Roland JP-8

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

Since Guzzy's recently acquired one.......

I bought mine from RL music in England. Its cost me a massive amount - £3000 ($5910 USD). But its in as new condition, fully serviced and restored, with 3 months warranty. Below are the sales pics from RLmusic.

http://onfinite.com/libraries/1144120/87e.jpg

http://onfinite.com/libraries/1144122/87e.jpg

http://onfinite.com/libraries/1144121/87e.jpg

http://onfinite.com/libraries/1144123/87e.jpg

DS

[ten]

Very cool.....3000 notes tho! weeee :)

tom

[F5D]

Looks nice!

I would really love to have a JP8 too but I am too worried about how long these things will keep on working... :?

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

F5D

90% of the components in the JP8 are of the 'easy to source' variety.

There are a few custom IC's....but if these were going to go wrong....they would have done so many years ago. If you get a JP8 that is in reasonable cosmetic condition and has been serviced.....then there is absolutely no reason to be afraid.

BTW....I played on an Andromeda recently....for about 8 hours straight. It made me want to buy a JP8.

DS

[Guzzy]

Nice one :-), hope it's true on a 1.April ;-)

I have some failures on mine, but shall be fixed soon:
1. Every 8 key is different in [Poly 1]-mode, something wrong with the the 8. osc-pair, in [poly 2] it's the 1. osc pair. (http://www.thesoundofmysynths.com/jp8feil/jp8%20oscillator%20feil.mp3)

2. Portamento acting strange (http://www.thesoundofmysynths.com/jp8feil/jp8%20portamento%20feil.mp3)

3.Mastertune don't work on every key, twisting the mastertune button on every key (http://www.thesoundofmysynths.com/jp8feil/jp8%20mastertune%20feil.mp3)

4. I don't know if this is a failure but in [Solo]-mode the notes have lowest-note priority (http://www.thesoundofmysynths.com/jp8feil/jp8%20solomode%20firstnote%20priority%20feil.mp3)
1. part played, holding down the lowest note while playing higher notes in [Poly 1] mode, in the last part I'm playing teh same in [Solo] , maybe You can test this one for me :-)

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

Guzzy - your JP8 just needs a good service. It'll sing once you've done that...

LOL...no its not an april fools! I look forward to sharing some classic patches with you. The JP8 is such a great analog bread and butter synth. One of the best for sure...

DS

[soundsubs]

DS--- wondering how you think the Andromeda stands up to your new beast. I love the Roland sound and have had one of almost every model, the JP8 being an exception.

So what are your thoughts about the Jp8 vs. the A6 ?

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

DS--- wondering how you think the Andromeda stands up to your new beast. I love the Roland sound and have had one of almost every model, the JP8 being an exception. So what are your thoughts about the Jp8 vs. the A6 ?

Soundsub -

Before I answer that, let me give you a bit of synth background info on me - this may help to put matters into context.

I first got into synths back in the summer of 2000. I was working on a building site (as a labourer), trying to save money before heading off to university. One, hot sunny day, I decided to head off site for lunch....and I stumbled across a music shop. I intuitively headed towards the keyboard section and started to have a tinker around. I instantly knew I wasnt playing a keyboard as such...but a synth. In fact, the first synth I ever had a play with was a Nord 2 (they had just come down in price to £1299 back then - wow i remember!). I was impressed by the way it sounded.....even more so by the MS2000 and SNII. But that day was to mark my destiny in more ways than one - it was the first time I discovered synths....but also the first time I discovered true analog (SCI Pro-One). Whilst playing around on the MS2000 and getting an earful from the sales guy about how fat its bass was etc etc...unknown to me...some random guy off the street had set up a Pro-One behind me. All of a sudden I was floored by the most dirty, rude bass sound I have ever heard....I turned my head...I saw that it was coming from this plastic thing with wooden side cheeks. I was immediately impressed, much to the sales guy's annoyance. There ws nothing in that room which could compete with the Pro-One. The guy told me it was analog.....a concept I had no real understanding of at the time. All I knew was that it sounded amazing....I bought it.

Since that moment, I went on to buy a Juno 60, Jupiter 8, Prophet 5, Mono-Poly and DX7. You see, I love the sound of 80's music...and these we're the sort of synths used during that period. I was in heaven. But then something happened to my JP8 which immediately made me think I had alot of ticking time bombs on my hands. I sold the lot off (to a few mates).

Around 2003, I had convinced myself to move onto VA. Virus KC, TI, Nord 2 and JP8000. Initially, they intrigued me, but ultimately they bored me. In hindsight I now realise that spending the best part of 3 years with nothing but the best analogs had raised my expectations of what VA could offer beyond reasonable levels. For all the gadgets and features of VA...I just could never get satisfied with their tone. Remember, when i first played the Nord 2, MS2000 and SNII back in 2000....I *was* impressed - just goes to show how perceptions/opinions can change.

So, from the middle of 2003 to 2007, I grappled with VA. Unsatisfied, I turned to the Andromeda A6. Now, with all the mystique surrounding this board.....the unavailability and prospects of it going out of production... it kinda sent me into a frenzy to buy it. The reality was very very different....

In my opinion, the Andromeda is one of the single biggest let downs I've ever experienced. I was totally shocked at how shite its build quality was - and totally disapointed by its tone. I sat for 5 hours programming my own sounds (its pretty straightforward really)...and I thought it sounded dry, harsh and quite thin (I dont like sub oscilators on anything put bass and drones). Its very hard to explain, but it just sounded vanilla.....I actually hated the experience. I kept on feeling...why oh why have you tried to give it so many features....when the fundemental sound should have been the priority. I went back to the shop two days running and spent a total of 8 hours demoing it...and I did everything I could to try and enjoy it....to try and understand why some people rave about it. I just didnt see it personally. I will say one thing....having played the Andromeda made me realise just how much better a Virus is...particularly the KC and TI versions. I now appreaciate the Virus as having alot more character and musical results.

Comparing the Andromeda to a JP8 is a simple task. The JP8 is one of the best built synths ever made. Its probably the sexiest synth to look at and it sounds....well....faultless. The JP8 is everything the Andromeda is not. The JP8 is wet, warm and fat. Discreet oscilators and a musical filter that cannot be bettered. To me, the JP8 has been and always will be the pinnacle of analog synthesis. Its simple design is inspiring, its build quality is timeless and its sound is classic. You have to play/use one to believe it.

Check out Felix Da Housecat. JP8 exclusive tracks...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZbBu9R-RFw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaLvP74R9kk

Whodini

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zzg7H8CYeT4

Buy a JP8 if you want to create a vibe....

DS

DS

[ledge]

Great, now I want a JP8 :rolleyes:

The pics of the one you got look fantastic btw, very very sexy.

[F5D]

I never could have believed that DS (after all that experience with analog synths) actually says that virus sounds better than andromeda. I agree that virus sounds good but imo what comes to the pure sound quality, the power of oscillator tones and the quality of filters, the a6 is the clear winner. It doesn't sound like a jupiter but it's still analog and it shows. After owning an andromeda over 3 years, I can say that nobody can really judge it before owning it at least for 1 year.

Anyway, I would also like to have a synth like andromeda with the tone of jupiter too. That would be really nice!

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

With the Andromeda I felt it could/should have sounded better. In the case of the Virus I know it cant sound better....not within the constraints of digital electronics.

I grant you this...it's weird that I think the Virus sounds better. Maybe its because I've begun to see the merits of the virus. JP8 will be my bread and butter....the Virus my polyfiller. Nice and simple....like me :D

DS

[Guzzy]

Just purchase a another vintage unit, a Roland MSQ-700:
http://home.online.no/~gosather/studio/msq700.jpg.
Sadly my JP-8 don't have DCB or MIDI, but with this box I can sync the JP-8 Arpeggio from Cubase ( I hope). It's Rolands first Midi sequencer.

[Guzzy]

Roland MSQ-700 arrived, funny box :-)

Test setup:
JP-6 midi-out ---midi-in> MSQ-700---midi-out--midi-in> JP-6
JP-6 Sync-out ---midi in>MSQ-700--sync out--sync-in> JP-8
JP-6 arpeggio ON, JP-8 arpeggio ON
Now the three units is in sync, cool to play!.


http://www.thesoundofmysynths.com/images/msq-700.jpg

[-X-]

Personally, I am not much impressed by the JP8. I know, people will think that I do not know what I am talking about. However, I had a lot of synths in my studio and all had their goods and their bads. What I did not like with the JP8 was the modulation depth or better the lack of it.

I got the JP8 for a good deal and at that time I let go of my JP6 to finance part of the 8. The overall sound is beautiful. I especially like the PWM with the sinus LFO. The filters are great too. But there it stops. I did not like that the env amount of the filter cutoff is only covering 1/2 of the overall cutoff range, if at all. Forget about agressive brass!! I did not like how sync and cross modulation was implemented, e.g. when using both the pitch went to hell (even the virus does sync and crossmodulation from Osc1 to Osc2 for both). At the end, I did not like that everything out of this synth sounded nice, almost as I have a preset synth with some subtle changes.

Another thing is, that most of the time the JP8 was resting in the clothed due to failure. I fixed it all myself for pennies in parts, but it took time to trace down problems and so on. But I guess, that is part of having older gear (maybe it is the charme of having older gear). But since I am no Windows user, my stuff has to run and should not give me grief most of the time.

Needless to say, off it went and I bought the JP6 from my friend. Now, the JP6 is a much different beast. Thinner sounding for sure. But the modulation depth is incredible. The sync/xmod works perfectly to make these agressive kind of sounds. The multimode filter is a very nice addition too. At the end, I just got more out of the 6 than the 8. But that is just me, it doesn't mean anything.

Nowadays, I am much more into VA because you have much more control over the sound from your keyboard and controllers. The only analog that can match the control is the Xpander/Matrix-12.

[DIGITAL SCREAMS]

-X-

The JP8 is not a perfect synth by any means. But its sweet spot is pretty large and at times it can make the perfect synth sound. Shimmery PWM pads, sawtooth drones, unison bass and beautiful arpegios are its strong points. Alot of money for simple sounds......but useful nonetheless.

All your observations are correct and a matter of taste. Personally I prefer the tone of the 12 bit. I now have a 14 bit and its a bit more clinical. But still....its a good analog poly to use.

It fills in the gaps where VA sound less convincing.

Im interested to know what your favourite sounding analog poly is. Prophet 5 by any chance?

DS

[-X-]

Im interested to know what your favourite sounding analog poly is. Prophet 5 by any chance?

DS
My favourite analog poly has digitial oscillators: PPG Wave 2.3. Nothing compares to this one, not even the uWave or uWaveII/XT. But when you ask me about the most favourite analog poly, it would be the M12. Not that it is perfect (slower EGs, slower LFOs, curtis components), but it gives you so much control over the sound, it is just sickening. It also sounds pretty nice even the guts are made by Curtis. With a little work it can sound like the older OB series, just creamy.

I wanted a P5 badly but when I had one I could care less. The curtis components have a tendency to sound blahh. I personally prefer the JP6 over the P5 because of the xmod/sync setup (osc1 modulates osc2 for both) and the nice sounding multimode filter. Also, you can split and put the JP6 into different modes, what makes it more versatile. BTW, I also had the P5 Rev2 (SSM version) but that was a nightmare in itself and I ended up selling it broken to a guy in the netherlands.

But everybody finds something particular about their favourite synth. Maybe it is the first one you bought, maybe it is the one you could not afford (like me) or it is the one that sounds sweet or cut the mix. You can make music with almost every synth, but it helps to get aligned with your instrument when you really like it. :rolleyes:

[Tomer=Trance]

Whats exacly do you like about the ppg?

I had a chance to play the ob matrix 6 several times and just loved the sound of it all tho programing it might be a pain in the ass im sure you can essemble a nifty diy midi controler for it for 100-150 bucks.

[-X-]

I think what is special about the PPG is:

The sound: always has this high end buzz when open the filters that makes the sound expensive. Together with the 2044 filter that thins out the sound when the resonance is cranked up (actully, it is the Q on the PPG, not resonance) and the wavetable synthesis with these stepping Wavetables the sound is very difficult to create with anything else. And for a digital synthesizer it is amazing warm sounding and heavy on bass if you want it to.

The GUI: is pretty nice, even you have to get used to the cryptic 40x2 character display. Also the resolution of parameters is very course, but therefore instanlty accessable via the numberpad and knobs.

The Looks: this is just the most beautiful synth in my studio. You feel like a little boy with the big knobs and buttons.

There is a slight difference between the Matrix-6 and the Matrix-12. Whereas the sound is different and the featureset is slightly different (especially the Filter section and VCOs instead of DCOs), the GUI is so much better on the Xpander/M12. You choose a section (OSC1, Filter, etc.) and go from there with maximum of two pages total (there is a seperate page two button for that). It is like turning to your Modular and work on the Oscillator, Filter, Amplifier and connect everything together via your virtual patchcables (by pressing the button under your destination and assign a source with amount). I really like that interface and in part, it is better than the PPG approach, stuffing certain material (switches and low resolution parameters) in the display and the rest with you control by designated knobs (Access is doing the same with the Virus but I think that there is a little too much stuff cramped into the Menue structure).

We should not forget, that the Virus can do alot of the Oberheim sounds, even the filter is tuned more in soundwise in the direction of Roland, IMHO.

[F5D]

I had a dream a couple of days ago that a spanish woman would sell me her jp8 for 100 euros!! :o The only problem which I had in the dream was that the JP8 was huge, alot bigger than it actually is and it had a steel frame which weighted at least 50kg alone. :D

It was a sad moment when I woke up and realized that it was just a dream. :(

[RobPhoboS]

Man, I owned a Jupiter 8 about 5 years ago (I think), cost me £900.
The prices on them now is stupid !!!
And yes, I was totally stupid to sell the bloody thing :(

[Doc Jones]

wow, I missed this thread when it was originally being posted to.
After reading it, now I want a jupiter 8 as well.

[Doc Jones]

this looks interesting --
http://www.arturia.com/evolution/en/products/jupiter-8v/intro.html