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...but I'll bet they're going to be a big hit. :)

 

http://www.harmonycentral.com/news/roland-goes-boutique

 

 

Roland_Boutique_Series.jpg

 

 

Three new synth modules based on vintage Roland synths. The keyboard is optional...

 

Four voices is a pretty big disappointment - I wonder if you'll be able to stack two of the same modules for more. I also am curious as to what the retail pricing will be, but if they're reasonable, I'll bet these will be very popular.

 

 

 

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Sweetwater has them up on their site along with the prices...

 

 

The JX-03 and JU-06 are $299 each.

 

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/JU06

 

 

JP-08 is $399 street.

 

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/JP08

 

 

The keyboard dock (which works with all three modules) is $99.

 

 

Mitch Gallagher at Sweetwater has done a demo video with even more info on them...

 

[video=youtube;RjVpWsA-FjA]

 

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A few random thoughts...

 

Between this and ReFace, I think we have an Official Trend :)

 

Think of all the virtual instruments that have replaced hardware. Now, am I better off with an Arturia Jupiter-8, or hardware mini-Jupiter-8 redux?

 

Are we too dependent on Apple and Microsoft? At least the hardware will keep playing...

 

I predict FM synthesis will be the Next Big Thing in about two years.

 

Doesn't it look like it might be difficult to really wail on these things? Think of the control-density-per-square-inch of a Minimoog compared to a lot of the newer synth modules.

 

So here we have Roland, Novation, and Moog all making major announcements on pretty much the same day that have no tie-in with a trade show. Getting the jump on NAMM? Giving the finger to NAMM? Recognizing that a thread on Harmony Central in October is probably worth more than being 1 out of 3,743 product mentions in a NAMM show report from web sites and magazines that have de-evolved into "pay to play"?

 

Is the music in the demo video emotionally compelling?

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Is the music in the demo video emotionally compelling?

 

No, it's surprisingly sterile and makes me throw up in my mouth a little.

 

Roland usually hits people's sweet spot in keyboards and whatnot, but dang, this is a horrible sounding demo. Seriously.

 

But the price is right, so it'll probably sell big.

 

 

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Man I miss my Juno- 106. It spent a lot of time in the repair shop however...Brings back memories though. Any of my songs with keyboards on them are from that Juno-106.

 

I have a Roland JX3-P, which is kinda fun. It was my first keyboard. I sold it, then bought another one some years ago, one that previously belonged to Rick Springfield. Maybe he wrote "Jessie's Girl" on it, who knows! :D

 

I like a lot of the Roland stuff, like the MKS-70, which I also own.

 

But jeeez, that video totally makes me not want to bother listening to more.

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But jeeez, that video totally makes me not want to bother listening to more.

 

It's a musical sub-genre I call "NAMM Show Music." It consists of a mix of lite jazz, lite pop, and lite funk, based on sounds you've heard before. To be fair, I presume it follows the TV principle of "Least Objectionable Programming." I run into this when doing soundtracks for product videos...I just did one that has a fairly edgy rock soundtrack and another with acid jazz, so will it turn off folk and hip-hop fans? I dunno, but I figure that if the music is reasonably good, people are sufficiently open-minded that they'll appreciate that some effort went into making the music, whether they "like" it or not.

 

 

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A few random thoughts...

 

Between this and ReFace, I think we have an Official Trend smile.png

 

That thought crossed my mind too. And you have to wonder, do these companies spy on each other or what? With the development time involved, I doubt Roland put something like this together as a response to Yamaha without having some kind of advance notice about what they had coming down the pike... or maybe I just don't know how the development of these things goes... idk.gif

 

Think of all the virtual instruments that have replaced hardware. Now, am I better off with an Arturia Jupiter-8, or hardware mini-Jupiter-8 redux?

 

Are we too dependent on Apple and Microsoft? At least the hardware will keep playing...

 

It's a tough question (at least IMHO...) The hardware may have a longer life - unless you're willing to dedicate a computer and never update it.

 

I predict FM synthesis will be the Next Big Thing in about two years.

 

It's certainly possible. idk.gif The way what goes around tends to come back around in terms of popularity, it wouldn't surprise me.

 

Doesn't it look like it might be difficult to really wail on these things? Think of the control-density-per-square-inch of a Minimoog compared to a lot of the newer synth modules.

 

You can USB or MIDI them to a larger keyboard, but you'd still have to deal with the tightly spaced control panels on the modules if you wanted to throw a filter sweep into the middle of your solo or whatever... but that can also be true with an iPad and virtual synths to a degree too.

 

So here we have Roland, Novation, and Moog all making major announcements on pretty much the same day that have no tie-in with a trade show. Getting the jump on NAMM? Giving the finger to NAMM? Recognizing that a thread on Harmony Central in October is probably worth more than being 1 out of 3,743 product mentions in a NAMM show report from web sites and magazines that have de-evolved into "pay to play"?

 

I'm not sure. I certainly noticed the big announcements yesterday (Orange released a new amp head yesterday too that has been pretty hotly requested by customers) and wondered about it myself. For some companies, isn't October 1 the start of the new fiscal year?

 

I'm not so sure it's a thumb of the nose to NAMM, although it could be a jump-start on NAMM. Being announced in October, I'd certainly expect to see these things at NAMM.

 

As far as web sites and mags and pay to play, you know how deeply I feel about that and editorial integrity Craig... priority #1 is the reader. You don't get a good review for running an ad (and I'll review something even if people don't advertise with us) and we're not here to try to shake companies down. I can't say the same about everyone else though...

 

Is the music in the demo video emotionally compelling?

 

I thought that it was pretty much what's expected by product demo standards. I'm rarely knocked out by such things. As far as actually showing what the products are all about, I thought Mitch did a much better job - although to be fair I don't think Roland's demo was intended to be as in-depth as what Mitch was trying to do.

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A couple of thoughts...

 

I really liked the original keyboards from Yamaha and Roland but I hate the sizes of the "Reface" and "Boutique"…. I understand the concept but I`m a "less is more type of guy", meaning, I rather have 1 or 2 great keyboards than a room full of these little toys. I`m a big guy, big head, big hands, big feet, you get the picture? Stop teasing me with these mini versions of the originals.

 

I just purchased the Prophet 6 in June and I have my eyes on a mono synth now along the lines of the Moog Sub37… give me a full size keyboard with a button for everything and I`m a happy camper. I don`t need more than two keyboards for what I`m doing so I`m really not interested in filling a room with 10 of these little pieces of plastic.

 

I think thats what these manufacturers are into now… give consumers smaller/more affordable boxes than these huge keyboards that pretty much do everything. From a financial standpoint, they are most likely making a ton of $$$ going small.

 

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I can understand where someone might not dig the smaller size of these units. I'm not particularly fond of "mini keys" myself... but that may be missing the point. Sure, I'd rather have a Prophet 6 too - what a monster that bad boy is! :love: But at close to three grand, it's a serious modern-day state of the art analog synth with a price tag to match. You've got to be a pretty serious cat, or at least have serious disposable funds to get one of those - same for a vintage Jupiter 8. If these cheap and cheerful plastic boxes can give some of the vibe of that, and do it at a entry-level price, it may get more people interested and involved with music, or give a kid an affordable alternative to a unobtainable vintage synth... or just give a lot of people something fun and affordable that they can mess around on and make music with.

 

I just got a new telescope for my birthday, and it's a pretty big one. I probably could have gotten an even bigger one, but I'm not that hard-core, and it would have been much harder to lug around; I tried to remember that old astronomical adage about telescopes - the best scope isn't the biggest one, it's the one that gets used the most. While a Prophet 6 or vintage Jupiter 8 is obviously more desirable than these "boutique" Roland products, I suspect more of these will end up out there than either of those classic high-end synths.

 

I'm not suggesting that cheap synths are better than top of the line models, only that there's a place for both... and that they usually sell more of the lower-cost stuff than the high end models.

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I just got a new telescope for my birthday, and it's a pretty big one. I probably could have gotten an even bigger one, but I'm not that hard-core, and it would have been much harder to lug around; I tried to remember that old astronomical adage about telescopes - the best scope isn't the biggest one, it's the one that gets used the most.

 

.

 

Please post pics of 'scope :philfro:

 

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I used to own a JX-3P, circa 1983.

 

The $64 question: Are these new units creating their "analog" sounds.... in the same way their namesake forbears did? He keeps using the words "emulate" and "re-create"... Hmm... what does THAT mean, I wonder. Are they creating sounds in the same way a computer softsynth... or Casio keyboard might do? Surely these aren't digital samples? (Hell, they might be.)

 

It is surprising that these allow you only 4-key polyphony. This is kinda like releasing one's new recordings to Edison wax cylinder, no? For that "vintage" thrill? biggrin.gif I guess such a limit on polyphony allows one to pretend he is a struggling Robert Moog in 1972...

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The four-voice angle makes me think they really are analog, but I was also thrown off by the use of "emulate." I guess we need to wait for a definitive answer. Perhaps it's a hybrid with analog voice generation and everything else digital? I dunno.

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I think it's a sort of device-itis. A communicable itch for small, cute, backpackable gizmos that do cool things.

 

These toyish synths puzzle the experienced and older musicians, but delight the younger newbies who scoop them up. Synth puppies.

 

nat whilk ii

 

Yeah, I think I was getting to that but you said it much more clearly…. synth puppies.

 

I think these smaller synths give affordable access to the synth world but filling a room with these "less than professional" devices can be frustrating at the end of the day. Like I said, I`d rather have one or big dawgs than a dozen little half ass "puppies".

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Please post pics of 'scope :philfro:

 

 

 

I've only got one ATM, and it's a bit blurry...

 

fetch?id=31603682

 

 

 

It's an Orion XT8g Dobsonian with a motorized / tracking GoTo mount. It has an 8" primary, F/5.9 (1200mm tube). At about 52 pounds (32 lb for the base, 20 for the tube, plus the battery and other accessories), it's more mobile than the 10" or 12" versions in the same line. Bigger apertures are nice for light-gathering, but I didn't want something too fast (F/5 or below, which both the 10" and 12" versions are) and I wanted something I could put in the car and take to a truly dark sky site if I wanted to. The larger models weigh about 20-50 pounds more, and I'd be less likely to want to lug those around.

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I used to own a JX-3P, circa 1983.

 

The $64 question: Are these new units creating their "analog" sounds.... in the same way their namesake forbears did? He keeps using the words "emulate" and "re-create"... Hmm... what does THAT mean, I wonder. Are they creating sounds in the same way a computer softsynth... or Casio keyboard might do? Surely these aren't digital samples? (Hell, they might be.)

 

It is surprising that these allow you only 4-key polyphony. This is kinda like releasing one's new recordings to Edison wax cylinder, no? For that "vintage" thrill? biggrin.gif I guess such a limit on polyphony allows one to pretend he is a struggling Robert Moog in 1972...

 

 

I got the impression that they're analog modeling synths, not true analog like the synths they're based on. I guess we'll have to wait for the definitive answer.

 

I was disappointed by the four-voice polyphony too. IMHO they should have tried to put the same polyphony into them as the synths they were based on - six for the JX-3P and Juno 106, and 8 for the Jupiter 8. The good news is that the units can be cascaded for more polyphony, so with two of the JP modules, you'd have full 8 note polyphony.

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I've only got one ATM, and it's a bit blurry...

 

fetch?id=31603682

 

 

 

It's an Orion XT8g Dobsonian with a motorized / tracking GoTo mount. It has an 8" primary, F/5.9 (1200mm tube). At about 52 pounds (32 lb for the base, 20 for the tube, plus the battery and other accessories), it's more mobile than the 10" or 12" versions in the same line. Bigger apertures are nice for light-gathering, but I didn't want something too fast (F/5 or below, which both the 10" and 12" versions are) and I wanted something I could put in the car and take to a truly dark sky site if I wanted to. The larger models weigh about 20-50 pounds more, and I'd be less likely to want to lug those around.

 

Excellent 'scope! :cool3:

 

Dobsonians are definitely the best bang for the buck (as you 'mericans say) as far as light-gathering goes. I was after an 8" Dob myself a while ago, but I never got around to getting one

 

Thanks for posting the pic, Phil. And apologies to all concerned for the thread-hijack :0

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