All about the Roland Jupiter-series

-----Original Message-----
From: Mueller, Cord MED/ATL [mailto:cord.mueller@...] 
Sent: Thursday, September 14, 2000 5:40 PM
To: analogue@...
Subject: [AH] RE: analogue Digest 14 Sep 2000 13:26:28 -0000 Issue 256


I never owned a MKS-80 but a JP-6 and a JP-8 (also at the same time). I
personally got pretty frustrated with the JP-8 after a while because of some
limitations. The sound is superb with the JP-8. Everything is liquid and
smooth and just huge. Unfortunately the modulation amounts are pretty weak,
e.g. the envlope to cutoff amount was probably 1/3 of the whole cutoff
change. Same with the crossmodulation. There are plenty of synths going this
route (e.g. K3) and the results are pretty sounds but limited spectrum of
sounds. 

I did sell the JP-8 in favour for a JP-6 (had to buy a JP-6 I sold in favour
for the JP-8 in the first place) and I am very happy. The JP-6 (and I assume
the MKS-80 too) do sound different. It is using software envelopes/LFO and
different oscillator chips (JP-8 was mainly discrete). The overall sound is
less fat/warm, more in the agressive league. But the layout is as good as
the JP-8 and you get some editional functions, like ENV-Cross, multiple
waveform oscillators, and multimode filter. The MKS-80 has an 24 db LP
filter only but has more modroutings available. Also it adds
velocity/aftertouch what some people prefer. 

One thing I really like with the JP-6 is the flexible sync - crossmodulation
feature. Here one oscillator can crossmodulate as well as sync the other
oscillator. This is giving a very special sound that you cannot get with the
JP-8 or neither with a Prophet synth because here one oscillators is
responsable for the sync and the other for the crossmodulation. When using
both, the result is a pitch change instead of waveform change. I think that
the MKS-80 cannot do the trick either. 

Anyway, it depends on what you want. If you want vintage sounds, smooth and
warm, the JP-8 is the way to go. If you have less space, need velocity and
more mod routings, the MKS-80 will be the better bet. 

Cord

> ----------
> From:
> analogue-digest-help@...[SMTP:analogue-digest-help@...
> ]
> Sent: 	Thursday, September 14, 2000 9:26 AM
> To: 	analogue@...
> Subject: 	analogue Digest 14 Sep 2000 13:26:28 -0000 Issue 256
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >Both are great, I've owned three of each. Sold all the MKS-80/MP-80
> pairs. 
> >still have two JP-8.
> 
>