The JD-800 is Roland's answer to half a decade of hard-to-program synthesizers. Covered in sliders that act as dedicated editors just like a classic analog synth, the JD-800 is an extremely programmable and hands-on digital synthesizer. It is also an interesting and great sounding digital synth with incredible flexibility and control. Internal ROM based waveforms are combined to build your sounds. The sounds are based on Roland's D-50, but updated for the nineties with multimode filters - uncommon but welcome at the time.

The JD-800 came in a tough metal case capped off on the sides with large plastic covers. Programming may be a little too flexible for some users, but once you know what you're doing with it, almost any sound you can dream up can be dialed in and stored.

It has been used by William Ørbit, Emerson Lake & Palmer, 808 State, Ken Ishii, Astral Projection, Rabbit in the Moon, Depeche Mode, Underworld, Tangerine Dream, LTJ Bukem, Apollo 440, Jean Michel Jarre, ATB, Vangelis, Pet Shop Boys, Faithless, Luke Vibert, Mouse on Mars, Laurent Garnier, MC Hammer, Bushflange, Genesis, and Eat Static.

Matt

August 2, 2010 @ 1:17 pm

The JD800 is a very expressive synthesizer. You can make basslines, pads, strings, leads, etc. The aftertouch is amazing too. Well underpriced in today's market.

Reinaldo

July 15, 2010 @ 11:28 pm

The JD-800 is great, is like a cleaner Roland D-50. I have both but I am selling the JD-800 for 2 reasons... 1. The sliders does not transmit cc. And 2... the LFOs or anything, sync via midi.

I really like the JD 800 because is clear, friendly, fun and good looking, but I have to reduce my studio and my D-50 is in perfect shape and multitimbral, is not the same sound but is not bad at all!

I wish Roland could come up with a JD-800 mkII to compete with the Virus Ti, I mean, a JD-800 just like the original but with todays features.

Cal

May 31, 2010 @ 3:35 pm

Love my JD-800 to bits especially since getting something in the region of 3500 new patches for it from the 'net. Some amazing new sounds have kicked my usage of it right up the [beep] again. It's a synth full of sounds that are capable of inspiring new tracks by themselves and it truly excels for lovely pads. A lovely to play, beautiful sounding synth that still looks really cool. A word of caution though....if you're planning on moving yours around, do it carefully...the JD-800 won't take much in the way of bumps and drops etc due to it's flimsy plastic shell.

Nathan

May 14, 2010 @ 7:14 pm

A very intuitive synthesizer. Comes with an array of manuals that I can't be bothered to read. I play it like an analog synth and it responds nicely. So impressed with the Pad selection, which is extemely powerful and textured. Sure, some soft synths have nice stings, but the payback on the JD-800 is much better.
The filter is pretty amazing, good built in effects, very nice.

P6

April 25, 2010 @ 5:41 am

D-50 gets mentioned a lot for good reason. If this synth had a minimal interface like D-50 there would be no 'interface bias'. JD-800, like a LOT of early 90s romplers was a dead end for 'synthesis'. People assume those cool sliders mean it's 'more powerful' than the D-50. It isn't. Not in the way that matters to good warm sound and powerful synthesis.

Put both synths next to each other and program them and the D-50 will make sounds that MOVE you and sound classy. JD-800 will, on the other hand, forever be limited to just playing back samples of what was considered 'cool' in 92, which any number of synth/string/instrument VSTs can do better.

There are a few real synthesis features in the D-50 (structure mode 1 'pure synthesis') that are completely absent in the JD-800. It's a NICE synth, but as has been said many times already - IT IS *NO* D-50! And for the record, D-50 doesn't just mean 'PCM bells', only in the 80s did it mean that (for some).

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