Roland’s MKS-7 ‘Super Quartet’ was a curiosity which may be unfamiliar to many readers. Although borrowing from other Roland tech of the time, and in aesthetics fitting into their MKS range of synth expander boxes, it was still an anomaly. Inside, it combined seven voices of synthesis with a samplebased drum machine. The so-called ‘Rhythm’ section used 11 PCM drum samples partially derived from the TR-707. This sat alongside a simple monophonic, DCO-based, ‘Bass’ section plus 4-voice ‘Chord’ and 2-voice ‘Melody’ sections, both derived from the Juno-106. Each section had a range of preset sounds, and though editing was possible from the front panel (with a lot of button pressing!) no changes could be saved – though real-time remote editing and patch saving was possible via MIDI. Ultimately, the MKS-7 was never really intended as a studio tool, but one geared to home use or karaoke backing. However, it did in its own way exemplify a certain sound and spirit of the ’80s, and this is where UVI come in.