On the other hand, I’ve been intrigued by some of his choices and have purchased my own when available, I just bought a D-10, and a while ago I bought a Rapman, but to be fair, I had one before so this was just me getting another one.
After carrying round the JX3P and PG200 in giant flight case since 1991 I love having the JX03 in my life. Yes, the 1/8 jacks, the power input and the sliders are a bag of shite but so is the molecular structure of my right knee. It is also so very cute and great for my small home studio. Cheers. Love your work.
I bought an og JX-3P with the PG-200 controller way back in the late 90s and it blew me away with how great it sounded. A few years ago I got it modded with the KiwiXP mod that brought the MIDI up to spec, modernized the sequencer, buffed the envelopes, and expanded the patch memory. It's a synthwave monster now. The JX-3P is such an underrated synthesizer.
On the original JX-3P you could use the PG-200 controller OR you could use MIDI. The MIDI was note on/off only. 1983 was a cruel time to be a synthesist on a budget.
I bought into the Aira and Boutique stuff a few years ago.....and now all you do is review all my gear every Friday. It's been a love/hate relationship with Roland. The stuff is neutered and cost too much, but sounds amazing and is useable for what I need.
Only Roland products I own are the Cloud versions of D-50 and Juno-106, plus a handful of MIDI cables. The Cloud D-50 is an amazing thing to have in my arsenal though.
The cloud stuff should be better than the Boutique. But what can I do if i hate cloud? They are passing by and blown away like a candle in the Wind. So I prefer all other Brands like Behringer Yamaha and korg ☺️
@@texacomann, I have mixed feelings on Roland Cloud as a whole. I’m not currently an active member. But the D-50 and Juno-106 are mine for life. Only thing that could change that is if they completely killed the Cloud without leaving any residual support for its instruments. As big as software synths are these days, I don’t see that happening any time soon.
To be fair, the JX-3P is excellent bad gear material. It's a very deep polysynth with innovative features like a sequencer and midi, that was slammed for its crappy 80s dial-less design. Also, it sounded just as good as its overrated Juno cousins. In essence it's the cooler Jx-8p, so I'd love to see what you do with it.
I actually had a JX3P back in the days. It sounded pretty bad except a few presets to my ears. It wasnt until I heard it with a programmer that this synth sounded awesome. Its got a few of my fav sounds these days :)
I have one. I kind of hate it but also I love it. I begrudgingly made it part of my setup because it’s the only polysynth I have that I’m not afraid of breaking at shows. And it kind of totally sounds amazing.
@@theshadowsea5556 I was interested when I first heard about them, but when I finally laid hands on one in a store I thought I would break the damn thing. The Volcas are also small but their interface feels more human-scale.
Okay but I LOVED that second track! Especially loved the added depth you got by slowly panning the high hats. A small detail, but it's things like that that make your pieces so fun to listen to!
Very happy to see the JX03 on this show. The epitome of "Bad Gear". A slimmed down, less capable version of an already controversial synth. I own the original JX-3P and am a die hard. It shares a filter with the Jupiters and older Junos, but also has a lot of the Juno-106 parts within. Where it differs is in the oscillators, which you mentioned. It can do circles around any Juno with its second fully programable osc. Once modded to Kiwi-3p, it's essentially a budget Jupiter-6. That being said many still hate on this thing, but in my opinion both the boutique and original are some of the best made synths from a functionality standpoint. From a design standpoint? Not so much, and that's why they will never be worth anywhere near as much as a Juno or Jupiter. Think Windows vs Mac.
@ghost mall I totally agree. In terms of sound, unlike the 8p, the 3p and 106 are very similar. I think it’s all in the Ui and limitations of the Juno that oddly make it magical. I can convince myself that the 3p works the same but the way the Ui of the Juno’s work, it just becomes an instrument instead of something to menu dive with. Sparks much more creativity. If we’re talking about versatility, the 8p wins in spades with the 3p sitting somewhere in between the 106 and 8p, which is why it’s my personal favorite.
The original JX-3P was a powerful synth featuring 2 digitally controlled oscillators for each of its 6 voices. The JX-03 features a chain mode that allows you to connect two JX-03 modules using the MIDI ports and create one, 8-voice synthesizer. Adding additional modules adds another 4 voices of polyphony with each module. This is especially great when controlling the JX-03 from a larger external keyboard. You can even edit the sound from the master module and control both units. Great for realtime filter sweeps and envelope adjustments
I owned a JX3P w/PG200 programmer. Bought it for $200 at the end of 1998 from a used instrument shop and it ended up being my second favorite synth of all of them that I had at the time (my favorite being the Sequential Multi-Trak). The one thing about the JX3p that really bummed me out was that the programmer's functions couldn't be accessed via MIDI. Still, the sounds I could pull out of it were pretty good and it was a great addition to my studio.
Cool video and one of the synths I had in the 90s w/the PG... List for 2023 one cheap small synth Behringer or another stuff to hang on the wall for the past... Have a great weekend!
Again you've nailed it at the end and saw both sides of it - as a plucky companion running alongside bigger polys that don't have as snappy envelopes (JX8P, JP6 for example), then it works really well. I've always fancied the original, you've done nothing but enforce that desire. Oh, and you're definitely getting more musical in your jams - jam2 was a masterpiece today!
Interesting origin story for the JX series .. I always thought the JX3P was a rung *up* the ladder from the Juno, and the JX8P is the big brother of the Alpha Juno - it is similar to the juno but has 2 oscillators per voice. The 4 voices limitation on the boutique is a crazy limitation .. I have a real vintage JX8P and although it's big and heavy I do like the sounds that come out of it and actually prefer it to the Alpha Juno.
This was the boutique that led me to buying my first vintage synth, the JX-3P. Looked at all the boutiques because they were interesting and also a bit of a Roland history lesson, and after listening to comparisons, decided I really wanted the original!
I absolutely love how you start off every episode burning the machine in question to the ground only to bring out the best of it all in a demo to prove the talent lies with the user not the machine.
The Roland recreations of their classic are VERY good in every way Ive tested them. This particular one sounds great, love it. Thanks Roland for decades of awesomeness and ty Bad Gear for your continued awesomeness as well!
..good in every way if you're into fake analog digital nonsense.. whereas Korg and Behringer have taken the lead by recreating synths of the past with true analog synths of the future instead of digital abominations.. the real magic between analog and digital is heard when you add hardware effects processors..
@@williamtell1477 ..you didn't read or were not able to comprehend my comment.. I own or have owned literally every analog synths from 1980 to today.. there is absolutely now way you can convince me that a digital (0's and 1's with empty space between them..) recreation of an actual analog wave sounds like an analog wave.. notice I mentioned empty space because that is exactly the problem.. either you want to believe it or you are tone deaf.. I own, have owned or played with a Juno 60, Juno 106, HS-60, Jupiter 6, Jupiter 8, SH-101, TB-303, Prophet 5, and many Moogs which I find somewhat boring.. analog can get tighter and 3D through external effects and digital gets wider and flat and distorts fast through effects because the 0's and 1's spread out like pixels on a tv screen.. the beautiful monitor or tv picture you are looking at, only looks good within a certain range then it distorts exponentially whereas real images that you can see with your eyes don't.. why does this matter..? ..because anyone with years of experience finds dry synths boring without effects.. the same goes for analog vs digital drums.. there is a reason why these Roland boutiques digital nonsense are the kings of the Bad Gear hierarchy..
One of the best Bad Gear's yet. The original 3P, like the 03, is basically a Jupiter-8/JP-08 without a filter envelope (yes, yes, there were lots of performance based features on the Jupiter, but that isn't the point) and that is how it sounds. The original represents an incredible value, and is arguably better than any of the Juno series. The boutique, like the JP-08, are pretty faithful in their recreations, and as you mention more than once, and your great jams show...the 3P/03 can definitely hold its own...and is unquestionably 80s.
1:36 the choo choo patch! Loved the sci fi accompaniment vids to the second jam. Roland built their own meme empire by such baffling decisions as a monophonic sequencer of 16 steps but heck the thing still sounds good and its got range! HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!
bought one of these and a jp-08 when they came out - cool synth back in the 80]s i had a jx-3p plus pg-200 this is VERY close on many patches to a real one.
A friend used to try to convince me his JX-3P and programmer were the bee's knees, but I was never convinced by what I heard him do with them. I thought it sounded thin and weak. But I owned the Mono/Poly and Polysix siblings at the time, so I wasn't impressed easily. But these days, If I had this little boutique, I'd use it. For sure! Another great video that's ticking all the right boxes! 👍
I remember reading somewhere that the JX3P was popular with Hi-NRG and Freestyle electro producers, I wish I could ask Synth Mania and see what his insight on that would be, dudes a wealth of historical synth knowledge
A classic movie - especially the wait for the plane attack. That's one of the most suspenseful moments in movies alongside Omar Sharif's entrance in Lawrence Of Arabia!
I had a JX3P. It was perfect for me in what I wanted to use it for. Mainly because of it's sequencer, which was great for the live jam, kosmische stuff that I was doing at the time. It was easy to program without the controller and excelled at retro piano and organ sounds with a bit of swirl.
Wow nice job getting some decent sounds out of this thing, it actually sounds pretty good in a mix. I used to have one of these briefly, music store near me was blowing them out for like $200 when they were first discontinued, and I returned it after less than a week. I didn’t really vibe with the sound, like I hate it when people say “this sounds like a VST” but I could definitely name a few VSTs that sound more like a real 3P than this thing haha. Later I found a deal on a real 3P and I was impressed at how warm and punchy it sounded, even the simplest patches sound great on it. The JX03 doesn’t quite do it for me like that, but it’s a decent facsimile I guess.
Oh I’ve been looking forward for this episode from long ago. So glad my sweet little JX-03 got featured, very nice episode indeed. I remember I selected it from the original three (and BT abomination) because it sounded more like what I was looking for plus it had knobs instead of those shitty faders. Still my weapon of choice for many things and thru WiDi it becomes a synth/soundcard/controller super portable powerhouse. Love it!
@@MatthewChristianMurray it’s a small device you attach to the MIDI ports of your synth and it sends and receives MIDI data through Bluetooth. Works with anything MIDI, old and new, it draws power from the out port in order to work and you can pair it with your computer, phone, other WiDi, etc.
If the JX-3P had been released with knobs and sliders in 1983, maybe the Junos would be the ones considered the poor relations. I wanted to hate the JX-03, but it actually sounds really good and is, as our Synth-Sensai says, very versatile!
Cool! I own this little synth. It actually was my first subtractive polyphonic synth I bought. Later I bought the System 8 (future video suggestion?). I still like JX-03 and I use it actually as a midi controller these days, controller the virtual knobs of synth VSTs! :D
This was the one I got just because of the knobs, made the same choice when getting the Studiologic Sledge (which you should totally do an episode on) and am still unsure if that was a good decision or not!
Interesting... I'm always surprised at the lack of polyphony on these recent synths/modules, especially on something sort of Juno-esque which are all about phat layered pads, etc. Talking of Juno... a review of the Roland alpha-Juno 2 would be a hoot as it's actually the only "big" synth with a keyboard that I own. Go on... you know you want... it's got lovely membrance switches, a tiny 2-line dot-matrix display and the infamous continuous "Alpha Dial". Of course best known for the "Hoover" preset beloved by early rave, but it does make lovely stringy whooshes with a gorgeous chorus!
@@AudioPilz oh yeah, I forgot it’s “worlds worst audio tools” not “favourite synth gear reviews” 🤣 Maybe I missed a video where your final verdict was “utter garbage” but you always seem to manage to say something nice about everything and squeeze out something musical! After all, look what Aphex Twin supposedly did with the Cheetah MS800! Now if you could track one of those down and even make it play a single beep noise I’d be impressed!!!
omg, i think you missed your calling into the comedy biz. I had to keep stopping and rewinding to catch your 1/2 second meme jokes. Laughed all the way through this. You even had a picture cameo of Kerry Livgren! I just found out about this ...boutique thing after I searched one of my old synths and saw a post about somebody ...of course...hating the jx-03. I never even heard of this thing. And I'm an original JX-3P owner! Fascinating history too. Did not know about the 6 voice guitar synth thing. I admit , the biggest things I missed on the 3P is the portamento and midi out on the LFO trigger button. Loved your dawless jam too...now that I know what one of those are. All of my jams are dawed.
Never owned the original but definitely very interested in the fact that the original had an associated controller that they smushed together for the redesign. Have to at least appreciate the engineering behind that decision making because I can’t imagine this thing without knobs. It has maybe gotten 20% use since getting it in 2016 but It’s surprisingly deep - and learning about these “hidden parameters” makes us excited like a kid learning about a VG cheat code. Keep rocking and subscribed!
I love the JX-3P/MKS-30 sound, and enjoyed my boutique version but not enough to keep it. They feel so cheap and that stereo out on mini jack is just insulting at this price point. But I agree, it's good to have a more transparent sounding synth to pair with beefier ones. Great episode as always!
@@AudioPilz I usually like your jams demonstrating the synths you feature, but I've been enjoying the past few months more than in the past. Keep it up, buddy! Oh, I see a new vid! Time to head on over. 😉
Yet another great episode, you never fail to disappoint. :) Have you maybe thought of covering the Korg DS-8 or one of the Casio CZ series (e.g. CZ-5000)? Recently got those synths and I think they'd be good BadGear material (trust me lmao).
I purchased one of these used a few years back and love the strings on it. I think for the prices used, it’s a lot of fun to play. I’d never use it as a main synth, but it adds some flavor to my songs. Roland could have really done great things with these like ju-06a…
I think if you buy something with a specific use in mind (or even if you don't, but find a use that you always go to) then it makes it very worthwhile. I recently picked up the JD-08 and, in all honesty, I'm not getting much out of it yet. It seems great for pads, but it doesn't fit my style. BUT, I have found that the piano patch sounds much cleaner and crisper than the M1's piano, so for that reason alone, I'm quite hesitant to get rid of it right now.
Hi, I noticed that in your channel there are only 2 videos about Casio gear. Here, there is a vintage synth from this brand that has been hated a lot for its horrible display interface and programming complexity, but for me it is very underrated. A video about this synth would be great
I remembre asking you to do an épisode about the jx3p at the very beggining of your chanel :) it’s for sure a most hated audio tools, however it’s a realy good synth, with great filters. And i think that’s why Roland did a re-edition. But the original full métal case and knobs is hard to replace. Love it !
I got the impression at the time that the JX-3p was seen as a step up from the Junos with 2x DCOs, MIDI and a polyphonic sequencer. It was more expensive too.It certainly looked more the part, the Juno 6/60 looked a bit dated when they came out. How times change.
4 things I wish my JX-3P had... 1. Faster LFO Rate. 2. Portamento. 3. All four banks programmable. 4 Midi control when using the PG200. Apart from these wish list items, I think the original JX is a truly amazing synth, I have owned Jupiter and Juno models but the 3P has something special when you start exploring the sonic potential, and the filter is the same as a Jupiter 8. 3-P is more reliable, cost loads less, looks pretty, and with the PG200 is a great machine. I had the boutique version and A/B compared, the original, blows it out of the water.
yaaay, finally my first synth gets it's day in the sun! as someone who didn't know anything about synths when i bought it, i picked the jx03 because it felt unintimidating while still having lots of nobs I could play around with lol. learned a lot from it, tiny knobs be damned! also, i'm a guitarist, sooo coincidence?
Dude - that Finale track was freakin awesome... You did a few things I hadn't considered with my 3P. (I'm stealing some ideas). Hmmm. I wonder if a jx-03 can create jx-3p compatible patch info - and if a 3P could even receive it via sysex. A jx-03 is cheaper than a pg-200, a stereoping, or a retroaktiv programmer - for those of us who didn't buy one. Research time - even though I'm certain the answer is 'no'. :) Awesome content again!
I think you nailed it boss. You arent going to get much lushness or pads out of it, but damn is it great for plucks and quick hits. Out of all the gear i own the JX03 has my favourite envelope, its so tight and always nails the sound im looking for perfectly.
