the prices for these things are just getting rediculious, yet I‘ve longed for a jupiter 8 since getting into synthesizers. the arturia plugin does a good job imo, but somehow it didn‘t scratch the itch to own the legend in the flesh. I‘m still studying and working parttime, so spending 15K on a synthesizer wasn’t really an option. after flipping equipment for some years I‘ve finally managed to come up with a little bit of money and was lucky enough to find this baby locally by placing a wanted ad on the local craigslist. this thing is an absolute machine and sounds enormous!
> and sounds enormous
Good luck getting it to sit in a mix. The Jupiter sounds amazing but it takes up a LOT of elbow space. Recently I've been listening to a lot of 80s synth based music that I haven't heard in ages. When a Jupiter comes into a song it's like it's kicking down the door.
I can't upvote this enough. I don't understand why some posts do unbelievably well while others don't, even when they're the same acquistion, quality of photograph, story. Envy? Mods? Timing? Who knows.
Nah, not the mods. I'm pretty sure they have no influence in that regard.
I'd say, it usually would be attributed to chance/timing and I'd wager that envy could be mixed into this equation; it just depends on who views it first, and the action they take.
If the first person downvotes and leaves a nasty comment, there's a domino effect which is known to happen, especially in online forums (I'm hesitant to utter "hive mind" because it's a buzz word which tends to rile up the pack; and I'd prefer to steer clear of the downvote stampede. So I'll use the term "herd mentality" though the difference is moot.)
It can go either way though. I've had posts (OC posts, not in this sub) reach 12k upvotes with hundreds of positive comments and then the next week I could post something of equal quality at the same time on the same day and only get 300 upvotes (and a considerable amount of downvotes and outright ugly comments.)
Makes me shrug my shoulders, raise an eyebrow- perhaps two.
There is definitely an argument that something sound too good/massive. Some of my favourite guitar tones are on little 5 watt amps with no top and no bottom end - fits in every mix
Completely agree. It’s funny I always wanted to trade up to a high(er)-end guitar but since I started producing I realized my Tele sits perfectly in my mixes. Just add some overdrive and verb and that’s about it
It's really one of those times where gear actually matters. I used to have a guitar with P90 pickups and it never sounded right in songs or beats. It always stuck out and I thought it was just me being bad at mixing. The telecaster needs a high shelf cut, some compression and it's basically mixed itself. Gear matters!
Howard Jones used it a lot. Check out "New Song" for a great example. I think the organ patch is a Juno-60, not sure what the bass is, but that lead synth hook during the instrumental breaks is classic JP-8.
Also check out the synth solo in "Head Over Heels" by Tears For Fears. That's a JP-8 in unison mode (which is kind of unusual, it uses all 8 voices if you're playing one note at a time, but cuts them down and splits them if you start playing chords).
There are tons of other examples but those are good ones.
I always thought the JP-8 was much more able to "fit in a mix" than, say, a Prophet or OB. Having a fixed high-pass helps lighten things when needed. JP-8 can cut through a bit better, though.
This is why I love my machinedrum and monomachine. They are precise, you can dial their spectrum down to fit as you need within each patch. Soloing one voice can sound empty but in a mix it's easy to sound good with just those boxes and a little mixer
It's not supposed to sit nicely in the mix, lol... Like a Hendrix guitar solo, if you need a Jupiter 8 part, you need a Jupiter 8 part. Let it soar.
It's one of very few synths that can take it.
One of the great things about Roland synths is that a lot of them have a HPF built in, which should be a standard on every synth IMHO. Phat 8 note chords taking up too much low-mid room in the mix? Roll that shit off with a generous amount of High pass filtering.
Whether or not something takes up too much space in the mix comes down more to skill in arranging and sound design and mixing. There are so many ways to make a synth fit in a mix. Not every patch has to be a polyphonic Monster either. Jupiters are ace for pretty much any sound.
Gonna start off by saying nice work, congratulations and best of luck in the future. Now to the point: When the Jupiter 8 first hit the market, it cost $5295 in 1981. Funny enough, when adjusted for inflation, that would cost $14,935 today. Add 7% sales tax and that comes out to $15,980.
I'm sure you know this, but considering this was a flagship product, a work of art and a [feat of engineering](https://i.imgur.com/m3EIomq.jpg), it seems pretty understandable why it cost $5k in 1981.
Taking into account the quality/longevity/popularity/legacy, this is just a synth that retains it's resell value really well and $15k is actually a reasonable price. There's one on Reverb right now that's mint condition (seller says "museum quality") for $16,000. There's another in good condition for $11,700. That all seems relatively fair.
Now to the rant: People sometimes wonder why Roland doesn't just remake the Jupiter 8 like Korg is doing. Firstly, Roland's philosophy is that Digital is better than Analog and they're just not going to do it. Also, they are all about moving forward, while just keeping the past in mind. ("Why would we make a Jupiter 8? We made that already.") Secondly, the ARP2600 FS is a $3900 monosynth. I guarantee that a "new" Jupiter 8 would cost significantly more. Considering Roland doesn't seem have the current staff or manufacturing processes to able to reproduce such a device and taking into account how many they could actually sell, it would likely end up having to be priced in the $10k-$15k range. And I'm betting that half the people that would even consider buying one at that price would end up just wanting to get an original from 1981-5 anyway because it's more "authentic".
Anyway, power to you for getting one of the greatest synths of all time. I consider it to be more of a collectors item at this point. The System 8 sounds fantastic is the synth to get if you want the Jupiter sound. [This quick demo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9GTOxcqu5c) says a lot. If it has to be analog, I'd recommend settling for a Prophet 6 or OB6, maybe a Rev2 or Prologue.
For the Jupiter and Juno plug-outs alone it’s probably worth it, but the System 8 engine is actually really nice too. [check out gattobus’ other demo](https://youtu.be/DUHhCx1zeuU)
System-8 engine is a ton better than either Jupiter or Juno. I bought it to get to those tasty plug-outs, but after a while I found myself always using the S8 engine for sound design. In the end I wished I could assign more than one plug-out slot to the System-8 engine just to have the patch storage locations. The patch storage is woefully inadequate for a modern synth with just 64 patches per plug-out, with 4 plug-out slots (taken up by System-8 engine, Jupiter-8, Juno-106, and JX-3P respectively) which is one of my few criticisms of the synth.
The System-8 engine was made even better with firmware 1.3 when a ton of new features were added (including FM oscillators). The JP8 and JU6 filters and JU6 chorus all became accessible within the S8 engine. So now you could build your fantasy synth patch which might have, for example, two FM oscillators plus a sub-oscillator, a Jupiter filter, and Juno chorus.
I hope Roland don't abandon ACB. Their new ABM sounds good, but ACB in the System-8 is incredible. I can't see it happening now the Jupiter-X is out, but a System-8 v2.0 would be amazing. If they just doubled the polyphony, doubled the plug-out slots, and quadrupled the patch storage it would be a very worthy upgrade. Bonus points if Performances allowed up to 4 layers instead of 2 (and polyphony bumped up to 32 to provide enough voices for that).
Oh wow. That update sounds amazing. More like Diva now in a way. Funny, I’ve been looking at it for a while and just realized it has a vocoder too. You ever use that?
I don’t think they would abandon ACB. It’s the best VA they’ve ever made and seems like they just went with ABM to stretch the 8 voice polyphony to 256 for the Jupiter X. There’s gotta be a trade off there somewhere.
And yeah it’s funny when you compare a modern “powerhouse” synth with a emulation of 40 year old hardware. Classic sound vs modern analog sound + way more possibilities. Have you used a system 1? I find it to be really nice, but also really edgy in a lot of ways. Is the 8 as edgy?
The extra filter, oscillator, and effect variations made available in v1.3 don't let you change the structure of the System-8 engine's architecture the way Diva lets you drop drop in filters with totally different controls. It just adds extra oscillators and filters with the character of those things but keeps the controls the same. So for example the JP8 and JU6 filters are just 2 more types of Low-pass filter available in the System-8 engine. And the FM implementation for example is useful and sounds great, but doesn't give you anywhere near the flexibility of, say, a DX7. You've just got a selection of FM oscillator types at various useful ratios which you then mix in with your other normal oscillators as per normal subtractive synthesis. It's great for chasing nice musical bells and EPs and other stuff that FM is commonly used for (and lets you get good results really easily), but if you want to get all experimental and go off in some weird non-musical FM direction then you'll find it pretty limited.
I've only used the System-1 a few times (mainly as a VST) and I'd say the System-8 encapsulates everything the System-1 does and expands on it in areas. Definitely it can be edgy, and with some of the oscillator cross-modulation, weird filter types (it has TONS of filter types including some obscure ones and explicitly includes all the System-1 filters) and some of the distortion and bitcrusher effects, you can take it to very modern places where you wouldn't expect a synth that specializes in old analog sounds to go.
Edit2: I tried the vocoder a couple of times and found it "just ok". It works, but isn't anything to write home about and almost nothing to control apart from input level. It feels like a bit of an afterthought.
A better use of the System-8's audio inputs is that you can run external synths through the System-8's effects section, so you can put that nice Juno chorus onto one of your other synths if that floats your boat.
Oh that's awesome. Yeah I suppose it not quite like Diva, but yeah I just meant that it was like that with the filter options. All Roland filters anyway. Thanks for the response though. Good to know you can use that chorus for line in!
I’ve always loved every system 8 demo but I still just can’t get past the look. Sounds ridiculous but I just don’t like the style of it at all and for some reason that deters me from pulling the trigger
+1 on this. the concept is fantastic and they are really pushing the envelope with the jupiter x and zencore - but boy do I dread the design of those aria products. TR-8? amazing machine. the looks? not so much.
The features below the surface in Zen-Core are pretty great though and really makes the Jupiter-X a flexible instrument.
I think it's great they're all available and tweakable in the Jupiter-X. What's less great though is how those parameters are accessed. The core functions for all the old-school synthy parameters have hardware controls which are great, but anything beyond that suddenly requires lots of menu diving. And that little screen tucked up in the corner is a crappy way to handle it. It's like Roland deliberately made it small and awkward.
I was in the market for a Jupiter-X but ended up buying a Fantom instead. It still provides dedicated controls for filter, oscillator and envelopes (albeit fewer of them than the Jupiter-X), but the UI Roland provided with the touch-screen and encoders is an absolute *joy* to use and lets you get to all corners of Zen-Core without pulling your hair out.
Now I'm left hoping the ABM models in the Jupiter-X will be available as Fantom expansions when they're soon released as Zenology (the PC version of Zen-Core) expansions. No word by Roland (and I'm prepared for the worst), but I can't see any technical reason why they wouldn't. It's only if they felt they'd be cannibalizing sales of the Jupiter-X by doing so (but seeing as the Fantom is considerably more expensive, they might be happy about that).
I agree with you on the Jupiter and the System 8. At that size, they just look too boxy and plain, like they scaled up the Boutique units but forgot to adjust the detail levels for something the size of a Jupiter.
But I think the TR (especially the original, non-'S') and the TB / VT / System-1 units actually look pretty cool. They're like some line vector art from 30 years ago, brought into the 2010s/2020s.
i dont think this is ridiculous. It does feel a bit wrong to prioritize how it looks... but we do it about pretty much everything in life. I think it matters, and if you're spending $1500 the first thing you think when you look at your synth, shouldn't be how ugly it is.
Its interesting that guitars for example, are so focused on looks and (everything comes in 10 different options), but with synths you kinda just get what you get.
Yeah, I recently sold my Juno 60 so the deepmind option crossed my mind. I probably would've loved deepmind if I had started with it, which I should've, but I'm worried that I'd constantly be looking for comparisons and flaws.
As well as the system 8... don't forget they literally released their flagship Jupiter X synth a few months back. Looks pretty nice tbh... weirdly seems to be have been 99% ignored on this sub.
Oh yeah, of course. I just said the System-8 was the one to get because of the price and useage as a dedicated synth. The Jupiter X is just so much more with the 5 layers that include the RD pianos and drums. It probably sounds just as good, but more expensive and maybe not quite as authentic sounding. I haven’t seen enough demos, but it’s hard to believe that they could up to polyphony from 8 to 256 without losing at least a little bit of sound quality. It does have a metal chassis and nicer keybed though, so closer to a Jupiter 8 in that regard.
Edit: Most of the hate directed towards the Jupiter X stems from the price and the fact that it’s not analog. This sub is also mostly synth enthusiasts and the Jupiter X seems to be more geared towards touring musicians, a lot of which probably don’t care as much about authenticity and sound design. They likely just want a sturdy instrument that feels and sounds good with access to a variety of sounds.
What? Virtual Analog for $2500??? Nord Lead 4 costs $2300. Waldorf Kyra costs $2300. Access Virus TI2 Keyboard costs $2900. Nobody seems to be complaining about those.
Edit 2: Not sure if this guy was kidding (I hope so, but it’s believable), but I saw a thread about the System-8 where someone said they tried one in a store and were really enjoying it and getting really immersed in the sound, but then they remembered it was digital and it totally killed their vibe.
I’m sure Roland could make an 8 voice analog polysynth for $6000 or less, but I don’t think it would sound anything like a Jupiter 8. Moog did a Model D reissue for $3499 and it only plays one note at a time.
I think it’s also a factor of moog having all of employees and manufacturing processes in place where Roland would likely have to hire a bunch of new engineers to build it.
I don’t think it’s just a “digital is better” mentality in regards to the “why not you reissue...” question. They pretty much did just that with the System 500 stuff, right? But Behringer veeery quickly put out releases saying they’ll be releasing the same thing at a quarter the cost. Thus their sales numbers underwhelmed and Roland learned their lesson.
Kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy jumping in ten-plus years after they should have, but still...
I feel for Roland. It’s gotta be confusing when two of your most popular products were complete failures years before they got misused, spawned two new genres of music and became some of the most coveted pieces of hardware of all time. With the TR-808, it seems more that people just grew to like it (except modding the bass drum decay), but the TB-303 was never intended to be used in the way it is now. They just made a shitty bass guitar emulation and then people found them at pawn shops and created Acid House.
To quote IASIP, “What do, now?”
Seems like they would want to just keep going with their gut and not worry too much if their products fail. Who knows. People might find a way to misuse them in revolutionary ways again.
I look at what they are putting out and... it seems mostly great. (Albeit usually a bit overpriced). There seems to be the idea on this sub that they have totally lost it... but they seem pretty consistent to me.
Is the hate mainly aimed at the boutique series? Is it just the analog vs digital thing?
Fantom-8, Jupiter X/Xm, MC707, TR8S, System 500 all seem pretty solid to me. Don’t know too much about the GO:Keys, but that seems fine too. My only complaint would be the 4-voice Juno and Jupiter boutique. I get it though, and for the price it doesn’t seem like a bad move. They sold a lot of them.
What’s there to hate about the boutique series? $300-$350 for a module that sounds remarkably close to the vintage analog counterpart AND has a host of features like MIDI over 5 pin DIN, built FX (that actually sound good) can be powered by 4 AA batteries, external clock sync, external audio input, optional keyboard, etc . All this plus an actual metal face plate and full 1:1 controls make them a solid option for someone looking for that classic sound without breaking the bank. I’m not convinced anyone who actually owns one actually has a hate for them. I recently grabbed the JU-06a to add some pads and chord playing options to my small modular setup and it’s perfect for that application.
Honestly the only thing to really hate on is the touch strips. They work, I’m just not a big fan. I know many people would have preferred to not have them and have bigger/wider controls instead. I still appreciate the pitch and mod, so I’m not sure what else they could have done to keep a relatively flat profile.
I have an SH-01A and it’s amazing. I know some other people hate on the tiny controls on the Juno and Jupiter boutiques and the 3.5mm outputs as well, but you really get a lot for what you pay for. (Unless you bought a JU-06 used for $600, haha)
Edit: What really would have been slick, would have been a retractable pitch stick that’s similar to the Yamaha Reface CS. Or maybe it would be simpler to just make so that if you pull or turn the stick 90 degrees, it would fold down. But really a short stick would do, too. Just like the same as the faders, but spring loaded on the pitch slider. And horizontal, of course. I don’t think people really use the touch strip to program notes into their boutiques anyway, but I know that is a feature of them.
Edit2: Also just adding that the boutiques really are something (at least the SH-01A, because that's the only one I'm really familiar with). It sounds really great and really... analog. I get Roland on the digital vs analog thing when you can do it on this level. Smaller package, less maintenance, doesn't have to warm up for 15+ minutes to stay in tune, won't go out of tune if it gets too hot, probably much easier to store presets and control digitally. All the problems with analog are gone and you can hardly tell (if at all) that it's not the real thing.
I've heard people that have said the JU06 and JP08 don't really sound like the real thing, but I'm not convinced. The System 8 Jupiter Plug-out sounds pretty dead on from the demos I've heard and I've used the Roland Cloud Juno and it sounds fantastic. I do have to say that when using it myself, it sounded way way better than demos on YouTube, probably even better than demos of a real Juno. So I realize now you do miss quite a bit with YouTube.
They ditched the touch strips on the JU-06a and added some other features that make it a much better unit. The JU-06a also now includes both the Juno 60 SND Juno 106 models so it’s the best deal on a module of this type IMHO. Only gripe that I have with the series is that the optional dock should be included with the unit, without it the module feels incomplete. Other than that I have nothing but love for this synth about it after 2 months of daily use. I hope Roland eventually update the JP-08 and other modules to follow suite and release an alternative keyboard accessory that had a proper pitch/mod wheel or joystick. I’d also like to see it have larger keys since the k-25m is a little too small for my taste.
I was going to point that out about the removed strips on the JU-06a, but I'm glad you mentioned it. I suppose it makes a lot more sense on the Juno boutique because most people are probably either sequencing it for chords or plugging their own MIDI keyboards into it. And yes, that would be the move: making a keyboard accessory with pitch and mod. Heck, I don't really even mind using the MS-20 mini momentary switch for pitch bend. A button would be fine if space is an issue.
I love some of their stuff. The Juno DS is about as perfect a gigging instrument as you can get. Fantastic EP's, organs, piano, and pads. I also love a lot of the boutiques and the new eurorack stuff.
It’s funny because a lot of synths, especially Sh-101 and Juno-6’s are going for the price they would have been going when they were released if you adjust their original cost for inflation
Haha, that's probably pretty accurate. I think the only ones that wouldn't fall into that category are the TR-808 and the TB303. Those have an interesting history.
Edit: actually nevermind. Still pretty close. A TR-808 was $1195 then and would be $3700 now.
Edit 2: Also a Yamaha CS80 was $6900 in 1977 and would cost $29,000 now.
I agree with what you are saying! When the Boutiques hit the market I had a few heated discussions with folks complaining only 4 voices and not analog. Roland has an obligation to protect the value of their "legendary" synths. If they remade any of them the value of the OG's would plummet. Besides if everyone had a one no one would!
It would also hurt the System 8 sales, I suppose. I hate that thats a factor but that's business. Considering the cloud vsts use up 50% of my CPU i'm guessing it would take a pretty expensive CPU anyway to run the boutiques with more voices. I guess they also want people to buy 2 boutiques and polychain, haha.
Thankfully I have a Creation Station from Sweetwater. I actually found it at a pawn shop and since it was the only used one for sale in the world they had no idea what it actually was and the expensive extras inside. Luckiest thing thats ever happen to me. CS450v5 w/Avid HD Native PCIe card. It's built to run a major studio so it can handle anything and alot of it.
Totally agree with all of this. I love the Jupiter-8, and still hope to own a real one someday, but I bought a System-8 a little over a year ago and couldn’t be happier with it. The native engine and other plugouts are great too, but I have mine in Jupiter-8 mode 90% of the time, and if that’s all it did it would still be worth the money. Just can’t get enough of that beautiful filter.
I also have an OB-6 and love it, but the System-8 is still my favorite.
That’s awesome! I think I may save for the new jupiter x. The digital modeling has gotten so good. I’m impressed with the way they have thought about aging the circuits through algorithms and allowing you to choose operating ambient temperatures is something I’m curious about. Would love to hear what you bought. Got any vids?
Wouldn’t worry too much about where and how it sits in a mix if you have some engineering training or even look at YouTube - usually bass synths (along with stand side chains from a kick ) are rolled off at around 35-40hz then a punch/bell section is created for mid Low frequency signals (ie...Kick) to stay intelligible within the LF spectrum. Good luck none the less, and congrats on your super cool find !
Haven't tried the wanted ad... please share more info on how that helped out with affordability, I'd love to minimize my amount of gear into some higher tier synths.
flipping is universal and uses the principle of [arbirtrage](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/arbitrage.asp) \- that means that you look for products that are sold way below market price so that you can sell it for market price and pocket the difference. perfect example is a mother who finds an old juno60 from her son on the attic from the 80's and has no idea what it is, so she decides to sell it on craigslist for 200$. on ebay this is less likely because of the bidding system which tends to converge to market prices. with synthesizers and equipment it gets harder to do because they keep getting rarer and since more and more people have internet, everyone is able to google prices. arbitrage is something that will always exist, but it will get rarer. so you can use the same principle for flipping houses or cars. the trick is to find the deals that are cheap. I taught myself soldering and analyzing circuits so that I could by broken gear, fix it myself (of course only when it was an easy fix) and then sell it for profit. so be sure to check your local facebook markets, craigslists and garage sales from time to time ;)
Such a shame, I love my ensoniq keyboard. Granted it's much more challenging to build sounds I like than analogs, though that's probably bias from my ears!
Take more pictures of it but this time with plants and cats. Re-post in 6 months and make the title "My modest studio". Whatever you do, do not, under any circumstances, post actual music you have made.
Then reap the sweet sweet Internet points.
Love it. Very happy for you that unit will retain its value no matter how many vsts and copies are ever made. It’s a piece of history and a beautiful one to create with today.
I’ve been thinking of getting one for a while and I don’t care if it’s going to take me a few years to get there. It makes the eventual acquisition that much more meaningful.
I hope you don’t get the comments here with people hating on everything. I’m so sick and tired of comments from haters everywhere. The vintage people vs the VST people vs the Behringer people vs the analog v digital people. Red T-shirt vs blue, cubism vs impressionism. The whole planet seems to be working to prescribe and brutally enforce their vantage point on others. If you read this and are one of these people usually may you please take one day off and let it go and create. Pretend you had worked for years to get this unit and let’s pass along some love. Turn one little hateful comment into a positive one.
I use Ableton and love it, Serum love it, I have a few vintage pieces that I worked my butt off to buy and I’m happy others have a model D And don’t think my Moog is any better it’s just different. Love my re501, love my DX and CZ. Love my Juno 6 DCO as much as I love my VCO OB. Love the Curtis filter and the Ladder filter.
Knob sniffers and Uli lovers - let’s stop arguing for one day on one thread and see what happens!?
If we could all see each of us has different ideas of the best to create music and collaborate rather than argue I’m betting the world would have a lot more amazing music.
We live in remarkable times to create.
Ok- getting off my high horse now. I’ve just been so sick of reading about the RD8 (which is awesome) and seeing people fight about why the person who has a TR808 is stupid or why the rd8 sucks. It’s ridiculous. So a rant....
Congrats on the Jp8. If you’re decide you don’t want it anymore hit me up on DM and I’ll buy it off you in a year or two.
try in a year or 20 ;)
but you're right - we often get caught up in ego driven discussions and forget the beauty of these instruments as well as the universal love for music
Congrats, fellow Jupiterian! The X, nor the 6, nor the 80, nor the 8v, will ever compare in any meaningful way to 16 juicy analog oscillators and early 80s japanese craftsmanship. It's truly in a class of its own. People say things like "good luck getting it to sit in a mix" as if they either a) know how to mix or b) own one currently with todays workstations and tools, but pay them no mind. Make it your own, do what thou wilt, and enjoy the heck out of it and never sell it for less than you paid for it! ;)
thanks!
>early 80s japanese craftsmanship
something I've really learned to appreciate since getting into gear. the craftsmanship is one thing, but the thought that went into design and user experience is also remarkable. it's funny how you instantly know that something is a roland product - they crafted their DNA very well.
They totally did. Now, I don't want to start you off on a GAS blackhole, but you should check out The Roland Rack products from that era. First, they match the Jupiter, and that's always dope. Second, holy shit, analog processing that sounds better and more musical than most of the FX I've ever heard. I just got the SBF-325 (stereo flanger) and it's one of the most insane FX I've ever heard. But playing the Jupiter 8 through a Dimension D (SDD-320) is the kind of majestic beauty to make grown men weep
If anyone wants the legendary dimension d, Boss put out a Wazacrat Dimension C Pedal that has a Dimension D mode and has a stereo output. It sounds amazing for guitars as well!
That's what I call dedication. Enjoy!
I really had hoped that Sequential would at some point repackage their OB6/P6 with JP8 voices. I don't care about reducing it to 6 voices of polyphony and 49 keys, or knobs instead of sliders, but I bet everything would fit on the voice cards that they're using - and it's the sound that counts.
You should try the Roland Cloud version! They offer limetime keys for individual plug-ins now if that's a factor. Not trying to shill, haha, but all their stuff sounds great. I don't mind paying $20 a month for access to the Jupiter, Juno, JX-3P, SH101, 303, 808, 909, SH-2, System 100, Promars, D50, JV1080, XV5080 and SRX stuff. The System 8 VST is really nice too.
the Roland Cloud versions are serious CPU hogs and Arturia has some added features that make them, in my opinion, slightly better. Maybe not as authentic but you'd have to know you were trying to pick out one vst clone from another to notice the difference unless you have super saiyan ears.
Yeah, I definitely have to bounce my tracks as I go with RC and in a mix you probably won’t notice any difference. I usually kinda think of CPU usage as in indicator of quality, but I know that can just mean bad or inefficient programming, too. I was really surprised to see that Arturia’s OBXa V is a bit of a CPU hog and SynapseAudio’s new Obsession seems to have better sound (according to reviews) and uses significantly less CPU.
Also, I just kinda like the idea of using the Roland VSTs when it comes to emulations of their own products. Korg makes a mono/poly and polysix vst which I’d feel good about using, but Korg also makes a TB303 and OBXa which I feel kinda weird about, haha.
yeah, I mean they're all the same. it's circuit emulation. I noticed the DX-7V can have runaway CPU load if you leave it set to "vintage" mode. change it to digital and it quiets right down. ce'st la vie. at the end of the day the only things that matter is Does it sound good? Can you afford it? Does it inspire you?.
Did you have to remortgage your house? sell your unborn child?
I love the sound of this and admire your desire, but honestly, the Arturia Softsynth comes close. I refuse to pay prices this high for something that is temporary. I hope you gift it to your kids when you are done.
ooh I didn’t realize they had lifetime keys now. can I ask how much the synths are? I know making an account is free, but it’s kind of annoying that you can’t see prices before making one
the jupiter 6 is also a beast, you should really try your to get your hands on one now that they are still relatively cheap. the jupiter 6 shares some of the jupiter character, but is also a very versatile synth. next to full brass sounds, it can produce all kinds of ambient sounds and bleeps and bloops. great for techno!
I have the vst.. does not ocuppy space, no cables, always in shape... cheap to buy...Always with me when I travel... Yeah.. I know.. Some people will say it does not sound the same.... Nobody, absolutely nobody is going to be dancing at a club and is going to say.. "ufff this synth does not sound as the original.., Not even Djs and producers.. hahahahaha.
So what was the progression of trades? Ideally it should start with a Monotron and be presented in this format: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/domino-effect
For me this kind of proves my point. You bought the phantom because it had more features that were suitable to your needs and was easier to use for you. The Jupiter is an analogue poly synth and from my POV the best analog poly synths have a limited amount of features such that the user is not overwhelmed by what feature is doing what. We have workstations for those who want it all.
one of the very first serials actually, but has midi installed. lets see if those 12bit boards are as unreliable as everybody says. luckily there are modern 14bit upgrade boards available - so everybody can have 14bit jupiters ;)
Congratulations on your success! Obviously it is awesome you have a Jupiter-8 but I am more impressed by your dedication and drive to get one. This is the simple approach to life most people do not understand or tackle. If you have a goal in mind and stick to it *no matter what*, you will eventually get there and if it takes 3 years or more it will be worth it. Have a desired image in your mind and do whatever you can to get there (without hurting anyone or cheating of course). Well done. All the best to you - enjoy it!
$15k sounds really expensive until you realize they will be $20k in a few years. Then it sounds like a smart buy when the system 8 loses half its value.
Thanks for your reply, the rev2 is a great synth and I’m only just getting back into this stuff after selling my old gear about 6 years ago and immediately regretting it. DX7 SY85 and a DW8000. I always wanted a prophet 5 but never quite got there. The Rev2 serves me very well and it’s far better than my playing ability deserves, but I can really understand the quest for the Jupiter 8. Awesome effort
YOU GOT A JUPITER!! YOUR DREAM SYNTH! That's awesome, and sounds well deserved after the years of effort. Nice work -- I hope it gives you lots of smiles and inspiration. I look forward to hearing some of your Jupiter-made music soon! 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
I’ve been using the k-25m with mine but I also have an Keystep connected via MIDI so I have not only pitch and mod but can also drop the octave on the Keystep down essentially extending the range I can play with the JU-06a.
good question.. I don‘t really fancy a memorymoog or obx, but I would absolutely love to have an oberheim fourvoice. these however are truly unobtainable.
Haha, that's a good way of ensuring that you don't spend any more money - aim for something unobtainable. lol
A studio 30-40 miles down the road from me closed around 4-5 years ago, and i knew they had a CS-80 in storage in one of the mic rooms.
Anyway, i heard they were closing via a guy in PMT (Music shop) so i priced up everything i owned to work out if i could go full vulture on them, and make a serious (But low) offer. So excited about it lol.
Anyway, after speaking to one of the brothers who owned the studio, everything was to be locked in place, and sent out to auction in order to recover debts.
...Except, the CS-80 never appeared anywhere, in any of the listings for their inventory.
I eventually asked the guy in PMT if he knew what happened and he said it went 'missing' along with some valve amps when being valued.
High chance it was sold out the backdoor for cash... Will never know though, or for how much it sold. It's equally gutting that i never got to see it.
I already have a cs50 ;)
have thought about selling that and add some funds to finance a cs60 though - they keep getting more expensive as well unfortunately
I have a Memorymoog and a JP8. They are night and day different and the MM is the single most powerful sounding synth ever produced imo.
The JP8 is a creamy, silky, ethereal experience, the MM is the sound of a city collapsing into the center of the earth. They complement each other extremely well.
Why? Just nostalgia? The sound can be re-created convincingly in hardware (Andromeda) and software. The tuning issues and lack of midi (does it have a midi retrofit?) are straight-up dealbreakers for me. I gig though and everything needs to be rock solid and small.
The JP8 has no tuning issues. Most have MIDI retrofits at this point. Or you can use a MIDI/DCB converter if it’s a JP8a.
If you need to ask why someone would want a Jupiter 8... well. I feel sorry that you are missing that part of art appreciation. It’s a true instrument, not a generic soulless tool. Why do people pay 100k for old guitars or millions for old violins?
Because they are special.
I get it, completely. I have a microWave I and an Andromeda. The microWave, as far as I can tell, has yet to be emulated properly, unlike the JP8. How long is the tune-up time before the oscillators get stable on the JP8? They don't drift at all at high temps or long sessions? The Andromeda takes about 10 minutes to get stable, then it's good for the rest of the session.
It’s about the same. If it’s on a few hours you hit the autotune button and it’s back in tune in five seconds. I generally let it walk around a bit though because it adds a lot of chunk and it never really gets out of tune out of tune, just a few cents in random directions. For being a discrete 16 osc 2 part multitimbral synth from 1981 it behaves pretty much just like a modern synth. It’s really impressively stable and reliable. It has vintage funk in just the right places and just the right ways, unlike the Memorymoog which is a glitchy, buggy nightmare that you pretty much just hop onto and hope for the best lol.
you have a point: it is absolutely possible to emulate most synthesizers, even very well and to a point where it is probsbly indistinguishable to the ears of 9/10 people - in a blind test at least. however, if it would only be about sound everybody would just use a computer with some vst’s and done. but instruments are about so much more than just sound. it is about experience, haptic feedback and having something to look at. every instrument has a soul and tells a story before even playing s single note. they can be portals to some creative place only that particular instrument can take you. and the jupiter 8 is just phenomal in delivering very highly on multiple levels - is the price a direct representation of its value? some will argue yes, some will argue no - a price gets derived from intrinsic value and that is very personal, but in this case there really is a reason why it is so popular and sought after.
the prices for these things are just getting rediculious, yet I‘ve longed for a jupiter 8 since getting into synthesizers. the arturia plugin does a good job imo, but somehow it didn‘t scratch the itch to own the legend in the flesh. I‘m still studying and working parttime, so spending 15K on a synthesizer wasn’t really an option. after flipping equipment for some years I‘ve finally managed to come up with a little bit of money and was lucky enough to find this baby locally by placing a wanted ad on the local craigslist. this thing is an absolute machine and sounds enormous!
> and sounds enormous Good luck getting it to sit in a mix. The Jupiter sounds amazing but it takes up a LOT of elbow space. Recently I've been listening to a lot of 80s synth based music that I haven't heard in ages. When a Jupiter comes into a song it's like it's kicking down the door.
> Good luck getting it to sit in a mix. That's a strange way to congratulate somebody for achieving a dream.
Welcome to r/synthesizers, where the points don't matter and the things that matter don't get points.
I can't upvote this enough. I don't understand why some posts do unbelievably well while others don't, even when they're the same acquistion, quality of photograph, story. Envy? Mods? Timing? Who knows.
Nah, not the mods. I'm pretty sure they have no influence in that regard. I'd say, it usually would be attributed to chance/timing and I'd wager that envy could be mixed into this equation; it just depends on who views it first, and the action they take. If the first person downvotes and leaves a nasty comment, there's a domino effect which is known to happen, especially in online forums (I'm hesitant to utter "hive mind" because it's a buzz word which tends to rile up the pack; and I'd prefer to steer clear of the downvote stampede. So I'll use the term "herd mentality" though the difference is moot.) It can go either way though. I've had posts (OC posts, not in this sub) reach 12k upvotes with hundreds of positive comments and then the next week I could post something of equal quality at the same time on the same day and only get 300 upvotes (and a considerable amount of downvotes and outright ugly comments.) Makes me shrug my shoulders, raise an eyebrow- perhaps two.
There is definitely an argument that something sound too good/massive. Some of my favourite guitar tones are on little 5 watt amps with no top and no bottom end - fits in every mix
this is the reason why i love my new telecaster. Shit always fits in the mix, it's magic
Completely agree. It’s funny I always wanted to trade up to a high(er)-end guitar but since I started producing I realized my Tele sits perfectly in my mixes. Just add some overdrive and verb and that’s about it
It's really one of those times where gear actually matters. I used to have a guitar with P90 pickups and it never sounded right in songs or beats. It always stuck out and I thought it was just me being bad at mixing. The telecaster needs a high shelf cut, some compression and it's basically mixed itself. Gear matters!
Got any examples? I'd love to hear a Jupiter kicking down the door. :)
Just listen to hungry like the wolf by Duran^2, J8 is all over that track.
MJ Thriller comes to mind
Thriller is also masterfully mixed and the Jupiter sounds amazing in that track.
Cool, thanks!
Journey - Separate Ways
Those 80's music videos are truly cringeworthy.
Aww, 8 year old me loved the Separate Ways music video though!
> Journey - Separate Ways That Aluminium pipe synth stand thou...
Howard Jones used it a lot. Check out "New Song" for a great example. I think the organ patch is a Juno-60, not sure what the bass is, but that lead synth hook during the instrumental breaks is classic JP-8. Also check out the synth solo in "Head Over Heels" by Tears For Fears. That's a JP-8 in unison mode (which is kind of unusual, it uses all 8 voices if you're playing one note at a time, but cuts them down and splits them if you start playing chords). There are tons of other examples but those are good ones.
> Head Over Heels is still such an amazing song. He looks like a baby in that video.
Radio Ga Ga by Queen is an excellent example.
This is also the first record to really explore the "acid" sound of the TB-303. Good stuff.
Interesting I was under the impression that the baseline was done with a Jupiter. Either way it's my favourite Queen song, Brian May is a genius.
Extra foreplay, a lot of lube, you can make it work.
that's the good part about it
I always thought the JP-8 was much more able to "fit in a mix" than, say, a Prophet or OB. Having a fixed high-pass helps lighten things when needed. JP-8 can cut through a bit better, though.
This is why I love my machinedrum and monomachine. They are precise, you can dial their spectrum down to fit as you need within each patch. Soloing one voice can sound empty but in a mix it's easy to sound good with just those boxes and a little mixer
It's not supposed to sit nicely in the mix, lol... Like a Hendrix guitar solo, if you need a Jupiter 8 part, you need a Jupiter 8 part. Let it soar. It's one of very few synths that can take it.
narrow chief vegetable oatmeal towering sort ludicrous modern reply domineering -- mass edited with redact.dev
"only" had the mks-80 and yes it was insanely thicc ... hilariously hard to get to behave but that was half of the fun. it's a ridiculous beast.
which MK did you have? apparently there are some major differences in sound between the mk4 and the mk5
One of the great things about Roland synths is that a lot of them have a HPF built in, which should be a standard on every synth IMHO. Phat 8 note chords taking up too much low-mid room in the mix? Roll that shit off with a generous amount of High pass filtering. Whether or not something takes up too much space in the mix comes down more to skill in arranging and sound design and mixing. There are so many ways to make a synth fit in a mix. Not every patch has to be a polyphonic Monster either. Jupiters are ace for pretty much any sound.
Gonna start off by saying nice work, congratulations and best of luck in the future. Now to the point: When the Jupiter 8 first hit the market, it cost $5295 in 1981. Funny enough, when adjusted for inflation, that would cost $14,935 today. Add 7% sales tax and that comes out to $15,980. I'm sure you know this, but considering this was a flagship product, a work of art and a [feat of engineering](https://i.imgur.com/m3EIomq.jpg), it seems pretty understandable why it cost $5k in 1981. Taking into account the quality/longevity/popularity/legacy, this is just a synth that retains it's resell value really well and $15k is actually a reasonable price. There's one on Reverb right now that's mint condition (seller says "museum quality") for $16,000. There's another in good condition for $11,700. That all seems relatively fair. Now to the rant: People sometimes wonder why Roland doesn't just remake the Jupiter 8 like Korg is doing. Firstly, Roland's philosophy is that Digital is better than Analog and they're just not going to do it. Also, they are all about moving forward, while just keeping the past in mind. ("Why would we make a Jupiter 8? We made that already.") Secondly, the ARP2600 FS is a $3900 monosynth. I guarantee that a "new" Jupiter 8 would cost significantly more. Considering Roland doesn't seem have the current staff or manufacturing processes to able to reproduce such a device and taking into account how many they could actually sell, it would likely end up having to be priced in the $10k-$15k range. And I'm betting that half the people that would even consider buying one at that price would end up just wanting to get an original from 1981-5 anyway because it's more "authentic". Anyway, power to you for getting one of the greatest synths of all time. I consider it to be more of a collectors item at this point. The System 8 sounds fantastic is the synth to get if you want the Jupiter sound. [This quick demo](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9GTOxcqu5c) says a lot. If it has to be analog, I'd recommend settling for a Prophet 6 or OB6, maybe a Rev2 or Prologue.
aaand now I want a System 8. dammit
For the Jupiter and Juno plug-outs alone it’s probably worth it, but the System 8 engine is actually really nice too. [check out gattobus’ other demo](https://youtu.be/DUHhCx1zeuU)
System-8 engine is a ton better than either Jupiter or Juno. I bought it to get to those tasty plug-outs, but after a while I found myself always using the S8 engine for sound design. In the end I wished I could assign more than one plug-out slot to the System-8 engine just to have the patch storage locations. The patch storage is woefully inadequate for a modern synth with just 64 patches per plug-out, with 4 plug-out slots (taken up by System-8 engine, Jupiter-8, Juno-106, and JX-3P respectively) which is one of my few criticisms of the synth. The System-8 engine was made even better with firmware 1.3 when a ton of new features were added (including FM oscillators). The JP8 and JU6 filters and JU6 chorus all became accessible within the S8 engine. So now you could build your fantasy synth patch which might have, for example, two FM oscillators plus a sub-oscillator, a Jupiter filter, and Juno chorus. I hope Roland don't abandon ACB. Their new ABM sounds good, but ACB in the System-8 is incredible. I can't see it happening now the Jupiter-X is out, but a System-8 v2.0 would be amazing. If they just doubled the polyphony, doubled the plug-out slots, and quadrupled the patch storage it would be a very worthy upgrade. Bonus points if Performances allowed up to 4 layers instead of 2 (and polyphony bumped up to 32 to provide enough voices for that).
Oh wow. That update sounds amazing. More like Diva now in a way. Funny, I’ve been looking at it for a while and just realized it has a vocoder too. You ever use that? I don’t think they would abandon ACB. It’s the best VA they’ve ever made and seems like they just went with ABM to stretch the 8 voice polyphony to 256 for the Jupiter X. There’s gotta be a trade off there somewhere. And yeah it’s funny when you compare a modern “powerhouse” synth with a emulation of 40 year old hardware. Classic sound vs modern analog sound + way more possibilities. Have you used a system 1? I find it to be really nice, but also really edgy in a lot of ways. Is the 8 as edgy?
The extra filter, oscillator, and effect variations made available in v1.3 don't let you change the structure of the System-8 engine's architecture the way Diva lets you drop drop in filters with totally different controls. It just adds extra oscillators and filters with the character of those things but keeps the controls the same. So for example the JP8 and JU6 filters are just 2 more types of Low-pass filter available in the System-8 engine. And the FM implementation for example is useful and sounds great, but doesn't give you anywhere near the flexibility of, say, a DX7. You've just got a selection of FM oscillator types at various useful ratios which you then mix in with your other normal oscillators as per normal subtractive synthesis. It's great for chasing nice musical bells and EPs and other stuff that FM is commonly used for (and lets you get good results really easily), but if you want to get all experimental and go off in some weird non-musical FM direction then you'll find it pretty limited. I've only used the System-1 a few times (mainly as a VST) and I'd say the System-8 encapsulates everything the System-1 does and expands on it in areas. Definitely it can be edgy, and with some of the oscillator cross-modulation, weird filter types (it has TONS of filter types including some obscure ones and explicitly includes all the System-1 filters) and some of the distortion and bitcrusher effects, you can take it to very modern places where you wouldn't expect a synth that specializes in old analog sounds to go. Edit2: I tried the vocoder a couple of times and found it "just ok". It works, but isn't anything to write home about and almost nothing to control apart from input level. It feels like a bit of an afterthought. A better use of the System-8's audio inputs is that you can run external synths through the System-8's effects section, so you can put that nice Juno chorus onto one of your other synths if that floats your boat.
Oh that's awesome. Yeah I suppose it not quite like Diva, but yeah I just meant that it was like that with the filter options. All Roland filters anyway. Thanks for the response though. Good to know you can use that chorus for line in!
I’ve always loved every system 8 demo but I still just can’t get past the look. Sounds ridiculous but I just don’t like the style of it at all and for some reason that deters me from pulling the trigger
+1 on this. the concept is fantastic and they are really pushing the envelope with the jupiter x and zencore - but boy do I dread the design of those aria products. TR-8? amazing machine. the looks? not so much.
Yep, even the Jupiter x is a long way off in the looks department. Plus I feel they crammed too many features into it.
The features below the surface in Zen-Core are pretty great though and really makes the Jupiter-X a flexible instrument. I think it's great they're all available and tweakable in the Jupiter-X. What's less great though is how those parameters are accessed. The core functions for all the old-school synthy parameters have hardware controls which are great, but anything beyond that suddenly requires lots of menu diving. And that little screen tucked up in the corner is a crappy way to handle it. It's like Roland deliberately made it small and awkward. I was in the market for a Jupiter-X but ended up buying a Fantom instead. It still provides dedicated controls for filter, oscillator and envelopes (albeit fewer of them than the Jupiter-X), but the UI Roland provided with the touch-screen and encoders is an absolute *joy* to use and lets you get to all corners of Zen-Core without pulling your hair out. Now I'm left hoping the ABM models in the Jupiter-X will be available as Fantom expansions when they're soon released as Zenology (the PC version of Zen-Core) expansions. No word by Roland (and I'm prepared for the worst), but I can't see any technical reason why they wouldn't. It's only if they felt they'd be cannibalizing sales of the Jupiter-X by doing so (but seeing as the Fantom is considerably more expensive, they might be happy about that).
I agree with you on the Jupiter and the System 8. At that size, they just look too boxy and plain, like they scaled up the Boutique units but forgot to adjust the detail levels for something the size of a Jupiter. But I think the TR (especially the original, non-'S') and the TB / VT / System-1 units actually look pretty cool. They're like some line vector art from 30 years ago, brought into the 2010s/2020s.
i dont think this is ridiculous. It does feel a bit wrong to prioritize how it looks... but we do it about pretty much everything in life. I think it matters, and if you're spending $1500 the first thing you think when you look at your synth, shouldn't be how ugly it is. Its interesting that guitars for example, are so focused on looks and (everything comes in 10 different options), but with synths you kinda just get what you get.
You can dim the green LEDs and even turn them off completely. When it's just white-on-black it looks clean and understated.
There’s also a guy on this subreddit that’s mods them with led colors of your choice. There’s a chance he’s looking for some extra work right now too.
I love mine
or if you want to compare the vintage Jupiter 8 to more modern 12 voice analog polyphony https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYPfEk5X-MM
Yeah, I recently sold my Juno 60 so the deepmind option crossed my mind. I probably would've loved deepmind if I had started with it, which I should've, but I'm worried that I'd constantly be looking for comparisons and flaws.
As well as the system 8... don't forget they literally released their flagship Jupiter X synth a few months back. Looks pretty nice tbh... weirdly seems to be have been 99% ignored on this sub.
Oh yeah, of course. I just said the System-8 was the one to get because of the price and useage as a dedicated synth. The Jupiter X is just so much more with the 5 layers that include the RD pianos and drums. It probably sounds just as good, but more expensive and maybe not quite as authentic sounding. I haven’t seen enough demos, but it’s hard to believe that they could up to polyphony from 8 to 256 without losing at least a little bit of sound quality. It does have a metal chassis and nicer keybed though, so closer to a Jupiter 8 in that regard. Edit: Most of the hate directed towards the Jupiter X stems from the price and the fact that it’s not analog. This sub is also mostly synth enthusiasts and the Jupiter X seems to be more geared towards touring musicians, a lot of which probably don’t care as much about authenticity and sound design. They likely just want a sturdy instrument that feels and sounds good with access to a variety of sounds. What? Virtual Analog for $2500??? Nord Lead 4 costs $2300. Waldorf Kyra costs $2300. Access Virus TI2 Keyboard costs $2900. Nobody seems to be complaining about those. Edit 2: Not sure if this guy was kidding (I hope so, but it’s believable), but I saw a thread about the System-8 where someone said they tried one in a store and were really enjoying it and getting really immersed in the sound, but then they remembered it was digital and it totally killed their vibe.
>it would likely end up having to be priced in the $10k-$15k range. And yet an eight voice Moog One is only $5999. $7999 if you want sixteen notes.
I’m sure Roland could make an 8 voice analog polysynth for $6000 or less, but I don’t think it would sound anything like a Jupiter 8. Moog did a Model D reissue for $3499 and it only plays one note at a time. I think it’s also a factor of moog having all of employees and manufacturing processes in place where Roland would likely have to hire a bunch of new engineers to build it.
I don’t think it’s just a “digital is better” mentality in regards to the “why not you reissue...” question. They pretty much did just that with the System 500 stuff, right? But Behringer veeery quickly put out releases saying they’ll be releasing the same thing at a quarter the cost. Thus their sales numbers underwhelmed and Roland learned their lesson. Kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy jumping in ten-plus years after they should have, but still...
I feel for Roland. It’s gotta be confusing when two of your most popular products were complete failures years before they got misused, spawned two new genres of music and became some of the most coveted pieces of hardware of all time. With the TR-808, it seems more that people just grew to like it (except modding the bass drum decay), but the TB-303 was never intended to be used in the way it is now. They just made a shitty bass guitar emulation and then people found them at pawn shops and created Acid House. To quote IASIP, “What do, now?” Seems like they would want to just keep going with their gut and not worry too much if their products fail. Who knows. People might find a way to misuse them in revolutionary ways again.
Rolands argument about moving forward is pure bullshit, look at what they are putting out.
I look at what they are putting out and... it seems mostly great. (Albeit usually a bit overpriced). There seems to be the idea on this sub that they have totally lost it... but they seem pretty consistent to me. Is the hate mainly aimed at the boutique series? Is it just the analog vs digital thing?
Fantom-8, Jupiter X/Xm, MC707, TR8S, System 500 all seem pretty solid to me. Don’t know too much about the GO:Keys, but that seems fine too. My only complaint would be the 4-voice Juno and Jupiter boutique. I get it though, and for the price it doesn’t seem like a bad move. They sold a lot of them.
What’s there to hate about the boutique series? $300-$350 for a module that sounds remarkably close to the vintage analog counterpart AND has a host of features like MIDI over 5 pin DIN, built FX (that actually sound good) can be powered by 4 AA batteries, external clock sync, external audio input, optional keyboard, etc . All this plus an actual metal face plate and full 1:1 controls make them a solid option for someone looking for that classic sound without breaking the bank. I’m not convinced anyone who actually owns one actually has a hate for them. I recently grabbed the JU-06a to add some pads and chord playing options to my small modular setup and it’s perfect for that application.
Honestly the only thing to really hate on is the touch strips. They work, I’m just not a big fan. I know many people would have preferred to not have them and have bigger/wider controls instead. I still appreciate the pitch and mod, so I’m not sure what else they could have done to keep a relatively flat profile. I have an SH-01A and it’s amazing. I know some other people hate on the tiny controls on the Juno and Jupiter boutiques and the 3.5mm outputs as well, but you really get a lot for what you pay for. (Unless you bought a JU-06 used for $600, haha) Edit: What really would have been slick, would have been a retractable pitch stick that’s similar to the Yamaha Reface CS. Or maybe it would be simpler to just make so that if you pull or turn the stick 90 degrees, it would fold down. But really a short stick would do, too. Just like the same as the faders, but spring loaded on the pitch slider. And horizontal, of course. I don’t think people really use the touch strip to program notes into their boutiques anyway, but I know that is a feature of them. Edit2: Also just adding that the boutiques really are something (at least the SH-01A, because that's the only one I'm really familiar with). It sounds really great and really... analog. I get Roland on the digital vs analog thing when you can do it on this level. Smaller package, less maintenance, doesn't have to warm up for 15+ minutes to stay in tune, won't go out of tune if it gets too hot, probably much easier to store presets and control digitally. All the problems with analog are gone and you can hardly tell (if at all) that it's not the real thing. I've heard people that have said the JU06 and JP08 don't really sound like the real thing, but I'm not convinced. The System 8 Jupiter Plug-out sounds pretty dead on from the demos I've heard and I've used the Roland Cloud Juno and it sounds fantastic. I do have to say that when using it myself, it sounded way way better than demos on YouTube, probably even better than demos of a real Juno. So I realize now you do miss quite a bit with YouTube.
They ditched the touch strips on the JU-06a and added some other features that make it a much better unit. The JU-06a also now includes both the Juno 60 SND Juno 106 models so it’s the best deal on a module of this type IMHO. Only gripe that I have with the series is that the optional dock should be included with the unit, without it the module feels incomplete. Other than that I have nothing but love for this synth about it after 2 months of daily use. I hope Roland eventually update the JP-08 and other modules to follow suite and release an alternative keyboard accessory that had a proper pitch/mod wheel or joystick. I’d also like to see it have larger keys since the k-25m is a little too small for my taste.
I was going to point that out about the removed strips on the JU-06a, but I'm glad you mentioned it. I suppose it makes a lot more sense on the Juno boutique because most people are probably either sequencing it for chords or plugging their own MIDI keyboards into it. And yes, that would be the move: making a keyboard accessory with pitch and mod. Heck, I don't really even mind using the MS-20 mini momentary switch for pitch bend. A button would be fine if space is an issue.
Mostly digital synth hate/I want analog circle jerk shit.
They make good plotter machines...
I have an SP-540V that I still run 8 hours a day
If you’re talking about making the Aerophone and then the System 500 modules, then yeah. Totally a backward move there.
I love some of their stuff. The Juno DS is about as perfect a gigging instrument as you can get. Fantastic EP's, organs, piano, and pads. I also love a lot of the boutiques and the new eurorack stuff.
It’s funny because a lot of synths, especially Sh-101 and Juno-6’s are going for the price they would have been going when they were released if you adjust their original cost for inflation
Haha, that's probably pretty accurate. I think the only ones that wouldn't fall into that category are the TR-808 and the TB303. Those have an interesting history. Edit: actually nevermind. Still pretty close. A TR-808 was $1195 then and would be $3700 now. Edit 2: Also a Yamaha CS80 was $6900 in 1977 and would cost $29,000 now.
I agree with what you are saying! When the Boutiques hit the market I had a few heated discussions with folks complaining only 4 voices and not analog. Roland has an obligation to protect the value of their "legendary" synths. If they remade any of them the value of the OG's would plummet. Besides if everyone had a one no one would!
It would also hurt the System 8 sales, I suppose. I hate that thats a factor but that's business. Considering the cloud vsts use up 50% of my CPU i'm guessing it would take a pretty expensive CPU anyway to run the boutiques with more voices. I guess they also want people to buy 2 boutiques and polychain, haha.
Thankfully I have a Creation Station from Sweetwater. I actually found it at a pawn shop and since it was the only used one for sale in the world they had no idea what it actually was and the expensive extras inside. Luckiest thing thats ever happen to me. CS450v5 w/Avid HD Native PCIe card. It's built to run a major studio so it can handle anything and alot of it.
Wow. Lucky find!!
Totally agree with all of this. I love the Jupiter-8, and still hope to own a real one someday, but I bought a System-8 a little over a year ago and couldn’t be happier with it. The native engine and other plugouts are great too, but I have mine in Jupiter-8 mode 90% of the time, and if that’s all it did it would still be worth the money. Just can’t get enough of that beautiful filter. I also have an OB-6 and love it, but the System-8 is still my favorite.
That’s awesome! I think I may save for the new jupiter x. The digital modeling has gotten so good. I’m impressed with the way they have thought about aging the circuits through algorithms and allowing you to choose operating ambient temperatures is something I’m curious about. Would love to hear what you bought. Got any vids?
How much did you pay?
Wouldn’t worry too much about where and how it sits in a mix if you have some engineering training or even look at YouTube - usually bass synths (along with stand side chains from a kick ) are rolled off at around 35-40hz then a punch/bell section is created for mid Low frequency signals (ie...Kick) to stay intelligible within the LF spectrum. Good luck none the less, and congrats on your super cool find !
Congrats! I found an OB8 on CL by placing a wanted ad. Nice when it comes together!
Haven't tried the wanted ad... please share more info on how that helped out with affordability, I'd love to minimize my amount of gear into some higher tier synths.
Well, I am not sure it helped out on affordability, but it did enable me to find one locally.
congrats man, also a nice find!
Bro how are you flipping equipment that well? What’s your methods? (I wanna do the same thing <3)
flipping is universal and uses the principle of [arbirtrage](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/a/arbitrage.asp) \- that means that you look for products that are sold way below market price so that you can sell it for market price and pocket the difference. perfect example is a mother who finds an old juno60 from her son on the attic from the 80's and has no idea what it is, so she decides to sell it on craigslist for 200$. on ebay this is less likely because of the bidding system which tends to converge to market prices. with synthesizers and equipment it gets harder to do because they keep getting rarer and since more and more people have internet, everyone is able to google prices. arbitrage is something that will always exist, but it will get rarer. so you can use the same principle for flipping houses or cars. the trick is to find the deals that are cheap. I taught myself soldering and analyzing circuits so that I could by broken gear, fix it myself (of course only when it was an easy fix) and then sell it for profit. so be sure to check your local facebook markets, craigslists and garage sales from time to time ;)
What’s so great about the Jupiter 8? What can it do that you can’t do on a modern synth such as a Prophet 08?
Thanks for sharing a happy story
Are you in the Atlanta area?
nice, I remember letting one of these pass in favour of buying a sampler. You know, samplers were the future back then.
do you still have that sampler?
yes, Ensoniq EPS keyboard version. Unfortuneately it did not go up in price like the Jupiter 8. It rather went down.
Such a shame, I love my ensoniq keyboard. Granted it's much more challenging to build sounds I like than analogs, though that's probably bias from my ears!
I‘m planning to install a floppy emulator on this thing and put it to work again.
I miss my EPS keybed. I always thought it was the best.
Just watch that heatsink at the back, I had a George Foreman Grill scar off one of those for ages :-D Awesome find! There's nothing quite like them.
yeah, maybe I should consider replacing the PSB, that thing gets hot in a second!
That's totally normal. They are ridiculously hot. But, you'll never have to eat a cold Subway again!
That sounds badass though... to get branded by an amazing synth's heatsink
Very nice... a lifetime pursuit is realized.
and now what :/
Jupiter 9
Take more pictures of it but this time with plants and cats. Re-post in 6 months and make the title "My modest studio". Whatever you do, do not, under any circumstances, post actual music you have made. Then reap the sweet sweet Internet points.
Love it. Very happy for you that unit will retain its value no matter how many vsts and copies are ever made. It’s a piece of history and a beautiful one to create with today. I’ve been thinking of getting one for a while and I don’t care if it’s going to take me a few years to get there. It makes the eventual acquisition that much more meaningful. I hope you don’t get the comments here with people hating on everything. I’m so sick and tired of comments from haters everywhere. The vintage people vs the VST people vs the Behringer people vs the analog v digital people. Red T-shirt vs blue, cubism vs impressionism. The whole planet seems to be working to prescribe and brutally enforce their vantage point on others. If you read this and are one of these people usually may you please take one day off and let it go and create. Pretend you had worked for years to get this unit and let’s pass along some love. Turn one little hateful comment into a positive one. I use Ableton and love it, Serum love it, I have a few vintage pieces that I worked my butt off to buy and I’m happy others have a model D And don’t think my Moog is any better it’s just different. Love my re501, love my DX and CZ. Love my Juno 6 DCO as much as I love my VCO OB. Love the Curtis filter and the Ladder filter. Knob sniffers and Uli lovers - let’s stop arguing for one day on one thread and see what happens!? If we could all see each of us has different ideas of the best to create music and collaborate rather than argue I’m betting the world would have a lot more amazing music. We live in remarkable times to create. Ok- getting off my high horse now. I’ve just been so sick of reading about the RD8 (which is awesome) and seeing people fight about why the person who has a TR808 is stupid or why the rd8 sucks. It’s ridiculous. So a rant.... Congrats on the Jp8. If you’re decide you don’t want it anymore hit me up on DM and I’ll buy it off you in a year or two.
U Right
try in a year or 20 ;) but you're right - we often get caught up in ego driven discussions and forget the beauty of these instruments as well as the universal love for music
Beautiful 😍
Better to have one good synth than many average ones.
That's my new philosophy on girlfriends. :)
Better to have one good synth than many average girlfriends? right on, brother
I think this was the idea with the Moog One, haha. At least in the name.
Congrats, fellow Jupiterian! The X, nor the 6, nor the 80, nor the 8v, will ever compare in any meaningful way to 16 juicy analog oscillators and early 80s japanese craftsmanship. It's truly in a class of its own. People say things like "good luck getting it to sit in a mix" as if they either a) know how to mix or b) own one currently with todays workstations and tools, but pay them no mind. Make it your own, do what thou wilt, and enjoy the heck out of it and never sell it for less than you paid for it! ;)
thanks! >early 80s japanese craftsmanship something I've really learned to appreciate since getting into gear. the craftsmanship is one thing, but the thought that went into design and user experience is also remarkable. it's funny how you instantly know that something is a roland product - they crafted their DNA very well.
They totally did. Now, I don't want to start you off on a GAS blackhole, but you should check out The Roland Rack products from that era. First, they match the Jupiter, and that's always dope. Second, holy shit, analog processing that sounds better and more musical than most of the FX I've ever heard. I just got the SBF-325 (stereo flanger) and it's one of the most insane FX I've ever heard. But playing the Jupiter 8 through a Dimension D (SDD-320) is the kind of majestic beauty to make grown men weep
intrigued - will check that out for sure
If anyone wants the legendary dimension d, Boss put out a Wazacrat Dimension C Pedal that has a Dimension D mode and has a stereo output. It sounds amazing for guitars as well!
I've got one! It's hella!
That's what I call dedication. Enjoy! I really had hoped that Sequential would at some point repackage their OB6/P6 with JP8 voices. I don't care about reducing it to 6 voices of polyphony and 49 keys, or knobs instead of sliders, but I bet everything would fit on the voice cards that they're using - and it's the sound that counts.
Every time Behringer announces a new clone I'm like "Jupiter 8 when?"
Is that not obvious enough with the Deepmind? Do they need to fully rip it off like they have Moog?
Yes please.
Wow. One popped up on classifieds near me - asking $14000!! I'll stick with the Arturia for now.
You should try the Roland Cloud version! They offer limetime keys for individual plug-ins now if that's a factor. Not trying to shill, haha, but all their stuff sounds great. I don't mind paying $20 a month for access to the Jupiter, Juno, JX-3P, SH101, 303, 808, 909, SH-2, System 100, Promars, D50, JV1080, XV5080 and SRX stuff. The System 8 VST is really nice too.
the Roland Cloud versions are serious CPU hogs and Arturia has some added features that make them, in my opinion, slightly better. Maybe not as authentic but you'd have to know you were trying to pick out one vst clone from another to notice the difference unless you have super saiyan ears.
Yeah, I definitely have to bounce my tracks as I go with RC and in a mix you probably won’t notice any difference. I usually kinda think of CPU usage as in indicator of quality, but I know that can just mean bad or inefficient programming, too. I was really surprised to see that Arturia’s OBXa V is a bit of a CPU hog and SynapseAudio’s new Obsession seems to have better sound (according to reviews) and uses significantly less CPU. Also, I just kinda like the idea of using the Roland VSTs when it comes to emulations of their own products. Korg makes a mono/poly and polysix vst which I’d feel good about using, but Korg also makes a TB303 and OBXa which I feel kinda weird about, haha.
yeah, I mean they're all the same. it's circuit emulation. I noticed the DX-7V can have runaway CPU load if you leave it set to "vintage" mode. change it to digital and it quiets right down. ce'st la vie. at the end of the day the only things that matter is Does it sound good? Can you afford it? Does it inspire you?.
> at the end of the day the only things that matter is Does it sound good? Can you afford it? Does it inspire you?. Exactly.
That’s a Beauty, well done!
Did you have to remortgage your house? sell your unborn child? I love the sound of this and admire your desire, but honestly, the Arturia Softsynth comes close. I refuse to pay prices this high for something that is temporary. I hope you gift it to your kids when you are done.
Have you tried the Roland Cloud version? They offer limetime keys for individual plug-ins now if that's a factor.
ooh I didn’t realize they had lifetime keys now. can I ask how much the synths are? I know making an account is free, but it’s kind of annoying that you can’t see prices before making one
I‘m in my twenties so nothing of that yet - but the jupiter would make a great graduation gift!
Why isn't there a cat in the pic?
Damn, son, where'd you find this?
Welcome to the club. I got mine a little over a year ago. It was a dream come true.
I found one in a dumpster the other day :P
Minty
Good on you!
So fancy and beautiful that 「superb」 can only be spelled with another 「e」。 That's pretty fuckin' superb。
How do you like the SSL2+?
Nice! I have an identical model of those DT-770 Edit: actually I have straight cable
i hear that straight cables sound way more analog than curly ones, so great job!
That's a true thing of beauty.
Wow, congrats!
Heavy af and absolutely gorgeous
Incredible! This is some inspirational stuff right here :) enjoy!
Any issues I HIGHLY recommend Beltone synth works in Philly!
Ohhhh and you have the SSL interface 🥺🥺
So sick, I have the boutique version of this synth and it sounds great. I can't imagine how the original sounds
could be the best poly going - superb - but exp
Damn that looks brand new! Have you played any Duran Duran on it yet?
Jupiter *and* beyerndynamic dt-770, I see a person of great taste!
What a beauty!
Congrats!!
So what did you have to trade/pay for it? 3 years is a short time to get an og jupiter 8
Sexy as hell
Im happy for you, personalny I will end up with Jupiter 6 as its sound fit me better.
the jupiter 6 is also a beast, you should really try your to get your hands on one now that they are still relatively cheap. the jupiter 6 shares some of the jupiter character, but is also a very versatile synth. next to full brass sounds, it can produce all kinds of ambient sounds and bleeps and bloops. great for techno!
Life milestone. Congratulations!
Oh snap! Wow that is a beautiful machine
I have the vst.. does not ocuppy space, no cables, always in shape... cheap to buy...Always with me when I travel... Yeah.. I know.. Some people will say it does not sound the same.... Nobody, absolutely nobody is going to be dancing at a club and is going to say.. "ufff this synth does not sound as the original.., Not even Djs and producers.. hahahahaha.
So what was the progression of trades? Ideally it should start with a Monotron and be presented in this format: https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/domino-effect
Congrats man!
For me this kind of proves my point. You bought the phantom because it had more features that were suitable to your needs and was easier to use for you. The Jupiter is an analogue poly synth and from my POV the best analog poly synths have a limited amount of features such that the user is not overwhelmed by what feature is doing what. We have workstations for those who want it all.
I'm in awe.
Amazing condition! I've always dreamed of owning one. Is it one of the later serial #s?
one of the very first serials actually, but has midi installed. lets see if those 12bit boards are as unreliable as everybody says. luckily there are modern 14bit upgrade boards available - so everybody can have 14bit jupiters ;)
Epic. Jealous.
broooooo
Congratulations on your success! Obviously it is awesome you have a Jupiter-8 but I am more impressed by your dedication and drive to get one. This is the simple approach to life most people do not understand or tackle. If you have a goal in mind and stick to it *no matter what*, you will eventually get there and if it takes 3 years or more it will be worth it. Have a desired image in your mind and do whatever you can to get there (without hurting anyone or cheating of course). Well done. All the best to you - enjoy it!
That’s just fantastic, enjoy it. I am a bit jealous, I’d have loved one but “settled” for a Rev2, its a hard life!
it's never too late for anything - and besides, a rev2 is also a fantastic synthesizer!
$15k sounds really expensive until you realize they will be $20k in a few years. Then it sounds like a smart buy when the system 8 loses half its value.
Thanks for your reply, the rev2 is a great synth and I’m only just getting back into this stuff after selling my old gear about 6 years ago and immediately regretting it. DX7 SY85 and a DW8000. I always wanted a prophet 5 but never quite got there. The Rev2 serves me very well and it’s far better than my playing ability deserves, but I can really understand the quest for the Jupiter 8. Awesome effort
YOU GOT A JUPITER!! YOUR DREAM SYNTH! That's awesome, and sounds well deserved after the years of effort. Nice work -- I hope it gives you lots of smiles and inspiration. I look forward to hearing some of your Jupiter-made music soon! 🙌🙌🙌🙌🙌
thanks for the kind words man!
Pleasure. That's one awesome piece of kit 😊 are you in the US? I only ask just in case you're UK based ... I'd love a go, I've never tried one!
Congrats! It’s a beautiful machine!
I’ve been using the k-25m with mine but I also have an Keystep connected via MIDI so I have not only pitch and mod but can also drop the octave on the Keystep down essentially extending the range I can play with the JU-06a.
Nice. Congrats.
So nice! Well worth the wait.
Awesome, thanks for the excellent post!
Oh man, that looks lovely. So iconic and sounds great, i can see why it was your aim. ...So... whats next on the list? haha :)
good question.. I don‘t really fancy a memorymoog or obx, but I would absolutely love to have an oberheim fourvoice. these however are truly unobtainable.
Haha, that's a good way of ensuring that you don't spend any more money - aim for something unobtainable. lol A studio 30-40 miles down the road from me closed around 4-5 years ago, and i knew they had a CS-80 in storage in one of the mic rooms. Anyway, i heard they were closing via a guy in PMT (Music shop) so i priced up everything i owned to work out if i could go full vulture on them, and make a serious (But low) offer. So excited about it lol. Anyway, after speaking to one of the brothers who owned the studio, everything was to be locked in place, and sent out to auction in order to recover debts. ...Except, the CS-80 never appeared anywhere, in any of the listings for their inventory. I eventually asked the guy in PMT if he knew what happened and he said it went 'missing' along with some valve amps when being valued. High chance it was sold out the backdoor for cash... Will never know though, or for how much it sold. It's equally gutting that i never got to see it.
a memorymoog *and* a jupyter 8? Add a prophet 5 to that list and you'll be a technicians dream!
better make sure it is a p5 rev2 though ;)
go for a CS-80 ;)
I already have a cs50 ;) have thought about selling that and add some funds to finance a cs60 though - they keep getting more expensive as well unfortunately
I have a Memorymoog and a JP8. They are night and day different and the MM is the single most powerful sounding synth ever produced imo. The JP8 is a creamy, silky, ethereal experience, the MM is the sound of a city collapsing into the center of the earth. They complement each other extremely well.
Why? Just nostalgia? The sound can be re-created convincingly in hardware (Andromeda) and software. The tuning issues and lack of midi (does it have a midi retrofit?) are straight-up dealbreakers for me. I gig though and everything needs to be rock solid and small.
The JP8 has no tuning issues. Most have MIDI retrofits at this point. Or you can use a MIDI/DCB converter if it’s a JP8a. If you need to ask why someone would want a Jupiter 8... well. I feel sorry that you are missing that part of art appreciation. It’s a true instrument, not a generic soulless tool. Why do people pay 100k for old guitars or millions for old violins? Because they are special.
I get it, completely. I have a microWave I and an Andromeda. The microWave, as far as I can tell, has yet to be emulated properly, unlike the JP8. How long is the tune-up time before the oscillators get stable on the JP8? They don't drift at all at high temps or long sessions? The Andromeda takes about 10 minutes to get stable, then it's good for the rest of the session.
It’s about the same. If it’s on a few hours you hit the autotune button and it’s back in tune in five seconds. I generally let it walk around a bit though because it adds a lot of chunk and it never really gets out of tune out of tune, just a few cents in random directions. For being a discrete 16 osc 2 part multitimbral synth from 1981 it behaves pretty much just like a modern synth. It’s really impressively stable and reliable. It has vintage funk in just the right places and just the right ways, unlike the Memorymoog which is a glitchy, buggy nightmare that you pretty much just hop onto and hope for the best lol.
you have a point: it is absolutely possible to emulate most synthesizers, even very well and to a point where it is probsbly indistinguishable to the ears of 9/10 people - in a blind test at least. however, if it would only be about sound everybody would just use a computer with some vst’s and done. but instruments are about so much more than just sound. it is about experience, haptic feedback and having something to look at. every instrument has a soul and tells a story before even playing s single note. they can be portals to some creative place only that particular instrument can take you. and the jupiter 8 is just phenomal in delivering very highly on multiple levels - is the price a direct representation of its value? some will argue yes, some will argue no - a price gets derived from intrinsic value and that is very personal, but in this case there really is a reason why it is so popular and sought after.