SH01 GAiA vs JP8000

[Venatt_]

I have been wondering about buying an JP8000 which is a very good synth, but I don't know if it compares in some way to the GAIA, if the GAIA is better or more powerfull, or if the JP8000 is more powerfull than the GAIA. What do you recommend ?

[Artemiy]

Their synth capabilities are pretty similar, but the sound character is completely different. The 8000 probably has more in terms of synthesis, the 01 has more creative effects in the chain. But then the 8000 has two oscillators and the 01 has three, and more polyphony... Maybe you can create a comparison chart yourself and see which features take priority for you.

[Leh173]

I've been wondering this too, how closely related the JP-8K > V-Synth > SH-201 > GAIA are. I have a JP and love it's sound, very smooth and very easy to program and can do a wide range of analogue style sounds. Very hands on. I love it. It's a bit weak on the FX section, just EQ delay and Chorus, but it's a great synth. It has limited polyphony but that's never bothered me.

[Artemiy]

The SH-01's sound engine is completely different from JP-8000, SH-201 and V-Synth, and it doesn't sound like them.

[Ricoche]

Believe it or not, I actually have the Roland JP8000, JP8080, SH-201, and SH-01 synthesizers. If I had to only have ONE and only ONE I would definitely get the JP8000 for all kinds of reasons that many people may differ with. For sounds I temporarily had the SH-01 Gaia replacing my JP8000 in my live setup, but due to lack of keyboard splits, rps, better phrase recording, plus a few other things, I had to swap it back to the JP8000. I now just add the SH-01 whenever I need a special sound and if I have the space to take it along. Actually, the JP-8080 and SH-01 have been a good combo that I've been thinking about using lately.

I have no idea which synth is "better", but for me personally I like the JP8000 the best and will never sell it. Probably one of the things that I like the most about the JP8000 is the functionality. I feel that while the sound "might" have improved with the SH-01 Gaia for example, the functionality has declined for my purposes. The SH-201 was a step in the right direction with regards to functionality and software, but missed the boat a bit in the looks (ergonomics) and perhaps sound department. The JP-8080 is simply awesome, but you need a keyboard of course to make that sing and you're also missing some key controller functions like the ribbon controller from the JP-8000 which I love. Again, it always leads me back to the Roland JP-8000, but that's just me.

Thanks!

Jim

[Leh173]

I agree with Jim. The JP8K is a keeper. There's just something about it.

[Venatt_]

How does the JP8000 compare to the Nord Lead 3, which one is better ?