Akai AX-80

Again if you've read everyone elses reviews your probably bored by mine - the word is tweak, apart from liking a couple of organ, bass, synth and fx patches(?) the presents are fine tuned to impress (or not) the sound of the day.

Start with a bass sound and edit the crap out of it. Try to remember which locations are free before editing otherwise your end up writing over your old ones.

Action is fast, however I find that the ADSR on the LFO sync doesnt reset at times, so you can end up with the later part of the ADSR when hitting another key - which can work if thats what you intend however....

I lkie that you can seperate the Mod to VCF or OSC or both, I do miss the VCF on the Pitch bend like on the AX60

Its been said, however I find that the quality on the AX-80 is slightly less noisy than the AX-60

Apart from the membrane buttons failing (button 31-32) and lately 23-24 this thing could almost be run over by a car and still work

Akai? -Any Keyboard Assistance Impossible

I had an AX-60 that I sold, and I missed it the moment the guy took it away, so I bought the AX-80 to replace it 3 years later, for live or performance the AX-60 but for sound quality and recording the AX-80 definately.

easy as it gets for an analog

3 rock stable uniqe sounding ocillators, analog filters that sound warm and creamy. and those 3 LFOs + PWM on OSC1 make for some great sounds.

I have a Juno2, juno 106, and a oberheim matrix 6,
all those are "warm" sounding synths. but the AX80 sounds
like a its waveforms are made of barbed wires, yea it can sound
gritty and just downright nasty. thats what i love about it.
it has an aggresive quality about it. it mean.

well, the buttons fail, but thats an easy fix if you are handy with a soldeing tool. and the filter chips can go dead on it. when this happens you will get no sound from random keys on the board.
the actual voice is usully fine. its the cem3372 vcf/vca chip that blows and silences the voice. luckily akai thought ahead and made the cem3372's socketed making replacement a snap.

ring!
hello?
akai support, can i help you?
do you have a manual for the AX-80?
whats an AX-80?
click.

if it was stolen i would cry nonstop for days and day...
this thing sounds so raw i dont think i would ever find anything
to replace it. the presets are gay.

The 32 presets don't do this synth justice - most try to emulate 'real' instruments. (It's not the 80s any more - get a sampler!) Editing is an absolute doddle, just unlatch the memory protect, pick a parameter and twiddle away! Just remember which EG or LFO you're editing, though, because you have three of each, yes, three! There are 64 user memory locations.

Of course, it would be a bit easier with hardware controls, but the unique AX80 bar graphs quickly become second nature.

No manual, but if you need one with an analogue synth you really should stick to home keyboards...

8-voice poly - matches or beats most true analogues, and quite a few VAs too. (Mine seems to be a 7-voice due to age, though.) Keyboard action is a bit stiffer than my EX-5, but hardly noticeable. No built-in effects (that's standard for kit of this vintage) so the sounds are horribly dry. Nothing a bit of reverb and chorus can't fix. Never heard anybody complaining about the lack of built-in FX on Jupiters, Oberheims or Prophets... No expansion facilities or sequencer, but does have a Chord Memory button for no readily apparent reason. Mod wheel can be assigned to oscillators, filter or both. MIDI spec is basic - only accepts note information and program changes. No Sysex. Live with it.

Where this scores is in having three LFOs - one for each oscillator, and another for the filter. Combine this with PWM on osc 1 and crossmod, and you can create some spectacular modulation effects. It's a bit like having a polyphonic modular! Rating reflects this compared to, say, a JP-8.

Velocity sensitivity was in its early days when this synth came out, so it's not exactly astounding. But at least it's there. Ignoring the presets, it's possible to get some pretty good analogue sounds out of the AX80. Only snag is, with digital oscillators, the sound isn't very warm. You can detune osc2, but it's no OB-X.

On the plus side, the filter resonates nicely - I used to have an SH-09 and this can squeal like that could. This synth is particularly good at doing bizarre modulation sound effects - the kind of thing Peter Baumann used to do in the 70s, but polyphonic.

This is a synth that always has you reaching for the pitch and mod wheels!

Here's the Achilles heel. There's a common fault with AX80s and mine is no exception. The last 8 buttons can die on you. This means opening up the casing and re-soldering the bridge between two circuit boards. (There's a handy illustrated repair guide out there on the web for this - easy to find in Google.) Otherwise you have no control over the envelope generators and VCA, and can only access some of the memory locations via a pedal.

On mine, there's also a problem in that some notes don't sound. It's not a keyboard fault (mine works fine as a controller keyboard, and external control still drops out) and my best guess is that one of the oscillators has died on me. Any suggestions for how to fix this would be greatly appreciated!) This makes it unplayable as a musical instrument, but fortunately for me I only use it for weird modular effects, so I get by.

The AX80 looks like it's built like a tank, but the electronics aren't up to the strength of the casing. If you're planning on buying one, make sure you check it out first!

Akai, or what's left of them, don't seem to realise they ever made this, so you're on your own unless you can afford to have it fixed professionally - I think there's a firm in Holland who can do them. There's also a guy on the internet who reckons he can get the service manual to you for $35 if you're handy with electronics.

If my AX80 disappeared, yes, I'd try to get another one, although it might be difficult as not many were made. If, like me, you rely on those three LFOs then there's not much else out there to touch this synth. Since I only paid ??82 for mine, then I'm quite happy to put up with its faults - my Yamaha EX-5 is pretty versatile and can cover most synth sounds, and I only use the AX80 to do things the EX can't. (I use an E-mu MP-7 for sequencing, and that has some interesting sounds too.)

What do I love most about it? Those fluorescent bar graphs! (And did I mention the LFOs?)

The nice thing about the AX80 is the price. It was never a popular synth - 1985 was a bad year for analogue synths - so it never built up a reputation for itself, and Akai soon moved into sampling. I've seen repair shops selling serviced AX80s for under ??300. You can easily pay five times this for a JP-8, P-5 or OBX/OB8. No contest! And no tuning problems either, with DCOs.

Presets sounded good when I bought this thing new. It beat out the Juno in my mind. The real strength is in the editing capability. Just don't try to do anything much on the fly.

Action? It's an early 80's synth. Feel is soft. Spent too much time on this thing and not enough on the piano. It showed in juries (school). No aftertouch or anything else. And yes, the unit weighs a TON! The whole tape backup thing is a waste. For polyphony, in the studio, think Walter Carlos (Switched on Bach - he recorded it one note at a time) multitracking for additional polyphony if you'll never actually use it for gigging. (But then again, you only have 10 fingers) So remember the magic word; "stack."

With enough tweaking I was able to get a couple realistic sounds, but let's face it, this is a synth, not a sampler. Pads are great. I always did like the pianos. It was a break from the Rhodes and Roland sounds. If you're not doing nothing but covers, who would want to sound like everyone else all the time? But the tweakability factor is huge.

I used to think it was bulletproof. Not quite so. But it got banged around a bit being toted here and there and never suffered any serious damage. Else, see below.

I've had a short in the volume pot for years. I finally contacted Akai a couple years ago about it. The first response was. "HUH? You have a what? Oh, you need to contact Akai pro support". I contacted them and their response was "What's an AX-80?" I even sent them a picture. Never heard from them again. But I ask, who needs customer support?

I've had a couple people ask about buying it from me, and only seriously considered it once. I don't think I would consider buying a replacement at this point, however, if it were "lost" unless it was in perfect working condition and I personally tested it (in other words, never off eBay) since their support is so much less than exemplary.

Very cool way to programm an analogue synth without knobs & sliders. Those displays look very spacy and make it pretty easy to create new sounds. The only thing is to figure out how to assign the mod-wheel to the lfo or vcf if you don't own the manual - I'm still trying to figure it out... ;-)

Well, what do you expect from a 20year old monster?! 8-voice polyphony is pretty good and enough for an analogue synthesizer. Ok, it lacks of any onboard effects like a chorus, but the sound is even without them pretty thick. An onboard arpeggiator would also have been nice, but by midi-control an external arp does the same.

Strange but fantastic. The filter iz pretty dirty and let's you create a wide range of sounds. From strange fx to sweet brass or bouncing bass sound nearly everything is possible. By using velocity and osc-sync in addition of a midi-sequencer you can also create vocal-like sequencer-sounds. Fantastic!

It has got a very got reliability. Fully metal and build to survive a world war... ;-) Only the buttons can break when you press them to hard. The boards are connected by small bridges... To prevent problems with the buttons you shoud replace them by cables. I did so, because my buttons didn't work any more as I buyed it. Now ev'rything is fine.

Customer Support?! Maybe Akai should remember their gone products and support them again. Exspecialy they shoud offer the manuals for download...

Yeah! It was my first analogue Synth as I bought it and I guess I'll keep it till I die... It's my prefered lead-synthesizer in connection with my Juno-60 really nice...
You cannot compare it with thosue clean and nice Roland-Sounds. The filter is very dirty an hard. This synth has it's own character - you will love it or hate it... Sometimes I do both... :)

one of the most intuitive easy synths to program i own.
display is unique and extremely good.
data entry knob big and easy.
presets well its old so what do you expect.

polyphony is ok for its age and it is easy to make it useful in your tracks.
no fx but plugging a stompbox or a vamp in the line sounds great.
midi limited but usable.
the display is awesome. and the filter in this synth is amazing.

sounds unique, i dont buy synths to make them sound like flutes or pianos. i want them to sound like a synth and the ax80 has its own flavour.
the cross mod is excellent. and the envelopes are great.
it has the capability of destroying your speakers with its filter. no noise generator so thats a little dissapointing . keybord is a typical plastic key 80s synth keyboard.outputs are very clean on mine .

seems very solid allthough it has done wierd things every now and again but it seems realy solid and reliable.

uknown

well my ax80 is mint realy mint. i paid 150.00 for it. it may not be the best analog keyboard ever or the most versatile but for what i paid it is amazing.
it can make some awesome electronic noises.
the only thing i hate is the lack of support for this box.
i would replace it if i lost it. would pay up to 400.00 for one.
the guy in the guitar shop said it was not very good as it was from the era that synths became digital you can tell this from the display he said.
i played dumb and said well its only 150.00 so i will take it of your hands.
one of my all time bargains

The presets on the AX-80 do not demonstrate what this synth is capable of producing. However, it is programmable and capable of much more that the preset sounds.

This synth is not the easiest synth to program since it does not have a knob or slider for each function (as found in the Roland Juno 6/60/106 or Jupiter 6/8). However, the blue-green fluorescent display is a big plus for this synth in comparison to other keyboards of that era (such as the Yamaha DX-7 and Korg DW8000). I was still able to edit the onboard patches easily and get some very satisfying results even without having a copy of the owners manual. I do need to say that if you are unfamiliar with how to program an analog synth, you may need find a manual somewhere (good luck!).

I learned that you may need to push the buttons in the edit mode several times to access all of the functions. Pushing button #24 several times will allow you to access the three low frequency oscillators (LFO) on the keyboard. These LFOs are individually assigned to each of the two oscillators and the filter section. Pushing button #30 several times will allow you to access the three envelop generators (EG) on the keyboard. The EGs are individually assigned to the oscillator and filter sections.

In general, I believe that other reviewers have covered the features of this synth. However, none of the reviewers mentioned that the first oscillator has a variable pulse waveform with its own width and speed control that is separate from the other three LFOs. This is a plus in programming thick patches.

I find the keyboard action to be okay for a synth of this vintage. It seems to react better in driving my MIDI modules in comparison to my Korg DW8000 synth.

The keyboard does not have any of the classic effects onboard. However, at the time this synth was introduced, none of the synths had any onboard effects.

The AX-80 is a synthesizer. It will not sound like a piano, brass, Hammond B3, string orchestra, etc., since it is not a sampler. However, it can generate some very pleasing, thick synthesizer sounds that really do not sound like other synthesizers of the 1970's to mid-1980's. I have programmed several sounds in it that are reminescent of the Yamaha CS series.

The AX-80 works well in the classic rock context for pads and solo type sounds. The velocity sensitive keyboard is a plus for the internal sounds and for driving my MIDI modules.

Everything on it works fine. I think that it is built like a tank. I am relying on it now without a backup. That's pretty good for an instrument that is nearly 20 years old!

I haven't contacted Akai. I couldn't find any on-line manuals in pdf for download. It would be nice if someone out there could provide a copy of their website. There is someone on eBay who is trying to sell the owners manual, service notes, schematics, etc. for around $25.

I probably wouldn't buy another AX-80 because this is the only one that I have ever seen. I found this unit at a pawn shop and it had a nice case that caught my eye. Also, this synth was a "9 out of 10". It had only a few scratches on the side panels. It is definately worth the $135 that I paid for it. I would advise others to look around at other keyboards if someone is trying to sell one of these for over $200. I would also make sure that everything works on the unit since it is so old. It may be difficult to fix.

I've been in the business for about 25 years now. I am currently playing the AX-80, Roland XV-88, Peavey SP, Peavey Spectrum Bass, Roland Jv-880, Alesis Nanopiano. I also use an Akai MIDI note separator with the AX-80 as it is driving the Peavey SP and Alesis.

I bought it used, a few circuts were cracked so a little soldering needed to be done. The main control nob is missing and not working. I tried to get that part open but I ended up stripping the screw so the membrane works... slowly

It would be easier to save on the keyboard itself but the tape deck does fine

Lots of fun

when I got it it was only ok but now its pretty good

Wonderful

I have always loved the green graphic display bars for each parameter. There is quick access to 3 sound banks of 32 sounds each. The bender and Mod wheels are easy to use. I occassionaly use the control wheel in performance to adjust a r parameter. Hold and Chord Memory buttons also come in handy. You can do a lot of things live and it's easy to work with when creating patches.

Ok it's only 8 voices, but you don't need to layer because it's extremely fat. The cross modulation gives it a unique sound for analog. I love the action for synth solos and organ patches. I've used it for piano sounds too and it's been very durable. Not one action problem in 16 years!! Yeah I wish it had some "gadget" things like an arpeggiator,sequencer, and noise generator. Portamento would have made this thing rock.

Forget realism. This is a synthesizer, not a sampler. People cannot believe the sounds I've "programmed" on that thing and I'm not a tech/programming type of person. If you want to get creative, play a keyboard that feels nice and are into retro analog keyboard sounds, it's a beautiful musical instrument.

I've gigged and practiced with this thing for 16 years. The only problems I've had have been with the main 1-32 buttons, which are used for all parameters and to call up all 96 patches. I did drop it from a stand once and I think most of those problems stemmed from the resulting hairline fracture of a circuit board. Key and button contacts needed to be cleaned several times.

N/A

I do use other modern sounds, but this is my analog baby. It's the poor man's Oberheim. I woudln't sell it if I was homeless. It's a great tool for learning analog synthesis basics and for inspiring composition as well as expressive playing. I chose it over the Juno 60 back then. (Not an easy decision, but there was something about the AX80.)

Very easy to use. Presets were weak even for 1983.

Read the other reviews.

Spending some time with it can get you some great sounds.

For it's size, the most weight I ever lugged around...but that translates into built like a tank.

Never had a problem.

I sold it 3 or 4 years ago - I wish I had it back. It was in flawless condition; I'll never find another like it. Not that it's so great sounding. It was just that I found uses for it.