I really want an early 80's Roland poly. Suggestions?

[maindeglorie]

I am looking at the JX-8p, 3p and Jupiter 6.

Basically going for that classic 80's Roland haunting pad sound, etc. I really love the early Cure sounds that they got out of the Rolands. Just trying to decide on which one. The Jupiter seems awesome, has all the slider already on it. The 3p sounds amazing to me. I love the Roland DCO sound. I think there is a tone in there that no other synth companies have ever touched upon. The 3p sounds dark, thick and totally vintage. The 8p sounds like a damn DREAM. It's otherwordly and beautiful. It also sounds massive! I love it. But I also love that old sound that the 3p puts out.

Whatta think?

[Rangoon]

MKS-80 Version 5....played from a weighted, velocity sensive keyboard.

[maindeglorie]

Hmmm... forgot about the Super Jupiter.

*Also to the moderators, if you could move this to buyers guide, that would be cool. I messed up. Unless you're cool with it here.

[HideawayStudio]

I am looking at the JX-8p, 3p and Jupiter 6.

Basically going for that classic 80's Roland haunting pad sound, etc. I really love the early Cure sounds that they got out of the Rolands. Just trying to decide on which one. The Jupiter seems awesome, has all the slider already on it. The 3p sounds amazing to me. I love the Roland DCO sound. I think there is a tone in there that no other synth companies have ever touched upon. The 3p sounds dark, thick and totally vintage. The 8p sounds like a damn DREAM. It's otherwordly and beautiful. It also sounds massive! I love it. But I also love that old sound that the 3p puts out.

Whatta think?

My suggestion would be an MKS-70 (SuperJX) and a PG-800 programmer. This is one heck of an instrument and one of the last analogs Roland made. It's basically two JX-8Ps layered and controlled from one UI. I've had one of these for years (ex Howard Jones) and I will never part with it.

I also like the JX-3P - I've never had one but used to play with one a lot that a friend had. There are some good PC based editors available for this little gem. If you find a PG-200 that would be a really nice setup.

I used to have a JX-8P and I adored it but they are very prone to aftertouch sensor strip failure.

IMHO - What makes all of the Rolands from this era is the chorus - it transforms the sound - especially on the Juno series.

As you are saying, the JX series are brilliant for strings and pads - I personally prefer the Juno series for bass and plucked/bass sounds as they tend to have faster envelopes.

[CfNorENa]

As you are saying, the JX series are brilliant for strings and pads - I personally prefer the JX series for bass and plucked/bass sounds as they tend to have faster envelopes.

+1 for JX series. Very deep, very warm, and very soft, and sits effortlessly in the mix (and the fact that JX-10s and JX-8Ps can be had for around $300 is pretty enticing).

As for the quote above, did you mean to write that you prefer the Juno series for bass sounds? I think the Junos are almost universally acknowledged as having faster envelopes than the JX series...

[D-Collector]

+1 for JX-8P, but remember that it is the chorus that makes the sound what it is -and it is noisy. Without the chorus, many patches (your own or preset) will sound extremely weak and thin. In fact, I would go for the MKS-70 if I were you. The 8P also looks very plasticky and personally I feel the build quality is somewhat cheap. I'll be replacing mine with a sturdy MKS rack I think. But I love the sound, no question.

[maindeglorie]

Everyone is basically pushing me to what I was thinking.

So are the sounds of the Jupiter 6 very different compared to the JX's?

[Synthigraphie]

A JX synth without the programmer is not a good deal. PG-800s are not common and very expensive...

I don't have a Jupiter 6 but I guess it's a monster compared to a JX-10.

[maindeglorie]

I don't know... the JX-10 has double the polyphony and can have two layers. That would make it pretty damn big sounding.

Don't the JX-10's have reliability issues though? More so that the JX-8p's?

[CfNorENa]

A JX synth without the programmer is not a good deal. PG-800s are not common and very expensive....

.

That's a very important point, which the OP should really bear in mind. I had the JX-10 for about a month without the programmer, and it was just no fun at all to edit -- and without quick and deep editing, the JX synths are very underwhelming. Then I got the programmer (traded a Mopho for it ) and basically "discovered" the depth and power of the synth. I don't think it's an exaggeration to say that an external programmer (whether PG800 or one of those Behringer units) is essential to the JX series.

I don't have a Jupiter 6 but I guess it's a monster compared to a JX-10.

Remember that the Jup6 is a VCO synth, and so if OP is really looking for that classic "Roland DCO" sound, the Jupiter might not be the answer. I've never played one, but the internet chatter suggests that it's a very raw, aggressive synth, which the JX series most definitely is not. But again, for soft and warm, the JXs are ideal.

And don't forget about the dramatic price disparity. For the price of a Jupiter 6, you could get a JX-10 (or 8P, or MKS70) AND the programmer, and STILL have hundreds of dollars left over (with which you could get a Juno 60/106 and then *really* have your Roland DCO base covered 8) ).

[HideawayStudio]

As you are saying, the JX series are brilliant for strings and pads - I personally prefer the JX series for bass and plucked/bass sounds as they tend to have faster envelopes.

+1 for JX series. Very deep, very warm, and very soft, and sits effortlessly in the mix (and the fact that JX-10s and JX-8Ps can be had for around $300 is pretty enticing).

As for the quote above, did you mean to write that you prefer the Juno series for bass sounds? I think the Junos are almost universally acknowledged as having faster envelopes than the JX series...

Ooops... well spotted - yes I meant Juno series for bass:)

[HideawayStudio]

I don't know... the JX-10 has double the polyphony and can have two layers. That would make it pretty damn big sounding.

Don't the JX-10's have reliability issues though? More so that the JX-8p's?

Nope... the JX-10 makes use of two JX-8P voice boards and is not really known for hardware issues. It is, on the other hand, known for it's rather broken MIDI implementation which was mostly fixed in the MKS-70. I personally would get an MKS-70 as it's in a very solid rack and has better MIDI. The PG-800, as others have said, utterly transforms these beasts. In many ways it was unfairly eclipsed by the MKS-80 - the MKS-70 is an extremely lush and capable instrument with a beautiful velvety quality.

[cornutt]

So are the sounds of the Jupiter 6 very different compared to the JX's?

Different sort of beast... Curtis VCFs and several other things that were different from anything else that Roland produced in this period. It's generally considered to be one of the most aggressive-sounding of the Roland analogs.

[clusterchord]

nope. the JP6 filter is still Roland, a variant of the one used in JP8. they used the same expo conv (IR3109), yet different circuit. this has gained multimode, but somehow it turned out colder/cutting than JP8 filter, and all previous rolands like JP4 and JU60 etc.


however, like SH101 bfr, it used Curtis (CE3340) for VCOs. and yes it is one of the most cutting n agressive poly Rolands.


for the OP i'd double, or triple, the suggestion for MKS70 w PG800, that i happen to own as well. it really is warm and smooth. however, for anything Cure, i would also suggest you pickup a cheap string machine from late 70s. it was extremely important for their sound .. silk playing on top of their guitars.. its a haunting ensemble sound you will not get from JP6/8, Junos or JX..

take a look at Crumar Multimans, Logan String Melody, Elka Rhapsody 610... or for a bit more cash, an Eminent Solina. soon as you play one, you'll know why you have to have it.

[drawtippy]

I'm lucky enough to have both synths-- the JX-8P and the JP-6. While I don't have the PG-800 yet, the 8P is a very capable synth especially for pads and strings. And yes it has that very distinctive Roland DCO sound. (that IS the reason why I own one) The Jupiter 6 on the other hand, is in quite a different league. It is an all analog monster, with it's own unique sound and filters. Add the Europa mod and I think it's one of the greatest, if not underrated, synths around.

Of course these days, money is everything. You can still find 8Ps for $200 bucks and there are a few software editors out there if you can't afford the PG-800. I prefer the JX/MKS synths over the Junos any day, but that's just me!