I was producing a band back in the 90s and I found this synth just lying around in the studio. When I brought it in the band actually laughed at it! So I plugged it in and played a filter sweep that nearly blew the studio monitors, the look on their faces was priceless. Needless to say it ended up all over the album and gave it an edge that was missing before. You're right about the harmonic complexity of this synth, it kind of bridged the gap between analogue and the more modern wavetable synths they were used to using. Not to mention it was the first Jup with midi. That and the mono out led to a lot of adding a lot of funky little sequences playing the filters live and adding a lot of hi-freq modulation. Absolutely my favorite Roland synth.
@@rachelar - No, they hadn't really experienced something like it before. They got into it, and when we were thinking of parts to add to a track they say "fire up the Jupiter!"
Great video Alex. I do like the JP6 - I am lucky enough to have one and every time I switch in on I think "wow" but, its just so big! Which is a crap reason not to use it more. Will try harder.
First time a vintage poly synth has truly captured my imagination. I’ve grown up as a child of everything digital and software based - but now I’ve found a vintage synth to drool over at night
For years back in the 80s I made a living with one of these atop my Rhodes. I never knew one could get sounds like the ones you cook up here in this video. So nice! I once auditioned for a band who were not impressed by me walking in with ONE keyboard. I tried to explain that with the memory presets and split keyboard I didn't need 6 synths but they cut me off with this memorable quote: "Go on home and take your fifty-thousand synthesizers with you." Looking back I think I just may have had the wrong haircut. The good old 80s.
I'm glad when I bought mine in '96 I didn't know it was "cold" and "sterile". I can literally spend hours on this synth creating new sounds. I can't imagine ever selling it.
ive met two separate people recently who sold this on, the way they told the story was like they had experienced some sort of mental hell and were reliving that in their minds eye, both said they felt deep regret about it
Showing circuit diagrams is shuper shexy. I bet Geert agrees with this statement, amirite? But the reason I love these videos is they give musical context that goes way beyond the features. They're so darn entertaining!
A very prominent synth in the Braindance and IDM scene. Got ų-ziq, Vibert and Ceefax and of course, RDJ vibes. Well, anyone in Rephlex Records really. Once again with a stellar video, Synth Daddy.
Hey son. Yes, perfect for music that came out years after the Jupiter was discontinued. Orbital have two, Moby used one for years, Crystal Method rinsed it. I guess it was a little ahead of its time whilst being behind the times in 1983 from a tech standpoint.
That patch in 'Demo 5: Thumper' could be used for some serious old-school industrial music, wow! Thanks for another awesome vid, I'm so glad you had a Jupiter-6 stop by for a visit!
Great video! Thanks, Alex. Couldn’t agree more with your analysis. In 1997 I traded one of my two Juno’s 106 against a Jupiter 6 with a guy I was producing music for. I thought he was crazy. My best gear trade ever. I love it in so many aspects. 💜
Definitely agree with the dystopian vibes. That intro jam reminded me of Eurythmics’ unused album for the Nineteen Eighty Four movie with John Hurt, called 1984: For the Love of Big Brother, a genuinely underrated album of avant-garde synth-pop!
Totally agree, the 6 has a distinctive voice and is great when used with that in mind. I think of my synths as vocalists and choose the one most suited to the composition.
Lovely stuff, Thumper sounds a bit like a Jexus patch from one of his freakier scenes. A multi-sample of Cassette Memory on pianobook would be soo lovely ;) A Jupiter 6 through a guitar amp was the first analog polysynth I ever tried playing.
Love the Jupiter 6! It cuts through mixed very well. The arps and filters make it a great addition to OBXA , prophet 5s and Minimoog. Cuts through butter like a hot knife
I went through all the Jupiters back in the day, and the JP-6 was my favorite among those with a keyboard. It had more punch and bite than the JP-8. Of course it had to be processed, with Dimension D, RE-301 etc. to get those huge, lush sounds. The MIDI implementation was rudimentory, so it was of limited use for sequencing. Sounded great stacked with Juno-106! But when the Super Jupiter arrived, it was the peak of the Jupiters in all respects. They are remarkably cheap (relatively), better get one before the masses get their act together ;-)
"Remarkably cheap" compared to the other Jupiters, especially the Jupiter-8. And to Oberheim OB-series as well. There are very few other real analog touch sensitive polyphonic synth rack units out there. Voyetra 8, SE Omega 8 / Code come to mind. Any others?
I absolutely love the patches you made with the JP6, especially the noise modulated guy in your closing track. I had a band buy me one 20 years ago, I have Europa but don't really utilize it. I've almost sold the thing many times, but always talked myself out of it. I finally realized a few years ago my problem with it was that I kept trying to make it be a bread and butter synth, which it definitely isn't. Once I let go of fighting to get the JP6 to do things it didn't want to do a new world opened up for me. The cross mod stuff is super cool and powerful. The filter in Hi pass mode.....forget about it. Total stunner. So glad I didn't sell it. Thanks for making this video, Alex
Once again, you manage to coax some really interesting and characterful sounds out of it, far beyond the original presets. I think you could make even my first synth (the Jen SX2000!) sound good. (Now, there's a challenge!)
Sounds really modern, a couple of dance riffs here Alex. And those brown knobs. Oh yes, that's my sort of 1970's filthy industrial look right there. :-)
Knobs and fader caps were grey, when new. I think, over time they yellowed, which might give together with the gray this "brownish" impression. When I look at my own JP6 I identify it still as grey, only a bit darkened. But I don´t know, if maybe Roland had different materials for their knobs through the production years of the JP6.
So, normally, the square purple buttons are dark lavander, the orange ones are light lavander but a little more blue, the grey ones are as blue as the strip above them, the knobs are light gray, and the LED casts are transparent. But all of these are sensitive to UVs and will yellow out with time.
Man, I love how the thing looks, and I think you've made it sound better than I've heard elsewhere, it's just one of those synths I have not ever found a demo and said "Wow, I want that." I feel the same way towards the Moog One. Great demo/discussion.
Hey! I think you have to play it basically, but it's not for everybody regardless. I'm more than happy with a Super 6 over a Jupiter-6 because it goes a lot further, but it is fun to play the Jupiter when I'm able. I still prefer the Jupiter 8 overall because you can set up a 4/4 split with two sounds and they come out of separate outputs, just sounds utterly massive and wide. You can stack two patches two which is huge, so a mono Jupiter-6 does fall short there.
Long-time J6 owner here - It's a synth that I'll probably never sell but also a synth that I don't use all the time. I have thought of it as a character synth (in the same way I think of my polyevolver I guess) and I will pull out for stupid-synth-tricks. The audio rate mods are probably the star here and bring this into territory that few occupy, including some of the more recent similar pretenders like the super-6. The J8 was a chameleon that fit in most mixes the same way that white-bread fits in a lot of sandwiches. The J6 is sourdough - you don't want it all the time, but it sure fits in nice in the right place.
Fantastic video Alex. Sold a few synths over the years, but my Jupiter 6 is the one I regret letting go the most. Now they’re getting crazy expensive. Appreciate your review.
I love my Jupiter 6 and I will be buried with it as well as my juno 60! Great video man as always:) This machine is one of the most underrated synths of all time. I have created some of the craziest sounding patches ever with mine. A real gem
Amazing Video Alex ! I've had the JP6 in my studio for 6 years and every moment with this exceptional synth is incredible. Fortunately, my JP6 is equipped with the Europa Kit and is therefore a completely modern synth in the studio.
Unpopular Opinion: The Jupiter 6 is my favorite Roland Polysynth... So versatile, so interesting, and SO PUNCHY! I am more drawn to it than almost any other synth I own, it just keeps me coming back. ----------Absolute Dream Machine Unit!
Thanks Alex. Great work on this one! I don't have any hands on experience with the Jupiter 6, but from listening to it, it sounds like the most interesting one of the bunch. Can't wait to see what you get next.
Great review Alex! I count myself very fortunate to have owned a Jupiter-6 way before it started dividing opinion as it seems to do today. Bought it for AUD$600 (yes, really!) back in 1993 and I kept it for around 7 years and yes, I do regret selling it. Unencumbered by trying to replicate any particular sounds, I just let the JP-6 do the talking and I found it be a highly capable and very versatlie sound designing tool, way beyond what a standard analog synth of the era could produce as it could make really complex and interesing sounds, washes, drones and pads as well as blips, bleeps, squawks and everything in between, all at a touch of a slider, or a push of one of those cool, orange-lit buttons. A wonderful instrument that was a real joy to experiment on - everyone should play one.
Great video as always Alex! I've always wanted to play one mostly because of the odd design and choices/options, but stuff like that always intrigues me. The Jupiter 4 is probably my all time favorite and very very different from this, this seems to more remind me of a marriage between an Oscar and a Teisco, both of which I love!
Yeah absolutely. The originals three are all very different from each other. The 4 is the most basic but has such a sound to it. Because I have the System 100m with the 4CV keyboard I can setup a Jupiter-4 on steroids on that (with a lot of the identical circuitry), so I feel no need to own a 4. I do like it though. I'd own an 8 if given the choice, but the 6 is more interesting in a lot of ways.
The best Jupiter in my opinion since it fits my preferred sound palette best. I think you're spot on regarding which sounds you're inspired to make with it. I also think the colour scheme is responsible for the opinions uttered out there on the interwebz. The 8's many warm crayon colours design and the 4's chunky organ 70's look is nothing compared to the cold and somewhat "pastely 80's vibe" of the 6. Now I feel I should start mine... it's been a while. :)
Excellent work as per usual. Interesting synth. I think if you have a long stream of synths, vintage and otherwise, visiting your studio, you are winning at life.
I want one of these way more than a Jupiter 8. Call me crazy, but these just “have a sound” in their own realm to my ears. Ohh, perchance to dream. Great vid as always, thank you !
They do! Really enjoy the complex oscillator tones with all the modulation in play, even more fun when you can combine waves! More interesting than the 8 or 4 in that respect.
@@AlexBallMusic I have played both the JP8 and JP6 a ton. JP6 is my favorite. Way more wild and flexible IMO. Can get smooth and beautiful pads and then can become a monster when detuned and in unison. JP8 is a bit more polished and swirly but less oomph. I still own a JP6. Use it all the time.
Got a wonky JP6 and love it. Has a few quirks, but theres something about the oscillators that sounds great to my ears. With the resonance low, can sound warm (to me at least), sometimes just needs a little bit of highs removed. Unison bass sounds are great too. It is all over my music. Great take on this classic!
Nice balanced review as always Alex. I've had my JP6 for maybe 3 years now. It's an ongoing love and hate relationship TBH, but in the last year I've really started to love it, when I discovered how to make the kind of sinister, high-passed pads I always wanted from it but couldn't figure out - it's a programmers synth, it demands diving deep and experimentation. A lot of the time I use it as a giant bass monster, on unison mode! Also realised I can automate the filter using the footswitch input and my Kenton Pro Solo ... I already run the arp from one of my TR-machines. At any rate, I'm never parting with it. It does things none of my other analog synths can do, plus I mean just LOOK at it. Roland design at the top of it's game!
Love the video. Love this synth. It’s got a lot of character, it can get hairy in a good way, and it surprises you in a way other synths just can’t. It’s unwieldy, but I think if you take it for what it is you can enjoy it.
As always, your videos are super informative, fun, and humorous. Your channel is literally the best and most informative synth channel amongst the noisy synth shlock on the youtubez. Thanks for all the work you put into these Alex👍🏼👍🏼
Great video Alex! I love my 6 and agree that its capable of being very lush and warm as well as the spiky colder sounds people tend to gravitate to! Cheers.
I liked the Jupiter-6 so much, but missed the opportunity to possess one. It's a hole in my history that I regret. After being married to other lovely synths I still find myself thinking about the Jupiter-6. She is still gorgeous. Thanks for the great demo revealing the modulation capabilities. It's making it harder to hold my desire though.
got one of these for 500 bucks in 2005. Never meshed with it. There was a perfect review years ago that sums up this synth perfectly "you'll miss it once you sold it, but if you ever get a chance to play it again you'll remember why you sold it". I always liked the Juno 6 way more than the Jupiter 6
Because you asked: First of all, I love all of your demo tunes and patches. Second, I have owned a JP8a, JP6, and Super Jupiter. I still have the JP6 because it has SO much personality and every time I touch it, a cool sound comes out. I still have the SJ because it is by far the fattest real analog synth ever made. I sold my JP8a when prices went through the roof for two reasons: I thought it was a little on the boring side, and I got over 9K for it in 2016. It was a no-brainer. Especially when I realized that my Nord Lead 2r ran circles around it.
I did ask, thanks for the thoughts. It does seem to stir up strong views in either direction which I like. Really want to try a Super Jupiter at some point! I'm aware there's numerous revisions of it too.
@@AlexBallMusic Ive had a Super Jupiter for 20 years but only just now started getting to know it properly. The presets and the few sounds available are very poor examples. I have a rev 4 which is the same filter as the JP4, 6 (ish) and 8 and is I believe is the more aggressive. The rev5 has the same filter as the Jx8 and 10 I think, its resonance is less intense. The SJ is incredibly useful, its envelopes are really punchy and I managed to come close to a percussive Odyssey sound I sampled years ago that has eluded me since. The rev5 is supposed to be warmer but on the rev4 you have to learn to seek out the warmth in the filter, as the ranges are very wide. I did a whole set of sounds matched with the cloud JP8 for some sort of available comparison and it was clearly related, envelopes and ranges are different profiles being one of the differences. Most I could duplicate exactly some nearly, obviously the cloud JP8 isnt the real thing.... I hear more of the JP8 in it than when you normally hear the JP6 demos probably due to that "bias" you talk about in the sounds of the JP6 and the HPF but its its own instrument not a substitute for either. There is a weird thing where people have been down on it because its not a Jupiter 8 and immediately dismiss it instead of wondering if maybe it has its own strengths. Even on reverb cm someone a JP8 owner had to post a comment against an advert why it wasnt desirable because it wasnt a Jupiter 8. To get the best from it an external controller is needed, even on the Roland MPG80 its not clear that the Split/Layer patches have separate settings for Poly/Unison/Solo Glide , Bender, Mod settings so dual tone sounds can be a lot more interesting than just a simple layer or split, even with same tone in 2 locations as upper and lower and its not clear that this is how you make that big Stereo sound in the JP8 direction esp if you dont switch it to stereo on the back. Having initially been disappointed with the SJ, Im now absolutely stoked I hung onto it. Its big, brash, pumchy or mellow and ethereal and very very expressive because of the velocity and AT.
Must be the cross mod. The melody you were playing in the closeout jam had a... synth character that I recognize from early Nine Inch Nails. I always assumed that was made with a PPG, but the character here is unmistakeable. Man... I've never been so interested in a boutique purchase before...
I am the Roland Man I come from round our way and I can play! (What can you play?) I play the Jupiter! Ju-Ju-Ju-Ju Jupiter, Jupiter, Jupiter! Ju-Ju-Ju-Ju Jupiter, Jupiter, Jupiter!
Enjoyed this thanks. Long time JP6 owner - One feature the JP6 has over the JP8 is unison detune, which makes the unison usable in my opinion. The JP8 unison is like the Juno 106 - just sounds loud & phasey. Add some detune on the JP6 with HPF and you get sounds the JP8 cant do. Raw sound of the JP8 does sound fatter and smoother though and the bonus of the 12db/oct filter setting. So you do need both really if you can afford it!
That filter is exactly why I used to be a bit dismissive about these, it can get oddly metallic and isn't the broad sweet spot that its siblings seem to be. But the more I play them (cough cough... 'extensive real world testing' after repair and servicing, I mean) the more I wish I'd bought one back when they were less than a grand. Prices these days, no. I'm out. But they've got that early 80s Roland class for sure.
I remember dismissing them years ago because I looked at the headline grabbing 8 and the 6 was so cheap by comparison, I assumed it was a crap cutdown version. Also d'oh.
What a discover for me. I thought that lower and upper parts first time was made in JP-8000. Hm, now I understanding more and more why the JPs from mid 90s was called a "modern Jupiters" )) I like the panel layout and design of the Jupiter-6 and I really don't know for what reason, but the first songs I would made with it would be 8-bit chiptune - it have such a nice gritty raw sound =) Thanks again for the nice video, Alex!
your distopian Thomas picture came from over next to Molseberry Market in Sonoma County. It was taken after the 17 fires and I would pass by it every day. Nice doc of the 6.
I had one decades ago and FOOLISHLY sold it! The oscillators were out though and I went into digital after that! But I would love to have one or something similar again.
I toured with an indie rock band in the 2010's and I exclusively used the Jupiter 6. It is very much capable of warm tones. I primarily used a piano patch I had created along with a custom strings patch -- both of which came out having that deliciously rich, analog warmth! I absolutely love it; it's my favorite synth. I still remember the first day I showed up at practice with it. The guys called it a spaceship. All the red lights on it really give it a great aesthetic that you gotta see in person!
People are trying to divide the Jupiter line like a hord of K-Pop fans trying to pick who's the better singer of a korean boys-band, but in reality they should be seen as mere versions of one entity, each with their own set of features and their take on the Jupiter sound. Especially the three later ones, they're a heck-of-a-lot more similar sounding than people will admit to say. Obviously, same components.
Great stuff - I'd love to hear your (dystopian) take on a Thomas the tank engine sound track. I also wanted to say that your videos have been a blessing for me lately - I have covid and it's knocked me for six so watching RUclips is about all I can manage. The way you put these videos together is very calming and enjoyable. My abilities and gear are trifling by comparison but your stuff always provides a little bit of inspiration to go and mess around with my music.
Sorry to hear. I'm glad this is a some respite for you. My brother was in hospital with it at one point and could barely move. It can be rather horrible from person to person. Hope you're better soon.
I love my JP6... and it was/is used extensibly by some of my favorite bands... Goldfrapp, Orbital, Chemical Brothers, Human League. The Bass on West End Girls is a JP6 with a DX7 attack.
I was producing a band back in the 90s and I found this synth just lying around in the studio. When I brought it in the band actually laughed at it! So I plugged it in and played a filter sweep that nearly blew the studio monitors, the look on their faces was priceless. Needless to say it ended up all over the album and gave it an edge that was missing before. You're right about the harmonic complexity of this synth, it kind of bridged the gap between analogue and the more modern wavetable synths they were used to using. Not to mention it was the first Jup with midi. That and the mono out led to a lot of adding a lot of funky little sequences playing the filters live and adding a lot of hi-freq modulation. Absolutely my favorite Roland synth.
Get a Helix 6 multi effects guitar pedal
And run this through it ..... the helix is about 5 grand tho... but is crazy bad ass
Bet that band dint last long without you. They sound really prejudiced and unimaginative. Laugh at Jupiter 6? That didn't end well in "Mighty Boosh"
@@rachelar - No, they hadn't really experienced something like it before. They got into it, and when we were thinking of parts to add to a track they say "fire up the Jupiter!"
Mind revealing what band that was? I would like to check them out!
@@soulextracter - the bands name was Slam Factory (then based in South Africa) and the album was Gyrate
Great video Alex. I do like the JP6 - I am lucky enough to have one and every time I switch in on I think "wow" but, its just so big! Which is a crap reason not to use it more. Will try harder.
Thanks Nick. Yeah, would be fun to see it crop up on your channel. I remember seeing Jim use it when he visited you a while back.
C'Mon Nick....Alex just showed you enough examples to knock out a decent recreation of the entirety of 'Tin Drum'. 😉😁
A six-voice Dreadbox Nymphes with a six-voice Jupiter-6... that sounds like some Friday Fun.
It does pulsewidth rather well Nick! ;)
Nick isn’t it time for a video jam on this again? All the best your channel is amazing! Greetings from Stockholm!! 🙏🏾
Sounds legit great
Cheers Jeremy!
First time a vintage poly synth has truly captured my imagination. I’ve grown up as a child of everything digital and software based - but now I’ve found a vintage synth to drool over at night
For years back in the 80s I made a living with one of these atop my Rhodes. I never knew one could get sounds like the ones you cook up here in this video. So nice!
I once auditioned for a band who were not impressed by me walking in with ONE keyboard. I tried to explain that with the memory presets and split keyboard I didn't need 6 synths but they cut me off with this memorable quote: "Go on home and take your fifty-thousand synthesizers with you." Looking back I think I just may have had the wrong haircut. The good old 80s.
It's good that they showed you up front that they were dickheads. It's a lot worse when you've been to several practices first...
I'm glad when I bought mine in '96 I didn't know it was "cold" and "sterile". I can literally spend hours on this synth creating new sounds. I can't imagine ever selling it.
but it's not cold nor sterile at all, isn't it
ive met two separate people recently who sold this on, the way they told the story was like they had experienced some sort of mental hell and were reliving that in their minds eye, both said they felt deep regret about it
Cherry Audio just came out with their version of this synth, and to my ears it sounds really damn good.
Not only does it sound good, this synth also looks great!!! Great video as always, Alex!
It's a fitting colour scheme. Very 80s.
Showing circuit diagrams is shuper shexy. I bet Geert agrees with this statement, amirite? But the reason I love these videos is they give musical context that goes way beyond the features. They're so darn entertaining!
I do like looking at diagramsch of through hole.
If you know what I'm schaying.
A very prominent synth in the Braindance and IDM scene. Got ų-ziq, Vibert and Ceefax and of course, RDJ vibes. Well, anyone in Rephlex Records really.
Once again with a stellar video, Synth Daddy.
Who?
@@bnjmnwst ų-ziq, Vibert and Ceefax and of course, RDJ
@@bnjmnwst you don't know what the I stands for in IDM, do you?
@@hardlyme779 I'm guessing, but... Industrial?
Hey son. Yes, perfect for music that came out years after the Jupiter was discontinued. Orbital have two, Moby used one for years, Crystal Method rinsed it. I guess it was a little ahead of its time whilst being behind the times in 1983 from a tech standpoint.
7:46 I loved the fist pump at the end of the 80s chord sequence! haha This synth sounds so good! 💙
Got regular access to a Jupiter 6 for about 2 years back in the late 80's and absolutely fell in love with it - Wish I could afford one now :(
Another synth dragged northwards by the winds of nostalgia. It is a good one.
@@AlexBallMusic oh wow! I didn't expect a response! Really appreciate it and really enjoy your videos. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for tuning in.
That outro jam is something special!
I've been wanting one ever since I heard "You Got Me Dreamin'"! Glad to see the JP6 on display again!
Ah yes, that was another one that dropped by for a few days. Nice to see one again.
I had one for over 20 years and i dont honestly miss it.
That patch in 'Demo 5: Thumper' could be used for some serious old-school industrial music, wow! Thanks for another awesome vid, I'm so glad you had a Jupiter-6 stop by for a visit!
Great video! Thanks, Alex. Couldn’t agree more with your analysis.
In 1997 I traded one of my two Juno’s 106 against a Jupiter 6 with a guy I was producing music for. I thought he was crazy. My best gear trade ever. I love it in so many aspects. 💜
That's a great deal! Yes, I can see the appeal of it having spent time with a couple of them in recent years.
@D T Day In perfect condition, yes. But you can get them for much less if you're able / willing to do some restorations yourself.
Definitely agree with the dystopian vibes.
That intro jam reminded me of Eurythmics’ unused album for the Nineteen Eighty Four movie with John Hurt, called 1984: For the Love of Big Brother, a genuinely underrated album of avant-garde synth-pop!
It's amazing watching a synth wizard like you, knowing all the knobs and buttons.
I always love your little ditties in 5/8. Nice showcase here.
Totally agree, the 6 has a distinctive voice and is great when used with that in mind. I think of my synths as vocalists and choose the one most suited to the composition.
Mr. Ball, another top-notch video! Please keep them coming!
Cheers. I will.
jupiter is one of my favorite synths, but this video has made me realize a new charm. thank you.
Lovely stuff, Thumper sounds a bit like a Jexus patch from one of his freakier scenes. A multi-sample of Cassette Memory on pianobook would be soo lovely ;) A Jupiter 6 through a guitar amp was the first analog polysynth I ever tried playing.
The Outro Jam 9:12 with these amazing Chords & Bass & strange lead Jupiter-6 is amazing on top of TR-08. Would be great for a longer Version 👍
Agreed, might just make it my daily ringtone.
Just love the eccentric sound of your demo-tunes! They sometimes remind me of the synth soundtrack from the old Dr Snuggles cartoon. ❤️
Thank you. I'll have to look up Dr Snuggles now!
Love the Jupiter 6! It cuts through mixed very well. The arps and filters make it a great addition to OBXA , prophet 5s and Minimoog. Cuts through butter like a hot knife
I went through all the Jupiters back in the day, and the JP-6 was my favorite among those with a keyboard. It had more punch and bite than the JP-8. Of course it had to be processed, with Dimension D, RE-301 etc. to get those huge, lush sounds. The MIDI implementation was rudimentory, so it was of limited use for sequencing. Sounded great stacked with Juno-106! But when the Super Jupiter arrived, it was the peak of the Jupiters in all respects. They are remarkably cheap (relatively), better get one before the masses get their act together ;-)
They *were* "cheap" maybe 20 years ago or so. Those days are long gone.
They were cheap until last year.
Was hoping to do a Super Jupiter video as there's a few variants of it. Might happen at some point.
agreed man, just send it through a dimension d , a nice chorus and a valve. All sorted.
"Remarkably cheap" compared to the other Jupiters, especially the Jupiter-8. And to Oberheim OB-series as well.
There are very few other real analog touch sensitive polyphonic synth rack units out there. Voyetra 8, SE Omega 8 / Code come to mind. Any others?
I absolutely love the patches you made with the JP6, especially the noise modulated guy in your closing track. I had a band buy me one 20 years ago, I have Europa but don't really utilize it. I've almost sold the thing many times, but always talked myself out of it. I finally realized a few years ago my problem with it was that I kept trying to make it be a bread and butter synth, which it definitely isn't. Once I let go of fighting to get the JP6 to do things it didn't want to do a new world opened up for me. The cross mod stuff is super cool and powerful. The filter in Hi pass mode.....forget about it. Total stunner. So glad I didn't sell it. Thanks for making this video, Alex
Once again, you manage to coax some really interesting and characterful sounds out of it, far beyond the original presets. I think you could make even my first synth (the Jen SX2000!) sound good. (Now, there's a challenge!)
Thanks Bill. Just Googled the SX2000 - I'm sold on just how kitsch it looks.
@@AlexBallMusic It's pretty dreadful!
Even better!
My first synth too, way back in 1981 I believe!
My favourite VSTi synth ever. Jealous you have one. Thanks for the video. 👍
Sounds really modern, a couple of dance riffs here Alex. And those brown knobs. Oh yes, that's my sort of 1970's filthy industrial look right there. :-)
Knobs and fader caps were grey, when new. I think, over time they yellowed, which might give together with the gray this "brownish" impression.
When I look at my own JP6 I identify it still as grey, only a bit darkened.
But I don´t know, if maybe Roland had different materials for their knobs through the production years of the JP6.
Yeah, grey in the original print ads. Not so grey 3.5 decades later. 😀
So, normally, the square purple buttons are dark lavander, the orange ones are light lavander but a little more blue, the grey ones are as blue as the strip above them, the knobs are light gray, and the LED casts are transparent. But all of these are sensitive to UVs and will yellow out with time.
i love how solid & punchy ithe sound is, that thing's got a thump! Beautiful!
Man, I love how the thing looks, and I think you've made it sound better than I've heard elsewhere, it's just one of those synths I have not ever found a demo and said "Wow, I want that." I feel the same way towards the Moog One. Great demo/discussion.
Hey! I think you have to play it basically, but it's not for everybody regardless. I'm more than happy with a Super 6 over a Jupiter-6 because it goes a lot further, but it is fun to play the Jupiter when I'm able.
I still prefer the Jupiter 8 overall because you can set up a 4/4 split with two sounds and they come out of separate outputs, just sounds utterly massive and wide. You can stack two patches two which is huge, so a mono Jupiter-6 does fall short there.
Long-time J6 owner here - It's a synth that I'll probably never sell but also a synth that I don't use all the time. I have thought of it as a character synth (in the same way I think of my polyevolver I guess) and I will pull out for stupid-synth-tricks. The audio rate mods are probably the star here and bring this into territory that few occupy, including some of the more recent similar pretenders like the super-6. The J8 was a chameleon that fit in most mixes the same way that white-bread fits in a lot of sandwiches. The J6 is sourdough - you don't want it all the time, but it sure fits in nice in the right place.
Fantastic video Alex. Sold a few synths over the years, but my Jupiter 6 is the one I regret letting go the most. Now they’re getting crazy expensive. Appreciate your review.
I love my Jupiter 6 and I will be buried with it as well as my juno 60! Great video man as always:) This machine is one of the most underrated synths of all time. I have created some of the craziest sounding patches ever with mine. A real gem
Amazing Video Alex ! I've had the JP6 in my studio for 6 years and every moment with this exceptional synth is incredible. Fortunately, my JP6 is equipped with the Europa Kit and is therefore a completely modern synth in the studio.
Nice! I'd love to try a modded one to compare, I bet that's awesome!
Unpopular Opinion: The Jupiter 6 is my favorite Roland Polysynth... So versatile, so interesting, and SO PUNCHY! I am more drawn to it than almost any other synth I own, it just keeps me coming back. ----------Absolute Dream Machine Unit!
I would love a reissue even if just a boutique version
I think it sounds better than the Jupiter 8. Just dont tell anyone!
Thank you so much Alex, as always, I love your videos, music, and insights !
🖤
Thanks Alex. Great work on this one! I don't have any hands on experience with the Jupiter 6, but from listening to it, it sounds like the most interesting one of the bunch.
Can't wait to see what you get next.
Well done Alex, such a great representation of the 'Dark Horse" of 80s synths! I love my JP6 to bits.
The master, in his infinite generosity, has blessed us once more
I was waiting for this one, thank you fr this great video
Great review Alex! I count myself very fortunate to have owned a Jupiter-6 way before it started dividing opinion as it seems to do today. Bought it for AUD$600 (yes, really!) back in 1993 and I kept it for around 7 years and yes, I do regret selling it. Unencumbered by trying to replicate any particular sounds, I just let the JP-6 do the talking and I found it be a highly capable and very versatlie sound designing tool, way beyond what a standard analog synth of the era could produce as it could make really complex and interesing sounds, washes, drones and pads as well as blips, bleeps, squawks and everything in between, all at a touch of a slider, or a push of one of those cool, orange-lit buttons. A wonderful instrument that was a real joy to experiment on - everyone should play one.
Great video as always Alex! I've always wanted to play one mostly because of the odd design and choices/options, but stuff like that always intrigues me. The Jupiter 4 is probably my all time favorite and very very different from this, this seems to more remind me of a marriage between an Oscar and a Teisco, both of which I love!
Yeah absolutely. The originals three are all very different from each other. The 4 is the most basic but has such a sound to it.
Because I have the System 100m with the 4CV keyboard I can setup a Jupiter-4 on steroids on that (with a lot of the identical circuitry), so I feel no need to own a 4. I do like it though.
I'd own an 8 if given the choice, but the 6 is more interesting in a lot of ways.
What a beautiful synth
Great video as usually Alex. You are a legend.
The best synth demos on the internet. Every install is an album.
You coax some amazing sounds out of the JP6!
The best Jupiter in my opinion since it fits my preferred sound palette best. I think you're spot on regarding which sounds you're inspired to make with it. I also think the colour scheme is responsible for the opinions uttered out there on the interwebz. The 8's many warm crayon colours design and the 4's chunky organ 70's look is nothing compared to the cold and somewhat "pastely 80's vibe" of the 6.
Now I feel I should start mine... it's been a while. :)
Wow I love the sound of this Synth
Excellent work as per usual. Interesting synth.
I think if you have a long stream of synths, vintage and otherwise, visiting your studio, you are winning at life.
That osc sync is so satisfying!
I want one of these way more than a Jupiter 8. Call me crazy, but these just “have a sound” in their own realm to my ears. Ohh, perchance to dream. Great vid as always, thank you !
They do! Really enjoy the complex oscillator tones with all the modulation in play, even more fun when you can combine waves!
More interesting than the 8 or 4 in that respect.
@@AlexBallMusic I have played both the JP8 and JP6 a ton. JP6 is my favorite. Way more wild and flexible IMO. Can get smooth and beautiful pads and then can become a monster when detuned and in unison. JP8 is a bit more polished and swirly but less oomph.
I still own a JP6. Use it all the time.
I have this synth and it's by far my favourite polysynth. Thanks for a great video, as always!
Got a wonky JP6 and love it. Has a few quirks, but theres something about the oscillators that sounds great to my ears. With the resonance low, can sound warm (to me at least), sometimes just needs a little bit of highs removed. Unison bass sounds are great too. It is all over my music. Great take on this classic!
Digging them space vibes bud. Love that bass tone in the intro instrumental!
Also... It's hilarious whenever you fit a new biggin synth there. I'd feel claustrophobic as hell yet super inspired at the same time haha
Nice balanced review as always Alex. I've had my JP6 for maybe 3 years now. It's an ongoing love and hate relationship TBH, but in the last year I've really started to love it, when I discovered how to make the kind of sinister, high-passed pads I always wanted from it but couldn't figure out - it's a programmers synth, it demands diving deep and experimentation. A lot of the time I use it as a giant bass monster, on unison mode! Also realised I can automate the filter using the footswitch input and my Kenton Pro Solo ... I already run the arp from one of my TR-machines. At any rate, I'm never parting with it. It does things none of my other analog synths can do, plus I mean just LOOK at it. Roland design at the top of it's game!
Thank you for this, I've gained a new appreciation for mine, and you've given me some patch ideas!
Love the video. Love this synth. It’s got a lot of character, it can get hairy in a good way, and it surprises you in a way other synths just can’t. It’s unwieldy, but I think if you take it for what it is you can enjoy it.
Thanks for another cool sonic journey. It really does have a unique character.
As always, your videos are super informative, fun, and humorous. Your channel is literally the best and most informative synth channel amongst the noisy synth shlock on the youtubez. Thanks for all the work you put into these Alex👍🏼👍🏼
Thank you Nick!
I really love the sound of this synth. Thanks for the information, and great job as always.
Great video Alex! I love my 6 and agree that its capable of being very lush and warm as well as the spiky colder sounds people tend to gravitate to! Cheers.
Tht outro was beautiful 😍
Great video, I owned a Jupiter 8 when they came out and I still think it's the greatest synth ever made but the 6 sounds amazing too!
Beautifull design 😍 thanks for the video !
Oh hell yes, fantastic pitches & pithy tunes, sir! 🔥
The Osc sync sounds are also very nice. It does good bass sounds. It can be warm with some finesse as well. And very snappy filler envelopes
Yeah, the poly unison with detune is massive without exploding your speakers. Nicely done.
Yes! Always loved the jup 6. Good balance of minimal/maximal controls
LOVE that ending jam
Man…those tones give me literal chills…
I liked the Jupiter-6 so much, but missed the opportunity to possess one. It's a hole in my history that I regret. After being married to other lovely synths I still find myself thinking about the Jupiter-6. She is still gorgeous.
Thanks for the great demo revealing the modulation capabilities. It's making it harder to hold my desire though.
I'm just listening to Future Sound of London.
I heard Brian Dougans used it a lot.
got one of these for 500 bucks in 2005. Never meshed with it. There was a perfect review years ago that sums up this synth perfectly "you'll miss it once you sold it, but if you ever get a chance to play it again you'll remember why you sold it". I always liked the Juno 6 way more than the Jupiter 6
Because you asked: First of all, I love all of your demo tunes and patches. Second, I have owned a JP8a, JP6, and Super Jupiter. I still have the JP6 because it has SO much personality and every time I touch it, a cool sound comes out. I still have the SJ because it is by far the fattest real analog synth ever made. I sold my JP8a when prices went through the roof for two reasons: I thought it was a little on the boring side, and I got over 9K for it in 2016. It was a no-brainer. Especially when I realized that my Nord Lead 2r ran circles around it.
I did ask, thanks for the thoughts. It does seem to stir up strong views in either direction which I like.
Really want to try a Super Jupiter at some point! I'm aware there's numerous revisions of it too.
@@AlexBallMusic Ive had a Super Jupiter for 20 years but only just now started getting to know it properly. The presets and the few sounds available are very poor examples. I have a rev 4 which is the same filter as the JP4, 6 (ish) and 8 and is I believe is the more aggressive. The rev5 has the same filter as the Jx8 and 10 I think, its resonance is less intense. The SJ is incredibly useful, its envelopes are really punchy and I managed to come close to a percussive Odyssey sound I sampled years ago that has eluded me since. The rev5 is supposed to be warmer but on the rev4 you have to learn to seek out the warmth in the filter, as the ranges are very wide. I did a whole set of sounds matched with the cloud JP8 for some sort of available comparison and it was clearly related, envelopes and ranges are different profiles being one of the differences. Most I could duplicate exactly some nearly, obviously the cloud JP8 isnt the real thing.... I hear more of the JP8 in it than when you normally hear the JP6 demos probably due to that "bias" you talk about in the sounds of the JP6 and the HPF but its its own instrument not a substitute for either. There is a weird thing where people have been down on it because its not a Jupiter 8 and immediately dismiss it instead of wondering if maybe it has its own strengths. Even on reverb cm someone a JP8 owner had to post a comment against an advert why it wasnt desirable because it wasnt a Jupiter 8. To get the best from it an external controller is needed, even on the Roland MPG80 its not clear that the Split/Layer patches have separate settings for Poly/Unison/Solo Glide , Bender, Mod settings so dual tone sounds can be a lot more interesting than just a simple layer or split, even with same tone in 2 locations as upper and lower and its not clear that this is how you make that big Stereo sound in the JP8 direction esp if you dont switch it to stereo on the back.
Having initially been disappointed with the SJ, Im now absolutely stoked I hung onto it. Its big, brash, pumchy or mellow and ethereal and very very expressive because of the velocity and AT.
Was waiting for this one! 🥳
Must be the cross mod. The melody you were playing in the closeout jam had a... synth character that I recognize from early Nine Inch Nails. I always assumed that was made with a PPG, but the character here is unmistakeable.
Man... I've never been so interested in a boutique purchase before...
Intro track is sublime.
You well and truly are The Roland Man!
I am the Roland Man
I come from round our way and I can play!
(What can you play?)
I play the Jupiter!
Ju-Ju-Ju-Ju Jupiter, Jupiter, Jupiter!
Ju-Ju-Ju-Ju Jupiter, Jupiter, Jupiter!
Once again, your Outro + my subs shook the rafters a bit.
Also, this time, the cat was not keen on that solo patch though, despite my liking it
I haven't invested in a "mastered for felines" service for my videos as of yet.
Great sounding synth. Love your videos.
Cheers!
Absolutely beautiful
Fantastic video! Thank you!
Enjoyed this thanks. Long time JP6 owner - One feature the JP6 has over the JP8 is unison detune, which makes the unison usable in my opinion.
The JP8 unison is like the Juno 106 - just sounds loud & phasey. Add some detune on the JP6 with HPF and you get sounds the JP8 cant do. Raw sound of the JP8 does sound fatter and smoother though and the bonus of the 12db/oct filter setting. So you do need both really if you can afford it!
The poly unison with detune is brilliant on it, definitely. What a sound!
I was using it for the bass in the intro as well as for the "Thumper" demo.
That filter is exactly why I used to be a bit dismissive about these, it can get oddly metallic and isn't the broad sweet spot that its siblings seem to be. But the more I play them (cough cough... 'extensive real world testing' after repair and servicing, I mean) the more I wish I'd bought one back when they were less than a grand. Prices these days, no. I'm out. But they've got that early 80s Roland class for sure.
I remember dismissing them years ago because I looked at the headline grabbing 8 and the 6 was so cheap by comparison, I assumed it was a crap cutdown version. Also d'oh.
What a discover for me. I thought that lower and upper parts first time was made in JP-8000. Hm, now I understanding more and more why the JPs from mid 90s was called a "modern Jupiters" ))
I like the panel layout and design of the Jupiter-6 and I really don't know for what reason, but the first songs I would made with it would be 8-bit chiptune - it have such a nice gritty raw sound =)
Thanks again for the nice video, Alex!
your distopian Thomas picture came from over next to Molseberry Market in Sonoma County. It was taken after the 17 fires and I would pass by it every day. Nice doc of the 6.
I had one decades ago and FOOLISHLY sold it! The oscillators were out though and I went into digital after that! But I would love to have one or something similar again.
Ooooof!
The colder and cooler brother of the Jupiters 😍👌
yea feels like a JX3P style branch out
Excellent stuff Alex. And good of you to prove that the Jupiter 6 was not just a fat controller.
I see what you did there ;)
I toured with an indie rock band in the 2010's and I exclusively used the Jupiter 6. It is very much capable of warm tones. I primarily used a piano patch I had created along with a custom strings patch -- both of which came out having that deliciously rich, analog warmth! I absolutely love it; it's my favorite synth. I still remember the first day I showed up at practice with it. The guys called it a spaceship. All the red lights on it really give it a great aesthetic that you gotta see in person!
As a former owner of MKS-80, I'd say that any Roland Jupiter synth is enough to take you to the "Jupiter dimension".
- Great demo Alex! ❤
Still hoping to try a Super Jupiter!
People are trying to divide the Jupiter line like a hord of K-Pop fans trying to pick who's the better singer of a korean boys-band, but in reality they should be seen as mere versions of one entity, each with their own set of features and their take on the Jupiter sound. Especially the three later ones, they're a heck-of-a-lot more similar sounding than people will admit to say. Obviously, same components.
I NEEDS THIS!!!
Alex you my kind of nerd! Love your videos mate funny informative and always great sounds and music. Tip of the cap fine sir
Thanks Antonio - nerds unite!
sounds really nice
Someone described it right - black horse of the family. I just love it, it will be in my studio rack forever.
Great stuff - I'd love to hear your (dystopian) take on a Thomas the tank engine sound track. I also wanted to say that your videos have been a blessing for me lately - I have covid and it's knocked me for six so watching RUclips is about all I can manage. The way you put these videos together is very calming and enjoyable. My abilities and gear are trifling by comparison but your stuff always provides a little bit of inspiration to go and mess around with my music.
Sorry to hear. I'm glad this is a some respite for you.
My brother was in hospital with it at one point and could barely move. It can be rather horrible from person to person. Hope you're better soon.
I love my JP6... and it was/is used extensibly by some of my favorite bands... Goldfrapp, Orbital, Chemical Brothers, Human League. The Bass on West End Girls is a JP6 with a DX7 attack.