Proof that Roland are indeed insane.

[griffin avid]

But they make these Jupiter 50 and 80 things and pass them off as the newest and greatest Jupiter synth just because it has some Jupiter 8 sounds in it.

Workstations have SAMPLES of OTHER synths/traditional instruments and they are sold as a FIX/SOLUTION for having access to those sounds in an easier, cheaper, faster, lighter package with bonus like, um...a...sequencer...storage for set lists, playlists and assorted personalized features. --> All through a comfortable player's interface...the keyboard.

Aside from those early analog synths (and even some of them were borrowing ideas and being sued), every product has had had some throw-back patches/sounds/presets. To see a synth in 2013 harkening back to some earlier product/sound/patch/whatever isn't shocking and it's been the same tradition for years.

But they make these Jupiter 50 and 80 things and pass them off as the newest and greatest Jupiter synth just because it has some Jupiter 8 sounds in it.

Let me read that again and wonder where the surprise is that a company says their latest product is the best.
If Alesis put out a VA or Digital synth called the Andromeda A7, I'd laugh and be a little disappointed that an actual successor isn't in the works. And then I'd remember I've got the real deal [for probably ten years now] and move on.
I'd also recall that I wouldn't be buying the imagined Version 2.0 anyway.

[atlantida]

And we're not (as some put it) mad that they're not re-issuing the Jupiter 8, its that Roland is doing everything f**k wrong. I could care less if they don't make a reissued Jupiter 8 (though it would be cool). But they make these Jupiter 50 and 80 things and pass them off as the newest and greatest Jupiter synth just because it has some Jupiter 8 sounds in it. That'd be like Yamaha announcing a CS-100 or something like that which turns out to be a Motif that resembles a CS-80 with some CS-80 samples but not as many Workstation features as an actual Motif.
.

Exactly. I hate how Roland plays games and tricks with brand names. They know that people love the Jupiter 8 and want it to be reissued. Instead of doing that they keep the name and they make a new digital workstation that has nothing to do with J8.
I was a bit annoyed that they called it Jupiter 80, instead of - for example - Uranus 80.

[salwa]

I'd like to add one thing - we don't know the numbers. We don't really know, how big is the market for analog/"real" synths in contrast with workstations/auto accompaniament synths. We can only guess - they (Roland, Korg, Yamaha) know it (I'm sure they've done research). Of course people, who use analog/"real" synths, probably are in contact with other similar people and tend to think, that it's big enough group to arouse interest of major companies. But things may be different. Maybe Roland did the market survey and found out, that it's saturated (by Korg and smaller companies)? And the fact, that Roland is loosing money in recent years, doesn't necessarily mean, that they products are bad - they may have thousand other issues (wrong marketing, bad internal structure and managment etc.).

[atlantida]

If Roland is uncertain about the analog hype they could have "thrown out" a simple analog box (drum, bass, mono key) like Korg did, to test the waters instead of making surveys. Korg did it perfectly with cheap and funny boxes (Monotrons) and they went slowly upwards on the staircase. Their MS20 Mini is great, but their analog Volca line is an incredible success, they manufacture pure gold now and it's impossible for them to deliver all the tens of thousand of Volcas (I'm waiting for one), so yes, we have a great hunger for analog. Roland could have done the same, starting slow.
I admit that a new expensive analog J8 would have been too much to ask for but I "feel" that a reissued analog Juno synth (or even a smaller analog synth) would have been a hit if they set the price right.

[salwa]

If Roland is uncertain about the analog hype they could have "thrown out" a simple analog box (drum, bass, mono key) like Korg did, to test the waters instead of making surveys.

I can't imagine, that Korg "throw out" Monotron without ANY market survey. That's not how business works.

[Hugo76]

I stand by my statement. If there still is a market for workstations - and it seems to me there is - Roland probably want to be part of that market. Personally I think workstations are great, and a combination with the V-Synth would be awesome.

What is it that you find desirable in a workstation? I'm not trying to sidestep here or attack you in any way, I'm just curious. To me it has always seemed that workstations do the same thing as a laptop running Live or what have you, but are just more difficult to navigate. That's what I see, but I realize that users of workstations must see something else, and I want to know what that is.

Many things attract me in a workstation, summed up in it being a total solution. My Yamaha Motif ES was great, but I couldn't afford to keep it. Now I have a Korg M3 (in addition to other synths and samplers).

I do, however, agree that software solutions can in many ways be more intuitive or better in some regards. Having said that, I do think there must be something special about a workstation, and now Korg have raised the bar significantly.
If Roland could counter this with the fantastic features and interface of the V-Synth, I'd be all in. The thing is, I find working with hardware much, much more inspiring and fun. Ableton Live and others are extremely capable products, but the fun just isn't there for me.

[atlantida]

If Roland is uncertain about the analog hype they could have "thrown out" a simple analog box (drum, bass, mono key) like Korg did, to test the waters instead of making surveys.

I can't imagine, that Korg "throw out" Monotron without ANY market survey. That's not how business works.

I mean Korg understood the analog thirst, they didn't have to think too much, just checking Ebay was enough, lol.

I only speak for myself but I only like analog gears from the Big Three, (Roland-Korg-Yammy), I tried DSI but couldn't really like its harsh sound, my Monotron sounded better than DSI Mopho when I had both, I would only buy analog poly from these 3 companies.

Roland could have made a Volca Keys-like thing to start with, lol.

[Sir Ruff]

How on Earth is this thread still alive?

[meatballfulton]

their analog Volca line is an incredible success

all we know is they are back-ordered, way too early to tell it's a success really

How on Earth is this thread still alive?

because j**k like me keep replying

[Jabberwalky]

Not sure if serious.. Just like many of the other posts in this topic.. It became rather un-subjective... Moving on..........

It's still alive because this dumbass bumped it, just to say this ^

[meatballfulton]

they're sticking the Juno and Jupiter names on Workstations and trying to sell them off to people in this market as these new and revolutionary synths

The current Junos and Jupiters are not workstations

Roland's new tack is keyboards aimed at live performance.

[Sir Ruff]

How on Earth is this thread still alive?

because j**k like me keep replying

Stop replying, j**k