Synth Workshop / Roland History - Studio Time: S2E4

[@junkiexlofficial]

Dear Followers, A question and comment that I get asked a lot is; These synths are worth a fortune; Yes, now they are! 1 The trick is to by this stuff when its dirt cheap and easy available. I bought most of mine in the 80's early nineties. No one had an idea that these would come back into fashion and people sold synths for nothing. I mean really for nothing. A ps3300 Korg would sell for 300$. Now I saw recently one on eBay for 30.000 Pounds ( 40.000$). Nobody wants to pay that money for something like that! That is exactly the reason why I do not own certain synths. I would like to have them but I am not willing to pay that insane money. E.g. I do not own a roland 303. I would love to have one but I will not pay $4.000 for a synth that should cost $100. Arp 2500; $250.000, Really? That is a house! Now I am buying gear that was released in the 90's and 2000's. Dirt cheap; easy to get.... Who knows in 40 years what they are worth. $50-$250 will buy you heaven. But Value is not the point here. I use them, I love them, I cherish them. They are my soul to making music and they keep me inspired! Love you all for watching these tutorials! X tom

[@diezdiazgiant]

heh vintage digital is going to be the next wave. im not even joking, i feel like its already starting with synths like ESQ growing more and more expensive everytime i check ebay.

[@InXLsisDeo]

But there are remakes of these synths, the Roland Boutique series, the ARP 2600 remake, Korg MS-20 remake, etc. These remakes are updated versions of the old classics, include MIDI, are affordable and sound very close to the glorious old machines. So all is good.

[@donallfinn]

No, it isn't, it's not just social trend cycling, there is a REASON why analog is loved, it's not just nostalgia...they SOUNDED BETTER...obviously better. As far as vintage digital, The DX7 and ESQ1/SQ80 are already classics, but with the amount of DX7's produced the price could never get over a couple hundred buck, there's too many in circulation. I bought my SQ80 for $200 and I've had offers of $1000 for it (I'm not selling) but I think that's as expensive as it will ever get, The early digitals had one advantage, components that couldn't be replicated via computer, not exactly anyway, the DX7 had the 12 bit DAC's that gave it it's magic, not other FM synth has ever come close, and the SQ80/ESQ1 (Along with the DW8000, K3, ect.) had the analog filter (and 12 bit DAC's) so a computer can never really nail the sound of those synths, but if you want the sounds of a D-50 (Hillarious how they are manufacturing nostalgia for that with the Boutique...IT'S HORRIBLE!) M1 or JP8000 a computer will nail it, thus nullifing any real value.

[@EnryMusica]

Hey Tom, despite knowing your work for a while I just came across your channel yesterday. Thanks for the fantastic videos and for your will of showing us your knowledge. The Jupiter 8 is fantastic, sounds like heaven, please keep the good energy and cheer us with more videos!!!

[@dvdny]

Totally agree. Buy low. The good ones always appreciate in price.

[@ShiningJMaster]

Juno6, Juno 106, Jupiter 6 & Jupiter 8 love them all, have them all in my home studio

[@ReginatorNet]

Happy to see I'm not the only one with love for the JP-8080.

[@rosspalumbo]

This man is a living legend - a true treasure amongst our culture and humanity. Tom, you're amazing and thank you for all the effort you put into everything you touch.

[@VoyageOne1]

The Juno's were THE pad sound you heard on most 80s records

[@newpianotutorials]

We're moving to another room ??? Bloody hell !

[@FiveElementNinja]

These videos are a real treat. Thank you. And every time I hear a D-50 it makes me want one even more. 😁

[@PatFlanigan]

I've been refreshing my homepage waiting for this upload. Can't wait to watch this little synth course!!

[@ddoublej69]

Nice video!. I have to say that I love my JD-800. All those faders.....

[@Alectrizo]

Oh man, i am so glad you are showing us your studio and brain. Thanks so much for being such an active powerhouse in the music production world. I appreciate it very much.

[@anasnejmi6961]

I want to thank you Sir for this opportunity to dive deep into the mind of one of the best composers working today.

[@donallfinn]

He's not letting you come over, so stop brown nosing

[@speedtribejp]

RIP - Ikutaro Kakehashi (1930 - 2017)

[@RamonRodgers]

Do you know how many music stores I was thrown out of just trying to get a glimpse at these units?! I love it! I was a professional loiterer until the Kurzweil K2500 came out... mid-90s!

[@pizzagogo6151]

Thanks so much for making this. Big fan of Roland I've owned one or two of these of these but fantastic to see these all together and played. Not only is your studio amazing but the condition of these instruments just WOW!

[@DonSolaris]

Excellent video!!! Tom, there are few little inaccuracies in the video that I hope I'm allowed to comment: 10:10 people who complain about Juno 106 is not so much because it doesn't sound like the Jupiters. People complain about 106 because it doesn't sound quite like good ole Juno 60 yet it bears the same name. The trick is in the oscillator. The 106 uses crystal clock while Juno 60 uses VCO based clock. That's why the pitch bending on 106 will step while on 60 it is smooth. In fact, whole synth uses CV control. So the oscillators behave and sound slightly different, with 60 slightly thicker and organic thanks to CV control. Also, Juno 60 has Jupiter 8 envelopes (hardware based, deadly snappy) while Juno 106 uses software envelopes. 24:18 MKS-80 actually contains zero Jupiter 8's. :) MKS-80 is a module version of Jupiter 6, with added bass boost circuit and two extra voices. I know some ppl might think they will get the sound of JP-8 with MKS-80 but they won't. We talk CEM chip vs. full discrete VCO design of a JP-8. We talk software envelopes in MKS vs. snappy hardware envs of JP-8. 24:34 MKS-80 aren't hard to get at all. In fact MKS-80 still holds the title of the cheapest , twin osc, VCO based analog polyphonic synthesiser within the market today. Which is a shame. It is an excellent synth, but for some reason so much underrated and constantly overlooked. For years I tell people go and buy MKS-80! It's a bargain of a price for something that has 16 analogue VCOs. So folks, please go buy MKS-80! Speaking of the sound of MKS-80 it should be noted that there are 2 revisions. Rev4 has a more aggressive tone (excellent for techno, EDM and pop) and it is essentially a polyphonic SH-101, while the Rev5 for more smooth, creamy and a bit thicker. So choose carefully before buying. Or buy both. :D

[@junkiexlmusic]

Thanks for all that detailed info!! You see; never to old to learn new stuff!!

[@iSirTaki]

Thank u Don to get this clear

[@skyreadersociety6183]

@Don: wow, didn't know that with the MKS-80 - interesting. Played it once and was a bit underwhelmed.

[@sunilsolanki]

Don Solaris The Don is here! Wonder how many other Gearslutz are too? LineOfControl.

[@huhummmmmmm]

I'd like to add, for the MKS80 you need a controller, the mpg original is ridiculously expensive. I've been using this instead, works well enough: www.kiwitechnics.com/patcheditor.htm

[@dominicobeng8590]

Quite compelling and inspiring. Its great to see how Roland synths have evolved over the years. Massive kudos to engineers who brought these innovative machines to life through experimentation and craftsmanship.

[@Bluesparkle_]

So nice to see all these Roland beasts, reminds you of all the tracks that where and still are released using sounds from one of these synths.

[@SyntheticFuture]

I got a bit scared not seeing the D-50 and JV1080 but off course you have them :D Bet you have the vintage expansion as well. Wonderful collection, could get lost for days there :o

[@JgMcCloskey]

Thanks for the many years of love and devotion you have put into this and sharing it. Great work!

[@ZenWorld]

I started an Analog Synth Collection of my own after messing with Digital Synths my whole career and Jesus. I love Analog the feeling of just turning the knobs and feeling one with a synth, it's something you can't get from a digital synth. I don't care about the sound differences it's all about that feeling.

[@zoolook3264]

I agree AND disagree - there's nothing like a Roland JD800 to me as it has the best of both worlds but I know EXACTLY what you mean !!!

[@SpacehotelMusic]

@@zoolook3264 I agree with you both. Massive fan of and preference for analog, but I also have a JD-800 and it's a rare digital that sounds characterful, great filter and has that great interface and isn't a VA. It's an amazing synth, JunkieXL has one too (or did)

[@valley_robot]

im from the future , the arturia microfreak might change your mind on digital vs analog

[@beto5720]

Great DIVA master classes man

[@mvh2275]

I have never witnessed so many synthesizers in one place before. Thanks for sharing.

[@cmath8577]

Wow. I'd love a tutorial on drones for the D-50, D-550. That was a really great abstract drone

[@PetraKann]

Just discovered your great KZbin videos which brought up a lot of memories from my early days experimenting with music in the 1980s. As a guitar player I only became interested in synthesisers when I visited a musical instrument store in Australia looking to buy guitar strings and saw the latest Roland sythn on display. I decided to play it with headphone on and couldnt believe what i was hearing. the price tag at the time was just over $3000 (AU) which was a lot of money (equivalent to about 3 Fender Telecasters plus change). When I was finally kicked off the synth so that someone else could try it, I decided that I had to save my pennies and get one these Roland Synths. I still have and use the D50.

[@Nokterian]

I am getting goosebumps of that beautiful synth sounds..thank you tom! This is why i like synthwave.

[@suonllenlee665]

The majority of these synths look mint as if they're brand new. Love to see these massive synth collections. Love your videos junkie xl.

[@marklucas8110]

Tom, I'm not a musician, but have always loved synthesised music. You appear to be as much of a curator of these synths as well as a great musician. Enjoying the channel immensely. Keep up the great work! Your electricity bill must be staggering btw!

[@Spoilermixer787]

Master Tom, Educate the world you do. Thanks for making these videos.

[@imanta1972]

Gonna have it on repeat for a week or two on my display... heaven.

[@DJNICODEMUS]

30:43 - That´s like every music history class should be... Amazing season!

[@bhupeshjawade4208]

Old is gold indeed...I can now clearly imagine how important these synths are, when it comes to SFX or background scoring in movies :)

[@sunilsolanki]

Thank you Tom for this incredible video. And I personally loved the reverb on the synths. You need it to give them life.

[@Kolinu2]

Total synth heaven.

[@DiveBombDrg]

Gotta love that lush reverb on those synths! Thanks for making this series Junkie, Love your passion for hardware synths!

[@JohnLRice]

Thanks for another great video, Tom! I've long been a fan of Roland gear. Back in the late 80's and early 90's when I started to get back into synths I purchased several of their more budget items and they were and still are great, like the MKS-50 (with PG-300), TR-505, and S-10 sampler.

[@aceyage]

I'd love to see you talk about music theory and sound design. There's so many synth videos out there. But I still enjoy them especially when you show rarer and less accessible synths. Keep up the good vibes!

[@junkiexlmusic]

coming up in this segment in future

[@peterkadarmusic6161]

Man; what a great series! Thanks for sharing all this information and great sounds with us, Tom!

[@MarkWRoberts]

Thanks Tom, nice trip down memory lane for me... I sure miss some of my old Roland gear !!!

[@Saladspinnerproduction]

You're doing excelent job making this series. I'm a fan. Thanks Tom!

[@tymelapse2747]

Had not heard of the Jupiter 4. What a cool looking (and sounding) synth!

[@lo-firobotboy7112]

Tom, these videos are fascinating and engaging and some of the best synthporn in the web. As a long-time synth collector I have to say that the Juno-6 is one of my all-time favourites. I was lucky enough to find mine for $200 in the mid-nineties. in fact, most of my best gear was found back when it was dirt cheap. Anyway, thanks for the great videos (Oh, and the film scores are also pretty kick-ass!)

[@hafstrat]

That vocoder is out of this world!!!! 💫🌟✨⭐️

[@hagaisatria]

gosh.. your studio is heaven

[@onstagephotography]

Wat een prachtige verzameling synthesizers. Bizar mooi geluid! Thanx for showing it

[@PaulTheSkeptic]

This is what my house would look like if I won the lottery.

[@alieustiansamateh6401]

Paul TheSkeptic This is something like what my house is going to look like in the future 😍 Dream Big, work hard and belive it will come ✌😁

[@rcom9880]

You read my mind except way funnier!

[@tonato17]

@@alieustiansamateh6401 I was just thinking about that, believe it and make it real. if you want some inspiration take a look at the movie rush

[@discophone_6214]

Really comprehensive tour to these beautifull synths. This could be my heaven. Thanks man for this awesome tour. 💚

[@tarciuscondgerente5154]

Hi Tom!! I'am from Brasil and I just came across your channel and subscribe today. Thank you for taking me back over thirty years ago. Awesome sounds well played. Thank you for sharing!

[@JesterMasque]

That Roland VP 330 sounds like an album maker of a piece.. Thank you so much for this video, it also seems like a beautiful introduction to synths in general.

[@jupiter8a]

Thanks for the vid Tom - inspiring. Fantastic mint JP-4!

[@myousickoflife]

Okay now were in a different studio room, in the same house.... What a boss.

[@bpjunkiezzz8279]

There is only one hope for humanity... The synthesizer.

[@mirr1984]

Amazing episode! The sound of those synths is like candy for the mind.

[@erwinkooi6669]

you made me dust of my Juno 6 and play with it again. \o/

[@longdark4ever]

Where is the JD800? Surely another Gem from Roland

[@timmbrockmann959]

was wondering as well... especially for film scores

[@musicthattouches17]

I would stay in this room for years! Amazing!!

[@Hairyloft]

Wow I want all of those now, that vocoder though... thanks again for running through these, it's the start to my weekend! Cheers

[@Filo_Red]

Best episode until now

[@WorldView22]

“Let’s now move to...” STOP IT!!! :-)

[@orr971]

Great episode. I wish there's a whole episode about creating Distance Between Dreams. Man, I'm so interested in how it was all made.

[@junkiexlmusic]

there is the making of

[@EzyoMusic]

That reverb is just beautiful! I love it in its own right. ;)

[@savanaviolenta]

One day this studio will be a museum.

[@attilayavuzer8363]

I'm not a religious man, but I can now say, without a doubt, that I've seen heaven.

[@darkjoint4087]

Heaven indeed is a place on earth.

[@slipknotboy555]

Attila Yavuzer Right!? PPG Wave, EII, Jupiters, and just so many synths everywhere, of varying architecture and ages. On another note, I like that he can appreciate all kinds (like myself), rather than being an analog purist or something

[@skyreadersociety6183]

@Attila: easy heaven :-)

[@rick_terscale1111]

No, this is where heaven was MADE!! :D

[@jtweito]

Those reverb tails on the synths are stunning.

[@audioartisan]

Wow. That was the most passionate demo of a VP-33O I have ever witnessed. You love her don't ya ;) Now I want one lol

[@J-MLindeMusic]

This is why people still buy actual synths. Vst:s have their advantages, but nothing beats actually playing the thing.

[@shottman]

Yes! But also just to have the opportunity to actually use your fingers on knobs and stuff is more fun than programming a VST :D

[@J-MLindeMusic]

That is what I meant. Can't wait to get me an analog one day!

[@DestroyER82]

I personally use both analog synths as well as vsti. Vsti's used to be often quite crappy, but than U-HE appeared to rule them all. Zebra/Diva are stunning pieces of software and you might give em a try.

[@J-MLindeMusic]

Quite aware of the U-HE stuff, they sound amazing. But they are also quite the cpu killers. :D

[@DestroyER82]

You definitly need at least "mid-tier" table PC, but than you are pretty fine. :)

[@AdamTheAd-vanc3d]

Great great lovely video and talkthrough :-), thankyou for sharing you machines with us . Simply Wow !!!!!

[@jarkkojanhunen6121]

Great episode. I'm now awaiting Synth Workshop Through Korg History.

[@junkiexlmusic]

coming up!!

[@iSirTaki]

Don Solaris cleared things up very well here about the myth that a MKS-80 is a Jupiter-8, which it isn't. This is the first time i heard someone who is saying that it is 2 Jupiter-8's in a box. That gave me instant goosebumps :-) Of course it is 0 Jupiter 8. The MKS sounds way more cleaner than the 8. I got both over a long period of time. And i found myself always picking the 8 because it has keys, more knobs per function, the lusher sound and the magic of sitting in front of it. The MKS is a very nice synth though if u are a DAW guy. It has a bass boost and u can put the filter cutoff on the keyboard velocity which is really amazing. Nevertheless it has to go, i was using it too few. Beside that this is a very good video. a bit too much reverb for my taste.

[@RoelCyborg]

Great Roland old stock History review Tom , Jeez think of all the owner manuals ,that's a life work right there *_*

[@daveb6021]

Gotta love that Arpecherator! Sorry man, your English is 100x better than my Dutch! Great demos, love the ominous reverb you got going on :)

[@samikaze79]

Such insightful videos! Keep them coming Tom!

[@dwarkanathpramanik8545]

Thanks so much making this video, excellent demonstration and lesson! Would love to see something similar for the Korg products, particularly the Triton.

[@dustoff85]

ThankX for the great video. Q? I hope you can help me here. I am a retired US Army Blackhawk pilot, I have been flying EMS helicopters for past 8 years and have officially retired 6 months ago. My dad was a Concert Pianist for a good portion of his life, what I remember is that we had a Concert Grand Piano in our living room back in the 1950's. I got into music (guitar) in 1967 (made my first electric guitar in 1967). I joined the Military on 1969 x 3 years and returned to Los Angeles. I continued playing than in 1975 I bought a Hammond B3 with Leslie 122, that led to a Roland 60, DX7, and other synth modules. In 1980 I went back into the Military and flight school. The military placed a huge damper on my keyboard playing. Here is my Q. Sadly I had to sell the B3 (went to a great Church in Temple Texas. I still have my Synths. I really liked the Juno 60 and you brought it back into the forefront for me. Here is my problem, one of my keys is dead, when I would hit the key nothing would happen. Does that sound like an issue you have had in the past? Any guess what it could be? I'm thinking its a lost cause. I would love to unbox it and start playing again but that key really jacked me up. ThankX in advance Dustoff!!

[@casualintrovert207]

That reverb sounds amazing.

[@catface]

so pleasant to see Tom's videos in my sub feed every Friday! instant inspiration :D

[@claudius3124]

Thanks for another tour of your wonderful music realm ;-) I've have a Jupiter-6, a Juno 106 and a JX8P myself along with some controllers and various modules and goodies.. Had to sell them all sadly.... Nice to see those units in such good shape :-D

[@timweinheimer1]

Thanks for giving us a tour of your gear Very Nice

[@Synthelicious]

A nice collection of Roland synths! But I kinda expected to also see a SH-101 and a JD-800... I'll make you a deal. If you let me live in your studio, I'll bring those along for you to play with...... :D

[@renegadefunkstar]

Synthelicious : yeah sh101 conspicuously absent

[@machiwoomiapoo]

Thanks for uploading this history of Roland! I love it! Most of my synthesizers are Roland. There's just something magical about the sounds they make. Your new subscriber, Sam, from the machiwoomiapoo channel. :) Take care and have a wonderful weekend.

[@simbaking6338]

These mouth watering analog synths..awesome!!

[@antonisfakiris505]

The best way to learn about Roland!!!!

[@Jdcrouch1972]

oh my, 16:45, CASIO VL-Tone what a beast! my first keyboard as a 6 year old from my brother with a copy of Equinoxe and Oxygene on tape, it started my journey

[@princegrwl]

Thanks a lot tom for doing these amazing tutorials!! these are very helpful... i am learning and enjoying a lot.....you rock junkie!!

[@ralfludwig4744]

Very impressive equipment and kind of a museum, as well ! In front of his work place I spotted a NI KOMPLETE KONTROL S88 keyboard which most likely controls the famous NI KOMPLETE ULTIMATE comprising of more than 18.000 sounds and tons of effects, etc. which might be able to replace lots of his existung equipment. I wonder which instruments and synths he has been using of that very comprehensive virtual collection of NI in light of tons of conventional synthesizers he has got already in his studios, all of them obviously up and running.

[@bereantrb]

Juno-60 was the first synth I ever laid hands on when I was a kid in middle school. Not in this video, but another great Roland synth that I later ended up with was the alpha-Juno 2. Nice, warm, fat sound.

[@KronosMusic06]

You're an amazing teacher Tom ! This videos are gold ha

[@troypol343]

I Love Classic Roland synths.

[@Glenfiddich101]

I watched this once before and I just stumbled across it again and you know what ??? I still love it I love anything with vocoders but the Roland Vocoder Plus VP-330 sounded great, I wonder if this is what Enigma uses in some of their music production stuff ?? Junkie XL you are "THE MAN"..........SUPERB !! thank you !! Glen :-)

[@SynthAddict]

Always nice to see your studio, and hear some synths with which I'm not totally familiar. :-) Regarding Kraftwerk and the VP-330, I'm pretty sure they used a Sennheiser vocoder on most of their tracks, perhaps a Bode the oldest ones. The VP-330 is great and Vangelis used it to great effect, but it's a much gentler sound than the punchy classic rack vocoders like EMS, Bode, Moog, and Sennheiser. Keep up the great vids.

[@qazwert007]

Brilliant! I see you got a Yamaha DX1 (in addition to the DX5)!!! Please do something similar with the history of Yamaha synths!

[@professorquack]

fun tour, it was cool to learn history on this.

[@DawnchaserTheAdventurer]

I'm surprised! No mention of the JP8080 introducing the SuperSaw waveform, and how that little Roland box helped launch an entire genre into the mainstream? Along with their TB-303 launching acid house and raves in the late 80s, and the 808 for hiphop/rap, Roland's JP really had a global impact on music few other synth makers can claim to have Awesome walkthrough though! Super rad to hear those 80s classics in action

[@AriKona]

None of us has a cassette recorder anymore? Hmm. I have 3, including one in my computer for converting tapes to digital. Maybe I will invest in a Juno. Seriously, great overview of some of the most ubiquitous synths out there. Thanks Tom.

[@nicolas_arnaud]

That' s a great collection, thanks for sharing. Wishing i will have the budget for it someday :) Thanks for all your videos, they are really motivating and instructive !

[@northerntao]

Damn you, raising the prices even more on the classics! :P Nice tour though - salivating over all that gear!

[@epicon6]

I absolutely love Your channel!! I make electronic music but I'm also really getting into making music for films. Classic synths are awesome

[@1ajs]

so i gues the next video u will be covering newer stuff including ur thoughts on the boutiques fun little synths specialy for jaming out in a park (witch me and a friend have started doing including videoing it ) anyhow what you've shown here has been very educational and makes me really wana buy my roomates juno 60 off him now to convince him anyhow thanks for posting these videos, cool what you got going here :) cheers from winnipeg

[@falconhoof6]

I don't know if it's worth noting but I feel like when explaining the basics of using these synths as someone that is new to using these things I think it's a good idea to mention that they are all quite heavily using reverbs which alters the sound of these beautiful machines. Just incase you're wondering why your poly synth doesn't sound the same!

[@TheFokker03]

delightful.love Rolands,maybe get to own one some day.

[@thepianoman007]

Thanks for doing that ! Great series! With this episode you really made me want to buy a proper synth instead of playing only with VSTs.

[@FrancisMaxino]

Imagine if you will, layering all three of those old Rolands together so that one of them fires off the sound of itself and the other two simultaneously, that is where you start creating incredibly thick and fat sounds with a single note, which is why MIDI is of such massive advantage and as you get more oscillators and waveforms stacked together and combined together is when synthesizors start to truly become incredibly thick and incredibly 'fat' in their sound far, above and beyond what they are alone. That SH-7 is a truly remarkable little machine, I remember those. There were so many weird and wonderful analog synthesizors in the 1970s. I remember playing around on the Jupiter 4 when I was a child in a music shop but the sounds I started creating were so warped and alien sounding that it sort of made me feel sick, it has a wobbly sort of uncertainty to its waveform pitch. I was one of those kids who liked fiddling with digital synths and changing their sounds, like the DX 7, sure it was 'painful' but once you were accustomed to where the right pages were in the stupid little LCD display it became really worth it because (and I still think this) digital samples and synthesis took synthesizors to a whole new incredibly amazing dimension unachievable by a few VCOs, filters and effects.