Thank God it's more than just a Synth. I was thinking along the lines of a "true" Synth like Dave Smith Instruments puts out. Since it also does 'acoustic' sounds in addition to synth sounds I can now breathe a huge sigh of relief. Whew!!! No doubt thousands of other keyboardists around the world are probably doing the same thing. :D Exhale..... ahhh! Let go of all that pent up anger and resentment... relax... breathe deeply... regain your composure. Picture all that stress melting away in a sea of tranquility. Okay, I feel better. :)
Here's my take. 76 keys (right?) so it's probably gonna be light weight e.g. the dude carrying it under one arm in one of the flash image pictorials conveys a lightweight portable solution. Since EVERY sound is a SuperNatural (although how many are we talking about in total??) - it will probably sound great - but with no sequencer Roland could potentially "lose" a lot of sales had they actually included one. Oh sure, you can hook it up to a computer but an on-board sequencer is super convenient and used for those times you don't (wouldn't) have access to a computer. Which, in the case of Artemiy, that would be never, obviously, :) but for the rest of us... not so fast. ;) Anyway, I think Roland goofed but what do I know. Although with no sequencer on board it will drive down the cost somewhat so that's one positive way to look at it.
The inclusion of (top of the class) B3 clonewheel Organ technology within the Jupiter-80 is really exciting since we all know how diminutive and lackluster the B3 organs on the Fantom G were. I can see a lot of people selling or trading in their Fantom G just to get those gorgeous B3 organs on the Jupiter-80, if indeed, they're actually as pristine in quality as the hype is suggesting they'll be. Don't count your chickens before they hatch I guess though huh. ;) We'll know soon enough. Five more days to be exact.
Roland better get somebody who really knows how to make that beast shine on stage because the first impression is usually the most critical. I'm guessing Scott Tibbs will be the demonstrator at Musikmesse. If the B3's on the Jupiter-80 sound as good as a Hammond/Suzuki XK-3c then we're in for a real treat. That alone might be worth the price of admission. Again, we'll have to wait and see. Although, no sequencer might be a deal breaker for me. Now, if we could get Walgrafix to record/multi-sample a genuine B3 and sell to Fantom G owners for a pittance (or thereabouts) there would be far less need to acquire an actual Jupiter-80. $3,000 vs. $50-60.00 for a couple, or few, multi-sampled B3 projects from Walgrafix could potentially save a gob of people a gob of money in the process. :) If only.
Depending on how good the sounds are, overall, will be a huge factor too. If most of them are "excellent" in every category then that's probably reason enough to seriously consider it. >> If having NO sequencer available on the Jupiter-80 doesn't bother you that is. ;) Obviously, the sounds are the most important aspect on any keyboard. A lot of people could live without an on-board sequencer obviously. Still, Roland's decision not to include one could potentially hurt overall sales if you ask me. Live and learn... Roland. If sales are indeed hindered because of the lack of a sequencer most likely its successor, the Jupiter-90, will have one, right? :D Live and learn... Roland. Time will tell...
Last edited by keysme on 2 Apr 2011, 05:57, edited 1 time in total.
