Roland Jupiter-8

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Roland Jupiter-8

The Jupiter-8, or JP-8, is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland Corporation in early 1981.

Each voice features two VCOs with cross-modulation and sync, pulse-width modulation, a non-resonant high-pass filter, a resonant Low-pass filter with 2-pole (12 dB/octave) and 4-pole (24 dB/octave) settings, an LFO with variable waveforms and routings, and two envelope generators (one invertible).

Features include adjustable polyphonic portamento and a Hold function for infinite sustain of notes and arpeggios. A versatile arpeggiator can be synchronized with external equipment by using the proprietary Roland DCB interface, clock input via CV jacks on the rear panel, or one of the aftermarket MIDI kits from Encore or Kenton. An assignable bender can be used to control pitch or filter frequency.

From the factory, the JP-8 could store 64 patches. Patches could be stored to, or loaded from, a standard analog tape/cassette. The Encore JP8MK MIDI kit doubles the patch memory to 128[1] and enables the JP-8 to store and recall patches over a MIDI connection, using a computer with sysex utility software.

The Jupiter-8 includes balanced stereo XLR outputs as well as unbalanced 1/4" outputs. In addition to monophonic and polyphonic modes, the Jupiter-8 includes a unison mode, in which all 16 oscillators can be stacked into a single monophonic patch.

A Zilog Z80 CPU was used for managing storage of patches; scanning the keyboard and front-panel controls for changes; displaying the current patch number and other information on the display; and taking care of the auto-tune function, among other things.

]url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roland_Jupiter-8]Link[/url]

Used by a surprising list of artists including The Cars, Dire Straits, Human League, Michael Jackson, Howard Jones, Lady Gaga, Queen

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Yamaha DX7

The Yamaha DX7 is a phase modulation based (marketed as frequency modulation) digital synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1986. It was the first commercially successful digital synthesizer. Its distinctive sound can be heard on many recordings, especially pop music from the 1980s.

Tone generation in the DX7 is based on linear phase modulation synthesis, officially euphemised as frequency modulation (FM), which was developed based upon research by/licensed from John Chowning at Stanford University.

This uses multiple sine wave oscillators, which can modulate each other in various configurations offered as 32 "algorithms", thus generating a wide variety of possible harmonic and inharmonic spectra. The DX7 was known for the precision and flexibility of its bright, digital sounds, which could be clearer and less linear than those of the subtractive analog synthesizers that preceded it.

The DX7 is well known for its electric piano, bells, and other "struck" and "plucked" sounds which emphasize complex attack transients. Phase modulation as used in this and later synthesisers is capable of generating a wide range of both imitative and purely synthetic sounds.

Voices can be programmed by a user, and stored into a 32-voice RAM internal memory, or corresponding 32-voice DX7 RAM cartridge inserted into a port on the front of the unit. Pre-programmed ROM cartridges could also be inserted here and the original DX7 shipped with two of these cartridge is with two banks of 32 voices (sounds) each, for a total of 128 voices available.

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Polyphony is a property of musical instruments, meaning they can play multiple notes simultaneously.

Instruments featuring polyphony are said to be polyphonic. Instruments that are not capable of polyphony are monophonic.

One notable early polyphonic synthesizer was the Sequential Circuits Prophet 5, which was released in 1978 and had five-voice polyphony. Six-voice polyphony was standard by the middle 1980s.

With the advent of digital synthesizers, 16-voice polyphony became standard by the late 1980s. 64-voice polyphony was common by the middle 1990s and 128-note polyphony arrived shortly after. There are several reasons for providing such large numbers of simultaneous notes:

Even with only ten fingers, it is possible to play more than ten notes at once. Notes may continue to sound even after a key is released. The synthesizer's resources may still be in use to produce the sound of the previously struck notes tapering off, especially when a sustain pedal is used.

A "sound" (also called a "timbre" or "patch") may be generated by more than one oscillator or sound-source to allow more complicated sounds to be produced. A synthesizer with 16 oscillators may be capable of 16-note polyphony only when simple, single-oscillator sounds are produced. If a particular patch requires four oscillators, then the synthesizer is only capable of four-note polyphony.

Synthesizers may be configured to produce multiple timbres (multitimbral), particularly necessary when sounds are layered or sequenced. Multitimbral instruments are always polyphonic but polyphonic instruments are not necessarily multitimbral. Some multitimbral instruments have a feature which allows the user to specify the amount of polyphony reserved or allowed for each timbre.

Link

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The Roland Jupiter-6 (JP-6) is a synthesizer manufactured by the Roland Corporation introduced in January 1983 as a less expensive alternative to the Roland Jupiter-8. The Jupiter-6 is widely considered a workhorse among polyphonic analog synthesizers, capable of producing a wide variety of sounds, such as ambient drones, pads, lead synthesizer lines, and techy blips and buzzes. It is renowned for its reliability and ease, but is sophisticated programmability.

The JP-6 has 12 analog oscillators (2 per voice), and is bitimbral, allowing its keyboard to be "split" into two sounds - one with 4 voices, and one with the remaining 2 voices (either "Split 4/2" or "Split 2/4" mode). "Whole Mode" is also available, dedicating all 6 voices to single (monotimbral) sound across the entire keyboard.

The JP-6 was among the first electronic instruments (alongside the Roland JX-3P and the Sequential Circuits Prophet-600) to feature MIDI, then a brand new technology. Sequential CEO Dave Smith demonstrated MIDI by connecting the Prophet to a Jupiter-6 during the January, 1983 Winter NAMM Show.[1]

Europa, a popular firmware replacement available from 'Synthcom Systems' adds modern enhancements to the instrument's MIDI implementation, user interface and arpeggiator, turning the Jupiter 6 into a contemporaneously adaptable machine.

Notable Users

Blur
Chemical Brothers
Devo
Dubstar
Greg Ham of Men at Work
Human League
Inner City
King Crimson
Lux Voltaire
Mike O' Donnell and Junior Campbell (First two seasons of Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends)
Orbital
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Rob Preuss of The Spoons
Rhythm Plate
The Unicorns
Thomas Gandey
Vangelis
XRY

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Korg DW-8000