Modal have produced the Cobalt 8X. Under £700 and with a 61 note Fatar bed. This one may be more appealing to the Key Js out there. I like what Modal are doing. Modal have gone for form factor with a desktop unit also. I can see this little blue beauty on the top of many stacks on stage. If I had to choose, I would go for the Cobalt and use the rest of the money to spend two weeks in my favourite Costa Del Sol Village dreaming up tunes in the sun.
As a mostly Eurorack guy with a couple of monophonic keyboards and who’s been voltage control only for years, I was looking to add some poly capability to my setup. I tried the Cobalt 8, and while the sounds and capability are good and the keybed is FANTASTIC I could not gel with the complete lack of interfacing with my euro stuff, and I didn’t really want to add MIDI to my setup just to add one voice. So I returned it. Ended up with a Behringer Monopoly (I know, kind of a big switcheroo 😂). But the Cobalt experience and thinking about MIDI again kind of lit a fire in me. I decided I might want a digital analog-modeling poly, but if I did so I wanted it to be multi-timbral in order to maximize the value of putting MIDI back into my setup. At first I was really disappointed that multitimbral synths seemed to be hard to find, but then I tripped over the Roland stuff. If I had my druthers it would probably be the Juno-X, but the form factor and cost are scaring me away a bit. I realize the Jupiter Xm is very similar, and is more affordable, but I don’t love the idea of mini-keys for $1600. Sometimes I consider just getting a used rackmount and stuffing it into the 2U I have left and playing it via my Waldorf KB37 or some other controller. It’s a conundrum. If anyone is still reading after all my blathering, I wonder if anyone else looks at the Roland iArp and other related features and think “wow, auto-accompany chord organs have come a long way!” 😊
As a budding Synth Bass enthusiast, the low end that the Cobalt8 creates at 8:32, 10:12, and 13:44 are lush and massive! I think a comparison between the Minilogue XD and the Cobalt8 would be a wonderful idea!
Hi. Thank you for taking the time to put the video together. (Even including Coronation Street lol). I wouldn't have compared these 2 machines as being in the same "market segment" I like to think of them as chefs knives if you will. Both can cut things but are slightly different shapes for doing slightly different cutting jobs. Having one of the original Roland JDXi's I like to think the Xm is a super duper (is that a proper phrase) JDXi whereas if I was wanting to sculpt a sound from scratch, The Modal would do it for me. Really enjoy your videos and hope maybe you will do a competition one day. Us knob twiddlers (got to be careful phrasing that) love a good competition for something. Keep up the really great work. Loved your earlier vlogs on the dave smith prophet keyboards. Best Wishes from Queensland :-)
Loved this comparison, but the thing that keeps itching in the back of my mind regarding the Xm: Would LOVE to see an Integra-7 review from you and get yout thoughts on how it stacks up. :)
It would be great if the Jupiter-Xm had, say, 4-octave mini keyboard with the mini keys like Yamaha KX5, and with the aftertouch of course. Then it would've been a perfect mini-synthesizer. Other than that, the Jupiter-Xm is absolutely fantastic.
Thx for doing this particular "vs" video. I'm having troubles accepting virtual analogs in general, so it was great hearing more examples of these two synths which i have been looking at somewhat closely. I seem to be having problems with the modal synth sound quality. they sound (for lack of better words) a bit grainy/harsh or low resolution/slightly veiled/smeared and a bit thin/flat. The price, features and keyboard are outstanding on the modals, but IDK about the overall sound fidelity. Nick Batt disagreed with me when i commented on his cobalt+nightsky jam lol, so maybe it's just me. The jupiter XM has that big clean roland rompler sound, like a workstation would sound, like we dont need more. The processor feels more powerful or less strained or something. Also, ya, making the functionality of the xm a bit workstation-ish with the layers and drum machine, is also sort of redundant and makes it bad at everything. If the cobalt had the same sound quality as the xm, i would already have a cobalt ordered. The xm can sound breathtaking, but there is a lot of redundant stuff too. I also am up to my eyeballs in synth layers and workstation sounds which is why i am looking for new sounds.
"grainy/harsh or low resolution/slightly veiled/smeared and a bit thin/flat" Just sign that! maybe the crowd overlook this mediocre sound of the Modal synth, because of the affordable pricerange. The ZENcore Engine of Roland sounds simply amazing.
Just bought the Cobalt, it’s great i use it for ambient it goes pretty deep. I hardly use the factory presets. It’s super easy to edit the sounds. The Jupiter seems great to thought, but the extra money for the ‘trademark’ ....
I was looking at the Modal offerings, but felt I already had pieces that fit within a similar space... luckily, I found the Roland Jupiter Xm. It's a much more comprehensive piece. I think it's a highly overlooked piece of hardware and fits broader use cases than other boards it's compared with... standout features to me are the vocoder/mic input, 5-part multi-timbral, audio/MIDI over USB, and XV-5080/RD model patches included for those "bread-n-butter" sounds.
The Roland....$1,600 for a 37 key synth that is a pathetic little toy with a key-bed that was designed to accommodate a 6-year-old's fingers. Yeah...the Xm being the swiss army knife of synths(really doesn't mean anything to me, since there is no utility with a completely unplayable key-bed & a screen that is so tragically insufficient for all of the vast functionality. Considering the breathtaking beauty of the Modal's exquisite analog sounds, the immense quality of the key-bed, the simplicity of use and best of all the modest price....the Modal absolutely puts the Xm to shame( & allows the user to buy other essentials for their rig, with the money they've saved by going with a Modal product.) Although I've tried....I've never like Roland...as either they're entirely too over-priced or or missing some much needed features. In fact....the only Roland product that I ever truly marveled over, is the current Roland Fantom( but the f**king 61 key Fantom is $3,399 ...wtf!? )
@@HighlandStudio91 ... Technically, these keyboards are vastly different. Both are digital synths... both EMULATING analog soundscapes. I do like the Modalapp integration and think the Cobalt would be much better for sound design, but sound design can be done on the Xm(admittedly more complicated) and I already have pieces of gear that can fill that role very well. To be honest, I was looking for a very compact unit... preferably a module or modules. What made the Jupiter Xm stand out was that I wanted the built-in sound models, vocoder-capable, battery-powered, and had a pair of speakers on-board. The mini-keys are just a plus so that I do not need to carry around or hook-up a separate midi keyboard controller to it.
I have had both, I sold my Xm a little while ago, and got my new Cobalt 8M last week, its fab sounding. Great little synth. Found the Xm althou great sounding, but way too fiddly to play & design sounds.
@@StarskyCarr Totally, the Jupiter has all those classic sounds and more, brilliant, but such a pain to create your own sound. Now if they only did a desktop/rack version with an app. This is where Modal with the Cobalt8M nailed it for me, I Have the cobalt8M rackmounted with my Hydrasynth, and the Modal VST3 & standalone plugin app, makes any sound design work easy.
Here's the thing, I've been a Roland guy for a while and love my FA06 but it took a while to "master" it but I NEVER enjoyed the menus. I now have the RD88 for the incredible feel/playability, weight, speakers, decent pianos and excellent electric pianos/orgrans. But the menus are no better (worse I would say for tone editing) and there is no software editor. My next hardware synth will be the Cobalt and I love their app too and their V2 firmware improvements. When one gets inspired, who wants to menu dive down 4 deep and 3 across to find the 2nd LFO??? That's my point, inspiration is everything. I am also learning that many people looking at these synths are a lot younger than me and are much more interested in bass sounds and neat arpeggiations whereas I want nice, interesting original sounds to create, leads, etc. In fact, with all the synth demo's I have seen they are all practically void of anyone playing a synth solo (like a Banks, Wakeman, Jobson, etc) which is why I suspect I'm out of touch with the push buttons and listen to stuff mentality.
I think it’s not as much about ‘traditional’ playing these days, more about programming patterns and tweaking tones… and I get that. When I first played in a band I would use both hands.. bass player hates it. So down to one hand.. then house and dance came along and chord structures disappeared. Eventually the ‘job’ of a synth player essentially became a producer, creating textures, rhythms, builds and breaks - all with synths. None of this can all be played live - hence lots of live jams don’t have them. And as you say menus kill that creativity which is why most new synths are knob laden and the frustrating alpha Juno’s, JX3P, DX7 style interfaces disappeared a long time ago.
@@StarskyCarr Your right, because when I look at "users" favorite synths for 2022, you cannot really play ANYTHING on any of them. 25 keys, 37 keys, mini keys, etc. They are good for sounds, loops, beats, etc but not so much true composing. I still do all that on piano and most things flow from there, or lyrics first. Thanks for your prompt reply.
great video! could you do a comparison of the modal cobalt 8 vs roland gaia 2? i can't decide between those two... i just mean the virtual analog part, i don't care about the wavetables...
Nord lead 1 still sounds pristine yes. I've had my TI2 for 10 years now and it's the 16 part multi that I will never part with. And it also sounds pristine. I don't know if that's a good thing.
The Xm definitely has that smooth polished Roland sound, but it also has that ridiculous Roland interface that in terms of usability is basically the opposite of what I want in a synth. Roland could really do with hiring a good UX designer. The only reason to buy a hardware synth anymore is if it is a joy to use and play.
Roland is better by far.. much more expressive sounds wider stereo image and better depth The sound quality and the lush in the middle frequencies in Roland are amazing
**Congrats Starsky, gr8 vid again. Even via RUclips, the Cobalt8 can sound lovely. I ordered one today. MusicMatter has 15% off, via an eBay promo. Max discount £60. It's my 1st synth. I've watched synth reviews for a few years to learn. I can now finish reviewers sentences! Time to scratch an itch. I just need more gear, though own a DAW. Tbh, I love the sound of the Nord VA synths. But the Modal just ticked lots of boxes for me! Shame it's not black! An easy like...
Good for you! The first synth that got me into synthesizers was the Korg Opsix, since it's some kind of kit of LEGO blocks to me and it sounds very good too. I really get the same feeling for the Cobalt8; lots lots of possibilities and a delicious sound. And the price is very reasonable.
Jupiter 80 was too heavy. Roland seems to enjoy the extremes, they went from a wardrobe sized synth with a nice screen to a 37 minikeys synth which cannot be fully controlled by pots & sliders and neither by its screen + function buttons. On a J 80 you could find buttons everywhere.
Jajajaaaa...enteraros bien de las cosas..bien animo con alegrías que vayamos todos bien...Hahahaaaa ... find out about things well ... good cheer with joys that we are all well ...
Minikeys make the Xm a no no for me anyway, but it's its sound that puts me off most (even though it looks awful too). It sounds like a box of synth facsimiles instead of a synth, which I guess is fine because that's what it actually is. Maybe the spartan look and purist features of the Cobalt got me vexed, but it's hard not to want one, especially at the price. The real turn off for me is the eight voice poly. Let's make a pact and only have synths with a minimum of 12 voices from now on. Big, two handed chords good, voice stealing bad.
I owned the xm for some months. Soundwise good as expected, however creating a patch was absolutely horrible! Display muuuch too small and endless menu diving. Impossible to use in a creative sense!
Starsky Carr I prefer the Xm, over the Cobalt 8 as I could hear an authentic soundscape Admittedly I like the patch Cobalt 8 at 18:00, but I find my Korg R3 can possibly achieve more Cobalt 8 patches
Interesting comparison: love the sound (& engines) of the Jupiter but ( considering its main cost is software) the price of it is just stupidly high, especially considering it has sh**y mini keys....really don’t know what Roland is thinking! Cobalt sounds good but much more specialised, not that keen on the form factor either, desktop version ...well worth considering 🤨
@@geofff6671 yes except the software mostly previously developed & cost amortized across multiple devices. It's not anything like costs for a little company with full hardware synth- Rolands pricing is screwed up..
Roland was thinking about a professionnal portable studio solution. Something close to a desktop format with slim keys. I don't see the problem since the XM have a big brother.
I've heard it said that digital oscilators are great but we ain't quite there yet with digital filters (close but no cigar if you know what I mean) - would you agree?
Hi Starsky Carr, which synth would you go for if you can only have one and you want to make dance music, D n B, electronica etc... would it be a behringer copy or one of these new modal synths and if one of the modal synths, which one ? Cheers
not for me VA synths, might as well just use VSTs and plugins on an iPad or computer, i sold my mininova and my old korg microsampler to buy an MPC one , never been happier , best of both worlds , sound design from the ground up plus its CV for my analogue gear
...depends if you want wires running everywhere and having to boot up and piss around with forced operating system upgrades etc ...in ten years time just like any other musical instrument you can just switch on the cobalt and go ...can the same be said of a vst?
The is a two- synthesizer that lets you play two different programs simultaneously. In addition to layer and split, you can use crossfade to smoothly transition between the main and sub . but it's not multitimbral in the sense that you can put different sounds on different midi channels.
Consider whitelisting content creators you enjoy or sitting through their ads. Ads put a little bit of change in their pockets and costs you nothing but a small amount of time. This guy gives a great overview and detailed analysis of two modern synthesizers in this video. I don't think his boss told him to make this video on Monday morning. I think he it was more about passion and love of the game. Cheers from America!
@@omniomniomni Yes, you are right, but people have to click the ads, to get money, watching alone dont help the creators. But if to much ads, then people use adblockers. This is the reason i use netflix, if i look movies in normal television, i record them, so i can fast forward the ads blocks or minimum i mute the sound and go to the kitchen for a bit chocolate, I dont want to be hypnotized every day with the ads. Sometimes the ads in tv are funny, but most time they are extreme nerving and i have to push mute and most time i boycot this products.
If ads aren’t your thing and you’re prepared to pay for content to avoid them like you do with Netflix there’s always RUclips plus or whatever the subscription model is called ;) Odd that people value some things but not others that they’ll spend just as long watching ... if Netflix was free but had adverts they wouldn’t pay for the game of thrones producers to create a single episode no matter how many views it got!! And I realise it’s not actually on Netflix :) and fwiw the ads don’t even cover my expenses - it’s a pityful amount but helps pay for eBay fees, postage , paypal etc. But I enjoy making them and like that some people get some value and enjoyment from them. Just as I do with loads of channels in here. Although the saying goes ..You get what you pay for ... sometimes you get an awful lot more :) if you can’t be bothered watching them and don’t appreciate the time people put into making content then just don’t watch... but don’t complain it just comes across as extremely entitled. I should make this stuff you enjoy at my own expense - no matter how useful it is to thousands of people. A very strange attitude the more I think about it. I normally just leave the settings on auto so RUclips creates the ad breaks - but no matter what, they’re nowhere near as long as they are on TV per 15minute of content.
Dead interesting. The Modal has real character to the sound and I could listen to it all day 👏🏾. The Jupiter is really clever (probably too clever for me to get the most out of it) but it does sound a bit clinical, in the right hands it sounds good but it doesn't have as much character. Your videos always make me laugh 😂 Thanks for sharing 👍🏾
@@StarskyCarr They just restocked them a few days ago. Mine is arriving tomorrow. I can't believe how fast their shipping is. Also, it seems like its feature, performance, sound quality, and price ratio beats the Blofeld's
The Xm can be it’s own audio interface transferring midi and audio over usb. All you need for full albums (not just tracks) is right there in one small box. All you need is a laptop with a DAW and the Xm and you have any sound you could possibly need. I’d save my money and skip the Cobalt 😉🤣
I have a Cobalt8x and love it. I dont own a Jupiter or any roland synth but would love to. I do however own a tr8s and absolutely love it! Coupled with my Matriarch and Hydrasynth, I have alot of fun. I also have a Modx8 and a Argon8. I lied I have a Roland Juno ds and its trash except the drums but I have a tr8s so.....with all that said the Cobalt is Cool. Its not as awesome as the Matriarch or Hydrasynth but slightly under the hydrasynth imho. I have 7 different instruments that all do different things and layer sounds together uniquely. I wouldnt shy away from owning both. GAS! Lol. By the way I would love to own a Roland Fantom 8
Do you think if you'd heard the Cobalt8 in the flesh (rather than on the www). Without knowing just what kind of synthesis it was, or if it was digital or analogue. Then you'd have made an educated guess that it was an analogue synth, or a virtual analogue synth?
@@Jason75913 I've got a Cobalt 8 and around 5 vintage analogue synths. The difference between the true analogue and the virtual are now so small that they're practically indistinguishable from each other.
@@grizcuz I have an Ultranova and Venom, more analogue-sounding than Modal's synths, and a few Behringer analogues plus a Waldorf Pulse 2, and I disagree. i've heard the Kingkorg and Virus, and few other VAs, Kingkorg's the best at most closely sounding analogue-like.
@@Jason75913 Have you heard a Cobalt 8 in person? I'll admit that I wasn't a fan of old virtual analogue synths. I own or have owned an SH101, MC202, Minimoog, Waldorf Microwaves 1 and 2 (digital oscillators but analogue filters) and newer Arturia, Elektron and Novation analogue synths over the last 30 years. The Cobalt sounds just as analogue as any other analogue synth I've owned. I bet if you did a blind test with a Cobalt 8 in person with some other analogue synths, you'd struggle to determine which one wasn't a purely analogue machine. The advances in processing power and how they've modelled the oscillators have made the new Modal synths sound as close to analogue as you can get to my ears. There's plenty of low end and warmth even if they're digital.
@@jonfromtheuk467 I pre-ordered from Andertons, as the video shows, “31st Dec” is why I cancelled because there was no notifications or info from Andertons. When they have stock, I’ll buy.
@@DaraM73 Thats because Andertons dont have any control over stock deliveries, thats down to distributor, I got my Cobalt8M from Andertons delivered last Saturday, awesome, 3 days before stock was due ;)
I’ve got Modal’s Skulpt. To me it’s basically 1/2 of the Cobalt. For $199 I can get another Skulpt and polychain it to the first and basically have a Cobalt.
er no. No Fatar TP9s keybed, no screen, no 34 algorithms , 3 x full programmable FX units as opposed to just delay, audio in, no X/Y joystick, all metal construction etc etc
I think that JPX and XM going to have after couple of years or may be decades similar cult status as JP8 and 808 today. We tend to criticize brave inventions which are ahead of time. But love and accept them when the time comes. May be…
Haha I know.. but responding to comments on one video I was referring people to the other!! So sort of made sense in a nonsensical sort of way! If it wasn’t for the questions I was getting about each I wouldn’t have made this. Still.. a nice way to spend a few hours ;)
@@StarskyCarr It’s a worthwhile comparison, and the Cobalt is definitely interesting though one has to ask why the polyphony is so limited in this day and age - compared to a Blofeld for example (2007, 25 voices, 16 part multitimbral + samples), let alone a smartphone.
@@RikMaxSpeed Haha.. can't help you there! I wonder if the sound engines in the newer synths are so much more complex that it takes a huge amount of processing power? whether users are so anti-aliasing.. (as in against aliasing) .. that its necessary to squeeze every bit of CPU into the sounds and FX?
@@StarskyCarr I’m a reasonably experienced audio DSP developer and I don’t understand why the polyphony is so low, for example we could usually get 16 to 24 voices out of the ARM chip on the ROLI Seaboard and that was with a pretty hefty Moog filter emulation, stereo samples, FX etc. I can only assume these synths have very underpowered DSP chips. Stefan Stenzel, the guy who codes for Waldorf performs real DSP magic however - that’s why the Streichfett and the STVC have a truly awesome full polyphony out of small DSPs.
The Cobalt8 is unable to play an accurate rendition of the Corrie theme tune. And is therefore clearly a better synth. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if modern Roland synths had a General Midi bank.
Here's the thing, I've been a Roland guy for a while and love my FA06 but it took a while to "master" it but I NEVER enjoyed the menus. I now have the RD88 for the incredible feel/playability, weight, speakers, decent pianos and excellent electric pianos. But the menus are no better (worse I would say for tone editing) and there is no software editor. My next hardware synth will be the Cobalt and I love their app too and their V2 firmware improvements. When one gets inspired, who wants to menu dive down 4 deep and 3 across to find the 2nd LFO??? That's my point, inspiration is everything. I am also learning many looking at these synths are a lot younger than me and are much more interested in bass sounds and neat arpeggiations whereas I want nice, interesting original sounds to create, leads, etc. In fact, with all the synth demo's I have seen they are all practically void of anyone playing a synth solo (like a Banks, Wakeman, Jobson, etc) which is why I suspect I'm out of touch with the push buttons and listen to stuff mentality.
Modal have produced the Cobalt 8X. Under £700 and with a 61 note Fatar bed. This one may be more appealing to the Key Js out there. I like what Modal are doing. Modal have gone for form factor with a desktop unit also. I can see this little blue beauty on the top of many stacks on stage.
If I had to choose, I would go for the Cobalt and use the rest of the money to spend two weeks in my favourite Costa Del Sol Village dreaming up tunes in the sun.
I’ve got (and love) the Xm...the Cobalt sound amazing as well. I say both! Don’t forget the Korg Opsix for some FM flavor!
my cobalt 8x arrives tuesday. cannot wait.
Nice comparison! And indeed, adding the minilogue xd to the equation would be nice. Thanks!
As a mostly Eurorack guy with a couple of monophonic keyboards and who’s been voltage control only for years, I was looking to add some poly capability to my setup. I tried the Cobalt 8, and while the sounds and capability are good and the keybed is FANTASTIC I could not gel with the complete lack of interfacing with my euro stuff, and I didn’t really want to add MIDI to my setup just to add one voice. So I returned it. Ended up with a Behringer Monopoly (I know, kind of a big switcheroo 😂).
But the Cobalt experience and thinking about MIDI again kind of lit a fire in me. I decided I might want a digital analog-modeling poly, but if I did so I wanted it to be multi-timbral in order to maximize the value of putting MIDI back into my setup. At first I was really disappointed that multitimbral synths seemed to be hard to find, but then I tripped over the Roland stuff.
If I had my druthers it would probably be the Juno-X, but the form factor and cost are scaring me away a bit. I realize the Jupiter Xm is very similar, and is more affordable, but I don’t love the idea of mini-keys for $1600. Sometimes I consider just getting a used rackmount and stuffing it into the 2U I have left and playing it via my Waldorf KB37 or some other controller. It’s a conundrum.
If anyone is still reading after all my blathering, I wonder if anyone else looks at the Roland iArp and other related features and think “wow, auto-accompany chord organs have come a long way!” 😊
Once again a great overview. YES on the Modal vs. Minilogue.
Good overview and love how you’ve got so many synths they are all stacked up behind your sofa! 😄😂👍🏽👏🏽
I've got a Cobalt8M on the way. Thanks for this, Starsky.
You will love the Cobalt8M, I have one already :)
As a budding Synth Bass enthusiast, the low end that the Cobalt8 creates at 8:32, 10:12, and 13:44 are lush and massive! I think a comparison between the Minilogue XD and the Cobalt8 would be a wonderful idea!
StarskyCarr has got you covered. :) ruclips.net/video/NvZ8giaxaJc/видео.html
Coronation Street killed me! Haha! I'm in to vintage synths over modern beats and the Cobalt sounds lush.
Hi. Thank you for taking the time to put the video together. (Even including Coronation Street lol). I wouldn't have compared these 2 machines as being in the same "market segment" I like to think of them as chefs knives if you will. Both can cut things but are slightly different shapes for doing slightly different cutting jobs. Having one of the original Roland JDXi's I like to think the Xm is a super duper (is that a proper phrase) JDXi whereas if I was wanting to sculpt a sound from scratch, The Modal would do it for me. Really enjoy your videos and hope maybe you will do a competition one day. Us knob twiddlers (got to be careful phrasing that) love a good competition for something. Keep up the really great work. Loved your earlier vlogs on the dave smith prophet keyboards. Best Wishes from Queensland :-)
That Cobalt is a Kawai K4 in disguised + a DX7 and can have very vintage sound of Needed. Wow
Loved this comparison, but the thing that keeps itching in the back of my mind regarding the Xm: Would LOVE to see an Integra-7 review from you and get yout thoughts on how it stacks up. :)
It would be great if the Jupiter-Xm had, say, 4-octave mini keyboard with the mini keys like Yamaha KX5, and with the aftertouch of course. Then it would've been a perfect mini-synthesizer. Other than that, the Jupiter-Xm is absolutely fantastic.
Gotta be worth a thumbs up for the corri theme alone
Thx for doing this particular "vs" video. I'm having troubles accepting virtual analogs in general, so it was great hearing more examples of these two synths which i have been looking at somewhat closely. I seem to be having problems with the modal synth sound quality. they sound (for lack of better words) a bit grainy/harsh or low resolution/slightly veiled/smeared and a bit thin/flat. The price, features and keyboard are outstanding on the modals, but IDK about the overall sound fidelity. Nick Batt disagreed with me when i commented on his cobalt+nightsky jam lol, so maybe it's just me. The jupiter XM has that big clean roland rompler sound, like a workstation would sound, like we dont need more. The processor feels more powerful or less strained or something. Also, ya, making the functionality of the xm a bit workstation-ish with the layers and drum machine, is also sort of redundant and makes it bad at everything. If the cobalt had the same sound quality as the xm, i would already have a cobalt ordered. The xm can sound breathtaking, but there is a lot of redundant stuff too. I also am up to my eyeballs in synth layers and workstation sounds which is why i am looking for new sounds.
"grainy/harsh or low resolution/slightly veiled/smeared and a bit thin/flat"
Just sign that! maybe the crowd overlook this mediocre sound of the Modal synth, because of the affordable pricerange. The ZENcore Engine of Roland sounds simply amazing.
@Jatoshi - Good question. You should try the JD-XA on for size!
Just bought the Cobalt, it’s great i use it for ambient it goes pretty deep. I hardly use the factory presets. It’s super easy to edit the sounds.
The Jupiter seems great to thought, but the extra money for the ‘trademark’ ....
I was looking at the Modal offerings, but felt I already had pieces that fit within a similar space... luckily, I found the Roland Jupiter Xm. It's a much more comprehensive piece. I think it's a highly overlooked piece of hardware and fits broader use cases than other boards it's compared with... standout features to me are the vocoder/mic input, 5-part multi-timbral, audio/MIDI over USB, and XV-5080/RD model patches included for those "bread-n-butter" sounds.
The Roland....$1,600 for a 37 key synth that is a pathetic little toy with a key-bed that was designed to accommodate a 6-year-old's fingers. Yeah...the Xm being the swiss army knife of synths(really doesn't mean anything to me, since there is no utility with a completely unplayable key-bed & a screen that is so tragically insufficient for all of the vast functionality. Considering the breathtaking beauty of the Modal's exquisite analog sounds, the immense quality of the key-bed, the simplicity of use and best of all the modest price....the Modal absolutely puts the Xm to shame( & allows the user to buy other essentials for their rig, with the money they've saved by going with a Modal product.) Although I've tried....I've never like Roland...as either they're entirely too over-priced or or missing some much needed features. In fact....the only Roland product that I ever truly marveled over, is the current Roland Fantom( but the f**king 61 key Fantom is $3,399 ...wtf!? )
@@HighlandStudio91 ... Technically, these keyboards are vastly different. Both are digital synths... both EMULATING analog soundscapes. I do like the Modalapp integration and think the Cobalt would be much better for sound design, but sound design can be done on the Xm(admittedly more complicated) and I already have pieces of gear that can fill that role very well. To be honest, I was looking for a very compact unit... preferably a module or modules. What made the Jupiter Xm stand out was that I wanted the built-in sound models, vocoder-capable, battery-powered, and had a pair of speakers on-board. The mini-keys are just a plus so that I do not need to carry around or hook-up a separate midi keyboard controller to it.
Great comparison!
The volume of the Cobalt in the recording is much lower, which impacts the sound quite a bit.
I have had both, I sold my Xm a little while ago, and got my new Cobalt 8M last week, its fab sounding. Great little synth. Found the Xm althou great sounding, but way too fiddly to play & design sounds.
Yeah it's not the best for deep diving into the sound engines. fantastic classic Roland sounds, but hard to go into some of the finer points.
@@StarskyCarr Totally, the Jupiter has all those classic sounds and more, brilliant, but such a pain to create your own sound. Now if they only did a desktop/rack version with an app. This is where Modal with the Cobalt8M nailed it for me, I Have the cobalt8M rackmounted with my Hydrasynth, and the Modal VST3 & standalone plugin app, makes any sound design work easy.
Here's the thing, I've been a Roland guy for a while and love my FA06 but it took a while to "master" it but I NEVER enjoyed the menus. I now have the RD88 for the incredible feel/playability, weight, speakers, decent pianos and excellent electric pianos/orgrans. But the menus are no better (worse I would say for tone editing) and there is no software editor. My next hardware synth will be the Cobalt and I love their app too and their V2 firmware improvements. When one gets inspired, who wants to menu dive down 4 deep and 3 across to find the 2nd LFO??? That's my point, inspiration is everything. I am also learning that many people looking at these synths are a lot younger than me and are much more interested in bass sounds and neat arpeggiations whereas I want nice, interesting original sounds to create, leads, etc. In fact, with all the synth demo's I have seen they are all practically void of anyone playing a synth solo (like a Banks, Wakeman, Jobson, etc) which is why I suspect I'm out of touch with the push buttons and listen to stuff mentality.
I think it’s not as much about ‘traditional’ playing these days, more about programming patterns and tweaking tones… and I get that. When I first played in a band I would use both hands.. bass player hates it. So down to one hand.. then house and dance came along and chord structures disappeared. Eventually the ‘job’ of a synth player essentially became a producer, creating textures, rhythms, builds and breaks - all with synths. None of this can all be played live - hence lots of live jams don’t have them. And as you say menus kill that creativity which is why most new synths are knob laden and the frustrating alpha Juno’s, JX3P, DX7 style interfaces disappeared a long time ago.
@@StarskyCarr Your right, because when I look at "users" favorite synths for 2022, you cannot really play ANYTHING on any of them. 25 keys, 37 keys, mini keys, etc. They are good for sounds, loops, beats, etc but not so much true composing. I still do all that on piano and most things flow from there, or lyrics first. Thanks for your prompt reply.
great video! could you do a comparison of the modal cobalt 8 vs roland gaia 2? i can't decide between those two... i just mean the virtual analog part, i don't care about the wavetables...
I think the key question with the xm is it worth it for the price? Me personally I'd say no.
Thing is that you have so many options in that price range. Seems a little steep for a digital synth. The Cobalt is a lot more reasonably priced.
Nord lead 1 still sounds pristine yes. I've had my TI2 for 10 years now and it's the 16 part multi that I will never part with. And it also sounds pristine. I don't know if that's a good thing.
The Xm definitely has that smooth polished Roland sound, but it also has that ridiculous Roland interface that in terms of usability is basically the opposite of what I want in a synth. Roland could really do with hiring a good UX designer. The only reason to buy a hardware synth anymore is if it is a joy to use and play.
The XM is easy to maneuver....the screen is not bad....took me a hour to figure things out.
Well said.
Roland is better by far.. much more expressive sounds wider stereo image and better depth The sound quality and the lush in the middle frequencies in Roland are amazing
Roland rocks in general
**Congrats Starsky, gr8 vid again. Even via RUclips, the Cobalt8 can sound lovely. I ordered one today. MusicMatter has 15% off, via an eBay promo. Max discount £60. It's my 1st synth. I've watched synth reviews for a few years to learn. I can now finish reviewers sentences! Time to scratch an itch. I just need more gear, though own a DAW. Tbh, I love the sound of the Nord VA synths. But the Modal just ticked lots of boxes for me! Shame it's not black! An easy like...
Good for you! The first synth that got me into synthesizers was the Korg Opsix, since it's some kind of kit of LEGO blocks to me and it sounds very good too. I really get the same feeling for the Cobalt8; lots lots of possibilities and a delicious sound. And the price is very reasonable.
I wish they would make the screens on all synths bigger. They are stupidly small in my opinion.
if they make the screens larger, people will complain that it's a workstation and not a synth. look at the jupiter 80 lol...there's no winning
Jupiter 80 was too heavy. Roland seems to enjoy the extremes, they went from a wardrobe sized synth with a nice screen to a 37 minikeys synth which cannot be fully controlled by pots & sliders and neither by its screen + function buttons. On a J 80 you could find buttons everywhere.
Jajajaaaa...enteraros bien de las cosas..bien animo con alegrías que vayamos todos bien...Hahahaaaa ... find out about things well ... good cheer with joys that we are all well ...
15:32 sounds like Shooting Star Summit from Paper Mario 64
Minikeys make the Xm a no no for me anyway, but it's its sound that puts me off most (even though it looks awful too). It sounds like a box of synth facsimiles instead of a synth, which I guess is fine because that's what it actually is. Maybe the spartan look and purist features of the Cobalt got me vexed, but it's hard not to want one, especially at the price. The real turn off for me is the eight voice poly. Let's make a pact and only have synths with a minimum of 12 voices from now on. Big, two handed chords good, voice stealing bad.
I owned the xm for some months. Soundwise good as expected, however creating a patch was absolutely horrible! Display muuuch too small and endless menu diving. Impossible to use in a creative sense!
Did you just imply it is difficult to be creative with the XM? Or just sound design wise?
Cobalt8 has just had 6 new interesting algorithms added....
It’s the interface on the XM that puts me off. Don’t like the look at all.
It’s a pity because on paper, it looks like a great synth.
Starsky Carr I prefer the Xm, over the Cobalt 8 as I could hear an authentic soundscape
Admittedly I like the patch Cobalt 8 at 18:00, but I find my Korg R3 can possibly achieve more Cobalt 8 patches
Absolutely agree the KORG R3 can do loads the Cobalt can’t, vocal formants for one, and Shepard tones 😄 plus it sounds really warm.
@@RikMaxSpeed Korg R3 sounds a bit generic to my ears and drowning in reverb whereas the Cobalt has its own sound.
Reverb is adjustable, and the quality of a sound engine speaks for itself - the R3 is still in my studio, the Cobalt is long gone.
Interesting comparison: love the sound (& engines) of the Jupiter but ( considering its main cost is software) the price of it is just stupidly high, especially considering it has sh**y mini keys....really don’t know what Roland is thinking! Cobalt sounds good but much more specialised, not that keen on the form factor either, desktop version ...well worth considering 🤨
I got the desktop last weeek, and its now all nicely racked up above my Hydrasynth in same rack.
Software costs. All those programmers don’t come for free.
@@geofff6671 yes except the software mostly previously developed & cost amortized across multiple devices. It's not anything like costs for a little company with full hardware synth- Rolands pricing is screwed up..
Roland was thinking about a professionnal portable studio solution. Something close to a desktop format with slim keys. I don't see the problem since the XM have a big brother.
I've heard it said that digital oscilators are great but we ain't quite there yet with digital filters (close but no cigar if you know what I mean) - would you agree?
Hi Starsky Carr, which synth would you go for if you can only have one and you want to make dance music, D n B, electronica etc... would it be a behringer copy or one of these new modal synths and if one of the modal synths, which one ? Cheers
15:18 sooo dreamy
not for me VA synths, might as well just use VSTs and plugins on an iPad or computer, i sold my mininova and my old korg microsampler to buy an MPC one , never been happier , best of both worlds , sound design from the ground up plus its CV for my analogue gear
...depends if you want wires running everywhere and having to boot up and piss around with forced operating system upgrades etc ...in ten years time just like any other musical instrument you can just switch on the cobalt and go ...can the same be said of a vst?
So, get both?!
of course :)
I love the XM. The screen really isn't as bad as people make it out to be.
The Cobalt seems to sound like a quality vst in the pad area anyway. But i prefer that for sound design.
Starsky Carr. I think you and Jexus have similar views 😉
Why they don’t pack this instrument with real piano sounds and strings?
Small silly mistake at 2:51, It's JUNO not Jupiter 😉
Oh yeah! Duh..!
Picked a great tune to get DMCA'd for...😂
Ofcourse you can have everything in the same package. But it is not a corporate policy.
I’ll really love the Roland except for that bloody mini keys… They are unplayable live for me… maybe if I use it only at home.
Vs the Hydra would be interesting too...
I'll have to get my hands on one.
@@StarskyCarr its a more similar price point... the Hydra has been on my list for a while, but the XM looks awesome too..!
@@krsTBedfordStudios The Hydrasynth is far easier to programme patches than the Xm, I sold my Xm but kept the Hydra..
@@thegoony aah... thanks for that! Always good to hear a users thoughts...!
Very strong Cobalto
Multi timbral the Korg Prologue is. Did you review it? Would like to know your thoughts on that one. Ta
I’ve never played the prologue, never managed to get my hands on one.
The is a two- synthesizer that lets you play two different programs simultaneously. In addition to layer and split, you can use crossfade to smoothly transition between the main and sub . but it's not multitimbral in the sense that you can put different sounds on different midi channels.
Reminds me of the Alesis Qs7 in terms of functions.
Watched 13 mins then gave up as FOUR ads in this time!
Use "Adblock for youtube" i never had ads...
:facepalm
Consider whitelisting content creators you enjoy or sitting through their ads. Ads put a little bit of change in their pockets and costs you nothing but a small amount of time. This guy gives a great overview and detailed analysis of two modern synthesizers in this video. I don't think his boss told him to make this video on Monday morning. I think he it was more about passion and love of the game. Cheers from America!
@@omniomniomni Yes, you are right, but people have to click the ads, to get money, watching alone dont help the creators. But if to much ads, then people use adblockers. This is the reason i use netflix, if i look movies in normal television, i record them, so i can fast forward the ads blocks or minimum i mute the sound and go to the kitchen for a bit chocolate, I dont want to be hypnotized every day with the ads. Sometimes the ads in tv are funny, but most time they are extreme nerving and i have to push mute and most time i boycot this products.
If ads aren’t your thing and you’re prepared to pay for content to avoid them like you do with Netflix there’s always RUclips plus or whatever the subscription model is called ;) Odd that people value some things but not others that they’ll spend just as long watching ... if Netflix was free but had adverts they wouldn’t pay for the game of thrones producers to create a single episode no matter how many views it got!! And I realise it’s not actually on Netflix :) and fwiw the ads don’t even cover my expenses - it’s a pityful amount but helps pay for eBay fees, postage , paypal etc. But I enjoy making them and like that some people get some value and enjoyment from them. Just as I do with loads of channels in here. Although the saying goes ..You get what you pay for ... sometimes you get an awful lot more :) if you can’t be bothered watching them and don’t appreciate the time people put into making content then just don’t watch... but don’t complain it just comes across as extremely entitled. I should make this stuff you enjoy at my own expense - no matter how useful it is to thousands of people. A very strange attitude the more I think about it. I normally just leave the settings on auto so RUclips creates the ad breaks - but no matter what, they’re nowhere near as long as they are on TV per 15minute of content.
Dead interesting. The Modal has real character to the sound and I could listen to it all day 👏🏾. The Jupiter is really clever (probably too clever for me to get the most out of it) but it does sound a bit clinical, in the right hands it sounds good but it doesn't have as much character. Your videos always make me laugh 😂 Thanks for sharing 👍🏾
The screen on the Roland is a joke from the point of view of the amount of deep diving required to edit.
Are you going to review the Micromonsta 2?
Would love to. It depends if I can get hold of one.
@@StarskyCarr They just restocked them a few days ago. Mine is arriving tomorrow. I can't believe how fast their shipping is. Also, it seems like its feature, performance, sound quality, and price ratio beats the Blofeld's
its super far from amizingly realistic orchestral instruments. But the synth part is incredible rich, thats true!
Nobody discussing the Coronation Street riff ?
I would have preferred the Brookside theme
The Xm can be it’s own audio interface transferring midi and audio over usb. All you need for full albums (not just tracks) is right there in one small box. All you need is a laptop with a DAW and the Xm and you have any sound you could possibly need. I’d save my money and skip the Cobalt 😉🤣
I have a Cobalt8x and love it. I dont own a Jupiter or any roland synth but would love to. I do however own a tr8s and absolutely love it! Coupled with my Matriarch and Hydrasynth, I have alot of fun. I also have a Modx8 and a Argon8. I lied I have a Roland Juno ds and its trash except the drums but I have a tr8s so.....with all that said the Cobalt is Cool. Its not as awesome as the Matriarch or Hydrasynth but slightly under the hydrasynth imho. I have 7 different instruments that all do different things and layer sounds together uniquely. I wouldnt shy away from owning both. GAS! Lol. By the way I would love to own a Roland Fantom 8
Do you think if you'd heard the Cobalt8 in the flesh (rather than on the www). Without knowing just what kind of synthesis it was, or if it was digital or analogue. Then you'd have made an educated guess that it was an analogue synth, or a virtual analogue synth?
no, no unprocessed VA has sound that can be confused for a true analogue, perhaps in the future, but not today
@@Jason75913 I've got a Cobalt 8 and around 5 vintage analogue synths. The difference between the true analogue and the virtual are now so small that they're practically indistinguishable from each other.
@@grizcuz I have an Ultranova and Venom, more analogue-sounding than Modal's synths, and a few Behringer analogues plus a Waldorf Pulse 2, and I disagree. i've heard the Kingkorg and Virus, and few other VAs, Kingkorg's the best at most closely sounding analogue-like.
@@Jason75913 Have you heard a Cobalt 8 in person? I'll admit that I wasn't a fan of old virtual analogue synths. I own or have owned an SH101, MC202, Minimoog, Waldorf Microwaves 1 and 2 (digital oscillators but analogue filters) and newer Arturia, Elektron and Novation analogue synths over the last 30 years. The Cobalt sounds just as analogue as any other analogue synth I've owned. I bet if you did a blind test with a Cobalt 8 in person with some other analogue synths, you'd struggle to determine which one wasn't a purely analogue machine. The advances in processing power and how they've modelled the oscillators have made the new Modal synths sound as close to analogue as you can get to my ears. There's plenty of low end and warmth even if they're digital.
@@grizcuz - yeah it just sounds good 👍
I’ve just today cancelled my pre-order of the Cobalt 61keys as the shipping date kept slipping. Hopefully in the new year then 😭
well they are arriving with dealers today (3rd of December) in the UK and parts of Europe - USA is on the 16th.
@@jonfromtheuk467 I pre-ordered from Andertons, as the video shows, “31st Dec” is why I cancelled because there was no notifications or info from Andertons. When they have stock, I’ll buy.
@@DaraM73 Thats because Andertons dont have any control over stock deliveries, thats down to distributor, I got my Cobalt8M from Andertons delivered last Saturday, awesome, 3 days before stock was due ;)
@@thegoony I hate you. 😁
@@DaraM73 :)
I’ve got Modal’s Skulpt. To me it’s basically 1/2 of the Cobalt. For $199 I can get another Skulpt and polychain it to the first and basically have a Cobalt.
er no. No Fatar TP9s keybed, no screen, no 34 algorithms , 3 x full programmable FX units as opposed to just delay, audio in, no X/Y joystick, all metal construction etc etc
17:00 sounds like David Wise in DK country 1&2 OST ruclips.net/video/goKKrHTlWhw/видео.html
Starskey you managed until 6min 14sec without laughing at the end of the sentence. What's going on?
I'm being Very SERIOUS!
@@StarskyCarr 🤣
I think that JPX and XM going to have after couple of years or may be decades similar cult status as JP8 and 808 today. We tend to criticize brave inventions which are ahead of time. But love and accept them when the time comes. May be…
The Cobalt and Argon (up to a point) are instant fun, the Roland is more cryptic.
If the Roland had been a module I'd have grabbed one straight away.
Love that national anthem.
Always preferred Brookside myself
Listening again now, is that a PPG or Emu for the lead brass?
@@rebmcr As ugly as it is, it beats both. One day...
Everything coming out of the Jupiter-Xm sounds like it's going through a Waves L3-LL
Enjoyed this demo, but it’s a bit like comparing an iPhone to a Nokia 3330 🤣
Haha I know.. but responding to comments on one video I was referring people to the other!! So sort of made sense in a nonsensical sort of way! If it wasn’t for the questions I was getting about each I wouldn’t have made this. Still.. a nice way to spend a few hours ;)
And which of both synths resembles the nokia from your perspective?
@@StarskyCarr It’s a worthwhile comparison, and the Cobalt is definitely interesting though one has to ask why the polyphony is so limited in this day and age - compared to a Blofeld for example (2007, 25 voices, 16 part multitimbral + samples), let alone a smartphone.
@@RikMaxSpeed Haha.. can't help you there! I wonder if the sound engines in the newer synths are so much more complex that it takes a huge amount of processing power? whether users are so anti-aliasing.. (as in against aliasing) .. that its necessary to squeeze every bit of CPU into the sounds and FX?
@@StarskyCarr I’m a reasonably experienced audio DSP developer and I don’t understand why the polyphony is so low, for example we could usually get 16 to 24 voices out of the ARM chip on the ROLI Seaboard and that was with a pretty hefty Moog filter emulation, stereo samples, FX etc. I can only assume these synths have very underpowered DSP chips. Stefan Stenzel, the guy who codes for Waldorf performs real DSP magic however - that’s why the Streichfett and the STVC have a truly awesome full polyphony out of small DSPs.
Northern UK National Anthem ....hahahaha. Brilliant!
Northern UK National Anthem! :-)
Modal is not a virtual analogue like Virus or Nord it's a FPGA simulation analog.
Are you sure? I thought it was ARM based?
@@StarskyCarr indeed just a DSP
jupiter has better sound than cobalt8
The Cobalt8 is unable to play an accurate rendition of the Corrie theme tune. And is therefore clearly a better synth.
I wouldn’t be at all surprised if modern Roland synths had a General Midi bank.
Haha.. The Corrie theme tune is the benchmark
What does a GM bank have to do with anything?
@@Jason75913 - it was just a little ironic dig at Roland for misjudging customer demand over the last few years.
Here's the thing, I've been a Roland guy for a while and love my FA06 but it took a while to "master" it but I NEVER enjoyed the menus. I now have the RD88 for the incredible feel/playability, weight, speakers, decent pianos and excellent electric pianos. But the menus are no better (worse I would say for tone editing) and there is no software editor. My next hardware synth will be the Cobalt and I love their app too and their V2 firmware improvements. When one gets inspired, who wants to menu dive down 4 deep and 3 across to find the 2nd LFO??? That's my point, inspiration is everything. I am also learning many looking at these synths are a lot younger than me and are much more interested in bass sounds and neat arpeggiations whereas I want nice, interesting original sounds to create, leads, etc. In fact, with all the synth demo's I have seen they are all practically void of anyone playing a synth solo (like a Banks, Wakeman, Jobson, etc) which is why I suspect I'm out of touch with the push buttons and listen to stuff mentality.