Roland JP-8000 vs Roland SH-201 vs Nord Lead

[nexus_py]

Hi there

I was wondering if I could pick your brains for a while as I am trying to decide which polysynth to buy. I have already own a Mini Moog Model D, a Juno 6 and a D-50 and I am looking to get a poly with good MIDI capabilities as I want to use it as my main controller.

I am a big fan of 80s boogie/funk music and artists like Siriusmo, Dam Funk and Linkwood to give you a reference, so I am looking for a polysynth whcih would help me get a simmilar sound. I have been looking at the JP-8000 and the Nord Leads and so far I prefer the former but they tend to sound metallic and harsh (plus sometimes they have a characteristic sound that is hard to get away from) but I was wondering what you thought of them.

I have also been recomended the SH-201 but havent had the chance to try it.

Are there any real analogues with good MIDI capabilities? The ones I like (Polysix, Prophet 600) either don't have MIDI or have very basic versions of it.

[Oli]

Hi,

Are you mainly interested in the poly synth engine, or the keyboard control? The Lead 1/2 don't have aftertouch keys, though the 3 does. Lead 3 is pretty different from 1 and 2. The Lead 1/2 can still respond to aftertouch though.

For the kind of music you're interested in, I would think that control on the keybed would be fairly important.

I quite like some of the funk sound from my Lead, but I'm really not a funk guy. They don't have vintage graininess if that's what you need. Maybe with a good pre you could heat up some.

I'm personally not a huge fan of the JP-8000, but I when I tried one, it was auditioned for a very different role from that of your needs. I found the filter to have zipper noise which bothered me.

I think the SH-201 is based on the same synthesis engine as the JP-8000. It gets bagged a bit. I've heard some good things from it though.

Have you had enough chance to demo these yourself? Are you considering anything else?

[nexus_py]

Thanks for the response, Oli.

To answer your questions, my studio is fairly small so ideally I want a synth with a good sound engine and good keyboard control as I probably wont be able to fit any other synts there (modules are fine though). If it was for me I would get a SCI Prophet 600 but then I would only have a synth with a good engine but very limited MIDI control.

I used a JP-8000 for about 3 months at a friend's studio while we were recording his album so I am familiar with it. As mentioned on my previous post, the JP-8000 have this very distinctive sound (metallic, harsh sometimes) which I am not very keen on but at the same time some programing can make it sound interesting at times.

I have only tried a Nord Lead 2 very briefly and liked the sound, this was many moons before I familiarised myself with the JP-8000 so it's difficult to compare them just by using my memory.

And yes, I am considering other synths but I have only been following the vintage stuff which is not so hot on MIDI implementation.

[Illusionrake]

DSI Prophet 08? I like the sound alot, and it should be better with midi than Prophet 600.

[nexus_py]

There was a lot of hate for the Prophet 08 here plus I don't really want to spend £1200 on it.

I reckon my budget is about £600, although I could stretch it for the right synth.

[flat earth]

I absolutely hated the SH-201 that I owned for a while. Had something about its sound that really really turned me off. (I guess the JP8000 would have a similar character). The Nord Lead 2x on the other hand is (imho) in another league sonically. As has been mentioned by others, it has a sound that is quite authentic and has that something that just sounds 'right' and pleasing to the ears.

One of my favorite recent purchases and highly recommended.

[axm311]

Originally Posted by flat earth

it has a sound that is quite authentic and has that something that just sounds 'right' and pleasing to the ears.

One of my favorite recent purchases and highly recommended.

just got a NL2 recently and agree 100%

[Oli]

Is controller + soft synth an option for you? I'm guessing not.

Maybe an Kurzweil k2000/k2500 would suit you, and I think sits in the busdget. There was this recent thread on Kurzweils. Very well regarded. Not a VA engine in the old ones, though they seem to be very capable and well regarded. Maybe you could get a 2661 for £600; I'm not sure.

I think you would be disappointed by the Lead 1/2 keybed.

I have a Lead 1 rack. I find it's simplicity and immediate hands on interface are its strong points. The sound is clear and bright, and fits well in a mix. It generally won't have unwanted fatness that may take up more room than intended. I also find it reminiscent of analogue subtractive synthesis, although with its own clean Nord character. I have found all Nord filters disappointing in some respects, though. I would have really liked something closer to hearty discrete analogue character. I prefer Waldorf and Creamware/Sonic Core digital filters, and actually most recent VST VAs.

[Mike6581]

I owned the SH-201 and thought it was dreadful. It has a nice arpeggio and the d-beam can be quite interesting, as could the band-pass filter. Apart from that it sounded cheap and nasty for me.

[lain2097]

Having owned a NL1 back in he day and messed with quite a few NL2x and SH-201 I can say that the SH-201 is not even close to a Nord. Even less than my JP-8080. Yeah it's small and cheap but but so is a micro korg.

Strange because I was thinking about getting the NL1 back last week.

The JP-8080 or 8000 would be comparable to a Nord but different. Just I don't really recommend making analogue style patches on it. The 8080 is a sharp VA and use that to your advantage. The reason it stays for me is because it's awesome at synth strings and has modern MIDI.

But the 8080 does not hold a candle to my Jupiter 6 or 8 (whenever I get him back!).

[axm311]

Originally Posted by Mike6581

d-beam can be quite interesting,

wish they would make a d beam as a $199 standalone controller, I'd buy one

[polartech]

Originally Posted by Mike6581

I owned the SH-201 and thought it was dreadful. It has a nice arpeggio and the d-beam can be quite interesting, as could the band-pass filter. Apart from that it sounded cheap and nasty for me.

-201`s just dropped off my list then. Thanks for the heads up. Seems to be a lot of negative comments on the actual sound from it. I did think the key action was rather good though when I (briefly) tried one out in the store.

[W-W-Int]

for your style of music and budget i'd suggest the yamaha dx-7 II and a novation nova tabletop v.a.

the yamaha dx series was heavily influential to the latter half of the 80's funk sound. paired with a novation nova you'd have a great keybed and all the knobs for controlling things in vsti's and a killer vocoder and a great v.a. synth.

[clusterchord]

Originally Posted by flat earth

I absolutely hated the SH-201 that I owned for a while. Had something about its sound that really really turned me off. (I guess the JP8000 would have a similar character). The Nord Lead 2x on the other hand is (imho) in another league sonically. As has been mentioned by others, it has a sound that is quite authentic and has that something that just sounds 'right' and pleasing to the ears.

One of my favorite recent purchases and highly recommended.

what Flat said. same experience here. Nord2/2x is probably most musical VA ever made.


either that, or for real analogue, stick to Prophet 600. yes you wont get much real time control i.e. midi controllers.. but, you get the sound. and what a fabulous sound it is.

[Mike6581]

Something else to consider is the Novation synths. I own the Xiosynth and it's streets ahead of the SH-201 and positively mind-blowing for the £250 I paid for it new. The Xiosynth unfortunately can't be controlled by MIDI, though it makes a cracking MIDI controller itself (only has USB/MIDI out). The Xiosynth is the little brother of the Novation X-Station, I'm not sure if that has MIDI In or not, but I'm sure someone on here will know. If it does, I'd strongly recommend demo-ing it.

The Prophet 600 is a cracking piece of kit, though you will be lucky to get a good one for under £1000 now, the prices are starting to creep up and up.

[Oli]

Anyone know what the maintenance is like on an ailing P600?

[patrickg]

I'll stand up for the sh201. Its not the fattest things in the world, but it has pretty cool resonance, and, especially for the beginner, the signal path is layed out in a logical order. For glassy, triangle and square wave type sounds, its pretty cool. But, yeah, not that fat...

[Mike6581]

The 201 has a really limited palette. Fine as a bit of fun, but I thought it was the worst thing I laid my hands on since the MicroKorg. Novation's synth engine blows it out of the water, and their synths are cheaper as well.