The Official Sequential/Oberheim Forum
OTHER DISCUSSIONS => General Synthesis => Other Hardware/Software => Topic started by: musicmaker on February 14, 2017, 06:55:20 AM
-
S8 review and interesting comment from an expert:
"I have a P6, P12, Tempest and PolyEvolver PE.... BUT on sound and versatility ALONE.... I would take this over them all (apart from maybe the PE).... I can't comment on the Rev2 but all I DO know is that this is a FAR better synth that the P08 (which the Rev2 is obviously based on).... again based on sound alone."
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2017/02/13/sonic-lab-roland-aira-system-8-polysynth/
-
Can't fault them for being tone deaf. ::)
-
If I'm not mistaken the commentator in question is the composer and regular Sonictalk guest Ty Unwin. Not only because his nickname is Ty, but because he mostly comments on synths that belong to Ty Unwin's studio, which the regular Sonictalk watcher can spot quite easily.
I've not yet played a System-8 in person but based on the demonstrations I've heard and seen so far, I have to say that it's a damn good sounding synth. I do, however, find especially the PEK and the Prophet 12 to be much more exciting conceptually. Plus: If the System-8 has the same keyboard as the JD-XA, which I assume is the case based on Nick Batt's description, it'll feel really cheap. That, the purposeful omission of Aftertouch (see this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4tVgLlwekk), and the fact that you even have to pay extra for either wood or aluminium sides, is nothing that gets me excited though. If it was $999, one could condone these shortcomings, but at $1,499 I have to agree with Nick Batt's conclusion.
It's a bit of a shame really that Roland failed to provide a high quality controller with all the obvious features you would expect in 2017, since the whole plug-out idea is quite cool (especially for the touring musician) and sonically convincing.
-
I agree, I have a system1M and it's a great synth, sounds really good to me. I would also like the system 8, if it was cheaper I'd get one or maybe a system8M if they make one...
-
The Roland System-8 does sound pretty good in person, though I wouldn't put it in the same class as the OB-6 or Prophet-6. It does the Jupiter-8 and Juno-106 emulations well (but where's my Jupiter-4 plugout, folks? ;D ), but I'd say that's really as far as it goes (facsimile generation).
Further–it's no Jupiter-8, or Jupiter-6 from a user interface perspective*, and the audio-rate modulation (which the original Jupiters can do just fine) still lacks the finesse that even the JD-Xa can provide. So do treat those remarks (as any!) with a reasonable grain of salt.
* - Roland keeps circling the wagons here–I've said it before, but I believe that they're afraid of making too close a copy. Had the JP-08 sounded as good as the System-8, in a larger chassis a la Korg Arp Odyssey, they'd have hit it out of the park. Alas....
-
After spending quite a bit of time with one, I'd have to say that I found the System-8 a very limited, or even boring synth! I suppose it does that classic early-'80s Roland sound pretty well but that's a very constricted sound palette unless you're specifically making synth-pop.
From my perspective, the best thing about it was the modelled Jupiter 8 filter, which sounded lovely. The rest of it, however, was so painfully basic that I was almost immediately hitting up against the limitations. Sonically, the JD-XA is a far more interesting proposition. Too much menu diving for my liking but can definitely go to some interesting places. By comparison, I couldn't get a single original sound out of the System-8 that didn't sound like something you've heard a hundred times before.
-
After spending quite a bit of time with one, I'd have to say that I found the System-8 a very limited, or even boring synth! I suppose it does that classic early-'80s Roland sound pretty well but that's a very constricted sound palette unless you're specifically making synth-pop.
From my perspective, the best thing about it was the modelled Jupiter 8 filter, which sounded lovely. The rest of it, however, was so painfully basic that I was almost immediately hitting up against the limitations. Sonically, the JD-XA is a far more interesting proposition. Too much menu diving for my liking but can definitely go to some interesting places. By comparison, I couldn't get a single original sound out of the System-8 that didn't sound like something you've heard a hundred times before.
I think the same thing every time I hear a Stradivarius. I mean seriously, violins?? Those are SOOOO 16th century!!!
-
Plus: If the System-8 has the same keyboard as the JD-XA, which I assume is the case based on Nick Batt's description, it'll feel really cheap. That, the purposeful omission of Aftertouch (see this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4tVgLlwekk), and the fact that you even have to pay extra for either wood or aluminium sides, is nothing that gets me excited though. If it was $999, one could condone these shortcomings, but at $1,499 I have to agree with Nick Batt's conclusion.
It's a bit of a shame really that Roland failed to provide a high quality controller with all the obvious features you would expect in 2017, since the whole plug-out idea is quite cool (especially for the touring musician) and sonically convincing.
This is my biggest issue with it. I'm not really looking for more keys anyway, but especially not subpar keys on a $1500 synth. They aren't that bad in person, but a noticeable step down. And the lack of aftertouch is just... offensive. But I was very inspired by the sound when I played with one for about 45 minutes, and I'm hoping they make a module. Unless of course I get an Arturia Origin and that satisfies my remaining non-Moog vintage fix.
-
After spending quite a bit of time with one, I'd have to say that I found the System-8 a very limited, or even boring synth! I suppose it does that classic early-'80s Roland sound pretty well but that's a very constricted sound palette unless you're specifically making synth-pop.
From my perspective, the best thing about it was the modelled Jupiter 8 filter, which sounded lovely. The rest of it, however, was so painfully basic that I was almost immediately hitting up against the limitations. Sonically, the JD-XA is a far more interesting proposition. Too much menu diving for my liking but can definitely go to some interesting places. By comparison, I couldn't get a single original sound out of the System-8 that didn't sound like something you've heard a hundred times before.
I think the same thing every time I hear a Stradivarius. I mean seriously, violins?? Those are SOOOO 16th century!!!
:D I get your point but the System-8 is no Stradivarius! If I wanted a keyboard for comfortingly familiar sounds, I'd buy a piano. What I love about synthesis is that it can take me somewhere I've never been before. I can do that with a Prophet'08, for example, but couldn't with the System-8.
As good as the emulations are, both my Juno 60 and Jupiter 6 also have a bit more character and presence than the Jupiter 8 and Juno 106 plug-outs, although that could be partly down to the over-complicated gain staging of the System-8.
-
S8 review and interesting comment from an expert:
"I have a P6, P12, Tempest and PolyEvolver PE.... BUT on sound and versatility ALONE.... I would take this over them all (apart from maybe the PE).... I can't comment on the Rev2 but all I DO know is that this is a FAR better synth that the P08 (which the Rev2 is obviously based on).... again based on sound alone."
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2017/02/13/sonic-lab-roland-aira-system-8-polysynth/
Sorry but I don't understand. The user making that comment, what makes him qualify as an expert?
-
S8 review and interesting comment from an expert:
"I have a P6, P12, Tempest and PolyEvolver PE.... BUT on sound and versatility ALONE.... I would take this over them all (apart from maybe the PE).... I can't comment on the Rev2 but all I DO know is that this is a FAR better synth that the P08 (which the Rev2 is obviously based on).... again based on sound alone."
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2017/02/13/sonic-lab-roland-aira-system-8-polysynth/
Sorry but I don't understand. The user making that comment, what makes him qualify as an expert?
I think by mentioning his expertise musicmaker was referring to the fact that Ty Unwin is one of Great Britain's leading TV composers, which certainly makes him an authority in the fields of scoring, sound design, and music production. That he also knows a thing or two about synths is obvious if one takes a look at his ever expanding studio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfwrN-dcKyc
That however doesn't change anything about the difficulty of trying to objectivize sonic preferences. We all like different instruments and prefer them for different reasons and due to individual goals. If he prefers the System-8 to the Prophet-6, the Prophet 12, the Tempest, and maybe even the Poly Evolver then that's his choice. The only problem I see here is that all of these synths are not that easy to compare, as they all represent a different design philosophy and offer a different set of features - even if you're coming from an angle where the difference between analog and digital doesn't matter (which is a valid approach in 2017). On the other hand, though, Ty was only talking about the sound, not different engines or features. And from that perspective it's of course perfectly justified to even compare a System-55 to a Casio keyboard. All features and engines don't matter as long as you don't click with what's most important in the end, namely the sound. Because knowing about what could be theoretically possible with an instrument is irrelevant if it just doesn't sound right or interesting to you from the get-go. What is going to determine those criteria in the end remains necessarily and hopefully subjective, though.
-
I understand. Even so I'm reluctant to call someone an expert just because he/she owns a lot of gear. I'm not saying that this is the case with Ty, but there are several examples of artists owning an impressive rig who know very little about synthesizers or synthesis in general, they pretty much tweak presets.
For clarification I don't question Ty's musical proficiency or skill as a musician, I was curious about the added label of expert - which I interpreted was related to synths in particular. Like you already touched upon, he's a user with his own personal tastes, like everyone else. :)
-
S8 review and interesting comment from an expert:
"I have a P6, P12, Tempest and PolyEvolver PE.... BUT on sound and versatility ALONE.... I would take this over them all (apart from maybe the PE).... I can't comment on the Rev2 but all I DO know is that this is a FAR better synth that the P08 (which the Rev2 is obviously based on).... again based on sound alone."
http://www.sonicstate.com/news/2017/02/13/sonic-lab-roland-aira-system-8-polysynth/
As a self-proclaimed "expert" :P , I'd take hardware-bound voices (in the case of a Prophet-12, one SHARC DSP per two voices with dedicated VCF ICs per voice) over dynamically-assigned ASICs any day of the week, for live performance, studio use, or pure bragging rights. (By point of comparison, the Korg Minilogue uses a dedicated ARM Cortex-M4 processor for modulations per voice, and the Alesis Ion and Micron both use dedicated Wavefront Semi DSPs per voice.)
As a user, hardware-bound voices guarantee one the ability to plan ahead (from a sound-design perspective) for voice stealing (in the case of the Poly Evolver) or voice overhang (in the case of the Prophet-12 or REV2 16-voice). That ensures the ability of the user to respond from a musical perspective, rather than a technical (if not uncertain) one–which may be a different set of priorities than those of a music-for-picture composer.
Thing is–with the System-8, its hardware constraint is baked into the design from day one (eight voices is just not sufficient for a multi-timbral keyboard instrument IMHO), yet it lacks guaranteed polyphony with many of the Plug-out models, and possesses no provision to add an additional polyphony expansion board (as Waldorf did, nearly fifteen to twenty years ago, with Motorola 56K-based boards–or as DSI is doing with actual analogue voices on the REV2). In this respect, it fails the "versatility" label straight out of the gate, as you'd be more likely to run out of parts due to artificial constraints from the modeled voices.
Given this odd series of constraints, where's my Jupiter-4 Plug-out, Roland? ;D (I mean–if you're gonna skimp out on polyphony, at least give us a vintage four-voice polysynth model!)
Lastly - what's with the unsubtle | teenage neon illuminated sliders on the Roland units–are these product designs left over from fifteen years ago? The cosmetics of the unit rule it out for low-key theatrical pit or liturgical use, where screams of "look at me! look at me!" severely constrain its "versatility".
Apologies for the rant–but it's really important to avoid embarrassingly silly superlatives when considering the historical context of a strictly imitative product such as the System-8, as opposed to the flagship Jupiter-8 that it can never hope to hold a candle to. Even those of us who are aging bedroom keyboard warriors can sense that this is an endorsement-oriented remark, rather than a sensible commentary on the viability of the product (which, frankly, I sense might be even more limited than that of Roland's own hybrid JD-Xa).
-
After spending quite a bit of time with one, I'd have to say that I found the System-8 a very limited, or even boring synth! I suppose it does that classic early-'80s Roland sound pretty well but that's a very constricted sound palette unless you're specifically making synth-pop.
From my perspective, the best thing about it was the modelled Jupiter 8 filter, which sounded lovely. The rest of it, however, was so painfully basic that I was almost immediately hitting up against the limitations. Sonically, the JD-XA is a far more interesting proposition. Too much menu diving for my liking but can definitely go to some interesting places. By comparison, I couldn't get a single original sound out of the System-8 that didn't sound like something you've heard a hundred times before.
I think the same thing every time I hear a Stradivarius. I mean seriously, violins?? Those are SOOOO 16th century!!!
:D I get your point but the System-8 is no Stradivarius! If I wanted a keyboard for comfortingly familiar sounds, I'd buy a piano. What I love about synthesis is that it can take me somewhere I've never been before. I can do that with a Prophet'08, for example, but couldn't with the System-8.
As good as the emulations are, both my Juno 60 and Jupiter 6 also have a bit more character and presence than the Jupiter 8 and Juno 106 plug-outs, although that could be partly down to the over-complicated gain staging of the System-8.
I consider the sounds of the Jupiter 8, Juno and JX (not to mention the SH-101, Promars etc) more than just comforting and familiar. I find them inspiring, compelling sounds, just like I do that of the OB-6, Prophet 6, my PolyEvolver etc. I got over the "shock of the new" a long time ago; all I care about now is quality, and what inspires me to make music that pleases me. This was why I compared them to a Stradivarius. It's not just about something you've heard a million times, it's about a beautiful sound, that remains beautiful no matter how many times you hear it. Naturally, these things are subjective, and can even change for the same person from moment to moment.
-
I consider the sounds of the Jupiter 8, Juno and JX (not to mention the SH-101, Promars etc) more than just comforting and familiar. I find them inspiring, compelling sounds, just like I do that of the OB-6, Prophet 6, my PolyEvolver etc. I got over the "shock of the new" a long time ago; all I care about now is quality, and what inspires me to make music that pleases me. This was why I compared them to a Stradivarius. It's not just about something you've heard a million times, it's about a beautiful sound, that remains beautiful no matter how many times you hear it. Naturally, these things are subjective, and can even change for the same person from moment to moment.
I do genuinely understand where you're coming from. My Juno 60, despite its obvious simplicity, still sounds great and I can't imagine myself not continuing to use it. Like many of us, I expect, I've never had the opportunity to play a Jupiter 8 in person but I imagine that is an equally inspiring experience. The closest I've come to that is playing a vintage Model D that sounded absolutely incredible.
I think the Stradivarius comparison certainly holds up when placed alongside a vintage Model D or Jupiter 8. However, it could just be the glow-stick LEDs and the plastic exterior colouring my judgement but the System-8 never convinced me I was hearing something special. In terms of modern VA synths, I far prefer the sounds I get from the Nord A1, which have the richness and depth that I, personally, associate with vintage analog synths.
As you say, it's all very subjective and we all have different sounds that get the creativity flowing. I very much expected to enjoy the System-8 and was surprised when that didn't happen. I'd still love to spend a few hours with a Jupiter 8 though.
-
As a self-proclaimed "expert" :P ....
As a self-proclaimed semi-expert, I’d agree.
I’ve played the System-8 in my local GC a few times, and each time I have the same experience. I spend all my time searching for a sound that I love on the damned thing... haven’t found one yet. Lots of great sounds, but nothing spectacular.
Then I step over to the P6, and no matter what the preset, I inevitable think the same thing: “Man, that is just lovely”.
My ears must be analogue.
Cheers!
-
I consider the sounds of the Jupiter 8, Juno and JX (not to mention the SH-101, Promars etc) more than just comforting and familiar. I find them inspiring, compelling sounds, just like I do that of the OB-6, Prophet 6, my PolyEvolver etc. I got over the "shock of the new" a long time ago; all I care about now is quality, and what inspires me to make music that pleases me. This was why I compared them to a Stradivarius. It's not just about something you've heard a million times, it's about a beautiful sound, that remains beautiful no matter how many times you hear it. Naturally, these things are subjective, and can even change for the same person from moment to moment.
I do genuinely understand where you're coming from. My Juno 60, despite its obvious simplicity, still sounds great and I can't imagine myself not continuing to use it. Like many of us, I expect, I've never had the opportunity to play a Jupiter 8 in person but I imagine that is an equally inspiring experience. The closest I've come to that is playing a vintage Model D that sounded absolutely incredible.
I think the Stradivarius comparison certainly holds up when placed alongside a vintage Model D or Jupiter 8. However, it could just be the glow-stick LEDs and the plastic exterior colouring my judgement but the System-8 never convinced me I was hearing something special. In terms of modern VA synths, I far prefer the sounds I get from the Nord A1, which have the richness and depth that I, personally, associate with vintage analog synths.
As you say, it's all very subjective and we all have different sounds that get the creativity flowing. I very much expected to enjoy the System-8 and was surprised when that didn't happen. I'd still love to spend a few hours with a Jupiter 8 though.
There is something about the physical experience of a Jupiter-8 that is tough to beat. It's a shame that the Jupiter-80 wasn't ultimately crafted as a System-8 sound engine with that same metal housing / pro keybed....
-
There was a new Firmware update to the System 8 which now included more extensive FM capabilities.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjkiIHt2uFg
-
I’ve only ever seen reviews on this and never heard it in ‘real life’. Because it has no aftertouch and because it looks like an explosion in a snot factory, there’s no way I would think of buying this. If they did a module version without the green then I might be interested.
-
I’ve only ever seen reviews on this and never heard it in ‘real life’. Because it has no aftertouch and because it looks like an explosion in a snot factory, there’s no way I would think of buying this. If they did a module version without the green then I might be interested.
You can turn the green lights off.
-
I’ve only ever seen reviews on this and never heard it in ‘real life’. Because it has no aftertouch and because it looks like an explosion in a snot factory, there’s no way I would think of buying this. If they did a module version without the green then I might be interested.
You can turn the green lights off.
Aha! I wasn’t aware of that, thanks :)
-
Roland's software emulations are really good, I can't hear the difference running their 106 and 808 VSTs with the real thing (which I own). My computer is stuttering though under the load, in 2 years I think that advantage of the System 8 will be gone. I suspect Roland will give the System 8 some upgrade similar to what they did to the TR-8, taking it easier on the lights.
-
Roland's software emulations are really good, I can't hear the difference running their 106 and 808 VSTs with the real thing (which I own). My computer is stuttering though under the load, in 2 years I think that advantage of the System 8 will be gone. I suspect Roland will give the System 8 some upgrade similar to what they did to the TR-8, taking it easier on the lights.
I was waiting for a rackmount version, because 49 keys is just dumb for these synths IMO, and I don't need another set of keys.
But in the meantime I've switched to Native Instruments as the center of my studio, so I have Komplete and all the Roland emulations in Reaktor, plus I got Arturia's V Collection for $200. So now I feel like I have as much Roland sound as I really need.
That said, I found the Sys8 very inspiring - the synths are one big sweet spot, and the hands-on controls make it very fast to tweak a sound the way you want it. If they do come out with a rack, I would still strongly consider it once prices dropped under 8 or 900.
-
Got to say...with the new FM update....I may not write the System 8 off after all....it's no DX7 but the sounds....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyMYz37neeg&t=295s
-
System 8 limited??? Nonsense! Did you not realize you have numerous wave shapes each of which has several variations, as well as a color knob which substantially alters the sound depending on the wave shape and variation chosen? You can get more timbres from the S8 from a single oscillator than you can from the entirity of some lesser synths. Then you get a second oscillator with all those same facilities and a third oscillator that can act as a sub, a multi mode filter which also has numerous variations, cross modulation, wave mod, the usual complement of LFO destinations, a very capable effects section, performance mode with layers/splits, step sequencer with live recording/overdub, motion recording, detailed step editing/automation, etc etc. I guess it's limited if you're comparing it to some menu-driven workstation or something, but as VAs with a traditional knobby interface go? Yeah not limited in the slightest.
Oh yeah, and that's just the core S8 engine itself. Now the synth ships with all 3 plug outs loaded -- Jup 8, Juno 106 and JX-3P, all of which sound lovely. As the owner of an actual 106 I can tell you the plug out version sounds nearly identical. I only say "nearly" to cover my butt, not because I actually hear any discernible difference. I don't. Heh.
Frankly the S8 sequencer makes the P6 sequencer seem like a joke. Ooh neat, I can manually key in a sequence and that's it. No play direction, no overdubbing, no editing, no motion recording -- nothing. Maybe I've just never fallen for my P6 the way some owners have, but I'm frankly getting more colorful and usable sounds from the S8. Sure, some of that could just be the infatuation of new gear, but I feel like I have to work really hard to get the sounds I like from the P6. It always has a slightly metallic phasy sound to it that I can never fully dial out. I've pondered selling it many times but always find some reason to hang onto it.
-
System 8 limited??? Nonsense! Did you not realize you have numerous wave shapes each of which has several variations, as well as a color knob which substantially alters the sound depending on the wave shape and variation chosen? You can get more timbres from the S8 from a single oscillator than you can from the entirity of some lesser synths. Then you get a second oscillator with all those same facilities and a third oscillator that can act as a sub, a multi mode filter which also has numerous variations, cross modulation, wave mod, the usual complement of LFO destinations, a very capable effects section, performance mode with layers/splits, step sequencer with live recording/overdub, motion recording, detailed step editing/automation, etc etc. I guess it's limited if you're comparing it to some menu-driven workstation or something, but as VAs with a traditional knobby interface go? Yeah not limited in the slightest.
Oh yeah, and that's just the core S8 engine itself. Now the synth ships with all 3 plug outs loaded -- Jup 8, Juno 106 and JX-3P, all of which sound lovely. As the owner of an actual 106 I can tell you the plug out version sounds nearly identical. I only say "nearly" to cover my butt, not because I actually hear any discernible difference. I don't. Heh.
Frankly the S8 sequencer makes the P6 sequencer seem like a joke. Ooh neat, I can manually key in a sequence and that's it. No play direction, no overdubbing, no editing, no motion recording -- nothing. Maybe I've just never fallen for my P6 the way some owners have, but I'm frankly getting more colorful and usable sounds from the S8. Sure, some of that could just be the infatuation of new gear, but I feel like I have to work really hard to get the sounds I like from the P6. It always has a slightly metallic phasy sound to it that I can never fully dial out. I've pondered selling it many times but always find some reason to hang onto it.
Well while we're necroposting, I have an update to my comments on this thread.
I am selling my PEK, and keeping my System 8. Is that because the Sys8 is a *better* synth than the PEK? No, not at all. In terms of raw sound and uniqueness, build quality and lots of other things, the PEK crushes the Sys8. But I just don't really use the PEK for poly sounds, so a Desktop Evolver would be fine for me, so it seems like a waste to have it when someone else could be using it.
Meanwhile I can load in any 3 of a Jupiter 8, Juno 60, Juno 106, JX3P, SH101, Promars, and SH2 into my System 8 at one time, not to mention the actual System 8 synth itself, which is probably the most underrated synth of all time. People forget there is even a System 8 synth at all! And now that it does FM, it opens up a whole new range of timbres, although I really do prefer the 6op FM from my DX7iid. It's also very light, which if touring is ever a thing again, would be much more viable than lugging out-of-production, heavier, near-vintage gear around just for the sake of looking cool on stage.
I do wish it had poly aftertouch, better physical design etc, but I got mine for $1000 shipped and it was very much never used by the original owner. I can understand why other people may not like it, but I love it.
-
System 8 limited??? Nonsense! Did you not realize you have numerous wave shapes each of which has several variations, as well as a color knob which substantially alters the sound depending on the wave shape and variation chosen? You can get more timbres from the S8 from a single oscillator than you can from the entirity of some lesser synths. Then you get a second oscillator with all those same facilities and a third oscillator that can act as a sub, a multi mode filter which also has numerous variations, cross modulation, wave mod, the usual complement of LFO destinations, a very capable effects section, performance mode with layers/splits, step sequencer with live recording/overdub, motion recording, detailed step editing/automation, etc etc. I guess it's limited if you're comparing it to some menu-driven workstation or something, but as VAs with a traditional knobby interface go? Yeah not limited in the slightest.
Oh yeah, and that's just the core S8 engine itself. Now the synth ships with all 3 plug outs loaded -- Jup 8, Juno 106 and JX-3P, all of which sound lovely. As the owner of an actual 106 I can tell you the plug out version sounds nearly identical. I only say "nearly" to cover my butt, not because I actually hear any discernible difference. I don't. Heh.
Frankly the S8 sequencer makes the P6 sequencer seem like a joke. Ooh neat, I can manually key in a sequence and that's it. No play direction, no overdubbing, no editing, no motion recording -- nothing. Maybe I've just never fallen for my P6 the way some owners have, but I'm frankly getting more colorful and usable sounds from the S8. Sure, some of that could just be the infatuation of new gear, but I feel like I have to work really hard to get the sounds I like from the P6. It always has a slightly metallic phasy sound to it that I can never fully dial out. I've pondered selling it many times but always find some reason to hang onto it.
Well while we're necroposting, I have an update to my comments on this thread.
I am selling my PEK, and keeping my System 8. Is that because the Sys8 is a *better* synth than the PEK? No, not at all. In terms of raw sound and uniqueness, build quality and lots of other things, the PEK crushes the Sys8. But I just don't really use the PEK for poly sounds, so a Desktop Evolver would be fine for me, so it seems like a waste to have it when someone else could be using it.
Meanwhile I can load in any 3 of a Jupiter 8, Juno 60, Juno 106, JX3P, SH101, Promars, and SH2 into my System 8 at one time, not to mention the actual System 8 synth itself, which is probably the most underrated synth of all time. People forget there is even a System 8 synth at all! And now that it does FM, it opens up a whole new range of timbres, although I really do prefer the 6op FM from my DX7iid. It's also very light, which if touring is ever a thing again, would be much more viable than lugging out-of-production, heavier, near-vintage gear around just for the sake of looking cool on stage.
I do wish it had poly aftertouch, better physical design etc, but I got mine for $1000 shipped and it was very much never used by the original owner. I can understand why other people may not like it, but I love it.
I almost think that the System 8 engine itself would have been perfect on it's own. Wish it had more memory slots though.
-
People forget there is even a System 8 synth at all! And now that it does FM, it opens up a whole new range of timbres, although I really do prefer the 6op FM from my DX7iid. It's also very light, which if touring is ever a thing again, would be much more viable than lugging out-of-production, heavier, near-vintage gear around just for the sake of looking cool on stage.
I do wish it had poly aftertouch, better physical design etc, but I got mine for $1000 shipped and it was very much never used by the original owner. I can understand why other people may not like it, but I love it.
I almost think that the System 8 engine itself would have been perfect on it's own. Wish it had more memory slots though.
Can you imagine the gnashing of teeth on Reddit/GS/MF etc if Roland had put out a hardware VA with no software editor, with these keys, build and aesthetics, and only a retro-vintage engine in 2016 or whenever it came out? The "ZOMG it's just a VST in a box!" hysteria would cause earthquakes. It would have had to be like $300 for people not to eviscerate it, and even then people would try their best.
-
I'm finding myself drawn to the System 8, a synth I've never seen in real life. I've had a free Roland Cloud trial this last month, and despite the known CPU/crackling issues, I've really had a blast with some of the synths available. The Jupiter 4 plug-out has pushed me further down one rabbit hole or other.
I own a Juno 6. Lovely synth - great sound, great physical presence. I'm not so bonded with it, though, that I don't consider letting it go. In recent years, mostly to do with my leaving Berlin, I've sold my PolySix, TR-707 and Micromoog, along with loads of guitars and other gear. These were all beloved instruments, but I found it wasn't so hard to let them go. (Funny to see Ty Unwin's name pop up in this thread, as I bought the Moog from him...)
It's curious for me to be considering letting the Juno go, replacing it with such an ugly plastic creature! But the Juno needs a bit of work. The chorus chip needs replacing and the pitch lever is glitchy in one direction. These aren't such a big deal, but unlike in Berlin, where it was €5 for a ten minute taxi ride to the repair shop, I'm now looking at 2 hours by car each direction x2 trips per repair. My wife's old P5 also needs repair - a j-wire broke a month after the previous servicing! We save up our repair jobs, then fill the car once we can sort out a date with our repair guy. It's an ordeal every time! I'm starting to really see my precious vintage gear through such practical eyes now... I love the sound, look and feel of these instruments, but as I told my wife last night, "Reliability is sexy!"
I rarely bring synths to gigs, and since Covid/leaving Berlin, I've gigged very rarely and not done any of touring. I supported China Crisis a couple weeks back, doing half of my set karaoke style with laptop. The System 8 does seem like something easy enough to carry along to the occasional regional gig. Not a back breaker, at very least.
I'm rambling here, but it's in hope of hearing from a few System 8 fans, whether people new to the instrument or those who've lived with one for a while.
-
I'm finding myself drawn to the System 8, a synth I've never seen in real life. I've had a free Roland Cloud trial this last month, and despite the known CPU/crackling issues, I've really had a blast with some of the synths available. The Jupiter 4 plug-out has pushed me further down one rabbit hole or other.
I own a Juno 6. Lovely synth - great sound, great physical presence. I'm not so bonded with it, though, that I don't consider letting it go. In recent years, mostly to do with my leaving Berlin, I've sold my PolySix, TR-707 and Micromoog, along with loads of guitars and other gear. These were all beloved instruments, but I found it wasn't so hard to let them go. (Funny to see Ty Unwin's name pop up in this thread, as I bought the Moog from him...)
It's curious for me to be considering letting the Juno go, replacing it with such an ugly plastic creature! But the Juno needs a bit of work. The chorus chip needs replacing and the pitch lever is glitchy in one direction. These aren't such a big deal, but unlike in Berlin, where it was €5 for a ten minute taxi ride to the repair shop, I'm now looking at 2 hours by car each direction x2 trips per repair. My wife's old P5 also needs repair - a j-wire broke a month after the previous servicing! We save up our repair jobs, then fill the car once we can sort out a date with our repair guy. It's an ordeal every time! I'm starting to really see my precious vintage gear through such practical eyes now... I love the sound, look and feel of these instruments, but as I told my wife last night, "Reliability is sexy!"
I rarely bring synths to gigs, and since Covid/leaving Berlin, I've gigged very rarely and not done any of touring. I supported China Crisis a couple weeks back, doing half of my set karaoke style with laptop. The System 8 does seem like something easy enough to carry along to the occasional regional gig. Not a back breaker, at very least.
I'm rambling here, but it's in hope of hearing from a few System 8 fans, whether people new to the instrument or those who've lived with one for a while.
Not long ago I picked one of these up on Reverb in mint condition. I didn't want to pay the full price for a new one, because I wasn't sure how much I would like it. I also like that it already had the aluminum side panels which I don't think are available anymore due to supply chain issues / massive increases in cost of aluminum products.
What I had trouble finding info on, and the reason I didn't pull the trigger sooner, was whether it sounds the same as the cloud plugins or not. I saw comments from some saying it sounds identical, and others saying it has a little special something running on dedicated hardware that you don't get inside the box.
So, naturally the first thing I did were some tests to satisfy my curiosity. I performed most of my tests on pad type sounds, mostly in the lower register where plugins tend to sound flat/mushy. I ran the output into the preamps on my Octopre, which are high quality pres but very transparent, they don't have the coloring of the famous Neve "air" that the primary preamps on my Scarlett 3rd gen have (and yes those make a HUGE difference but they do color the sound which makes it an unfair fight for comparing apples and oranges like this). The main thing is I wanted to hear it through converters because I noticed most Youtubers tend to use the USB audio feature, which I would expect to sound no better than plugins. I avoided this because other synths (such as the Virus TI2) sound anemic over USB but really come to life when sent through the same signal path as traditional hardware synths.
So how did the plugins fare against the System 8? Surprisingly good... Levels were perfectly matched and the sounds were almost indistinguishable, except that on the plugins I did notice some very slight artifacts that sounded like phase cancellation, and depending on the sound even subtle clicking. The same artifacts may have been present on the System 8 signal as well, but got blurred enough by the conversion process that they were less noticable?
Then I decided to add a Boss DC-2W in between the System 8 and the Scarlett inputs. Stunning results! The analog pedal in the chain really puts back any analog magic that was lost by digital emulation... even if the pedal is used on the most subtle setting (to the point it barely sounds like chorus), I felt it makes such a big difference in removing the preciseness or harshness of the sound that I always heard in the System 8 when compared to the vintage analog counterparts.
I'm not a gigging musician but it struck me right away what a useful instrument it would be in gigs so I believe you'd be very pleased with that aspect of it. The build quality as you've probably read is not in the league of Dave's creations, but it's nothing that affects the playability and the light weight would be appreciated on the road.
I wouldn't sweat the green lights. I was always turned off by them watching them in videos but in person they're kind of cool. I've heard them described as "phosphor glow retro" which I think suits them. You can turn them off but they serve a useful purpose in showing which controls are mapped to which synth plugin.
If you already like the cloud plugins you will like them even more on this synth, simply because of the tactile experience it brings, even compared to well-mapped MIDI controller. Being able to load 4 different synth engines at a time, split or stack them, etc. is quite powerful.
My DAW PC was a powerful box by standards of 7 years or so ago, but now there is better available. A single cloud plugin (I guess I should get in the habit of calling them plugout) would immediately consume about 25% of my available CPU, leaving me at about 45% average remaining and showing some overloads. I love being able to just dump the plugout to the synth and delete the instance in the DAW to recover the the CPU. Although, there is a lot said to doing sound design with the plugout running simply because seeing the representation of the original instrument helps you to think in the sound design flow that the original synth had.. It's all quite impressive once you begin using it all to its fullest advantage.
The Jupiter 4 plugout showed that Roland has not abandoned the ACB platform, so rumors of the System8's demise are greatly exaggerated :)... and as you already know if you've heard it, it sounds great (and for me even better on the System8).
All in all I'd recommend it.... not necessarily over my other analog synths in terms of raw sound but it's probably the best way I'm aware of to capture the sound of vintage Roland synths and still maximize reliability.
-
Thanks much for such a thoughtful/thorough reply, LPF83. I went ahead and bought the one I'd been eyeing. $1100 seemed a reasonable price.
Here's a possibly silly question... my System 8 will come loaded with the 106, JX-3P and Jup8 plug-outs, I assume. To get the Jupiter 4 installed, do I have to purchase it, or would I have access for a month at a time if I pay monthly for the Roland Cloud? If the latter, and I only paid for a month, say, what happens to the plug out at that point if it's still used in the System 8?
-
Thanks much for such a thoughtful/thorough reply, LPF83. I went ahead and bought the one I'd been eyeing. $1100 seemed a reasonable price.
Here's a possibly silly question... my System 8 will come loaded with the 106, JX-3P and Jup8 plug-outs, I assume. To get the Jupiter 4 installed, do I have to purchase it, or would I have access for a month at a time if I pay monthly for the Roland Cloud? If the latter, and I only paid for a month, say, what happens to the plug out at that point if it's still used in the System 8?
You can buy the Jupiter 4 plugout lifetime license for $200 (most of the other plugouts are cheaper), or join for $100/yr or $10 month and have any two of the legendary plugouts loaded at any one time... or $200/year or $20 month have access to everything.
When buying a used one, hopefully the previous owner restored the plugout slots to factory, but possibly not, so there's no telling what might be loaded there... for that reason alone it might be a good idea to get the unlimited plan at least or a month or two until you settle on which plugouts you like best, and get a feel for the plugout workflow. I'm using the plugouts as the editor/match management system and have not tried the alternate methods of patch loading. Each plugout slot (4 total) can hold 64 patches. The editors, and the ease of sending / retrieving patches to the synth are a nice feature that I don't want to give up at the moment.
Will look forward to hearing how you like it, and/or the results of any outboard gear/pedals etc you try in combination with it.
-
I have unfortunately not had the chance to try the System-8 but do own a System-1M which can be a lot of fun.
I would describe the System-1M as very digital in tone but with enough heft that it doesn't sound thin beside my other analogue gear. The architecture on the '1M at least is wide but shallow - it can do a lot of things but lacks depth due to a limited mod-matrix and one LFO. The envelopes are not very snappy and the lack of bandpass filter is limiting because the oscillators can be too mid heavy to get detail for some sounds. But it can sound really nice and many of the limitations would be lessened by the extra features of the System-8 (more filters, better effects, more oscillator options, etc.)
I liked the System-1M enough that if I had found a System-8 locally before I did the Take 5, I would have bought that instead. The immediacy of that hands on interface can not be overstated and the extra filter types over the System-1M would really open it up I expect.
In case anyone has not seen this yet, you can apparently change the LED colour if you dislike the alien green:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylJ4veTZWOA
-
Thanks for the Easter Egg vid! Oddly, I've not been put off by the unattractive layout. Well, not just the layout. The whole synth looks like something I'd never want to be in a room with. And yet, mine is on the way. I'm trying to talk/trick myself into selling my Juno 6 now that I've paid for the System 8. The Juno 6 isn't a synth I go way back with or know so well, but it sure is a beautiful instrument.
I'll give a quick book report when the new synth arrives and I've had time to become confused by everything it does!
-
In case anyone has not seen this yet, you can apparently change the LED colour if you dislike the alien green:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylJ4veTZWOA
Sadly, from the video comments: "YES. This was produced specifically for April Fool's day. No, you can't change your System-8 colors by doing this. Yes, very many people fell for this."
It would have been nice if this were really possible.
-
In case anyone has not seen this yet, you can apparently change the LED colour if you dislike the alien green:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylJ4veTZWOA
Sadly, from the video comments: "YES. This was produced specifically for April Fool's day. No, you can't change your System-8 colors by doing this. Yes, very many people fell for this."
It would have been nice if this were really possible.
Ah, well. But I guess this is what spray paint is for!
-
[Sadly, from the video comments: "YES. This was produced specifically for April Fool's day. No, you can't change your System-8 colors by doing this. Yes, very many people fell for this."
It would have been nice if this were really possible.
Ah man, that's embarrassing. Sorry for getting anyone's hope's up.
-
[Sadly, from the video comments: "YES. This was produced specifically for April Fool's day. No, you can't change your System-8 colors by doing this. Yes, very many people fell for this."
It would have been nice if this were really possible.
Ah man, that's embarrassing. Sorry for getting anyone's hope's up.
At least it was a very convincing one.... to the point that I actually walked into my studio room, powered up the System 8 and tried it before I went back to check the video to be sure I was doing it right, and only THEN read the comments. And I can't remember the last time I actually got punked into physical action like that by an april fools joke because I usually see them coming.. Not so much in June :)
-
Earlier today I was playing around with the vocoder and input FX a bit.. pretty cool!
While most controls are very immediate, some of the tweakability to get the vocoder and inputs sounding good is a bit menu-divey. Does anyone know if there's a way to get to these settings from within a DAW?
-
My System 8 arrived this weekend, and despite the condition of the box and the packing materials inside, it's in excellent shape.
Anyway, first impressions after a few days' fiddling... it's a pretty wonderful synth. The Sys8 synth engine is excellent in its own right, as many before me have said. The plug-outs - Juno 106, Jupiter 8 and JX-3P - are fab. I've been doing the best A/B I can between the plug-out 106 and my "actual, real" Juno 6 and I'm convinced, for my non-trainspotter purposes, that the System 8 does the job just fine.
As well as the synth sounding righteous, it's got a swinging set of groovy, musically-useful features. The sequencer is charming. I hooked the synth up to my TR-6S this morning and while my wife was brushing her teeth, I was shouting from across the house, "Look, ma... I'm a DJ!" (I'm so not a DJ!) Back to the System 8... the effects are great, too. A very musical part of the performance experience. While I love the Juno for its do-no-wrong sound and ease-of-tweak, I'm pretty convinced by the "Oneness" of the System 8. It does a good number of good things, but not in any way that I find fussy or overly-complicated.
And with that said... anyone wanna buy a Juno 6?
-
Sounds like a very practical instrument especially for the old Juno sounds. Enjoy.
-
Sounds like a very practical instrument especially for the old Juno sounds. Enjoy.
Thanks, Soundquest. Funny, cos my wife and I have been discussing how much practicality has come to matter in my musical life. The fantasy of throwing a swimming pool thru a TV screen has long faded and these days it's all about "getting the work done." The System 8 is indeed practical in many ways, though thankfully, it can do all sorts of "useless" and amusing - and inspiring - things, too. It turns out to be quite a fine industrial synth when asked politely. But yeah, it does the Juno thing quite beautifully.
-
Sounds like a very practical instrument especially for the old Juno sounds. Enjoy.
Thanks, Soundquest. Funny, cos my wife and I have been discussing how much practicality has come to matter in my musical life. The fantasy of throwing a swimming pool thru a TV screen has long faded and these days it's all about "getting the work done." The System 8 is indeed practical in many ways, though thankfully, it can do all sorts of "useless" and amusing - and inspiring - things, too. It turns out to be quite a fine industrial synth when asked politely. But yeah, it does the Juno thing quite beautifully.
Would anyone with a System-8 be willing to A/B the Jupiter 4 VST on their computer against their hardware version of same and report back if they are getting the same results I am? For me, the Jupiter-4 plugin on the System-8 sounds substantially better than the VST (and I mean like the difference my ears typically detect between hardware synths and softsynths).
This is different from some tests I did with the Juno 106 and Jupiter 8 plugouts when I first got the synth, where they sounded mostly indistinguishable, except for a slight bit of phasing when I ran on the computer versus sending to synth.
This is why it's hard for me to believe simply the preamps and DACs of my signal path are making the difference here. I verified they are perfectly level matched.. I verified no other pedals/FX in the path. I tested with the factory Jupiter 4 preset "1978 Strings".
The difference is stunning. Just curious if others are hearing same?
-
Since I got my System 8, I sorta lost interest in the Cloud stuff, as the S8 has plenty going on. Still, I've been tempted to sign up for a month just so's to load the Jupiter 4. If I do, I'll do my best A/B for thee...
-
Since I got my System 8, I sorta lost interest in the Cloud stuff, as the S8 has plenty going on. Still, I've been tempted to sign up for a month just so's to load the Jupiter 4. If I do, I'll do my best A/B for thee...
Anything you can do would be appreciated. As far as I can tell the difference has to do with the oscillator phases -- coming from the System 8 it sounds quite convincingly like a VCO, whereas from the VST version has less movement in the oscillator tone. I even wondered if there was something in a global system setting that I might have unknowingly tweaked that could have that effect.
By the way, right now Roland is doing their "play 4 life" special again where if you pay in advance for one year, you get to choose permanent licenses for two synths (just a permanent license for Jupiter 4 alone would be $200). One thing they did right, when you have permanent licenses, you can swap them out for another synth at a later time. It's quite a good deal if you have a System-8 I think. Not only to be able to easily load the other plugouts onto the hardware without paying monthly. There are a number of sound banks for each plugout that I think are only available through the cloud VST as well.
-
Since I got my System 8, I sorta lost interest in the Cloud stuff, as the S8 has plenty going on. Still, I've been tempted to sign up for a month just so's to load the Jupiter 4. If I do, I'll do my best A/B for thee...
Anything you can do would be appreciated. As far as I can tell the difference has to do with the oscillator phases -- coming from the System 8 it sounds quite convincingly like a VCO, whereas from the VST version has less movement in the oscillator tone. I even wondered if there was something in a global system setting that I might have unknowingly tweaked that could have that effect.
By the way, right now Roland is doing their "play 4 life" special again where if you pay in advance for one year, you get to choose permanent licenses for two synths (just a permanent license for Jupiter 4 alone would be $200). One thing they did right, when you have permanent licenses, you can swap them out for another synth at a later time. It's quite a good deal if you have a System-8 I think. Not only to be able to easily load the other plugouts onto the hardware without paying monthly. There are a number of sound banks for each plugout that I think are only available through the cloud VST as well.
I'm tempted by the "play 4 life" biz... funds are tight right now - I'm making a studio album first time in years, so sessions are eating my wallet. I bought the System 8 with the intention of selling my Juno 6, but I suppose I'd pictured that happening in a finger snap, which hasn't been the case! Meanwhile, getting my System 8 upgraded to latest OS took a lot of fuss, with today's task being installing the driver onto my Mac etc. Once that dull biz is done, I'll *hopefully* be able to start checking out the plug-outs. I def liked the Jupiter 4 when I had the free Cloud trial. Is it perverse to want to download the Juno 60 plug-out when I have the 106 already onboard? Honestly, I don't know how different the two are. Otherwise, It'll be the D-50, innit!
Will check back on the J4 front once today's mission is accomplished...
-
Since I got my System 8, I sorta lost interest in the Cloud stuff, as the S8 has plenty going on. Still, I've been tempted to sign up for a month just so's to load the Jupiter 4. If I do, I'll do my best A/B for thee...
Anything you can do would be appreciated. As far as I can tell the difference has to do with the oscillator phases -- coming from the System 8 it sounds quite convincingly like a VCO, whereas from the VST version has less movement in the oscillator tone. I even wondered if there was something in a global system setting that I might have unknowingly tweaked that could have that effect.
By the way, right now Roland is doing their "play 4 life" special again where if you pay in advance for one year, you get to choose permanent licenses for two synths (just a permanent license for Jupiter 4 alone would be $200). One thing they did right, when you have permanent licenses, you can swap them out for another synth at a later time. It's quite a good deal if you have a System-8 I think. Not only to be able to easily load the other plugouts onto the hardware without paying monthly. There are a number of sound banks for each plugout that I think are only available through the cloud VST as well.
After a fair bit of hair pulling and teeth grinding, I was able to install the Jup4 plugout onto my System 8. Hurrah!
And yeah, I do hear what I think you're talking about. I'll PM you a demo file. The plugout version is much "nicer," more "real," whereas the plugin is a bit thin during full chords, almost like there's a hint of phase cancelling or wot.
-
Since I got my System 8, I sorta lost interest in the Cloud stuff, as the S8 has plenty going on. Still, I've been tempted to sign up for a month just so's to load the Jupiter 4. If I do, I'll do my best A/B for thee...
Anything you can do would be appreciated. As far as I can tell the difference has to do with the oscillator phases -- coming from the System 8 it sounds quite convincingly like a VCO, whereas from the VST version has less movement in the oscillator tone. I even wondered if there was something in a global system setting that I might have unknowingly tweaked that could have that effect.
By the way, right now Roland is doing their "play 4 life" special again where if you pay in advance for one year, you get to choose permanent licenses for two synths (just a permanent license for Jupiter 4 alone would be $200). One thing they did right, when you have permanent licenses, you can swap them out for another synth at a later time. It's quite a good deal if you have a System-8 I think. Not only to be able to easily load the other plugouts onto the hardware without paying monthly. There are a number of sound banks for each plugout that I think are only available through the cloud VST as well.
After a fair bit of hair pulling and teeth grinding, I was able to install the Jup4 plugout onto my System 8. Hurrah!
And yeah, I do hear what I think you're talking about. I'll PM you a demo file. The plugout version is much "nicer," more "real," whereas the plugin is a bit thin during full chords, almost like there's a hint of phase cancelling or wot.
I replied to your PM and thanks again for taking the time to confirm I'm not losing my mind :) Would love to know what's different.. What ever the difference is, it definitely sounds like some fundamental element that affects the oscillator phase. Maybe they did this in the Jupiter4 plugout in order to give their hardware products the edge, or to quell some concerns about CPU usage on the VST version? I know that when they first came out with the cloud offerings, some System 8 owners felt betrayed that the same sounds were available as VSTs... maybe it's partially an answer to that... slightly more elaborate circuit modeling when running on hardware? Sounds great though...
-
I did go for the Play 4 Life thingy. I created a symphonic patch on the Jupiter 4 that I've decided I can't live without. The longer I'm in music and the more gear I won/have owned, the more into simpleness I get. The Jupiter 4 plug-out is lovely, same with the Juno 60 plug-out. Basic and beautiful.
-
I did go for the Play 4 Life thingy. I created a symphonic patch on the Jupiter 4 that I've decided I can't live without. The longer I'm in music and the more gear I won/have owned, the more into simpleness I get. The Jupiter 4 plug-out is lovely, same with the Juno 60 plug-out. Basic and beautiful.
Agree, the simplicity of an instrument is becoming more important to me. It's like there is an inverse relationship between feature complexity and musical creativity -- adding more of one subtracts from the other. I'm a bit caught in the middle because I love both music and technology, but no doubt I make better music when I focus on what I'm doing with the sounds more than the gear I'm making them with.
There was a recent post today from Pym in the ProphetX forum addressing why Sequential designs are relatively spartan by design and geared toward the performer and not the technologist. I think it's that aspect of them that keeps them on top of everyone's wish list, I hope they keep doing what they're doing.
-
I did go for the Play 4 Life thingy. I created a symphonic patch on the Jupiter 4 that I've decided I can't live without. The longer I'm in music and the more gear I won/have owned, the more into simpleness I get. The Jupiter 4 plug-out is lovely, same with the Juno 60 plug-out. Basic and beautiful.
Agree, the simplicity of an instrument is becoming more important to me. It's like there is an inverse relationship between feature complexity and musical creativity -- adding more of one subtracts from the other. I'm a bit caught in the middle because I love both music and technology, but no doubt I make better music when I focus on what I'm doing with the sounds more than the gear I'm making them with.
There was a recent post today from Pym in the ProphetX forum addressing why Sequential designs are relatively spartan by design and geared toward the performer and not the technologist. I think it's that aspect of them that keeps them on top of everyone's wish list, I hope they keep doing what they're doing.
The Prophet 5 is the peak of perfect simplicity. Of course it's a complex creature and can cover a broad, satisfying range, sonically, but as an instrument, a hands-on thing to play and program, it's all pleasure and reward.
I mean, same for the Juno synths. But the trick for me with the Juno is that no matter how enjoyable it is to create sounds on and to play, it's always going to sit in its moment. It takes more work than worth to trick a Juno into sounding like it's something other. A Prophet 5 can lurk in the bushes, sounding unfamiliar if it wants.
I'm revamping my whole studio setup for the sake of simplicity. Obsessed as I am with synths, I'm finding that putting a few of them away in closets, flight cases and cupboards has been good for my cluttered brain. I love the Evolver, say, but in the last year I've only used it to process incoming drum machine sounds, and even then I've only used it like that a few times. My Dark Energy synth, love it as I do, has pretty much been on my desk to act as a MIDI-to-CV converter for the Pro One. Hell, I haven't even changed settings on the Pro One in a year - it's just "bass synth." The System 8 is now the CV controller for the Pro One while the DE and Evolver (and MS-20 and Drumtraks) all live on shelves in the basement. Absence = heart grow fonder etc! I'm pretty sentimental about my gear - I have to have a personal connection to my instruments in the first place - but I'm finding myself almost enjoying the regret I feel when I let certain things go. Now my Juno 6 - for sale, by the way (hint hint) - is a synth I adore, but I don't have a personal connection to its sound, as beautiful a sound as it is. It's the "peoples' synth," right? It's the sound of a moment, so me selling mine feels more like I've had my time with it but now it gets released back into the world for someone else to dig. The System 8 gives me that beautiful sound - without the Juno's tactile/aesthetic vibe - and that seems to be more what I need.
This has hardly been a "simple" reply - coffee must be kicking in!
-
I did go for the Play 4 Life thingy. I created a symphonic patch on the Jupiter 4 that I've decided I can't live without. The longer I'm in music and the more gear I won/have owned, the more into simpleness I get. The Jupiter 4 plug-out is lovely, same with the Juno 60 plug-out. Basic and beautiful.
Agree, the simplicity of an instrument is becoming more important to me. It's like there is an inverse relationship between feature complexity and musical creativity -- adding more of one subtracts from the other. I'm a bit caught in the middle because I love both music and technology, but no doubt I make better music when I focus on what I'm doing with the sounds more than the gear I'm making them with.
There was a recent post today from Pym in the ProphetX forum addressing why Sequential designs are relatively spartan by design and geared toward the performer and not the technologist. I think it's that aspect of them that keeps them on top of everyone's wish list, I hope they keep doing what they're doing.
The Prophet 5 is the peak of perfect simplicity. Of course it's a complex creature and can cover a broad, satisfying range, sonically, but as an instrument, a hands-on thing to play and program, it's all pleasure and reward.
I mean, same for the Juno synths. But the trick for me with the Juno is that no matter how enjoyable it is to create sounds on and to play, it's always going to sit in its moment. It takes more work than worth to trick a Juno into sounding like it's something other. A Prophet 5 can lurk in the bushes, sounding unfamiliar if it wants.
I'm revamping my whole studio setup for the sake of simplicity. Obsessed as I am with synths, I'm finding that putting a few of them away in closets, flight cases and cupboards has been good for my cluttered brain. I love the Evolver, say, but in the last year I've only used it to process incoming drum machine sounds, and even then I've only used it like that a few times. My Dark Energy synth, love it as I do, has pretty much been on my desk to act as a MIDI-to-CV converter for the Pro One. Hell, I haven't even changed settings on the Pro One in a year - it's just "bass synth." The System 8 is now the CV controller for the Pro One while the DE and Evolver (and MS-20 and Drumtraks) all live on shelves in the basement. Absence = heart grow fonder etc! I'm pretty sentimental about my gear - I have to have a personal connection to my instruments in the first place - but I'm finding myself almost enjoying the regret I feel when I let certain things go. Now my Juno 6 - for sale, by the way (hint hint) - is a synth I adore, but I don't have a personal connection to its sound, as beautiful a sound as it is. It's the "peoples' synth," right? It's the sound of a moment, so me selling mine feels more like I've had my time with it but now it gets released back into the world for someone else to dig. The System 8 gives me that beautiful sound - without the Juno's tactile/aesthetic vibe - and that seems to be more what I need.
This has hardly been a "simple" reply - coffee must be kicking in!
Yes, it's simplicity of the Prophet 5/10 interface that holds its magic. Seemingly few buttons and knobs, yet so much possibility in the ranges of those controls.
Junos were never the most versatile synths -- but their ubiquity placed a soundprint on an era of music making that is increasingly valued, so "that Juno sound" holds a special place in many hearts. I would love to once again own a real Juno, simply because the 106 was the first analog synth I ever owned.. it succumbed to the notorious faulty voice card issue in 1993 and I sold it for I believe $350, thinking someone with the means to repair could give it a proper home... Also not knowing how much I would value that sound later on in life. But, at the moment any new gear is going to need to come in the form of a module and the System 8 scratches the Juno/Jupiter itch well enough. I think the wonky/noisy chorus of the Junos contributed to their signature sound more than any other aspect of the synth, but it's funny too how far that chorus was able to take a single oscillator.
Anyway back to System-8, Roland cloud etc. Since you have a year to try out all the cloud stuff, you might also want to try the drum machines. The TR-707 is one of my favorites... there is something about that UI that I do find inspiring. All of my percussion sound generation happens inside the box these days, simply because if I did it any other way, I would need to dedicate audio inputs to each sound of a drum machine output if I wanted full control (via mixer plugins) of each sound. Much easier to deal with if I leave the drums to plugins I think.
-
I did go for the Play 4 Life thingy. I created a symphonic patch on the Jupiter 4 that I've decided I can't live without. The longer I'm in music and the more gear I won/have owned, the more into simpleness I get. The Jupiter 4 plug-out is lovely, same with the Juno 60 plug-out. Basic and beautiful.
Agree, the simplicity of an instrument is becoming more important to me. It's like there is an inverse relationship between feature complexity and musical creativity -- adding more of one subtracts from the other. I'm a bit caught in the middle because I love both music and technology, but no doubt I make better music when I focus on what I'm doing with the sounds more than the gear I'm making them with.
There was a recent post today from Pym in the ProphetX forum addressing why Sequential designs are relatively spartan by design and geared toward the performer and not the technologist. I think it's that aspect of them that keeps them on top of everyone's wish list, I hope they keep doing what they're doing.
The Prophet 5 is the peak of perfect simplicity. Of course it's a complex creature and can cover a broad, satisfying range, sonically, but as an instrument, a hands-on thing to play and program, it's all pleasure and reward.
I mean, same for the Juno synths. But the trick for me with the Juno is that no matter how enjoyable it is to create sounds on and to play, it's always going to sit in its moment. It takes more work than worth to trick a Juno into sounding like it's something other. A Prophet 5 can lurk in the bushes, sounding unfamiliar if it wants.
I'm revamping my whole studio setup for the sake of simplicity. Obsessed as I am with synths, I'm finding that putting a few of them away in closets, flight cases and cupboards has been good for my cluttered brain. I love the Evolver, say, but in the last year I've only used it to process incoming drum machine sounds, and even then I've only used it like that a few times. My Dark Energy synth, love it as I do, has pretty much been on my desk to act as a MIDI-to-CV converter for the Pro One. Hell, I haven't even changed settings on the Pro One in a year - it's just "bass synth." The System 8 is now the CV controller for the Pro One while the DE and Evolver (and MS-20 and Drumtraks) all live on shelves in the basement. Absence = heart grow fonder etc! I'm pretty sentimental about my gear - I have to have a personal connection to my instruments in the first place - but I'm finding myself almost enjoying the regret I feel when I let certain things go. Now my Juno 6 - for sale, by the way (hint hint) - is a synth I adore, but I don't have a personal connection to its sound, as beautiful a sound as it is. It's the "peoples' synth," right? It's the sound of a moment, so me selling mine feels more like I've had my time with it but now it gets released back into the world for someone else to dig. The System 8 gives me that beautiful sound - without the Juno's tactile/aesthetic vibe - and that seems to be more what I need.
This has hardly been a "simple" reply - coffee must be kicking in!
Yes, it's simplicity of the Prophet 5/10 interface that holds its magic. Seemingly few buttons and knobs, yet so much possibility in the ranges of those controls.
Junos were never the most versatile synths -- but their ubiquity placed a soundprint on an era of music making that is increasingly valued, so "that Juno sound" holds a special place in many hearts. I would love to once again own a real Juno, simply because the 106 was the first analog synth I ever owned.. it succumbed to the notorious faulty voice card issue in 1993 and I sold it for I believe $350, thinking someone with the means to repair could give it a proper home... Also not knowing how much I would value that sound later on in life. But, at the moment any new gear is going to need to come in the form of a module and the System 8 scratches the Juno/Jupiter itch well enough. I think the wonky/noisy chorus of the Junos contributed to their signature sound more than any other aspect of the synth, but it's funny too how far that chorus was able to take a single oscillator.
Anyway back to System-8, Roland cloud etc. Since you have a year to try out all the cloud stuff, you might also want to try the drum machines. The TR-707 is one of my favorites... there is something about that UI that I do find inspiring. All of my percussion sound generation happens inside the box these days, simply because if I did it any other way, I would need to dedicate audio inputs to each sound of a drum machine output if I wanted full control (via mixer plugins) of each sound. Much easier to deal with if I leave the drums to plugins I think.
I have messed about a bit with the TR-707 plug. I sold my "actual real" 707 not long back - it was the second I owned. Love those machines, but again, I'm tending towards a very un-sexy pragmatism these days. I couldn't get the real machine to do much with MIDI, and all I was doing with it musically was either recording quick patterns to be looped later in Logic or loading its sounds into my Digitakt. I sold the 707 and bought the TR-6S, which I really like. But the plug version does have the vibe of the real thing. I'm fascinated by this! Like, I've been so tempted to buy the U-He plugs cos they "feel" like the Pro One/P5. And I already own each of those synths.
I recently did a session with a friend's band. I was playing Vox Continental and we were recording to 2" tape. Talk about a different world. No screen, and we'd go for complete takes. The time it took to rewind the reel felt like heaven. Part of me more and more craves "the real," and that part of me is sad to have let the TR-707 go, cos I love the TR-707 as a real, plastic thing. Before I sold it, I handed it to my wife and said, "Feel that... isn't the weight just perfect?" Sad to let it go, but thrilled to have the sounds and to be able to use those sounds in a way that suits my way of working these days. Thus, it's funny that, yeah, I dig the 707 plugin/out, even as I have my own 707 sounds sampled into my Digitakt AND have the great-sounding 707 vibe in the 6S. Whatever part of me it is that "craves the real" has a pretty blurry dictionary!
-
If you're into Vince Clark-era Depeche Mode, there's a nice collection just released for the Jupiter 4 engine by Francis Preve (great sound designer who has done many of the presets for Sequential, including the OBX8, as well as other big synth names).
I think he captured the essence of those sounds here quite well, all while craftily avoiding any copyright infringement to the Speak and Spell LP :)
https://rolandcloud.com/news/new-patch-collection-for-the-jupiter-4-software-sy
-
If you're into Vince Clark-era Depeche Mode, there's a nice collection just released for the Jupiter 4 engine by Francis Preve (great sound designer who has done many of the presets for Sequential, including the OBX8, as well as other big synth names).
I think he captured the essence of those sounds here quite well, all while craftily avoiding any copyright infringement to the Speak and Spell LP :)
https://rolandcloud.com/news/new-patch-collection-for-the-jupiter-4-software-sy
That's the only DM album I ever owned. They went too dark and too digital too quickly for my dainty teenage head. I'm not generally a sound-bank guy, but I'm curious how it works with the Roland Cloud... are the sound banks part of the membership deal?
A scary side note about the System 8 is that I don't even mind the hideous green anymore. Glad to know it can be turned off, but I find the lights useful when moving between plug-out synths.
Now, joining up the idea of "too dark and too digital" with DM again, I'm spending loads of time with the System 8's own synth engine, conjuring up all manner of "dark, digital" tones, enjoying sounds I don't even like, if that makes sense.
-
If you're into Vince Clark-era Depeche Mode, there's a nice collection just released for the Jupiter 4 engine by Francis Preve (great sound designer who has done many of the presets for Sequential, including the OBX8, as well as other big synth names).
I think he captured the essence of those sounds here quite well, all while craftily avoiding any copyright infringement to the Speak and Spell LP :)
https://rolandcloud.com/news/new-patch-collection-for-the-jupiter-4-software-sy
That's the only DM album I ever owned. They went too dark and too digital too quickly for my dainty teenage head. I'm not generally a sound-bank guy, but I'm curious how it works with the Roland Cloud... are the sound banks part of the membership deal?
A scary side note about the System 8 is that I don't even mind the hideous green anymore. Glad to know it can be turned off, but I find the lights useful when moving between plug-out synths.
Now, joining up the idea of "too dark and too digital" with DM again, I'm spending loads of time with the System 8's own synth engine, conjuring up all manner of "dark, digital" tones, enjoying sounds I don't even like, if that makes sense.
Yes, if you have a Pro or Ultimate membership (I'm assuming you do if since you got the play 4 life deal), you have access to all the sound banks for all the legendary instruments. So you just install the sound packs using the Roland cloud app and they show up in the plugin banks. Then you send specific banks from the plugin to the pretty much the same way you sent the Jupiter 4 engine to the synth.
If you ever let your membership expire, you can still purchase the banks (I think they cost about $20 each). The good thing about holding a membership for a while is it gives you a chance to try it all, then you have the option of just buying the bits you really want if ongoing subscription doesn't appeal to you.
Although, and I haven't really thought through the logistics of this and I'm more or less thinking aloud here, but I guess once the patches are on the synth there is nothing to stop someone from saving them to SD card for later use independent of cloud membership? I'm fairly sure they've thought that possibility through and don't prohibit it. One of the benfits of owning their hardware.
-
I was watching a review of this synth yesterday and it was stated that it only has 64 user patch slots per engine, is this true? If so, is it a problem in real life?
-
I was watching a review of this synth yesterday and it was stated that it only has 64 user patch slots per engine, is this true? If so, is it a problem in real life?
It's true, but not a problem. First because you have four plugouts each with a bank of 64, so that's 256 patches loaded in the synth at once, second because it's easy to swap engines and banks as long as you're connected to the computer.
-
New Jupiter 4 soundbank just dropped, includes a few drum patches.
https://rolandcloud.com/news/space-drive-patch-collection-now-available
-
If you're into Vince Clark-era Depeche Mode, there's a nice collection just released for the Jupiter 4 engine by Francis Preve (great sound designer who has done many of the presets for Sequential, including the OBX8, as well as other big synth names).
I think he captured the essence of those sounds here quite well, all while craftily avoiding any copyright infringement to the Speak and Spell LP :)
https://rolandcloud.com/news/new-patch-collection-for-the-jupiter-4-software-sy
That's the only DM album I ever owned. They went too dark and too digital too quickly for my dainty teenage head. I'm not generally a sound-bank guy, but I'm curious how it works with the Roland Cloud... are the sound banks part of the membership deal?
A scary side note about the System 8 is that I don't even mind the hideous green anymore. Glad to know it can be turned off, but I find the lights useful when moving between plug-out synths.
Now, joining up the idea of "too dark and too digital" with DM again, I'm spending loads of time with the System 8's own synth engine, conjuring up all manner of "dark, digital" tones, enjoying sounds I don't even like, if that makes sense.
Yes, if you have a Pro or Ultimate membership (I'm assuming you do if since you got the play 4 life deal), you have access to all the sound banks for all the legendary instruments. So you just install the sound packs using the Roland cloud app and they show up in the plugin banks. Then you send specific banks from the plugin to the pretty much the same way you sent the Jupiter 4 engine to the synth.
If you ever let your membership expire, you can still purchase the banks (I think they cost about $20 each). The good thing about holding a membership for a while is it gives you a chance to try it all, then you have the option of just buying the bits you really want if ongoing subscription doesn't appeal to you.
Although, and I haven't really thought through the logistics of this and I'm more or less thinking aloud here, but I guess once the patches are on the synth there is nothing to stop someone from saving them to SD card for later use independent of cloud membership? I'm fairly sure they've thought that possibility through and don't prohibit it. One of the benfits of owning their hardware.
I did go for a one-year Cloud membership, specifically so I could buy - for life - the Juno 60 plug-out for the System 8. So, that's mine now, but I also have the Jupiter 4 plug-out installed. Roland's latest discount period ends soon, and I'm thinking of another year of Cloud so's to buy the JP4 outright. But... if it already lives inside my System 8 and I don't re-install the factory synth (JX-3P) in that slot, the JP4 won't suddenly turn to pumpkin dust if I let my Cloud membership lapse, right?
-
If you're into Vince Clark-era Depeche Mode, there's a nice collection just released for the Jupiter 4 engine by Francis Preve (great sound designer who has done many of the presets for Sequential, including the OBX8, as well as other big synth names).
I think he captured the essence of those sounds here quite well, all while craftily avoiding any copyright infringement to the Speak and Spell LP :)
https://rolandcloud.com/news/new-patch-collection-for-the-jupiter-4-software-sy
That's the only DM album I ever owned. They went too dark and too digital too quickly for my dainty teenage head. I'm not generally a sound-bank guy, but I'm curious how it works with the Roland Cloud... are the sound banks part of the membership deal?
A scary side note about the System 8 is that I don't even mind the hideous green anymore. Glad to know it can be turned off, but I find the lights useful when moving between plug-out synths.
Now, joining up the idea of "too dark and too digital" with DM again, I'm spending loads of time with the System 8's own synth engine, conjuring up all manner of "dark, digital" tones, enjoying sounds I don't even like, if that makes sense.
Yes, if you have a Pro or Ultimate membership (I'm assuming you do if since you got the play 4 life deal), you have access to all the sound banks for all the legendary instruments. So you just install the sound packs using the Roland cloud app and they show up in the plugin banks. Then you send specific banks from the plugin to the pretty much the same way you sent the Jupiter 4 engine to the synth.
If you ever let your membership expire, you can still purchase the banks (I think they cost about $20 each). The good thing about holding a membership for a while is it gives you a chance to try it all, then you have the option of just buying the bits you really want if ongoing subscription doesn't appeal to you.
Although, and I haven't really thought through the logistics of this and I'm more or less thinking aloud here, but I guess once the patches are on the synth there is nothing to stop someone from saving them to SD card for later use independent of cloud membership? I'm fairly sure they've thought that possibility through and don't prohibit it. One of the benfits of owning their hardware.
I did go for a one-year Cloud membership, specifically so I could buy - for life - the Juno 60 plug-out for the System 8. So, that's mine now, but I also have the Jupiter 4 plug-out installed. Roland's latest discount period ends soon, and I'm thinking of another year of Cloud so's to buy the JP4 outright. But... if it already lives inside my System 8 and I don't re-install the factory synth (JX-3P) in that slot, the JP4 won't suddenly turn to pumpkin dust if I let my Cloud membership lapse, right?
If you let your cloud membership expire and a plugout is loaded on the hardware, there is nothing to the best of my knowledge that could or would ever uninstall or disable it on the hardware. One of the things that would be forgone is the patch bank flexibility, for example being able to load the JP4 or Juno into all three slots to get 192 total patches / multiple banks, or be able to try new plugouts as they emerge (probably only a matter of time before they release a Jupiter 6 engine).
Recently I loaded up the SH-2 engine just to auto-sample some of the bass sounds into my Akai MPC Live2. Since I probably would have never purchased the SH-2 plugout directly, being able to quickly send that to the synth, sample and then send new banks for same plugout to the synth was a case where I was glad to have the subscription, just to have that flexibility... this combined with the forever-license to the plugout makes the annual subscription worth it to me. I now have multiple lifetime plugout licenses, so with enough renewals (at least when play4life is offered, they don't offer it every year), the lifetime licenses that are acquired really make it pay for itself, especially for owners of the System8 hardware where some of the plugouts sound better than running in a DAW host.
-
If you're into Vince Clark-era Depeche Mode, there's a nice collection just released for the Jupiter 4 engine by Francis Preve (great sound designer who has done many of the presets for Sequential, including the OBX8, as well as other big synth names).
I think he captured the essence of those sounds here quite well, all while craftily avoiding any copyright infringement to the Speak and Spell LP :)
https://rolandcloud.com/news/new-patch-collection-for-the-jupiter-4-software-sy
That's the only DM album I ever owned. They went too dark and too digital too quickly for my dainty teenage head. I'm not generally a sound-bank guy, but I'm curious how it works with the Roland Cloud... are the sound banks part of the membership deal?
A scary side note about the System 8 is that I don't even mind the hideous green anymore. Glad to know it can be turned off, but I find the lights useful when moving between plug-out synths.
Now, joining up the idea of "too dark and too digital" with DM again, I'm spending loads of time with the System 8's own synth engine, conjuring up all manner of "dark, digital" tones, enjoying sounds I don't even like, if that makes sense.
Yes, if you have a Pro or Ultimate membership (I'm assuming you do if since you got the play 4 life deal), you have access to all the sound banks for all the legendary instruments. So you just install the sound packs using the Roland cloud app and they show up in the plugin banks. Then you send specific banks from the plugin to the pretty much the same way you sent the Jupiter 4 engine to the synth.
If you ever let your membership expire, you can still purchase the banks (I think they cost about $20 each). The good thing about holding a membership for a while is it gives you a chance to try it all, then you have the option of just buying the bits you really want if ongoing subscription doesn't appeal to you.
Although, and I haven't really thought through the logistics of this and I'm more or less thinking aloud here, but I guess once the patches are on the synth there is nothing to stop someone from saving them to SD card for later use independent of cloud membership? I'm fairly sure they've thought that possibility through and don't prohibit it. One of the benfits of owning their hardware.
I did go for a one-year Cloud membership, specifically so I could buy - for life - the Juno 60 plug-out for the System 8. So, that's mine now, but I also have the Jupiter 4 plug-out installed. Roland's latest discount period ends soon, and I'm thinking of another year of Cloud so's to buy the JP4 outright. But... if it already lives inside my System 8 and I don't re-install the factory synth (JX-3P) in that slot, the JP4 won't suddenly turn to pumpkin dust if I let my Cloud membership lapse, right?
If you let your cloud membership expire and a plugout is loaded on the hardware, there is nothing to the best of my knowledge that could or would ever uninstall or disable it on the hardware. One of the things that would be forgone is the patch bank flexibility, for example being able to load the JP4 or Juno into all three slots to get 192 total patches / multiple banks, or be able to try new plugouts as they emerge (probably only a matter of time before they release a Jupiter 6 engine).
Recently I loaded up the SH-2 engine just to auto-sample some of the bass sounds into my Akai MPC Live2. Since I probably would have never purchased the SH-2 plugout directly, being able to quickly send that to the synth, sample and then send new banks for same plugout to the synth was a case where I was glad to have the subscription, just to have that flexibility... this combined with the forever-license to the plugout makes the annual subscription worth it to me. I now have multiple lifetime plugout licenses, so with enough renewals (at least when play4life is offered, they don't offer it every year), the lifetime licenses that are acquired really make it pay for itself, especially for owners of the System8 hardware where some of the plugouts sound better than running in a DAW host.
Thanks for the info! I don't use the various Roland Cloud synths within my computer very often, cos they do indeed have problems. That said, while it's fun for a few minutes to play with the D-50 (I had one back when and liked it almost more for its physicalness than for its sound/s), it's the Zenology engine that I've spent most time with now. Lots of very useable sounds to pick from. Back to the System 8, I don't actually worry much about patch storage. It's much more likely I'll fill up my Prophet 5's memory banks before I tap out the System 8. Maybe that's partly because I bought it to replace my Juno 6, which of course had no patch memory. Such a simple synth, and so easy to conjure a tone as needed. I'm that way with the System 8, although the synth's own "house" engine isn't simple. That's where the patch memory is starting to fill up.
-
Thanks for the info! I don't use the various Roland Cloud synths within my computer very often, cos they do indeed have problems. That said, while it's fun for a few minutes to play with the D-50 (I had one back when and liked it almost more for its physicalness than for its sound/s), it's the Zenology engine that I've spent most time with now. Lots of very useable sounds to pick from. Back to the System 8, I don't actually worry much about patch storage. It's much more likely I'll fill up my Prophet 5's memory banks before I tap out the System 8. Maybe that's partly because I bought it to replace my Juno 6, which of course had no patch memory. Such a simple synth, and so easy to conjure a tone as needed. I'm that way with the System 8, although the synth's own "house" engine isn't simple. That's where the patch memory is starting to fill up.
Yes, most of the plugouts are very CPU hungry, that's more than likely the issue you're encountering on the computer and why Zenology works better -- the analog modeling of the Zen stuff is meant to be more efficient, trading off some of the sonic authenticity. The ACB stuff (like the Jupiter 4, Junos, JX3P etc) modeling is so good that compared to the sound of the originals it is mostly indistinguishable...but they are rough on the CPU. This actually is the whole reason I got a System-8, it moves the processing off to dedicated hardware that can handle 8 voices in a mix without issue.
Some of the Zencore based synths like the Juno X and Jupiter X are nice in their overall feature set, user experience, polyphony and multi-timbrality, but it seems like general consensus is that for raw sound quality, ACB wins.
I recently also got a JU-06A for my compact travel setup. You can switch between Juno 60 and 106 engines. It's only 4 voices but has the impressive ACB sound, and is USB powered (so I can just plug it into one of the spare ports on my MPC and run straight off battery). The other benefit is the design does justice to the original Junos, so programming it is nice.
The ACB boutique synths will never replace my studio gear, but when the need for compactness is there, they are a welcome (and cost effective) solution. 4 voices is actually good enough for my travel kit and the CPU offload benefit mentioned above also applies to the Akai when playing pads/strings etc.
-
The recent updates to the Jupiter 4, Jupiter 8, and Juno 106 plugouts inspired me to fire up the System 8 over the last couple of days. The new Circuit Mod (basically the vintage knob functionality, which the JP4 already had and the JP8 and Juno106 now have as well) is very well implemented, there is an nice range of sound variation within the turn of the knob (color knob under osc3), and you can hear a convincing re-enactment of the tuning/envelopes taking on a mind of their own as you progressively increase the value, and depending on amount applied and the sound played, the results can range from amazing to amusing.
But something occurred to me as I was playing the System 8. Yes, the build quality, while not horrible, feels a bit cheap compared to most* other instruments I own....yet, the sound makes it worthwhile. Not only are the onboard effects very nice and usable, but when I run it through other FX (giving it a fair battle against some of my other gear), the versatility really shines. For all their faults, Roland has a way of inserting little acts of brilliance, like the tone knob on their synths. EQ is massively important in the big scheme of things, and being able to quickly tweak that on a knob before the signal comes out of the synth sometimes makes all the difference in getting the right sound in a mix fast.
So, yeah. This I guess is how Roland gets you in the end. The cloud updates inspire you to rediscover the gear you already have, and I think that may be a good thing. Like probably untold thousands, I do wish they would come out with a System 8 MkII (or whatever), with proper build quality/design/musical feel, more plugout slots (critical since these are essentially like patch banks), selectable-color lighting (for those that don't own one of these, the presence of so much light around the knobs actually becomes an important feature, as it shows active function per plugin...thus, it's not like they have the option to eliminate knob lights and go for more vintage look).
The Jupiter 4 plugout remains my favorite System8 synth engine. I've never owned or played an actual JP4 to compare, but there is something about the factory presets -- they are so basic, yet such great raw materials for crafting new sounds. You can hear their pedigree all over early synth music, yet it's easy to turn them into your own thing. There's a good reason the JP4 was so popular.
Like most Roland gear, it's a "find the sweet spots and you'll be rewarded" situation. Some synths sound great no matter what you do, and that can be a blessing and a curse, because it sort of desensitizes you to the difference between amazing and mediocre. Roland synths (or at least I should say their modern VA synths since I haven't owned an actual Roland analog since the 90s) seem to want to put the ear out of its comfort zone a little... sort of like the old saying that uncomfortable situations force the brain to make dopamine, so that when you do hit a sweet spot you immediately know you're where you need to be? Different tools for different jobs, as I see it.
*except maybe the JP-8080, which simultaneously has the most durable tank-like chassis and yet the cheapest-feeling knobs and sliders ever to make it into a desktop synth, it's like a build quality dichotomy where they (seemingly intentionally) went to two extremes in one unit. What's going on Roland?
-
If the System 8 hadn’t looked so green and bright and if it had a better keybed with aftertouch I would definitely have bought this when it first came out as I liked the sound it made and the concept. I would also like to see a mk2 version come out :)
-
If the System 8 hadn’t looked so green and bright and if it had a better keybed with aftertouch I would definitely have bought this when it first came out as I liked the sound it made and the concept. I would also like to see a mk2 version come out :)
Whenever I see a spate of updates like the recent ones, it makes me wonder if it is in preparation for a new hardware release, so maybe we'll see one soon.
-
If the System 8 hadn’t looked so green and bright and if it had a better keybed with aftertouch I would definitely have bought this when it first came out as I liked the sound it made and the concept. I would also like to see a mk2 version come out :)
Whenever I see a spate of updates like the recent ones, it makes me wonder if it is in preparation for a new hardware release, so maybe we'll see one soon.
It’s possible. I actually like the green as it would compliment the red LEDs on my Prophet 6. Personally I have no interest in the analog emulation plug outs but the actual System 8 engine and it’s unique sound and unique filters, especially with the FM oscillators and sideband and formant filters...but I would like to see a new System 8 or System 10 or whatever with FM, Wavetable and PCM oscillator variations.
-
I've enjoyed having a System 8 for a while. I don't love it on a soul-level like I do something like the Prophet 5 or the Yamaha CP. I do like the ACB buzz... it IS the sound of the classics it emulates. And its own synth engine is great - dirty or pretty, weird or plain. The extras like the sequencer, which syncs easy with my TR-6S, and the CV ins/outs, are good to have.
I don't have funds or space to buy something fresh without letting something else go, and the Roland is the one synth I'd be able to say goodbye to without tears. But - and this is where y'all come in - what's out there that would thrill me? I have a P5, P6, Prologue and a nice handful of mono synths, so I'm leaning digital, but only sorta. The Hydrasynth gets rave reviews and it's probably make for a straight trade for the Roland or even score me a couple hundred free dollars.
Notions, anybody?
P.S. - I always keep local live performance in mind when looking at poly synths, but realistically, I've taken the Prologue out once in 5 years. I've got a beater XP-10 if I need basic keys on stage. Otherwise, I just play guitar or pick venues with a piano ready.
-
Notions, anybody?
Keep the Sys8, sell the P6, get an OpSix.
-
Notions, anybody?
Keep the Sys8, sell the P6, get an OpSix.
I'm not interested in selling the P6. And the OpSix is an FM-thingy, yeah, which the System 8 already covers as much as I need. I mean, I've had two DX7s and FM isn't much my thing.
Still, curious about your take... can you flesh it out a bit?
-
Notions, anybody?
Keep the Sys8, sell the P6, get an OpSix.
Still, curious about your take... can you flesh it out a bit?
After a response like yours? No.
-
Notions, anybody?
Keep the Sys8, sell the P6, get an OpSix.
Still, curious about your take... can you flesh it out a bit?
After a response like yours? No.
I just didn't quite make sense of your response... I was asking more about alternatives to the System 8, the synth I'm considering selling. I didn't suggest I wanted to sell the P6, and your idea of doubling up on FM was puzzling. Maybe there's something more to the OpSix than I'm aware of etc...
-
I've enjoyed having a System 8 for a while. I don't love it on a soul-level like I do something like the Prophet 5 or the Yamaha CP. I do like the ACB buzz... it IS the sound of the classics it emulates. And its own synth engine is great - dirty or pretty, weird or plain. The extras like the sequencer, which syncs easy with my TR-6S, and the CV ins/outs, are good to have.
I don't have funds or space to buy something fresh without letting something else go, and the Roland is the one synth I'd be able to say goodbye to without tears. But - and this is where y'all come in - what's out there that would thrill me? I have a P5, P6, Prologue and a nice handful of mono synths, so I'm leaning digital, but only sorta. The Hydrasynth gets rave reviews and it's probably make for a straight trade for the Roland or even score me a couple hundred free dollars.
Notions, anybody?
P.S. - I always keep local live performance in mind when looking at poly synths, but realistically, I've taken the Prologue out once in 5 years. I've got a beater XP-10 if I need basic keys on stage. Otherwise, I just play guitar or pick venues with a piano ready.
One synth I've always been interested in is the Super 6. Maybe an Iridium.
I plan to hold onto my System 8 though.
-
I've enjoyed having a System 8 for a while. I don't love it on a soul-level like I do something like the Prophet 5 or the Yamaha CP. I do like the ACB buzz... it IS the sound of the classics it emulates. And its own synth engine is great - dirty or pretty, weird or plain. The extras like the sequencer, which syncs easy with my TR-6S, and the CV ins/outs, are good to have.
I don't have funds or space to buy something fresh without letting something else go, and the Roland is the one synth I'd be able to say goodbye to without tears. But - and this is where y'all come in - what's out there that would thrill me? I have a P5, P6, Prologue and a nice handful of mono synths, so I'm leaning digital, but only sorta. The Hydrasynth gets rave reviews and it's probably make for a straight trade for the Roland or even score me a couple hundred free dollars.
Notions, anybody?
P.S. - I always keep local live performance in mind when looking at poly synths, but realistically, I've taken the Prologue out once in 5 years. I've got a beater XP-10 if I need basic keys on stage. Otherwise, I just play guitar or pick venues with a piano ready.
One synth I've always been interested in is the Super 6. Maybe an Iridium.
I plan to hold onto my System 8 though.
There are just so many groovy units out there these days. I'd forgotten about the Super 6. I'm not sure what I even want from something like Hydrasynth or Super 6. Maybe I just want something "other" that does things my analogs don't do. But I still want a familiar-ish flight path for take offs and landings...
I'm spending extra time with the System 8, doing that "maybe I shouldn't sell it" dance. In a way, I might appreciate it more on its own. In a room full of other synths, it's a bit the odd dog.
-
I've enjoyed having a System 8 for a while. I don't love it on a soul-level like I do something like the Prophet 5 or the Yamaha CP. I do like the ACB buzz... it IS the sound of the classics it emulates. And its own synth engine is great - dirty or pretty, weird or plain. The extras like the sequencer, which syncs easy with my TR-6S, and the CV ins/outs, are good to have.
I don't have funds or space to buy something fresh without letting something else go, and the Roland is the one synth I'd be able to say goodbye to without tears. But - and this is where y'all come in - what's out there that would thrill me? I have a P5, P6, Prologue and a nice handful of mono synths, so I'm leaning digital, but only sorta. The Hydrasynth gets rave reviews and it's probably make for a straight trade for the Roland or even score me a couple hundred free dollars.
Notions, anybody?
P.S. - I always keep local live performance in mind when looking at poly synths, but realistically, I've taken the Prologue out once in 5 years. I've got a beater XP-10 if I need basic keys on stage. Otherwise, I just play guitar or pick venues with a piano ready.
One synth I've always been interested in is the Super 6. Maybe an Iridium.
I plan to hold onto my System 8 though.
There are just so many groovy units out there these days. I'd forgotten about the Super 6. I'm not sure what I even want from something like Hydrasynth or Super 6. Maybe I just want something "other" that does things my analogs don't do. But I still want a familiar-ish flight path for take offs and landings...
I'm spending extra time with the System 8, doing that "maybe I shouldn't sell it" dance. In a way, I might appreciate it more on its own. In a room full of other synths, it's a bit the odd dog.
One aspect of the Super 6 that has always given me pause is the lack of any sort of display, and also because I can't necessarily find a hole in my gear lineup that the Super 6 would specifically fulfill. It's no doubt a great synth, but everything I buy these days has a very specific intended role, and I haven't been able to identify that yet in the Super 6.
I find the System 8 kind of hard to let go simply because none of my other hardware covers the vintage Roland sound so specifically and thoroughly (i.e. not just Juno, but also JP-4, JX3P etc) in a single unit. Also I don't think Roland is done yet with new plugouts... a Jupiter 6 plugout seems imminent IMHO.
The above summarizes what drives all my buying decisions -- there needs to be some identifiable gap in my gear lineup that I want to fill.
-
I've enjoyed having a System 8 for a while. I don't love it on a soul-level like I do something like the Prophet 5 or the Yamaha CP. I do like the ACB buzz... it IS the sound of the classics it emulates. And its own synth engine is great - dirty or pretty, weird or plain. The extras like the sequencer, which syncs easy with my TR-6S, and the CV ins/outs, are good to have.
I don't have funds or space to buy something fresh without letting something else go, and the Roland is the one synth I'd be able to say goodbye to without tears. But - and this is where y'all come in - what's out there that would thrill me? I have a P5, P6, Prologue and a nice handful of mono synths, so I'm leaning digital, but only sorta. The Hydrasynth gets rave reviews and it's probably make for a straight trade for the Roland or even score me a couple hundred free dollars.
Notions, anybody?
P.S. - I always keep local live performance in mind when looking at poly synths, but realistically, I've taken the Prologue out once in 5 years. I've got a beater XP-10 if I need basic keys on stage. Otherwise, I just play guitar or pick venues with a piano ready.
One synth I've always been interested in is the Super 6. Maybe an Iridium.
I plan to hold onto my System 8 though.
There are just so many groovy units out there these days. I'd forgotten about the Super 6. I'm not sure what I even want from something like Hydrasynth or Super 6. Maybe I just want something "other" that does things my analogs don't do. But I still want a familiar-ish flight path for take offs and landings...
I'm spending extra time with the System 8, doing that "maybe I shouldn't sell it" dance. In a way, I might appreciate it more on its own. In a room full of other synths, it's a bit the odd dog.
One aspect of the Super 6 that has always given me pause is the lack of any sort of display, and also because I can't necessarily find a hole in my gear lineup that the Super 6 would specifically fulfill. It's no doubt a great synth, but everything I buy these days has a very specific intended role, and I haven't been able to identify that yet in the Super 6.
I find the System 8 kind of hard to let go simply because none of my other hardware covers the vintage Roland sound so specifically and thoroughly (i.e. not just Juno, but also JP-4, JX3P etc) in a single unit. Also I don't think Roland is done yet with new plugouts... a Jupiter 6 plugout seems imminent IMHO.
The above summarizes what drives all my buying decisions -- there needs to be some identifiable gap in my gear lineup that I want to fill.
In a way, maybe I'm looking for the UNidentifiable gap, that magic synth of vague mystery. My wife and I have a Lyra. That's a creature that I've little interest in "learning." I can make all sorts of music with it that I like, and I can tame it enough for "practical purposes," but it's the wildness of it that's so thrilling. I'm trying to picture a poly synth that has a wildness or a weirdness to it. To that end, the System 8 does serve, can't be denied. I think I'm just not so thrilled with its layout/design etc. I don't get lost in it, I just kinda get lost, if that makes sense...
-
I've enjoyed having a System 8 for a while. I don't love it on a soul-level like I do something like the Prophet 5 or the Yamaha CP. I do like the ACB buzz... it IS the sound of the classics it emulates. And its own synth engine is great - dirty or pretty, weird or plain. The extras like the sequencer, which syncs easy with my TR-6S, and the CV ins/outs, are good to have.
I don't have funds or space to buy something fresh without letting something else go, and the Roland is the one synth I'd be able to say goodbye to without tears. But - and this is where y'all come in - what's out there that would thrill me? I have a P5, P6, Prologue and a nice handful of mono synths, so I'm leaning digital, but only sorta. The Hydrasynth gets rave reviews and it's probably make for a straight trade for the Roland or even score me a couple hundred free dollars.
Notions, anybody?
P.S. - I always keep local live performance in mind when looking at poly synths, but realistically, I've taken the Prologue out once in 5 years. I've got a beater XP-10 if I need basic keys on stage. Otherwise, I just play guitar or pick venues with a piano ready.
One synth I've always been interested in is the Super 6. Maybe an Iridium.
I plan to hold onto my System 8 though.
There are just so many groovy units out there these days. I'd forgotten about the Super 6. I'm not sure what I even want from something like Hydrasynth or Super 6. Maybe I just want something "other" that does things my analogs don't do. But I still want a familiar-ish flight path for take offs and landings...
I'm spending extra time with the System 8, doing that "maybe I shouldn't sell it" dance. In a way, I might appreciate it more on its own. In a room full of other synths, it's a bit the odd dog.
One aspect of the Super 6 that has always given me pause is the lack of any sort of display, and also because I can't necessarily find a hole in my gear lineup that the Super 6 would specifically fulfill. It's no doubt a great synth, but everything I buy these days has a very specific intended role, and I haven't been able to identify that yet in the Super 6.
I find the System 8 kind of hard to let go simply because none of my other hardware covers the vintage Roland sound so specifically and thoroughly (i.e. not just Juno, but also JP-4, JX3P etc) in a single unit. Also I don't think Roland is done yet with new plugouts... a Jupiter 6 plugout seems imminent IMHO.
The above summarizes what drives all my buying decisions -- there needs to be some identifiable gap in my gear lineup that I want to fill.
In a way, maybe I'm looking for the UNidentifiable gap, that magic synth of vague mystery. My wife and I have a Lyra. That's a creature that I've little interest in "learning." I can make all sorts of music with it that I like, and I can tame it enough for "practical purposes," but it's the wildness of it that's so thrilling. I'm trying to picture a poly synth that has a wildness or a weirdness to it. To that end, the System 8 does serve, can't be denied. I think I'm just not so thrilled with its layout/design etc. I don't get lost in it, I just kinda get lost, if that makes sense...
Hmm.. Esoteric synths are typically outside of the range of products I look at, so maybe others can chime in on suggestions there. I will say the Hydrasynth is quite deep as a sound design tool, so while as a synth overall I'm not sure there's anything too wild or weird about it by default, but it can certainly go into weird territory (and any synth with a "Random" button sort of hints that it has a wild side).
-
I got the Super 6 for really only one reason...sound. It just sounded glorious to me, and in person, it doesn't disappoint. Not sure that it's niche is really more than that. I mean, the interface and such is a little awkward to me, but that's because I only use it sporadically. It's not great for storing/recalling tons of patches like a Hydrasynth. But if I want to start from a basic patch and make a great smooth pad or fm keys, it fits the bill. For me, it's like the drummer who has several snare drums...this ones good for that type room, and that ones good for this studio set...that type thing. It's really good at a niche- which I'd call big sound.
-
I got the Super 6 for really only one reason...sound. It just sounded glorious to me, and in person, it doesn't disappoint. Not sure that it's niche is really more than that. I mean, the interface and such is a little awkward to me, but that's because I only use it sporadically. It's not great for storing/recalling tons of patches like a Hydrasynth. But if I want to start from a basic patch and make a great smooth pad or fm keys, it fits the bill. For me, it's like the drummer who has several snare drums...this ones good for that type room, and that ones good for this studio set...that type thing. It's really good at a niche- which I'd call big sound.
The Super 6 is intriguing, but *fortunately* is beyond my budget! I'll be back in Berlin next month and will head over to JustMusic. I'll sniff through what else they've got...
As often is the case when I put up a "Thinking of selling..." post, I end up tricking myself into keeping what I've got. I do like, though, having one or two instruments that I'm ambivalent about. These are the instruments that keep possibility in play.
-
The Super 6 is intriguing, but *fortunately* is beyond my budget! I'll be back in Berlin next month and will head over to JustMusic. I'll sniff through what else they've got...
As often is the case when I put up a "Thinking of selling..." post, I end up tricking myself into keeping what I've got. I do like, though, having one or two instruments that I'm ambivalent about. These are the instruments that keep possibility in play.
Ideas for revitilizing interest in gear you already have:
- Shop around for soundbanks for synths you own created by others. The value of another set of ears cannot be overstated... sometimes you have these moments of realization where you never knew the synth you used regularly had the ability to even sound like that. We get into patterns in our own sound design that can bore us after a while, until there is a shake up. Hearing someone else's work or using it as a starting point for new sounds can be inspiring.
- Consider adding pedals/outboard FX/even plugins...ones you already have or new ones, as a way to drastically alter the sounds of a synth you're already well familiar with. For example I have a Boss EQ 200 on my Prophet 10 right now, it sounds like a different instrument depending on the settings.
- Layer synths in various combinations, like digital transients from FM synths or even plugins combined with analog tones
- Try randomization or generative methods of sound design... for example the Soundtower and Codeknobs editors allow various sound munging options like morph, genetic offspring etc. where you can combine one patch with another, generate lots of possibilities quickly and select the best of.
One thing about GAS is that it is fueled more by the fact that we are prone to fall into creation patterns.. This is one reason we read so many talking about regrets they have of synths they've sold and later wished they'd kept. Learning ways to break out of those patterns can create the same new inspiration we would get from newly acquired gear. For example, shelving existing gear instead of selling it, and sticking to only 1-3 instruments at a time. Then 2 years later getting the old gear out and rediscovering it.
I'm especially reluctant to get rid of my System-8 because:
1) I think more interesting plugouts will surface later... Jupiter 6 anyone?
2) There isn't a better solution right now that I'm aware of to capturing the vintage Roland sound of so many synths in a single hardware interface
3) In some cases it sounds substantially better than the cloud plugins
4) To my ears it sounds better than the Zenology synths like JupiterX and JunoX
5) The whole cloud subscription thing actually provides motivation for Roland to invest in future engines for it... a lot of companies talk the talk about future expandability, but the software-as-a-service does seem to work better for this than the other business models that attempt same, or promise future expandability as a dangled-carrot selling point, but never deliver on the promise or at least disappoint when they do. That hasn't been the case with System-8 updates
-
The Super 6 is intriguing, but *fortunately* is beyond my budget! I'll be back in Berlin next month and will head over to JustMusic. I'll sniff through what else they've got...
As often is the case when I put up a "Thinking of selling..." post, I end up tricking myself into keeping what I've got. I do like, though, having one or two instruments that I'm ambivalent about. These are the instruments that keep possibility in play.
Ideas for revitilizing interest in gear you already have:
- Shop around for soundbanks for synths you own created by others. The value of another set of ears cannot be overstated... sometimes you have these moments of realization where you never knew the synth you used regularly had the ability to even sound like that. We get into patterns in our own sound design that can bore us after a while, until there is a shake up. Hearing someone else's work or using it as a starting point for new sounds can be inspiring.
- Consider adding pedals/outboard FX/even plugins...ones you already have or new ones, as a way to drastically alter the sounds of a synth you're already well familiar with. For example I have a Boss EQ 200 on my Prophet 10 right now, it sounds like a different instrument depending on the settings.
- Layer synths in various combinations, like digital transients from FM synths or even plugins combined with analog tones
- Try randomization or generative methods of sound design... for example the Soundtower and Codeknobs editors allow various sound munging options like morph, genetic offspring etc. where you can combine one patch with another, generate lots of possibilities quickly and select the best of.
One thing about GAS is that it is fueled more by the fact that we are prone to fall into creation patterns.. This is one reason we read so many talking about regrets they have of synths they've sold and later wished they'd kept. Learning ways to break out of those patterns can create the same new inspiration we would get from newly acquired gear. For example, shelving existing gear instead of selling it, and sticking to only 1-3 instruments at a time. Then 2 years later getting the old gear out and rediscovering it.
I'm especially reluctant to get rid of my System-8 because:
1) I think more interesting plugouts will surface later... Jupiter 6 anyone?
2) There isn't a better solution right now that I'm aware of to capturing the vintage Roland sound of so many synths in a single hardware interface
3) In some cases it sounds substantially better than the cloud plugins
4) To my ears it sounds better than the Zenology synths like JupiterX and JunoX
5) The whole cloud subscription thing actually provides motivation for Roland to invest in future engines for it... a lot of companies talk the talk about future expandability, but the software-as-a-service does seem to work better for this than the other business models that attempt same, or promise future expandability as a dangled-carrot selling point, but never deliver on the promise or at least disappoint when they do. That hasn't been the case with System-8 updates
All good advice. I really like that you mentioned layering instruments. That process creates so many happy accidents. I think I'm finally done with what has been several years of GAS phase. Short of quitting my job I really don't have the time to fully use what I have, yet I have no intention to sell anything either. Shelfing it for a while makes more sense. Though I do confront myself with that notion occasionally, whereas if I had to sell on one the keyboard polys, what would it be? Probably a toss up between the Summit and UDO. I don't regret either purchase. Honestly, I just like the ole DSI design for user interface- i.e. P12, PEK. There's something to be said with having that familiar comfort with your instrument. Ever see Willie Nelsons acoustic guitar with the wear hole in it ;)
-
Honestly, I just like the ole DSI design for user interface- i.e. P12, PEK. There's something to be said with having that familiar comfort with your instrument. Ever see Willie Nelsons acoustic guitar with the wear hole in it ;)
The intuitiveness/usability/immediacy of all my DSI/Sequential/OB gear (whether newer or old DSI UI) is one of the reasons they always get the most use, and probably none of the gear I have now under those brands is ever likely to be sold.
-
Yes, a solid dose of great suggestions. I admit I've been synthing so long that I don't really aim for new tricks with my old dogs. I just want/need things to charm me on command and help me conjure appealing and/or disturbing sounds! I play more with my stray monosynths than with polys. My MS10 still runs through tape echoes or spring reverbs or all manner of guitar pedals etc.
And yeah, my Prophet 6 sits in front of me every day, acting as main go-to synth and MIDI boss. Prophet 5 is king, but the 6 is the brain of my setup.
I've been spending more time again with the System 8, no longer thinking of letting it go. I do think it needs to be away from the rest of my synth gang for me to be better able to appreciate it. It's a little bit fussier than the P5 or P6, right? We're building a basement studio, mostly for tracking drums and guitars etc, but I'll have my Wurli and hopefully a proper piano down there at some point. I think that'd be a great place to land the System 8... the only synth down there, probably. Being able to concentrate on learning it inside/out etc with out distraction will be fun...
-
Yes, a solid dose of great suggestions. I admit I've been synthing so long that I don't really aim for new tricks with my old dogs. I just want/need things to charm me on command and help me conjure appealing and/or disturbing sounds! I play more with my stray monosynths than with polys. My MS10 still runs through tape echoes or spring reverbs or all manner of guitar pedals etc.
And yeah, my Prophet 6 sits in front of me every day, acting as main go-to synth and MIDI boss. Prophet 5 is king, but the 6 is the brain of my setup.
I've been spending more time again with the System 8, no longer thinking of letting it go. I do think it needs to be away from the rest of my synth gang for me to be better able to appreciate it. It's a little bit fussier than the P5 or P6, right? We're building a basement studio, mostly for tracking drums and guitars etc, but I'll have my Wurli and hopefully a proper piano down there at some point. I think that'd be a great place to land the System 8... the only synth down there, probably. Being able to concentrate on learning it inside/out etc with out distraction will be fun...
I'm familiar with what you're describing, re: separating it from other instruments. Using it does feel different than my other instruments, and thus far I have been attributing that to the Roland way of doing things, because I feel the same way whenever I switch between a Sequential/Oberheim synth and my JP-8080. Switching between the System 8 and JP-8080 regularly for hours at a time starts to feel more natural. I'm sure it all feels natural to folks with lots of Roland gear, as I'm sure there's a lot of common ground between them. Maybe this is why some folks physically partition their studio according gear vendor... such as having all their Moog instruments in one section of the room, their Rolands in another, etc.
I do find myself digging into my memory to remember how to use the System 8 to its fullest, since I don't use it every day. And whenever I remind myself of the cumbersome process of sending new synths and patch banks down to it from the computer, I just remind myself that's just the trade off that comes with flexibility -- and it's that flexibility where I think the System 8 shines.
Have you tried the updated plugouts that came out a few months back? Some of them now have circuit mod (i.e. vintage mode), and it's very nicely implemented.
-
"Have you tried the updated plugouts that came out a few months back? Some of them now have circuit mod (i.e. vintage mode), and it's very nicely implemented."
Ha... I haven't made any effort since I since I installed the JP-4 and then cancelled my Cloud subscription! Kinda like my German residency... supposedly permanent, but every time I go back to Berlin, I'm certain they'll haul me off to The Room!
I've got the Jupiter 8, Juno 6 and Jupiter 4 onboard and am happy to stick with those as-is. They do sound good!
-
It's not world-worthy news, but I've bonded with my System 8 all over again, in part thanks to the new software update for the TR-6S. The 6S and 8S models now include sounds and patterns from the CR-79. What a lovely sounding box that was. I've got my S8 sync'd up to the 6S, droning away all day on a hypnotic 16-beat pattern and I'm so pleased to have both instruments for such. I'm tempted to sell my TR-6S and move up the bigger 8S, but the thing I've got really does so much as is. Nice.
-
It's not world-worthy news, but I've bonded with my System 8 all over again, in part thanks to the new software update for the TR-6S. The 6S and 8S models now include sounds and patterns from the CR-79. What a lovely sounding box that was. I've got my S8 sync'd up to the 6S, droning away all day on a hypnotic 16-beat pattern and I'm so pleased to have both instruments for such. I'm tempted to sell my TR-6S and move up the bigger 8S, but the thing I've got really does so much as is. Nice.
One of the nice things about not getting rid of gear that hasn't been used recently, is the fun of rediscovering it months or even years later. It's easy to get into a boredom rut with existing gear, crave something new to scratch that itch, etc. But it's economical to have some stuff lying in the shadows to dust off and remember the reasons it was acquired in the first place. Roland gear has some specific strength here, because they're great about adding interesting updates to existing products. The System 8 has had been out for a long time now (7 years?) and their plugouts from the cloud have kept it interesting.
-
It's not world-worthy news, but I've bonded with my System 8 all over again, in part thanks to the new software update for the TR-6S. The 6S and 8S models now include sounds and patterns from the CR-79. What a lovely sounding box that was. I've got my S8 sync'd up to the 6S, droning away all day on a hypnotic 16-beat pattern and I'm so pleased to have both instruments for such. I'm tempted to sell my TR-6S and move up the bigger 8S, but the thing I've got really does so much as is. Nice.
One of the nice things about not getting rid of gear that hasn't been used recently, is the fun of rediscovering it months or even years later. It's easy to get into a boredom rut with existing gear, crave something new to scratch that itch, etc. But it's economical to have some stuff lying in the shadows to dust off and remember the reasons it was acquired in the first place. Roland gear has some specific strength here, because they're great about adding interesting updates to existing products. The System 8 has had been out for a long time now (7 years?) and their plugouts from the cloud have kept it interesting.
I really love that with the System 8, I've got the classic, can't-go-wrong 1980s perfect synth sound, but with the flick of a switch or two, it's murky industrial cat-frightening noise.
Meanwhile, somehow, the Lite Brite vibe of the TR-6S makes the System 8's thang work a little better in my eyeball. Small mercies, eh wot...!
-
I'm not really interested in a Fantom, but I think things could get interesting if they start putting ACB models onto the Jupiter X / Juno X. Interesting enough that I'd part with my System 8? Maybe not, but definitely of interest to those who already own the synths... and they say the build quality of the two X models is great.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsTW3NnpO7Q