Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?' - JUPITER-80

Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

15 Sep 2014, 07:03

I'm all excited 'cause after giving up smoking, I'm using the money to save for a JP80. With a $200 p/week habit, the money is accumulating fast and it will only be another month or so and I'll be ordering my JP80! (A pack of smokes in Oz is now $25.00).

All excited, but now that there is a v2.0 update.... Is that likely to be the last for the JP80?

I'm certainly aware of the Integra 7 which, apart from being a lot cheaper, probably appeals to a larger market. - To be honest, it's a better fit for me, a non keyboard player and spends his musical life stuck behind a DAW. ... But the JP80 has cast it's spell on me and I'm determined to get me one!

I recall recently dredging through the threads in this forum and reading comparisons made between the Integra 7 and the JP80. I recall the Integra has a slight technical advantage but it didn't seem that important to me.

.. I can't help wondering, however, whether there is some memory limit or other limitation that is going to clip the ability of the JP80 to be further updated? .. Say an architectural difference that could see the Integra updted whilst the JP80 is left behind?

If both products are architecturally very similar to the point of supporting similar/identical updates) then it doesn't hurt or cost any more to continue to provide updates for both products. If not, then the Roland marketeers and 'bean counters' might ruin the party. (I assume that the firmware on each is bound to be vastly different, but I assume a similar, if not identical IOS is at the heart of both products).

... For the party to be ruined would be a shame. ... I might be imagining it, but I have detected an upswing in market perception/reception with regards to the JP80 over the last 6 months. Much more positive than negative in this forum compared to +6mths ago and some great demo's on YouTube that were responsible for drawing me in for a closer look. I don't even own one yet but I really do hope that when the day comes that I bring one home; that I can look forward to continued semi-regular updates even if they do come more than a year apart.

(I tend to be a glass half full kind of guy ... but then I did splurge big money on an Apple Newton back in the 90's - a month or so before they announced they were discontinuing the product).

Re: Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

15 Sep 2014, 08:23

Well done on kicking the weed - and that's a fine reward you've selected for yourself! Must admit I still get excited about playing it today as I did when I got it on release.

Now, as to your question. First - the Integra and JP-80 have similar sounds but the OS is entirely different. There's no way an OS update for one can be ported to the other.

Second, is there a 'beyond' for the JP-80? I would hazard a guess not.We got OS v2 fairly quickly and since then nothing on the OS front, although there have been some new sounds released on the Roland Axial site. I'm not aware of any hardware restriction to further OS updates but as it's been at least 2 years since an update, I think Roland have moved on.

As they say, buy the gear for what it does now, not what it might do in the future. If it ticks the boxes for you now, then it will continue to do so and any OS update will be a bonus.

The JP-80 is an incredible keyboard - hugely powerful and highly creative for sound design in a very straightforward manner. Downside (and I would say the only one) is lack of a librarian. Managing your sound could become a challenge - there are workarounds but you will need to find the way that suits your workflow best.

Like you I'm pleased to observe that the JP-80 is getting better recognition in the market as to how good it really is.

Hope the next couple of months pass quickly for you and that you enjoy playing and creating with you JP-80 :)

Re: Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

15 Sep 2014, 20:05

Tok39Larraby wrote:
[...]I might be imagining it, but I have detected an upswing in market perception/reception with regards to the JP80 over the last 6 months.[...]

cello wrote:
[...]Like you I'm pleased to observe that the JP-80 is getting better recognition in the market as to how good it really is.[...]

I also have the impression, that the online perception of the Jupiter-80 has changed during the past months, as more and more musicians begin to realize the sonic power of the latest Roland technology, offered by the new Integra, FA and Jupiter series. One could say, the fact, that the JP-80 is a very powerful and sonically rich synth, has become mainstream.

No serious musician can deny the Jupiter-80's extraordinary musical responsiveness and ultra rich sonic power and expressiveness anymore!

There are of course some limits, like the aliasing issue of the two existing PWM waveform variations (which is why they are only usable for bass sounds), which isn't an issue, if you just use the basic PWM waveform. Some online reactions about the PWM aliasing issue were just disproportionate and hysterical... ;)

Re: Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

16 Sep 2014, 23:09

It is an awesome synth. Honestly if they will just give us a friggin' librarian, it will become timeless

Re: Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

17 Sep 2014, 14:10

t is an awesome synth. Honestly if they will just give us a friggin' librarian, it will become timeless

I agree that the Jupiter 80 is a great instrument and that a librarian would be very welcome to say the least, but software making an instrument timeless???

I still have a pc running Windows XP in my studio because there is no other way to keep the software of 'old' hardware running. ;-)

Re: Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

17 Sep 2014, 16:49

Does the JP80 really need more updates? Or do you simply want more stuff? Ver 2.0 really dialed in the machine by giving extra filters & expanded MFX. Its very stable, it sounds great and does exactly what Roland said it would in those grainy videos from Keyboard Mag from so long ago. My JP80 is over 3 years old and I'm not aware of any other synth manufacturers that are adding more stuff to their older products either.

The "beyond" part is really up to the user. Can you take these tools and create some music with interesting sounds?

Re: Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

19 Sep 2014, 08:36

Now, as to your question. First - the Integra and JP-80 have similar sounds but the OS is entirely different. There's no way an OS update for one can be ported to the other.

Thanks @cello! That made it crystal for me. Not sure where I got the idea that they might be running the same OS?

@Tschury

No serious musician can deny the Jupiter-80's extraordinary musical responsiveness and ultra rich sonic power and expressiveness anymore!

... I'm not yet a musician, but lurking in this forum, I can't but help to notice that most owners are. The muso's in this forum give me a great deal of confidence in my decision to go out and purchase one.

Whilst the JP80 has suffered from more than a fair share of gripes (eg; Librarian, complexity in programming etc) , Even the most disappointed/frustrated/perplexed owners and would-be buyers seem to agree, that the JP80 is capable of sound that is a cut above the competition. Heck, even I can hear the difference on crappy Youtube audio when compared to the competition (imho)

Re: Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

19 Sep 2014, 09:34

Tok39Larraby wrote:
Now, as to your question. First - the Integra and JP-80 have similar sounds but the OS is entirely different. There's no way an OS update for one can be ported to the other.
Thanks @cello! That made it crystal for me. Not sure where I got the idea that they might be running the same OS?

Happy to help :)

Tok39Larraby wrote:
... (eg; Librarian, complexity in programming etc) ...

Just my opinion of course, but I find programming on the JP-80 a joy because it is so easy! Your really can generate amazing sounds very very quickly, easily mixing SN-acoustic with SN-Synth sounds and then mangling them at Liveset level. It's great!

But yes, lack of a librarian is indeed the JP-80's achilles heel.

Re: Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

19 Sep 2014, 12:03

Just my opinion of course, but I find programming on the JP-80 a joy because it is so easy!

I totally agree on this.
It's very easy to make a basic sound quickly, but the interface also gives you the tools to fine tune your sound.
Especially the effect section gives you a lot of interesting possibilities. To be honest I didn't fully explored the effect section yet. It's possibilities go far beyond the scope of most effect sections in other instrument, but that's just my opinion.

I have the Jupiter 80 for almost 2 years now and it's the undoubted heart of my setup.
Mind, I do love my other synths, but there are not that 'allround' as the Jupiter.

Re: Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

30 Sep 2014, 22:06

Tok39Larraby wrote:
To be honest, it's a better fit for me, a non keyboard player and spends his musical life stuck behind a DAW. ... But the JP80 has cast it's spell on me and I'm determined to get me one!

There is magic when you press down into the keys of the JP-80. It is hard to stop playing long enough to even start tweaking the patches, let alone turn back to your DAW.

Re: Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

2 Oct 2014, 03:25

@Rodan & Tom,

I went into my local music store today during my lunch hour. They had an FA-08 on display which I had checked out online.

Whilst I was surprised that the build quality was much much better than it looked on youtube videos...
.. and despite the fact that it's actually touted as a 'workstation' (better suited to my home music production). I'm convinced that a JP80 has my name on it, in some Roland warehouse somewhere.

I've actually ordered an RD-64 which I hope to pick up in a couple of weeks. That will give me the time to start the long process of learning to play..

Which will in turn increase the chances of actually being able to play something on my JP80 when it finally makes it home.

I can't wait!

Re: Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

3 Oct 2014, 16:54

Is there a beyond with JP-80? I would say most likely not from an update stand point but it is a synthesizer and you can go beyond what is loaded in it. Design and program your own sounds. Version 2 was what helped me in my decision to get into the new Jupiter. Having multiple Low Pass Filter models is nice!

Re: Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

3 Oct 2014, 18:42

The jupiter is an absolute joy to play. The feel of the keys, the sounds it makes. It is no question at all a very special keyboard with a unique sound. I only wish we had either a librarian from them or an update to the sysex so that someone can write a real librarian, they just need to ability to push presets into the keyboard over midi and we'd be there.

And the other thing is, why on earth it doesn't allow us to connect aftertouch to CC1 modulation is beyond me....I do wish for those updates.

Aside from that I can't really see much that they would ever do for it and probably won't. It is what it is and we gotta just love it for what it is...a very special keyboard to put your hands on and play.

Re: Jupiter-80 v2 - is there a 'beyond?'

8 Oct 2014, 09:49

I love my Jupiter 50, and can see myself moving up to the Jupiter 80 in the future. With all it's limitations, even over the 80, I still love this thing and can't seem to let it go. The keybed feels excellent. The no aftertouch thing isn't a problem for me, it doesn't factor into my playing styles in all the 30 years I've been playing.

The biggest problem I face on the 50 is the same for the 80: NO LIBRARIAN! There are a ton of great sounds out there and I find myself up against the wall all the time trying to load what I want. It's a day's worth of work, really! I think it would be easier on the 80 with the larger screen and better button layout over the 50.

PLEASE ROLAND! Give us a librarian! PLEASE!!!