V-Synth vs. JP-8080? Worth a Purchase?

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2:43AM
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V-Synth vs. JP-8080? Worth a Purchase?

Post by 2:43AM »

The subject line isn't meant to be a joke. After all, it's like comparing apples to oranges. However, I've been seeing some OK deals for JP-8080's on eBay lately, and I'm getting the itch! So I would like to get some opinions and advice.

About 15 years ago, I wanted a JP-8080 terribly, but never bought one. At the time it was a pretty good synth, albeit a little less versatile than others, and of course it looked great! Also being in college, it was out of my price range. So seeing the beautiful blue face of the JP-8080 once again online caused an emotional and nostalgic stir.

Now the kicker...I already own the V-Synth XT, a Virus TI2, and a Q. Basically, I have subtractive synthesis well covered! But each has its benefits despite all being VA synths. So my question is: would it be worth it to add a JP-8080 to the collection?

The Q is in its own unique league, but the Virus TI2 and the V-Synth can both do the supersaw (aka "hypersaw" on the Virus) and all the other waveforms. The emulation between the JP-8000/8080 and the V-Synth must be pretty accurate (both Roland products with true emulation in mind). But maybe the latter lacks the character and sonic qualities that only the hardware JP-8000/8080 can bring? The polyphony and overall versatility of the Virus is basically off the charts, and it is my true workhorse. After all, the Virus' hypersaw is very nice, punchy and can get very heavy/fat. The The JP-8080, on the other hand, is only 10-notes of polyphony, and I think it only has one LFO and no matrix what-so-ever. So it could be simple...which is a real plus! Maybe the filter is better? Envelopes faster?

But putting the Virus aside for a bit, it really comes down to the V-Synth vs. the JP-8080. Can the V-Synth do what the JP-8080 can do, thereby making the JP-8080 a highly redundant choice?

What do you guys think?
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LA Keys
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Re: V-Synth vs. JP-8080? Worth a Purchase?

Post by LA Keys »

I really believe that the JP-8080 will not add much to what you already can do with the gear you have. The technology evolved a lot since they appear on the market and, well, this is just adding another synth to your already impressive collection...

Just my 2 cents: I think you should look elsewhere, maybe it is time to look at the MOOG? Little phatty are pretty affordable (used) now that they've been replaced by the sub phatty. This will get you something different that is definitevely not covered with what you already have.

LA
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LA Keys
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Re: V-Synth vs. JP-8080? Worth a Purchase?

Post by LA Keys »

You may also want to have a look at the vintage synth website. Lots of comments about this synth there.

http://www.vintagesynth.com/roland/jp8080.php

LA
2:43AM
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Re: V-Synth vs. JP-8080? Worth a Purchase?

Post by 2:43AM »

LA Keys wrote:You may also want to have a look at the vintage synth website. Lots of comments about this synth there.

http://www.vintagesynth.com/roland/jp8080.php

LA
Thanks, LA. I checked out the page at Vintage Synth, and I read some of the comments. Overall, I take user rating stars, and the comments, with a grain of salt. I find it strange that the V-Synth and the JP-8080 almost have the same rating and the same number of votes. The JP-8080 is a little over 1/10th of a "star" behind the V-Synth, which is questionable. With the amount of versatility and power the V-Synth has to offer, how could the JP-8080 possible be only 0.13 "stars" ahead? Perhaps it's too complex for people to figure out? Perhaps it's the lack of knobs and sliders on the XT? It doesn't make sense!

Take the Virus TI, for instance. It has a miserable user-rating of 3.8 at 1070 votes! This, IMO, is absolutely ridiculous! The TI should at least meet or exceed the Virus C's rating of 4.14. So what happened? Maybe people were expecting more? Perhaps there wasn't enough change between the C and the TI? Was the software and USB-connectivity buggy? I know the latter to be true, but it was all worked out later by Access. Sure the Virus has its own sound and characteristics, and it may not be loved by everyone, but one would think that a synth capable of 80+ voices, hyper(super) saw, wavetables, a crap ton of modulation sources/destinations, 3 LFO's, USB connectivity that works, perfectly implemented multitimbrality, yadda yadda...would certainly score higher than a 3.8! Sigh...

Alas, I trust the VSE rating more than the user's rating. Despite it all however, I think each rating system has its own place per synthesizer. It's not a comparative rating, but a rating based on the synthesizer alone, by itself. Therefore, if the numbers are neck and neck, then it shouldn't be misconstrued to mean the capabilities, the versatility, the possibilities, or the sounds are the same. I'm just thinking out loud here!

Overall, I agree with you that the JP-8080 may not add much to my setup. But man, it sure looks sweet! Maybe I'll just buy it and mount it on my wall!
2:43AM
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Re: V-Synth vs. JP-8080? Worth a Purchase?

Post by 2:43AM »

Oh...and I came across this the other day:

Go to http://www.jaybmusic.net/sounds.php#end, and click on the JP-8080 link.

As I sold my JP-8080 after about 6 Months of use, I at least want to share with you the sounds I programmed on it. It isn't much though, because I hardly could produce good sounds with it, but those I finished are quite useful. This bank also contains some sound patches adopted from Roland V-Synth.

Then click on the V-Synth link.

The Roland V-Synth is one of the most flexible hardware synths I know. I bought it to exchange my JP-8080 and never regreted it. My patches are just as versatile as the synth itself. You've got vivid pads, agressive leads, crushed basses, dirty wobbles, even small arrangements with drums and also a guitar amplifier.

So once I read that, I decided to hold off on the JP-8080. After all, JayB is a much better sound designer than I could ever be, so if he can't make a "good patch" on the JP-8080, then I would certainly be struggling through Frustrationville, USA! And the proof of the pudding is in the eating with his justification of "trading up" his JP-8080 to the V-Synth. And comparatively speaking, JayB is an electro/trance guy, so his V-Synth sound bank definitely falls into the genre. It is, however, very good. And because it's so good, the JP-8080 is pushed farther away in the comparison.

Again, thinking out loud here! Sometimes when the decision is easy, it's hard at the same time!
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PauloF
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Re: V-Synth vs. JP-8080? Worth a Purchase?

Post by PauloF »

2:43AM wrote:Oh...and I came across this the other day:

Go to http://www.jaybmusic.net/sounds.php#end, and click on the JP-8080 link.

As I sold my JP-8080 after about 6 Months of use, I at least want to share with you the sounds I programmed on it. It isn't much though, because I hardly could produce good sounds with it, but those I finished are quite useful. This bank also contains some sound patches adopted from Roland V-Synth.

Then click on the V-Synth link.

The Roland V-Synth is one of the most flexible hardware synths I know. I bought it to exchange my JP-8080 and never regreted it. My patches are just as versatile as the synth itself. You've got vivid pads, agressive leads, crushed basses, dirty wobbles, even small arrangements with drums and also a guitar amplifier.

So once I read that, I decided to hold off on the JP-8080. After all, JayB is a much better sound designer than I could ever be, so if he can't make a "good patch" on the JP-8080, then I would certainly be struggling through Frustrationville, USA! And the proof of the pudding is in the eating with his justification of "trading up" his JP-8080 to the V-Synth. And comparatively speaking, JayB is an electro/trance guy, so his V-Synth sound bank definitely falls into the genre. It is, however, very good. And because it's so good, the JP-8080 is pushed farther away in the comparison.

Again, thinking out loud here! Sometimes when the decision is easy, it's hard at the same time!
Fully agree with JayB's opinion!! the V is THE BOARD!
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LA Keys
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Re: V-Synth vs. JP-8080? Worth a Purchase?

Post by LA Keys »

2:43AM wrote: JayB is an electro/trance guy, so his V-Synth sound bank definitely falls into the genre. It is, however, very good. And because it's so good, the JP-8080 is pushed farther away in the comparison.
And for a different kind of music have a look a the Jama analog legend patches right here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIq716_A330. JamaSoundDesign is selling those patches for about $35 if I remember correctly, but they are so well made. Certainly the best sounding patches I've ever used for this genre of music.

This is certainly showing how powerfull the v-synth is and yes, i do agree with both what JayB and PauloF wrote.

The only mystery to me is why the v-Synth is not as popular as it should be. It's like very few realized how good it is and what can be done with it. Sadly the result is that Roland dropped the line after the GT, which I will certainly keep for a very long time...

LA
2:43AM
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Re: V-Synth vs. JP-8080? Worth a Purchase?

Post by 2:43AM »

LA Keys wrote:Just my 2 cents: I think you should look elsewhere, maybe it is time to look at the MOOG? Little phatty are pretty affordable (used) now that they've been replaced by the sub phatty. This will get you something different that is definitevely not covered with what you already have.
Well, here's an update to my quest!

I looked at the Moogs and the Bass Station 2. I couldn't get past the monophonic aspect. The new Sequential Circuits/DSI Prophet 6 looks and sounds nice (online demos), but still limited in polyphony.

So a couple of weeks ago, I got the itch and took a chance on a legend. I got a good deal on a broken Alesis A6 Andromeda. Operationally, the A6 would not start up. However, after about 1-/2 weeks, I successfully troubleshooted and repaired it to good working order! All voices and filters tune. And after some additional cleaning, tightening of the end caps, and replacing a broken key, the end result an A6 with an honest cosmetic rating of 9/10. Perfect! I've seen some online that the seller says it's in "great shape" yet looks like garbage (scratches up the ying yang, broken end caps, etc.). So at this time, I couldn't ask for more...as long as she keeps working! ;-)

It sounds awesome, and programming the A6 isn't all that bad, IMO, despite popular belief. I've spent enough time behind the Waldorf Q and Virus TI2 to understand and accept "complex" synths. I'm still getting acclimated, as all I've really programmed so far are some bass and pad patches. I think it'll do well in my setup going forward for more complex sounds and FX.
synthman
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Re: V-Synth vs. JP-8080? Worth a Purchase?

Post by synthman »

Care to share how you fixed the A6 ?.
2:43AM
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Re: V-Synth vs. JP-8080? Worth a Purchase?

Post by 2:43AM »

synthman wrote:Care to share how you fixed the A6 ?.
Here is a link to my thread over at Gearslutz.com:

https://www.gearslutz.com/board/electro ... -boot.html
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