Roland JX-8P
The JX-8P is a decent analog polysynth. It has 6 voices of polyphony, great MIDI implementation and patch storage as well as an external memory cartridge slot. Though it is far more advanced than its predecessor, the JX-3P, the JX-8P has its drawbacks. Hands-on programming is sacrificed and reduced to assigning the parameter you want to tweak to a data-slider near the pitch/mod bender. Enter the PG-800 controller which gives you total control of all the JX-8P's editable parameters with hands-on traditional slider control. Membrane buttons dominate the front panel of the JX-8P providing access to the various preset and user patches and to page through and assign editable parameters.
Professional features can still be found under the hood of the JX-8P. Its 61 note keyboard is velocity and aftertouch sensitive. Just like the Juno synthesizers it uses DCO's for a very stable system, however its sounds are a little thin and bright. It also features portamento, unsion and solo (monosynth) performance modes. It is used by Biosphere, 808 State, Tangerine Dream, The Shamen, Depeche Mode, Überzone, the Cure, Go West, Ozric Tentacles, Future Sound of London, Jean-Michel Jarre, Europe, and Jimmy Jam.
- Specifications
- Polyphony - 6 voices
- Oscillators - 2 DCO's per voice (12 oscillators)
- Memory - 64 patches + External memory cartridges
- Effects - Portamento
- VCF - standard VCF
- VCA - ADSR envelope
- Arpeg/Seq - None
- Keyboard - 61 note keyboard with velocity and aftertouch
- Control - MIDI In/Out/thru
- Date Produced - 1985
- Websites of Interest
- Resources & Credits
Images from Perfect Circuit Audio.
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As Yamaha releases the DX7, analog subtractive synthesis was the usual techniqe to create sounds (except samplers) And in the following time, other manufacturers had their problems because of giant success of the DX7/FM-synthesis.
I guess JMJ, DM, Europe and others played a JX-8P because it's a, you called it, "beginners-level-instrument? It's a boring machine, with no new sounds?? Hm... seems mine is defective? Maybe you should try to program it? In the most of cases an instruments seems to sound boring, the problem is located 2 feet in front of the instrument...