New Boutique Synth RUMORS?

[Rolandgr]

Hello,
Are there any rumors about a new Boutique instrument?
A JD-800 clone would be nice..

[tomatoKetchup]

No rumors as far as I can tell, but I doubt Roland is gonna leave it at that...

It's only a matter of time before we hear from the next Boutique module. With the recent announcement of the TR-8S we shouldn't have to wait too long I imagine.

To be honest I'm waiting on a SE02 firmware update/sound editor more than anything else from Roland!

[cloudburst]

Hmm.... squeezing all those buttons and sliders of the JD-800 into a Boutique.... Perhaps better to buy a JD-800?

CB

[Devnor]

Actually the boutique would be a JD990.

[Mark76]

My guess would be 707, 727, 606 and possibly a CR78??

[iixorb]

On the ACB front, I hope to see a JX-8P Boutique at some stage; a great synth with so much potential locked away unless you have the PG-800 programmer.

On their DCB line, a JP-8000 would be nice, too !

Who knows?! I guess we need to wait until 8th August or 9th September (808 / 909 day) before we find out !

[hungedu]

I would love to see a Boutique JP-8000 or JD-800/990 variant. I always admired the JP-8000 but never bought one because most are in pretty bad cometic shape these days. I have a JD-800, but like my full size D-50, it's nice to take a compact version on the road.

[Rolandgr]

I never liked the JP8000. I bought one when it came out I was studying in Rome and the price there was so much better than in Athens. Had to sell it a couple of years later. I heard Gaia on youtube videos and that is the other Roland that reminds me of the JP8000, soundwise.

[tbeltrans]

Currently, I have one of each of all the Boutique series, plus an extra JP-08 since they were plentiful locally used/repackaged by Roland and cheap for a while. What I like about these is that each is simple (except the D-05) and completely self-contained. I prefer that to a keyboard workstation that tries to include everything and becomes way too complex to get my head around in a truly practical sense.

It seems to me that the JX-03 works well with the programmer added because the programmer itself was really simple to begin with. Those synths that have a more complex programmer may not fare as well trying to stuff it all into a Boutique packaging.

The question I my mind is whether Roland is done with this product line, or do the intend to continue it? Is it profitable enough for them, or was it just some sort of fad whose time in the market has come and gone? I have no answer for these questions because I am customer, on the outside looking in, with absolutely no "inside scoop".

It seemed with the marketing blurb about the SE-02 that there MIGHT be some more collaboration type products for the Boutique line, but I have not seen any further indications of more products coming.

I have said it elsewhere in this sub-forum, that for folks living in condos or apartments, the current Boutique products are a wonderful means of having a bunch of synthesizers, that would not be possible if we had to have the full sized versions. I am perfectly satisfied with what I have, and would not be disappointed if Roland chose not to continue building this product lineup. So, either way, I am fine. I am glad that I jumped on all of these when they have been available, but don't really care whether or not they become collector's items with arbitrarily jacked up prices such as has has happened with the JU-06 because I intend to hang on to mine for a long time. I have no desire to own any of the Yamaha or Korg offerings of similar products. There is just something about these Roland products that really have a certain gadget appeal.

I do think that the Boutique items that may not be in high demand now, probably will be as folks explore what they can do and discover their musical qualities, even with the A-01k. I consider myself very fortunate to have found one locally brand new in the box bundled with the keyboard as NOS, very cheap. I came to the party late because it took a while for me to truly get what these things are. I really had to scramble to find the whole set, but really lucked out because by then, many were showing up used/repackaged in original boxes by Roland at cut rate prices. Now, all of that stock seems to have disappeared, at least locally. I even got a Roland MX-1 mixer, fully boxed, that way too. Other than the MX-1, which can be used nicely with the Boutique series (thee is a YouTube video on powering the other 3 USB ports for the Boutique series), I have no interest in the Aria line. They are too large for my use in the condo to have a bunch of them, and they lack the gadget type charm of the Boutique series.

Tony

[hungedu]

I hope Roland continues with the Boutique line, and despite rumors that it won't, I believe Roland may reconsider that there is still quite a bit of demand for its older popular synthesizers and continue to profit from future reissues of vintage devices like the S-50 and S-70 samplers with USB instead of floppy disk, or perhaps the JD-800/990 or JP-8000. Regardless of what people think of these, there is still demand for the products.

[tbeltrans]

In the absence of real, solid information, people make up rumors. That seems to be human nature. I have seen it at most places I have worked, I see it in our condo association, and in forums of every kind. From Roland's perspective, I would think they really can't provide real information until they are ready to introduce a product to market. some companies generate a lot of hype, taking the risk that the real thing doesn't measure up, but Roland seems to deliver on what they promise. So, the fact that we have not heard anything doesn't mean a thing other than that Roland has not showed their hand yet.

Tony

[Rolandgr]

I am pretty confident there are more Boutiques coming..

[tbeltrans]

I won't know anything until Roland decides to say or do something that provides real information. I can say that I would LIKE to see more Boutique items.

Tony

[jicamasalad]

I love new equipment rumors and tantalizing leaks as much as the next person, so my ears pricked up to see that Roland is presenting at Superbooth, and when you filter for different kinds of products shown by manufacturers, Roland comes up in both the list for "desktop" synth modules and "Eurorack" modules!

Possibly some new gear to be presented!
Any tips, clues, insights or rumors welcome - maybe there are more Boutiques in the wings...

[tbeltrans]

Well, I cashed in my chips, so to speak, and am out of the Boutique collection now. I realized after a while that the direction I was going with my equipment really isn't right for what I want to do. It was fun, but ultimately not suitable. So, I sold it all (the Akai MPC X and Boutique modules) off and ended up with a Roland FA-07 AND an FA-08 and several thousand dollars which went directly into savings. I will keep the FA-08 as a spare in case either my 88 key digital piano or the FA-07 needs repair and is down for a while. I already had an Integra-7, so I have all the sounds and polyphony I will need. I never really knew anything about the Roland FA series, but when I discovered it and found out what it can do, I realized it is perfect for my needs.

Early on, when I was originally getting the Boutique series and had posted here, one person said I might be better off with a keyboard that provides a synth and much more polyphony. He was ultimately right about that. With the FA series, I also have a 16 track sequencer, sampling, and the whole thing is VERY easy to use.

I will be interested as an observer, in what Roland decides to do with the Boutique series moving forward because I do think it is a very cool product line, but I won't be buying into it any more.

Tony