polymoog. it's a good synth. seems to degrade over time, but nothing that can't be fixed.

[synthpro]

Thanks!

[analogpro7]

let me know what you think of the poly after awhile.  I definitely have a strong opinion about mine, but i won't share until you do =]

[synthpro]

I will. I am working on a youtube video now to show the project.

[analogpro7]

i have a friend selling his prophet 5 for less than a grand. nothing really wrong with it. the only complaint is that you have to be sharp when hitting keys or else you may unintentionally strike a note next to it. This is due to the touch sensors under each key being too close together so any keyboard shift makes it difficult.

[synthpro]

That is cool! I would be interested in it if I did not have this polymoog. I am out of room.

[MARANTZamp]

that's a STEAL. Prophets fetch 4 X that now! grab it!

[synthpro]

Yes it is!

[MARANTZamp]

ohhh Man...a moog for a cz? shame on you!

I just sold my stupid cz-1, after trying to sell it for 3 months--NOBODY WANTED IT.

I can't get into the programming on those things, I like analog/knobs.

[kitrumble]

Cool bedroom...!!! Thanks for sharing the sounds from the Akai.....didnt really give them much attention before but some really terrific dark sounds on that machine

[synthpro]

Thanks! It is a nice synth for the price.

[weaponEX]

Good work - I didn't know what an Akai AX-80 was before, but now I do!

[synthpro]

Thanks, The AX-80 is a great analog synth.

[beh0003]

I really enjoy your videos man. You've got some great equipment there. I also appreciate the high video (image) quality. Keep it up, and keep em coming. Thanks !

[synthpro]

Thanks, glad you like them!