I have the opportunity to get the one polysynth to rule them all.

In the past I've owned an Andromeda, JX8P, Prophet 600 and Juno 60. I currently have a Juno 106, Matrix 1000 and Minibrute.

Of all those I love the sound of the Juno 60 most. And I love the functionality of the Andromeda. I love Duran Duran. When I make synth sounds the Nick Rhodes vibe is usually what I go for.

In YouTube clips I think the JP4 has the most magical sound. But ahhh the JP8 has 8 voices, 2 osc, crossmod!!!

This may be the only time in my life that I have the opportunity to get my dream synth. I know only I can decide but I need help!!

Ahhh

Oh, and I'll definitely be adding some MIDI retrofit goodness to whatever I get.

Oh man, two great synths... so let's try and help ya out this way:

When you like Nick Rhodes style sounds and vibe, do you like the Hungry Like the Wolf, My own Way, Hold Back the Rain vibe or more like the Sound of Thunder, Carless Memories, Planet earth sound?

-andrews

JP8 by a million miles IMO.

I have both, would keep jupiter 8 hands down if I had to lose one of them.

I have both too, but I think it's a mistake to simply say Jupiter 8 hands down because it's the "bigger" synth.

Given he has a specific sound in mind, it REALLY depends on what specific sound he's after and finally we have a thread where we can give him actual useful info based on his actual wants and needs.

Both Jupiters are amazing and many times the Jupiter 4 is the "better" synth if you're after that sound.

So, my orignal question to the OP stands, his answer will REALLY help provide a fact-taste based answer

-a

You could probably get a JP4 and a JP6 for the price of an 8.
Killer combo. That's what I would do.

Funny, that's how I got sucked in too ... but then the 8 finds it's way in too heh

Lotta love for them Jupiters!

And hey, that Roland SH-2 is pretty baddass too... justy sayin'heh

-a

jupiter 8 by far.

it's not even in he same realm jupiter 4.

I've owned 2 jup 8s 1 jup 4


the sound is cool on the jup 4 but it's very limited, only 4 voices,

to be honest I dont know why Jupiter 4s are so overrated right now...everything is though i guess...

someone said something to me earlier today. This days are bad days for people into old synths. It's true, everything is overpriced and failing and...just over hyped.

Jupite 8 is def. overhyped, but it's a fine polysynth.

it is not a "rule all synth" It's still a pretty simple architecture that can't do that much beyond for sounds used 1000 times before. But it does those sounds great.

Well count me in for the JP-4 supporters.
(But only if you couple it with another good synth - read more below)

Personally my experience with the JP-8 was that it is bland - a very high quality sound, definitely, but rather bland in the end.
It will do all the "standard Roland polysynth duties" without effort and sound great while doing it, but beyond that i found very little of interest.

The JP-4 is rawer in sound and has loads of character - whilst being severely limited with only 4 voices and just one osc.


Personally i sold the JP-8 and have kept the JP-4 - but i could do that because i have other synths that can do the things the JP-4 can't.
You have synths like that too - and a really harsh judgement of the JP-8 would be that it is a 2 VCO Juno 60. heh


If all you want is the classic and collectable Roland synth, then the JP-8 it is (although i'd take an analogue Prophet or Oberheim over that any day) - but if you are looking for flexibility and interesting sound, combine a JP-4 with another quality synth.

And with the prices that JP-8's go for these days you should easily be able to afford both a JP-4 and an OB-8 or whatever else you fancy.

I own both, Jupiter 4 more character, 8 a classic.
If you want to spent your money mate , buy a trip to Zanzibar, don't pay 7000 $ for a 30 years old synth.
Spent 200 $ for a JX 3P, Gaia, SH 201.
This is my advice to you, have a nice day.
Remember to play some music.

The JP-8 is not a bad synth but I think the JP-4 has the better sound! a real beast. when you need a big polysynth, the OBs are much better.

I kept my Jupiter 8 for about three months. I kept my Jupiter 4 for 2 decades. Though, if you are buying locally, you might be getting my old Jupiter 4....

Both have distinctive sounds, but the J4 is special. And now that that wonderful midi kit is available, it's extra special. Does depend on what you want to do with it, of course.

Had both. Still have the jp8. Of the two, ultimately the 8 is more powerful in every way. The jp4 has a lovely tone. How about getting a jp8 and a promars?

Fave Duran Duran tones:

Night Boat intro
The string tone all over the first album.
Rio random arp (of course)
New Religion intro
Chauffer pluck
Save A Prayer lead
Of Crime And Passion strings/brass

I like those sounds used a 1000 times before. Kinda like how a Les Paul has been used a million times before but still sounds good. I'll use Reaktor for new sounds.

If you don't need new sounds, you don't need the jp8. Sounds like you could grab the 4.

As a replacement for the 8 you could get an MKS80 . A great synth, doesn't sound like the 8 but has the same functions, and more to boot. Still under-rated and under-valued IMO.

I'm a sucker for Osc Sync though! That's really my only drawback with the 4.

Funny, i'd say exactly the opposite heh

The JP-8 gives you the true and tried sounds you've always needed to make those 80's productions period correct, whereas the 4 can still surprise you with how versatile one single oscillator coupled with a fantastic filter can be in a modern production environment.

well i disagree with this, in that it can go so much further than 80s presets.

I think we have established (many times over) that we disagree on this topic.

In any case the 4 and 8 are very different synths sharing not much more than a name and an analogue signal path.

I'd go along with above.

Much prefer the sound of the JP4 to the JP8. (have never understood the razmadaz over the JP8 tbth)

Sounds more like JP8 territory.

while the jp4 has a nice raw tone, i would pick jp8 for split mode alone. Then it can act like two jupiter 4's practically. Sure the sound is not quite the same, but the sound quality of both is already far above many other synths already, and nitpicking between the sound quality of the two, for me, doesn't outweigh the fact that the jp8 can be put into split mode and act as two separate synths. Especially with the encore midi upgrade, where you get a full note range on each half of the synth when played via midi, not just limited to the 61 keys or etc...It's a far more versatile synth and I think it almost demands to be played and tweaked given the ease at which they made it to do so.

A Less Paul is a guitar, not a synth. A guitar was not meant for sound designing and synthesis, a synth's main purpose is just that, sound creation, and with it being a sound creation tool flexibility is pretty crucial. Not saying the JP8 is not a capable synth, but I do think the guitar/piano analogy is brought up often and it really doesn't apply well with synths; it's misleading at best.

bigger is not always better

Great, YOU have your own answer for this thread, a majoriity of the sounds you listed and like are indeed the Jupiter 4.

(Worthy of consideration, the Crumar Performer is also all over that first album, amazing how much he squeezed outta that little synth!)

-a

I found the JP4 darker, noisier, and much more limited due to having only 1 osc (I'm an osc sync lover as well). The keyboard is also nowhere near as nice. I liked my Juno 60 better.

I currently own a Jupiter 4 and Jupiter 8. I also owned a Jupiter 6.

I bought the JP4 first, and it has only ever blown me away. It is the most unique synth i've ever used. For the type of music I make it is perfect.

The JP8 I own is my second. I bought one and never took to it. I found it kind of light and 80's pop. I wanted The Human League, Yazoo, Gary Numan, and the Jupiter 8 wasn't giving me that, so I sold it.

6 months later I came across a live recording I had made with it and it blew me away. Luckily I had downloaded my patches before selling it, so I tracked down another and got the sounds back.

Basically I hadnt given it enough time. Its a far more complex synth than the JP4 and required more time exploring it to reveal its abilities. Yes, it does 80's pop brilliantly, but it will also do dark, pulsating, post apocalyptic sounds. It is a masterpiece of a synth.

So the answer to your question is unfortunately, buy both if you can. They are two amazing synths, but they are not comparable. The personality of the JP4 for me is far more interesting. I see it as the uglier, but more interesting older brother.

Which would I choose if I had to? I'm really not sure. Maybe the JP8 because it is more versatile, but the JP4 has a more unique tone.

To help you out I would say base your decision on the price. I'm not saying buy the cheapest, but buy the one that represents the best value based on current market prices. If the JP8 is cheaper than normal, buy that one, because they'll just keep going up. But the JP4 is still around the $2000 makr, so you'll have time to get one in the future before they go too mad.

This might help. One of my musical projects, KuBO. The sequence in this track is JP8. Bass is System 100. Strings are Korg Monopoly.

An Oddity by KuBO on SoundCloud - Hear the world’s sounds

Lead string type sounds in this are JP8. Portamento sound is bridge is also JP8, as it string on chorus. Bass is System 100. Riff is Prodigy.

This Desolation by KuBO on SoundCloud - Hear the world’s sounds

Much of this is JP8. All of the sounds at the start. The bass line, the drone in the chorus. Lots of JP8.

Come To My Disco by KuBO on SoundCloud - Hear the world’s sounds

This is my other Musical project, PolyDROID. The whole first min of this track is JP8. This is the sound that made me realise I shouldn't have sold the synth. Main riff when beat comes in is JP4.

You Are Transparent by PolyDROID on SoundCloud - Hear the world’s sounds

On this track, the sound that comes in at 0.44 is JP4. The sequence is System 100.

This System QE Mix by PolyDROID on SoundCloud - Hear the world’s sounds

This track is mostly JP8, including the bass line. The riff that comes in at 1.10 is JP4. The Jp8 cant make a sound like that. All the detuned strings in the chorus are JP8 layered with DSi Mopho.

Enhance 224 QE Mix by PolyDROID on SoundCloud - Hear the world’s sounds

Whats interesting is that whilst I kind of prefer the JP4, i've used the JP8 more actually.

Hope this helps.

Oh, and dont buy a JP6. Really not worth the money. A Juno 60 would serve you better. I had mine for a few months and shifted it. Never used it on one recording. It has no distinctive personality.

Brian

PS, that beautiful haunting sound that plays at the end of Enhance 224 is JP4. Its the only synth I've used where you can use the noise source as part of a musical sound and it sounds amazing, which is why that sound is so organic.

Tough decision.

Brian