Starsky Carr Unleashes the Super JX: Retroaktiv MPG-7X and Vecoven PWM Takeover

Roland’s Super JX is what happens when you smash two JX-8Ps together and crank the polyphony to twelve voices. Starsky Carr wastes no time showing off its dual-engine muscle, reminding us this was Roland’s last true analogue poly before digital fever took over. The MKS-70 rack unit, with its menu-driven interface, might look like a relic from the synth museum, but don’t let the minimal design fool you—the sound is pure mid-80s Roland, dripping with lush pads and classic character.

What makes the Super JX stand out isn’t just nostalgia. It’s the versatility: huge pads, deep basses, and that unmistakable detuned shimmer. Starsky points out how the synth’s architecture lets you layer and split sounds for complex, evolving textures. This isn’t a one-trick pony—it’s a full rave bunker in a rackmount box, ready to lay down everything from glassy chords to thick, analog stabs.

Enter the Retroaktiv MPG-7X, and suddenly the Super JX feels less like a cryptic relic and more like a modern performance monster. Starsky Carr is quick to show how this controller makes the old menu-diving pain disappear. With banks of knobs, sliders, and twelve patch and tone banks, you get instant access to everything—no more hammering dodgy buttons or squinting at tiny screens. The MPG-7X doesn’t just mimic the old PG-800; it leaves it in the dust with assignable controls, freeze functions, and MIDI integration that actually makes sense in 2024.

Performance features get a serious upgrade too. Assignable sliders let you morph sounds on the fly, while velocity crossfading and chord modes bring expressive playability that the original front panel could only dream of. Starsky’s approach is all about speed and creativity—this controller turns the Super JX into a proper street weapon, not just a studio ornament. If you’re still fiddling with the stock interface, you’re missing the party.

Now for the secret sauce: the Vecoven PWM upgrade. Starsky doesn’t sugarcoat it—installing this isn’t for the faint-hearted, but the payoff is massive. You get true pulse width modulation, extra envelopes, an additional LFO, and flexible modulation routing that blows the original spec out of the water. Suddenly, you’re not just tweaking a vintage synth; you’re sculpting sound with modern precision.

The upgrade lets you independently modulate each oscillator, stack five-stage envelopes, and assign LFOs like you’re programming a modular rig. Starsky demonstrates how this opens up new sound design territory, from evolving pads to snappy, percussive tones you simply couldn’t wrangle out of the stock machine. It’s the difference between a polite dinner party and an all-night warehouse rave—if you want your Super JX to go feral, this is the way.