Retroaktiv MPG-70 User manual

OWNER’S MANUAL
MANUAL VERSION 1.0 for MPG-70 OS 1.0

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
2
1
ASSIGNABLE CONTROLLER A & B
2ASSIGN BUTTON
3MIDI BUTTON
4MAIN BUTTON
5WRITE BUTTON
6PATCH GENERATOR BUTTON
7WRITE BUTTON
12 POWER INDICATOR
11 UPPER/LOWER
BUTTON
8
CURSOR LEFT
BUTTON
9
DATA ENTRY
ENCODER
10
CURSOR RIGHT
BUTTON
13 OLED DISPLAY
14
6-PIN DIN
DATA/POWER CABLE
15MIDI OUT
16MIDI IN
16 ASSIGNABLE
CONTROLLER P
(EXPRESSION PEDAL)
PANEL DESCRIPTION:

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
3
FEATURES:
• MPG-70 can control all of the tone
parameters featured in the Vecoven
firmware upgrade, as well as all of the
44 tone parameters featured on the
classic PG-800.
• PG-800 serial communication or
MIDI can be used to communicate with
the Super JX, MKS-70, or JX-8P, allowing
for the MPG-70 to control any stock
or vecoven modified units. MIDI CC,
SYSEX, or PG-800 serial output can be
used to control Vecoven modified JX
units.
• The programmer features a MAIN
and AUX channel, allowing for multiple
units to be controlled individually or
simultaneously.
• Assignable controllers A, B, and EXP
PEDAL can be programmed to control
up to 5 JX tone parameters simultane-
ously, allowing for more expressive real
time controls of the synthesizer.
• UPPER and LOWER voices can be
edited individually or simultaneously,
which streamlines the patch creation
process significantly.
• A full featured RANDOM TONE GEN-
ERATOR allows for quick generation of
new sounds. New tones can be com-
pletely random, or users may select a
tone category such as PAD, POLY, BASS,
BELL/METAL, and COMPLEX. Each sec-
tion of the synth can be masked so
that the RTG will not affect the masked
sections of the synth when generating
a new tone.
• MANUAL and SCRATCH TONE GENER-
ATOR function can transmit the current
position of all sliders, or generate a ba-
sic tone which serves as a basic sta-
ing place when creating a new sound.
SCRATCH TONE GENERATOR can gener-
ate multiple types of tones, including
basic dual DCO, basic LFO pulse width
modulation, and basic SYNC tones.
• ASSIGN A, B, and P, as well as MIDI
seings can be saved as defaults for
quickly recalling preferred seings on
power-up
• Unit features a sloped mixing board
style enclosure making it ideal for set-
ting up on a desktop, or can be mount-
ed in any 19” rack.

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
4
GETTING STARTED:
The MPG-70 is powered from the JX synthesizer using the 6P DIN cable included
with the programmer. To power up the unit, connect the DIN cable to the PG-800 po
on the JX and the PG-800 po of the MPG-70. It is recommended that the DIN cable is
plugged into the JX and the MPG-70 before turning the synthesizer on. This will prevent
the MPG-70 from receiving intermient power when booting up.
Once powered, the MPG-70 will load the operating system and display the MPG-70 splash
screen and the version of the OS that is currently loaded into the programmer. The unit
will boot with the default MIDI communication seings loaded. To communicate with
the JX, select the protocol, model of synth to be controlled, and MIDI channel (if using
MIDI) in the MIDI menu. Once these seings are selected, the programmer will commu-
nicate with the synthesizer.
MENU NAVIGATION:
The MPG-70 will display the MAIN menu screen when booted up. Menus can be
selected by using the buons to the le of the display. On menu pages that feature
the cursor, move the cursor using the LEFT and RIGHT buons. To change a parameter
value in a menu, use the black rotary encoder dial.

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
5
The buons to the le of the OLED display have various functions:
• ASSIGN BUTTON - Pressing ASSIGN will enter the ASSIGNABLE CONTROLLER pages.
Pressing ASSIGN once will display ASSIGN A. Pressing again will display ASSIGN B. Press-
ing again will display ASSIGN P. Use the rotary encoder to navigate through pages within
each ASSIGN.
• MIDI BUTTON - Pressing MIDI will enter the MIDI menu. Use the MIDI menu to set the
unit type, communication protocol, and MIDI channel of the MAIN and AUX controller
channels.
• MAIN BUTTON - If the current menu page is not MAIN, or PATCH MENU 1 & 2, press-
ing MAIN will return to the main parameter display screen, which displays the current
controller channel, the upper/lower/both status, the parameter currently being edited,
and the value of that parameter. If on the MAIN screen and the MAIN buon is pressed,
PATCH MENU 1 is displayed on the screen. Pressing MAIN while on PATCH MENU 1 will nav-
igate to PATCH MENU 2. Pressing MAIN again will return to the MAIN screen.
• WRITE BUTTON - The WRITE buon has multiple functions, depending on which menu
page is currently being displayed. Pressing WRITE when on the MAIN menu page will
open a dialog asking if the current JX tone should be wrien in the JX memory. Pressing
WRITE when in the MIDI menu will save the current MIDI seings as the default seings
on boot-up.
• PATCHGEN BUTTON - Pressing PATCHGEN will open up the PATCH GENERATOR MENU.
Pressing once will display the RANDOM TONE GENERATOR MENU. Pressing again will open

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
6
The SUPER JX and MKS-70 have two synthesizer voice boards; the UPPER and the LOWER.
The original PG-800 programmer did not allow the user to select which of these voice
boards was being edited from the controller, rather it needed to be toggled on the JX
front panel. The MPG-70 has eliminated the need for this by allowing the UPPER and
LOWER boards to be selected using the UPPER/LOWER buon. To edit the UPPER and
LOWER voices simultaneously, press the encoder down and press the UPPER/LOWER
buon. Both LEDs will be lit, indicating that BOTH are now selected. The exit this mode,
simply press UPPER/LOWER again.
The rotary encoder is used to dial in parameter values in the various menus. Several of
the parameters have values ranging between 0 and 127. Turning the encoder right will
increment the currently highlighted parameter value. Turning the encoder le will dec-
rement it. To increment by +/- 10, push the encoder buon down while turning it. This
allows users to quickly dial in numeric values on the fly.
MIDI MENU:
The MIDI MENU is used to set the communication protocol that the programmer
will use to communicate with the synthesizer. There are 6 separate parameters in the
MIDI menu:
• MAIN MIDI CH - This selects the MIDI channel of the main programmer channel. (1-
16) Since the MIDI SYSEX and MIDI CC both contain the information indicating whether
UPPER/LOWER/BOTH are selected, a separate channel for the UPPER and LOWER voice
boards is not needed.

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
7
• MAIN PROTOCOL - This parameter selects which language is used to communicate
with the synth. The following options are available:
MIDI SYSEX - System exclusive messages can be used to communicate with any
Super JX, MKS-70, or JX-8P. The system exclusive strings are 10 bytes in length.
MIDI CC - CC messages can only be used to communicate with a Super JX or MKS-
70 that has the Vecoven firmware upgrade. CC messages are 6 bytes in length
and are the fastest way to send data to the JX.
PG-800 Serial - This method of communication used the PG-800 DIN cable to send
bytes of serial data to the JX through the PG-800 po. This is the slowest of the
three protocols. This language can be used to communicate with any model.
• UNIT TYPE - This parameter tells the programmer which model of JX it will be com-
municating with on the MAIN channel. Select VJX to program a Super JX/MKS-70 with
Vecoven firmware. Select SJX to program a stock Super JX/MKS70. Select 8P to commu-
nicate with a JX-8P. If using PG-800 protocol with a Vecoven JX, you must press enter
with the PG-800 protocol highlighted. This will initiate a handshake that tells the JX that
it’s going to receive special serial data for the new envelopes, new LFOs, and the PWM
parameters.
• AUX MIDI CHANNEL - This selects the AUX MIDI channel (1-16)
• AUX PROTOCOL - This parameter selects which language is used to communicate with
the synth. The following options are available:
MIDI SYSEX - System exclusive messages can be used to communicate with any
Super JX, MKS-70, or JX-8P.
MIDI CC - CC messages can only be used to communicate with a Super JX or MKS-
70 that has the Vecoven firmware upgrade.
• AUX UNIT TYPE - This parameter tells the programmer which model of JX it will be
communicating with on the AUX channel.

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
8
The MPG-70 will boot using the MIDI seings that are currently the default. To store the
current MIDI seings, press WRITE while in the MIDI menu. The seing storage will be
confirmed by a “SETTINGS SAVED” message. Once stored in memory, the unit will boot
with the saved seings, saving the user from needing to configure the MIDI page each
time the unit is powered up.
There are two MIDI pos on the rear panel of the MPG-70, MIDI IN and MIDI OUT.
The MPG-70 will merge any incoming MIDI data from the MIDI IN po with outgoing con-
troller messages, which eliminates the need for a MIDI merger if playing the JX from an
external controller keyboard or DAW while using the MPG-70 to edit.
Plug the MIDI OUT jack into the MIDI IN of the JX to use MIDI messages to edit the JX.
MAIN MENU:
Pressing the MAIN buon once when not on the MAIN menu or PATCH MENU will
return to the MAIN parameter screen, which shows the current controller channel (MAIN,
AUX, or ALL) and the parameter being edited.
When the MPG-70 boots, the default channel is the MAIN channel. To switch to the AUX
channel, press the MAIN buon while holding the ENCODER BUTTON down. The word AUX
will be displayed in the lower le corner of the MAIN screen. No any parameter changed
on the MPG will be transmied to the synth connected to the AUX channel. To con-
trol the MAIN and AUX channel simultaneously (ALL), press ENCODER-MAIN again. The
ENCODER-MAIN buon combination will cycle through MAIN - AUX - ALL each time the
cobinatin is pressed.
If on the MAIN menu, and the MAIN BUTTON is pressed, this will navigate to PATCH MENU
PAGE 1. The patch menu is tailored to work with the Vecoven JX. PATCH MENU 1 con-
tains the following parameters:
• PATCH TYPE - This selects the type of patch. (DUAL, WHOLE, SPLIT, UPPER, LOWER,
XFADE, T-VOICE)

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
9
• UPPER ASSIGN - This selects the key assign mode of the upper voice board (POLY 1,
MONO 1, UNISON 1, POLY 2, MONO 2, UNISON 2)
• LOWER ASSIGN - This selects the key assign mode of the lower voice board (POLY 1,
MONO 1, UNISON 1, POLY 2, MONO 2, UNISON 2)
• UPPER TONE - Selects the upper tone number.
• LOWER TONE - Selects the lower tone number.
• SPLIT POINT - This sets the split point of the patch if SPLIT patch type is selected. For
overlapping split points, use the JX PATCH menu on the synthesizer.
• UPPER/LOWER DETUNE - Sets the detuning amount between the upper and lower
voice boards.
• LOWER TRANSPOSE - Sets chromatic tuning of the lower voice board.
• UPPER TRANSPOSE - Sets chromatic tuning of the upper voice board.
If on the PATCH MENU 1 page, pressing MAIN again will display the PATCH MENU 2 page.
PATCH MENU 2 contains the following parameters:
• GLIDE AMOUNT - Sets poamento rate.
• UPPER GLIDE ON/OFF - Turns glide on for the upper voice board.
• LOWER GLIDE ON/OFF - Turns glide on for the lower voice board.
• PATCH TOTAL VOLUME - Sets the main volume of the current patch.

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
10
PATCHGEN MENU:
RANDOM TONE GENERATOR:
Pressing the PATCHGEN BUTTON once will open the RANDOM TONE GENERATOR.
(RTG) The RTG is a poweul sound creation tool and will work with any model of Super
JX, MKS-70, or JX-8P and can use any protocol. The RTG can generate chaotic, totally
random sounds, or it can use complex tone creation algorithms to generate musical
tones of many types. The RTG has a masking feature which allows the user to “mask”
sections of the synthesizer that should not be randomized. The amount of randomness
can also be set if not using a tone category. (ANY selected) To fully utilize the RTG, it is
impoant to understand how each of the RTG sections works. The RTG menu contains
the following parameters:
• TYPE - This allows the user to select the type of random tone to be created. Select-
ing ANY will generate a completely random tone, where the amount of randomness can
be set using the AMOUNT parameter at the boom of the screen. There are multiple
categories of tone types that can be created, including PAD 1 (good for string, vox, at-
mospheric pads), POLY 1 (Good for making synth brass, poly comping synths, and synths
with quicker aacks), BELL (metallic tones, chimes, gongs, bells), BASS (Cellos, synth
basses, acoustic basses, bassy pads), PAD 2(Good for creating complex sounds with
rhythmic LFOs, strange pads, atmosppheric textures). As OS updates occur, more RTG
categories will be added to the firmware.
• DCO - This seing will mask the following parameters if set to MSK. (Masking on)
DCO1 & 2 TUNE, DCO 2 FINE, DCO SYNC, DCO 1 & 2 RANGE, DCO 1 & 2 WAVE, MIX LEVEL 1 &
2, MIX ENV SEL, MIX ENV AMT, MIX ENV DYN. These parameters will not be affected by the
RTG if this seing is set to MSK.
• PMOD - This seing will mask the following parameters if set to MSK. DCO 1 & 2 LFO
MOD, DCO 1 & 2 ENV MOD, DCO 1 & 2 LFO SEL, DCO 1 & 2 ENV SEL, DCO 1 & 2 ENV DYN.
• VCF - THis seing will mask the following parameters if set to MSK. VCF CUTOFF &
RES, VCF TRACKING, HPF.

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
11
• FMOD - This seing will mask the following parameters. VCF ENV SEL, VCF LFO 1 & 2
AMT, VCF ENV DYN.
• VCA - This seing is always masked due to the potential for causing damage to
speakers or worse, ears if the volume is suddenly increased. This parameter affects only
the VCA LEVEL parameter.
• AMOD - This seing will mask the following parameters. VCA ENV SEL, VCA DYN.
• LFO - This seing will mask all LFO1 and LFO2 seings.
• ENV - This seing will mask all ENV 1 - 4 seings.
• PWM - This seing will mask all PWM seings for DCOs 1 and 2.
• AMOUNT - If ANY is selected as the RTG type, then this seing will set the maximum
amount of randomness of of the RTG. Due to the complex algorithms used when gen-
erating pads, synths, basses, etc., it is sometimes not possible to adhere to the AMOUNT
seing and still have sound generated. The MPG-70 uses complex algorithms to make
sure that every patch generated when using categories will make noise. While the
AMOUNT seing will still affect parameters in every category, it is necessary to override
the AMOUNT seing in many cases when categories are selected.
• When on the RTG page, it is oen desireable to reset all 11 parameters to the default
seings. Rather than manually doing this, simply pressing the encoder buon and
PATCHGEN will reset all parameters to their defaults.
MANUAL:
Pressing PATCHGEN while on the RTG page will navigate to the MANUAL page. If on
MANUAL page, pressing ENTER will transmit the position of all sliders and knobs on the
MPG-70.

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
12
SCRATCH TONE GENERATOR:
Oen times when using a synthesizer that has almost 100 knobs and sliders, creat-
ing a basic staing point, or a “blank canvas” can be a tedious exercise. Nobody wants
to spend ten minutes seing up a basic staer-tone. The MPG-70 has a SCRATCH TONE
GENERATOR to solve this issue. By simply selecting the type of “staer tone” one wants
and pressing ENTER, a lot of time can be saved.
The STG has three distinct staer tones: BASIC DUAL DCO is a staer tone where both
DCOs are tuned in unison, the VCF is 100% open, RES is off, and all envelopes are set to a
GATE style of envelope.
BASIC LFO PWM is the same as the BASIC DUAL DCO, with the exception of both DCOs
being set to PWM and each DCO’s PWM is modulated by a separate sine wave LFO. This is
a peect way to begin creating a patch that utilizes PWM features enabled by the Veco-
ven firmware.
BASIC SYNC will generate a classic-style SYNC tone that serves as a peect staing
point for programs that utilize the JX’s unique SYNC functions.
ASSIGN A, B, and P:
The MPG-70 has a unique real time controller feature that allows users to create
complex real-time controls that can affect up to 5 JX parameters simultaneously to cre-
ate expressive sounds that most never heard from a JX. The ASSIGN menu is a poweul
and unique feature of the MPG-70 that sets it apa from almost every other JX control-
ler on the market.
Pressing ASSIGN will cycle through the three separate assignable controllers, CTRL A,
CTRL B, and CTRL P. CTRL A and CTRL B are mini potentiometer controls on the MPG-70
front panel. ASSIGN P is controlled by an external expression pedal controller that can

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
13
be connected using the 1/4” jack on the rear panel.
The ASSIGN buon will cycle through the three ASSIGNs. To navigate the individual
pages within each assign (Up to 5 layers per assign can be created), highlight the LYR
parameter at the top of the assign page and use the encoder dial to navigate the LYR
pages.
Pressing WRITE while on an assign page will delete the current ASSIGN layer. Pressing
ENTER will add a new layer, with 5 layers per ASSIGN being the maximum.
Each assign page contains the following parameters:
• LYR - The LYR parameter indicates the current ASSIGN LYR, as well as how many LAY-
ERs the current ASSIGN contains. Turning the encoder when the LYR parameter is high-
lighted will cycle through the layer pages within the current assign.
• PARAMETER - This selects the tone parameter being controlled by the current ASSIGN
layer. Any of the 84 tone parameters can be selected.
• MIN - This sets the minimum value of the current layer’s selected parameter. For
example, seing the MIN value to 50, and MAX value to 127 would result in a value of 50
when the ASSIGN CTRL is at its minimum (fully counter-clockwise in the case of CTRL A
& B, or pedal at its minimum), and as the CTRL is turned clockwise, the valie would incre-
ment to 127.
• MAX - This sets the maximum value of the current layer parameter.
• INV - This will inve the values of the current layer. For example, if the MIN is set to 40
and the MAX is set to 80, and INV is OFF, (Not inveed) then turning the CTRL from 0%
(fully counter clockwise) to 100% will increment the current layer parameter from 40 to
80 as the CTRL is turned clockwise. Using the same example, if the INV seing is set to
ON, the current layer parameter value would be 80 when the CTRL is at 0% (Fully counter
clockwise) and would decrement to 40 as the CTRL is turned clockwise.

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
14
By layering multiple ASSIGN LYR pages, complex effects can be created, such as increas-
ing the filter cutoff while decreasing the resonance and increasing DCO 1 and 2 LFO
amounts. The possibilities are endless.
The default state of the ASSIGNs when the unit boots are as follows:
ASSIGN A - CROSSFADE This seing will crossfade between MIX 1 and MIX 2 channels.
ASSIGN B - VCF LFO CROSSFADE This seing will crossfade between VCF LFO 1 amount
and VCF LFO 2 AMOUNT.
ASSIGN P - FILTER PEDAL This seing will allow an external expression pedal to control
VCF CUTOFF.
To save an individual ASSIGN (A, B, or P) press ENCODER and ASSIGN while on the ASSIGN
that is being stored in memory. There are three user memory slots for ASSIGNs, one for
each of the three ASSIGNs. To load the factory preset ASSIGN, press ENCODER BUTTON
+LEFT BUTTON while on the ASSIGN that is being loaded from memory. To load the user
ASSIGN, press ENCODER BUTTON + RIGHT BUTTON.
For example, to save an ASSIGN A setup, press ASSIGN BUTTON until the current assign is
displayed as ASSIGN A. Now press ASSIGN BUTTON while holding the ENCODER BUTTON
down. A dialog will indicate that the current ASSIGN has been stored. To recall the fac-
tory ASSIGN A seing, be sure that ASSIGN A is the currently selected ASSIN, then press
LEFT while holding ENCODER BUTTON down. To recall the ASSIGN A that was just saved in
user memory, press RIGHT while holding the encoder buon down. A dialog will indicate
that an ASSIGN has just been loaded.

RETROAKTIV MPG-70 OWNER’S MANUAL
15
DIMENSIONS:
• MPG-70 is a 7U rackmountable controller with a mixing desk style steel enclosure. The
unit can be rackmounted in any 19” rack system or can be used as a desktop controller.
The unit measures 19” wide x 12.25” high. The rear enclosure is 3.25” high and slopes
down to 2” in height at the front of the unit. The MIDI and DIN jacks are located in the
rear panel of the programmer, and are set back in a recessed cavity to allow for easy
access and rackmounting without occupying unecessary rack space.
NOTES:
This project would not have been possible without the hard work of Fred Vecoven for his
fantastic PWM firmware upgrade for the super JX. He has implemented many features
requested by us to allow this product to work seamlessly with his firmware upgrade.
Special thanks to Guy Wilkinson at Super Synth Projects for acting as technical advisor
throughout the development of this project. Guy’s feature suggestions, technical ad-
vice and design review made this product possible. Guy also offers an excellent replace-
ment for the original display found on the Super JX and MKS70, as well as a robust drop
in power supply replacement board. To get more information about these to products,
visit Guy’s site at hp:// www.supersynthprojects.com.
For information about Fred Vecoven’s PWM firmware upgrade, visit his site at
hp:// www.Vecoven.com
For information about this product and other Retroaktiv products, visit our website at
hp:// www.retroaktivsynthesizers.com.
© 2018 Retroaktiv LLC
All rights reserved.
Retroaktiv products are made in Boulder, Colorado, USA.