Got the Roland Jupiter-X here!

[EscapeRocks]

Hey guys:

 

is it true that the controls (sliders/buttons, etc) send SYSEX, and not CC#? (like my VR-09)

 

Thanks

[ABECK]

I gotta stop looking at this thread. The buy it now button is calling me. Must....resist....wife will kill....

[EscapeRocks]

I gotta stop looking at this thread. The buy it now button is calling me. Must....resist....wife will kill....

 

I'm about to pull the trigger myself......

[eric]

This thread is REALLY tempting me...I have been foolish enough in my life to let TWO very nice Jupiter-8 units out of my grasp (way back before they were commanding today's prices), though I still have my trusty JX-8P ever since 1985. Having one modern synth that covers all these bases is super tempting. I'd likely look to flip my Prophet-6 for Jupiter-X, though that's also a tough call. dB gave us a quick demo of his Jupiter-X over Zoom during the last virtual forum hang.

[Marzzz]

I owned a Jupiter 8 for years, and a Juno 106 for a while, too. I also had a JX8P and still have an MKS70. Big fan of all of them.

 

I have not done a direct parameter for parameter comparison of the two. I've never done anything like that ih my ife because that's not how I evaluate gear...but as far as I can tell with the limited A/B I've done, the JP-X sounds every bit as good as the MKS-70.

dB

It"s kinda like when I got my Minimoog reissue, on a gestalt level it felt and sounded just like my circa 1975 Minimoog. If the Jupiter X does the same thing for you, that"s all I need to know...!

 

I played the Korg 2600 at NAMM, I thought it sounded amazing; but a few people with the original nit-picked it.

[Mark Schmieder]

I had a Juno-106 back in the day and still have a few tracks I recorded with custom patches that I did, but I don't have SysEx copies of those patches (was it possible?) or hand-written notes, so doubt I could recreate them for comparison.

[Zalman Stern]

Has anyone compared the Jupiter Xm to the X in term of ease of use? My impression of the Xm usability is not good. I"m relatively new to synths, but very little on the Xm work intuitively for me. Compare to the Hydrasynth which has been very easy to come up to speed on.

 

Sound capability wise, the Jupiter X/Xm platform is very powerful and it sounds great to my ears. The Xm form factor and price are very good was well. I"d hoped to control it from other keybeds and control surfaces, but it seems to be a bit if its own world there too. E.g. it doesn"t seem to have a flexible mod matrix and assigning external control codes to modulate parameters is far trickier than on the Hydrasynth. (Haven"t gotten it to work yet, but haven"t put much time in.)

 

Even getting it to talk to a mioXM (MIDI hub) via USB has proven difficult. (Switching the Jupiter to the generic USB driver didn"t seem to fix it.) This is likely because they"re doing audio out over USB as well as MIDI.

 

-Z-

[EscapeRocks]

Has anyone compared the Jupiter Xm to the X in term of ease of use? My impression of the Xm usability is not good. I"m relatively new to synths, but very little on the Xm work intuitively for me. Compare to the Hydrasynth which has been very easy to come up to speed on.

 

-Z-

 

 

Roland and some others have some excellent tutorials and getting started videos on YouTube.

 

I've already learned my way around both the X and the XM and I don't own one yet. There's one 40 minute vid where the guy takes you thru the XM and how to set it up to be controlled from and external for some tones , and use its own keys for other tones....

 

I will agree the XM takes some more menu diving, and I attribute that to it's small size compared to the X which pretty much has all the controls up top staring at you.

[jeffincltnc]

For what it's worth, I have 4 new keyboards here --- Jupiter X, Fantom 8, Nord Stage 3 and an AX Edge Keytar and the Jupiter X is the most fun of the bunch to stay up all night and play.

[Bill H.]

I've been lurking in this thread ever since it started. I trust the opinion of you guys a lot. I'm very excited about it - something with the build quality of my V-Synth (I love it's heft and keybed with great aftertouch) but with a better VA (which quite frankly sucks on the V-Synth in 2020). I liked what I heard out of the System 8, but couldn't get past it's crappy feeling keys, gaudy looks, and limited polyphony. The Jupiter X looks like the ideal solution. Maybe.

 

So a few questions: Since the only analog polysynth model seems to be the Jupiter 8 and JX-8p, can you expand on it's template by adding (for example) a third VCO or something like that without layering?

 

Can you use it as basically a one knob per function VA somehow - maybe by staying in Tone mode without all the Scene overlays and menu diving?

 

Thanks in advance

[Dave Bryce]

Since the only analog polysynth model seems to be the Jupiter 8 and JX-8p, can you expand on it's template by adding (for example) a third VCO or something like that without layering?

 

Not really, no (excluding the effects).

 

Each one of those engines is basically that synth, so you can no more add a third osc to the JP-X's Jupter 8 than you could to an original one...but what's wroing with layering two JP8s?

 

Note: you're forgetting the Juno 106 engine; plus, some of those 5080 "analog" synth sounds make for fine layers.

 

Can you use it as basically a one knob per function VA somehow - maybe by staying in Tone mode without all the Scene overlays and menu diving?

The easiest way I can think of to do that would be to create a scene with just the one synth you want to control in real time.

That being said, I have yet to create a patch/Scene/whatever you want to call it that doesn't contain at least two layers, if not three...because why not?

 

dB

[Bill H.]

Since the only analog polysynth model seems to be the Jupiter 8 and JX-8p, can you expand on it's template by adding (for example) a third VCO or something like that without layering?

 

Not really, no (excluding the effects).

 

Each one of those engines is basically that synth, so you can no more add a third osc to the JP-X's Jupter 8 than you could to an original one...but what's wroing with layering two JP8s?

 

Yeah - but the Jupiter 8 front panel doesn't have buttons and sliders for Osc 3 and 4 like the Jupiter X does. I dunno... to me I would kind of expect them to work. I read that somewhere, and thought that can't be right - but I guess it is. Maybe you get used to it after spending some time on the synth.

 

Note: you're forgetting the Juno 106 engine; plus, some of those 5080 "analog" synth sounds make for fine layers.

 

Good point. I didn't know about the Juno, but was very excited to see the 5080 engine included.

 

Thanks for your response Dave

[jeffincltnc]

In addtion to the J8, JX8P and J106, there is also a modeled SH101 included as well.

[aellison62]

Bill H. Just to be clear, there really is no "tone mode" (unfortunately). You are always in scene mode. BTW the Fantom is like this too.

 

What you have to get used to is that yes, you can use the front panel to tweak/modify/ create from scratch in one of the VA engines but you are actually modifying that "PART" within the scene you are currently in (have selected). Just like Dave B said, keeping it simple, you could just create a scene with one part (a JP-8 or a Juno 106, or JX-8P.) So if you are in a scene with say 2 parts (for instance part 1 is a JP-8 tone and part 2 is Juno 106 tone), if you select the PART 1 button, you now can modify that JP-8 tone using the front panel. Then, once you like that modified tone you must save that tone (to a user slot) and save that scene. Otherwise, all is lost once you move away from it. And yes, there are 4 osc sliders and switches but you only use the 3rd and 4th when modifying/creating Zencore sounds (also the XV5080 sounds). Otherwise, the front panel only works like the original model (JX-8P, Juno, Juiper-8) the exception is the SH- model cause it allows for polyphonic (unlike the original which was of course mono)

 

Once you get used to what I said above, yes it's really fun to use the front panel as you would an analog synth. And as Dave B. also said, the layering/splits of all these possible engines is able to create killer complex sounds (if you want to) but you can also keep it quite simple.

 

Hope that helps, I don't want you to think this synth doesn't have a factor to get used to before you can have fun with it, but once you do, the combination of the sweet keybed, the solid build, the classic layout and the incredible SOUND of this keyboard will keep you playing for hours.

[ABECK]

I gotta stop looking at this thread. The buy it now button is calling me. Must....resist....wife will kill....

In addtion to the J8, JX8P and J106, there is also a modeled SH101 included as well.

 

You aren't helping, Jeff!

[Markyboard]

I gotta stop looking at this thread. The buy it now button is calling me. Must....resist....wife will kill....

In addtion to the J8, JX8P and J106, there is also a modeled SH101 included as well.

 

You aren't helping, Jeff!

 

Buy it ABECK. No one says you have to use the SH-101.

[jeffincltnc]

You don't have to use the models at all, and just use it as a TR-808, TR-909 or CR-78 drum machine if you want.

[Bill H.]

And yes, there are 4 osc sliders and switches but you only use the 3rd and 4th when modifying/creating Zencore sounds (also the XV5080 sounds).

 

Ok so (trying to figure this out without actually having a JPX in front of me) I'm reading that there are five Zencore Base engine synthesizers (Common, PRâA, PRâB, PRâC and PRâD) and I'm guessing that some of them (maybe all of them) opens up the entire front panel so that everything works? Are these Base engines VAs that don't emulate vintage Roland pieces?

[aellison62]

Those Zencores you listed are banks of presets, not separate engines. There is only one Zencore engine and it is used to modify those presets or create from an INIT tone. The XV5080 tones also fall under the Zencore engine.

 

Yes, the front panel can be used to modify a Zencore tone but the Zencore engine has LOTs more parameters than what is on front panel. THAT is where you will need to menu dive. An iOS or software editor (like Roland has made in the past for other synths) would be very welcome and helpful to get to these other parameters without menu diving but so far Roland hasn't provided one. However, on the Jupiter X/Xm Facebook group, a member there named James Hiser has graciously shared a Midi Designer Pro template of an editor that is actually quite powerful and used by some members.

 

The Zencore engine has VA oscillators but also PCM and is very powerful. It is Roland's premier synthesis platform now and is going to be utilized across all new Roland synths.

[EscapeRocks]

okay FINE!!!

 

 

I just ordered one. It'll be here Saturday.

[Bill H.]

^ Thanks for your clarifications aellison62 that helps me a lot. I'm an old Roland veteran, and have come up with hundreds of custom sounds from scratch on JVs, XPs, and Fantoms using their old Tone, Patch, Part, Performance hierarchy. This doesn't seem all that different - just different names. I'm used to editing patches while still in performance mode already.

 

I'm also used to menu diving, but not on such a small display - not in years anyway. So for me an editor would be something I might wait for. Too many reviewers have noted that they have spent more of their sound design time on the display rather than the real time controls.

 

Love the look and sound though. As for size, it's really about the same as my Jupiter 6 - which I don't find that hard to move around.

[zxcvbnm098]

okay FINE!!!

 

 

I just ordered one. It'll be here Saturday.

 

Man, this place can be dangerous......

 

I had zero interest in this board at first...but after reading all of the posts.....well I feel a cold sweat coming on.

[Dave Bryce]

Man, this place can be dangerous......

 

I had zero interest in this board at first...but after reading all of the posts.....well I feel a cold sweat coming on.

You're in even more severe danger than most, brother Mike - you could always come by and check out mine.

 

dB

[TomKittel]

Let's see how long it takes Behringer to copy the Jupiter X/XM... so to say copy the copies.

 

ð

[Marzzz]

Let's see how long it takes Behringer to copy the Jupiter X/XM... so to say copy the copies.

 

ð

Supposedly they are working on an actual clone of the Jupiter 8. Not holding my breath, they are 'working' on quite a few things these days...

[zxcvbnm098]

Man, this place can be dangerous......

 

I had zero interest in this board at first...but after reading all of the posts.....well I feel a cold sweat coming on.

You're in even more severe danger than most, brother Mike - you could always come by and check out mine.

 

dB

 

Damn you Dave Bryce and your generosity!!!

 

[Mark Schmieder]

The July 2020 issue of Sound On Sound has a very in-depth review of the new Jupiter-X, but it's behind a firewall and I was unsuccessful in trying to start an electronic subscription a while back, so will wait a few months for it to be "opened up" to full public viewing. The first few paragraphs are already available to read though, and are quite informative and useful.