Hi all.
I'm looking towards purchasing an Xm. I have always wanted a Roland board (probably because I see it on stage a lot) but before this, I wanted to get an FA since it had the "greatest hits" of Roland synth sounds (and thus would cover a large variety of sounds if I need from the 80s, 90s and 00s) and can load Integra synth stuff from Roland Axial.
Does the Xm have the "greatest hits" that everyone has used, or is it a subset? A quick googling and I see that it has the XV-5080 sounds which the FA pulls from (but is labelled "PCM"). I guess another plus for the Xm is that I could use the Roland Cloud to expand and create even more sounds. Also, because I am a synth noob, I thought that maybe I would learn how to make sounds (first on the FA because of the SN-Synth engine, but the Xm seems to be much more expanded and detailed).
What does everyone think?
Jupiter Xm as a first synth
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astro zombie
- Posts: 6
- Joined: 09:18, 16 June 2020
Re: Jupiter Xm as a first synth
I wouldn't get the Xm as a first synth.
Yes, it has most of Roland's 'greatest hits' (Jupiter 8, Juno 106, SH-101, etc), but all that functionality comes at a price: complexity. It's probably the most complex bit of kit I own, yet the display is only the size of the Nokia 8210 I owned in 1999.
First synth? Go for a Yamaha Reface CS, Korg Minilogue or one of the Arturia Brutes. One knob per function, no (or very little) menu diving and, most importantly, instant gratification.
If you *need* a Roland, go for one of the Boutiques or maybe a System 8? I used to own the JU-06, JP-08, JX-3P and SH-01a and sold them to fund the Xm. I kind of regret doing that now, as I find it so frustrating to program, I rarely play it.
Yes, it has most of Roland's 'greatest hits' (Jupiter 8, Juno 106, SH-101, etc), but all that functionality comes at a price: complexity. It's probably the most complex bit of kit I own, yet the display is only the size of the Nokia 8210 I owned in 1999.
First synth? Go for a Yamaha Reface CS, Korg Minilogue or one of the Arturia Brutes. One knob per function, no (or very little) menu diving and, most importantly, instant gratification.
If you *need* a Roland, go for one of the Boutiques or maybe a System 8? I used to own the JU-06, JP-08, JX-3P and SH-01a and sold them to fund the Xm. I kind of regret doing that now, as I find it so frustrating to program, I rarely play it.