DX5 playing DM “Should Be Higher” (Live on Letterman cover)
Should Be Higher (Live on Letterman version)
Gear Used
Upper: Roland JP8000
Mid: Emu Emax w/Oberheim and Kurzweil samples
Lower: Kurzweil PC1x
Composed by David Gahan / Kurt Uenala
Roland JD-800 – the 64 classic factory patches
The JD-800 is Roland’s answer to half a decade of hard-to-program synthesizers. Covered in sliders that act as dedicated editors just like a classic analog synth, the JD-800 is an extremely programmable and hands-on digital synthesizer. It is also an interesting and great sounding digital synth with incredible flexibility and control. Internal ROM based waveforms are combined to build your sounds. The sounds are based on Roland’s D-50, but updated for the nineties with multimode filters – uncommon but welcome at the time.
The JD-800 came in a tough metal case capped off on the sides with large plastic covers. Programming may be a little too flexible for some users, but once you know what you’re doing with it, almost any sound you can dream up can be dialed in and stored.
Jomox XBase09 vs Roland TR-909
A quick ‘side by side’ between a Jomox XBase 09 and Roland TR-909… just because this is the one thing everybody always asks about the XBase 09 – “does it sound like a real 909 ?”
Rack Jam – Featuring KORG MS-20mini and friends
Background video description:
Arranged rack improv. MS-20mini for bass (it’s still kicking ass), my new addition a Wavestation A/D for Air V
ox chords. A Roland JD800 and a Dave Smith Prophet ’08
Playing the V-Synth GT
Released in 2003, the V-Synth was a new flagship synthesizer from Roland debuting some of their coolest features of the time, allowing for a new world of sounds full of life and motion. The V-Synth combines multiple oscillator technologies, user sampling and new COSM filtering for incredibly dynamic new sounds. The user has realtime control of a waveform’s pitch, time and formant plus a killer arpeggiator and a host of realtime controllers including the revolutionary TimeTrip Pad and twin D-Beam controllers. All this leads to sounds that can move, morph, evolve and sound totally unique.
The V-Synth has dual oscillators that offer a choice of three different synthesis methods: analog modeling, PCM waveforms with user sampling, and external audio input processing–all with up to 24-voice polyphony. The PCM oscillator is powered by VariPhrase for complete sonic control. Choose from over 300 preset waveforms or sample your own. Then use the “TimeTrip” function to manipulate a waveform’s time aspect in any way you wish. Slow it down to uncover rich moving harmonic content; speed it up to create high-speed tonal motion; freeze it at your favorite spot; or rewind it backward at any speed without changing pitch and formant, which can also be independently controlled. The Analog modeling offers several fat-sounding analog style waveforms. The third oscillator type is External Audio Processing, which lets you process any signal arriving at the V-Synth’s analog inputs. All three oscillator types can be layered and mixed in several ways, or modulated using FM, ring mod and oscillator hard sync.
All programming is achieved via the large LCD Touch Screen plus a bunch of hands-on controls and knobs including the new TimeTrip Pad, twin D Beams and the velocity/aftertouch sensitive 61-note keyboard. While you can independently manipulate the pitch, time and formant of sampled waveforms using VariPhrase technology there is also powerful COSM processing offering analog-style filter modeling, a resonator and Side Band Filter, plus global reverb, chorus and multi-effects. The V-Synth’s programmable arpeggiator can modulate sound parameters to provides additional rhythmic and timbral controls.
The V-Synth is fully suited to the modern day studio as well, with analog I/O and MIDI ports supplemented by USB and digital S/PDIF I/O ports. Use the analog or digital inputs to sample your own waveforms to be used in the variable oscillator. You can even exchange .WAV and AIFF files via the built-in USB port, which also works for MIDI. Resampling is also possible, allowing users to capture any performance with the TimeTrip Pad, D Beam or arpeggiator – or even effected sounds – as an entirely new waveform. All Preset Patches are fully re-writeable, giving users plenty of space for their own creations, which can also be saved via USB to a computer or to an optional PC card. With PC card adapters, other media such as CompactFlash, SmartMedia and MicroDrives can also be used.
Additionally, with V-LINK Onboard Video Control users are allowed playback and performance of video clips with music created on the V-Synth via the Roland DV-7PR Digital Video Workstation (sold separately). Use V-LINK to trigger different video clips with V-Synth’s keyboard while using the bender to change playback speed. Using the TimeTrip Pad, you can scan a clip forwards or backwards with your finger, or change colors using the Twin D Beams. A totally unique feature perfectly suited for live use.
The V-Synth GT was later released in 2007 which adds Roland’s Vocal Designer technology with revolutionary Articulative Phrase Synthesis technology. Articulative Phrase synthesis recreates the ever-changing behavior, nuance and sound of an instrument as it’s being played. The results are stunningly expressive and realistic, and can be applied to acoustic instrument simulation as well as new, never-before-heard sounds. In a nutshell, it lets acoustic instrument sounds such as a violin sound like it’s being played with a bow rather than keys on a keyboard. New front panel features include a color touch-screen with eight universal control knobs, and the addition of dedicated buttons and sliders to make access faster and easier. The GT could also has a maximum 28 voices of polyphony.
BX-13-MICRO Vintage Roland Analog Guitar Synth to Modern GR-55 Bus Converter with VCA
The BX-13-MICRO is a most advanced, yet easiest to use, vintage 24-pin to 13-pin Roland guitar synthesizer bus converter.
The BX-13-MICRO tackles the problem of controlling the level of the normal guitar by including a voltage-controlled amplifier inside the BX-13, doing the same job as the voltage controlled amplifiers found inside a GR-500, GR-300 or GR-700.
And here is an added plus: no loss of tone as you turn the guitar volume down! The advanced VCA design does not roll off tone like a passive volume control. You get the full range of tone at any volume.
With an entirely redesigned circuit, the transparently converts the 24-pin format to the 13-pin format, and there are no levels to adjust, no additional cables, just clean, analog signal processing with no latency.
Time machine: ROLAND SUPER JX-10 PG800
Released in 1985 the JX-10 (Super JX) combines two individual JX-8P’s for an outstandingly warm, rich and analog sound which is still used in many modern studios all over the world. This synth was the first Roland Synth to be fitted with a quality 76 note keyboard with velocity and aftertouch. Two DCO’s per voice, two ADSR envelope generators per voice, and a resonant lowpass & non-resonant highpass filters are only the beginning. It has a 12 voice polyphony for a total of 24 oscillators and it is by far one of the most programmable synths of its time! However, as on the JX-8P, knobs and sliders have been replaced by low-profile buttons and a nice LCD display. Although this may look sleek and elegant, it makes editing a chore. Assign parameters to the alpha dial for tweaking, one at a time, or get the optional PG-800 Programmer to provide traditional, hands-on, dedicated sliders for editing the JX-10’s parameters.
The JX10 has a Chorus effect and a chase-play Delay function. The chase-play function allows programmable delayed repeats of voices by alternating patches of the upper and lower modules. The simple chorus effect is either off, slow or fast. It has two programmable sliders (if you don’t use the PG-800) for some real-time control which can be recorded along with other effects and keyboard modes into one of the 64 Program Patches. This is in addition to its standard 50 preset and 50 user patch memory. A simple sketch-pad 1-track real-time sequencer is also on-board. It stores sequence data directly to an M16C card, or an M64C card for Patch/Tone OR sequence data. The M16C has a capacity of 400 notes, the M64C 1440, according to the manual.
The JX-10 also comes in a rack-mount version known as the MKS-70. It’s worth noting that the JX-10 can not be edited via SysEx, however the MKS-70 can which is one reason many have chosen the rack version over the keyboard. The JX-10 can make bulk dumps of its sounds over sysex, but only with (discontinued) Roland M64C RAM cartridges.
Time machine: ROLAND JX-8P Analog Synthesizer 1985
The Roland JX-8P is a programmable polyphonic analog synthesizer from 1985. It is 6 voice polyphonic, it has 2 DCO’s per voice. Oscillator sync and cross modulation available. Analog resonant filters. 2 envelopes. Velocity sensitive keyboard. It also has aftertouch, but be warned, you need very strong fingers… 😀 It has a built in chorus (two settings) and unisono modes.
It has 64 presets and 32 patch memory for your own patches. The optional PG-800 was a programmer which allowed tweaking the sounds with sliders and knobs – like on earlier analog synths. But even without the PG-800 sound editing is easy like on a Korg Poly-800.
The JX-8P has MIDI and sysex abilities, but no tape interface.
Roland Jupiter-8 vs. OP-X PRO-II
http://www.sonicprojects.ch/opxpro2/d…
Comparing some factory presets of the Roland Jupiter-8 to the cloned ones in the Jupiter-8 Collection bank for the SonicProjects OP-X PRO-II virtual analog VSTi synth.
The original Jupiter-8 clips were recorded by Paolo Di Nicolantonio from synthmania.com and were licensed for this comparison:
http://www.synthmania.com/jupiter-8.htm
The cloned presets in OP-X PRO-II were modeled by ear after these clips and are available in the “Jupiter-8 Collection” bank which can be downloaded here:
http://www.sonicprojects.ch/opxpro2/u…
The flexible engine of OP-X PRO-II allows to mimic the character and sounds of several different synths. These direct comparison examples show that it works quite well for the Jupiter-8.
Related:
Roland Jupiter-8 VSTi
Roland Jupiter-8 Comparison
Oberheim VSTi
ChipBeat // Junomurder // Roland Alpha Juno 2
ChipBeat // Junomurder // (Trier, August 2013)
DATAMASKIN
