AX80
Encyclopedia
The AX80 is a polyphonic
analogue keyboard synthesizer
manufactured by Akai Professional in the mid-1980s. It was Akai's first venture into the professional electronic musical instrument
market. The AX80 used digitally controlled analogue oscillators and filter circuitry based on the Curtis Electronics CEM
3372 integrated circuit
. It was marketed as part of a line of project studio equipment called the Akai Music Studio System, which included the S612 digital sampler
the MR16 drum machine, the MS08 sequencer, and the MG1212 multitrack tape recorder, at a price of $1,695 US.
is an 8-voice polyphonic
, digitally controlled analogue synthesizer
. It has 64 memory locations for sounds ("patches"), arranged in two banks of 32 each, plus a bank of 32 factory preset sounds. The instrument has basic MIDI implementation, but lacks the ability to save or restore sounds except by using cassette
tape.
knob, a master tuning knob, a data entry knob for programming patches, modulation and pitch wheels with knobs for the depth of the effect, and various buttons to switch on and off modulation destinations, enable chord memory, transpose
the keyboard, or infinitely sustain notes. The case is black metal with fluorescent displays to indicate the status of different synthesis parameters (see Figure 1), and black rubberized end pieces.
, sustain and program change footpedal jacks, MIDI in, out and "thru" DIN connector
s, a monaural quarter-inch audio output, a quarter-inch headphone jack, and memory protect and power switches.
, in that there are two oscillators
(referred to as "OSC"s) per voice, with the option of sawtooth and/or square waveforms. These oscillators are controlled digitally with analog circuitry used only to create the sawtooth waveshape. OSC2 can be synchronized to OSC1, or the two oscillators can be cross-modulated. The OSCs can be separated by semitone
intervals (up to four octaves) and detuned (to approximately a semitone
). There is pulse-width modulation
of the square wave of OSC1 (with a dedicated low-frequency oscillator
(LFO) for this) and a square-wave sub-oscillator that is fixed at one octave
lower. OSC2's pitch can be modulated by one of the two ADSR envelope generators, which are dedicated to VCA
volume
and VCF
cutoff frequency
. The filter is a 24dB/octave (four-pole) resonant lowpass type, and there is also a separate 12 dB/octave highpass filter that is not envelope controlled.
Tracking of filter cutoff frequency
with keyboard position is fully variable, allowing for sounds to become either "brighter" or "darker" as higher notes are played. Keyboard velocity can affect volume
and/or filter cutoff
.
The modulation section of this synthesizer features four low-frequency oscillators
. Three of these each have four available waveform
s (sine, square, sawtooth and ramp), and these LFOs are dedicated to filter cutoff, and pitch of each of the two oscillators. These also have a programmable delay before their effect sets in. The fourth LFO is dedicated to pulse-width modulation
of OSC1, and only its rate and depth are programmable.
There is also a programmable output level for each patch, to help balance loud and soft sounds. Notably missing from the voice architecture are white noise
and portamento.
and pitch
), to enable chord memory or infinite sustain of notes, and to select or edit sounds. The pitch-bend and modulation wheels also have knobs governing the depth of the effect of each. Footswitches can control sustain or switch sounds by moving up one patch at a time.
's song "All We Are", played by Pye Dubois
, although the manufacturer's name is blacked out. Greek synth-pop duo Marsheaux
and U.K alternative act Spacehotel are also said to use the AX80, as is Mark Bell of LFO on Björk
's Homogenic
album.
during the mid-1980s. The AX80 also appears in the price lists at the end of both editions of Mark Vail’s Vintage Synthesizers. The second edition contains a footnote: "If you can get around the interfaces on the Akai AX-series synths, Wes Taggart [of Analogics (Geneva, Ohio, USA)] reports that 'a good-sounding synth lies beneath'". Jim Aikin
reviewed the AX80 in Keyboard Magazine
in January 1985, noting it has a "warm, full sound, and can deliver a full palette of musically useful tone colors.... an excellent first entry into the keyboard market, by a company that we're sure to be seeing more from." Keyboard
also printed a capsule summary in its new product profile "Spec Sheet" feature. There is also a two-page review in Complete Guide to Synthesizers, Sequencers, and Drum Machines, by Dean Friedman.
Polyphony (instrument)
Polyphony Instruments that are not capable of polyphony are monophonic.-Synthesizer:Most of early synthesizers were monophonic musical instruments which can play only one note at a time, and are often called monosynth as opposed to polysynth...
analogue keyboard synthesizer
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...
manufactured by Akai Professional in the mid-1980s. It was Akai's first venture into the professional electronic musical instrument
Electronic musical instrument
An electronic musical instrument is a musical instrument that produces its sounds using electronics. Such an instrument sounds by outputting an electrical audio signal that ultimately drives a loudspeaker....
market. The AX80 used digitally controlled analogue oscillators and filter circuitry based on the Curtis Electronics CEM
Curtis CEM
Curtis CEM chips are analog chips used in many synthesizers.Curtis Electromusic Specialties, founded by Doug Curtis , developed a family of signal-processing products for electronic music synthesizers and audio equipment.-SSM and CEM:Chips List...
3372 integrated circuit
Integrated circuit
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
. It was marketed as part of a line of project studio equipment called the Akai Music Studio System, which included the S612 digital sampler
Sampler (musical instrument)
A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
the MR16 drum machine, the MS08 sequencer, and the MG1212 multitrack tape recorder, at a price of $1,695 US.
Features and Cabinet
This electronic keyboardElectronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
is an 8-voice polyphonic
Polyphony (instrument)
Polyphony Instruments that are not capable of polyphony are monophonic.-Synthesizer:Most of early synthesizers were monophonic musical instruments which can play only one note at a time, and are often called monosynth as opposed to polysynth...
, digitally controlled analogue synthesizer
Analog synthesizer
An analog or analogue synthesizer is a synthesizer that uses analog circuits and analog computer techniques to generate sound electronically. The earliest analog synthesizers in the 1920s and 1930s such as the Trautonium were built with a variety of vacuum-tube and electro-mechanical technologies...
. It has 64 memory locations for sounds ("patches"), arranged in two banks of 32 each, plus a bank of 32 factory preset sounds. The instrument has basic MIDI implementation, but lacks the ability to save or restore sounds except by using cassette
Compact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
tape.
Front panel
The front panel has a volumeLoudness
Loudness is the quality of a sound that is primarily a psychological correlate of physical strength . More formally, it is defined as "that attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud."Loudness, a subjective measure, is often...
knob, a master tuning knob, a data entry knob for programming patches, modulation and pitch wheels with knobs for the depth of the effect, and various buttons to switch on and off modulation destinations, enable chord memory, transpose
Transposition (music)
In music transposition refers to the process, or operation, of moving a collection of notes up or down in pitch by a constant interval.For example, one might transpose an entire piece of music into another key...
the keyboard, or infinitely sustain notes. The case is black metal with fluorescent displays to indicate the status of different synthesis parameters (see Figure 1), and black rubberized end pieces.
Back panel
The back panel is unusual in that it is tilted from vertical so that the connectors can be seen from the front of the instrument. There are quarter-inch jacks for recording data to cassette tapeCompact Cassette
The Compact Cassette, often referred to as audio cassette, cassette tape, cassette, or simply tape, is a magnetic tape sound recording format. It was designed originally for dictation, but improvements in fidelity led the Compact Cassette to supplant the Stereo 8-track cartridge and reel-to-reel...
, sustain and program change footpedal jacks, MIDI in, out and "thru" DIN connector
DIN connector
A DIN connector is a connector that was originally standardized by the , the German national standards organization. There are DIN standards for a large number of different connectors, therefore the term "DIN connector" alone does not unambiguously identify any particular type of connector unless...
s, a monaural quarter-inch audio output, a quarter-inch headphone jack, and memory protect and power switches.
Keyboard
The keyboard is five octaves (61 notes, C to C) and is unweighted. It has velocity, but not aftertouch, sensitivity. The output MIDI velocity values span the full range (up to 127), but only discrete "steps" are used (in other words, not every integer value from 1 to 127).Voice architecture
The synthesizer voices are somewhat similar to those found in the Roland JX-3PRoland JX-3P
The Roland JX-3P is a synthesizer produced by Roland Corporation of Japan in 1983. It is notable as the one of the company's first products to incorporate a MIDI interface, limited to note-on/note-off data only.-Features:...
, in that there are two oscillators
Voltage-controlled oscillator
A voltage-controlled oscillator or VCO is an electronic oscillator designed to be controlled in oscillation frequency by a voltage input. The frequency of oscillation is varied by the applied DC voltage, while modulating signals may also be fed into the VCO to cause frequency modulation or phase...
(referred to as "OSC"s) per voice, with the option of sawtooth and/or square waveforms. These oscillators are controlled digitally with analog circuitry used only to create the sawtooth waveshape. OSC2 can be synchronized to OSC1, or the two oscillators can be cross-modulated. The OSCs can be separated by semitone
Semitone
A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically....
intervals (up to four octaves) and detuned (to approximately a semitone
Semitone
A semitone, also called a half step or a half tone, is the smallest musical interval commonly used in Western tonal music, and it is considered the most dissonant when sounded harmonically....
). There is pulse-width modulation
Pulse-width modulation
Pulse-width modulation , or pulse-duration modulation , is a commonly used technique for controlling power to inertial electrical devices, made practical by modern electronic power switches....
of the square wave of OSC1 (with a dedicated low-frequency oscillator
Low frequency oscillation
Low-frequency oscillation is an electronic signal, which is usually below 20 Hz and creates a rhythmic pulse or sweep. This pulse or sweep is often used to modulate synthesizers, delay lines and other audio equipment in order to create effects used in the production of electronic music. Audio...
(LFO) for this) and a square-wave sub-oscillator that is fixed at one octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
lower. OSC2's pitch can be modulated by one of the two ADSR envelope generators, which are dedicated to VCA
Variable-gain amplifier
A variable-gain or voltage-controlled amplifier is an electronic amplifier that varies its gain depending on a control voltage .VCAs have many applications, including audio level compression, synthesizers and amplitude modulation....
volume
Loudness
Loudness is the quality of a sound that is primarily a psychological correlate of physical strength . More formally, it is defined as "that attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud."Loudness, a subjective measure, is often...
and VCF
Voltage-controlled filter
A voltage-controlled filter is a filter whose operating characteristics can be controlled by means of a control voltage applied to one or more inputs...
cutoff frequency
Cutoff frequency
In physics and electrical engineering, a cutoff frequency, corner frequency, or break frequency is a boundary in a system's frequency response at which energy flowing through the system begins to be reduced rather than passing through.Typically in electronic systems such as filters and...
. The filter is a 24dB/octave (four-pole) resonant lowpass type, and there is also a separate 12 dB/octave highpass filter that is not envelope controlled.
Tracking of filter cutoff frequency
Cutoff frequency
In physics and electrical engineering, a cutoff frequency, corner frequency, or break frequency is a boundary in a system's frequency response at which energy flowing through the system begins to be reduced rather than passing through.Typically in electronic systems such as filters and...
with keyboard position is fully variable, allowing for sounds to become either "brighter" or "darker" as higher notes are played. Keyboard velocity can affect volume
Loudness
Loudness is the quality of a sound that is primarily a psychological correlate of physical strength . More formally, it is defined as "that attribute of auditory sensation in terms of which sounds can be ordered on a scale extending from quiet to loud."Loudness, a subjective measure, is often...
and/or filter cutoff
Cutoff frequency
In physics and electrical engineering, a cutoff frequency, corner frequency, or break frequency is a boundary in a system's frequency response at which energy flowing through the system begins to be reduced rather than passing through.Typically in electronic systems such as filters and...
.
The modulation section of this synthesizer features four low-frequency oscillators
Low frequency oscillation
Low-frequency oscillation is an electronic signal, which is usually below 20 Hz and creates a rhythmic pulse or sweep. This pulse or sweep is often used to modulate synthesizers, delay lines and other audio equipment in order to create effects used in the production of electronic music. Audio...
. Three of these each have four available waveform
Waveform
Waveform means the shape and form of a signal such as a wave moving in a physical medium or an abstract representation.In many cases the medium in which the wave is being propagated does not permit a direct visual image of the form. In these cases, the term 'waveform' refers to the shape of a graph...
s (sine, square, sawtooth and ramp), and these LFOs are dedicated to filter cutoff, and pitch of each of the two oscillators. These also have a programmable delay before their effect sets in. The fourth LFO is dedicated to pulse-width modulation
Pulse-width modulation
Pulse-width modulation , or pulse-duration modulation , is a commonly used technique for controlling power to inertial electrical devices, made practical by modern electronic power switches....
of OSC1, and only its rate and depth are programmable.
There is also a programmable output level for each patch, to help balance loud and soft sounds. Notably missing from the voice architecture are white noise
White noise
White noise is a random signal with a flat power spectral density. In other words, the signal contains equal power within a fixed bandwidth at any center frequency...
and portamento.
Performance controls
The AX80 has knobs for master volume and tuning, and a data entry knob that can be used to alter the currently selected parameter in real-time, although the value will jump to the knob's current position. There are various switches to select modulation destinations controlled by the modulation wheel (filterVoltage-controlled filter
A voltage-controlled filter is a filter whose operating characteristics can be controlled by means of a control voltage applied to one or more inputs...
and pitch
Pitch (music)
Pitch is an auditory perceptual property that allows the ordering of sounds on a frequency-related scale.Pitches are compared as "higher" and "lower" in the sense associated with musical melodies,...
), to enable chord memory or infinite sustain of notes, and to select or edit sounds. The pitch-bend and modulation wheels also have knobs governing the depth of the effect of each. Footswitches can control sustain or switch sounds by moving up one patch at a time.
MIDI implementation
The AX80 has fairly standard MIDI implementation for an instrument of this vintage, with the ability to use any channel (1-16) for transmission or reception (these can be set separately). The instrument does not recognize the MIDI tuning request, nor does it allow for saving or loading sounds (patches) to a computer via system-exclusive data dumps.Accessories
When it was released, Akai advertised various accessories for the AX80: a footswitch (PS-X80), the FC-X80 flight case, HC-X80 hard case, SC-X80 soft case, and a vinyl dust cover (DC-X80).Use in recorded music
An AX80 appears in the video for Kim MitchellKim Mitchell
Joseph Kim Mitchell is a Canadian guitarist. He was the lead singer and guitarist for the band Max Webster before going on to lead a solo career. He is currently a radio show host for CILQ-FM in Toronto....
's song "All We Are", played by Pye Dubois
Pye Dubois
Pye Dubois is a Canadian lyricist and poet. He has worked with a number of bands, including Rush and Max Webster, with whom he was considered an unofficial fifth non-performing member. Dubois would accompany the band in the studio and wrote lyrics for each of their albums. Dubois was given lyric...
, although the manufacturer's name is blacked out. Greek synth-pop duo Marsheaux
Marsheaux
Marsheaux is a Greek synthpop duo formed in Athens in 2003. The group is composed of vocalists, songwriters and keyboardists Marianthi Melitsi and Sophie Sarigiannidou. The name Marsheaux is derived from the first syllable of each band member's name. Both members sing almost exclusively in English...
and U.K alternative act Spacehotel are also said to use the AX80, as is Mark Bell of LFO on Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
's Homogenic
Homogenic
Homogenic is the fourth studio album by Icelandic musician Björk, released in September 1997. Produced by Björk, Mark Bell, Guy Sigsworth, Howie B and Markus Dravs, it was released on One Little Indian Records...
album.
Literature
Full-page advertisements with the slogan "Simply...Awesome!" ran in Keyboard MagazineKeyboard Magazine
Keyboard Magazine is a magazine that originally covered electronic keyboard instruments and keyboardists, though with the advent of computer based recording and audio technology, they have added digital music technology to their regular coverage, including those not strictly pertaining to the...
during the mid-1980s. The AX80 also appears in the price lists at the end of both editions of Mark Vail’s Vintage Synthesizers. The second edition contains a footnote: "If you can get around the interfaces on the Akai AX-series synths, Wes Taggart [of Analogics (Geneva, Ohio, USA)] reports that 'a good-sounding synth lies beneath'". Jim Aikin
Jim Aikin
Jim Aikin is an American science fiction writer based in Livermore, California. He is also a music technology writer, an interactive fiction writer, freelance editor and writer, cellist, and teacher...
reviewed the AX80 in Keyboard Magazine
Keyboard Magazine
Keyboard Magazine is a magazine that originally covered electronic keyboard instruments and keyboardists, though with the advent of computer based recording and audio technology, they have added digital music technology to their regular coverage, including those not strictly pertaining to the...
in January 1985, noting it has a "warm, full sound, and can deliver a full palette of musically useful tone colors.... an excellent first entry into the keyboard market, by a company that we're sure to be seeing more from." Keyboard
Keyboard Magazine
Keyboard Magazine is a magazine that originally covered electronic keyboard instruments and keyboardists, though with the advent of computer based recording and audio technology, they have added digital music technology to their regular coverage, including those not strictly pertaining to the...
also printed a capsule summary in its new product profile "Spec Sheet" feature. There is also a two-page review in Complete Guide to Synthesizers, Sequencers, and Drum Machines, by Dean Friedman.
Other sources
- AX80 marketing brochure, Akai Electric Co., Ltd., TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, circa 1984 - Akai Professional brochure, Akai Electric Co., Ltd., TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, circa 1985 - Akai Micro Studio System fold-out brochure, Akai Electric Co., Ltd., TokyoTokyo, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, circa 1984 - AX80 user's manual
External links
- Info, pdf manual and mp3 clips Ax80 info
- AX80 retrospective published in 1996 Akai AX80 review