The board that got away … The Roland JD-800

[Sundown]

Hey all,

 

The time is 1990-ish and after mowing countless lawns, I saved up enough cash to buy a Korg Wavestation. It was popular, it was fawned over in the music press, and plenty of pros were using it. I spent hours on it in a music store at 15 and I bought into the marketing hype. This was an instrument that was limitless, only bound by imagination. After a few weeks with it at home, I began to know its crippling limitations. 

 

And then this board dropped …

 

Roland took their sweet digital filters and sample libraries and added the physical controllers you could only get with purchased modules (e.g. PG-800 and PG-1000). And with the JD-800, they were real-time controllers, not just parameter changes. Nobody produced a ROMpler or digital synth in 1991 with a front panel like this… It was a real shock in a world that generally leaned toward minimalist front panel buttons and sliders.

 

Would my life be different or would I have made different decisions had I bought a JD-800 instead of a Wavestation?  No. Keyboards are just tools and there will always be one that got away. But that experience gave me a burned-in disappointment that cautions me against marketing promises and new gear, and for that I can be thankful.

 

But make no mistake, the JD-800 was a heck of a board and a real groundbreaking invention on Roland’s part at a time when the industry was headed elsewhere.

 

Todd

[CyberGene]

I hadn’t realized it until recently but some of my favorite music from my teen years was made on the JD800. 
 

For nostalgia sake it can be purchased for $399.99:

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/JD08--roland-jd-08-boutique-series-jd-800-sound-module

[Jim Alfredson]

I’ve had two. Sold one to RedKey and have another I need to refurbished. It has the dreaded red glue problem and a few broken keys. 
 

They are cool for sure. But I love the Wavestation as well. To me it is the pinnacle of digital synth aesthetics. Super clean lines, minimal controls, sleek curves. I think it’s beautiful. 

[JamPro]

"But make no mistake, the JD-800 was a heck of a board and a real groundbreaking invention on Roland’s part at a time when the industry was headed elsewhere."

 

OK.  But if memory serves, the JD-800 was a one-off.  Roland made it and sold it for a while, and then dumped it.  The only follow-up was the JD-990 keyboardless module, and the entire line was discontinued for the JV workstations.

 

I remember playing them in stores and thinking it was a cool keyboard, but Roland dropped it like a hot potato.

[ProfD]

1 hour ago, JamPro said:

"But make no mistake, the JD-800 was a heck of a board and a real groundbreaking invention on Roland’s part at a time when the industry was headed elsewhere."

 

OK.  But if memory serves, the JD-800 was a one-off.  Roland made it and sold it for a while, and then dumped it.  The only follow-up was the JD-990 keyboardless module, and the entire line was discontinued for the JV workstations.

Spot on.  It definitely helps to remember the times these KBs were released.

 

It doesn't invalidate the KB as an instrument or tool for making music.

 

Just provides context for how and why a KB like the JD-800 came and went.

 

I clearly remember Roland being all-in on the JV/XP/XV lines. 😎

[mcgoo]

I worked in a music store when it came out. It was expensive and wasn't a workstation. Its programmability wasn't important to the majority of customers (hobbyists), so it was a tough sell. When they were discontinued, Roland sold them to retailers at a heavily discounted price. We bought 10 of them. I snagged 1 for myself. Sadly I don't have it anymore. 

[Stokely]

I'm enjoying the JD800 modeled sounds in the Fantom.  Gives a completely different sound from the other modeled synths in there.   I'm not sure I know any tunes done with one--I mostly listened to grunge in the 90s, seemed like keyboards were extinct on the rock side of things!  

[ProfD]

2 minutes ago, Stokely said:

 I'm not sure I know any tunes done with one--I mostly listened to grunge in the 90s, seemed like keyboards were extinct on the rock side of things!  

The JD-800 and JD-990 were all over 1990s R&B music.😎

[Stokely]

Ah that explains it   Not a genre I dip into much, though if it was ever on the radio I'm sure I heard it.

Anyway, I like the "digital-ness" of the RD800 if that makes sense.  It has clarity and in a band I could see those sounds being useful on some songs.  The guitar-ish leads are a lot of fun.

[CyberGene]

Not just R&B, it was used by EDM, electropop, synthpop, dark wave, etc artists too. But what hooked me was the Chronology album by Jean-Michel Jarre where there’s a lot of JD-800. 

[Ed A.]

6 hours ago, Jim Alfredson said:

I’ve had two. Sold one to RedKey and have another I need to refurbished. It has the dreaded red glue problem and a few broken keys. 

I remember that the aftertouch on the JD-800 was terrible too. I had to really force the keys down to get any aftertouch response at all. The Wavestation was my favorite, I had one for over ten years, which was a record for me. 😄

[J.F.N.]

The AT was always s problem, I recall there's a fix for that.

 

Instinctively I would say it was way too expensive for what you actually really got, nevertheless very appealing look, and most of us indeed have a certain appreciation for some sweet knobs to fiddle with...

 

[MorayM]

It's a bucket list synth for me, there's just something about the look and sound that I love. Plus I love Chronologie and the early Dream Theater albums. One day! 

[David Emm]

My main music store impression was of a D-50 with sliders for everything up front. That seems to have held up over time. I can't recall a JD-800 patch that was hugely different from the D-50's goods. What impressed me most was the built-in random patch generator. They're more common now, but back then, it felt wonderfully alien and damned near as desirable as the synth proper. 

 

I've often spoken well of Roland's Cloud. I'm not wild for subscriptions or repeated calls to sign in, but you take what's offered if the passion is there. I'm a bit puzzled as to why someone would want to wrangle the JD-800 with a mouse when the sound data is so present in the D-50. For sheer fun, probably. I find it easier to jiggle the included PG-1000. I keep sampling the arse off the D-50 because its one of the best layering synths around. Even though its basic tone is now hard-core synth history we all recognize, tweezing it into partnership with newer synths is a real pleasure. This is the point at which I show mature restraint and don't refer to synths in sexual terms.   

[David Emm]

14 hours ago, Jim Alfredson said:

But I love the Wavestation as well. To me it is the pinnacle of digital synth aesthetics. Super clean lines, minimal controls, sleek curves. I think it’s beautiful. 

 

True! I passed on it because programming it through that stingy display made the 01W feel downright cozy. The sound, however... mmm. I struggled with Korg's first soft version, which made things notably easier, but not exactly welcoming. I got fair value from it. The Wavestate is the Wavestation for which we were aching, though. I find that to go double for the native version. Its interesting to balance that against my memories of 80s GAS.   

[RABid]

I remember seeing one in the store. I really wanted it but it was too expansive for a spontaneous purchase. Went back a few months later and it was gone, and discontinued. I now have it on my Jupiter X and my computer.

[TommyS]

Totally regret selling mine ( with an ATA case),,,, now enjoying it on my Jupiter X........sounds way good!...

[JoJoB3]

23 hours ago, Sundown said:

Hey all,

 

The time is 1990-ish and after mowing countless lawns, I saved up enough cash to buy a Korg Wavestation. It was popular, it was fawned over in the music press, and plenty of pros were using it. I spent hours on it in a music store at 15 and I bought into the marketing hype. This was an instrument that was limitless, only bound by imagination. After a few weeks with it at home, I began to know its crippling limitations. 

 

And then this board dropped …

 

Roland took their sweet digital filters and sample libraries and added the physical controllers you could only get with purchased modules (e.g. PG-800 and PG-1000). And with the JD-800, they were real-time controllers, not just parameter changes. Nobody produced a ROMpler or digital synth in 1991 with a front panel like this… It was a real shock in a world that generally leaned toward minimalist front panel buttons and sliders.

 

Would my life be different or would I have made different decisions had I bought a JD-800 instead of a Wavestation?  No. Keyboards are just tools and there will always be one that got away. But that experience gave me a burned-in disappointment that cautions me against marketing promises and new gear, and for that I can be thankful.

 

But make no mistake, the JD-800 was a heck of a board and a real groundbreaking invention on Roland’s part at a time when the industry was headed elsewhere.

 

Todd

I have a good friend/tech guru restoring one now. Just repaired the AT. Oof,I want it.

 

A wavestation would be cool too but the immediacy of this board is phenomenal.

[tapes]

Now that I also have the JD-800 model inside my Jupiter-X, as well as the Roland Cloud plug-in - I have to say, I don't really "get" the hype over JD-800.

 

Sure, it is gorgeous, but the sounds are...harsh, digital, and nothing special. I get that it was an oddity back then, a truly programmable button heaven digital synth among a sea of sleek black ROMplers with 2 buttons.

 

The most famous JD-800 usage example I know is the Wailing Guitar patch, programmed by Eric Persing and used by The Prodigy on their track "Voodoo People".

[J.F.N.]

34 minutes ago, tapes said:

Now that I also have the JD-800 model inside my Jupiter-X, as well as the Roland Cloud plug-in - I have to say, I don't really "get" the hype over JD-800.

 

Sure, it is gorgeous, but the sounds are...harsh, digital, and nothing special. I get that it was an oddity back then, a truly programmable button heaven digital synth among a sea of sleek black ROMplers with 2 buttons.

 

The most famous JD-800 usage example I know is the Wailing Guitar patch, programmed by Eric Persing and used by The Prodigy on their track "Voodoo People".

 

I always experienced it to be seriously overrated, and I really wanted to like it, great aesthetics with the full on button set up etc. however, I found it to be way too limited, shallow, and as you mention, kind of harsh digital, almost metallic.

 

 

 

[JoJoB3]

54 minutes ago, tapes said:

Now that I also have the JD-800 model inside my Jupiter-X, as well as the Roland Cloud plug-in - I have to say, I don't really "get" the hype over JD-800.

 

Sure, it is gorgeous, but the sounds are...harsh, digital, and nothing special. I get that it was an oddity back then, a truly programmable button heaven digital synth among a sea of sleek black ROMplers with 2 buttons.

 

Well there are a few constants that seem to be masked by today's ease:

 

- Live performance, immediate control with a hardware synth. I get folks love the price of synths comprised of 1's and 0's but in the end you are getting what you're paying for.

 

- Your/any plugin can be made obsolete in an instant.

 

- forced to enjoy working within the parameters of and Rolands/internal fx 👎

 

- it doesn't really exist. Hardware exists (can be repaired, some more easily than others).

 

- most controller feel today blows compared to vintage or pricier but quality controllers (and this definitely includes Rolands system, a common build quality and keybed feel offender today. They are NOT alone however. There's worse).

 

Definite positives:

sitting with ease at a daw on the cheap, not having gear taking up any more space, avoid standard maintenance/repair.

It is easier and there's a bang4buck factor in that.

 

Companies like Spectrasonics and several others finally give compelling argument for VST sound and function. Some amazing is found out there now.

 

* however 'easier' rarely equates to originality and uniqueness (live perf). It more often fosters 'preset playing'. 

 

Just some reasons. There are more.

 

[kpl1228]

On 9/15/2024 at 8:50 AM, Stokely said:

I mostly listened to grunge in the 90s, seemed like keyboards were extinct on the rock side of things!  

It did bring back electric pianos and organs to a whole new hip audience but yeah, unless you were doing techno or trance, synths were OUT. I whipped out the keytar once, and a bunch of grunge guys laughed and high-fived each other. That's when I knew.

In the late 90's were even worse....I went from being very busy covering synth parts to instead dressing down and faking rhythm guitar parts on keyboards and banging a cowbell or something for some Goo Goo Dolls or Creed song, just so I could stay employed in bar bands. Not my thing.

JD800 is a solid well-built board you could still gig with today if you needed a 2nd or 3rd board for pads, strings, synth leads, etc. I swear, regardless of the model or year of synth, every Roland has a very unique one-of-a-kind lush synth string sound that seems to be on all their keyboards (think Duran Duran).

[JoJoB3]

ready. set. create.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/3748007388778268

[Sundown]

On 9/15/2024 at 10:31 AM, mcgoo said:

I worked in a music store when it came out. It was expensive and wasn't a workstation. Its programmability wasn't important to the majority of customers (hobbyists), so it was a tough sell. When they were discontinued, Roland sold them to retailers at a heavily discounted price. We bought 10 of them. I snagged 1 for myself. Sadly I don't have it anymore. 

 

Very insightful…

 

For me, that programmability and the ability to “play the panel” was my dream. At that point in my journey I was watching old Wakeman Minimoog clips and I had become pretty adept at programming my own sounds. The JD-800 was a playground waiting to happen in my world.

 

But your point is very interesting and insightful, as one of the primary consumers of high-end keyboards is churches. From that lens, big polyphony and general MIDI is more important than programmability, so I understand why sales might have been slow.

 

Todd

[Sundown]

On 9/16/2024 at 9:56 AM, tapes said:

 

The most famous JD-800 usage example I know is the Wailing Guitar patch, programmed by Eric Persing and used by The Prodigy on their track "Voodoo People".

 

The Wakemans used that patch heavily (Rick and Adam), particularly during the Wakeman with Wakeman era. That was their signature lead sound, perhaps with some tweaks. It could have been a JD-990 which had a near-identical patch, but it was that basic sound.

 

Todd

[Sundown]

On 9/15/2024 at 4:52 AM, Jim Alfredson said:

 

But I love the Wavestation as well. To me it is the pinnacle of digital synth aesthetics. Super clean lines, minimal controls, sleek curves. I think it’s beautiful. 

 

Hi Jim. Aesthetically the Wavestation was a cool design for that era, but sonically it was harsh and the edit buffers and shared memory were a nightmare. There was so much Tone/Patch sharing among Performances that any change could affect countless other sounds, and if memory serves, Wave sequences didn’t have any edit buffer at all … If you made a change, it stuck. The filter was also really disappointing. I was surprised and delighted that Korg implemented resonance with the VSTi re-issue. The original non-resonant hardware LPF was weak compared to Roland at the time.

 

My original hardware WS with the EX expansion board is dead (the PSU board failed), but I do have the VSTi version. I haven’t played a Wavestate but I’ve always believed in the basic idea of vector synthesis and wave sequencing. I just found the original WS’s ROM to be terrible … It was single cycle waveforms and a huge portion of the ROM was tied up with the Prophet VS waves and “time slices” of resonant filter sweeps. The Prophet waves were crunchy and harsh and had no business in a 1991 synth.

 

The Wavestation deserves it’s spot in history as a really unique instrument, but I feel like it could have been so much more with a different ROM baseline and a bit more RAM for patch management.

 

Todd

 

 

[AROIOS]

On 9/16/2024 at 9:12 AM, JoJoB3 said:

ready. set. create.
https://www.facebook.com/reel/3748007388778268

That Jupiter-6 bass is grooving HARD