Okay, so I have to share this: I'm in my office (in a medical center lab) with the door wide open and accidentally launched this video on my second computer, which was set up previously to pump at top volume through some monster speakers. I could not scramble fast enough to turn down the volume before the entire opening song completed. So, several people have come by wondering what the vaudeville was going on. IJBOL. Of course, I have now played the song about three more times at full volume for all to enjoy. Love your brain, Alex! It contains and produces great thoughts and knowledge and smart music, with spot-on humor to boot! 🧠
Dear Alex, you DEFINITELY need your own TV show. I have not seen a single (I repeat, NOT A SINGLE) video of you that has not kept me well informed, fascinated and entertained. Thank you so much for that! (Even though I was born in 1969. sorry :-). )
Mr Ball: your well-intentioned (and predictably excellent) exposition unfortunately raises deeper questions of critical concern, including the nature and technique of vocal treatment employed in my splendid new ringtone.
So did Roland … but, now,: no one’s really interested in heavy, overpriced, VSTs-in-boxes, that don’t sound better than VSTs you can run on your laptop, and which will soon be big, heavy, outdated, piles of hardware …
I agree with you... this is nothing more than a VST plugin with a glossy controller. The fact that good old Pilz is fascinated by it surprises me now. To me, Roland is the Angela Merkel of synthesizers. The only thing I would buy from Roland is their Eurorack modules. And even those aren't built or developed by Roland.
@@tadknuf7979 I know everything about those things! I'm totes relevant! *quickly does an AltaVista search for them* ...wait, what happened to AltaVista!? :)
Mass respect. End tune "Let it happen" Superb!!! My children are now well informed when I shout "Roland", I hear in the background "Made Synthesizers" The Wife is very happy with that ;)
When Jupiter X came out there was Criticism being digital . I'm an analog guy by Heart . From Moogs to Prophets to Oberhiems. I love them. I do have Juno 6 in mint condition which I have a soft spot for. I purchased Jupiter X when they first came out. No regrets. They have there place. Like a Mellotron I use in certain incidences like my X . I think they sound great.
Glad someone did a breakdown of just the underlying native synth engines of these synths. Oftentimes, people get so hung up on the vintage models that come with the unit, or those which can be added, and they forget that these synths have modern features to aid them in creating new soundscapes. Vintage emulations are wonderful, but they can be found in many places these days (VST's, desktop modules, clone products, etc). The real magic is captured when talented synthesists and keyboardists utilize the modern engine to create new sonic colors on the canvas of life. Thank you, Alex. Rock on.
The problem I have with Roland is that actually, they do rely too much on their past glory, they re-issue the same stuff on and on again without moving on, and for a company whose motto is "we design the future", that's a bit hypocritical dare I say ? Furthermore, the CEO actually said "never chase a ghost", meaning Roland would not release remakes of the originals, but this is just another argument to back up my claim, that Roland is indeed chasing the ghost of their past, in digital form. They could very well move on from the Jupiter-8 and the Juno-106, but the problem is that these synths becoming more well-known icons, like the Rhodes E.P. or the Stratocaster, Roland wants to cash in on the vintage wave, and they're only interested in the money. It shows, there hasn't been ONE mention of either the Jupiter-6 or the Alpha-Junos whether that be in articles they write on their site, digital recreations, not even a mention in their "50 years of Roland history", because these haven't yet made a name for themselves, and instead of treating them the same and maybe shine the spotlight on the little brothers to reintroduce them to the public, they only care for what sells. The Jupiter-4 started to become a bit of a niche icon recently, and what do you know, Roland releases the cloud version as soon as it does. But where is the Jupiter-12 ? Where is the... I don't know, the Roland Voyager, or something, a brand-new synth with a different architecture, different gimmicks, different sound, something unique ! I'm not even asking for it to be entirely analogue, I don't think they would even have the qualified staff inside their team to achieve that, but Roland has been the shell of what it once was for a while now. Roland is a brand that _made_ good synthesizers.
This is why I think they need a BOSS style sub brand to focus on doing all their legacy stuff right.. and then the main brand can do it’s future-synth stuff. The company is stuck in a weird super-position of getting neither thing right without that I think
The Jupiter-X is an absolute monster. There's really nothing it can't do. But it does have a rather steep learning curve. Even with so many controls on the surface, I still find it necessary to dive into the menus, and that's never really fun. But it's such a powerful and versatile beast, I can forgive its minor shortcomings. And yes, it does a fantastic job modeling vintage Roland synths. I purchased a set of synth overlays that simulate vintage synths like the Jupiter 8 and Juno, and that makes it even more fun.
I had a jupiter X, when I first heard about them making it I immediately had to have it even before knowing anything about it, however ever since learning it was digital amongst other features that I feel shouldn’t be in a synth like this I was becoming increasingly disappointed. I eventually got one and loved the size and build quality but thats where it ended for me. It was very complex with the tiny offset screen and the weird 4 part patches where you are always in a scene. Then came some updates which kind of altered it which made it even more complex. My biggest gripe was with the sound, it just didnt have the punch that I would have expected, it did have some very accurate sounding patches and my favs were the orignal jupiter 8 patches, but it wasnt a jupiter 8, not even the roland cloud versions. On a side note whilst I loved the build and feel of it, when I received it I noticed 1 key was sagging and it got me worried, I didn’t want to send this massive package back so I opened up my 1 hour old synth on the bed and managed to fix it. Even though I imagine the components in the both are almost the same I find the juno x sounding a little better, no idea why. In my mind a massive short fall in these Iconic synth bodies and names given the amount of other synths coming out especially real analog ones
Roland used or still make plotters for the sign and graphics industry what is it with Japanese instrument makers yamaha synths and motorbikes roland synths and plotters 😂
I use the native engine 99% of the time and made a plethora of glitch, noise, aggressive, to fm-like sounds. Thanks to the awesome 4 oscillators. I feel like it still begs for an actual FM synthesis update or even wavetable capabilities to elevate experimentation. Any new features if we'll even get, I assure it be awesome. Newer FX would be great too! We can only hope that Roland would still continue supporting their hardware synths for a few more years to come.
For the asking price of 30000E that a jp8 might set you back, I'd trade some of the vintage analog warmth for a modern reliable synth and save the remaining 26000.
I think the selling point for these synths is all of the incredible sound design you can do with them instead of just recreating the vintage stuff. Great video!
@@kierenmoore3236 it does replicate those old synths very well. This can be very creative, especially since you can combine them with new effects and layer multiple models together. So you can have some nice jd800 pads on the left while you play an old skool SH101 lead on the right, and all kinds of other combinations. You can fake what the sh101 would have sounded like if it had a moog filter, for example.
The trouble with these two is they are neither one thing nor another. The philosophy with the Jupiter-X was to explore layering lots of voices (done less accurately than the ACB simulations of older hardware via simple ABM templates) with the Zen Core engine. But then for some reason it ended up in a very Jupiter-8 style case.. and had its controls restricted to the Jupiter-8ish set.. leaving the rest of the engine to menu diving outside of the default template I still feel like Roland would have been far better in just making.. the ultimate hardware synth for Zen Core. Lay out all the controls for the full Zen Core engine on the panel of a synth. Call it the Roland Zen or Apollo or something. Jupiter-8/Juno style cases like this could run the ACB versions, with perhaps analogue filters.. they would have sold like hot cakes I like the sound of Zen Core itself.. I just don't like it being used to make a sheep in wolf's clothing style affair (which is why I got the MC-707) Cheers anyway, Alex. Great vid and ditties as usual
A bit of a turn on your idea? What if they did something similar to the OBX8? Juno X/6/60 and 106 in one synth. Jupiter X/4/6 and 8 in another synth? A pure homage to the history of each line? I think the sound is amazing and would rather digital if it kept the price down.
This is why I still have my System 8 and never looked at the X synths. I mean - the System 8 has a terrible keybed and no aftertouch etc, but the engine itself - awesome. And they still release plug outs for it - the Jupiter 4 last year.
@@jrnyfn Yes - one would assume the next generation of ACB/‘System’ board(s) is in the works … … … and , who knows; they could be amazing … ?!! But that still wouldn’t be like the (actually analog) Sequential/Oberheim reissues … and it seems that Roland is incapable of doing any such thing by themselves now/currently, anyway … unless, eg, Marcus Ryle is willing to collaborate with Roland (or jumps ship?!) …
@@ohheyitskevinc Yeah - I couldn’t see why anyone with ACB versions would go for these big, heavy, expensive, zencore boxes, either … 🤷🏻♂️😏 Not if you really value the sound/tone …
And to top it off you start off with the famous exploding whale from Oregon in 1970, where ever I go see references to the job well done by Oregon Highway Division who’s job it was to explode the whale.❤
Alex Ball has some Kenny Everett in him, as per that opening. Actually, I'd love to see you do something on the rapid frequency sweeps that generate "chirps", like what you would hear on Michael Jackson's "Bad" track. I was generating a house beat that had some of that, but it also worked in a funk context.
My only problem is you didnt review the sounds with your face,but since it's an 'older' video I'll let that slide. Always a pleasure to see and hear your videos.
Ironically, as a big fan/owner of some vintage analog Roland gear, my fave/most recently used bit of kit is their TR-707/TR-727 Cloud plug-ins. Very rarely use VST instruments, but these drum plug-ins are actually really good.
I’ve had an Xm for a little over a year now and I’m just starting to understand its architecture. I’ve watched this video a few times and can finally get what you’re doing here. Thank you so much as you’ve inspired me. In fact, I just mapped the OSC faders to an external controller because I can see just how essential this feature is.
Your channel is dangerous! Due to the repeatedly high quality of your videos and music, the people who visit your channel regularly may end up believing that they will find the same thing everywhere on RU-vid. This is probably also the reason for the increase in depressive moods in recent years. Luckily, the remedy is simple: you need to produce more videos so that people don't even think about leaving your channel. Great song by the way.
This is a nice demo and gives me some patch ideas to try on my MC-707 as it can do basically all the same things just with out nearly the same hands on controls because of just being the raw underlying Zen Core engine that powers it's more expensive (and larger) siblings. I think a lot of people tend to sleep on the newer Roland synths with Zen Core not realizing how in depth the engine is. Can be a total bugbear to program on hardware though at times, but god damn does it sound awesome. I've been doing more and more of my own patches on my MC-707 as time has gone on and I'm really glad I bought it.
Bigger screen on the MC-707, though. These 2 synths have the same issue with hands on controls as soon as you stray away from the restricted template designed for their layout and into full Zen Core
@@Wagoo Oh I'm aware, I've met a lot of people that say that MC-707 is one of the best hardware options for patching Zen Core directly other than the Fantom line up being one of the best options if you don't want to run Zenology Pro. It's not too terrible on the MC-707 but given the complexity of the underlying engine something has to give on hardware even more expensive hardware to expose the engine given just it's sheer complexity going on under the hood with Zen Core.
@@musiqtee It could be, I want to bring back disco. What gets me about Roland now, they are just synths on a chip, basically a computer housed in a midi controller. Needing constant upgrades and bug fixes. I’ll pass, I have some of the actual classics. A JX-3p, JX-8p, Juno-106, Alpha Juno 1 and a D-50. That’s good enough for me.
In my younger days I used mostly Yamaha gear, now I own mostly Korg gear but I have always had a massive soft spot for Roland... awesome video and killer demo track!
You're Making me Drool! - FACT! - HAHAHA! - How DARE You! LOL I WISH I was still "Rich & Famous! - Until then?!? - I will JUST have to live vicariosly through YOU! LOL Cheers! -Judson & Buddy !! - God Bless You ALL !!! 🙂
These synths have decent interfaces and are very powerful but sound digital. This demo actually settles that for me. The best analog sounding digital synth I've ever heard is Microkorg strangely enough though I'm sure there are others
The one thing I love about my 106 is the manual mode where you simply hear exactly what’s dialled in on the interface. What you see is what you hear. In fact, when you switch on the 106, that’s what it defaults to. I’ve been led to believe the Juno X doesn’t have this which would be a massive turn-off for me.
That intro is priceless...that content is spotless, thanks Alex! And thank you even more for *really* helping me decide between each of the two I should get -first- with simple facts rather than biased analysis...now I get it, JupiterX is a workhorse begging to being accompanied by its peers while JunoX is a scallion begging for its own court to follow and please him and making him look nice... Grrhhh, question remains, do I want the knight or the Jedi first.....😄
It bothers me that all these synth companies are using vintage designs to sell newer keyboards that are nothing like their precursors. Also, your intro interjections, are very dr.mix-like. Please don't do that...i can't stand that guy
Hi Alex - Q of the day - I have a Roland RD-88. It will be my kybd controller. If I subscribe to Rolands GALAXIAS, am I pretty much not needing to purchase another Roland keyboard to get the old Jupiter, Juno, & TR library? Thanks Jim
Eastern keys and sounds, are on a different level. Ever imagined hearing a duff or a dolak drum? Water pot, made out of a clay sounds? These western pulse sounds are very basic on an engineer level. But it’s not pure ethnic or ethnic sounding.
I think it is very cheap marketing to make it look like and name it like their old synths. It is an instant no for me even if it is a good synth it just don't have anything reasonable common with the juno/jupiter synths except part of the layout.
I observed a minor miss on the JunoX...they saved a shortcut and didn't put in up/down buttons or scroll-buttons, to spare the rotating encoder, which is always prone to heavy wear. On older synths they used to put in both, it's a nasty trend in the synth world to get rid of the "scroll-buttons" as the encoder back-up. What a pity!
Mate, you need to produce, seriously. Don't be put off by the one-man-band thing, there's plenty of successful OMB's out there.... Joseph Mount(Metronomy) Kevin Parker (Tame Impala) etc etc. Do it!
Great video. Thanks. Have watched a few times. It's a pity Roland didn't launch the X and Xm with the Jupiter-X model right at the start, and heavily promote that, _along with_ saying about all the vintage models. I just got a brand new Xm yesterday, and love it. Same thing in a portable form factor with a more obfuscated UI. But it's a little beast. Plus I've loaded the 'Orchesteral' expansion in, and it has the old SRJV80 Warm Violins patch I love, and the classic Roland vocal scat do bop DOW, haha. But yeah, being a Jupiter - the filters sound great. Very happy with it.
I own the little brother of the Jupiter X, the Jupiter Xm. Having only 37 mini keys doesn't bother me at all, I just connect it to an Arturia KeyLab61 Mk2 if I need a full-sized keyboard with aftertouch.
Ah fuck i feel so bad saying this because i don't know enough about music and i really like your musicas. It's an opinion nothing more.. The finale track absolutely slaps BUT I think the vocals of the chorus would have sounded better on E and G without the little descending melisma, just sang straight. I feel it's more 80s and emphasizes the breakdown guitar more.
There have been many amazing synth keyboards throughout history. But there's something about the sound quality of Roland that puts them at the top for me.
Looks like your designing the future Alex. Love watching your breakdowns and creations ... so inspiring. Instantly makes me fire up the X. Thanks Roland as well.
The synths these two look like are definitely iconic, but it's hard not to notice the DNA of the JP-8000 bubbling up to the surface with those supersaws :)
You’ve made that Jupiter X even more appealing. And I love the Let It Happen song! Any chance you’ll release that on RU-vid music and other streaming platforms? It would be great to listen to in the car.
