Absolutely true!! I can't for the life of me understand how and why this synth has been so underestimated, frowned upon or standing in the shadow of other released products during those times! Sure, if you don't like star wars, the aira black&green-design and LED overkill, I get it, but it sounds so powerful! It's like an intensely improved JP 8000! I agree that it kinda misses an LFO, aftertouch and saving the performance states (fixed with firmware update hopefully?) but it still sounds so amazing that if i need inspiration I just turn it on and touch a few keys and I'm rollin'... It can be used for so many different styles of music and I've been using it for commercials and tv-series as well.. I'm married to this thing :)
Please keep doing these System-8 videos !!! You are helping me understand how it works instead of me just skipping to patches I like or don’t like. You are doubling the value of this synth for me my friend !!!!
The best exploration of this brilliant but puzzlingly overlooked synth. You certainly know your synths! I love my system 8. I think the 8 and JDXA are some of Roland’s best and definitely not appreciated as much as they should!
Filter variations 1, 3, and 5 do self-oscillate. Turn down *all* the sources (don't need to send noise or anything through it), set resonance and key tracking to max, tune it with the cutoff knob, and now you have a sine wave you can play like any other oscillator.
Even though this is an »older« video (whatever this means, I do not think about 1 1/2 years as »old«) I like this video-series very very much. I consider buying an »System-8« for some time now. Actually I like to own something like a »Juno-60/106« as a hardware. But prices for the originals are ridiculous now. If I like to buy a Juno-106 I can also spent a bit more money, get a modern synthesizer with WAY more synthesis-capabilities ... and Roland get's my money. Actually after watching two of your videos in this series I doubt I would ever use a PlugOut Juno-106 on the System-8 (or a »Jupiter-8«). The »original« System-8-engine has so many great features ... who cares about if it pin points the sound of a real Juno-106? Me not (and for my ears ... it does). 😉
.initialize all the patches in patch mode from A1-D8 and the same in performance mode.then create sounds in performance mode.you only get four note polyphony but oh boy are they powefull.when your happy with the sound press shift and write together, this will overwrite the the sounds for the lower and upper parts.
I bought the system 8 for the analog plugouts, but I love the system 8 engine. You can do some crazy original stuff with the oscillators and filters, plus the cross mod, ring mod, and sync. While having a single LFO is a limitation, there’s enough going on elsewhere.
Me too. Still love the plugouts, but the System-8 engine is much deeper. My guess is they used the "System" name (the name of their modular synths) because the variations are like modules you can swap out.
I've got my System-8 one year ago.Great synth, I love it! The LFO has 18 waveforms, but unfortunately only one fixed triangle is allowed to modulate COLOR parameter of OSCs waveforms....
Hi. I'm thinking of buying the System 8 but I can't decide yet.. 1. I'm worried that I'm buying a too outdated gear..? I mean the hardware would be forever unless I take care of it right, but I'm worried the software versions will be not be supportable on future os on my Mac.. 2. I think this could be a good thing but it sounds same as the vst..So it makes me think why spend 1499 ? just use the vst..
I understand you, I also believe that at one point the software will stop being supported ( like all editor Softwares). I still like the idea of having a dedicated hardware synth that can recreate 3 classic plus it’s own synthesis. Has a hardware synth it keeps resale value.
