The JP8000 is my first Synth, I traded a laptop for it back in 2009, the keys were stuck got them fixed then the internal battery went bad, I replaced it, bought some sound banks and still going hard, Love my JP8000 ‼️‼️
Here in France in 1997 all the vintage analogs where between 500$ (Pro600) and 2000$ (Arp2600). Memorymoog, Obxa, P5, Jp8, Synthex between 1200$ and 1500$. Prices converted from Francs before the euro. Basically any of the new crop of virtual stuff where more costly. Goa psy trance was the rage and virtually anybody was using vintage poly analogs. Too heavy, cumbersome, high maintenance and retro sounding. I don’t think people are smarter now. Fashion has changed as popular music styles.
The first time I saw one was in 2008 on MTV Diddy’s Making The Band- and I’ve been in love ever since. I just bought one a few months ago for $500. Works great 👍🏾
I’m usually not a big fan of digital synths but what I like about early VA synths is that they didn’t try to emulate perfectly a particular vintage synth. They had their own sound and their own innovations. For the JP-8000 it was the introduction of the super saw oscillator that give that polyphonic detuned unison sound that sound huge. I remember the first time I heard it, I thought it was a multi track recording of 4 unison tracks all playing different notes to make chords. And if we look at prices for the JP-8000, it’s a future classic for sure.
Had one since mid 2000s and still using it as my main hardware Synth when playing live. I’ve had many proper analog synths come and go, but I’ve always gone back to this extremely versatile synth. Not just a trance machine
Best demo of the JP-8000 on TH-cam! I got my JP-8000 before 2000. A few years ago, I had to replace a cap because of failing sound output. I'm a retired tech, so the DIY repair was no problem. Now it is working great, and I love it 🎶🎹❤ It has unique arpeggio/sequencer capabilities, I have never seen anywhere else, and that groovy touch strip. Have fun!
I was heavy into industrial music when I bought this synth, and it makes some amazing dirty aggressive sounds, so it definitely shouldn't be pidgeon-holed as a trance synth ( which it does very well too)
Beautiful sounds and playing! To this day nothing does supersaws quite like the JP80x0's! Also I don't get why it's popular to look down on trance these days 🥺
I have this beast ! Been using it since 2006, I put it a lot in my music (Instrumental Progressive Rock), I love its rich Pads and its aggressive Leads, very fitting to my style I know it's vintage now, a product of its time, there're more modern synths out there, but this JP has aged very well and still sound very good and kicks ass, and I will use it forever !
My capacitors went out. Watching this video to try to motivate to get them fixed. Got it when it was new because of all the knob twiddling options, always tried to completely ignore the preset patches to see what the machine could really do. Destroying a patch and using a footswitch with an arpeggiator was always fun.
It's a performance synth - if you only use the presets and barely use the knobs&sliders, you are scratching the surface of the abilities. I've worked with it during jam sessions and started mostly with a "init" sound and sculped the sound as the jam session goes along. So mostly one hand for playing and one for knobs & sliders. LFO 2 and ribbon controller is an important part of this synth (equally to KORG Prophecy "performance roller"), works well with Nord Lead 2x and Korg Z1 in the mix.
Definitely it does worth it. First Roland Analog Modelling sound source (according to Roland, despite some channels claim it was the D50?? ). Sounding a bit harsh sometimes, but capable of doing decent analog emulations (Perform P11 Chariots). Most straightforward interface. Just put it in Manual and fun happens. They need of some TLC because of those electrolytic capacitors. A versatile synth. Love mine.
Man, there is a lot of comments here that are badly inaccurate. FACT CHECK: Virus came out later, as did the MS2K, neither were competitors with the JP8k, the only competitor it had was the AN1X, (which soundwise is arguably better) but was stifled by the fact that a rompler also made by Yamaha (CS1X) looked identical unless you knew what you were looking at, and it had next to no knobs. Of course the Nord Lead 1 was a competitor, which had its flaws too (one being it was hard to find in stores in the states). Virus's didn't really catch on in the states till almost 2000, or even until the B came out, and the MS2K wasn't even built till then. SECOND FACT CHECK: Digital synths aren't worthless, FIZMO, JD-990, DX-5, Nord Lead 2X, and "Enter many other names here", are still sought after, and revered... as is the JP8k, because it did the Supersaw first, and to this point, still best. THIRD FACT CHECK: These were worshipped when they came out, to a degree I can't even compare to now. Roland nailed the market at this point, I don't think they have gotten it this right since. I didn't know a keyboardist that didn't want one. And yes, many musicians used them, some used them exclusively. I remember being a teen and seeing Front 242 live, and them having only a JP8k on stage, that was a pretty bold statement on the popularity of this synth. Also, Trance was practically built on the Supersaw, and most electronic artists that were big in the nineties had at least one. It was also a crucial part of Goa and Psytrance. If the JP8k is guilty of anything, it's for being on too many recordings in the 90s. FOURTH FACT CHECK: This was virtual analog, just in the same way the Nord Lead 1, it was NOTHING like the JV-1080, M1, or anything else like that, those are "Romplers", if you think it sounds "bassless" or thin, learn how to mix. The thing has a 2 band eq on the front panel, if you need more than that, the synth isn't the problem. IMPORTANT POINTER: If you want one, try to seek out a JP-8080 instead. Will cost more, but has two extra voices (10), a voice modulator, unison mode, external audio modulation, metal casing (instead of plastic) and memory card slot.
I'd argue that the likes of the Roland U-20 were romplers. As soon as you start adding filters, it becomes complicated. S&S synthesis is probably a better description.
It's a fun synth. If you're going to buy one though rather get the 8080 rack. The 8000's often have issues with the outputs failing, volume issues and distortion on the outputs and require recapping on the board. It's not super expensive but a pain none the less. The 8080 had different capacitors installed.
8080 has 2 extra voices , a vocoder, and is metal instead of compacted garbage like the 8000. It's the one to get. But. The 8000 is such a great piece of Trance history epic cheese. Either is a fine addition.
Yes. I got mine before 2000, and a few years ago, I had to replace a cap because of failing sound output. I'm a retired tech, so no problem. Now it is working great, and I love it 🎶🎹❤️
I've had mine for 5 years and I love it, play it everyday. The guy I bought it from purchased it new when it first came out and the only problems I've had with it are a battery change, and one button to switch to the upper side quit working.
Wow... I have to admit (after over THIRTY YEARS of following synthesizers) this is probably the first demo I've heard from a JP8k that demonstrated how it could reasonably sound outside of trance. ...or Jexus's ... Jexusness. (I love him, mind you, but ... TBH it ... skews in a rather strange direction with every synth.) Hmmmn. This makes me want one. I wasn't expecting that.
I thought that it was worth it back in '98 when it came out. For reasons that made sense at the time, I went with a Yamaha CS6X (which had the AN1X expansion installed), but this one definitely caught my eye...I just couldn't afford both. I thought it should've been 61 keys instead of 49, but in retrospect I could've lived with it. The sound was certainly excellent at the time. They probably should've given it a different name to differentiate it from the Jupiters of the 80s, but I doubt that most who bought it cared.
got mine in Dec 2018 for XMas ;) long wanted, long saved money. 500 €, now it is the double price... Hipsters are destroyin' the market. next synth please to spot on, is the Korg DS-8 :))
He should have made a nice Supersaw trance sound as an example in this video th-cam.com/video/S38Nzimpfns/w-d-xo.html ( it should start around 21:16 ) The factory presets are okay but there are some soundbanks out there which sounds much better. Here are some artists, djs, producers who have used or still use the Roland Jp 8000 Ferry Corsten, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Matthew Bellamy, Porter Robinson, Chris Wolstenholme, Fedde le Grand, Dash Berlin, Nicky Romero Paul van Dyk, The Prodigy, Vince Clarke, The Crystal Method, Liam Howlett, 12th Planet, cEvin Key, 7 Skies, DJ Quik, Craig Jones, Octave One, Chris Lowe, Morgan Nicholls, D-Block & S-te-Fan, Chase & Status, Edgar Froese, Charly García, Chris Vrenna, Geoff Downes, Scooter, Chicane, William Orbit, Eelke Kleijn, Alix Perez, Jorge González, Luciano, Dizzy Reed, Faithless, Goldie, LTJ Bukem, Martyn Ware, Hauschka, Skee Mask, Labrinth, DJ Scott Brown, Johan Van Roy, Jerome Froese, Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Justin Stanton, Eric Persing, Edgar Winter, John B, Morris Hayes, Rick J. Jordan, Pete Cannon, Clive Nolan, Jimmy Destri, Nathan McCree, Gilbert Le Funk, Chipzel, Exaya Musi, Ilkay Sencan, Karen Gwyer, BlackGummy, Eloy Fritsch, Richard West, Cosmo, Cinthie, Virtual Boy, Gavin Castleton, Kip Blackshire, Global Citizen, Paul Robb, Tony Trippi, Pete Murray, OSCCR, Christian "Beat" Hirt, Craig Leon, Rob Garza Aron Magner, Fat Jon, Mark Kelly Sorry for my english xD
In fact first VA was D-50 (1987) ... Despite the fact that it was positioned as Linear Arithmetic. D-50 allowed to use only the synthesis structure, without samples. (Later, some VA also had the opportunity to use samples in their oscillators, at least spectral waves.. latest Nord, Virus etc). With the programmer D-50 looks like true digital emulator of classic analog synths (OSC with PWM ->> Reso Filters ->> ADSR ->> +FX ) ... Next D-10 (1988) had even more pleasant synthetic sound core (more brightly) - After D-10 was nothing created so much lush .... including JD
I remember I went over this dudes house one time who owned one. Some Drum'n'Bass dj. Wouldn't let me even touch the thing. He says "Im going to produce music with it". I said "Oh with some kind of midi setup?" He says "Not sure what that is.. I dont need all the fancy stuff. You can do everything on this".. ooof, bro, clueless..
If you can track one down, please review the AN1x. It was a direct competitor and aside from the super saw, could do everything the JP could do. Wish it had more sliders, knobs and knobs.
Nice touch with the black velvet bro...... :) I have the 8080.... great synth (in terms of value for money) I had one since late 90's.. For that one you will need NAVY BLUE velvet :D
I snatched one for 300 off eBay a few years ago. Had it cleaned, but the ribbon isn’t really functional. However, this is the best synth that I own for style of music I write - which isn’t trance lol. 10/10 synth, 10/10 video.
Have you done the reset procedure ? (this have to be done, like when you update firmware) Reset Pitch Bender and Ribbon Controller Procedure: 1) Turn on power while holding [OSC2 SYNC], [-12dB/-24dB] and [FILTER TYPE] to enter Test Mode. Wait until display indicates "[1] MIDI Test." 2) Press the [3] button to display "[3] Bend Mod." 3) Push the bender lever left fully and gradually return it to the center. Press [LOWER]. 4) Push the bender lever right fully and gradually return it to the center. Press [UPPER]. 5) Push the bender lever to the MOD position and then gradually return it to the original position. Press [KEY MODE]. 6) When the '*' appears on the display, press [UP]. 7) From the previous display, press [4] to display "[4] Ribbon." 8) While pressing down on the left edge of the ribbon controller, press [LOWER]. 9) While pressing down on the right edge of the ribbon controller, press [UPPER]. 10) While pressing down on the center of the ribbon controller, press [KEY MODE]. 11) When the '*' appears on the display, press [UP]. 12) Turn off the power of the JP-8000. Use the following procedure to reset the JP-8000 to factory settings: 1) Turn on the power of the JP-8000. The unit may display "Memory Damaged." 2) While holding [SHIFT], press [INIT/UTIL]. 3) Press [INIT/UTIL] repeatedly to select "INITIALIZE WRITE." 4) Use the [UP / DOWN] buttons to select "FACTORY PRESET," then press [WRITE].
If you're looking for a virtual analog that will convince your friends that you just bought a Jupiter-8, than this isn't the synth for you. It does "analog-style" sounds, but it has a digital edge that isn't quite concealed, even with the chorus on. But if you like House or Techno, than this is your board. The classic Roland SuperSaw sound is often imitated, but never quiet as gritty and full as it is here. The rack JP-8080 version has all the sliders and knobs and even better polyphony (12 notes instead of 8), so it's just as good of a choice. Definitely under-rated and getting more expensive by the day on the used market.
It would have been nice to know what the signal chain for this demo was. I can see you're using the L&R outputs, but what was the recording interface, your DAW software, VST? pedals? etc..
it would be a nice midi controller for the roland cloud if roland has their keyboard mapped like omnisphere has some… it would give you a plugin in a box plus a bunch of actual plugins with knobs
you're comparing it to the Korg MS which came out much much later afair.The rivals at the time were: 1st the Nord Lead. The very first VA-Synth. The Yamaha AN1, the Access Virus, and the Novation supernova. Also at that time, Waldorf was playing in the game.
no trance started almost 10 year before the jp8000 came out. its the 2nd (VA synth) generation trance music is jp8000 and nord leads and later access virus, ms2000/microkorg etc are added.
Hey mate, really gerar vídeos that def Getúlio me thinking about what to do regarding steps i want to take.. Would you consider doing the Analog Four MKI?
I used to have one of these,but solditto get a System 8.I haven't really looked back since. Still it sounds nice, though it helps if you can actually play it a bit :)
Great demo. I have one mint condition, secondhand I was lucky, the casing is a brittle plastic, easily scuffed and cracked I would imagine if gigged. Obviously, Roland were thinking cheap, rather than practically..
Dno whats up with your patches or if there was something up with my unit, or something wacky about your performance mode or whatever... but there are MUCH better sounds and variety than what youve shown.. Fine demo, dont get me wrong, but the unit is capable of some really intense sounds hat cut right through a mix.... from hoover replicas to sliced and gated strings and pads, to tearing rubbery grinders stretching across octaves... & the chorus is kickass... sadly the Gaia was a half arsed effort compared to this, but with a firmware update the Gaia could have easily been a replacement alongside the SH201 which is nigh on identical to this, with the bonus of a line input and seperate EQ and filter) The JPs Xmod (cross modulator) is really REALLY incredible to work with as there arent many other mod options.. and u wont find the feedback oscilator anywhere else... sadly its severly underated in that regard, but that feedback oscilator is probabl more profound than the heavily copied supersaw... As it stands, these days, the MC101/707/Fantom are the closest things to this.. inc supersaw with proper detuning of the waveform (as in proper detune, not osctave pitch detune) I mean if your of a mind, u can grab an MC101 and literally set it to pump 8 JP8k's (with xmod) if youre clever with the clip set up and octave range KB splitting... These units are hittin around 1000+ here in Australia.. JP8080's about $1400+.... BUT if your a buyer, consider that the capacitors and encoders are now in their 20yr cycle.. theyre rated for a lifespan of about 15 to 20 yrs... meaning many will have issues or start to have issues soon, depending on environment.. In Australia with our heat and humidity, you can expect issues.... an easy fix unless the board is actually fried as the capacitors on these are easy to replace.. fiddly and time consuming, but easily fixed by an experienced tech... The newer gear not so, as alot of the components are tiny and its largely SW driven... But youl notice output gain gets flaky, or you lose a channel or your screen starts puking and not displaying correctly... Oh and the battery... knock on wood, im still on my original battery since i bought my unit in 2001. These are nice units, but tbh, i think these days, alot more can be done with units around the same price... even cheaper in fact.. i mean an MC101 can do all this, with a tonne more effects, and offers 4 parts, not just 2... and if your clever, you can double that... which is what i do on my MC707... so my 8 tracks, are set up as 8 tracks on 8 midi channels, but each clip is set uop to accomodate 2 sounds each, using up to 2 or 3 oscilators (partials) each... It can be done.. u just gta get ur head to think oldskool efficiency.. LOLLLL Sure the MC101/707 dont have much of a stage prescence, but sound wise, the Zencore can pull off the sounds that this does...and then some... inc proper supersaw detune and Xmod and Juno like chorus... Oh and know that the KB doesnt have aftertouch... just velocity... Good luck in ur gear hunt... Im not sure Id i'll keep mine or ditch it... its become redundant and a VirusTI with 8 to 16 parts is far more versatile.. but for the price, one may as well buy another MC707 or two... or something...
Thanks- I admit I’m a biased fan of these, it’s a great synth👍. It’s a shame it didn’t get the Jupiter label as it clearly deserved it...As long a people keep in mind it’s not “analog” - it’s sound is it’s own thing. FWIW I think people do get caught in paying too much for these now, as they don’t seem quite as well made as some earlier Rolands so a lot seem to have issue like poor output and control problems now.
Let's face it, Synths have never been cheap new. You'd think for the money. They'd be built to last, but in my opinion, Roland seems to be the worst for cutting corners to boost profits. The casing in this case on this synth is a brittle plastic. I am aware digital synths are cheaper to produce, but, is analogue that expensive to produce?. I recall the late 80's, bands and players being dissatisfied with digital, and went back to analogue. Been better to stick to analogue in the first place?. I'm no expert. but I have a lot of synths, most digital VA's. I actually like some of them, for their coldness and atmospheric sounds, great for film scores. Just love your playing and great patches. If I didn't own this synth, I'd buy one after this great demo. Thanx.
I had a JP8000 and always thought the build quality was not quite there. The plastic casing was easily marked and the knobs and sliders were ok. The build quality of the JP8080 was much better. The two alternatives at the time was the Novation Supernova and Access Virus. Supernova 2 keyboard was gorgeous and much more powerful than the JP. For me, the Virus, and every version of it since, beats the JP. Would I go back to a JP, no. Why? Because technology has moved on since and you can get just as good, if not better, hardware and software alternatives.
So I've watched a live performance of Camila Cabello - Don't go yet in the Live Lounge and the keyboard player had a Juno JP-8000 as well as a red synth underneath it, not sure what synth it was. If anyone could tell me which one it was and how are those synths used in today's Music? Are they better than VST'S?
The red synth in that Camila Cabello video is a Nord Stage 3 88. It is a newer digital synth than the JP-8000. The Stage has three sound engines - digitally modeled organs, sampled pianos (and electric pianos and harpsichords), and a virtual synth that includes analog and digital stuff. It doesn't have a sequencer or arranger, but it is a popular choice in live rigs because it does a lot of classic sounds and it is pretty intuitive to use. The JP-8000 could compliment it for leads or other synth parts. You could play the same gig with VSTs and a nice MIDI controller keyboard, but I would prefer hardware keyboards for simplicity and durability.
The JP-8000 sounds fantastic, but it certainly doesn't have the wow factor or the build quality of the JD-800. By the way, doesn't JD stand for Jupiter Digital? Anyway, I don't know what they were thinking with the JP-8000, with its 4-octave non-aftertouch keyboard. Maybe they were going squarely against the Nord Lead. Also, without the Nord Lead, there would never be a synthesizer again with a limited number of waveforms and limited polyphony. The "virtual analog" trend seemed like a big step backwards from the 32-note polyphony synthesizers at the time. In fact the 64-note polyphony JV-1080 was already available. The "virtual analog" thing was a step backward. The D-50 at least had 16-notes of polyphony, and 32-oscillators. 8-note polyphony JP-8000, with its 4-octave non-aftertouch keyboards seemed like a joke at its $2,200 street price.
The JP8000 was my first synth back in the 90’s. I still have mine and it works great! It was my main keyboard back when I used to gig. I do mostly industrial type music. One thing to make note of is if you have one you will want a full recap done ASAP. Roland gear from this era is known to have cheap capacitors that leak and cause issues. I had mine done a couple years ago and it was somewhere around $150 at a local shop. You’ll want all of them replaced, not just the power supply ones.
@@spectre.garden Funny you say that. I think that the System-1 sounds closer than the System - 8 to the JP-80x0. But still neither has the character (the phasing, the slight grit) of it. I also love the System -1 / 8 series and have 3 viruses (TI2kb, Polar TI, and Rack), so I'm a big fan of them, too. But I don't know. There's just something very special about this first Roland analog modeling synth.
I suspect it’s because the digital modelling engine is hardware and proprietary: They can’t simply use their currently-developed analogue modelling techniques to emulate it. Nor is the JP8000 engine based on a software codebase that is run by a general-purpose CPU. It would take a new, bespoke approach to the emulation, specifically for this keyboard, so harder to get a return on the investment.
I disagree... Diva's digital ocillators are based on the JP and they come pretty darn close. Omnisphere's HW mode does a good job too of emulating the JP. It was all digital after all.
Well i had the same idea from it . I m absolute anti trance and anthem trance . I bought a jp years ago for almost nothing recapped cleaned and reprogrammed it without trance sounds . This machine needs people who don't play trance !!
I remember playing with one when they came out. Was not impressed as far as it capturing the creamy analog sound. Not very unique sounding. It was just like every other 90s digital sounding synth. Nothing special or particularly analog Jupiter about it. The saw leads were decent. These days you’re better off with a VST than this thing.
I shudder when I hear the words 'virtual analogue'. Oxymoron to the nth degree and obvious marketing doublespeak. It's a digital synth. Call it what it is. I'm not saying that I don't like it or that I prefer analogue over digital, but don't ride the coattails of your previous successes by pretending black is white. Just come out and say it. 'We're done with analogue synths. We've decided that digital is the future. We can't stay the same for ever. Been there, done that.'
@@roberttodd2414 If you hear the Nord Lead 1 which was the first to come out with a VA synth you wouuld be amazed, it sounds almost like a moog - thing is, a VA synth does it's own thing - it is the sound of the 90's and not of the 70s or 80s and can even be the sound of today and sound like it, unlike 70s or 80s synths, thats what most don't get..its not supposed to sound like a moog, although that may have been the "idea" so to speak.
The JP8000 is my first Synth, I traded a laptop for it back in 2009, the keys were stuck got them fixed then the internal battery went bad, I replaced it, bought some sound banks and still going hard, Love my JP8000 ‼️‼️
One of the greatest, most under-sung INSTRUMENTS (not just "synthesizers". A true legend. Often imitated, never duplicated. Perfect machine.
When this synth came out there were still vintage Oberheims at the music stores selling for like $600.
Here in France in 1997 all the vintage analogs where between 500$ (Pro600) and 2000$ (Arp2600).
Memorymoog, Obxa, P5, Jp8, Synthex between 1200$ and 1500$. Prices converted from Francs before the euro. Basically any of the new crop of virtual stuff where more costly. Goa psy trance was the rage and virtually anybody was using vintage poly analogs. Too heavy, cumbersome, high maintenance and retro sounding. I don’t think people are smarter now. Fashion has changed as popular music styles.
Only vintage analog polys used then were the then cheap J106s …
The first time I saw one was in 2008 on MTV Diddy’s Making The Band- and I’ve been in love ever since. I just bought one a few months ago for $500. Works great 👍🏾
You got a bargain then, only ones i see for sale are double that
sooo about diddy..
One of the best sounding digital synths in my opinion. It's due for a re-release
I’m usually not a big fan of digital synths but what I like about early VA synths is that they didn’t try to emulate perfectly a particular vintage synth. They had their own sound and their own innovations. For the JP-8000 it was the introduction of the super saw oscillator that give that polyphonic detuned unison sound that sound huge. I remember the first time I heard it, I thought it was a multi track recording of 4 unison tracks all playing different notes to make chords. And if we look at prices for the JP-8000, it’s a future classic for sure.
Had one since mid 2000s and still using it as my main hardware Synth when playing live. I’ve had many proper analog synths come and go, but I’ve always gone back to this extremely versatile synth. Not just a trance machine
Best demo of the JP-8000 on TH-cam!
I got my JP-8000 before 2000.
A few years ago, I had to replace a cap because of failing sound output. I'm a retired tech, so the DIY repair was no problem.
Now it is working great, and I love it 🎶🎹❤
It has unique arpeggio/sequencer capabilities, I have never seen anywhere else, and that groovy touch strip.
Have fun!
I was heavy into industrial music when I bought this synth, and it makes some amazing dirty aggressive sounds, so it definitely shouldn't be pidgeon-holed as a trance synth ( which it does very well too)
My band mate uses the JP-8000 a lot in his dark wave songs.
Oh yeah! This monster can create beautiful Nine Inch Nails sounds, not only trancy stuff
Beautiful sounds and playing! To this day nothing does supersaws quite like the JP80x0's! Also I don't get why it's popular to look down on trance these days 🥺
Wow, such a heartwarming video about the Roland JP-8000.
I have this beast ! Been using it since 2006, I put it a lot in my music (Instrumental Progressive Rock), I love its rich Pads and its aggressive Leads, very fitting to my style
I know it's vintage now, a product of its time, there're more modern synths out there, but this JP has aged very well and still sound very good and kicks ass, and I will use it forever !
My capacitors went out. Watching this video to try to motivate to get them fixed. Got it when it was new because of all the knob twiddling options, always tried to completely ignore the preset patches to see what the machine could really do. Destroying a patch and using a footswitch with an arpeggiator was always fun.
It's a performance synth - if you only use the presets and barely use the knobs&sliders, you are scratching the surface of the abilities. I've worked with it during jam sessions and started mostly with a "init" sound and sculped the sound as the jam session goes along. So mostly one hand for playing and one for knobs & sliders. LFO 2 and ribbon controller is an important part of this synth (equally to KORG Prophecy "performance roller"), works well with Nord Lead 2x and Korg Z1 in the mix.
Definitely it does worth it. First Roland Analog Modelling sound source (according to Roland, despite some channels claim it was the D50?? ). Sounding a bit harsh sometimes, but capable of doing decent analog emulations (Perform P11 Chariots). Most straightforward interface. Just put it in Manual and fun happens. They need of some TLC because of those electrolytic capacitors. A versatile synth. Love mine.
Man, there is a lot of comments here that are badly inaccurate.
FACT CHECK: Virus came out later, as did the MS2K, neither were competitors with the JP8k, the only competitor it had was the AN1X, (which soundwise is arguably better) but was stifled by the fact that a rompler also made by Yamaha (CS1X) looked identical unless you knew what you were looking at, and it had next to no knobs. Of course the Nord Lead 1 was a competitor, which had its flaws too (one being it was hard to find in stores in the states). Virus's didn't really catch on in the states till almost 2000, or even until the B came out, and the MS2K wasn't even built till then.
SECOND FACT CHECK: Digital synths aren't worthless, FIZMO, JD-990, DX-5, Nord Lead 2X, and "Enter many other names here", are still sought after, and revered... as is the JP8k, because it did the Supersaw first, and to this point, still best.
THIRD FACT CHECK: These were worshipped when they came out, to a degree I can't even compare to now. Roland nailed the market at this point, I don't think they have gotten it this right since. I didn't know a keyboardist that didn't want one. And yes, many musicians used them, some used them exclusively. I remember being a teen and seeing Front 242 live, and them having only a JP8k on stage, that was a pretty bold statement on the popularity of this synth. Also, Trance was practically built on the Supersaw, and most electronic artists that were big in the nineties had at least one. It was also a crucial part of Goa and Psytrance. If the JP8k is guilty of anything, it's for being on too many recordings in the 90s.
FOURTH FACT CHECK: This was virtual analog, just in the same way the Nord Lead 1, it was NOTHING like the JV-1080, M1, or anything else like that, those are "Romplers", if you think it sounds "bassless" or thin, learn how to mix. The thing has a 2 band eq on the front panel, if you need more than that, the synth isn't the problem.
IMPORTANT POINTER: If you want one, try to seek out a JP-8080 instead. Will cost more, but has two extra voices (10), a voice modulator, unison mode, external audio modulation, metal casing (instead of plastic) and memory card slot.
I'd argue that the likes of the Roland U-20 were romplers. As soon as you start adding filters, it becomes complicated. S&S synthesis is probably a better description.
Fact checking the “fact check”…. Access Virus came out exactly at the same time as the JP-8000 and the NL2.
Try turning the delay send and feedback to %100, then mess with timing from 0% to 30% you get an interesting stepped digital comb filter effect
Is that how Pulsedriver and generally Aqualoop studio made their leads in early 2000s?
It's a fun synth. If you're going to buy one though rather get the 8080 rack. The 8000's often have issues with the outputs failing, volume issues and distortion on the outputs and require recapping on the board. It's not super expensive but a pain none the less. The 8080 had different capacitors installed.
8080 has 2 extra voices , a vocoder, and is metal instead of compacted garbage like the 8000. It's the one to get. But. The 8000 is such a great piece of Trance history epic cheese. Either is a fine addition.
Yes. I got mine before 2000, and a few years ago, I had to replace a cap because of failing sound output. I'm a retired tech, so no problem.
Now it is working great, and I love it 🎶🎹❤️
I've had mine for 5 years and I love it, play it everyday. The guy I bought it from purchased it new when it first came out and the only problems I've had with it are a battery change, and one button to switch to the upper side quit working.
Wow... I have to admit (after over THIRTY YEARS of following synthesizers) this is probably the first demo I've heard from a JP8k that demonstrated how it could reasonably sound outside of trance. ...or Jexus's ... Jexusness. (I love him, mind you, but ... TBH it ... skews in a rather strange direction with every synth.)
Hmmmn. This makes me want one. I wasn't expecting that.
9:50 I could f'ck around in that all day long. Like...you want the sound of a lightsaber being sharpened? Here's your synth.
Super saw rules
There was also an SH-32, check it out as well.
I thought that it was worth it back in '98 when it came out. For reasons that made sense at the time, I went with a Yamaha CS6X (which had the AN1X expansion installed), but this one definitely caught my eye...I just couldn't afford both. I thought it should've been 61 keys instead of 49, but in retrospect I could've lived with it. The sound was certainly excellent at the time. They probably should've given it a different name to differentiate it from the Jupiters of the 80s, but I doubt that most who bought it cared.
that mysterious flute sound at 11.30 is really nailing it
got mine in Dec 2018 for XMas ;) long wanted, long saved money. 500 €, now it is the double price... Hipsters are destroyin' the market.
next synth please to spot on, is the Korg DS-8 :))
So agree! 👍
He should have made a nice Supersaw trance sound as an example in this video th-cam.com/video/S38Nzimpfns/w-d-xo.html ( it should start around 21:16 )
The factory presets are okay but there are some soundbanks out there which sounds much better.
Here are some artists, djs, producers who have used or still use the Roland Jp 8000
Ferry Corsten, Giuseppe Ottaviani, Matthew Bellamy, Porter Robinson, Chris Wolstenholme, Fedde le Grand, Dash Berlin, Nicky Romero Paul van Dyk, The Prodigy, Vince Clarke, The Crystal Method, Liam Howlett, 12th Planet, cEvin Key, 7 Skies, DJ Quik, Craig Jones, Octave One, Chris Lowe, Morgan Nicholls, D-Block & S-te-Fan, Chase & Status, Edgar Froese, Charly García, Chris Vrenna, Geoff Downes, Scooter, Chicane, William Orbit, Eelke Kleijn, Alix Perez, Jorge González, Luciano, Dizzy Reed, Faithless, Goldie, LTJ Bukem, Martyn Ware, Hauschka, Skee Mask, Labrinth, DJ Scott Brown, Johan Van Roy, Jerome Froese, Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Justin Stanton, Eric Persing, Edgar Winter, John B, Morris Hayes, Rick J. Jordan, Pete Cannon, Clive Nolan, Jimmy Destri, Nathan McCree, Gilbert Le Funk, Chipzel, Exaya Musi, Ilkay Sencan, Karen Gwyer, BlackGummy, Eloy Fritsch, Richard West, Cosmo, Cinthie, Virtual Boy, Gavin Castleton, Kip Blackshire, Global Citizen, Paul Robb, Tony Trippi, Pete Murray, OSCCR, Christian "Beat" Hirt, Craig Leon, Rob Garza Aron Magner, Fat Jon, Mark Kelly
Sorry for my english xD
I use the sunrizer app a lot, I guess that is like the jp 8000, it gives me every sound I need
A fine synth! I had the module (JP-8080) which I loved -- but ultimately I sold it to buy an MS-20 Korg.
Wow that's crazy! You sold that for a Korg MS20?
Sound really is subjective...
In fact first VA was D-50 (1987) ... Despite the fact that it was positioned as Linear Arithmetic. D-50 allowed to use only the synthesis structure, without samples. (Later, some VA also had the opportunity to use samples in their oscillators, at least spectral waves.. latest Nord, Virus etc). With the programmer D-50 looks like true digital emulator of classic analog synths (OSC with PWM ->> Reso Filters ->> ADSR ->> +FX ) ... Next D-10 (1988) had even more pleasant synthetic sound core (more brightly) - After D-10 was nothing created so much lush .... including JD
@@roberttodd2414 Roland PG-1000 (1987) real-time programmer for D50 D550 synthesizer series: 64 sliders + 8 buttons
@@roberttodd2414 Cool sweep filter with reso ... I like more than filters in most VA. About samples - Most VA do not have samples at all.
I remember I went over this dudes house one time who owned one. Some Drum'n'Bass dj. Wouldn't let me even touch the thing. He says "Im going to produce music with it". I said "Oh with some kind of midi setup?" He says "Not sure what that is.. I dont need all the fancy stuff. You can do everything on this".. ooof, bro, clueless..
If you can track one down, please review the AN1x. It was a direct competitor and aside from the super saw, could do everything the JP could do. Wish it had more sliders, knobs and knobs.
Nice touch with the black velvet bro...... :) I have the 8080.... great synth (in terms of value for money) I had one since late 90's.. For that one you will need NAVY BLUE velvet :D
I snatched one for 300 off eBay a few years ago. Had it cleaned, but the ribbon isn’t really functional. However, this is the best synth that I own for style of music I write - which isn’t trance lol. 10/10 synth, 10/10 video.
Have you done the reset procedure ? (this have to be done, like when you update firmware)
Reset Pitch Bender and Ribbon Controller Procedure:
1) Turn on power while holding [OSC2 SYNC], [-12dB/-24dB] and [FILTER TYPE] to enter Test Mode. Wait until display
indicates "[1] MIDI Test."
2) Press the [3] button to display "[3] Bend Mod."
3) Push the bender lever left fully and gradually return it to the center. Press [LOWER].
4) Push the bender lever right fully and gradually return it to the center. Press [UPPER].
5) Push the bender lever to the MOD position and then gradually return it to the original position. Press [KEY MODE].
6) When the '*' appears on the display, press [UP].
7) From the previous display, press [4] to display "[4] Ribbon."
8) While pressing down on the left edge of the ribbon controller, press [LOWER].
9) While pressing down on the right edge of the ribbon controller, press [UPPER].
10) While pressing down on the center of the ribbon controller, press [KEY MODE].
11) When the '*' appears on the display, press [UP].
12) Turn off the power of the JP-8000.
Use the following procedure to reset the JP-8000 to factory settings:
1) Turn on the power of the JP-8000. The unit may display "Memory Damaged."
2) While holding [SHIFT], press [INIT/UTIL].
3) Press [INIT/UTIL] repeatedly to select "INITIALIZE WRITE."
4) Use the [UP / DOWN] buttons to select "FACTORY PRESET," then press [WRITE].
Nice Roland JP 8000
Keyboard wonder I want to buy one here in Brazil!!
If you're looking for a virtual analog that will convince your friends that you just bought a Jupiter-8, than this isn't the synth for you. It does "analog-style" sounds, but it has a digital edge that isn't quite concealed, even with the chorus on. But if you like House or Techno, than this is your board. The classic Roland SuperSaw sound is often imitated, but never quiet as gritty and full as it is here. The rack JP-8080 version has all the sliders and knobs and even better polyphony (12 notes instead of 8), so it's just as good of a choice. Definitely under-rated and getting more expensive by the day on the used market.
It would have been nice to know what the signal chain for this demo was. I can see you're using the L&R outputs, but what was the recording interface, your DAW software, VST? pedals? etc..
It was great for e-guitar-ish lead/pad mixes that you could really drive up.
9:45 Here you should try the ribbon controller as well
it would be a nice midi controller for the roland cloud if roland has their keyboard mapped like omnisphere has some… it would give you a plugin in a box plus a bunch of actual plugins with knobs
Love my jp-8000
you're comparing it to the Korg MS which came out much much later afair.The rivals at the time were: 1st the Nord Lead. The very first VA-Synth. The Yamaha AN1, the Access Virus, and the Novation supernova. Also at that time, Waldorf was playing in the game.
Korg had the prophecy and z1, not marketed as va but as modeling synths, that happened to do va too.
This was the synth that started Trance music. Incredible piece of gear.
no trance started almost 10 year before the jp8000 came out. its the 2nd (VA synth) generation trance music is jp8000 and nord leads and later access virus, ms2000/microkorg etc are added.
Shape the late 90s trance, but didn't start it, listen KLF - Kyle said trance, or Jmlam and spoon - Age of love
Even if it was in its own league , the first digital Jupiter was the JD800 according to Roland . JD stood for Jupiter Digital.
Hey mate, really gerar vídeos that def Getúlio me thinking about what to do regarding steps i want to take.. Would you consider doing the Analog Four MKI?
Hey Zach, great video. Thanks for putting together. If you're playing presets, could you post the preset name on the screen?
I used to have one of these,but solditto get a System 8.I haven't really looked back since. Still it sounds nice, though it helps if you can actually play it a bit :)
Wicked mad patches!
Great demo. I have one mint condition, secondhand I was lucky, the casing is a brittle plastic, easily scuffed and cracked I would imagine if gigged. Obviously, Roland were thinking cheap, rather than practically..
Dno whats up with your patches or if there was something up with my unit, or something wacky about your performance mode or whatever... but there are MUCH better sounds and variety than what youve shown.. Fine demo, dont get me wrong, but the unit is capable of some really intense sounds hat cut right through a mix.... from hoover replicas to sliced and gated strings and pads, to tearing rubbery grinders stretching across octaves...
& the chorus is kickass... sadly the Gaia was a half arsed effort compared to this, but with a firmware update the Gaia could have easily been a replacement alongside the SH201 which is nigh on identical to this, with the bonus of a line input and seperate EQ and filter)
The JPs Xmod (cross modulator) is really REALLY incredible to work with as there arent many other mod options.. and u wont find the feedback oscilator anywhere else... sadly its severly underated in that regard, but that feedback oscilator is probabl more profound than the heavily copied supersaw...
As it stands, these days, the MC101/707/Fantom are the closest things to this.. inc supersaw with proper detuning of the waveform (as in proper detune, not osctave pitch detune) I mean if your of a mind, u can grab an MC101 and literally set it to pump 8 JP8k's (with xmod) if youre clever with the clip set up and octave range KB splitting...
These units are hittin around 1000+ here in Australia.. JP8080's about $1400+.... BUT if your a buyer, consider that the capacitors and encoders are now in their 20yr cycle.. theyre rated for a lifespan of about 15 to 20 yrs... meaning many will have issues or start to have issues soon, depending on environment.. In Australia with our heat and humidity, you can expect issues.... an easy fix unless the board is actually fried as the capacitors on these are easy to replace.. fiddly and time consuming, but easily fixed by an experienced tech... The newer gear not so, as alot of the components are tiny and its largely SW driven... But youl notice output gain gets flaky, or you lose a channel or your screen starts puking and not displaying correctly... Oh and the battery... knock on wood, im still on my original battery since i bought my unit in 2001.
These are nice units, but tbh, i think these days, alot more can be done with units around the same price... even cheaper in fact.. i mean an MC101 can do all this, with a tonne more effects, and offers 4 parts, not just 2... and if your clever, you can double that... which is what i do on my MC707... so my 8 tracks, are set up as 8 tracks on 8 midi channels, but each clip is set uop to accomodate 2 sounds each, using up to 2 or 3 oscilators (partials) each...
It can be done.. u just gta get ur head to think oldskool efficiency.. LOLLLL
Sure the MC101/707 dont have much of a stage prescence, but sound wise, the Zencore can pull off the sounds that this does...and then some... inc proper supersaw detune and Xmod and Juno like chorus...
Oh and know that the KB doesnt have aftertouch... just velocity...
Good luck in ur gear hunt... Im not sure Id i'll keep mine or ditch it... its become redundant and a VirusTI with 8 to 16 parts is far more versatile.. but for the price, one may as well buy another MC707 or two... or something...
It was too pricey for me when it first came out. But, 20+ years later the used one I bought was worth it.
I got one a few years ago for $450. They sound great, but some of the hardware is kind of janky.
Thanks- I admit I’m a biased fan of these, it’s a great synth👍. It’s a shame it didn’t get the Jupiter label as it clearly deserved it...As long a people keep in mind it’s not “analog” - it’s sound is it’s own thing. FWIW I think people do get caught in paying too much for these now, as they don’t seem quite as well made as some earlier Rolands so a lot seem to have issue like poor output and control problems now.
Don’t forget they made a rack version JP-8080 (or did you mention that?-I skipped to the demo) 😎
I owned both at one point. The 8080 is more reliable... also had a vocoder and d-beam controller which the 8000 didn't.
I feel like this is oddly similar to the JP-6? I’ve always thought the JP-6 sounded VA-like , in a good way :)
Do you have an Elka Synthex? I love Rendezvous by Jean Michel Jarre
I wish!
Let's face it, Synths have never been cheap new. You'd think for the money. They'd be built to last, but in my opinion, Roland seems to be the worst for cutting corners to boost profits. The casing in this case on this synth is a brittle plastic. I am aware digital synths are cheaper to produce, but, is analogue that expensive to produce?. I recall the late 80's, bands and players being dissatisfied with digital, and went back to analogue. Been better to stick to analogue in the first place?. I'm no expert. but I have a lot of synths, most digital VA's. I actually like some of them, for their coldness and atmospheric sounds, great for film scores. Just love your playing and great patches. If I didn't own this synth, I'd buy one after this great demo. Thanx.
Can these do all the JV sounds too? With the JV cards?
I had a JP8000 and always thought the build quality was not quite there. The plastic casing was easily marked and the knobs and sliders were ok.
The build quality of the JP8080 was much better.
The two alternatives at the time was the Novation Supernova and Access Virus. Supernova 2 keyboard was gorgeous and much more powerful than the JP.
For me, the Virus, and every version of it since, beats the JP.
Would I go back to a JP, no. Why? Because technology has moved on since and you can get just as good, if not better, hardware and software alternatives.
So I've watched a live performance of Camila Cabello - Don't go yet in the Live Lounge and the keyboard player had a Juno JP-8000 as well as a red synth underneath it, not sure what synth it was. If anyone could tell me which one it was and how are those synths used in today's Music? Are they better than VST'S?
The red synth in that Camila Cabello video is a Nord Stage 3 88. It is a newer digital synth than the JP-8000. The Stage has three sound engines - digitally modeled organs, sampled pianos (and electric pianos and harpsichords), and a virtual synth that includes analog and digital stuff. It doesn't have a sequencer or arranger, but it is a popular choice in live rigs because it does a lot of classic sounds and it is pretty intuitive to use. The JP-8000 could compliment it for leads or other synth parts. You could play the same gig with VSTs and a nice MIDI controller keyboard, but I would prefer hardware keyboards for simplicity and durability.
@@gophercrow thank you for taking time and answering my question 🙏 It makes much more sense to me now
The JP-8000 sounds fantastic, but it certainly doesn't have the wow factor or the build quality of the JD-800. By the way, doesn't JD stand for Jupiter Digital? Anyway, I don't know what they were thinking with the JP-8000, with its 4-octave non-aftertouch keyboard. Maybe they were going squarely against the Nord Lead. Also, without the Nord Lead, there would never be a synthesizer again with a limited number of waveforms and limited polyphony. The "virtual analog" trend seemed like a big step backwards from the 32-note polyphony synthesizers at the time. In fact the 64-note polyphony JV-1080 was already available. The "virtual analog" thing was a step backward. The D-50 at least had 16-notes of polyphony, and 32-oscillators. 8-note polyphony JP-8000, with its 4-octave non-aftertouch keyboards seemed like a joke at its $2,200 street price.
The JP8000 was my first synth back in the 90’s. I still have mine and it works great! It was my main keyboard back when I used to gig. I do mostly industrial type music.
One thing to make note of is if you have one you will want a full recap done ASAP. Roland gear from this era is known to have cheap capacitors that leak and cause issues. I had mine done a couple years ago and it was somewhere around $150 at a local shop. You’ll want all of them replaced, not just the power supply ones.
LOL I just mentioned this as well.. LOLLLLL
Hey, at least they've lasted 25 years, that aint that bad or cheap!
Seriously considering buying one. Any bad experiences?
I have one and a Juno X. While I do have a soft spot for my JP the Juno X can do everything the JP does and more so I rarely use the JP.
Always want one !!🙃
But an access virus a (imo) was the better choice .
But hmmmm I WANT ONE . ☺️
Virus is great, obviously, but nothing can duplicate the sound of the JP-80x0.
@@mc2engineeringprof 👍🏻 agree
@@spectre.garden Funny you say that. I think that the System-1 sounds closer than the System - 8 to the JP-80x0. But still neither has the character (the phasing, the slight grit) of it. I also love the System -1 / 8 series and have 3 viruses (TI2kb, Polar TI, and Rack), so I'm a big fan of them, too. But I don't know. There's just something very special about this first Roland analog modeling synth.
@@roberttodd2414 but in the late 90s it was a little bit different 🎹😉
Fine demo,-
I still don't know why they don't make a boutique version of it...
I suspect it’s because the digital modelling engine is hardware and proprietary: They can’t simply use their currently-developed analogue modelling techniques to emulate it. Nor is the JP8000 engine based on a software codebase that is run by a general-purpose CPU. It would take a new, bespoke approach to the emulation, specifically for this keyboard, so harder to get a return on the investment.
for shure worth it.....no VST software can even get close to it....another one is Korg MS2000 / Roland JD800
I disagree... Diva's digital ocillators are based on the JP and they come pretty darn close. Omnisphere's HW mode does a good job too of emulating the JP. It was all digital after all.
SuperWave Synths P8. Paying it forward.
Most people think only on the damn stupid trance supersaw from it but the jp is much much more .
had one,it was ok but nothing startling.if i saw one for say £175 id buy again but mine got sold,never missed it
Texas stand up
Not really a fan of it's clean, bold sound. Supersaws sound so overhyped. But I can't imagine a trance track without one. Prices have sure gone up.
Well i had the same idea from it . I m absolute anti trance and anthem trance . I bought a jp years ago for almost nothing recapped cleaned and reprogrammed it without trance sounds . This machine needs people who don't play trance !!
dreadful. rip roland. i feel the yamaha v/a's have something more to them than only trance in particular.
I remember playing with one when they came out. Was not impressed as far as it capturing the creamy analog sound. Not very unique sounding. It was just like every other 90s digital sounding synth. Nothing special or particularly analog Jupiter about it. The saw leads were decent. These days you’re better off with a VST than this thing.
I shudder when I hear the words 'virtual analogue'. Oxymoron to the nth degree and obvious marketing doublespeak. It's a digital synth. Call it what it is. I'm not saying that I don't like it or that I prefer analogue over digital, but don't ride the coattails of your previous successes by pretending black is white. Just come out and say it. 'We're done with analogue synths. We've decided that digital is the future. We can't stay the same for ever. Been there, done that.'
@@roberttodd2414 Good point. Still don’t like the term, tho. 😉
@@roberttodd2414 If you hear the Nord Lead 1 which was the first to come out with a VA synth you wouuld be amazed, it sounds almost like a moog - thing is, a VA synth does it's own thing - it is the sound of the 90's and not of the 70s or 80s and can even be the sound of today and sound like it, unlike 70s or 80s synths, thats what most don't get..its not supposed to sound like a moog, although that may have been the "idea" so to speak.
No, is crap as everything roland does since the mid 90´s.