howard jones jupiter 80 in depth synth review

[jonjones20143]

what an unlikeable twat

[zippy5081]

enjoyable to watch and the sounds from the jp,80 were just outstanding and to see Howard play the thing is a touch of class very nice to see and hear i loved the 1980's sound again nice viewing.

[dpwukich]

thanks for the review! it really helped me pick out my first synthesizer.

[MethodicBR]

hi, I send you a video response with a xmas song remake I did using Jupiter 80.

[alphasxsignal]

How many splits across the keyboard can you do?

[MethodicBR]

@alphasxsignal 4 splits, up to 10 sounds + effects (lots of them)

[alphasxsignal]

@MethodicBR Cool. Looks like it can do many things.

[jpmartineau]

Seems like an interesting synth, but it has nothing to do with the original JPs. Kinda sad that Roland capitalizes on the old Jupiter's reputation. This might end up hurting the JP80...

[CelticProgeny]

He's a top guy but some of them answers were a bit woolly :)

[Whateverdudeyeah]

This is billed as a "live" synth for a reason. Those effects-heavy sounds can't fit in any mix in a studio environment and serve to fill out the sound of a live gig without crowds of players and tons of instruments. Jupiter 8 is, however, still used in the studio, and will be until the very last one of them stops working. Nonetheless, I find it awkard that they're giving this name to something that's mainly going to be used for weddings and bar mitzvahs, but that's the name of the game today.

[DRstaszak]

i like the JP-80, mayby it doesnt deserve the name JP but its still a brilliant machine. play the JP-80 for yourself dont be brainwashed by what others think about it! although i agree it lacks many things from the origional jp8

[DRstaszak]

does he say was or wasn't excited ???

[gilwe]

I wonder how much he has been paid for this :D seriously, that "Jupiter" 80 is a bad joke...Get a Juno 60 it's much cheaper and closest to a real Jupiter in it's sound ;)

[analog3]

This sounds like a great synth in its own right, but why cant Roland just build what many of us still want, a new big poly analogue. One of the joys of playing a Jupiter 8 is it's a very tactile and interactive instrument, you don't need a touch screen etc. I can also attest they are now showing their age. A recent repair required a worldwide search for a proprietary Roland EG chip and $200 to finally obtain it. Forget modelling, just build a proper analogue replacement for the JP-8.

[xpjv]

Howard! Jupiter 80 guys forgot to include dual d-beam & time trip pad as v synth gt has!!!

[Weissman111]

Who cares how it creates the sounds, or whether they're anything like a Jupiter 8, or whether they're good/bad/indifferent - it's what you do with them that counts. Even with the best equipment around you can still make a song sound s*** (you only have to listen to what's in the charts now).

[jebeq2007]

Rehashed $3500 Rompler, Does any one honestly need another Rompler?

Jones is being PAID. This thing will end up as a door stopper for him

[stryker1999]

@jebeq2007 I have NO rompler, rehashed or otherwise, which does such amazing acoustic and synthetic articulations. Buy a JP-80 and a Kronos, and you won't need anything but a real analog for perhaps a decade.

I think your post is much more a doorstop.

[bluescan92]

It boggels my mind that some of you cant find this synth attractive.The Jupiter 80 is a great synth. and it does exactly what its supposed to. we live in 2011 not 1980 anymore. so stop comparing it to the jupiter 8. The JP8 was a great synth ( still is ).But the marked now depends on technology and thats where the JP80 comes in. Iv`e played the JP80 and love it But please guys stop saying it is rubbish and that the JP8 is better.

[OfficialSwishaTV]

nah this sounds very good actually. I just acquired a juno 6(eventually will find a 60 and get rid of the 6) but about to get a jupiter 8 as well. this sounds quite amazing in my opinion. will eventually want to get this as well

[unciase1]

Guitar players still use tubes, so why do people tell you to "move on" when you say that you prefer analog synthesis? There's a lot of digital stuff that's cool, but no virtual analog sounds like the real thing

[DanBurton190]

I have got both a Fantom G and X and there is no way you can get these sounds from them! The Jupiter 80 is a synthesizer, and the fantom range are workstations. The fact that there are not many knobs or sliders does not make this a bad synth! Roland design the future so what makes you think they would go back to analog? This thing sounds analog though so why complain?

[bluescan92]

@DanBurton190

U got my point. Thanks !

[ncheriyan]

I agree with Roland's philosophy 'we design the future', so they don't want to go back to old analog technology completely, but it would have helped everyone's needs if roland combined SuperNatural with real analog to make this...I am sure then it would have turned a lot more heads. (I played a Juno 60 at the guitar center...its effects were very limited and crap but i loved the analog osc and filters). Glad Dave Smith still sells real polyphonic analog synths.

[coreystuart]

If I had to give it any positive feedback, it would be that you can split this into different sections and play 3-4 different sounds at one given time. And, the synth sounds extremely lush. I'd have to actually sit down at one and test drive it.....

[babydollpk]

I own a Jupiter 8, in fact Howard signed mine. I also own a host of digital synths as well. Believe me folks ....analog and digital are two completely different species. There are strengths and weaknesses in both ..... it all depends on what you're looking for. As far as this synth being the new stage of Jupiter..... Uhhm gonna have to agree with the folks that said they shoulda picked another planet ......more like Neptune.

[vegunited06]

i bet howard jones doesn't give a shit about the 80. but to be fair he probably got payed alot to say how amazing the 80 was.

[bunker8digitallabs]

@vegunited06 You are dead wrong, Howard is a very genuine, honest artist. It was Roland's choice to name it the Jupiter 80, but it is a worthy synth in its own right. It really is capable of some tremendously cool stuff.

If Roland were to repackage the jupiter 8, it wouldn't be cost effective, it wouldn't sound the same and no one would like it because their ears would expect nostalgia to ring true.

Get a grip, the 80's are over for Howard, they should be for you too.

[SchranzyAnn]

no offense, but imo sounds pretty much like a Fantom to me...

[bunker8digitallabs]

@SchranzyAnn  No offense taken, but it sounds and plays NOTHING like a phantom

[SchranzyAnn]

@bunker8digitallabs ok i understood (referring to the acoustic sounds), but here in this demo i'm more interested in the synth/electronic/space sound...& btw it's Fantom sir ;-)

[SPAZZOID100]

@SchranzyAnn

Yep...a Fantom with a new coat of paint and a FALSE name!

[stryker1999]

@SchranzyAnn As a Fantom X owner, I have to disagree on the filters. The Fantom filters are pretty cruddy.  These sound much juicier, sort of like the JP-8000, which I also own.

[SchranzyAnn]

@stryker1999 i respect your opinion, and i owned a Fantom G. however one cannot jugde truly via Youtube videos due to the compression rate..i believe the Jupiter-80 sounds great, even greater than the FG in real life.

it's just my opinion when i was watching this video. nothing personal.

[zenmachinefilms]

The original Jupiter was a true analog classic! This is just another digital synth. I think it's crass the way Roland stuck the Jupiter name on it.

[Zephonic]

Mr.Jones sure loves C minor...

[chessdude67]

I love Roland, but I'll go with Yamaha MOX6 or 8 over this. Very sad, Roland.

[coreystuart]

Please, just pan the camera to the left and begin talking about the synth beside the JP80.

[bunker8digitallabs]

@coreystuart The 80's is over, get a grip and move on.

[coreystuart]

@bunker8digitallabs It's got nothing to do with the 80's. It's a simple fact: most of today's new synths are all digital. I have nothing against them. I own 7, to be exact--and it's a balanced ratio of digital to analog keyboards. There is a reason Moogs are so high priced--they're likely the only analog synthesizers on the market that are still being made by a company who first sold them. I wouldn't mind spending $4000 on one, providing they're polyphonic. That's my only gripe with them.

[chizmo7]

@bunker8digitallabs If the 80's are over and it's time to "move on", then why are they calling it a Jupiter? And why are they putting in "virtual analog" sound engines in it? They are clearly trying to take advantage of the Jupiter's legacy for a reason. Unfortunately this thing is never going to be a Jupiter-8 Regardless of the decade. I played one at the NAMM show last week in Nashville. I have a real JP8. This is nothing like it at all. I would have loved it if they had made it real analog.

[SPAZZOID100]

@bunker8digitallabs

The 80's never went away...just listen to some of the new stuff on the radio.

[SPAZZOID100]

@bunker8digitallabs

Nope...the 80's are alive and kicking..just listen to the black eyed peas

[paradoxstate]

@bunker8digitallabs

The 80's maybe over, but the sounds produced by the synths of those years have not died, and theres a bigger sales market for those synths, than anything produced today, lets be honest roland have had their day at producing the 'BIG SYNTH' other companies around today are all to happy to produce analog synths. I personally havent bought a roland synth since the JX8p. Which isnt a reflection on Roland gear, I just prefer analog, always have.

[paradoxstate]

@bunker8digitallabs

The 80's maybe over, but the sounds produced by the synths of those years have not died, and theres a bigger sales market for those synths, than anything produced today, lets be honest roland have had their day at producing the 'BIG SYNTH' other companies around today are all to happy to produce analog synths. I personally havent bought a roland synth since the JX8p. Which isnt a reflection on Roland gear, I just prefer analog, always have.

[SPAZZOID100]

@coreystuart

AMEN!!!! The Jupiter-8 is a real synth, with a personality, whereas this j-80 is just a box full of features nobody will ever use. (like the korg oasys)

[zenmachinefilms]

I will always love Howard, but this synth is an imposter! This is no Jupiter!

[thelurker25]

@zenmachinefilms why?

[krysthalas]

In the 80s, I worked in a large music store and sold lots of Jupiter 6 & 8s. This product evokes sonic memories of the same period. My other "all time favorites" are Oberheim's Matrix-12 and Sequential Circuits' Prophet 5. The eighties was a true blending of digital and analog. On on hand, digitally controlled (MIDI & patch memory) but still analog oscillators and generation. Of course, any disputes over how close the Jupiter 80 captures the era is like arguing CD merits vs. vinyl, or religion.

[bunker8digitallabs]

@krysthalas Great, fair and balanced comment.

[909Thumper909]

This is a digital synth? Why cant I find the sample rate anywhere? Plus, is it modeling or ROMpler? It sounds huge through YT no doubt, but why cant I find the mechanix anywhere? anyway AWESOME DEMO thanks Mr Jones.

[gridsleep]

Roland had to do something to counter the Kronos, or all the Roland fanbois would have had a good cry. Ha. I should talk, I have a V-Synth GT, a JD-800, a JX-3P, an alpha Juno 2, and a PMA-5. Fanboi indeed. Like the Kronos, this is a master melange of manipulation of already well established and well known sounds. No new sounds here. No FIZMO, this, no Neuron, no Theramin. Maybe some believe the invention of new ways of sound is over. The future always has ways of surprising us all.

[Joggione]

8:38 Love that sound!

[devmiles]

you can tell of his face ''what's this next bullshit product''

roland, stop making these silly remakes because this has nothing to do with a jupiter 4, 6, 8 or any other analog classic.

if you have a jupiter 8 and play this, this is a f*cking joke ..

[bunker8digitallabs]

@devmiles I believe that you might possibly have a bias in your commentary. While I agree that the Jupiter 80 is not an analogue synth, that is not in dispute, it is a piece of equipment which represents the era in which it was made. Which means to say, it is a MODERN SYNTH, quite frankly, if they had simply rebuilt the Jupiter would anyone buy it?

[909Thumper909]

@bunker8digitallabs YES I'D BUY TEN

[devmiles]

@bunker8digitallabs give it a year and you'll find it half the price. it's simply a copy of similar new roland synths with some colors and a name refering to old classics. very cheap way of putting something on the market and above all, nothing new here.. nothing..

[TheReligiousRecords]

@bunker8digitallabs I would! I mean Jupiter 8s are not as plentiful as you make them sound.

[blwvideo]

@bunker8digitallabs - If they had simply rebuilt the Jupiter 8, scads of people would buy one, myself included.

[babydollpk]

@bunker -- Uhmmm you might want to poll that one out. I think you might be surprised at the results. Either you have never played on a Jupiter, or you haven't used one to it's full effect. "Modern" synths Have not been living up to the demand of players for a bit 'o time... Just ask them. Most current synths are just rehashing decades old tech. There is also something to be said for the warmth of analog vs the sterility of digital. Audiophiles said it about cd vs vinyl - Guess who was right?

[jjstylz451]

@devmiles

You just dont get it!

[thelurker25]

@jjstylz451 let him lush over his 30 year old 8 polyphonic no-aftertouch, no-velocity synth.

[Chriskkboongg]

@devmiles A Sound on Sound reviewer tested the JP-80 and the JP-8 side by side and he couldn't tell the difference in sounds.

[MeldMagic]

Gordon Reid (SOS) - "I placed my Jupiter 8 next to the Jupiter 80 and compared them directly. Of course there were differences, but in a blind test of some brass and string patches, I couldn’t tell which synth was generating which. This was not what I had expected!"

[MeldMagic]

Gordon Reid (SOS) - "Nonetheless, there is in my view one significant shortcoming in Supernatural Synth; while you can affect the loudness and brightness of a sound using aftertouch, you can’t introduce vibrato, tremolo or growl. For a synth that prides itself on its performance capabilities, this seems a lamentable oversight"

[oakleyfan]

Howard Jones says its "phat" 5:57

[cynepMeH69]

This is an abomination and exploitation of a venerable name. This is as much "Jupiter" as "Pink Floyd Tribute Band" is actual "Pink Floyd". I gave up on Roland, it seems the only remaining companies still making true legends is Moog, DSI, and some tiny boutiques. I'm holding on to my JP-8 with BOTH OF MY Jupiter-8 loving arms... That, and my Synthex are most prized material possessions I ever had.

[chizmo7]

Don't call it a Jupiter ROLAND. It's another frickin Fantom. Jupiter 4's,6's,8's & Super Jupiters were ANALOG SYNTHESIZERS! This is just another PCM P.O.S.

Howard is awesome.

[FeNsTa]

any other synth reviews like this ? fascinating stuff....

[PYJAMAGROOVE]

Is it recyclable?

[FeNsTa]

looks a great synth...... no better person to demo it...... the man himself......

[renegadesoundwaves]

Not doing it for me at all...I'll stick with my JD-990

[marczellm]

Mr. Jones states several times in response to the interviewers' question that he is not interested in SuperNATURAL acoustic sounds, he prefers synths. That's the case with each and every keyboardist who can afford a JP-80 because a person who has the bucks for this will also have the bucks for hiring a real world trumpeter.

The great mistake in my opinion is Roland placing the emphasis on SuperNATURAL which is simply not needed in mainstream music.

[MaynoDolphin]

@marczellm Yes I agree. This silly obsession with recreating natural tones is partially what killed what the original synths excelled at in the first place. Too much compromise.

[sp12mks20]

Great Synth!

[mattsynth]

Thanks Howard that was fun.

[bunker8digitallabs]

@mattsynth Indeed it was, such a talent at the keys...

[realtrance]

... continued... Over selecting assignment of filter/env/lfo to knobs and D-beam, aftertouch, etc.?

I assume you can create your own tones with selecting partials, etc. the same way?

Basically: how much in-depth editing can you do compared with say Fantom?

[bunker8digitallabs]

@realtrance You can, this new synth really has a level of depth all of its own...

[realtrance]

Ok this is like, OMG gotta have this NOW!

Howard is such a calm, non-marketing guy; I feel like I'm hearing from a fellow musician on the instrument with his presentation, no hard sell here.

Seems to me the distinct interest of this keyboard is in the huge tonal palette that you can mix and control in realtime while playing.

What remains a question is: how deep can you go with the touch screen on editing tones and partials? Do you have complete control, like with say MC-909, over selecting f

[MtbSkl]

WOW!! I was disappointed after I saw a few videos about this synth and reading the comments.. I just heard a very good synth!! I don't care about the acoustic sounds, I have a fantom for these, but the synth sounds are great! Don't you agree?

Nice review!

[bunker8digitallabs]

I agree, I think this new synth actually sounds really awesome. People have come to expect WAY TOO MUCH from a keyboard. I think this synth will actually deliver the goods quite well.

[TomZentra]

@MtbSkl The earliest demos weren't very good, but better ones like this one are appearing slowly. Search here and you will find the other good new videos. I am definitely buying this synth!

[bobfrode]

Oops..was not suppose to add comment. Sorry, but its good o see howard jones again an i was going to search up his old and new music. Itunes here i come : o)

[bobfrode]

Howard jones