Roland System 8

[Soundquest]

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    
 
 

[LPF83]

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.

[Manbird]

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...

[LPF83]

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.

[Manbird]

"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!

[Manbird]

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.

[LPF83]

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.

[Manbird]

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...!

[LPF83]

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

[LPF83]

Starsky compares the J8 plug-out on the System-8 with actual J8.  Manmade madman did a similar comparison a few years back and pretty much came to the same conclusion.

https://youtu.be/vyN_hS9T4Go

[Manbird]

Starsky compares the J8 plug-out on the System-8 with actual J8.  Manmade madman did a similar comparison a few years back and pretty much came to the same conclusion.

https://youtu.be/vyN_hS9T4Go

I do think this Other Hardware section of the forum will be the death of me! Starsky's demo makes me want a System 8 again, and not a Jupiter! I've only played a Jupiter 8 once in the wild, when I was a music-store trolling teen. I was already a Prophet 5 obsessive, so maybe that helped me survive the ten minutes I spent w the J8, but I've never coveted one, thankfully! Gorgeous sounding/looking instrument, but the S8 does such a beautiful job of nailing it. By now, I'm not really going crazy to own every synth ever made, though there was a time. I sold my Juno 6 and bought the S8, then sold my System 8 to buy a Taiga and have been thrilled with that synth, hands down. But... the S8 did so many things well and I do miss it. Mine was paired with a TR-8S, so the dark disco light show kinda made sense when the gang was all here.

[LPF83]

As much as I'd love to have a real Jupiter 8, it's simply never going to happen.  So, because I think the System-8 is about as close as one can get to the sound without the real thing (and the same is true for some of the other plug-outs like Jupiter 4), I can't really justify letting it go.  Especially now since several years worth of renewals to Roland cloud has ended up with my having lifetime licenses to almost all of the synth engines I would want, and the fact that Roland hasn't really come out with a better ACB alternative to the System-8.  Many of the plug outs sound better played on the hardware, so it's hard to come up with a reason get rid of such a versatile little instrument.

I don't understand why they haven't come out with a JX8P ACB plug out yet, though, that's one I'd like to see.

[Manbird]

In the spirit of "other hardware," I almost bought another System 8. I bought my first one to replace a Juno 6 and really took to the S8's own engine. All the freakiness that's fit to print inside that thing. I sold my System 8 to pay for a Taiga. Love the Taiga and use it for all sorts. I do love synths that can cover so much range - not all do, at least the way I use them. Prophet 5 is my god, but it's not what I reach for when I want the sound of an electro-goat chewing on chalk, say. That'd be the MS-10. The System 8 - not sure it's a goat synth - just has so much going for it. The plugouts are fab, the S8 synth engine satisfies any digital itch. The sequencer, the arp, the CV out...

Still, I can't help wonder if there's some other "exotic" synth I should be sniffing at. I've been curious about the Hydrasynth... I played one at Scheidersladen and found it appealing, but that was the trip to Berlin that instead inspired me to get the Taiga AND the Trigon AND a small modular system! I know that many/most here on the forum  appreciate the NEED for more and more and more synths! I thought I was done, but then I went and sold my dad's house and set aside a bit of studio upgrade money. I managed even to find room for a TBD synth, so my "neither space nor funds" safety net is null for now.

I was intrigued by the Bree6, but honestly, if its main vibe is the Juno thing, maybe it's not what I want. I love the Juno sound, but it lives in its own space, on its own terms. The S8 nails that vibe, but can go in the opposite direction with ease.

I'll step backwards and say that while the modular setup I have is fun and inspiring, it's still more baffling than useful so far. So, my quest for an "exotic" mystery synth has me still keeping practicalities in mind. If anyone has suggestions - I'm not wanting to spend more than $1500 - fling them my way. Or, if someone simply wants to encourage my System 8 quest, hurrah.

[LPF83]

In the spirit of "other hardware," I almost bought another System 8. I bought my first one to replace a Juno 6 and really took to the S8's own engine. All the freakiness that's fit to print inside that thing. I sold my System 8 to pay for a Taiga. Love the Taiga and use it for all sorts. I do love synths that can cover so much range - not all do, at least the way I use them. Prophet 5 is my god, but it's not what I reach for when I want the sound of an electro-goat chewing on chalk, say. That'd be the MS-10. The System 8 - not sure it's a goat synth - just has so much going for it. The plugouts are fab, the S8 synth engine satisfies any digital itch. The sequencer, the arp, the CV out...

Still, I can't help wonder if there's some other "exotic" synth I should be sniffing at. I've been curious about the Hydrasynth... I played one at Scheidersladen and found it appealing, but that was the trip to Berlin that instead inspired me to get the Taiga AND the Trigon AND a small modular system! I know that many/most here on the forum  appreciate the NEED for more and more and more synths! I thought I was done, but then I went and sold my dad's house and set aside a bit of studio upgrade money. I managed even to find room for a TBD synth, so my "neither space nor funds" safety net is null for now.

I was intrigued by the Bree6, but honestly, if its main vibe is the Juno thing, maybe it's not what I want. I love the Juno sound, but it lives in its own space, on its own terms. The S8 nails that vibe, but can go in the opposite direction with ease.

I'll step backwards and say that while the modular setup I have is fun and inspiring, it's still more baffling than useful so far. So, my quest for an "exotic" mystery synth has me still keeping practicalities in mind. If anyone has suggestions - I'm not wanting to spend more than $1500 - fling them my way. Or, if someone simply wants to encourage my System 8 quest, hurrah.

The System 8 is now a discontinued product, but that may actually make it more valuable than it was a few years ago (and from a quick look on Reverb, the current selling prices do indeed seem to be going up... but that's true of everything isn't it)?  I guess what I'm getting at here is that as of now, Roland does not have a replacement announced for this synth.  To my ears the newer ZenCore engine stuff just doesn't sound the same, and Roland has a history of not necessarily continuing the pedigree of great products, they almost seem inclined to abandon things that work well and head off in random directions of less success as time goes on.

That said, I'd love to see them come out with a powerful System-16, more plug-out slots, better build quality, etc. and most importantly the ACB engine to replace the System-8, but right now there's only one System-8 and I paid a little over a grand for mine with the coveted aluminum end cheeks that were discontinued long ago... so I plan to keep it indefinitely because I don't know of anything that covers the range of Roland sound as well (and certainly not for the price).  Also, by maintaining multiple years of Roland cloud subscriptions, I now have lifetime licenses to pretty much all of the good Roland plugins.

Maybe the strongest case for acquiring a System-8 again is that you've had one before, so you know what to expect.   Because of that I'd maybe suggest reflecting on why you sold it in the first place, to see if the reasons are still valid or not?  If you still miss it then that might be the best decision making factor in your corner... I have heard many say they wish they'd kept their S8, but I've never heard anyone say they couldn't get rid of it fast enough or whatever.

About Hydrasynth and Bree6, I have both and I consider them at VERY different ends of the spectrum.  Hydrasynth is an unapologetically digital sound designer playground, which sounds great and has tons of exploration opportunity.  It can sound convincingly analog in some cases but generally does not satisfy my urge for analog tone.   One the polar opposite side, Bree6 is simple-workflow-sweet-spot-everywhere synth that refuses to make bad sounds, and reminds you of what's good about analog gear in the first place but also reminds you of analog limitations.  It can certainly be a sound exploration tool but the palette it provides is better for "make music fast instead of tweak".   Hydrasynth excels as a sound designers synth, Bree6 excels as a musical instrument.   The System-8 sort of falls between those two... the plug-out options help keep you from getting bored, it's not modulate anything with anything like the Hydra, and it's not gorgeously vintage tone like the Bree6.. but it pretty accurately takes on the role of multiple vintage synths, then goes above and beyond (like giving you a Jupiter 4 but with more voices), and of course has its own synth engine... which, honestly I preferred the vintage engines but the S8 engine seems hugely popular, and if that's what you missed most about it then maybe there's your answer?

[Manbird]

Thanks for the solid feedback!

My reasons for selling the System 8 were... vague! I think I like having various bits of gear that I can imagine letting go of. You know, in contrast to, say, the Prophet 5. I'll be buried with that thing! For the most part, allllllll the synths I now have are keepers. They're instruments I truly love and am thrilled to play every time I use them. The System 8, because of its plastic plastic-ness and its gaudy green lighting scheme felt, at least at first, like an "Are you kidding me???" joke. Obviously it ain't - it's a far heavier machine than I'd assumed.

It's not that I loved the S8 engine with all my heart, but rather, the oddball options it offered were in contrast to most everything else I owned. The only other synth I have with a digital anything inside is the Prologue. I ended up with a DX-7 for the second time in my life a few years ago, but the novelty of that wore off quick and I sold it. The S8, though, can move into all kinds of territory. A really wide range of "HUH?" sonics. And as with my other gear, once I'd got the hang of where it could go, I knew when to reach for it. It could give me certain clean-and-dirty-at-the-same-time sounds.

But the System 8, besides the sound, is all about features and functions - and fun! I used to sync it up to the Roland TR-8S and suddenly it's Acid House Revival. I was never even into that stuff in the first place, but finding out how much groove the Roland team could generate, I became the lonely king of the basement dance party! So, yeah... the System 8 really won me over, over and again.

Those are reasons I might want another one, and reasons why I didn't want to let mine go. The main reason for selling it, though, was to raise money for the Taiga. If the S8 seemed mysterious, the Taiga seemed doubly so. The Taiga is still mysterious, but the System 8 keeps phoning me up at 4am asking if I wanna go out sometime! I found one today for $1250. "Thankfully," the seller told me he had a pending sale and had forgotten to mention that in his post. So, despite the general price hike, the S8 does pop up for around what I paid for mine a couple years ago.

Oh, we'll see where this leads! Thanks also for your quick glance takes on the Hydra and Bree6. I'm quite happy to be talked out of anything at the moment!

[Manbird]

And... I did it again! Bought my second System 8. I had instant buyer's remorse when it arrived, like what was I thinking? But... plugged it in, conjured a patch with the S8 engine and got a sequence going and... lovely. I then added the Trigon to the mix, chugging away with a same-tempo, out-of-sync sequence and that's been the sound of my basement studio for days now!

Funny - this one came with three panel overlays, one for Jupiter 8, one for Juno 106 and one for JX-3P. Kinda nice having the overlays, but by now I'm so used to the System 8's own "unique" look that I mostly just wanna see that black and neon green combo when I step into my studio.

[LPF83]

And... I did it again! Bought my second System 8. I had instant buyer's remorse when it arrived, like what was I thinking? But... plugged it in, conjured a patch with the S8 engine and got a sequence going and... lovely. I then added the Trigon to the mix, chugging away with a same-tempo, out-of-sync sequence and that's been the sound of my basement studio for days now!

Funny - this one came with three panel overlays, one for Jupiter 8, one for Juno 106 and one for JX-3P. Kinda nice having the overlays, but by now I'm so used to the System 8's own "unique" look that I mostly just wanna see that black and neon green combo when I step into my studio.

Cool!  I wasn't able to find a video to see what it looks like with the overlays on, but as far as I can tell from the website three of those wouldn't be cheap, like $80 each if I'm looking at the right vendor. 
The neon green was always kind of controversial, and menu-selectable colors I think might have been a bit more popular overall, but the green can also bring back Yamaha TX81Z or Korg M1 memories if I use my imagination a little, so those who ever avoided the synth for that aspect alone really missed out.

[Manbird]

And... I did it again! Bought my second System 8. I had instant buyer's remorse when it arrived, like what was I thinking? But... plugged it in, conjured a patch with the S8 engine and got a sequence going and... lovely. I then added the Trigon to the mix, chugging away with a same-tempo, out-of-sync sequence and that's been the sound of my basement studio for days now!

Funny - this one came with three panel overlays, one for Jupiter 8, one for Juno 106 and one for JX-3P. Kinda nice having the overlays, but by now I'm so used to the System 8's own "unique" look that I mostly just wanna see that black and neon green combo when I step into my studio.

Cool!  I wasn't able to find a video to see what it looks like with the overlays on, but as far as I can tell from the website three of those wouldn't be cheap, like $80 each if I'm looking at the right vendor. 
The neon green was always kind of controversial, and menu-selectable colors I think might have been a bit more popular overall, but the green can also bring back Yamaha TX81Z or Korg M1 memories if I use my imagination a little, so those who ever avoided the synth for that aspect alone really missed out.

This one also had wooden sides added to it. Nice touch. The look and plasticky feel of the System 8 ceased to bug me once I got a feel for the synth. I'll likely load up the Juno 60 and Jupiter 4 plugouts that I still have. It's funny but I never dove deep into the Jupiter 8 plugout. It sounds utterly beautiful, but I'm not bonded with that sound the way I am with the Prophet sound. I mean, I just grabbed the U-He Repro 5 despite having two actual 5s in the room with me! Anyway, happy to have the S8 again and nice to be able to team it with the Trigon and Taiga.

[LoboLives]

Even watching recent review videos on the System 8 like from Scott's Synth Stuff, the general feel is the System 8 engine itself is critically underrated. The Plug Outs are nice yes but the S8 engine is incredibly unique and versatile with it's choice of waveforms, filter types etc. It brings something fresh rather than the standard analog type sounds. I think pairing a sideband filter on FM oscillators with the System 8 alongside a filter sweep on the OB6 would be a perfect example of adding a unique color to the sound pallet.

[558]

I'll step backwards and say that while the modular setup I have is fun and inspiring, it's still more baffling than useful so far. So, my quest for an "exotic" mystery synth has me still keeping practicalities in mind. If anyone has suggestions - I'm not wanting to spend more than $1500 - fling them my way. Or, if someone simply wants to encourage my System 8 quest, hurrah.

"is there a roland system 8m"
DDG search assist:
"Sorry, no relevant information was found in our search."

I love the sounds I get from the System 1m.  I don't use it all the time but I keep it under my Behringer 2600 Grey Meanie and only use both with the BeatStep Pro Modular outs from the Green and Yellow (and occasionally drum sequencer) or red sequencer patch cables.

Tip would be just look up how to use both.  There are some good instructional videos on the internet, label your patch cables with colored electrical tape and keep a reference as to which color is gate, velocity and pitch.  You will have no problem finding plenty of color choices for your electrical tape.