Soooo....who would get "out" of a V-Synth XT and into a Jupiter 80?

[_seph]

well, personally I feel that the V-Synth is perhaps the greatest and most interesting synthesizer yet made, but I am also not a keyboardist and much more a programmer.

The V-Synth XT is a cool piece of gear. You get the V-Synth which is a great hybrid of the JP-8080 and VP-9000 with a suite of COSM effects thrown in, plus it's also a D-50 and an amazing vocal processor.

The Jupiter 80 looks like a keyboardists dream. It doesn't really do anything the V-Synth XT does but it is a great sounding keyboard that is loaded with sounds. It would definitely give you more to work with beyond what is already stuffed into your Kronos.

basically, are you a sculptor or a player?

[ozy]

Originally Posted by ScoobyDoo555

who would get "out" of a V-Synth XT and into a Jupiter 80?

Not me.

I am considering the purchases of a XT (I own a vp9000 and would like to integrated that sound into a full synthesis engine),

and it is a very unique machine,

while I can't see the JP80 to be anything special IF you already own a Kronos.

Kronos + XT makes for a far wider variety.

Totally personal opinion, of course.

But I think variphrase and voice processing are WAY more interesting than "supernatural" rhodes (not to mention brass).

Anti-flame alert: of course, in a hypothetical universe of unlimited available wealth, kronos+jp80 can make a nice pair,

but he asked "should I SELL the XT in order to get a jp80?", which means he can't afford anything he wants.

[awhitman audio]

no. just no

[Konnector]

I would think a V-Synth would be a better companion for a Kronos than a JP-80. More overlap with a JP-80.

Cheapest upgrade would be to keep the V-Synth, add a 61 note controller to the Kronos via midi and instantly double it's capabilities live. Or add a midi merge box ($50) and two controllers and you'll have three Kronos at your disposal.

I do that with a Motif. Works great. Just run it in Multi mode - or Combi mode in Korg speak. I've never had any midi hiccups using the merge box, so that's not an issue.

[oopfoo]

So you can sound like everyone else that owns a Jupiter 80? Not me. I'll keep my XT.

[ScoobyDoo555]

FWIW, I have used the V-Synth a bit, and it is very usable. And whilst I could probably stretch to getting a JP80 as well, I don't buy kit just to make the studio look nice.

I'm both a programmer and a performer, so the V-Synth is quite appealing still. But it isn't something I would gig imho.

Perhaps I need to get to know it better, as when I bought it , my studio was being rebuilt after a flood. THEN the Kronos turned up, which went straight into gig and production duties. So I probably haven't given the V-Synth a fair crack yet.

My other guess is that JP80 isn't that loved on here then? I've only really had a bit of a play - nothing in-depth tbh.

Thanks for the replies

DAn

[foodeater]

If you do deep programming and enjoy that with the Kronos, it's not a bad thought to replace the vsynth. I mean, not that it covers the same exact territory, but there are so many mangling options working with the Kronos, if you're satisfied with that no reason to stick with the vsynth, unless you really enjoy programming it.

Not sure I'd go with the J80. Roland's Integra would be easier to gig and good food to sample and effect in the Kronos.

[sammytaters]

Big no. The JP-80 currently doesn't have enough synthesis options.

[ScoobyDoo555]

I think the JP80 G.A.S has passed........ phew! That was a close one :D

[ozy]

Originally Posted by ScoobyDoo555

I think the JP80 G.A.S has passed........ phew! That was a close one :D

that's unfortunate...

It would have been fun having you begin all of your posts with

"wow!", "I'am so excited!", "I am amazed!"...

... as it usually happens at Rolandclan.

Instead you will go on posting in the usual, sceptic, humdrum, been-there-done-that tone of Gearslutz...

One less true believer on this Planet... what a pity...

[ScoobyDoo555]

Well I am on rolandclan, but usually being slagged off for having a rational argument for owning a Kronos (not their favorite machine!) but all is not lost as I got hold of a D70 instead :D

Will look again at JP80, but not yet

[Diametro]

Good ... I don't have to write up a post now ...

In short, they are quite different with different features and abilities and UI ... even if they have somewhat of a similar Roland digital tone ...

[ChristianRock]

Originally Posted by ozy

that's unfortunate...

It would have been fun having you begin all of your posts with

"wow!", "I'am so excited!", "I am amazed!"...

... as it usually happens at Rolandclan.

Instead you will go on posting in the usual, sceptic, humdrum, been-there-done-that tone of Gearslutz...

One less true believer on this Planet... what a pity...

If a dogpoop pile was released with the Roland name on it, these people would still say " wow!" " I am so excited!" and "I'm amazed!". RolandClan are fanboys for the most part.

Instead, look at how much the used Jupiter 80s are selling for, relative to their new price. It seems like a lot of people are dumping them, I'm not saying it's a bad synth, but I've seen people who actually want to program the thing get frustrated with the UI.

[Diametro]

The UI seems to pretty much depend on the touchscreen ... If they were going to live up to the Jupiter name in any way it should have been in the UI department, meaning lots of knobs and faders ... not the paltry amount Roland went for on a $3,000 instrument ...

Heck, other than the touchscreen, my Casio XW-P1 has more controls lol ...

And yes ... Roland Clan is for fanbois helping fanbois ... At least when the product is new ... The Fan-X section, for instance, is more realistic and down to earth (though i don't bother visiting anymore ... )

[Alex Aliferis]

There is no way that I, personally, would opt for a JP-80 over a VSynth. That's just me though, and when it comes to hardware I care a lot about the unique front panel interface elements and bizarre sound engines that a piece can provide, while my time with the JP80 was far less inspiring than the VSynth.

IMO the JP80 should have been a synthesist's synth, covered with knobs and buttons, complete with multiple engines, and not a "performance", i.e endless presets, keyboard. That would have been a lot truer to what keyboardists think of when it comes to the Jupiter name. Who knows what Roland's corporate structure is when it comes to new products, but it looks like marketing decided to use the name that they thought would get the most attention, regardless of applicability.

[MusicFan]

Originally Posted by ScoobyDoo555

Situation: I managed to get what appears to be the last V-Synth XT in the UK at a knock-down price last January.

And to be honest, I haven't used it as much as I thought I would.

It appears to be worth considerably more now than when I bought it. Which is nice.

As I'm now playing live even more than I was, I'm toying with a Jupiter 80 to compliment my Kronos.

Waddya reckon?

Dan :D

My honest advice:

Sell the Kronos and the XT and buy a second-hand Jupiter-80 and a second-hand OASYS-88 instead...

[CelloJP]

Originally Posted by MusicFan

My honest advice:

Sell the Kronos and the XT and buy a second-hand Jupiter-80 and a second-hand OASYS-88 instead...

That's excellent advice

[ScoobyDoo555]

That very thought had occurred to me, so thanks for confirming one of my musings.

However, what stops me with that is that my Kronos is my live keyboard - setlist is invaluable.

As stated, I will look at JP80, but later on. In the meantime, I'm starting to use my V-Synth more :

totally mad, but I've changed its location in my studio, and it's more accessible now. Thus using it more.

Dan

[ScoobyDoo555]

Well, I've spent Christmas playing with the v-synth and despite a couple of stupid little issues (like syncing arps over USB-midi) I really like it. The more I've played with it the more I like it. It sits very well sonically with the rest of my kit too.

So no, I won't be moving it on.

But I will be looking at a jp80 purchase anyway..... Once I've a/b'd with the nord stage.....

Need/want a new bottom tier synth for my live work Kronos will be on top.

Dan.

[synthguy]

I really hate selling anything, thus I have resisted ever "moving on."

However, I'm giving this some consideration, because the Jupiter/Integra would make a lot of my gear redundant, and I'm probably going to buy one at some point anyway because, in spite of the spite thrown all over it here, it does sound in demos to have a rich Roland sound. And I like the "Roland sound." Plus, I give all my gear the "synthguy sound." We'll see next year.

I will have to say that I find the idea of selling the Kronos and XT for a used OASYS and JP-80 to be a little weird, especially if you have to count pennies for a purchase.

Used Kronos: $1900-2500 US depending on keys
Used V-Synth XT: $1700
Net: ~$4000

Used OASYS: $3300-4500 depending on condition and fights
Used JP-80: $2300-2800
Cost: ~$6400

Why sell a Kronos which offers more, unless you don't need the "more" and really want four analog inputs and a bigger touch screen? Unless you have the ~$2500 on hand to spend?

[totty]

Sorry to butt in, but you said you had issues syncing the arp over usb, did you manage to do so? On topic, I had a go on the JP80 today at the store. I liked it alot, but it was only a quick doodle. I found it awkward to get to the underlying synth engine without all the layers, but I'm sure it's just getting used to it.

[ScoobyDoo555]

Agreed. Whilst in sure Oasys is a great piece of kit, the Kronos offer more of what I need. So not an option.

Re getting arps to sync over USB midi, according to someone on rolandclan.com, can't be done unless you use the "real" midi ports.... Not an issue for me, so will use them

Gonna look at a jp80 once the holiday period is over

Dan