The Roland Super JX-10 Doesn’t Suck | An Apology (Bonus: Clarification on the JX10 vs JX8P)

[@scottgentile1663]

A not widely known difference between both synths is the JX8p keyboard puts out higher velocity values than the JX-10 based on the same playing forces. So if you place the same patch from both, the JX-8p will sound much more lively and responsive. If you are used to playing the JX-8p then play the JX-10, it can be frustrating trying to get it to respond. If you plug a JX8p keyboard into a JX-10 it will feel very different / better. This, along with the 12 note polyphony is partly why people take the fall back position and say the JX-10 excels for pads. The other thing is, are you SURE the JX-10 has a digital LFO? The JX-10 dynamically chooses which of the two JX-8p's to trigger. If you split the keyboard and just play one of the JX-8p's ,so to speak, the LFO I believe is free running. Another oddity of the JX-10 is whenever the note is first triggered on the other "JX8p" the attack is slower. So if you are playing a sound with a sharp attack, every other note on the "JX-8p" will have that note have a softer sound. It's as if the PCB responsible for deciding to use the other board has some latency (this is subtle but I discovered this when servicing a JX10 and was able to watch the attack when this PCB made the switch). This also plays to the "the JX10 is great for pads" because it's just not as clear and sharp as the JX-8p. Lastly, for me, the big disappointment in the JX10 is the JX-8p's interface is so much better (with dedicated buttons for mono, polyphony, unison and portamento). The JX-8p, like the Jupiter 8, also use colors more and the default sounds are better laid out so the JX-8p is quicker to find a sound close to what you want then edit away. Lastly, the management of the "tones" and "patches" of the JX-10 is convoluted. Some of the default patches (can use two tones) reach into the user re-writable tones. This means you can inadvertently mess up a stock sound while making new patches by overwriting one of the tones used in the stock patch. This makes patch management a pita in the JX-10 whereas the JX-8p is straight forward and simple. Roland IMO did a terrible job with the UI management of the JX-10 and this, almost alone, is why the JX-10 doesn't get as much love as the JX-8p.

[@12opsynths]

Put a Vecoven firmware in this and it reaches its full potential.

[@chrisdigiuseppe7717]

The JX-10 with Vecoven upgrades and the Retroaktiv MPG-70 controller becomes the flagship analog beast it was always meant to be.

[@kicksNCY]

Exactly ! I miss my MKS70 everyday... The Rev2 16 voices I have doesnt replace it

[@waveform.workshop]

@@kicksNCY interesting. Ive got both and about t get mpg70 + vecoven. pretty excited :)

[@BrainToMush]

I played about 20 minutes playing one and its a total beast. Its so powerful and the sound is so pure. It's so thick and fat. It doesn't get much better for certain types of sounds.

[@EvanPriceMusicChannel]

1st patch immediate Twin Peaks vibe.. I think what I love about this thing is, where it was wanting to be an answer the DX-7... the DX-7 being digital is cold... The JX-10 gives you those 80's tones early digital was famous for, but they are warm and alive with analog yum instead... yes please!

[@user-nu7xx7pc1d]

yes!

[@ytpremium7649]

The JX10 is one of the hottest synths of the 80’s in looks and sounds. It’s a powerhouse

[@_P_M_]

Jx10 is soooo 1986. I always wanted to pick one up but it's hard to find one that's not in rough condition, and I never really understood the need for 76 keys. Love the dark grey minimal 80's aesthetic and I could play string and brass pads on it all day. Lovely compliment to a DX7.

[@jamdonut7692]

They're not worth the money dude, i've owned the JX10 and MKS70, really bland sounding.

[@panagea2007]

I bought the JX-10 specifically because it had that lower E. When It became my primary keyboard I needed it. It's good for pads and bass fills, but nowadays I use it mostly as a controller. 38 years and still going strong.

[@marcusholder495]

Thank you so much for time and giving us your time to show this work of fine art.

[@geofff6671]

Well based on the patches presented here I think I agree with your first assessment. It is rather underwhelming for a 12 voice analog synth. I guess it’s was aiming for those thin DX7 digital sounds, which I mostly hate. Thanks Yamaha :( .

[@Lamster66]

"WELCOME TO DX"

[@kicksNCY]

Because he only plays pads... and always in the same style. This demo is boring, the synth is Awesome. IsSold a JX10 to get a MKS70, sold the MKS70 because it had problems and to get a REV2. I really miss my MKS70...

[@Rsonixtunes]

Well my brother make your own patches or download a few thousand of them on the internet. Make it your unique experience. Yes, I own the DX7 as well. Both are brilliant 🎉

[@lleomax]

Glad you gave it a second look and thought ... it was deserved and this second video gives a fair view of this underestimated analog giant of the 80's. Thumbs up !

[@asoundlab]

Thank you!

[@pizzagogo6151]

Well done for being open minded enough to revisit this synth. IMHO it doesn’t suck...... it just doesn’t sound as good as the specs say it should. I owned one for several years ( I made exactly same mistake thought it jx8 on steroids-nope😏) . ) - then got a Juno alpha, on paper, no where as good but if your want an analogue sound it has much more “character”. To me the The JX10 is undoubtedly powerful....but a just a bit boring.

[@mauriziomauricone]

At one point in life I had a JD-800, Alpha Juno 2, MKS-50, JX-10 and a MKS-70, both with PG-800s and M-64Cs. Sold everything and kept the MKS-70 w/PG-800. Added a MKS-50 recently for old time sake LOL.

[@WSS_the_OG]

Lack of SysX seemed to a huge oversight. I understand the Vecoven mod addresses this, and I too am quite tempted to do the mod. Great vid, thank you!

[@bonno666]

I always liked the synth because i did not have another synth to compare it. But i always hated the way the output is arranged. Sometimes in some poly mode 1 or 2 the voiceboards seem to change over the Left and Right channel depending on what note you press in the octave. Maybe that is also the mayor difference between JX8 and JX10. The JX-10 is still really good for strings, brass, and bell sounds and a mix of those.

[@soulflower8687]

I have both the JX-8P and the JX-10. Both are good and they have slightly different sound. The JX-8P is slightly more raw, the JX-10 slightly more polished. With the right controllers both are very useful synths and not to be overlooked.

[@BaymondRell]

The JX10 "sits well" in a mix, particularly certain strings in the middle registers and the B3 "Euphonium Choir" brass type patch is a great starting point to create entirely new sounds (i.e. pull the resonance and filter back a tad and simply beautiful). Definitely not a "do all" synth (the envelopes are the slowest around) but it IS a classic 80's analog sound and as mentioned, many find it still sits amazingly well in their mixes to this very day and in the right hands, simply adds "class" to their music. For me, it's an analog 80's pad/string MONSTER. And that keybed........

[@retrosound72]

80s Roland signature pads

[@majicboxstudios3996]

Marko know nothing about old Roland gear. Heh

[@lennardvillasenor5151]

I had a Juno 106 and a Yamaha DX7 in 1986 . When I tried the JX-10 in the 80 's I remember it could do on top of the DCO analog layering a pitched bell like sound using amplitude modulation that I was unable to achieve on the Juno 106 where it would be always clangerous but not tuned to a scale. To me this is the unique Contribution of the JX 8 and JX10 in terms of sound in the waning days of analog when FM was still king before the D50 when Ensonig was Changing the game with samplers that were affordable unlike the house priced Fairlights It was a time of sound and rhythmic transition .

[@ryankm48]

Jx 10 can do some stuff that is pretty cool... Bread and butter stuff coupled with a very playable 76 note key; I had to pick one up so I can take it places.... one thing about jx 10 is you can use hard sync on the pulse wave and adjust the seconds osc. to get pwm sounds.

[@adpitts1]

My personal favorite over my JX-8P. Dual mode pads, one tuned a 5th above... exudes ambient essence.

[@SyntheticSajo]

Recently scored a JX-10 for $200 off of Facebook Marketplace. other than 2 dirty key contacts the synth is functionally and cosmetically perfect. Do you think a PG-800 would be a necessary purchase / addition to it?

[@asoundlab]

It’s a great addition but it’s pricey. There are software alternatives too.

[@Rsonixtunes]

Try the mpg 8 by retroaktiv.. they’re only $315 now and much more advanced

[@johnrunnels5016]

As a owner of the MKS-70 (AKA Rack JX10), I can say that this is easily the most unique analog polysynths I know of in the vintage realm. It really does play like it wants to compete with the DX-7 and things of that nature. Because of that organization of the tone structure, it lets it dive into realms of tone that aren't typically available to analog synths. You can hate it, but you can't point to a list of imitators in the analog realm like most other vintage gear, it's unique for sure. I need to get around at some point to doing the PWM mod, that is probably it's only real flaw.

[@Rsonixtunes]

Exactly - I have the MKS70 as well and the Super JX and they are unbelievably capable machines

[@lousyracuse]

I bought a JX-10 when it came out and LOVED it. Wish I could lay my hands on one now and add it to my home studio...

[@juandennis79924ify]

I'm an 80's child but I'm really not looking for an 80's sound. The Roland JX seems to give too much of that. I have my eye on the Roland Juno which costs a little more but worth it. The performance and stage settings are pretty good.

[@dakoiaa]

Hi Zach, thanks for putting this video with your extra clarifications. Would you so kindly comment, what is heard is the direct output from the synth, i e, without any post processing effects? Thanks a lot in adv.

[@amonster8mymother]

I l9ve mine it's like an orchestra but with analog instead of samples. I use a lexicon mpx500 with mine it's gorgeous especially in dual stereo. 👍😎🇨🇦

[@BrainToMush]

Hats off to the mpx500. I have a mpx500 and an mpx550.

[@r27501]

I don't know what you are playing. I have a JX-10 and it's pure 80s magic.

[@testohtoby]

Let's give the JX-10 the respect it deserves!!! Nice review and analysis of this "misunderstood beauty"

[@joserios7024]

I have always liked the jx8p better, the jx10 is too polished for my Taste, but still a good synth.

[@rickboring7165]

The warm string pads are thick and rich. The synth brass pads are amazing. I have 2 MKS-70s and one is getting the Vecoven PCM upgrade now and I have the JX-8P as well. Layering these make an unbelievably fat orchestra of analog bliss. The PG-800 give us all the control that I need, though I wish they had built it in, but Oh well. I know they wanted the clean look like the DX7 aesthetics because the trend was more presets and less editing. Though this was last of the 80’s analog synths it’s sounds will always have a place in my heart and memories of the great 80’s sonic influence. Duran Duran and many other 80’s influencers used this board to build their sonic soundscapes. Thank you for being intellectually honest and humble enough to spend the time reviewing it with a more opened mind. We appreciate that.

[@MichaelMartinez-mr3uy]

Don't apologize. Raw opinions are what help us make informed good decisions when we buy stuff. If you have reevaluated the gear, then make the title of the video "A Re-evaluation", not An apology.

[@amonster8mymother]

I use mine with a Msq700 sequencer. Because it has two synth engines I let one run with the sequencer and I play a pad or a bass with the left hand and I can playy a lead with my right hand. I thought the LFO was free running on both synths. 👍😎🇨🇦

[@majicboxstudios3996]

Zach, Another great video. I did some further research. Previously I made a statement that the JX-10 is like having 2 Alpha JUno main boards. Well not exactly. I measured the PCBs of all three synthesizers, the JX8P the JX 10 and the J U-2. While all three of them share a similar fundamental architecture such as the filter which is exact in all three models according to the service manuals and the PCBs. There are some major differences. The JX 10 does not have pulse width modulation! ...you have 12 silky bi-timbral voices with no PWM! Sidebar: I heard Nick Batt uses a JX 10 in the bottom of his birdcage, True story. kzbin.info/www/bejne/fHSrdWBsorOohac There is the French PWM mod that you can get however it’s a very cumbersome and tedious modification. However when you do that and the display mod the JX 10 is really nice. It’s a tank it’s a very robust user interface you have a lot of space to set the PG 800 and then on the left where the Roland logo is, you can set another synthesizer desktop or a small euro racks skiff. From my research , thank you Don Solaris: Alpha Juno 1, Juno 2 DCO: MB87123P-G VCF: IR3R05 VCA: M5241 ENV: Software JX-8P, Super JX-10, MKS-70 DCO: Standard Ic. VCF: IR3R05 VCA: M5241 ENV: Software Juno 6, Juno 60 DCO: Standard Ic. VCF: IR3109 VCA: BA662 ENV: IR3R01 JX-3P DCO: Standard Ic. VCF: IR3109 VCA: BA662 ENV: Software All three PCBs on the synthesizers I have mentioned, have different assembly numbers and are different sizes. However they Obviously move the technology from each one of these platforms as they evolved. Hey have you noticed how a Model D will eat up the mix they’re very fat and chunky Analog?… Notice how the JX 10 they thinned out to give the digital sound emulation that you spoke about… So a lot of that sonic adjustment probably happened at the pleas of the engineers. While we are speaking about a totally different decade, most all the designers decided to go a different route in sound design... which obviously was a financial driven decision as well. That was a mistake which changed music history for the next 20 years until the Analog Renaissance what we have today, came into effect. I like the Alpha Juno 2 over the JX 10 even with the PWM mod. It sounds better. Thank you for your time.

[@asoundlab]

Great info! Thank you for sharing. Anyway you can document the different chorus chips used in each of these?

[@majicboxstudios3996]

@@asoundlab yes!

[@majicboxstudios3996]

@@asoundlab Hey good evening I actually. Responded to this with detailed information pertaining to the Chorus chips. I came back about 20 minutes later and read it again to see if I was going to do any editing or correcting everything looked good. I came back hours later and it had been deleted. My apologies if you didn’t like the content.

[@asoundlab]

@@majicboxstudios3996 didn’t delete on my end - sometimes KZbin flags stuff and doesn’t allow it to be seen...weird

[@majicboxstudios3996]

@@asoundlab I was extremely respectful, probably one of the most positive post I’ve ever made.

[@carriersignal]

The JX10 is definitely a great synth and certainly has its place. Yes the MIDI sucked on it, but that can be ameliorated now with an upgrade. I always found its sound lush and a bit syrupy with an organic quality. I guess that's not for everyone.

[@Shred_The_Weapon]

The JX-10’s predecessor, the JX-8p, was the first analog polyphonic synthesizer I played. The JX-10 was the first analog poly I owned. I got it to have a JX of my own, but I didn’t need the “same as the first”. I recognized that they’re not the same, but I was still thankful for having chosen to get a 10 over an 8p. Today in 2024, I’ve got that 8p, let the 10 go and succeeded it with the other Super JX model, the MKS-70 module. (I seriously need to dig in and learn how to patch the module the way I did the keyboard synthesizer.) Or patch where the 10 does seem like the 8p is the Soundtrack patch. That one features one subtle feature of the Super JX models; if it’s output in stereo, the touch sensitivity allows you to trigger one of the two 6-note engines vs the other and hear it in the stereo spread.

[@dreamix2007]

Understand what you mean, I had the same feeling, but now... I love the JX-10, very creative synth, and it fits perfect in any mix like a glove

[@J._Campbell]

Do you know - Sting used this synth for pad in Fields of gold?

[@kannjanichtsein7700]

I have had the 8p and the jx10 at the same time in the Studio. The layering on the jx 10 was massive.

[@matthewgaines10]

These observations you make here are fair. The memories you associate with the instrument in the previous video were subjective and personal. People have different experiences. Thanks for bringing this synth back for a less personal review. It's not my favorite synth either but wanted to get the straight scoop.

[@EuroDJ]

Thnx ;) Cool Synth! What's better Matrix-1000 or JX-8?

[@M80-]

That's my question too. :)

[@doordedeur]

Roland couldn't compete with the sound of the Yamaha DX-7, but every owner of a DX-7 needed a Roland to complete their sounds. The classic 80's setup was a Yamaha DX-7 and a Roland Juno 106.

[@Robert_Babicz]

i really like your videos, thank you.

[@asoundlab]

Thanks!!

[@Sonikbytes]

To younger people may not be very appealing as they have been spoiled on technology their whole life. The lack of that sough after aggressive, instant -gratification sound, fast envelopes and not living through 80's music scene might seem pointless to many but to sound lovers it is a gem .The fact is that these are NOT samples but a pure old-school, analog synth orchestra in a box.

[@fender4473]

I’m a yungin and I need this synthesizer

[@TrevorWierzbowski]

Hi Zach, you are in every right to say whatever you deem necessary or appropriate, no harm done and I strongly agree with you - JX-8P is heaven, Super 10 - perhaps not so much. Keep up the splendid job, thank you ever so much!

[@cgmagik9837]

One of my favourite synths. So great!

[@gordon2402]

Pls make a in depth review of the akai ax 80 . Your last one was not what the synth deserves !

[@asoundlab]

Deal :)

[@gordon2402]

@@asoundlab very cool thx 👍🏻🎹

[@AllureMusicLab]

Unbeliebable fat analog Synth - mine has Vecoven Update - will never sell it !

[@doordedeur]

It's the predecessor of the D-50. Even early versions of Fantasia and Sound Track are in it.

[@Pighood]

World's stingiest aftertouch, and those awful M-64c's. Sounds like heaven though.

[@shermanchow4264]

You get a lot of flack. I do appreciate your videos though. Also to note, there are Vecoven mods available for the 8P as well. New firmware and PWM in the works.

[@lundsweden]

I don't find it strange that you found a difference in the sound between the JX8P and JX10, as I always thought the JX10 sounded brighter, cleaner. I am an ex JX8P owner and always preferred the JX10 sound. I have the JX8P free VST which I think is cleaner as well. I liked the sound of the JX10 ever since I heard it on George Micheal's Faith album (1987).

[@tomburden]

I should show you some of my weird patches I made lol.

[@routinehead2481]

If you think something sucks, respect your own opinion and don't apologize to anyone. It's not called being an ass, it's called having standards. I have never liked anything 'JX, or 'DX for that matter.

[@GordonRaphael]

I agree, JX8P just rules! ::) JX 10, jumping on the trend to go shiny! hah.....

[@sinewaymusic]

So in other words, the new JX-08 boutique synth is the perfect recreation given that it's literally two JX-8P's stacked on top of each other (with the JX-8P chorus and filter). Maybe they should call the new boutique the Super Duper JX.

[@Tommyalpaca]

Sounds like barney tbh

[@Lamster66]

No you were right the 1st time It's junk!

[@jamdonut7692]

i've owned a JX10, MKS70 and PG800, sorry to say but these synths are highly overrated these days, i found them to be very bland, though adding pedals such as Strymon Big sky almost made them sound passible

[@jamesedinger4956]

I had the MKS70 long ago. I found it bland at the time too. My ear has changed over the decades, would love to play around with one again and see if my opinion has changed. Strymon Big Sky could make a ten dollar cassette player sound great :-)

[@jamdonut7692]

@@jamesedinger4956 Haha yeh so true on the Strymon, i plan to order another bigsky over the next week or so to pair up with my Tasty Chips GR1

[@DNGMaestro]

You seem you literally have no idea what you're talking about most of the time lol You just adjust to public tendency.

[@musicrace1980]

Get someone else to play please.

[@michaelpierce3264]

interesting that looking at the schematics the oscillators in The jx10 are digital like the alpha minus the extra waves no analog wave shaping like the jx8p that has saw only analog wave shaping the square being digital straight from the clock