The "Worst-Best" Boutique | The Roland JD-08 Review and Demo

Today we've got the latest arrival from the Roland Boutique collection, the JD-08. Take a listen and see if you agree with Zach-- is it the worst best boutique synth?
SHOP ROLAND: www.alamomusic.com/brands/roland
0:00 Intro/Specs
6:08 Demos
14:33 Final Thoughts
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[@RustyTonesJr]

There's nothing more 80's than a 1991 synth.

[@robinsutcliffe-video_art]

it's true. The first couple of years into a new decade were so similar to the last decade, back then anyway!

[@DNGMaestro]

You can make a whole ambient concert with one patch, playing while tweaking. It's really really great for that.

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

The JD800 (and now the JD08) are the ONLY synths Roland ever made that gave us physical access to Roland's Time Variant architecture. After 30 years of menu diving to get to it, I am ecstatic that I will finally get direct access through this new Boutique.

[@jerzilla3795]

The actual joke is that the waveform expansion cards are so expensive to buy used that even Roland couldn’t afford to buy them back.

[@SPAZZOID100]

Well, they included them in their D50 boutique.

[@Nickys_Music96606]

Yeah. I learned that the hard way. 😂😂😂

[@Sandelec-gm2cl]

Yes..and I have the D05.. it was obvious that the JD-08 will be the same thing about the Sysex..and the expansion cards. It's a scam to Roland's customers. But I bought JD-08 anyway.

[@Nickys_Music96606]

@@Sandelec-gm2cl Alright. Calm down you made your point.

[@OscillatorCollective]

It actually makes sense for this to be released in this boutique form since it was originally a digital synth. It may in fact be the only one I actually would want to buy, since it would be an improvement on the technology.

[@NikoNoxious]

D05 and SE02 are straight flames in my opinion as well

[@mozkuthehermit5909]

SE02 is amazing but its size is one downside Luckily i builded whole new case for it and upgrated circuitry so it has more options

[@alexvincent4465]

Yes! D-05 is perfection

[@DawlessHouseMusic]

I see tons of potential with the sound design possibilities. Multi layers.. it's kind of an affordable must have tool that I'm looking forward to picking up.

[@TheIndustrialRetrospective]

Flaws aside, I love mine! Velo Crunch and Wailing Guitar FTW!

[@Ninja6485]

I learned from an interview that B12 used the JD-800 very heavily early on. Electro Soma may be almost all jd-800, and I think a tr 808 they eventually got. I'm sure there is other gear on there, but the JD seems to have gotten the spotlight in that era

[@ConwayBob]

While you (and I) don't like all of the sounds that the JD-08 can make, you've certainly given us the cream of the crop here. The presets you've chosen to demo are truly lovely, and with such a great user interface and great sounds for this price, who can resist?! Thank you for an outstanding demo/review.

[@larsuk9578]

Nice video as always but the JD800 is actually from 1991 I believe, not the 80s. 🙂

[@AndresColumbus]

he's talking about the sound profile which is indeed very 80'sish which makes sense because it probably took years to develop...90s got ruined with cheezy hip hop synths

[@davebassP5]

Yeah, the JD-800 used a lot of the D50 sounds, which were very 80’s

[@SPAZZOID100]

@@AndresColumbusNo. it’s very early 90’s sounding.

[@nathanom_]

Out of all the Roland boutique this one sounds the best to me. The sounds give an ethereal quality and the type of pads that work well for soloing over with guitar.

[@zyxyuv1650]

I have the JD-800 and the red glue dripped down and ruined the keys. I called Roland asking for help and they would not help because I didn't have the receipt from the store I bought it from 25 years ago.

[@lagrega]

The red glue issue is common and happened to mine. A few years back, Thesis Audio (Wichita, KS) addressed that issue on my JD-800 by purchasing all of the individual keys from Roland, then cleaning/reassembling the keybed with the new keys. I think it cost me about $700, but it plays like a dream now and I’ll have it for years to come. Mike Metz is the owner/technician at Thesis Audio and is still doing incredible work.

[@soepil]

Happened to me, too. Playing it now over MIDI from another keyboard.

[@arthurallsopp9344]

I play my JD-800 over MIDI because of the red glue issue.

[@annother3350]

@@lagrega $700!!!

[@KulshanStudios]

JD800 was also rather popular among trance and hard trance producers in the early 2000s. You can hear it all over DuMonde's discography, and Armin has the rack version in his rig. We've had a lot of fun coaxing classic 90s and early 2000s trance sounds out of it, and even more modern stuff from the 2010s and 2020s out of it. It's a lot more capable than a lot of folks expect

[@levimudhouse]

4 Strings - Take me Away is quite an example of the JD800

[@axs203]

They will probably sell them as an add on. Your reviews are very good IMO. The JD is sure regarded by many as one of the top synths. It's the pads isn't it. Those glassy pads. It evokes something very futuristic. Yeh Roland did a good job to get the size down. But yeh all the extra sounds should have been put in......maybe it will come.

[@axs203]

Espen Kraft was a bit brutal over these new boutiques and the originals.........but he tells it as it is. It's his opinion of course. I think despite what people moan about getting them down in size was very sensible. Unless you own a mansion and have loads of space ( which most of us don't! ). I must admit I want a JD08 and I have the plugin!

[@neonpop80]

I just got the JX-08 and I’m instantly beginning to regret after hearing these glassy sounds! It has such a nice 80s feel to them, somehow better than my Reface DX

[@jutubjestzlem]

@@neonpop80 Dunno what did you expect man, Reface DX is based on DX-7 which is completely different kind of synthesizer (JD-800 was Sample-based Subtractive, while DX-7 was FM).

[@sullycliftona888]

Dont

[@SPAZZOID100]

His reviews are good?

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

Please explain this 80's or 90's or 70's time period link to sound. I have heard hundreds of people talk this way and I don't understand it. First, I have been playing keyboards since 1967, organ, piano and synths, so I have been through a half century of instrument "sounds". Why if I use an instrument from the 80's is my composition termed "its so 80s". The most modern synth today still uses some or all of the square/triangle/saw/sine/ wave forms of 60 years ago, and subtractive architecture. And just recently manufacturers are including wavetable with the common waves, with wavetables the basis of the JD800 oscillators. My compositions never include just one synth, so their are orchestrations and layers of synth/piano/percussion/wavetables/PCM/and my own created samples with technology from the last 50 years to present. How do you "label" music in terms of time periods? IF I use a harpsichord, HydraSynth and a PolyBrute in my next song, will it be described as "its so 1750s".

[@birdslivehere6402]

Hilarious and true🤣

[@troypol343]

I have a JD-08 and it irks me that Roland was Soooo lazy to have MIDI CH 3 & 4 receive and play a sound (a Saw Lead with Portamento) that you cannot access nor turn off. This is very aggravating when you have a hardware set-up and have other gear that are already using MIDI CH 3 & 4. I was hoping the latest firmware would have addressed this issue but NOPE. I completely agree Roland should have included the extra wave/patch data. I believe what they have done is used their ZenCore system (used in many, many of their products) and instead of tweaking the software to give us a closer version of the JD-800 in its functionality. I had a JD-800 and it had 5 Part multitimbrality (not two, though the JD-08 receives MIDI data on CH 1, 2, 3, 4 & 5).

[@lukeward4619]

Hey, cool review. The only thing that confuses me is that in other videos you've spoken very highly of the Waldorf Iridium and Quantum, but to my ears, the JD-08 offers very similar sounds. It's actually my top alternative to getting the Iridium since it's less than 1/5th of the price. Would love to know your thoughts on how the Jd-08 sounds different to the Quantum / Iridium.

[@telogic1]

Still have my JD800 must be 30 years now and it can become an editor for the jd990.

[@olymoon2008]

Can it be use as a MIDI/USB controler?

[@unclemick-synths]

I think the JP-08 mini faders are cute so I don't think I'd find the JD-08 faders a problem. I don't have much 80s gear so it would be a compact addition to the palette. It's just a bit pricey here in Canada.

[@MisAnnThorpe]

I've always felt that the problem was probably with me but I just didn't take to the JD800, although I wish I'd known - when I swapped it for a JX8P - that prices would strip the roof within a few years! The person I swapped with (a master programmer), was able to coax the most gorgeous string pad patch out of it in seconds though (without the strings card (which I had)), so I do know how good it can sound. Funnily enough, although it's no fun programming, I like the D50 a lot. Oh, and I still have that JX8P.

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

We all make mistakes :). I bought a new Roland TR-707 back around 1988 and hated it because it didn't sound like drums, it sounded like the same sounds I could make on my JunoAlpha2.....I eventually just threw it in the trash after buying a Roland U220 and hearing those drums.

[@nickpritchard7130]

Good vid, thanks.

[@glenesis]

I have one. I have a ton of LAS gear, and I have a love/hate relationship with this box. It all springs to life when I use the arpeggiator, and then it annoys the heck out of me that I need to set up all the arp parameters again every single time I turn the box on.. there doesn't seem to be any way to save arpeggiator setups at all! For the money I wish I'd just saved a few hundred more and bought the baby hydrasynth instead, it's not much more.

[@kharizaderis]

If you have docked it with the K25M, can you still use the MIDI controller via the MIDI connector on the back? If yes, will both k25m and midi controller be active at the same time?

[@juanmateogarcia5727]

Efectivamente, al acoplar el teclado K25M queda como cualquier otro sintetizador con teclado, que puede ser tocado tanto desde su propio teclado como desde un teclado remoto (o cualquier otro controlador) a través de MIDI. Ambas posibilidades están activas al mismo tiempo.

[@kurtklingklang5918]

I’ve been looking at the JX-08 and in common with the JD-08, reviewers are hung up on comparing the boutique versions with the original. No, they are not the same. The original that probably costs ten times as much, is subject to all the issues of aging a 30 year old synth has and doesn’t have the desirable extra features of the boutique version. I would also say that if you took any individual 30 year old synth and compared it to another 30 year old example of the same synth, they would also not sound identical. If you take the JX-08 and JD-08 and consider them on their own merits it would be a more worthwhile review. To my ears, they sound good, have desirable features and are very affordable. On one comparison video I sometimes preferred the original preset sound but other times the newer synth. But I could hear at least a flavour of the original even if the sounds were not actually identical. In my book, if it makes a good sound, it makes a good sound and is therefore good. On a side issue, why do people demo-ing or reviewing synths say it sounds like an 80’s synth or 90’s synth. So what? Sound is sound. I listen to 200 year old classical music, played on instruments of the time; piano, brass, strings. No one describes a piano as the 19th century sound. An 80’s synth used in a modern way becomes a modern synth. Just seems like lazy cliché to keep harking on about synth sounds belonging to one decade or another.

[@gctechs]

This sound reminds me of the 1990s PC CD-ROM game soundtracks.

[@Billy-th9zl]

Where’s Zach Alamo Music 😂 Miss his take on current and retro synths !

[@aleHIDEA]

Hi, how do I change the pitch bend of a sound from -2 to -12? How do I save a sound after making changes? Thanks

[@nachom1971]

The sliders are the same size as the jp08 yet I see that no one is bothered by this now.

[@unclemick-synths]

The cute little sliders are one of the few things I like about my JP-08! 🙄

[@kimdiez2681]

Nacho M No they re NOT. The faders on the JX-08 have almost twice the "throw" as on the JD-08 PERIOD. And thats the very reason that I bought my first Botique...the longer throw faders on the JX-08.

[@duxgarnifex3678]

You had to buy that expanding programmer for the Roland D50. It was expensive

[@teknical100]

Won't be parting with my 800 & 990.

[@AdamTheAd-vanc3d]

Best sounding digital filters imo. Very lush.

[@teknical100]

@@AdamTheAd-vanc3d Whoever had it before me REALLY knew how to program this thing. I added a variable aftertouch pot inside and it is a different synth entirely.

[@AdamTheAd-vanc3d]

@@teknical100 Oooh wow 👏 😍 👌 🙌 . Would love to hear a demo of that mod if possible. :-)

[@teknical100]

@@AdamTheAd-vanc3d I don't have a channel. The mod is out there, the jd800 center (if I remember correctly). It involves removing a tiny resistor and soldering two wires to a small potentiomet, nerve wracking at the time. The original aftertouch required a small elephant to press on the keys before anything happened. The keys were also replaced due to the red gloop of death thing, bought them from Roland UK, an easy fix if you've ever had to clean contacts (U20 style). Lol. I'm getting too old for the adventure now. ... If you like the 800 then the 990 will send you to the stratesphere it is just awe inspiring.

[@flyingyeayea]

good one!

[@jerzilla3795]

Still a bit concerned about the size of those controls… getting into modular synth realm of cluttered and microscopic.

[@aleHIDEA]

How do I change the pitch bend to -12 down and +2 up? Thank you

[@paulsarodh5460]

Rockin 🎸🎹🎹🎹✌

[@outhdare]

All those additional waveforms are coming in the JD-09. You heard it here first. Be patient.

[@ohheyitskevinc]

Bought this to give my real JD-800 a break and honestly it sounds great but the most used sliders - TVF - are far too small to be usable and the cutoff especially is awful and wobbly. If they lost the envelope info in the top right and gave the LFO, TVF, TVA sections the same great sliders Palette has - this would have been far better. Maybe one day Roland will lose the speaker from these too, and maybe have an update to allow us to use actual JD patches..

[@pavolkoren5335]

What are those hands there for?

[@annother3350]

The pads sound great!

[@sullycliftona888]

finds you best way .. of getting that start up tune .. opening every time I need to hear the actual sounds. Alone.. got any answer. Man is really appreciative and respects a need to this ROLAND . Problem

[@Fallingoverbackwards]

I think this is good enough to replace a jd-800 but as I have a jd-800 the original is different but I am not sure why. Not bad just different

[@asoundlab]

I have a follow up video with a comparison - they’re pretty different - you’re right!

[@asoundlab]

Follow up is up! :)

[@neonether]

Same. The JD-08 is based on the digital Roland Zenology version of the JD-08, which has many stark differences from raw wave forms to filters. This is one reason it sounds different, but there are also the main sonic difference owing to the pure 90s electronics, namely in DAC, that sends a very hi-fi signal through. Digital recreations just can't account for this last critical step in the chain. Since this is the case, I actually prefer using the newer Roland Cloud Legacy JD-800, which I find MUCH closer to the original compared to the JD-08.

[@scottgentile1663]

If they did away with the large sticker in the upper right and the 7 segment LED and put even just a tiny LCD to show patch names and some info (like the real JD800) they could have removed the entire row of buttons. All would have added about 50% more real estate for longer / better / more sliders. They could have easily added the expanded 990 wave forms too, but this is Roland. Marketing ahead of substance. IMO Roland did a pretty poor job re-creating the JD800.

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

the JD800 sold for more $3000 ($9,000 adjusted inflation) in the early 1990's, I could never afford that. Now I get a BETTER JD800 for $400 bucks, I bought one! Yea, we could have got a recreation in size and keyboard, but it would have cost probably what a System8 would cost. The Boutique series are top professional synths with stellar sound (ACB) for the cost of a Casio toy, now they have added other engines than the ACB and we are getting massive poly synths. The preamp section of the Boutiques are the hottest and cleanest outputs in my entire rig, hotter than my analog synths.

[@SPAZZOID100]

@@WildernessMusic_GentleSerenehow is it BETTER? It’s missing hundreds of waveforms, the drum section, and many less dedicated controls.

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

More polyphony :). Yea I know I wanted them to reissue the JD800 with modern enhancements like hundreds more waveforms (samples) and more polyphony. I wrote a letter to Roland about 2 years before they released the Boutique version, I said "you are continually making new digital synths emulating analog vintage like Juno and Jupiter, why don't you make a digital recreation of a vintage digital synth". They did, but in Boutique which I did not suspect. @@SPAZZOID100

[@molekulaTV]

Just add a bit of extra LFO to the osc pitch always on a digi synth, especially for those pads! Wort it. Plus it bags for big chorus and for crazy big reverbs. Yessss aaaand it's gonna give you epic chords in a chilling boutique jam. (Just add more LFO to osc pitch)

[@modeswitching]

I like the glassy pads personally, they’re like a refreshing palate cleanser after long sessions with my analog synths, and you can imagine how in the mid-80s this was the sound of the future. And it does seem like the 80s digital sound is coming back into fashion - look at all the interest in FM right now, Arturia releasing the SQ-80, etc. But I won’t be getting this boutique - all the sound design joy I might get out of those controls is sort of ruined by how tiny and cramped they are.

[@TheIndustrialRetrospective]

ill run mine on the same midi channel as my ju06a and play pads with them together at the same time for some super lush textures

[@TheIndustrialRetrospective]

But this is still the sound of the future... as far as the controls, the sliders are really good for how small they are, coupled with the readout on the display that tells you where in the range you are at, make them more usable than they look.

[@modeswitching]

@@TheIndustrialRetrospective that’s good to know, appreciate your perspective!

[@TheIndustrialRetrospective]

@@modeswitching no problem glad to help, I reserved mine right when it was announced so I got mine pretty early

[@SPAZZOID100]

This came out in 1991.

[@theohughes74]

I used to want a JD800 in the worst way especially in combo with my JD990s to get in depth with the parameter control of the 990. These days I could care less. Niche boutique machine good for somebody.

[@jfn467]

1980's? Afaik the JD-800 was released in the 90s, and lasted on the market for half a decade...

[@jumpingman8160]

the sound design possibiliites (especially for pads and more ambient soundscapes) is what makes it so desirable. Lots of envelopes and LFOs.

[@raymond_lazer]

Omnisphere+Synth that can be USB controls mapped : End of the story ;)

[@nonsuch]

I think people like the tactileness and overall look of the JD-800 more than they like the sound.

[@gretareinarsson7461]

I LOVE my JD800❤️

[@PeterJensen7]

You don't like the sound because it's shiny and schmaltzy? If you layer too many analog tones you get mud, and a digital sounding tone like this can stand out...maybe too much if you don't know how to blend it in. I think it's good to have as a totally different option, and one of the few digital sounding non-modular synths that really benefits from being in hardware because of all the hands-on controls. This is a better sound quality than the cheaper Volca's and Behringers can produce in this form factor.

[@LucaRossoDeVita]

IMO, it's a great little synth, funny and powerful, compared with its father but... the worst thing about JD-08 is it has no librarian, it's not possible to upload or save single patches. The "worstiest" thing is it lives and dies just as it is. no way to make it exchange patches with Zenology JD-800 module, so what's the meaning, dear Roland? You make us pay for Roland Cloud and then you make locked on music boxes?

[@jutubjestzlem]

They really made some weird decisions here. I can only guess that it's all fueled by cost cutting and money grabbing. Such a pity.

[@SPAZZOID100]

????

[@artsolomon202]

This is so good of you, i mean i dont particularly like people who look like rick moranis of Ghostbusters giving their opinion about something they dont really like, but iam watching this so cool we all give eachother a chance. Go Tully!😉👍

[@marcusholder495]

Zack is are king, !!!!!! But can you do a video on the roland jupiter 80?

[@mickeythompson9537]

Where indeed... instant sale right here if they'd been included. Without? Nope!

[@technodrone313]

do you ever get to play in the basement of the alamo?

[@mallorca1guy]

why are you talking about the 80's? this synth came out in 1991!

[@glenesis]

For sure, but it's clearly descended from the D50 and not too far advanced from it sonically if at all.

[@SPAZZOID100]

@@glenesis 1991

[@pauljeavons8878]

I seriously been tempted with the JD. But when I look at its tech base I saw early VA and it's flat sound. It's definitely synth for space themes. But I have a lot of that sound already. Credit due to Roland for bringing it out but theres a kind of hidden disappointment in it. I feel it's a nod to the early move of digital emulation of analog. It shows its age.

[@SPAZZOID100]

You did not do your homework. You kept saying this synth was from the 80’s, yet it was released in 1991.

[@Fallingoverbackwards]

Wow you really dislike this synth 😂 I love it and in top 10 Jean Michelle Jarre’s favorite synths

[@rickr.mortis4821]

JMJ rules! I just ordered this synth and can't wait to JMJ test it!!

[@rozzgrey801]

@@rickr.mortis4821 And it was one of Vangelis' fave synths too! I got mine a week ago and it's amazing, I can get tones out of this I can't on any other synth and you can use it as a drum machine.

[@ReubenSound]

'Wailing Guitar' is the best synthesizer preset ever. FIGHT ME!

[@sitjar]

You haven't even gotten the date right.....this was a 90's synth, not an 80's one.

[@shatteredsquare]

based on sound quality you got it backwards bud, JD-08 is the best one yet

[@AndresColumbus]

i don't know why this guy doesn't like this...sucks to be a milennial I guess?

[@k1ttyF158er]

Why is it that I like Alamo Music guitar reviews and get annoyed watching the synth "reviews" ?

[@emmanuelleibniz7654]

what were they thinking?!!!! the angry synth video nerd

[@westbethkid]

Love all your reviews, Zach--even when I absolutely dislike a synth you are reviewing, like this one. I woudn't like this synth even if I was in a fancy hotel in Vegas with top room service and one or two strippers making drinks from an open bar.

[@metalthunder2608]

This really is a piece of crap that the roland company believed, should give them away when buying a good synthesizer, with that price you can buy better vintage synthesizers from the eighties and even cheaper. Don't be stupid.

[@SPAZZOID100]

1991

[@RustyTonesJr]

What better synthesizers you have in mind? JV1080?

[@cavemantero]

cheaper? yeah ok...

[@nigelh2]

Possibly the "Worst-Best" review & demo I have seen so far on this synth. Contradictory statements and awfully chosen & played sounds make for a very unentertaining and uninspirational viewing experience

[@sullycliftona]

If theirs 1 thing I hate it’s kids talking about 80s sound .. playing stuff sounding like a demented millennial yuppie..

[@chizmo7]

I’m glad I have the the real thing.

[@NikoNoxious]

another digital original put into a boutique that slaps, let's go roland. this and the aira compact series are a step in the right direction.

[@tB3o3tR9o9]

terrible toy.

[@NikoNoxious]

@@tB3o3tR9o9 holy shit dude. WOW. I can't believe u would stoop so low as to say something like that. Unreal. It isn't a terrible toy. I'm gonna tell Mr Roland you were talking behind his back.

[@tB3o3tR9o9]

@@NikoNoxious it's too small and fiddly and cheap as all boutique toys. i like replicas that are very close to the originals or at least good clones. these toys may sound good, but that's not enough to me. Behringer can do it better.

[@MisAnnThorpe]

@@tB3o3tR9o9 Behringer can and no doubt will!