Roland Jupiter-8
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Category: Products / synthesisers / analog synthesisers
Added: 13-Dec-98 | Author: admin
New price: discontinued | S/H price: up to £28,000
Company Link: ROLAND UK
Company Link: ROLAND USA
Roland Jupiter-8
With 2 oscillators per voice & 8 note polyphony, the Jupiter-8's 16 oscillators deliver it's famous fat & warm richness. The Jupiter-8 (or JP8 as it is also known by it's model number) offers split & layer keyboard ability & more. No midi functionality with this one unless it's been MIDI retrofitted because MIDI hadn't been invented yet, but these iconic synths go for silly money secondhand if you can find one. Pictured above is Alan Wilder's Jupiter-8 from Depeche Mode which sold at Bonham's auction house in 2018 for £10,000 (US$ 13,088). Now they cost even more secondhand, famous ex-owner or not.
The Jupiter-8's two oscillators each delivered a choice of Triangle, Sawtooth, Square, Sine, Pulse & Noise waveforms & featured Pulse Width Modulation as well as extensive Modulation choices.
The 61 note keyboard offered 3 keyboard modes -
Whole: any 8 note polyphonic patch is played across the entire keyboard.
Split: 2 patches are split across the keyboard with 3 octaves at the top and 2 octaves at the bottom, each delivering a 4-note poly patch.
Dual: 2 independent patches can be layered at 4-note poly across the entire keyboard.
The Jupiter-8 also had a sophisticated arpeggiator which amongst other things could work in the bottom 2 octaves leaving the upper 3 for playing polyphonic chords and patterns over the top. Patch storage was a huge 64 slots, each holding 8 pairs of patch presets.
What hasn't been said about this synth? Listen to the endless demos across Youtube to give you some idea of it's depth & range of sounds.
Emulations of the Jupiter-8 are available from various software houses as a plugin from the likes of Arturia & Ik Multimedia as well as the TAL-J-8 & even Roland themselves make a software plugin version. Roland's current Jupiter-X super-synth claims to get you there as near as dammit, but the REALLY interesting bit is suggestions that Behringer might be working on a full analog 'circuit accurate' reproduction, which is entirely possible given the other amazing re-masters of the classics they have delivered so far.
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Category: Products / synthesisers / analog synthesisers
User Comments
Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Nix N Love
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 20-Jan-99
Two words: CLASSIC ANALOG warm pads great kybd feel strong arpeggiator fat bass. A rather large footprint but not as ridiculous as the oberheims.... i have heard some criticisms about adding midi to this machine so be warned:you don't fuck with perfection also there are two different versions: the orig has no DCB jack on rear and critics say tuning is not as good as the later version which does have DCB and tunes up perfectly...ONE OF ROLANDS BEST EVER.....!
Product rating out of 5:  |
Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: kyrie
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 20-Jan-99
comprehensive synth his one. it's got just about
everything except ring mod (can assign pitchbend to
VCO1 and/or VCO2, VCF) cross modulation provides hours
of liquid mayhem and sync mod provides thick overtones.
awesome sound - press poly 1
2 for unison mode
2 parts (split/dual/whole modes), memory presets,
2/4 pole filter. arpegiator is great for live jammin.
does anyone know what the LFO modulation button and
rise pots do as mine don't work. also anybody know of
specific jupiter cv converter kits (the ones you put
together yourself).
i get so much pleasure playing this thing after a
big fat roll-up.
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Mark
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 20-Jan-99
In my opinion, the king of vintage synths. It is very versatile and has a warmth that well...everyone tries to emulate. You can't match the sound. Mine had a MIDI kit added and so sequencing was a blast! But had to save patches via tape. This was one big, heavy synth. The main reason why I traded mine for the Access Virus. The Virus is not quite the same, but more versatile, easier to use and fits in your backpack. Luckily, I never had to get the Jupiter serviced, cause I'd hate to see the bill. It was my favorite bit o kit before I downsized.
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: just this guy...
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 20-Jan-99
i like it!!
| Product rating out of 5: |
Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: di marcantonio davide
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 20-Jan-99
JP8 is the big synth, but i've not the original patchs on cassette.please, can you help me?
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Mr Oizo
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 01-May-99
Liam Howlett (prodigy)Used this on their first album. Why pay in excess of £800 for something like that. Just a thought.
Product rating out of 5:  |
Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Steve
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 25-Oct-00
Big, heavy and wonderful. Giant synth sounds, put it in Unison mode and hear thick huge raw sound.... once you hear this thing you will know the difference between analogue and simulated analogue. Every great thing has something sucky, the Jupiter 8 has no midi. For $300.00 you can add it though.
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: jonathan aquarone
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity:
Date: 18-Jan-01
i am looking for that synth since the bigging of my time, where can i find this thing, i want to check it out so badly. so if you know send me an e..
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Lior Z
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity:
Date: 18-Feb-01
If I had to go to an Island and take 1 synth with me..
I'll take the Jupiter-8 with no regrets.
I also will sneak in the Jup-6 with Synthcom's "Europa" upgrade...
The Jupiter-8 is the real deal.
16 "real" VCO's ( 16 Discrete electronic
boards that produce the oscilators - No IC's)
this is the 1st reason for the coolest sound of the Jup-8.
The VCF has 2 pole or 4 pole analog filters.
LP/HP and 2 fast envelopes.
I have mine with the simplest yet best
Midi .( it doesn't go thru the CPU )
The 3 most amazing features are:
1. The sound is always great, you can't create a bad sound on it.
the VCO's, fast Envelopes, coolest filters and a superb Unison/chorus
basicly this is just a result of
the highest quality Roland ever put out.
2. The arpigiator has the best "randum"
feature I have ever heard.
3. It is as thick as an elephant !
and smooth as a snake.
when you play with it you know it is it.
this is what a poly synth should be - a true analog classic!
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Boxx
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://welcome.to/tryptych
Activity: Professional
Date: 28-Jul-01
This is one of the gods of analogue polys. If you come buy one, GRAB IT with both hands and don't let go! This was probably THE sound of the 80's. FGTH "Relax" was almost entirely JP8. I had mine MIDIed up for £150, and it works great. Alternatively, you can use the rackmount MK80, and MPG800 programmer if you can find one - these have MIDI. Don't bother with the Jupiter6 - it doesnt even come close.
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Owner
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity:
Date: 29-Jul-01
I have this beast.. It is mint condition with red pushbutton midi (You can program filter sweeps via midi). I will regret this...I know but...I am in financial trouble. It is for sale. I will take best offer.Again... this synth is in mint condition and when I am not creating phatness on it I admirer it's beauty.
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: owner
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 29-Jul-01
for some reason it didnt get my email .. here it is: Synthetic71@home.com send email if interested. You will not regret your purchase.. this synth is a collectable "godlike" legend. Peace. :)
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: M. F. Co.
Email: Email supplied but hidden
http://jove.prohosting.com/~geohouse/
Activity: Professional
Date: 29-Jul-01
Derick May's prize synth. The jupiter 8 is what Detroit's sound is all about. It bubbles and paints electro vibes. A crowd stopper. If you can, get one.
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: F@rside
Email: Email supplied but hidden
www.idonthaveawebsite.com
Activity: Professional
Date: 21-Aug-01
Ive never used a j8 but ive just bought the rack version (mks80) with the controler and i have to say it is PURE FAT HARDCORE analogue. talk about big sounds. VERY nice indeed. many people say this rack is the best synth ever made, and i have to say im begining to believe them. You do have to know how to program to use it well, but this is fine for most people that are willing to spend this much on a synth (£700-900 for the rack & £600-800 for the controler). If you can justify the cost go out and buy one.
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Paulo Sergio dos Santos
Email: Email supplied but hidden
www.psdigital.com.br
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 20-Sep-01
I never see a filter sound like this!!!
It's a very powerfull and GREAT machine.
No other Roland synth reached the sound of this one. Just listen to it!
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Jago
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 15-Jan-03
After 3 years my wait is finally over! The Jupiter 8 is such a beautiful synth and it has such an emotional sound.
Even when its not turned on and I go into my bedroom and look at it it makes me smile (How many synths do that!?)
My synth was bought from a dealer >> www.musiccontrol.co.uk My JP8 is in reasonable condition (No midi) original factory presets and latest software upgrade (3.1 I think)
The original presets are amusing, some of them are just sooooo cheesy 80's and others are just jaw droppingly good! The JP8 has an instantly recognizable sound which can be heard all over most 80's pop groups. It has a very smooth warm sound, not as thick or dark as Prophet 5 (Or in my case a Pro-One) but very distinct nonetheless. It sometimes reminds me of my Juno 60.
The JP8 sounds phonominal without effects.....when I first turned it on it sounded so BIG and warm I was convinved I had it running through a chorus effect. But NO! What I was hearing was pure JP8. There is nothing more satisfying than playing some big chord sequences LOUD!! Get a cold beer out of the fridge, let the Jupe warm up for 30 mins (Nicely cooking) and prepare yourself for fun fun fun!!!
I cannot praise this synth too highly. I just love the sound of a great analog. I also like VA's (They serve a good and useful purpose too) but when you need that 'sound' its JP8 time yeeeha!
The JP8 can be used for any genre of music. Personally, I will be using it for electronic dance music.
I have just one problem! Im crap at programming my own sounds it (I have no problems with my Pro-One) but for some reason whenever I stick it into manual mode I tend to get quite weak thin sounds....nothing like the thick warm basses and warm strings i know it can do. I would really appreciate it if someone could take the time to email me the settings needed to achieve these good warm thick results (Im interested in hearing others people patches aswell). Ive searched the internet and there are no forumn or resources in order to help me on this quest. So if there are any past or current users of the JP8 who could e-mail me patch sheet settings or any advice then plz dont hesitate!
Many thx
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Milky
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 24-May-05
I dont own one jp8 but lots of vst question of it , i bought dashdajupitar8 for
reaktor that roland had stopped.. but i t sound as real thing i emulate many sounds like janpanese boy with aneka and some indochne sounds and its sound very similar..!, i have to say atleast 85 proent of the orginal sound and some 100
so there is vst that sound as jupiter 8 :) or go for the varios 8 ??? dunno about that one im happy with dash ! its give 10 and i own a jupiter 6 before but dajupitar8 sounds more closer to 8 than six :) no bullshit here!
milky!
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: rob myers
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 09-Jun-05
a true classic, a joy to play.fat sounds classic feek n looks...the cadillac of all analogues
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Jupiter 8
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 12-Aug-06
Please Help me, i've looked and looked and looked and the only VST i can find of this synth is VariOS 8 and we ALL know that you need the 1024 dollar red beauty "VariOS" to go with it OR IT WON'T WORK i get depressed when i keep hearing about all these different Jupiter 8 clones that they don't make any more or were cancelled, i would really appreciate if you nice people could help me recreate my favorite synth. I also have the p00 patch files from VariOS 8 but know synth to play them with and not a converter in site. I just bought another great synth the Arturia CS-80V for 126 bucks (Academic discount since i'm only 15) and it rules but nothing is gonna make fat sounds like you here in MJ's "Thriller" like a Jupiter 8.
I love synthesizers and they are my life, it would make me very happy if one of you guys would atleast respond let alone answer my Question.
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Jupiter 8
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 13-Aug-06
Oh an please post your answer on this site as my Email does not work
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: paul Harlyn
Email: Email supplied but hidden
paul@paulharlyn.com
Activity: Professional
Date: 04-May-07
I have owned this wondrful synth since 1981 when it came out. I had MIDI installed
by the best, Dr. K in NYC (The midi Doctor). I have use it on countless records of
my own and others I have produced (see website). I have always loved the x-mod
function as it sounds similer to ring-mod when cranked. This is not a want-ad post
but if anyone is interested in more anout this synth let me know. If I find a true lover
of analog I could part with it. Thanks for keeping analog synths alive. keep making
music that reaches people!
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Rico
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 27-Jan-09
I own this baby, although it needs repair..it seems the patches does not register, and in mid-way when playing the keys..the settings just changes randomly :( lucky but not so lucky me...
BUT!!! would you beileve that even in such bad condition, it gives the BEST, and I SAY IT AGAIN...THE BEST sounding synth I've heard in my whole entire life...this IS the ULTIMATE ANALOG SYNTH (to my opinion of course..)....So, OK, some would prefer a Moog..but then again, that depends on each one's flavour of choice...
I also own a great analog masterpiece from Roland, The JX-8P...but when the big brother JP-8 is growling, the JX-8P timidly goes into the corner..
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Hans
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: part-timer
Date: 14-Apr-09
I wnt to buy original manual no photoprint
anyone have one for sale ?
contct me at this mail.
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: JP8
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 30-Nov-09
I have a pristine JP8. It was used a handful of times and then stored since early 80's. Recently gone thru professionally and all is working. Has 20 Pin DCB and I used to drive it with an Apple II computer and the Roland CMU 800R Compu Music. Kenton makes a converter for about $200 to give it MIDI. Have original manual and original patch tape and all printed patch descriptions. Additionally, according to the music store, this was used by Journey when it was new for a concert in Salt Lake City in 1983. I bought it shortly afterward. Not sure what I am going to do with it but am interested in establishing a value. Any input?
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: Rio
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Hobby-ist
Date: 28-Mar-11
A truly unique synth!Great sounds, (the apreggiator is really the best), I love it!Maybe that's why I love Duran Duran's Rio album.Most of the songs were done with a Jupy.I've tried it out some times, and would like to own one....once :)
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Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: david pontefract
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 18-May-13
[quote] JP8 wrote: I have a pristine JP8. It was used a handful of times
and then stored since early 80s. Recently gone thru professionally and all is
working. Has 20 Pin DCB and I used to drive it with an Apple II computer and
the Roland CMU 800R Compu Music. Kenton makes a converter for about $200
to give it MIDI. Have original manual and original patch tape and all printed
patch descriptions. Additionally, according to the music store, this was used
by Journey when it was new for a concert in Salt Lake City in 1983. I bought it
shortly afterward. Not sure what I am going to do with it but am interested in
establishing a value. Any input? [/quote]
| Product rating out of 5: |
Last added comment
Product: Roland - Jupiter-8
Name: david pontefract
Email: Email supplied but hidden
Activity: Professional
Date: 18-May-13
i would like the patch tape to load the sound, i downloaded fro roland .com and
got an interface from the computer to either the jp-8 or a tape deck, however
the patch is a .p00 extension and i dont have anything or any way to get the
sound patch to play so the jp-6 will accept, anyone have any thoughts on that?
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'Roland Jupiter-8'
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