JP80 sounds compared to the FA-08

The Supernatural acoustic tones on the FA are exactly the same as that on the JP-80 in that they have the same parameters, for example hammer and nuance. Not sure if there's the same number of Supernatural acoustic tones however.

To my ears, the JP-80 sounds better but I'm guessing that might be because of higher quality DACs but that said, it could be my imagination!

Bang for buck however, the FA represents huge value.

I have both a Jupiter-80 and a FA-06 and I did make some comparisons when I had my FA-06.
The Super Natural synth sound pretty much the same, but when it comes to effects the Jupiter takes the biscuit in my opinion.
Mind, I do think the FA-06 sounds very good and there are some sounds I even prefer in the FA-06, but overall I think the Jupiter sounds better.

Thanks for the info

I have just replied another post in which I stress a point that many people seemed to omit since jupiters went out: it is not only a matter of comparing "sound banks", but the whole dynamics/layering/effects/arpeggios of the jupiters and what these combinations are capable of. Possibilities on those regards are not achievable by FA. Simple like that. Jupiters invite you to create amazingly complex and weird sounds that are not possible with that ease with any keyboard. Besides that, the building quality of jupiters have no comparison with FA. Play one besides the other, and you will notice it in 3 secs. One is chinese, the other made in Japan. One will have problems in three or four years, the other will not. I experienced it with the do 60 (Japan) and the stage (China). Jupiters will give you less "features" but incredible will to create more and more amazing and different sounds everyday, which I don't think the FAs are capable of. Jupiters will make you feel you bought an instrument your kids will still use. It will probably not happen with the FAs. As someone wrote once: probably people will not understand Jupiters today. They will take time. But they will surprise you every single day. They look simple, they are capable of extreme complexities. I see fancy teenagers looking for them desperately 20 y are from now. I see FAs selling very cheap by then. Personal opinion, maybe a little arrogant? Could be, though it is not the intention. That is what I can tell you from my humble experience. Good luck with your new Roland!

Mahobe wrote:

I have just replied another post in which I stress a point that many people seemed to omit since jupiters went out: it is not only a matter of comparing "sound banks", but the whole dynamics/layering/effects/arpeggios of the jupiters and what these combinations are capable of. Possibilities on those regards are not achievable by FA. Simple like that. Jupiters invite you to create amazingly complex and weird sounds that are not possible with that ease with any keyboard. Besides that, the building quality of jupiters have no comparison with FA. Play one besides the other, and you will notice it in 3 secs. One is chinese, the other made in Japan. One will have problems in three or four years, the other will not. I experienced it with the do 60 (Japan) and the stage (China). Jupiters will give you less "features" but incredible will to create more and more amazing and different sounds everyday, which I don't think the FAs are capable of. Jupiters will make you feel you bought an instrument your kids will still use. It will probably not happen with the FAs. As someone wrote once: probably people will not understand Jupiters today. They will take time. But they will surprise you every single day. They look simple, they are capable of extreme complexities. I see fancy teenagers looking for them desperately 20 y are from now. I see FAs selling very cheap by then. Personal opinion, maybe a little arrogant? Could be, though it is not the intention. That is what I can tell you from my humble experience. Good luck with your new Roland!

Great post! You know, when the Jupiter 80 was first advertised I really didn't like what I had read about it. Bear in mind please that I had just bought a Kronos and as you know, the manuals combined for that beat approach 1800 pages. I read that the Jupiter 80 had a 112 page manual. It was also an expensive instrument compared to other synths and was priced at workstation levels. Obviously, my thinking was SO misguided. I started following the Jupiter 80 forums and folks here like Soundworld A.D. for whom I have the deepest respect began talking about these insane layering capabilities, really FAT filters and all the other wonderful goodies. Still I remained a bit skeptical. I am also a diehard Kurzweil aficionado and despite the byzantine interfaces, Kurzweil synths are ridiculously powerful instruments for sound design.

Finally, after returning to The Netherlands after a trip home to America, on a lark I went to a music shop to try out a Jupiter 80. I selected the Dream Drone registration and WHAM!! The Jupiter 80 seemed to say, "look here moron, I am going to completely rearrange your misguided neurons. Sure, I look simple, but, buckle up, infinity awaits."

I do think that the Jupiter 80 will be a much sought after synth and 20 years from now when that happens, musicians will still be discovering possibilities that we never dreamed of.

All of that said however, I do wish much joy to musicians snagging these new Rolands because at the end of the day, it's the music that matters.

Thanks for your most kind comments Vlad. Much appreciated. And your anecdotes about the JP-80 speaking to you when you played it were hilarious!

I would agree that both the FA and the Integra present bang for the buck all day long.
I like others, originally thought that the new Jupiter was rather pricey for what it was.

My story about acquiring the Jupiter-80 though was rather simple. I did not have the luxury or time of reading a lot of glowing reviews or other brand fanboy or analogarian fanatic rubbish before making my decision. Besides…I need to HEAR sounds, not read about them.

The local Guitar Center’s did not have Jupiter's that I could test on the showrooms. So what I did was go straight to You Tube and start listening to the sounds it could make. And it was not even a video of a Roland rep or Jordan Rudess putting the JP-80 through its paces that sold me.

This guy had plugged in his new Jupiter-80 and just started bashing…going through the Registrations and playing around. About 40 minutes worth! Nothing fancy, and yet, that was what I needed to hear. I think it was probably “Canadian Spring” that did it for me.

And when I got my J-80, I was like, “what is all this Registration stuff about then?!!!” Where are my familiar Patches and Performances that I’m so used to? Where is an editor or librarian for this overly complicated architecture?

And so, we know it is not perfect. But nonetheless, the free Registrations that I did for the Jupiter-80 Repository of Sound kind of show what this “misunderstood” synth is capable of, even in the hands of a novice. I dearly love sound design, but I was and still am a rank amateur and did not have an intimate understanding of the synth when I did those. My goal was to build some pads with movement in them, and I still get a kick out of what I was able to get out of it with just a few simple tweaks after finding the sounds I liked. And just to think, that was not even getting into the Tone Blender feature and so many other myriads of ways that sound can be mangled on the powerful J-80.

Bottom line…we have been quite blessed with all of these SuperNatural and other great sounds, so whether it is from a Jupiter-80, an FA or an Integra-7, let the good times roll!

I am a user of the Fantom G8, a great keyboard. I have had a desire for Jupiter 80 for a very long time. As I became more aware of synthesis, I began to desire all the buttons, knobs, switches and routings that a board such as the DSI Prophet line presents. In the end, I realize that I am a player not an on the fly sound designer. Conceptually, even without an editor or librarian, I still believe that the sound, build quality and functionality of the Roland JP-80 is far above the boards that I have more recently been considering. Therefore, I am back to looking again at the JP-80! For me, it would be a great addition to my studio.