Roland recreates JX-8P and JD-800 Synthesizers with the new ‘Boutique’ JX-08 and JD-08
Roland has introduced the JX-08 and JD-08 Sound Module.
The Analogue and digital classics from the ‘80s and ‘90s get downsized and upgraded.
Roland is exploring both its analogue and digital heritage with its latest pair of Boutique synths – the JX-08 and JD-08 – which emulate the JX-8P and JD-800 respectively.
Released in 1985, the JX-8P was one of Roland’s latest ‘80s analogue synths, and was famed for its warm pads, shimmering chorus and bright textures. The JX-08 gives you all of this and more – new effects and a polyphonic sequencer for starters.
The new JX-08 other additions include extended polyphony, two-part multitimbrality and dual/split modes. You get 32 presets from the original synth plus 100 new ones that are designed for contemporary styles.
Designing your own sounds should be made easier by the inclusion of all the controls from the PG-800 programmer unit, which was released to complement the original JX-8P. You have 256 slots in which to store these.
Features:
- 32 original presets, plus over 100 new presets
- 17 new effect types including JUNO-106 chorus, LO-FI Comp, and Pitch Shifter
- 64-step, two-part polyphonic sequencer with random pattern generator
- Onboard arpeggiator
- Two-part multitimbral for playing multiple patches with dual and split capabilities
- Expanded polyphony compared to the original hardware
- EXT CLOCK IN to drive the internal sequencer and arpeggiator
The new JD-08 is based on Roland mighty JD-800, a beast of a digital synth from 1991. As it turns 30, the JD-800 is having a bit of a moment: Roland has already emulated it as a Zen-Core Expansion and plugin this year.
The JD-08 is not a 1:1 recreation, but it does take the JD-800’s four-tone structure, 108 waveforms and two-part multieffects and plonk them in a much smaller instrument. You even get a miniature version of the synth’s huge control panel, with plenty of sliders, buttons and knobs for hands-on tweaking.
Features:
- Four-part tone structure, multi-phase time variant envelopes, and palette sliders
- Includes the original 64 presets plus 21 new presets
- Detailed recreation of the JD-800’s unique two-stage multi-effects section
- Editable distortion, phaser, spectrum, enhancer, delay, chorus, and reverb
- 64-step, two-part polyphonic sequencer with random pattern generator
- Onboard arpeggiator
- Two-part multitimbral with expanded polyphony
- EXT CLOCK IN to drive the internal sequencer and arpeggiator
Both the Roland JX-08 and JD-08 can serve as USB-C audio/MIDI interfaces, with full-size MIDI ports enabling easy connection to other hardware. There’s also an external clock input. Other enhancements include – expanded polyphony, a two-part polyphonic sequencer and other modern niceties.
As with previous Boutiques, these new models can be bus- or battery-powered and have a built-in speaker. They are also compatible with the optional K-25m 25-note keyboard unit.
Find out more on the Roland website.
The Roland JX-08 and JD-08 will be available in the US in January 2022 priced at $400 each.
