I have the Jupiter XM and do love the sound. I use it with a Digitakt and a Moog Minotaur and have had good results. I agree about the menu diving. Hard to get those features in a synth in the price range.
I can see why you feel that way about the Medusa. I just got one in a trade and almost sold it immediately. Glad I didn’t. Really, really glad. It is awesome… So much timbral variety, and nearly everything is right at your fingertips. I am still wrapping my head around the best ways to integrate the grid mode into my workflow, but it seems that using it as a linear 64 step sequencer is probably the last way that it will get used in my studio.
Great video Bo! I actually use my XM mainly for jamming, practising and live playing, not sound design because of the menu structure. I love to use bluewooth, play along with the I-arp and tweak the thousands of presents found in the machine. It sounds great!
Such a brilliant video! I just love that there are people like you reviewing all these exciting- and occasionally useless- little sound gadgets... GechoLogic Synth especially caught my interest; gotta get me one soon!! Thanks for this great channel, bro!
Good Luck. Website says and continues to say " currently out of stock ". Maybe they can't make em fast enough, can't find a used one on Ebay...or perhaps....There WON'T be anymore...
Indigobassnotes it seems like they took down the site due to negative feedback and some nasty comments on this post. I have been waiting on the opportunity to purchase one of these for a long time... thanks so much!🤬
Interesting angle to take on a video and very honest. I've had one product sent to me that I just couldn't connect with at all. I had to be really honest with the manufacturer and return it to them without making a video and they were understanding about that. I think it's fine to say that you don't like something, it doesn't mean it's bad, it's just reality. It's probably more damaging to both parties to pretend because it will be obvious in the video. Have a nice break Bo. :)
@Alex Ball Totally agree. With all the negativity in the world right now, why add to it? I'd much rather see someone review gear they're passionate about and have fun with instead of 20 minutes of dissing a product. One of my favorite reviewers (besides BoBeats of course!) who also provides great sound design and recording tips is so incredibly positive and upbeat, I love his videos even when the music he's making from time to time isn't to my taste. "Golden sunshine and blue skies all the way!"
@@AlexBallMusic Absolutely agree, and rather than "negative reviews" (and lets be honest some products deserve them (cough Akai MPX16/8)), the core team of you/ AudioPilz (though he's scraping the barrel some weeks with what he thinks is a "Bad synth" lol /Jorb/Bo/Loopop/StarskyNuTrix/Nick Batt I hope will just continue to focus on what's great out there, whilst highlighting (Loopop's probably the best at this) what "could be improved"). P.S I still think your "Land of the Rising Sound" and ARP videos are two of the best "documentary" synth videos out there, and are very worthy of Netflix/Prime release
Glad to finally see your objective opinion. There’s too much “YEAH THIS THING IS AMAAAAAAZING! WOW!! 🤩🤩” going on in the Modular TH-cam arena. Thanks for all the great content, keep up the great work 👍👍
Hi Bo, please make an more in depth review of the Microgranny. I'm really interested in it and I don't think there are many videos about it here on TH-cam.
I bought the minijam studio and agree with your assessment 100%. Lots of corners cut. The hub's pots are so dirty that you lose the signal when trying to adjust levels and it never recorded the micro sd. Moreover, when I took delivery, they sent me two of the drum machines and no waves. When I let them know, they wanted me to send my extra drum machine to some guy in Japan in the hopes, I guess, that he would make good and not just steal my unit. Eventually, after a couple months and arguing with them, they made good and I returned my extra one. Should have stuck with the two drum machines, though, since the waves unit is pretty useless to get a usable sequence out of.
the ether is a wide-band receiver, so basically a radio you can’t tune. bring a recorder and walk around electronic stores, industrial areas, electrical towers... even remote areas can produce an ambient static noise, or isolate particular signals better. it’d be great if you demonstrate it, I’ve only heard a few people use it and they do so more for static textures just found you and subbed! super quality
This was a brave move, as I've sometimes wondered as to how many instruments that come out are actually as good as some of the reviews. Especially more so when you've been using hardware and software for years on end in a pro capacity, and many reviews seem to be praising some equipment that has the usability factor of badly organised flatpack assembly instructions. Reviews are an essential on TH-cam, and have been for many years. I travel a lot (less due to covid) and can't always get to an actual showroom for a hands on experience, so a smart, well prodcued overview is the next best thing. I concur on the jupiter xm, only because it's mindboggling as to how the premium version (the jupiter X), has the same screen, and the same oddly thought out ergonomics, regards altering/ programming the sequencer. Having owned the V synth and used it extensively on so many projects, it was excruciating to see the potential for ease of programming regards the sequencer (amongst other things) completely wasted by the lack of a larger touch screen style interface. A total loss, considering the power, price and potential flexibility of the instrument. Thank you for doing this, as it's rare to see on TH-cam. Coming up with musical ideas and making music should be fun and engaging. When it becomes a test of the equivalence of learning button combinations to put the best fighting games to shame (i was always a mortal kombat fan), then i feel you've lost a step (or two) in having an instinctive connect with that instrument.
Hey Bo, nice new look (haircut) I do love that new Roland Jupiter Xm (I've had a Jupiter 6 for years and years but I sold it, wrong !! I miss it) This could kind a replace it, sounds great ! Like always Great review Bo... thank you, greetings from Adriaan from Salt Lake !
I dont know if yall know this, but Bo is actually a super good dude sure we watch his stuff for music reasons, but I actually want to support him in general, good dude
Great point re the microgranny. I've had one for a while & I love it whenever I have a play with it; it's such an inspiration machine for interesting glitchy textures, and with a delay added, ambient loveliness, but I just can't be bothered to remember what format of samples it likes and convert a bunch of audio files, so its palette is much more limited than it could be, and I use it far less than I could.
I had the xm for a minute. I do not believe it’s price tag is justifiable for what it really is. Even the X is way to high, in my option of course, for what you get. With such a premium price tag Roland could have incorporated a decent screen at least. The menu diving also makes it a no go in my book. It does sound absolutely amazing, However.
Kaitsu Yup. No reason to invest $1500-$2500 in what is essentially a limited controller to begin with. They are still great products, don’t get me wrong; I just don’t see them as a necessary tool given the Zenology synth being available on the Roland Cloud service. It’s more of a VST friendly format anyway. I would gladly pay $600 for an XM and $1300 for an X. That’s really my only gripe. Again, they sound amazing, but if I can get the same thing in a VST format with the same sound quality, I’ll pay a few hundred for that instead.
@@JustinUrban1 after pricing the lifetime keys to the abm models in the cloud the XM starts to look cheap. If you are you into softsynths and daws it is definitely viable though. To get these sounds in hardware you would have to buy many boutiques or multiple system8. Or a fantom and buy all the abm models when they are released.
The Patchblocks Minijam Studio looks kind of fun. Guys from LOM made a similar thing to the Ether, it's called Elektrosluch. They also make some high end microphones called uši (ears). You should check them out. And very jealous of that Gecho synth and whale. Imho they sound beautiful.
I have a Medusa. It's cool it sounds great. It's cool that the "keyboard" built in a Launchpad / Push style 64 grid thing because the Push is mainly how I play with my synths anyways so I know chords and stuff by using it that way... But the sequencer is not fun to program on. It's limited to 4 bars, you could half the speed and thus resolution of the sampler and get longer loops but it's just not fun to program on. I tend to just use Ableton or Octatrack to sequence it and it's much easier.
I had the tek.filter for a little bit. The build quality was very disappointing. In the pictures it seemed to me that it would be a hard plastic but when I opened the box, I actually said WTF out loud, no acronym. The bandpass/lowpass button was wired in reverse on my unit. The mini usb port was very finicky from the get-go. I've had mini usb ports die on me in the past: after a long time of continuous use. This one was hard to get the charge going right away. It was convenient and small, but I just hated it. Was fun using with my old phone that had a headphone jack, and I even sampled stuff from my phone through the filter before. Ultimately it just wasn't worth keeping. Enjoy your vacation!
I am thinking about an XM. There are very few videos of it being just treated like a synth. It's all i-arp and pianos. If I want to control a Jupiter8. Juno106. Sh101. Jx8p from my digitakt this seems like the best way to do it.
Don't forget the expansions like JD800 and Vocal Designer/Vocoder. Luckily I did my own research into this keyboard because it is far more than what was portrayed in the few videos I came across.
The Gechologic device seemed pretty interesting. If the Jupiter Xm was priced south of $1,000 US, then its stuck-in-the-'90's UI might be forgiven, but at nearly $1,500, not so much. I once had a microGranny, but it died of a mysterious cause and my $160 flew off into space...
iPad editor for the Roland Zen-core products, could have some potential, had they put fixings for a music stand on the XM, there could have been an ipad holder, and it could have made for a nice little portable rig. Though, it would still seem too expensive to me.
I really think you hit the spot there with us musicians "connecting" with our music instruments. It's something that's been very hard to express with words, but it is indeed about a connection. My very, very, very first synth was a Korg Minilogue and I loved it for many reasons; once I learned enough about synthesis I went and got a Prologue, zero research done, just figured it was the Minilogue Pro, and was severely disappointed for 1) having sold my Minilogue and 2) getting a synth I didn't connect with that sat and collected dust until it was gone. I found love with an old Novation Supernova rack (first edition), and it is the one synth that always gets turned on when I jam or am looking for ideas. Please do more videos like this! Love the honesty. The Medusa is a weird monster, I cannot make myself like it; haven't seen one in person but have watched plenty of videos (and done research) and after years of discovering what I connect with better, it's been a lot easier to pick new gear more carefully (with the occasional surprise or dismal disappointment). I agree with your opinion about that last set of synths, the prototype you showed looks way better than the finished product.
If the Jupiter XM was less than $2000 it might be worth a look. I love the form factor and the sound quality but holy crap, two grand is a big ask for a menu-diver with mini-keys, especially when you can get comparable instruments for much much less.
@@GrayGhostDog1 Here in Canada the Jupiter XM is more than $2600 after taxes. Nearly $2700 with shipping if you don't have a local music store. As I said above, my personal bias is towards synths that don't rely on menu-diving or DAWs to achieve full-functionality. Just like a guitar or trumpet, I like to grab my instrument and make music without having to fiddle with the guts of the thing. It's the reason my poor alpha JUNO sits unused so often. I love the sound but editing on the fly is no fun.
@@lo-firobotboy7112 ... that's quite steep. The thing is that means ALL synths and gear must be just as steep in relation to the CAD... I do not see another synth that is in direct comparison to the X/Xm, brand new, at this price-point. It offers a particular set of features. Is it perfect? No... but no synth is perfect. It's not a "knob-per-function" synth... and how could it be when it has several models enclosed within 1 chassis? It probably shouldn't be your first choice if you're a sound designer, but it can get the job done.
@@GrayGhostDog1 Some new gear has premium prices for sure. It's the same with greeting cards, due to our proximity to the US and the US supply chain, wholesalers simply set a high price for items shipped to Canada to compensate for the eve-fluctuating US/Canada dollar values. There are also high import duties on electronics. Some things are quite reasonable though. All the little Behringer boxes can be found for about $200 - $300 but that is largely due to the economy of scale and the economic relationship Canada has with Chinese-made goods. I'm a vintage synth collector so I'm always on the hunt for well-priced used gear. If you know where and how to look, some pretty amazing instruments can be found for very, very low prices. Well, low relative to places like Reverb or ePay.
With regard to the MicroGranny. Not sure what you mean by "convert samples". You can sample straight into the unit either via the mic or through the input.
What baffles me about the TEK synths, especially the drum, is that the pre production is moulded plastic, which means that somewhere, there is or was a mold created and subsequently could have been used again to produce for the final versions. That plastic, be it the pre production or final plastic, is bought in large quantities at surprisingly affordable prices; think a few cents per kilo. I think the owners made a larger profit than revealed and as the old saying goes, laughed all the way to the bank.
Insightful video, Bo. I often wonder why I can't find just a little midi box with a dozen analog filters jammed with MIDI / CV control, like an Analog Heat for filters. Maybe I've found my kickstarter, lol.
Good luck with your new workspaces! Just recently got back into the Synth world and discovered your channels. Great fun and informative. Just bought a Volca FM, Modal Argon 8m and Artura Keystep using your and other's reviews. Now I'm Looking for the right sequencer, sampler, Synth, drum combo. Probably be going with the Akai MPC One. The Novation Circuit and Digital seem to be a bit old these days. Be nice to see you review it! Look forward to your future posts and video's. Maybe some thoughts on Midi 2.0?
I sing in an indie/post-punk band. The synth and occasional piano sound duties fall to me. On our records we've used Junos, Prophets, and grand pianos, etc. I've played on stage with a Nord Stage 3 and either Juno, ob6, or microkorg for years. When I saw this it looked like an answer to my prayers. The consistent reviews/feedback has been that the UI/layout is problematic but that the sound engine and build quality are good. It feels like a synth first, with a decent grand piano engine etc. on top. Whereas the Nord Stage 3 is the opposite, and a much bigger thing to carry around etc. I'm hoping I can gig with just this and not lose a step, or maybe at most just bring a midi keyboard and have it run into one of the scene channels to function as an effective split. It arrives tomorrow. We'll see what I think. I looked at the Jupiter X, but the X is much heavier. The portable Xm felt like a pro that will hopefully outweigh the UI con, whereas the X just felt like a big heavy synth/workstation with a sub-par UI. To me the XM really takes the place of a premium/souped up Microkorg. I wish it weren't $1300, but if I sit it next to my Juno 106 and I don't need the 106 anymore, it will pay for itself. We'll see how it holds up.
I went to the patchblocks mini synth jam studio website just to check it out and it said there products were discontinued. Such a shame. I am really poor like most people and it seemed like a really good idea, just needed reworked. I hope someone else picks up on the idea. Maybe Korg mini volca.
The last one - such a pity! That could have been a really heavyweight contender... The drum and filter combo was a weapons grade killer. If only they did a better job of the finish... Might try and find one, then rehouse it in a much better box...🤔 The electromagnetic "microphone" was just brilliant..... So much scope with that. I agree with the Roland too (the first synth) they should just accept that some people don't like tiny menus and fiddly interfaces... They should have understood that from the 6xx series drum machines. Despite the dedicated output for each drum - it wasn't a joy to program. For that matter, despite me dusting it off recently... Neither is the E5000 ultra. Technology has advanced everyone is used to more streamlined and intuitive things....
Those few seconds of the jd-xm, through the line in, sounded wonderful (the built in speakers have a horrible upper bass peak, but yes great for portable jamming). What if you played that microG sampler audio through the crazy gecho box? lol would youtube crash?
That medusa seems a bit odd to me. The pad section, could be quite nice as a MPE controller, even better if they made a 16 pad wide version, and then it would work better as a sequencer (polyphonic), and it could be a cool clip launcher. But then comes the synth part, monophonic/paraphonic only, with a MPE contoller attached to it, strange. And then I just dont get a feeling for the synth enginge, for me it feels they threw in a bit too many options where I don't necessarily want them, instead of keeping it more simple and direct, or just made the enginge digital and polyphonic to make use of the controller, then I could have accepted more dual functionality, as MPE synths kind of need to be complex to make use of the polyphonic expression, in a meaningful way. But since the price-drop it almost feels worth it as a controller. Would be nice if omnisphere mapped it, or someone else for that matter, to make it a interface for playing and programming a MPE software.
@@davemaric4057 For either of those prices, it is absolutely worth it. The microfreak (mutable Instruments) enginge could have probably been implemented in a Medusa in such a way that it could do MPE without filter (at least no analog filter), if it came with a powerful enough chip. Preset per step is a bit limited in a monophonic synth, in elektron boxes at least there are additional voices to build more complex arrangements, partly covering the shortcomings of quick patch changes. Personally I'm not a huge fan of paraphonic modes, for that effect I would much prefer voice offset in a polyphonic synth. It simply isn't a synth enginge+synth-programming interface that excites me, but the price, is still pretty good, even if not as good as when you got it. With the right DSP, it could have been an ok polyphonic digital synth, with MPE, that came with a analog dreadbox voice, and then it could have been able to do the grovebox thing.
Hey Bo, :) have you ever considered reviewing the organelle with the functionality of ORCA 2 and it's open-source aspect? I would really appreciate it, love the content and take care.
I think it's fair to say when stuff is not at the right level, when there are shortcomings and issues. It's good to see you there (I mean that much in this particular video). Though I'm puzzled with your opinion about the Jupiter Xm, you seem to have liked so much the MC707 whereas it's workflow and menu diving is so much worse to me, especially in sound design ! How could this be ?
Mc707 have a way larger screen and totally different UI for sound design so its not reallt comparable. But the menu diving on 707 and 101 IS a little intense too sometimes. I also don’t do alot of sound design when I use grooveboxes, rather focus on music. So I think its about expectations.
I hate menu diving too that thing sounds good enough to look past that as a factor maybe just not live this is a common issue when you have more choices it takes longer to make a selection
This is a great vid - thanks for doing it. Something worried me about the workflow of the Medusa also, though I love Dreadbox and Polyend really grabs my attention. Sidenote - I saw something from Error Instruments (don't remember what it is) does what the Soma one does. I didn't know Soma had one. I too grabbed that MiniJam Studio as well through Kickstarter. I've played around with it some - I really think it sounds pretty good. I just wish the workflow on them fit the way I work. I shoudl probably revisit them though as your demo reminded me how I sort of gave up too quickly. I also liked that I could pull in Volcas and Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators. (And yeah the low-end feel of them kind of hinders inspiration.) BTW, have you ever reviewed anything from Rare Waves? I find their stuff awesome and intuitive.
See I could have a go with that kit. I quite like a challenge as my monotron + su200 video shows. Difficult just means you have to try and be creative. Anyone know if there is much of a second hand market for them?
As a working musician, I've found it odd that synth channels avoid reviewing romplers. I have, and love, analog synths like everyone else, but anyone who plays a lot of gigs knows that nothing beats a good rompler for sheer amount of quality sounds and an instrument that stays in tune. I'm not sure what kind of synthesis snobbery this is, but it's just ridiculous. My Prophet, Little Phatty, etc. are great, but I don't gig with them. I take a Waldorf Blofeld and Juno DS--and they do everything flawlessly. I'd like to see more on channels like this that are geared to gigging musicians rather than a bedroom musician who doesn't mind spending an hour trying to tune a Behringer Model D before recording with it.
I would not categorise Blofeld as a rompler but I feel you about performing aspect of synths. I guess most of the people would not like to see or hear sound being dialed in during the gig.
So difficult to find any info on the gechologic, including pricing, is there anything out there that has that lovely sampling tone that is playable through midi? or should I just experiment with what I own?
Hey Bo, question for you. I owned a Jupiter 80 before (just sold it) and while it was fantastic for its giant soundbank of synthesized instrument sounds, it wasn't very good at synthesis. Basically, it just didn't have the controls or the interface for actual synthesis. So, my question is, is the Jupiter Xm actually good as a synthesizer or is it more like a sample box, similar to the Jupiter 80?
So i have a novation circuit and a Waldforf Blofeld that i want to jam with using the Blofled for long pads but all sequencers seem to just play the note and then stop is there a way i can make the chords keep playing it the background while i jam with the Circuit. (I don’t have a laptop)
Roland is really in need of hacking Korg labs. I have had several in the last 10 years. The JDXA, INTEGRA, SYSTEM 1 and SYSTEM 8. I sold them. I did respect the integra, But I need 88 keys so I now have the Fa-08 with few complaints. I sold all the others. I kept my Korg prologue. Roland seems to be stuck in the 90s. I tried the Jupiter Xm and I just felt like it was old tired dated stuff. With synths like hydra synth and modal argon 8 out there I can’t evv BBC en be bothered with Roland anymore and I’ve been using Roland since 1985
I don't understand the issue with Microgranny. You got 2nd version right? On official website it said you need wav files on microSD. Do you have samples not in wav and that's why you need to convert them?
Love the Moog One comment. I've tried a Mother 32, DFAM and Grandmother over the years and just did not connect with any of them. The interfaces are nice but the sounds are just unexciting to me. I cannot justify the price tag for the One and I can't haul that thing out on gigs. On the other hand, I do own and love the Sequential Pro 3. Easy to use, lightweight for gigs and pretty darn versatile with 3 wonderful filters.
going on summer break now. Let me know what videos you want to see this autumn!!
Hopefully the UDO Super 6. I am sooooo excited for this synth!!
Waldorf Iridium would be cool!
I would like to see the field audio video.
Have a good time, goin travel?
1. Moog Matriarch deep dive
2. If/when the KORG MS-20 FS comes out, a deep dive on that
"Do I look like an engineer to you?" You look like 75% of all the engineers I've ever spoken to lol!!!
😂😂😂😂
I have the Jupiter XM and do love the sound. I use it with a Digitakt and a Moog Minotaur and have had good results. I agree about the menu diving. Hard to get those features in a synth in the price range.
I vote "yes" to a video in which you record the audible and EM sounds around you
All of these a super badass! Gonna buy GechoLogic Synth when in stock!
I can see why you feel that way about the Medusa. I just got one in a trade and almost sold it immediately. Glad I didn’t. Really, really glad.
It is awesome… So much timbral variety, and nearly everything is right at your fingertips. I am still wrapping my head around the best ways to integrate the grid mode into my workflow, but it seems that using it as a linear 64 step sequencer is probably the last way that it will get used in my studio.
Thank you for yet another great video. Have a great summer. Spend some time with the family, you've earned it.
Great video Bo! I actually use my XM mainly for jamming, practising and live playing, not sound design because of the menu structure. I love to use bluewooth, play along with the I-arp and tweak the thousands of presents found in the machine. It sounds great!
Such a brilliant video! I just love that there are people like you reviewing all these exciting- and occasionally useless- little sound gadgets... GechoLogic Synth especially caught my interest; gotta get me one soon!! Thanks for this great channel, bro!
where you see a useless sound toy i see an insanely fast way to create dark and natural background ambience loops
I really want one of those little Gecho things. I never realized just how cool it actually was
Good Luck. Website says and continues to say " currently out of stock ". Maybe they can't make em fast enough, can't find a used one on Ebay...or perhaps....There WON'T be anymore...
Indigobassnotes it seems like they took down the site due to negative feedback and some nasty comments on this post. I have been waiting on the opportunity to purchase one of these for a long time... thanks so much!🤬
Interesting angle to take on a video and very honest. I've had one product sent to me that I just couldn't connect with at all. I had to be really honest with the manufacturer and return it to them without making a video and they were understanding about that.
I think it's fine to say that you don't like something, it doesn't mean it's bad, it's just reality. It's probably more damaging to both parties to pretend because it will be obvious in the video.
Have a nice break Bo. :)
@Alex Ball Totally agree. With all the negativity in the world right now, why add to it? I'd much rather see someone review gear they're passionate about and have fun with instead of 20 minutes of dissing a product. One of my favorite reviewers (besides BoBeats of course!) who also provides great sound design and recording tips is so incredibly positive and upbeat, I love his videos even when the music he's making from time to time isn't to my taste. "Golden sunshine and blue skies all the way!"
@Trololo Inc ® Thanks. Yes, I think you've summed that up very neatly.
@@AlexBallMusic Absolutely agree, and rather than "negative reviews" (and lets be honest some products deserve them (cough Akai MPX16/8)), the core team of you/ AudioPilz (though he's scraping the barrel some weeks with what he thinks is a "Bad synth" lol /Jorb/Bo/Loopop/StarskyNuTrix/Nick Batt I hope will just continue to focus on what's great out there, whilst highlighting (Loopop's probably the best at this) what "could be improved"). P.S I still think your "Land of the Rising Sound" and ARP videos are two of the best "documentary" synth videos out there, and are very worthy of Netflix/Prime release
"Do I look like an engineer to you???" Gold
Looks like most engineers I’ve ever seen ;)
Wow! Great stuff, I’m interested in hearing more from the loop synth. I kind of need that MicroFreak shirt Bo!
Glad to finally see your objective opinion. There’s too much “YEAH THIS THING IS AMAAAAAAZING! WOW!! 🤩🤩” going on in the Modular TH-cam arena. Thanks for all the great content, keep up the great work 👍👍
Was wondering what happened to the XM review! Agree, sounds gorgeous!
Hi Bo, please make an more in depth review of the Microgranny. I'm really interested in it and I don't think there are many videos about it here on TH-cam.
I bought the minijam studio and agree with your assessment 100%. Lots of corners cut. The hub's pots are so dirty that you lose the signal when trying to adjust levels and it never recorded the micro sd. Moreover, when I took delivery, they sent me two of the drum machines and no waves. When I let them know, they wanted me to send my extra drum machine to some guy in Japan in the hopes, I guess, that he would make good and not just steal my unit. Eventually, after a couple months and arguing with them, they made good and I returned my extra one. Should have stuck with the two drum machines, though, since the waves unit is pretty useless to get a usable sequence out of.
the ether is a wide-band receiver, so basically a radio you can’t tune. bring a recorder and walk around electronic stores, industrial areas, electrical towers... even remote areas can produce an ambient static noise, or isolate particular signals better. it’d be great if you demonstrate it, I’ve only heard a few people use it and they do so more for static textures
just found you and subbed! super quality
This was a brave move, as I've sometimes wondered as to how many instruments that come out are actually as good as some of the reviews. Especially more so when you've been using hardware and software for years on end in a pro capacity, and many reviews seem to be praising some equipment that has the usability factor of badly organised flatpack assembly instructions.
Reviews are an essential on TH-cam, and have been for many years. I travel a lot (less due to covid) and can't always get to an actual showroom for a hands on experience, so a smart, well prodcued overview is the next best thing.
I concur on the jupiter xm, only because it's mindboggling as to how the premium version (the jupiter X), has the same screen, and the same oddly thought out ergonomics, regards altering/ programming the sequencer. Having owned the V synth and used it extensively on so many projects, it was excruciating to see the potential for ease of programming regards the sequencer (amongst other things) completely wasted by the lack of a larger touch screen style interface. A total loss, considering the power, price and potential flexibility of the instrument.
Thank you for doing this, as it's rare to see on TH-cam. Coming up with musical ideas and making music should be fun and engaging. When it becomes a test of the equivalence of learning button combinations to put the best fighting games to shame (i was always a mortal kombat fan), then i feel you've lost a step (or two) in having an instinctive connect with that instrument.
I'm a bit in love with microgranny but haven't gotten around to buying it..
You doing a found sounds video? HELL YES! That would be awesome to watch!
I'd want to see a video of you sampling the world. Sounds awesome!
Hey Bo, nice new look (haircut) I do love that new Roland Jupiter Xm (I've had a Jupiter 6 for years and years but I sold it, wrong !! I miss it) This could kind a replace it, sounds great ! Like always Great review Bo... thank you, greetings from Adriaan from Salt Lake !
I dont know if yall know this, but Bo is actually a super good dude
sure we watch his stuff for music reasons, but I actually want to support him in general, good dude
❤️❤️❤️
My next big synth will be the Iridium once I sell my Juno 60, but in the meantime I think I’ll be getting that little Gecko synth. Loved that.
The Gecko is unique and different-sounding from all other micro synth releases. I love mine.
Jupiter XM: Good sound, but hidden behind way too many menus on a tiny screen. That's exactly the same reason I don't use my Microkorg XL.
exactly why i am selling my Jupiter Xm and why i sold my Microkorg XL - manufacturers need to think about this more...
Great point re the microgranny. I've had one for a while & I love it whenever I have a play with it; it's such an inspiration machine for interesting glitchy textures, and with a delay added, ambient loveliness, but I just can't be bothered to remember what format of samples it likes and convert a bunch of audio files, so its palette is much more limited than it could be, and I use it far less than I could.
Thanks for the videos very useful My Grandfather came from Granna Sweden Came to U.S.A. early 1900 He told the tale of ice skating to school
Great video. Also nice to see the shoutout for FunkTree. :-)
It was fun watching you “play” the Gecho.
I appreciate you giving some air time to things that didn't work for you. Thank you!
I had the xm for a minute. I do not believe it’s price tag is justifiable for what it really is. Even the X is way to high, in my option of course, for what you get. With such a premium price tag Roland could have incorporated a decent screen at least. The menu diving also makes it a no go in my book. It does sound absolutely amazing, However.
Shouldnt zenology pro when it arrives do exactly same without midirelated timing issues etc
Kaitsu Yup. No reason to invest $1500-$2500 in what is essentially a limited controller to begin with. They are still great products, don’t get me wrong; I just don’t see them as a necessary tool given the Zenology synth being available on the Roland Cloud service. It’s more of a VST friendly format anyway. I would gladly pay $600 for an XM and $1300 for an X. That’s really my only gripe. Again, they sound amazing, but if I can get the same thing in a VST format with the same sound quality, I’ll pay a few hundred for that instead.
The Jupiter X I understand but then I'd buy a Jupiter 80 used and keep €1000 in my pocket.
Agree here. It sounds really great. But so does the JD-Xi, which is... a third of the price?
@@JustinUrban1 after pricing the lifetime keys to the abm models in the cloud the XM starts to look cheap. If you are you into softsynths and daws it is definitely viable though. To get these sounds in hardware you would have to buy many boutiques or multiple system8. Or a fantom and buy all the abm models when they are released.
The Patchblocks Minijam Studio looks kind of fun.
Guys from LOM made a similar thing to the Ether, it's called Elektrosluch. They also make some high end microphones called uši (ears). You should check them out.
And very jealous of that Gecho synth and whale. Imho they sound beautiful.
Yes Bo please make a video in which you record nature sounds and combine them with synths for ambient bliss! Love from Greece :)
I have a Medusa. It's cool it sounds great. It's cool that the "keyboard" built in a Launchpad / Push style 64 grid thing because the Push is mainly how I play with my synths anyways so I know chords and stuff by using it that way...
But the sequencer is not fun to program on. It's limited to 4 bars, you could half the speed and thus resolution of the sampler and get longer loops but it's just not fun to program on. I tend to just use Ableton or Octatrack to sequence it and it's much easier.
I had the tek.filter for a little bit. The build quality was very disappointing. In the pictures it seemed to me that it would be a hard plastic but when I opened the box, I actually said WTF out loud, no acronym. The bandpass/lowpass button was wired in reverse on my unit. The mini usb port was very finicky from the get-go. I've had mini usb ports die on me in the past: after a long time of continuous use. This one was hard to get the charge going right away. It was convenient and small, but I just hated it. Was fun using with my old phone that had a headphone jack, and I even sampled stuff from my phone through the filter before. Ultimately it just wasn't worth keeping.
Enjoy your vacation!
I am thinking about an XM. There are very few videos of it being just treated like a synth. It's all i-arp and pianos. If I want to control a Jupiter8. Juno106. Sh101. Jx8p from my digitakt this seems like the best way to do it.
I'm using the xm with a Digitakt and I'm enjoying it.
Don't forget the expansions like JD800 and Vocal Designer/Vocoder. Luckily I did my own research into this keyboard because it is far more than what was portrayed in the few videos I came across.
The Gechologic device seemed pretty interesting. If the Jupiter Xm was priced south of $1,000 US, then its stuck-in-the-'90's UI might be forgiven, but at nearly $1,500, not so much. I once had a microGranny, but it died of a mysterious cause and my $160 flew off into space...
iPad editor for the Roland Zen-core products, could have some potential, had they put fixings for a music stand on the XM, there could have been an ipad holder, and it could have made for a nice little portable rig. Though, it would still seem too expensive to me.
Tim Shoebridge just did a deep / complimentary video on the Jupiter Xm - similar conclusions
Good to know!
I really think you hit the spot there with us musicians "connecting" with our music instruments. It's something that's been very hard to express with words, but it is indeed about a connection.
My very, very, very first synth was a Korg Minilogue and I loved it for many reasons; once I learned enough about synthesis I went and got a Prologue, zero research done, just figured it was the Minilogue Pro, and was severely disappointed for 1) having sold my Minilogue and 2) getting a synth I didn't connect with that sat and collected dust until it was gone.
I found love with an old Novation Supernova rack (first edition), and it is the one synth that always gets turned on when I jam or am looking for ideas.
Please do more videos like this! Love the honesty. The Medusa is a weird monster, I cannot make myself like it; haven't seen one in person but have watched plenty of videos (and done research) and after years of discovering what I connect with better, it's been a lot easier to pick new gear more carefully (with the occasional surprise or dismal disappointment).
I agree with your opinion about that last set of synths, the prototype you showed looks way better than the finished product.
Aw man this is a great channel.
If the Jupiter XM was less than $2000 it might be worth a look. I love the form factor and the sound quality but holy crap, two grand is a big ask for a menu-diver with mini-keys, especially when you can get comparable instruments for much much less.
I guess it depends on where you are from because the XM is less than $2k... I would like to know what instruments are comparable for much less???
@@GrayGhostDog1 Here in Canada the Jupiter XM is more than $2600 after taxes. Nearly $2700 with shipping if you don't have a local music store.
As I said above, my personal bias is towards synths that don't rely on menu-diving or DAWs to achieve full-functionality. Just like a guitar or trumpet, I like to grab my instrument and make music without having to fiddle with the guts of the thing. It's the reason my poor alpha JUNO sits unused so often. I love the sound but editing on the fly is no fun.
@@lo-firobotboy7112 ... that's quite steep. The thing is that means ALL synths and gear must be just as steep in relation to the CAD...
I do not see another synth that is in direct comparison to the X/Xm, brand new, at this price-point. It offers a particular set of features. Is it perfect? No... but no synth is perfect. It's not a "knob-per-function" synth... and how could it be when it has several models enclosed within 1 chassis? It probably shouldn't be your first choice if you're a sound designer, but it can get the job done.
@@GrayGhostDog1 Some new gear has premium prices for sure. It's the same with greeting cards, due to our proximity to the US and the US supply chain, wholesalers simply set a high price for items shipped to Canada to compensate for the eve-fluctuating US/Canada dollar values. There are also high import duties on electronics.
Some things are quite reasonable though. All the little Behringer boxes can be found for about $200 - $300 but that is largely due to the economy of scale and the economic relationship Canada has with Chinese-made goods.
I'm a vintage synth collector so I'm always on the hunt for well-priced used gear. If you know where and how to look, some pretty amazing instruments can be found for very, very low prices. Well, low relative to places like Reverb or ePay.
Loving the new haircut Bo🤙🏻
I'd like please, if you would? Do a full review on the patch blocks. Thank You!
With regard to the MicroGranny. Not sure what you mean by "convert samples". You can sample straight into the unit either via the mic or through the input.
The samples you load needs to be a specific, unconventional, sample format
What baffles me about the TEK synths, especially the drum, is that the pre production is moulded plastic, which means that somewhere, there is or was a mold created and subsequently could have been used again to produce for the final versions. That plastic, be it the pre production or final plastic, is bought in large quantities at surprisingly affordable prices; think a few cents per kilo. I think the owners made a larger profit than revealed and as the old saying goes, laughed all the way to the bank.
Insightful video, Bo. I often wonder why I can't find just a little midi box with a dozen analog filters jammed with MIDI / CV control, like an Analog Heat for filters. Maybe I've found my kickstarter, lol.
Good luck with your new workspaces! Just recently got back into the Synth world and discovered your channels. Great fun and informative. Just bought a Volca FM, Modal Argon 8m and Artura Keystep using your and other's reviews.
Now I'm Looking for the right sequencer, sampler, Synth, drum combo. Probably be going with the Akai MPC One. The Novation Circuit and Digital seem to be a bit old these days. Be nice to see you review it!
Look forward to your future posts and video's. Maybe some thoughts on Midi 2.0?
Glad to have you here! Midi 2.0 could be a cool topic for sure
@@BoBeats
Thanks! Really enjoying the years of your posts.
Look forward to many more... Stay safe! 👍
Gecko loop synth is nice
Ha! I KNEW that you were talking about the Minijam Studio when you teased it at the beginning of the video.
THE ZIZEK SAMPLE IS SOO FIRE
for the real intellectuals ahhahah love it
(in the third or so review, the sample thingy)
Zizek! He is such a baller philosopher
Haha 🤣 i thought I was the only one ;) good for us;)
Love the Slavoj Žižek sample!
Love my Jupiter Xm!!!
I bought a Polyphonic Whale after seeing your video. :)
Hope you are enjoying it! Such a weird and cool experience
Liking that Microfreak shirt, Bo!
Haircut looks great brother!
Bonus points for the Zizek sample. Freedom. Hurts.
I sing in an indie/post-punk band. The synth and occasional piano sound duties fall to me. On our records we've used Junos, Prophets, and grand pianos, etc. I've played on stage with a Nord Stage 3 and either Juno, ob6, or microkorg for years. When I saw this it looked like an answer to my prayers. The consistent reviews/feedback has been that the UI/layout is problematic but that the sound engine and build quality are good. It feels like a synth first, with a decent grand piano engine etc. on top. Whereas the Nord Stage 3 is the opposite, and a much bigger thing to carry around etc. I'm hoping I can gig with just this and not lose a step, or maybe at most just bring a midi keyboard and have it run into one of the scene channels to function as an effective split. It arrives tomorrow. We'll see what I think. I looked at the Jupiter X, but the X is much heavier. The portable Xm felt like a pro that will hopefully outweigh the UI con, whereas the X just felt like a big heavy synth/workstation with a sub-par UI.
To me the XM really takes the place of a premium/souped up Microkorg. I wish it weren't $1300, but if I sit it next to my Juno 106 and I don't need the 106 anymore, it will pay for itself. We'll see how it holds up.
Interested to hear how it worked in your rig? 😊
Bo: "I don't know .. do I look like an engineer to you?!"
Me: "Well .. I mean .. surrounded by gear, glasses, cool ass hair .. "
Oh yeah I forgot that's what an engineer is.
yes to the ambient sound recordings!
Gecko v2 review please :-)
I went to the patchblocks mini synth jam studio website just to check it out and it said there products were discontinued. Such a shame. I am really poor like most people and it seemed like a really good idea, just needed reworked. I hope someone else picks up on the idea. Maybe Korg mini volca.
Ohh I was looking forward your review for Erica DB-01 :)
Thats still in the works!
Sure thing! Gonna check it out before I order it lol
Love your channel. Just got my first groovebox. Roland MC-101. I'm a guitarist :D
Awesome!!
This was really interesting. I'd love to see that "sampling the world around you" video.
record the birds around on your summer break. then a video for Fall.
nice round up
The last one - such a pity! That could have been a really heavyweight contender... The drum and filter combo was a weapons grade killer.
If only they did a better job of the finish... Might try and find one, then rehouse it in a much better box...🤔
The electromagnetic "microphone" was just brilliant..... So much scope with that.
I agree with the Roland too (the first synth) they should just accept that some people don't like tiny menus and fiddly interfaces...
They should have understood that from the 6xx series drum machines.
Despite the dedicated output for each drum - it wasn't a joy to program.
For that matter, despite me dusting it off recently... Neither is the E5000 ultra. Technology has advanced everyone is used to more streamlined and intuitive things....
Love your vijoes bo!
Yeah, I’m glad I sold my medusa right away. It didn’t speak to me either.
Those few seconds of the jd-xm, through the line in, sounded wonderful (the built in speakers have a horrible upper bass peak, but yes great for portable jamming). What if you played that microG sampler audio through the crazy gecho box? lol would youtube crash?
For the Patchblocks stuff ... if it was manufactured by Behringer, it would have cost maybe around 1/4 of the price for the same build quality.
That medusa seems a bit odd to me. The pad section, could be quite nice as a MPE controller, even better if they made a 16 pad wide version, and then it would work better as a sequencer (polyphonic), and it could be a cool clip launcher. But then comes the synth part, monophonic/paraphonic only, with a MPE contoller attached to it, strange. And then I just dont get a feeling for the synth enginge, for me it feels they threw in a bit too many options where I don't necessarily want them, instead of keeping it more simple and direct, or just made the enginge digital and polyphonic to make use of the controller, then I could have accepted more dual functionality, as MPE synths kind of need to be complex to make use of the polyphonic expression, in a meaningful way.
But since the price-drop it almost feels worth it as a controller. Would be nice if omnisphere mapped it, or someone else for that matter, to make it a interface for playing and programming a MPE software.
Thats a great price for it
@@davemaric4057 For either of those prices, it is absolutely worth it.
The microfreak (mutable Instruments) enginge could have probably been implemented in a Medusa in such a way that it could do MPE without filter (at least no analog filter), if it came with a powerful enough chip.
Preset per step is a bit limited in a monophonic synth, in elektron boxes at least there are additional voices to build more complex arrangements, partly covering the shortcomings of quick patch changes.
Personally I'm not a huge fan of paraphonic modes, for that effect I would much prefer voice offset in a polyphonic synth.
It simply isn't a synth enginge+synth-programming interface that excites me, but the price, is still pretty good, even if not as good as when you got it.
With the right DSP, it could have been an ok polyphonic digital synth, with MPE, that came with a analog dreadbox voice, and then it could have been able to do the grovebox thing.
Hey Bo, :)
have you ever considered reviewing the organelle with the functionality of ORCA 2 and it's open-source aspect?
I would really appreciate it, love the content and take care.
i have considered it but i feel its a big project and I am not super into the organelle. Appreciate the feedback!!
Yes please on a video of you capturing the sounds of the world, for music's sake.
I think it's fair to say when stuff is not at the right level, when there are shortcomings and issues. It's good to see you there (I mean that much in this particular video). Though I'm puzzled with your opinion about the Jupiter Xm, you seem to have liked so much the MC707 whereas it's workflow and menu diving is so much worse to me, especially in sound design ! How could this be ?
Mc707 have a way larger screen and totally different UI for sound design so its not reallt comparable. But the menu diving on 707 and 101 IS a little intense too sometimes. I also don’t do alot of sound design when I use grooveboxes, rather focus on music. So I think its about expectations.
Roland paid him ! ;)
Lievore David to do what? Hiss the mc-707 and drop the xm? :-/hm
I hate menu diving too that thing sounds good enough to look past that as a factor maybe just not live this is a common issue when you have more choices it takes longer to make a selection
its a little bit late but i would love to see more deluge videos of you :)
no one:
microgranny: freedom !!!!!
Slavoj Žižek
Gridscape Slavoj zizek
This is a great vid - thanks for doing it. Something worried me about the workflow of the Medusa also, though I love Dreadbox and Polyend really grabs my attention. Sidenote - I saw something from Error Instruments (don't remember what it is) does what the Soma one does. I didn't know Soma had one.
I too grabbed that MiniJam Studio as well through Kickstarter. I've played around with it some - I really think it sounds pretty good. I just wish the workflow on them fit the way I work. I shoudl probably revisit them though as your demo reminded me how I sort of gave up too quickly. I also liked that I could pull in Volcas and Teenage Engineering Pocket Operators. (And yeah the low-end feel of them kind of hinders inspiration.)
BTW, have you ever reviewed anything from Rare Waves? I find their stuff awesome and intuitive.
No rare wave review. Anything you recommend?
@@BoBeats The newest Grendel Grenadier RA-99 might be something to look at... Cool formant synthesis semi-modular.
Slavoj Zizek 10:00
YES WALK AROUND AND CAPTURE SOUND, LET'S EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR SURROUNDINGS
I have that soma Ether thing. Should go out more and record it line in to a Zoom H2.
See I could have a go with that kit. I quite like a challenge as my monotron + su200 video shows. Difficult just means you have to try and be creative. Anyone know if there is much of a second hand market for them?
didn't expect to hear Zizek on a synth channel
i love the microfreak t-shirt
i want that pulsar in the background pls?
As a working musician, I've found it odd that synth channels avoid reviewing romplers. I have, and love, analog synths like everyone else, but anyone who plays a lot of gigs knows that nothing beats a good rompler for sheer amount of quality sounds and an instrument that stays in tune. I'm not sure what kind of synthesis snobbery this is, but it's just ridiculous. My Prophet, Little Phatty, etc. are great, but I don't gig with them. I take a Waldorf Blofeld and Juno DS--and they do everything flawlessly. I'd like to see more on channels like this that are geared to gigging musicians rather than a bedroom musician who doesn't mind spending an hour trying to tune a Behringer Model D before recording with it.
I would not categorise Blofeld as a rompler but I feel you about performing aspect of synths. I guess most of the people would not like to see or hear sound being dialed in during the gig.
So difficult to find any info on the gechologic, including pricing, is there anything out there that has that lovely sampling tone that is playable through midi? or should I just experiment with what I own?
10:00 did not expect Zizek from a synth 😂
but, what if the exact opposite is true?? *sniff
What do you think of the sound of that Sennheiser HD300 monitor versus other closed-back monitors that you have or have tried?
I'd usually steer away from any product that promotes a dedicated speaker
Hey Bo, question for you. I owned a Jupiter 80 before (just sold it) and while it was fantastic for its giant soundbank of synthesized instrument sounds, it wasn't very good at synthesis. Basically, it just didn't have the controls or the interface for actual synthesis.
So, my question is, is the Jupiter Xm actually good as a synthesizer or is it more like a sample box, similar to the Jupiter 80?
If that thing you reviewed in the end came in a metal housing you’d give it an 11
Wow ur so skilled! How many years have you been in music industry?
So i have a novation circuit and a Waldforf Blofeld that i want to jam with using the Blofled for long pads but all sequencers seem to just play the note and then stop is there a way i can make the chords keep playing it the background while i jam with the Circuit. (I don’t have a laptop)
Nice video ! Very very interesting :-) thank you
Roland is really in need of hacking Korg labs. I have had several in the last 10 years. The JDXA, INTEGRA, SYSTEM 1 and SYSTEM 8.
I sold them. I did respect the integra, But I need 88 keys so I now have the Fa-08 with few complaints.
I sold all the others. I kept my Korg prologue.
Roland seems to be stuck in the 90s.
I tried the Jupiter Xm and I just felt like it was old tired dated stuff.
With synths like hydra synth and modal argon 8 out there I can’t evv BBC en be bothered with Roland anymore and I’ve been using Roland since 1985
I don't understand the issue with Microgranny. You got 2nd version right? On official website it said you need wav files on microSD. Do you have samples not in wav and that's why you need to convert them?
MG requires samples at 22050 hz. Which means I have to convert any of my standard samples since they generally are 44.1
@@BoBeats oh, sounds like a big bummer. i guess easiest way would be to record with line in, than import samples to sd card
yepp. but im lazy. :D
Love the Moog One comment. I've tried a Mother 32, DFAM and Grandmother over the years and just did not connect with any of them. The interfaces are nice but the sounds are just unexciting to me. I cannot justify the price tag for the One and I can't haul that thing out on gigs. On the other hand, I do own and love the Sequential Pro 3. Easy to use, lightweight for gigs and pretty darn versatile with 3 wonderful filters.