Roland JUPITER-Xm

Rethinking a classic

The synthesizer market stagnated in the late 2000s and early 1900s, with big players like Korg and Roland re-releasing old classics time after time, like Todd Howard selling Skyrim. But in the middle of the last decade, the ice broke and the possibilities of digital devices began to be actively used in analogue synthesizers. For example, devices from the Roland AIRA series could change sound engines on the go, completely changing the character of the instrument. And the Aira TR-8 drum machine could sound like the 808 drum machine beloved by rappers, and like the Roland TR 606 popular in the 80s. Actually, such a long prelude brings us to the fact that the new heir to the legendary Roland synthesizer Jupiter-8 is not quite what you expect from it.

ZEN-Core digital engine

At its core, this is still the same classic subtractive synthesizer with a 37-key keyboard, a single oscillator, a multi-filter, a built-in arpeggiator, a sequencer, and a good set of built-in effects. But under the hood, we are waiting for digital brains that interact with the Roland Cloud platform. Thanks to this, the synthesizer owner can load and change various ZEN-Core sound engines from other classic synthesizers of the company such as the Roland JUNO-106, XV-5080 and SH-101, as well as switch to other instruments such as the piano from the RD series. In fact, it is like a physical keyboard that can switch different synth plugins. And this collection is constantly growing. Even better, it also includes a bundle of hundreds of drum sets inspired by the classic TR-808, TR-909 and CR-78 drum machines.

Not just a synthesizer, but a musical machine

The synthesizer allows you to simultaneously layer up to 5 timbres, including drums. Additionally, users can use FX effects, some of which have physical controls, while others are available from the menu. The Jupiter-Xm smart arpeggiator is built using machine learning technology and is able to generate accompaniment based on partially entered information, generating parts for drums, bass and other instruments. This versatility makes the JUPITER-Xm the perfect tool for quickly capturing and developing ideas. It was just a simple analogue synthesizer, and after 3 clicks it turned into a polyphonic monster with a built-in rhythm machine. The only thing that overshadows this holiday is the retail price of under 2K dollars in east european stores. With the same money, you can build a small studio with a drum machine / sampler a la Octatrack, a smart digital synthesizer of the Korg OPSIX or Arturia MicroFreak level, and still have some left over for an effects pedal.