UVX80 is based on a well known Japanese manufacturer’s first analog polyphonic synth, a digitally-controlled 2+1 oscillator, 8-voice, 61-key instrument launched in 1984 with a gorgeous and futuristic-looking visual stance. Technically comparable to the JX-3P, this synth boasted a more robust architecture with 2 extra voices, a sub-oscillator and real pulse-width modulation. Despite its technical advantages and profound sonic capability it would find a similar fate, never managing great commercial success but attracting a cult following that’s present even today. While not as difficult to edit as the 3P, this synth shared the lack of explicit controls found on the wildly popular but more basic Juno-106 that launched the same year. A truly progressive design for the time, you’d never know it was analog by looking at it, but there’s no mistaking the warm and punchy sound this keyboard produces - it’s a legitimate analog beast, and somewhat of a sleeper gem from the era.

 

 

 

 

UVX80 delivers on the original synth and adds a modern refinement, expertly presenting its distinct timbres and ample sound design capabilities from warm basses, shredding leads, atmospheric textures and other-worldly sound effects to crisp bells and charactered strings. Easily browse the preset sounds by type, layer them to create rich evolving textures, or dive in and edit them to create your own sounds.

Inspired by the original hardware, UVX80’s UI reflects an ‘80s futurism aesthetic while providing a clear and easy-to-program instrument with familiar controls. A 2-layer architecture provides 28 sounds for oscillator 1 and 111 sounds on oscillator 2, each with it’s own multimode filter, ADSR envelopes, pitch, portamento, stereo section, arpeggiator and modwheel assignments. A versatile LFO and 16-step modulator provide quick control over the amplitude and filter and a final effect section tops it off with high-quality drive, chorus, phaser, delay and reverb.