Roland Jupiter-8
Released in 1980, the Roland Jupiter-8 is one of the all-time classic analog synths.
Average Advertised Price:
Jetboy's Humble Opinion Of Worth:
Jetboy's Review: The Jupiter-8 is, without a doubt, one of my all time favorite Vintage Synthesizers. Thick and powerful in sound. Bold and flashy in appearance. It offers a stunning array of programming parameters as well. It is also worth noting it's solid steel contruction and quality parts - the sliders, switches, keys and buttons all feel very durable.
Kelly Stills writes: I bought a Jupiter-8 in 1990 and am very glad I did. I got it from a dealer w/ MIDI and Anvil flight case for $1000. I now realize what a great deal I got!! The best sounds I've ever heard. A must for Duran Duran fans! email address: stillkj@phibred.com
NicoBoseck at NBoseck@aol.com stirs the ambers of perception with: JP8 is truly a classic synth...altho not quite as identifiable as the prophet5, it has a sound that blends well in a mix... the look and feel of this keyboard are superb...runs hot... doesnt quite have the bite of the jp6 especially in osc sync mode...a cat offered me 1500$ for mine and i just couldnt pull the trigger.....kudos to roland for a monumental achievement....and what a color scheme!!!!
Cord Mueller at cord.mueller@mindspring.com states that, acCORDing to him: One of the best sounding pieces in my studio. The Jupiter-8 is a classic and you know why, when playing around with one. The sound is superb. Best PWM on earth. The Filter combined with the liquid LFO and ADSR design let the synth sound pleasant in almost all settings. You will hear that it is worth to use a sinus waveform in the LFO instead of the triangle waveform. High quality design inside and out. I have the 8A version with factory DCB and the midi interface (MD-8). A wonderful synthesizer with beautiful sounds and colourful buttons.
AdamT knows it like no one else: Roland`s first megasynth (and many would say their last) which found a big niche in the Newromantic movement in the early 80s and although still very sought after, rarely if at all used by the dance fraternity for no apparent reason. snappy envelopes (with decent attack/release times unlike the Juno-60), liquid filtering, plenty of memories and programming options for the age and a reputation for doubling up as a burger grill,, a hot synth in more ways than one.. I see it as a sort of Japanese OB-Xa, similar power levels (IE- way beyond wheezy prophets and bland JP6s), similar functions and even has similar quirks. it don`t sound like an Xa though, smoother, lusher and less brassy. the JP8 can create a wide range of timbres for any occasion (even DANCE). forget the "avoid 12-bit dac ones" syndrome which causes concern in JP8 circles, mine`s a 12-bitter (one of the first few) and is as stable as any I`ve seen. 8a`s are preferable more for the DCB port than any! software or Dac based improvements.. though these things run really hot so component ageing may be a problem in early ones though. If you`re running a JP8 and are electronically minded.. here`s a big tip.. BUY a tatty JUNO-6.. the sliders, slider-tops, toggle switches, keyboard parts, EG, VCA and VCF chips, captive mains lead and bend lever are all Jupiter-8 compatible, other chips, pots, knobs are the same too, an excellent source of spares for very little dosh (and you get a fun synth to use until you need something). if the push buttons go intermittent or hanging off, the innards (the hinge bit and the switch itself) are the same as on a Korg Polysix. the tops are different,, shame, you`ll have to scrap a TR808 for those :(. hope this helps.
Innis in Glasgow at innism69@hotmail.com writes til the glass cows come home: I've had a Jupiter 8 since 1985 and also an MKS 80 Super Jupiter since 1990 and know them both inside out. This is a comparison of both. They are broadly the same to the uninitiated, but there are differences that justified my holding on to both. The MKS is defo thicker and fatter sounding. Some of this is to do with the unison detune feature and also the velocity to filter capability. Bass sounds are weightier than on the JP8-and it's no slouch! The JP8 is much smoother. Much better at strings and ethereal stuff. I just cannot get MKS strings anywhere near as silky as the JP8. Brass is much the same, but a slight edge to the JP8 as it has the brighter 12db filter for variation. I really miss this on the MKS. The JP8 filter is slightly sweeter and high resonance settings are much nicer. I think the envelopes are very slightly faster on the JP8 as well. It's also a pleasure to edit the JP8. I haven't got the MPG 80 for the MKS, but use a peav! ey PC 1600 MIDI controller. This much cheaper and very effective. It's a nightmare without some form of hard ware controller with over 100 parameters. The JP8 has broken down twice in 15 years, once seriously. However, I managed to get it repaired. Incidentally, I also have a JP8000 which is a poorer relation but adequate if you can't afford the real McCoy. You can hear JP8's on Relax(Frankie Goes To Hollywood) Blancmange(Happy Familys) and Depeche Mode used one live in '83-85. The Blue Nile are big users and have about 8 of them. I've heard that theirs have been tweaked internally to give more range on the cross mod feature which may explain why you can't get the same sound. Give me a shout if you want to know more.
Jupiter-8 image from Synthsite.