Roland Boutique JD08 Synthesiser (JD800 Recreation)

Well made and designed product. Fun to use. Many have concerns at the small size and lack of finite degree of panel instrument control that is sliders not being pitch or frequency sensitive enough. I have not encountered any problems of that kind. It is well integrated with its function and hardware.Most sounds are very 90s, but you can to get unique creations without much difficulty.

This system’s build is like a tank! The controls, faders, knobs, and sliders work seamlessly! I’m using an Arturia Lab controller that has full size keys and aftertouch. Midi capabilities n the JD-08 are as described and work well. Effects on this system sound great, equal to if not better than the JD-800.I did have my hands on the JD-800 in the early 90’s. I couldn’t afford one then. College costs had my pockets empty. So I used the one my friend owned. I also played the ones in music stores.I’ve yet to find anything on this system that disappoints me! Seriously, this system exceeds my humble expectations. I wasn’t expecting this system to sound so good and have the same sound appeal that attracted me to its daddy the JD-800.My areas of music that I explore are ... MoreThis system’s build is like a tank! The controls, faders, knobs, and sliders work seamlessly! I’m using an Arturia Lab controller that has full size keys and aftertouch. Midi capabilities n the JD-08 are as described and work well. Effects on this system sound great, equal to if not better than the JD-800.I did have my hands on the JD-800 in the early 90’s. I couldn’t afford one then. College costs had my pockets empty. So I used the one my friend owned. I also played the ones in music stores.I’ve yet to find anything on this system that disappoints me! Seriously, this system exceeds my humble expectations. I wasn’t expecting this system to sound so good and have the same sound appeal that attracted me to its daddy the JD-800.My areas of music that I explore are Ambient, Generative, Musial Concrete, and the Berlin stuff…Some of the pads/tones on this system evoke the likes of Tangerine Dream, and Klaus Schulz…I’m so glad I bought this system….hooked this up in my studio and it pairs so freaking well with my Waldorf Strichfett, Blofeld, and the Korg Wavestate…and my Deepmind12.Awesome purchase. Thank you AMS for getting it to me so fast!

90's synth delight

Wow what can I say but thanks Roland for bringing back this iconic since from the 90s. If you was going to buy the original synth it would cost you in excess of £1500 now you can have those original 4 layer evolving sound fully editable that sounds absolutely superb and an exact copy from the Iconic jd-800 at an very affordable price. So thanks Scan for selling it.

Absolutely superb

I have my original JD-800 & bought the JD-08 as soon as it was released partially because it looked so cute & also to have a portable synth to take when travelling. The JD-08 sounds so close to the original as to be able to fully replace it. Yes it is much smaller & therefore more fiddly to program, but there are other benefits from having the JP-08 such as the increased memories & portability, plus ability to stack twice the tones etc. The difference between the JD-800 and the JP-08 in sound is similar to comparing a brand new pre-recorded cassette album with the CD version. Almost identical but the JP-08 is just a little bit clearer and sharper. It really is superb though, and I have absolutely no hesitation to recommend it. There's no need to get an original ... MoreI have my original JD-800 & bought the JD-08 as soon as it was released partially because it looked so cute & also to have a portable synth to take when travelling. The JD-08 sounds so close to the original as to be able to fully replace it. Yes it is much smaller & therefore more fiddly to program, but there are other benefits from having the JP-08 such as the increased memories & portability, plus ability to stack twice the tones etc. The difference between the JD-800 and the JP-08 in sound is similar to comparing a brand new pre-recorded cassette album with the CD version. Almost identical but the JP-08 is just a little bit clearer and sharper. It really is superb though, and I have absolutely no hesitation to recommend it. There's no need to get an original JD-800 as this is almost identical but with some improvements. The one place where the original JD-800 wins completely is its physical presence in the studio - it really looks amazing and is a hugely programmable synth. But if you are tight for space, you can get the JD-08 and not need to worry at all that it is a lesser version than the original. I really rate the JD-08, it was money well spent.

Amazing replication of the original

For a fraction of the price in the vintage market. If you just want it was a flavor and not after total originality, this synth is for you. As with most of the boutique series, sometimes the knobs and faders are a bit small, but can't have your cake and eat it too!

Another great Boutique Synth but with a MIDI Bug

I'll keep this simple, first off I am a big fan of all of Roland's Boutiques Series Synths. I have the JU-06A, JX-03, JP-08, JX-08 and now the JD-08. Like the others this is a great Synth while bringing back so much of the original JD800. I never owned a JD800, I was to busy with my Yamaha DX7 at the time but I always wanted one. This JD-08 Includes all 108 original waveforms and all 64 original factory patches, plus 21 new presetsThe 4-part tone layering allows for vey complex sound design. It's got all of the other features like a 2-part, 64-step polyphonic sequencer that you can save up to 128 original patternsRandom pattern generator, a Motion Recorder allows you to capture complex parameter changes in your patterns and of course an Onboard arpeggiator. ... MoreI'll keep this simple, first off I am a big fan of all of Roland's Boutiques Series Synths. I have the JU-06A, JX-03, JP-08, JX-08 and now the JD-08. Like the others this is a great Synth while bringing back so much of the original JD800. I never owned a JD800, I was to busy with my Yamaha DX7 at the time but I always wanted one. This JD-08 Includes all 108 original waveforms and all 64 original factory patches, plus 21 new presetsThe 4-part tone layering allows for vey complex sound design. It's got all of the other features like a 2-part, 64-step polyphonic sequencer that you can save up to 128 original patternsRandom pattern generator, a Motion Recorder allows you to capture complex parameter changes in your patterns and of course an Onboard arpeggiator. Overall just another great Boutique Synth with tons of sonic power!OK now for the MIDI BUG. MIDI Bug Alert! I learned of this bug when I got my JD-08 a few months ago. I noticed that the JD-08 plays an init tone on MIDI channels 4 and 5, no matter what the MIDI settings are set to (I have mine set to Ch16). This is known and is in fact a bug in the JD-08. The JD-08, is a repackaged, Jupiter X synth, which uses midi channels 4 and 5, like I am seeing. So if you have other devices in your setup that use MIDI Ch 4 or 5 you will have an issue. Roland didn't bother to take this out when they ported the firmware over to the JD-08. The problem is, these can't be edited, or turned off., it just plays a INIT sound. There is no setting for this and it is hardcoded, into the units firmware. Many of us have already gotten in touch with Roland about this, of course, with no reply to fix the problem. I happen to know a Tech Support Person at Roland that I could call and he confirmed it. If enough users complain hopefully they will get their act together and get this fixed in a future update. What is interesting is it seems all of the Boutique Series are all sharing the same firmware, notice how all the new synths are on V 1.02? I think this is part of the

Awesome sound design synth!

Don't pay attention to the size of this device, there is so much stuff inside that at this price it's just a gift from Roland! Great sound for little money.

D Carrington

This has been on my list of synthesizers for decades.What roland have done with this is amazing.Ive got twelve boutiques in total and everyone's good but these new ones are turbo versions. My brother hasn't had time to play on it because of covid and when he does I think he will purchase the JX 08.WHAT A TEAM WE WILL BE THEN.

Mini to mini

Although I have the complete boutique series and have at one time another owned most of( and still do) the synths and modules. The Roland boutique jd-08 has been a joyful blast from the past with having the possible drawbacks that the original jd800 had. One common fault that the jd800 had which eventually forced me to sell mine was the failure of the velocity strip under the keys. When I heard about the upcoming release of the Roland boutique version of the jd800 namely the jd-08 I was really excited to get my hands on this piece of nostalgia. I waited for the delivery of the JD-08 and was happy when it did. I could replicate the sounds that I used to get with the old jd800 even tho the mini sliders are just a bit too mini in view. I do understand that roland were ... MoreAlthough I have the complete boutique series and have at one time another owned most of( and still do) the synths and modules. The Roland boutique jd-08 has been a joyful blast from the past with having the possible drawbacks that the original jd800 had. One common fault that the jd800 had which eventually forced me to sell mine was the failure of the velocity strip under the keys. When I heard about the upcoming release of the Roland boutique version of the jd800 namely the jd-08 I was really excited to get my hands on this piece of nostalgia. I waited for the delivery of the JD-08 and was happy when it did. I could replicate the sounds that I used to get with the old jd800 even tho the mini sliders are just a bit too mini in view. I do understand that roland were limited with the amount of space they had to concentrate all the adsr parameters etc. I think all in all I'm happy with my purchase and would like to say to anyone who wants a classic synth that was before its time but one that helped expand the house scene in the 90's this is a must.

Review of Roland JD-08 Sound Module

I previously had the JU-06A. The JD-08A is a good few leagues above this. Amazingly deep and complex sounds, far better seq and a much bigger patch memory.