Is the Akai AX60 a Legendary Synthesizer? Deep Dive LIVE

Описание: This isn’t your grandpa’s Juno—tonight we’re firing up the Akai AX60 to see if its gritty Curtis bite and sampler-through-filter trick make it LEGENDARY.

Hey guys! I’m Vulture Culture—welcome to tonight’s livestream where we answer the question: Is the Akai AX60 a Legendary Synthesizer? We’ve been putting famous (and infamous) synths through a no-fluff trial to see if they truly deserve legendary status.

History (quick hit)

Akai’s mid-’80s AX line (AX80 → AX60 → AX73/VX90) was their analog answer to the Juno craze and the FM takeover. The AX60 is a 6-voice, slider-laden analog polysynth built around the Curtis CEM3394 “synth-on-a-chip” (VCO/VCF/VCA per voice). It adds bitimbral splits, unison, BBD chorus, an arp, and Akai’s wild party trick: a 13-pin sampler input (S612/S700/X7000/S900/S950) so you can run samples through the AX60’s filter, envelopes, and VCA—a proto-hybrid move in the budget lane. Release window: 1985–1986.

What the market looked like (1985–86)

FM ruled (Yamaha DX7), while “affordable analog” battled back: Roland Juno-106/JX-8P, Korg DW-8000/Poly-800, Sequential Six-Trak/Max. The AX60 undercut many on price, but brought more “teeth” than most DCO rivals and way more hands-on sliders than menu machines.

Fun facts
Sampler-through-filter: That 13-pin port lets an Akai sampler behave like a second oscillator you can sculpt with the AX60’s analog path.
Curtis character: Filter FM (VCO → VCF) yields metallic, “wonderful and strange” textures most Junos can’t touch.
Panel first: Nearly one-knob-per-function—fast to program, minimal menu diving.

Price snapshot (for context)
Initial price: commonly cited under $1,000 at launch.
Adjusted (ballpark 2025): roughly mid-$2Ks.
Street price (good working order): often $1,100 depending on condition/servicing.
Stream rule: I average the 3 cheapest fully working units (or lowest third on Reverb), shipping included, to set tonight’s Street Price.

Software & hardware alternatives (for later debate)
Vintage/adjacent: Roland Juno-106/JX-8P, Korg DW-8000, Sequential Six-Trak/Max, Akai AX73/VX90.
Modern “gets you close” boxes: Novation Peak, Behringer DeepMind, ASM Hydrasynth (not analog, but covers chorusy pads + deep mod).
Software stand-ins: Juno-style and Jupiter-style VAs, plus AX-flavored sample packs.

Artists / usage
Less documented than the Junos; shows up with indie/industrial acts and studio tinkerers. (Drop verifiable credits in chat and I’ll pin the best receipts.)
Size in Pop-Tarts™ (because… science)
Top surface ≈ ~38 Pop-Tarts to frost an AX60. (Yes, we measure synths this way now.)

The Legendary Synthesizer Test (live)
Scoring: 12+ = Legendary · 10–11 = Iconic · 8–9 = Classic · 6–7 = Respectable · 4–5 = Mid · ≤3 = Dubious/Impoverished
How it works: I read each question, post a 60-second poll. Chat = 0.5 points, I = 0.5 points. Final question = 2 points.

Say hi in chat and vote on each round—your votes decide the fate of the AX60. Let’s see if it can filter through the competition.

My Products:
►Vintage Synth Sample Pack: Vol II https://vultureculture.live/products/...
►Vintage Synth Sample Pack: https://vultureculture.live/products/...
►Moog Analog Sample Pack: https://vultureculture.live/products/...
►Vintage Industrial Drum Samples: https://vultureculture.live/products/...
►Roland D-50 Patch Library: https://vultureculture.live/products/...

Affiliate Links:
►Filterverse: https://polyversemusic.com/?ref=Vultu...
►Musio: https://www.musio.com/affiliates/?via...

0:00 Intro
1:03 What we’re doing tonight + first presets
4:56 From init to brass: envelopes, key follow, LFO delay
9:32 Unison mode leads (Pink Floyd vibes)
11:22 Classic chorus demo (MN3009/Juno family)
13:35 Filter FM mayhem (VCO→VCF “VCO Mod”)
19:42 Waves & quirky PWM (saw/triangle), digital noise talk
23:36 Big leads: unison + chorus, darker textures
38:53 History segment kickoff
40:38 Akai & CEM3394 timeline → AX60 launch (’83–’86)
45:19 Strengths & omissions (MIDI limits, no velocity/AT/portamento)
49:07 Price then vs now, depreciation, Size in Poptarts
52:10 Pros vs Cons
58:32 Legendary Synth Test
1:41:00 Q&A + closing thoughts & sign-off