Roland Jupiter 8, the greatest polysynth ever?
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- Опубликовано: 11 дек 2020
- The Jupiter 8 is like the Holy Grail of synths!
Here I talk you through the features in depth plus demo some sounds.
If you own the software version of this synth you might pick up some handy tips!
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instagram: / mattjohnsonjamiroquai
music: matt-johnson.bandcamp.com
matt-johnson.bandcamp.com/album/with-the-music-album 
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I was an apprentice electrician on £80 a week in 1982, I was about to buy a secondhand CS-80 from my local music store when a brand new Roland Jupiter 8 arrived. It totally blew me away, it looked gorgeous, sounded wonderful, had memories, an arpeggiator, a fantastic pitch bend/LFO section and was relatively light and compact especially compared to a CS-80. With help from my dad I bought it on HP fro £3250 and I cannot tell you the feeling I got every day coming home from work and seeing that beautiful machine waiting for me to turn it on. The Jupiter 8 was perfect, the Ferrari of synths! 😎
do you still have it?
WANTED. Drummer. North West. Must have a Jupiter 8 that they can lend for at least 12 years.
Haha!
@Who Dares yes. It arrived yesterday. I’m been jamming on it all day. It sounds amazing
@Who Dares and merry Christmas to you too 🎄 😃
I hVE ONE.
Lol you used to actually see ads like that in melody maker!
Who else was sad when this video ended? I wanted it to go on for another 20 minutes! Thanks, Matt, great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
I was sad when it ended. That's when I noticed my supper was burning because I got too absorbed in this video land forgot I was doing something ol
Even though the panel only indicates a single LFO, the Jupiter 8 actually has two. Notice the two leds above the LFO section. This was necessary in order to implement proper split and dual mode. Roland cleverly took advantage of this hidden feature in unison mode where the two LFOs are applied to the left and right outputs and deliberately set to be out of sync (and one is a little bit slower than the other as well). This is why unison mode sounds so big and alive. In solo and poly mode the two leds flash at the same rate because the second LFO is not used.
This feature was copied in the Kawai SX-240.
JP-8 can utilize four independent LFOs at once, not just two.
@@shaft9000 Because VCO-2 can also act as LFO in "low freq" mode ... but doesn't that add up to 10 in total?
This synth taught me how to program sounds. It’s just so easy to get your head around it. Whenever there’s a huge price increase, I get this thought of caving in and selling it. But somehow over the past decades I’ve seen it double, quadruple, etc but I’ve never caved. Literally it’s a priceless instrument, one of the reasons prices keep increasing is that people who own them simply can’t get bored of them
We truly had it all in the 80’s
Fantastic playing and great demonstration of the classic JP-8, Matt! I particularly liked the sound at 15:02 , where the detuning is "tamed" very well by the closing filter and the staccato chords. I love this synth too! If not the greatest, it's definitely up there in the top ten classic analog polys ever...
I remember you find D-50 the best synth ever.
Thanks a lot, enjoying your videos!
@@MattJohnsonJamiroquai Likewise, thank you very much!
I was thinking as Matt was going through the JP-8, he is so pleasant and clear, it reminds me of........you, sir.
YES! I did a funny face of pleasure @15:02. That brassy tone is impossible to attain in a digital synth analogue.
It's amazing that it was possible for synthesizers with this many interconnected functions to be built solely with analog technology. Every additional demonstration I see of the Roland Jupiter 8 make even more clear why they were (and are) so expensive and rare. It must have taken extraordinary research and development to invent the damn thing, much less to make it halfway reliable. Yet another relic of the past before microprocessors were put into everything. Technology has advanced to the point that the microwave I bought for $50 connects to my Amazon Echo, a totally useless and superfluous feature. Back in the late 70s and early 80s, engineers worked magic with microswitches, and the ingenuity amazes me more and more the older I get.
I know this comment is a year old but the JP-8 had a CPU in it.
it's all digitally controlled. all the knobs and faders are digital, complete with zipper noise. that's how you get to have a patch memory
This is one of the only jupiter 8 videos I've seen that features such pro playing and musical ideas. Would love to see you collaborate with musictrackjp, even though he's in Japan. I think you'd both have a great conversation with just 2 keyboards.
The Jupiter 8 was known as "The Guv" in my local music store in the early eighties. Priced at approx 4k it was totally unaffordable to me. However, in 2010 I came very close to buying one for ironically 4k. I wish I had now. Hahaha. Great demo Matt as usual. That UDO Super 6 works really well with the Jupiter.
@20:10 applause for the dedication to Level 42 - The Sun Goes Down! 🙏🏽🙌🏽❤️
It's remarkable the kind of sounds you can get out of this synth with only those two oscillators.
This is the best video, by far, on showing how to play and fiddle with a Jupiter 8. Thank you very much Matt. Cheers.
A fantastic video. Loved to see how soundscapes are created. Being a Duran Duran for 40+ years I'm well used to listening to the Jupiter 8. Thanks.
I totally agree that it is “probably” one of the greatest polysynths ever built. along with the CS-80 of course.
You and Matt has the same taste in clothing!
It really isn't. It is the most overhyped synth in the history tho.
Seriously? Hmm...
It isn't the best sounding polysynth, just listen to the sounds and then compare with a CS-80.
But in my opinion, it is the best looking, along with the JP-8000.
BabyCherie I know the CS-80 is also an incredible synthesizer I have worked on one a long time ago but it has lots of woodwork inside it and the sliders etc are screwed onto the inner wooden lid and it is very heavy and hard to repair compared with the jupiter, To me the Jupiter and CS-80 are very close in terms of great synths but the Jupiter just wins, thats why i said “probably” in my original comment. the CS-80 is worth a lot more than a Jupiter though.
This is by far the greatest Jupiter video I have ever seen.
One word: greatful.
your chords never disappoint
That sound at 21:44 melts my heart. Absolutely gorgeous.
I was trying to understand why this synth is so renowned. After listening to the factory presets I was even more confused. After hearing you play it with your patches I get it.
In my opinion, it has a lean, precise sound compared to other well-known analog synths. Thinner, but not so thin that it sounds weak. I associate that type of sound with Roland synths.
Factory patches are usually cheesy crap. I don't know why. It was the same with my JP-6. I got two bad pads, a steel drum emulation, helicopter sounds, machine gun sounds, and the rest is just as uninteresting. Such a shame for a synth with superior capabilities...
It’s a blessing to get someone with such talent and experience as one of the dopest keyboardist of our time give us his specialized knowledge on these synths that only someone like him can.
Thank you Mr. Johnson!!
My daughter's at university at the moment, all lectures are via Zoom. Whenever I watch your videos I feel like I'm at Synth University 🤣 Awesome video, amazing sound and great to watch and listen to u play, it's a privilege. Thanks fo sharing Matt 🙏🏾
That was probably the best Jupiter-8 demo I’ve heard, thank you!
i could hear you playing on every piano/synth for hours without getting bored!! love your videos
Your videos are truly a gift to this community. Thanks Matt.
It's price proves just how sought after and badass the Jupiter 8 truly is, and it's ability to sculpture sounds is the reason why. I love the sound of this thing, particularly from the low end of the keyboard. Great sounding, fat analog bass.
It certainly is a classic, I get my Jupiter 8 fix at a budget price with the TAL J-8 plugin. It is rich and warm sounding, with the benefit of being in the box, so to speak!
It does sound incredible and i'm a big advocate for it rather than roland or arturia. however, as every VST does, it lacks an organic je-ne-sais-quoi and i haven't found out the source nor the reason of that. I have been able to reproduce a lot of my patches from TAL J-8 with my new beloved Jupiter-6 and the sounds do sound warmer, even if i hate to admit it, more organic, space-like, and glued together. The oscillators are rich and sharp, the filter is smooth and the resonance is magical, although, it looks like the synth is tuned to my preferences, i'd have to compare to an original Jupiter-8 to see wether this difference also exists between the two hardware synths, which is something i plan on doing. By the way do you want my patch library ? I feel bad for not using it now that i own the real deal
Same here!
No doubt the real thing is better... yes I agree the tone is more organic and interesting.
Wow, what a pleasure to see this beast in good hands ! Love the playing and sounds !
Thank you Matt for the Wonderful Review! Some really delightful tones & moods that were heard through your chord structures. Awesomeness!
The entire end demo section may as well be the soundtrack to Sim City 2000 haha. Great video, my favorite synth of all time. I literally went to college because I realized that the only way I'd ever be able to afford one was if I had a big jump in income... I had been watching them increas from $1500 in 1998 when that was impossible for a minimum wage fast food employee all the way to 8000 or so by 2010... always staying just out of reach. So. When I graduated, the first thing I did was keep living like I was a broke student, save up a bunch of money, and drive across the country to buy one. I knew that would be my only reasonable chance ever. That was in 2014, it's already more than doubled what I paid since then. It's a shame they are so unattainable- they're the prettiest sounding synth of all time while still sounding chunky and deep. Totally unique sound.
It's amazing the huge range of sounds that could achieve the polysynths from that era with a relatively "simple" architecture (for nowadays standars). Congratulations: one of the best synth youtube channels!!
Very cool. One of the best videos I've seen demoing the wide range of sounds you can get from the wonderful JP-8 synthesizer.
Finally the best JP8 demo on RUclips! Great patches and playing. Thank you Matt!
For alot of people 2020 has been a bad year. For me, 2009 was worse. It was the year I sold off my Pro 1, Prophet 5, Juno 60 and Jupiter 8 for silly money. Immediately realised my mistake. For the past 10 years I've been trying to figure out how I'd ever replace them. Thank *£&% the new Prophet 5 came out. Now I just need Roland to do something about their Jupiter 8. For me, The P5 and JP8 are the dream analog polysynth combination. They compliment each other perfectly.
Hey have you tried, seen or used the Roland Jupiter-X?
What convinced you to do that!?
@@experi-mentalproductions5358 probably the recession
That hurts… a lot!! Even I can feel it! I was once owner of SH101, MC202 2x TB303, TR808, 2x TR909. JP6,8 JP8000, JUNO60,106 ALPHA JUNO2 JX10 and a lot more.. I had to sell al my studio equipment to to raise my kids… it stil hurts today
@@steefm3 ouch. I feel your pain. I sold an MPC3000 for £500 back in the day
the sound of this synth has such a presence on the sound stage, it's like listening in high def
Fantastic! What a great demo! Thank you very much, Matt! The JP8 incarnates the essence of the Roland Synthesizer Sound.
Every time Matt gets in to just jamming for a bit I get a huge smile on my face. What a genius on these synths!
My man Matt J with the Jupiter 8!! Glad you finally did a video on this. There are never enough Jupiter 8 videos on RUclips but none of them have the musicianship that you have. If anyone "deserves" to longterm borrow a JP8 it's you. Keep up the great content you are really inspiring.
This is the best Jupiter 8 video on RUclips. Love the “loan” story! Thanks Matt, another video of pure quality and interest.
This one's good too: ruclips.net/video/wOBCvpOkdoc/видео.html
been waiting a year on this!! you didnt disappoint brother, thank you for the tutorial as well
Great demonstration & great playing! What a lovely instrument! Everything you need is on the panel, but it is still so deep. Thanks for showing us what the Jupiter 8 can do.
Brilliant Matt. Absolutely brilliant. Sweet chops. Sweet synth.
One of the most iconic and beautiful synths ever made, a true treasure. Nothing else sounds like a JP8... thanks for showcasing it Matt!
Blind tests beg to differ.
@@yobooboy5591 cope
Amazing! A great overview of the instrument, plus brilliant examples of how to play it. The uno works really well with it. Thanks
Excellent demo, i love when somebody play something with the demos, Matt your are fantastic.
Sold mine for $150 in 1991 , I’ve done many foolish things in my life😞
I felt that. Never owned a Jupiter 8 but still.
@@mavericknoone it was a beautiful machine, I got caught up in the digital age, you know the rest of the story....
Looked up classifieds in my mags collection. I call fake. Unless it was a total wreck oozing beer puke.
.... just: 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭🤬
Don’t feel bad 999type, I had the opportunity to BUY a Prophet 5 (3.2) for $500. Yes $500! I said ‘No, not interested. Wanted a Yamaha bass instead.’ Taking about dumb? They go for $8-12k? If I knew then what I know now. I’m getting my money together to get the ‘new’ Prophet 10 synth. I won’t make that mistake again.🤨
When I was a kid we had one in the house, for a while. The keyboard player, from my Dad's band, left it there to prevent having to haul it around all the time. I barely knew what I was doing, back then, but the memory of the sound has always stuck with me. There is nothing else like it.
Thanks for posting! This was a fantastic deep-dive into one of the coolest synths of the 80s.
Man, your Drummer does well lending this bad boy to you! You really doing it justice. Love your playing and your Videos! Also this Udo sounds really awesome.
It's truly incredible how good the raw tone of this sounds. Warm without being muddy, bright without being thin. I would love to hear a comparison of this vs a Memorymoog, to see what the major sonic differences are.
I had a JP8 back in the mid 90s. I think it had a hard life. The guy I bought it from had two. One was mint which likely was the studio one and the other had obviously been on tour due to the fact of the road wear to the keyboard and the full flight case which stood in the corner. Anyhow, I recall I paid £500 for it which was a lot for me then. Wonderful synth, came with the Kenton MIDI conversion. Awesome sounds and features but was forever going wrong.
I spent more on it in repair bills than the purchase price so owning it was a bitter sweet experience. I was glad to see it go to be honest. By comparison the Juno 106 I owned never missed a beat. The JP8 is a mass of cable looms and two layers of PCBs, even before the addition of the Kenton extra boards, looms and transformer. The 106 is far more modern, clean and concise design by comparison and less to go wrong. Different sound obviously but I never rued the day I bought the 106, unlike the JP8. My advice will all of these vintage keyboard is if it looks good it is good. Anything that has been on the road or has not been looked after then stay well clear.
Blown away by the sound! Can't believe what I'm hearing. One word - Magic.
Great video sir - I don't think I've seen such a nice walkthrough of the Jupiter 8 and some really cool sounds like that... 👍
What a great Jupiter-8 Demo ! Thanks.
One of the fatest sound of the 80s. Roland's best years !
haha, I was just looking to see if Matt Johnson had a video on the Jupiter 8 and he just uploaded one. Love the musical demos!
Yeah I reckon we were all spying the Jupiter 8 in the background.
Brilliant playing!! I love the sounds you generated so quickly!
Loved the JP 8 since I first read about it when it was released - I had a brief play on one in a London shop, around 1984 and still my dream synth! This is the best demonstration I've ever seen! Super 6 sounds great too !!
14:38 - Man, that's some Amiga vibes right there! Makes me nostalgic for some Lotus 3...
Some of the best sounds ever created, have come from a Jupiter-8 and few people can pilot one like you.
Thanks Matt! A beautiful demonstration. I had a lot of fun trying to mimic a lot of what you were doing on the Jupiter 8 with my Super 6. And then your vignettes just blew me away, love how you used the Super 6 as support for this epic legend of a synth.
Amazing demo! You and Greg Krustin are my favorite musicians at the moment. Thank you!
I sold mine for $900 in the late 80s and I was lucky to get that for it at the time!
I swear every song I've ever liked had a Jupiter 8 in the performance video!
Greatest demonstration I’ve seen yet. Bravo! 👏
Man, you killed it. This is a great demo. I wish I could play one!
WOW. I worked in a music shop in 1996 that had a mint condition Jupiter 8 for £999 and I didn't buy it because it didn't have Midi. WHAT AN ABSOLUTE SPAZ!!
Back in the early 1980s I bought a brand new ARP Quartet in Manchester for the same price that Dougie's Music in Northwich were selling a 2nd hand Novatron. I bought the Quartet instead of the ARP Solina, (against the advice of the salesman) because it had more sounds. This decision still haunts me ......
@@mrstandfast2212 Let it go man, let it GOOO!
@@jamessisson3703 You're right man, I should let it go. Still got the old Quartet, matchsticks replacing the sliders which went astray, and it still works which is something I suppose 🤔
BUT I COULD HAVE HAD A NOVATRON !!!!
Right, I'm over it now.
@@mrstandfast2212 I don't actually know the gear you're talking about but, I will google when I have the strength. I'm an actual worker these days, not in a music shop. The money is better and I won't apply for music grants just to get out of actual work although I have over three MCPS credits. Do you reckon we could just do what we wanted with modern software?
@@jamessisson3703 The Novatron was a development of the famous Mellotron, and both today are scarce and incredibly expensive. Modern samples will do it better, cheaper and more reliably. Had I bought the Novatron, I'd be able to afford some significant kit by selling it. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. I worked in the motor trade soon after, selling parts to small garages. I was offered an original Mustang with a seized engine for nothing, the garage simply wanted it out of the way. I declined that offer as I didn't fancy a V8 slice of Americana, even if it was free. I don't even want to think about the girls I didn't go out with back when they were plentiful and unattached.
To quote the philosopher Homer ....... DOH!
JP-8 probably also the most beautiful analog synth ever, if you like all the colors. The MKS-80 Super Jupiter module is probably the Holy Grail of analog modules, too.
So good Matt. Your sounds nail why I love that instrument so much !
what a treat to hear such skill and talent on such a beast as the jp8!!!
The Roland Jupiter-8 is my favorite synthesizer EVER! Great video my friend! :)
Save a Prayer intro arp/ porta split😍
Always an enjoyable visit.✌️
Thank you Matt! One of the best synth demonstration on the net! A great synth played by a great musician...and... what a friend (Derek ;) )
You are great inspiration, sir. Thanks for sharing yourself with the world.
Honestly, I prefer the sound of the vintage Prophets and Oberheims. The JP-8 mostly sounds somehow tinny to me - but it‘s certainly the coolest looking synth with the best UI of them all.
Me too. Prophet 5 or even the modern Prophet 10 (in poly unison mode which gives it some of the power of the Jupiter's extra features) sounds more organic and deeper than the Jupiter 8.
Digital accuracy
CS-80 entered the chat...
*the four people who got this joke* nice :)
MicroKorg has been banned from chat
@@spookypen While you are it, would you please ban Virtual Analog and VST???
@@spookypen Microkorg is in a league of its own, really. 😋
Gravity has entered the chat.
Matt is a master synth-smith! Synth album demoing all of your synths -- synthscapes🙏
The layout is really nice. It's just so intuitive
Great demo! I didn’t know this board harnessed stereo ability and thought it was mono even though I owned a Jupiter-6 I forgot it was in stereo. Or was it? I do believe this is the greatest poly synth ever made. Especially if you use some fx to make it even more 3 dimensional than what it is. This board has always blown me away, even with the Jupiter-6 version, it was life changing to me and it made me realize why band’s specifically like Depeche Mode sounded so great and futuristic. Depeche Mode in my opinion mastered such instruments as this one. It would be a dream come true to own one as my Jupiter-6 was childishly stolen from me. 😓 This board to me is like a sonic time machine, no kidding. I’m just happy to have stumbled on the computer emulations of such boards to help fill the void. But there’s nothing like having the beast itself. It’s almost like owning a mythical animal as a secret weapon.
Its not "stereo" but it does have 2 outputs. Upper and Lower so if you pan them left and right you will get a sort of stereo image but its not real stereo. The JP6 has 1 mono output. Ive just sold my JP6. Dont know why but I just didnt have any love for it. Fab synth and great noises could be made but it didnt make me want to play it. My 106 i love. Now got an X and thats just a minefield of synths and noises
@@Bikerboythousand thanks for explaining. Now can I have your friends Jupiter please?
@@djbmanifestomode I dont know anyone with a JP8. I have one
I believe it was "Quasi-stereo" in that both outputs were the same.
@@russisaac813 they aren't the same. If you have a JP8 in poly mode then the same sound comes out of both outputs but if it's in split mode then the upper comes out of 1 and lower comes out the other. Doesn't matter if you use the 1/4 jacks or the balanced XLR's.
This is the greatest for me, so emotional and soft and can be sharp aswell, love it 😍 An investment for Life, lifts my mood everytime 😍 Thanks so very much for bringing out the Beauty n Wonderful magic that lives within this amazing instrument, true legends both of you 😍
lovely video, I'm so glad you finally showed us the Jupiter!!
Thanks for this great video. I love all your chord progressions.
The tracksuit top came out the year before the synth..
Which is also a total classic.
That pad at 16:29 -- I must learn how to patch this. It's so perfect.
A great keyboard with a great demonstration. Thanks Matt.
Two kings. Matt and JP8 ! Period.
The greatest in the hands of the greatest.... You really brighten up this strange time with every upload and give me something to work on or think about each time. Absolutely loved 17:50 & 18:10 Soooo cool.
Funkadelic -(Not Just)Knee Deep 😊😊
@@218Murai Yes! :D
Epic sounds,so wish I'd bought one way back when they were more affordable..
I love your videos bro ! It’s great hearing a Top keys player dig into Top synths.
Matt, The Best Review/ Demo I've seen of this Keyboard ! Legend ! - You've just made the price go up 5K after this Vid !!! ;D
Although i'd say that the Yamaha CS80 is the greatest Polysynth ever the Jupiter 8 comes damn close.
It's pretty hard to argue with that.
Don’t forget the andromeda
Many thanks, I own one. nothing about Cross Modulation? With its rich & discrete osc, this is a master feature! Tip: when setup to "low" and noise, Osc delivers a pink noise instead of white.
WOW!!! Fantastic video! Yours is in such beautiful condition too! I remember seeing one in the now defunct Leo's Music in Oakland, CA. many years ago when it first came out. It blew my mind. Roland has always had the best sounds!
I was hoping that one day I could play the jupiter-8 in the room. I am very happy. Thank you very much. It's always a great performance．
Always wanted one, could not and will not ever be able to afford one. But I DO have a Roland System-8, which has a Jupiter 8 ACM plug-out in it, and is pretty much the most accurate simulation of an original JP-8 that you're going to find. Very difficult to tell the two apart.
@@donnied8127 It's not running the actual circuitry, it is running a simulation of the circuitry in code - analog circuit modeling. So technically it is a simulation.
That said, there is a "condition" setting that you can use to tell it to "age" the simulation of the electrical components, which makes the sound less "perfect" as the tolerances are reduced.
@@donnied8127 Is it creating or otherwise implementing the ACTUAL analog circuitry on a chip? Of course not. It is simulating the behavior of the analog circuitry, in code. It is a simulation, by definition.
@@donnied8127 I'm sorry, but you really don't have a grasp on what you're talking about.
IF the behavior modelling cores were in fact analog chips like long-obsolete FPAA's, and were actually mapping analog circuitry to physically construct the original analog circuitry, you might be getting closer - but there's no way you can accurately model 1980's-era capacitors and ASIC's in FPAA silicon.
The only real way of doing it is by measuring and modelling the original circuit, down to the behavior of the original components, and running that DIGITAL model inside a powerful dedicated processor - such as an FPGA, which is what the BMC is (albeit a purpose-specific FPGA). It could also be run on a CPU, if that CPU had sufficient power to model it accurately.
So the BMC is running a SIMULATION of the original analog hardware in code. Whether that code is entirely procedural code running on a CPU, or it is running in physical gates on a FPGA (or GPU, or anything else), it is STILL just algorithms running code that is an APPROXIMATION of the original analog circuitry. As such, it is a SIMULATION of that circuitry. It is not an actual implementation of analog circuitry - to IMPLEMENT analog circuitry, requires...analog circuitry.
This is evident on the System-8 in high frequencies, particularly during high frequency filter sweeps: you can hear some aliasing due to the resolution of the DIGITAL SIMULATION that is being used to generate the sound.
Incidentally, computers and electronic design is what I do for a living.
@@donnied8127 the word here is modelling
Very nice synth. Cool playing too obviously. I hope Uli Behringer is watching this!!
Such a pleasure being able to listen to this classic machine.
The best JP8 demo on the net imho, well done Matt! The unison (and dual) mode is one of the main reasons the JP8 sounds so great, especially in stereo. I wish more developers implemented this feature (P10...). I also loved hearing Level 42 on a JP8, thanks!
So many iconic sounds that are still used today on that bad boy!
"That man is playing Level 42! He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did."
Great band!
I think there was some Funkadelic and Don Blackman too!
@@tedmuss it sure was😎
Gary Numan as well!
Yeah! At 20:26 “The sun goes down (Living it up)” 😄
Great demo I just go to my happy place when you Jam , can not wait to hear it on the next Jami project... Merry Christmas 🎄 Matt, Stay Safe 🎹 🙏🏻🎄🙌🏻
Another fantastic video.its nice to see this in action by a true player.