Roland JD-Xi tutorial | Song breakdowns plus tips & tricks

[@frankenjstein9371]

Just ordered this synth and now I really can't wait for Friday. You are making my life difficult, and I thank you.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

congrats to you, still a personal favorite

[@CaughtStaring]

Recently acquired this great little rig...and got NOwhere for a while - the manual sux and it's not the most intuitive piece of gear ever. You really need to learn your way around. I learned a LOT of great bits from your video. Thanks Woody!!!

[@Samlol23_drrich]

I’ve had mine for at least 5 years. Was all into it at first. It’s been collecting dust for the last 3 years. Back to really learn. This video is very helpful. Thank you.

[@ethanburgess3475]

Hey brother, you know if you can play any rush on it? I just ordered mine and wanna play geddys synth parts

[@jbridguk]

Hey Woody. I just found out another trick. If you change the sound of one of the digital synths to say a pad and play a simple drone (say a fifth) and then press key hold, you can switch back (Shift+Enter for fast change back) and play the recorded part over the drone on the same part! Magic! that way you can squeeze even more out of those 4 tracks.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

hey john, cool. thanks for sharing,

[@bigmoneyrios]

wow now I look at my JD-XI differently.... you are super talented....more vids with tutorials please!.... this has been a big help

[@LoopTactic]

thank you for the tutorial, love this thing!

[@savanaviolenta]

I recieved my JD XI yesterday and all i have to say is this synth is a beast, it sounds so huge trough my bigsky and the drum machine trough this pedal is out of this world.Oh by the way my jd xi came in the box with the new inlays,a very good touch.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

that's a nice gesture from roland! still liking my masking tape myself.

[@justindrakecroft]

Thanks so much for this Woody. This video tipped the balance for me. I'll be buying one of these. Was looking for something that sounded good with a lot of polyphony to sequence chord progressions. Looks like this could do that no problem and so much more.

[@MarkVenables-b3z]

I’ve had this great little synth for several years, and I can say without a doubt, Woody, this is the best demo of its capabilities I’ve seen and heard. Great patterns.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

cheers, appreciate that, and keep enjoyin yours!

[@drKrollspell]

- Love it !! The 8bar is fabulous 😃 !!

[@akdm82]

Great video! Thanks, Woody. I am saving this one for when my JD-XI arrives.

[@mik300z]

You really fell in love with this? Hey, I have been watching your vids for a while now and have to say your enthusiasm when you really like something shows! Thankyou ! I'm def sold on this thanks to you!! Roland take note

[@docgerbil1956]

I came for info on the jd-xi but I'll continue watching for your great personality! Keep having fun mate! Cheers!

[@SIWagstaff]

Woody I’m going to buy one of these next year to use for my three albums I want to record ..you have showed me that it definitely has the capability of doing that Thanks Woody

[@EnricoDePaoli]

Very cool video and playing! Very musical! I see a T-shirt from Rio de Janeiro there!

[@GarHealy]

Cheers! Really provides great insight into the JD-Xi. Don’t own one yet; considering it

[@LoopTactic]

saludos desde chile!

[@nickpritchard7130]

Just acquired a jdxi. First vid i looked at was yours. I am blown away at what this instrument can deliver.. I am now going to purchase a book and dvd combo, to help me learn to play keyboards to get the most out of this piece of gear..It's a great past time to help keep me sane during covid days.Thanks for a great vid.!!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

congrats, a favorite synth of mine, good luck with your journey

[@Fateofmusicstudio]

Spent 4 hrs at music shop with this vs a few other mini synths , I think this one might be coming into my studio soon

[@brianq2042]

Nice tunes and piano. Useful demo. Thanks

[@ThomC]

That Synthwave track reminds me of the Drive movie OST. Great work and demo Woody! I think I might get my hands on one of those soon :)

[@jesusmylordsaviour3277]

Enjoyed the full video.. Thanks a lot for this. 🤟🏼

[@call_me_stan5887]

What an extraordinary piece of equipment! Great tutorial!

[@almaui]

Excellent inspirational video man!!! Thanks a lot!!! I will start today exploring this fantastic toy!!!! Greetings Mau,,✌️😎

[@WoodyPianoShack]

congrats and have fun!

[@tonyj.mckillop6505]

Thanks, Woody. Very helpful.

[@johannbach2725]

Yep bought the kbd largely on the strength of your videos - great work and great musical ideas many thanks

[@thomasekman4548]

At 16:58.... so amazing.. You really made me fell in love with this little machine... I guess it's not just the machine but your talent.... Thanks Woody...

[@WoodyPianoShack]

nice! have fun with yours :)

[@christhedemocrat]

I love this little synth. Instant fun. It really sparks creativity. It’s like having all the classic vintage drum kits and then some…. Add to the fact that it has Roland Supernatural sound! I bought an a Novation Mini Nova twice. Sold them both times. My Roland JDXI remain in my setup. I’ll never get rid of it. I’ll sell my Yamaha M06 before I part with my beloved JDXI. Great video as usual. Greetings from Texas

[@jeffereyperry7401]

Great vid, new JD-Xi owner diving in, thanks for all the tips. Thanks.

[@EsseEmmeErre]

Enjoying demonstration ☺️

[@HexDar]

Nice Video. Amazing demonstration of this great JD-XI. Thx for this good tricks & tips

[@paulleather182]

i bought my jd-xi for the sequencer and recording function + was only £330 from £420 in the january sale from dawsons manchester. I already had a novation mini nova but didn't really take to it or really figure it out properly . I sold the mini nova for a decent price. really happy with the Roland. the only thing I'd say was better on the novation was the vocoder and effects and felt like a better build quality.

[@reazallykhan]

Paul Leather I need to figure out how to play the vocoder properly

[@johnnydrummond7596]

Own a mini nova... I love it... BUT because I a a terrible player, and can't work my DAW, I am not having as much fun as I should be sadly. Considering the JDX I because of the on board sequencer and built in drum machine.

[@MathiasDahl]

Hi, nice video, as always. Fun to get some insight into how an experienced keyboard/synth player does things :) The JD-Xi is my first real synth and I am enjoying it a lot. I do "sound and pattern experimentation" (I liked when you said you could sit for a long time just doing filter sweeps, that happens to me too, and suddenly an hour has passed...) as well as trying to learn to play the piano on it (then using a 49 key MIDI controller with large/standard keys). So, thanks for the video and, as we say to our kids in Sweden: bra jobbat! :)

[@lodrezzon]

You are one of the few people on KZbin with an innate ability to write real songs during your demonstration videos. Thanks for your dedication to music and songwriting!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

Allan, there's quite a few others I can think of that do it even better, but I'll take it, thanks!

[@lodrezzon]

@@WoodyPianoShack I've been a song writer for over a decade now, and the plethora of garbage chord progressions and 'noodling around videos' I hear on a daily basis while watching gear reviews is enough to make me eat broken glass.

[@judgeberry6071]

​@@lodrezzon I feel the same when someone kisses butt over some piano improvs lol

[@bio-metric-1016]

I’m about to get one of these so looking forward to it I did have the montage which I loved but I just didn’t have the skills to understand it this looks so much fun and you make it sound great woody

[@D.Z.A.-kp8lf]

Great little keyboard I plan on getting one for my birthday in August what I like about this little synthesizer it reminds me of the mc-307 the MC 505 groove boxes that came out in the early 2000s from Roland very fun to play and very easy to program

[@phk70]

Really nice video as usual. Now I just need one of these JD-Xi synths 😉

[@5methoxy]

2nd song was insane. thanks for the help woody!!!

[@BarnabyWild13]

Buying a used one tomorrow for $350. Very excited after seeing this video. Nice work.

[@OGAimeeDarke]

Brand new at guitar center $399, $350 used isn't too great. Try 200-250 used . I love jamming on it

[@Aaronification100]

Wow that second track was absolutely fantastic. Keep this up!

[@Aaronification100]

Oh that's nice, I'll check them out! Thank you for the tip :3

[@574x9]

OH this is amazing!! Great tunes! It's light on data to store each patch selected on the "digital synth tone" knob inside the pattern, but maybe it would've influenced loading time. I hope they update that. I wonder if it has been requested by enough people. I'm glad you mentioned that you can record multiple octaves on the same track on the JD-XI. I also often do that with software synths to save cpu resources, and mix via frequency splitting or parametric eq.

[@gwildor8543]

Thanks for the breakdown on my favorite synth wave of 2017! I've subscribed and hope you'll do more retro inspired songs to retro games.

[@AlexanderBoehmMusik]

Nice video

[@PatrickDiAngelo]

Your best video...It really shows the jd-xi's power, which is huge, but it's also obvious your musician level, and your skills in composition-arrangement. Very Well done Woody man..!!!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thank you for the positive feedback Patrick!

[@r19096]

It makes some nice usable sounds , Very nice Woody !!!

[@cresshead]

I have the jd-xi, when it was first announced i was quite 'meh' about it...but after seeing some japanese jd-xi owners songs on youtube creating some great tunes i was won over. so now i have a mini rig with the jd-xi, the roland rc-505 looper and my td-30 kit. I use the rc-505 looper to put the jdxi seq on track 1 this then free's up the jx-xi for vocal use - usually with the vocoder as i'm not a good singer! it's really the sequencer that 'makes' the jd0xi so cool - so easy to write with and using the fav system you can put a song together on the fly.

[@cresshead]

of course you can still do that...throw the seq inot track one on the rc 505...then add upto 4 tracks of vocals/ and other synth lines...delete.mute the track 1 and put it back to livesync with the jd-xi ...you gain 4 stereo tracks where you might used the vocoder and you get back live 4 track jd-xi getting around the compromise of the vocoder being used...that's why i bought it. also...the rc-505 can change the patterns -up down via a boos dual footswitch - hand free.

[@savanaviolenta]

Just with a looper and jd xi you canmake a whole live show

[@eddoyle9785]

Hey Woody's really appreciate you doing this great video, you promised and delivered. Some really great and inspiring ideas I can't wait to try on my own jdxi - thank you so much!

[@rockstarjazzcat]

I hope folks are enjoying firmware updated JD-XA's by now... An early adopter, mine had multiple bugs and possibly electrical issues, I was quite disappointed, and I returned it for some alternatives. Since then I gave a JD-Xi as a gift and discovered that I actually enjoy what the JD-Xi does more than the JD-XA, and it seems to have become a bit of a modern classic since. Did encounter a stuck key on the one I gave as a gift and had to do an initial return, so yeah, dubious on build quality, but with a good external editor and a full size controller, I think it's quite a nice thing to have around for the different classic Roland sounds on tap. Lovely demo Woody, thanks for sharing!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thanks for the comment rockstar, here's hoping for a xi mk2, i agree with you, the xi is a better all-in-one package than the xa.

[@shawndiggz8904]

Great content

[@hannahkells3365]

Thank you so much,you taught me quite a few things.I really enjoyed the video and keep up the good work!☺️

[@NordwindFilms]

Hi Woody, very entertaining tutorial! And the Xi is just an amazing little synth! :)

[@MicroBanshee]

Great tutorial Woody and one I will return to should I pick up a JD Xi, nice one.

[@VBarre]

Nice video, some really great tracks. Glad to see some JD-Xi love

[@WoodyPianoShack]

hi bart, thanks, and this is just the beginning, still only scratched the surface of the jd...

[@wavesequencer]

As a first synth this would be awesome. A lot of features/sound quality for the price. Nice demo.

[@FlyingAce1016]

gosh I could listen to this track forever actually lol

[@jeftombala1011]

excellent tips woody, especially that 8-bar line and the octave shift sounds. Thankx

[@smokymountainblogger5509]

Great demo!

[@belau713]

Good day! I have bought this amazing synth a few weeks ago. For all this time I am openning something new about this instrument every day. Your video is very informative. Thank you so much for revealing a lot of new #tips&tricks 0)

[@WoodyPianoShack]

brilliant, thanks for the feedback, congrats on the new synth!

[@keithjohnsen8353]

Awesome video. Interestingly enough, I saw your other video about which synths you were selling and keeping, and saw that the JD-Xi I have was one of them. I got the Korg Collection VST after spending time with your Wavestation videos. Likewise, I'm selling off my M1 since that replaces it nicely, plus gives me the Wavestation and all the cards plus other's like the mono/poly. The JD-Xi is my main controller most everything in do in Studio One, and what I take with me when I play somewhere. This video will help me dig even deeper into what I already know it. Very cool tip for making an 8 bar sequence. Love these videos!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thanks for the comment keith, glad you found the vids helpful and congrats on the jd and korg plugs!

[@theabider4882]

Hey Woody, just discovered you as I am coming back to my JD-Xi after a few years of going down the modular rabbit hole. Great stuff. Cheers!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

awesome! one of the coolest and most inspiring synths in recent years

[@projectz975]

jeez, i was interested in this thing's sequencing as a little musical sketchpad, but it sounds like it may also be the best sounding mini synth out there

[@edwardfletcher7790]

It's got hundreds and hundreds of the 80's & 90's Roland Synth sounds built in, it's amazing !

[@RalphBaumgartl]

Excellent tutorial! Very informative video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. Cheers, Ralph

[@WoodyPianoShack]

hey ralph, cheers buddy, thanks for watching

[@markbiggers8201]

Woody, I hope you seriously considering "monetizing" at least partly, doing tutorials on using / making music on this great board! Your "soundscape videos" have done a very good job of showing what's possible, and I think a lot of us would really appreciate getting more of your insights, and paying for that. Thanks!!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

kind of you to say so, no haven't thought about doing monetized tutorials, but guessing jd-xi to niche to earn any proper money, might as well give it for free. wasn't planning on doing more with the xi as i'm more interested in moving on to other synths. hope that these vids were some help and inspiration though!

[@bestrickie2]

Excellent performance and a mean awesome machine. I’ve got the equestrian on other stunning keyboards including the stunning Genos.

[@Metasu]

Wow~ That's so cool and sounds are so good, I love it!

[@aphato]

just got it yesterday! learned alot of stuff from you vid :) thank you!

[@WoodyPianoShack]

cool, congrats and enjoy!

[@npartridge12]

Hi Woody, fantastic tutorial. I don't have a JDXi at present, but after see if this really fancy getting my hands on one. I do have the FA06 which has the same Supernatural synth sounds and drums and I agree they do sound amazing and I find the SN sounds do sit well in a mix and yes I agree to my old ears they do sound as good as analogue. I think Roland have really nailed the physical modelling thing with the SN sounds. Anyway great video and some really fab instrumental tracks, I love the chill out stuff especially, really fab. Your videos are always fascinating, thanks for sharing.

[@jackmcwilliams194]

Thanks for a superb video, I just learned more from this than any other video, just need more time.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

hey jack, thx for great feedback, don't we all... :)

[@jdoo]

Another great video. Us JD-XA owners should chip in and buy you a JD-XA.. so you can develop how-to vids for us. :)

[@dimadima4370]

after. i buy XA too

[@drKrollspell]

Dima Dima ME too !

[@butteo]

I hope Roland have seen this and offer you the gig for demoing any successors to the JD-Xi.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

brought a smile to my face! go share that with Roland on their fb page :)

[@a2roland]

Awesome!

[@echurchofindy179]

Seq228 patch with mod wheel at 30%, sounds exactly like Gary Numan's Polymoogs on "Cars".

[@johngoodlass]

I think the Roland Jd-XI is a great synthesizer ; especially now that we have the JD-XI Manager software

[@WoodyPianoShack]

john, need to investigate the software sometime. although i tend to just use presets and tweak the front panel, gets me close enough. can you edit patterns in the software, or just sounds?

[@johngoodlass]

Woody Piano Shack You can only edit the sounds Digital 1, Digital 2, Drum and Analogue , but you also have more filters to play with four low pass filters etc , you can select a standard preset sound and upload it to the software and make changes etc , the most fun however is with the drum editor very powerful for example you can reverse the sound of a drum partial by altering its course tune (thanks to Ranzee AV) who has some excellent videos about each Manager

[@d0101d]

nice work wood meister general!

[@gaticosmusic]

Hi everybody! I've published a tutorial about splitting one JD-Xi part to get two sounds in one track and some song covers too. I love your channel Woody - you are a great player!

[@KentaroxKondo]

Hello from Japan! I love your tutorials, Woody! I have the same problem you had at 8:30 and I don’t know how I can overcome it. I want to enjoy real time rec more with my JD-Xi so need some help. Could you fix that problem? Or is there anyone who knows about it?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

what problem?

[@KentaroxKondo]

Woody Piano Shack When you play a pattern you recorded by Real Time Rec, it sometimes goes out of control. Just like 8:30 in this video 😂

[@dakoiaa]

@@KentaroxKondo Hi! Did you perform any edit at 8;30? Sounds like it glitched triggering the filter. Definitely a bug...

[@Slarti2]

Very educational and interesting tutorial. Thanks, it has helped a lot. A quick question when I have programmed a few patterns and I'm playing live and switch from say pattern H01 to H02, the held note I'm playing cuts out between patterns. Is there a setting function that stops this held note dropping out?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thx, no setting for that, you'll just have to avoid playing when switching!

[@Slarti2]

@@WoodyPianoShack Thanks for replying.

[@ScoopexUs]

Can you make a whole song in sections? I.e., can you press Program + and it'll seamlessly continue to the next part of the song? Could be the same patch setup mind you, just some way of breaking the 64 steps loop and continue building the song. (F.ex. H01 verse, H02 chorus, H03 bridge.)

[@EDcase1]

Yes you can. Even easier with favorites list

[@guilhem8052]

your programs sound way better than the preset ones! well done!

[@NotNoAndrew]

Pretty cool Woody, I was just impressed with how you could determine what key it was in from just playing a few notes. I wanted to get one of these but decided against it and got a Circuit instead,, kind of wish I would of gotten the JD-XI, oh well, buyer's remorse.

[@NotNoAndrew]

Don't have much of a use for it right now. I originally got because I wanted a cheap drum machine and I was told about it so I looked it up and got one. It is fun to play with though and I can see all of the possibilities especially with h editor and making your own patches as it has a pretty capable synth engine.

[@24cnemo]

Great video Woody i must say, I stumbled across your vid trying to find some jdx beginer stuff as ive just purchased one and you had me hooked to the end…your very talented mate ...although being a relative beginner it will take some time to digest and try to put in to practice…any tutorials would be very much welcomed…cheers Craig

[@WoodyPianoShack]

thx for the comment craig, well the xi has left me now, so that's about it, but practice makes perfect, you'll figure it out, enjoy!

[@Henrik_Mikkelsen]

Nice stuff man

[@strangemeursault9120]

I just found your channel, and I'm really happy I did! I'm in the middle of renovating an old Korg Poly61, do you think you could possibly make a video using that synth? Cheers

[@pauluszarv6812]

Roland should give you good money for this! Great demo, tutorial and very very pleasant music. I'm going to share this on my fav FB group

[@WoodyPianoShack]

very kind of you, appreciate the comment, the lovely feedback and the share!

[@robfox6103]

5:00 I cried

[@o00patrick]

5:45 how did you transpose??

[@WoodyPianoShack]

some combination of button presses and keyboard, only on latest firmware, read manual :)

[@o00patrick]

@@WoodyPianoShack figured it out, it’s shift plus the key you want to transpose to. Super cool thank you

[@Spludgeroo]

The manual for this gets a lot of criticism. It should really be called the "Quick Start Guide." There's a lot more stuff when you start menu diving. The meat is in the "Parameters Guide". and there's stuff you might have missed in the Supplement but I'd say the documentation is pretty good.

[@ReasonedWhistle]

Great Video! :)

[@RosssRoyce]

What’s the polyphony of this thing? Reminded me of my Roland 307 which I should unearth to use with the wonderful Behringer deepmind that never ceased to amaze me! PS btw Roland 307 is a tremendous machine

[@savanaviolenta]

128 voices

[@pcuimac]

Good tips! Did you all this on the 1.5 version JD-Xi?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

it was, thx.

[@quietlife40]

Love this video, very helpful. Im not able to transpose :( I hit the shift and try and change the note on a key and it doesn't change, I may have to get the booklet out and go through that monster of instructions.

[@PrakTaKillZ]

Hey. These are the instructions for the firmware that does the transpose function:static.roland.com/assets/media/pdf/JD-Xi_Leaflet_V150_e01_W.pdf

[@quietlife40]

Ahh... this could be my problem, wow thanks Pete. You have inspired me, Ive had this synth for 2 years and have not used it.... 😜

[@jimwest7890]

Hey Rod, Pete was right. version 1.50 added the transpose feathure, there is also a newer version 1.51 that fixed a few bugs. Mine did not either as it was version 1.10, now I can transpose.

[@alseveron6558]

Good overview. I wish they offered alternative colors, other than red which tires my eyes. More than one knob to control the delay effect would have been nice.

[@Newpaharisong]

Nice

[@machiwoomiapoo]

Great job breaking down how to use the JD-xi. I tried it at the store, but I couldn't figure out anything. :( I ended up getting the Korg Minilogue instead. I do like the fact that the JD-xi has drums too. That's extra smooth playing. Take care, Sam.

[@reazallykhan]

Machiwoomiapoo wrong move

[@reazallykhan]

Machiwoomiapoo u should have gone for the jdxi it's got way more...don't forget it's got analog bass

[@racefaceec90]

i am not musical in the slightest (as my guitar playing will verify) but have always had the desire to play music. i plan on saving up for a synth and have been looking at a few choices novation mininova,korg minilogue and this roland. i feel that the roland jd-xi will be the one to go for as it seems to have everything you could want in one package (for the price). i would like to attempt to do stuff on it from play bad vangelis/jean michel jarre covers to trying to make trance/ drum n bass music (not saying i will achieve those goals though lol). would you say that the roland would be a good first synth to learn about synths and how they work for a complete beginner like myself? thanks in advance :-)

[@WoodyPianoShack]

yes, it would be fine, as would many other synths of the last 20 years! you could also go the software route, download and play with synth1 for example, free of charge.

[@racefaceec90]

thanks for the reply :-)

[@joserios3511]

I like your video im tryng to get tha keyboard and i have a question I Know you have 4 Tracks to work with but how Many mesures or bars you can have.?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

if i remember you have 4 tracls and just 4 measures.

[@blanquis1824]

Hello ... This synthesizer has the option to use two sounds at the same time?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

4 actually, and more if you count all the drum sounds :)

[@digitaldividemusic]

You have motivated me to timker with my JD-Xi this weekend! So, have you midi up to DAW yet ?if so, Does it help or hinder the workflow of the JD-Xi. PS, youre not the 1st person I have heard say they like the digital engine better than the analog.

[@DanJohansonNYC]

can a drum pattern be written in a time signature other than 4/4?? For instance I writen many songs in 3/4, 5/8, etc...? Thanks

[@marcosquitopianolounge6350]

I am really looking for this jdxi, to play some instrumental "lounge/house /neo soul". Question is : usually the music has more complex structure, and not only on 12 bars loop : Introdution (4 bars), theme (12 bars) B part (12 bars). Is it possible to make a drum and bass loop for such music ?

[@WoodyPianoShack]

no, you are limited to 4 bars, although you can half the tempo to get 8 bars.

[@ilikethischannel5719]

Hello Woody sorry to bother you, do you know how to play a chord in the pattern sequencer so it plays continually without having to put it in each of the 1-16 buttons, because when I do I have been getting a slight variation each time the chord is triggered again, this would be a really big help if you can help with this, thanks so much.