Roland JD-Xi is the champion, better than System 8, JD-XA

Forum for the JD-Xi Keyboard.
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CesarsoundOne
Posts: 203
Joined: 21:29, 9 October 2014

Roland JD-Xi is the champion, better than System 8, JD-XA

Post by CesarsoundOne »

I bought Roland JD-Xi 1 years ago and every day I play it I'm surprised. It's amazing how the sounds are so powerful and organic, the timbres are delicious and fit very well in any style of music. The drum part is the best I've seen on many keyboards I've ever had, TR-808, TR-909, CR-78, TR-707 are so realistic that they look like the original drum machines. The analog part is a real touching pleasure. Vocoder is out of this world stuff, I love it. To complete, the functions and knobs and the sequencer and section of effects very good and very easy to use. The synth and drums have an unnusual punch, unbelievable.

I venture to say that this small (and inexpensive) keyboard is Roland's best launch in the last 5 years, beating the System 8, JD-XA, Jupter-80, FA, Boutique models.

It is worth every penny having a Roland JD-Xi.
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perfidious_ba
Posts: 4
Joined: 12:13, 23 February 2017

Re: Roland JD-Xi is the champion, better than System 8, JD-X

Post by perfidious_ba »

CesarsoundOne wrote:I bought Roland JD-Xi 1 years ago and every day I play it I'm surprised. It's amazing how the sounds are so powerful and organic, the timbres are delicious and fit very well in any style of music. The drum part is the best I've seen on many keyboards I've ever had, TR-808, TR-909, CR-78, TR-707 are so realistic that they look like the original drum machines. The analog part is a real touching pleasure. Vocoder is out of this world stuff, I love it. To complete, the functions and knobs and the sequencer and section of effects very good and very easy to use. The synth and drums have an unnusual punch, unbelievable.

I venture to say that this small (and inexpensive) keyboard is Roland's best launch in the last 5 years, beating the System 8, JD-XA, Jupter-80, FA, Boutique models.

It is worth every penny having a Roland JD-Xi.
I haven't heard any of those models, but I will say the JDXi is a better call than the Microkorg I sold to buy it. The JDXi sounds darker than the aggressively bright Korg, but the variety of timbres seems wider. And of course there's the sequencer, the four parts, all that coolness. I should be able to make whole arrangements with this synth, maybe even song-length. I hope that proves to be the case.
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runningman67
Posts: 193
Joined: 22:15, 15 October 2016

Re: Roland JD-Xi is the champion, better than System 8, JD-X

Post by runningman67 »

I am lucky. I have the 8, XA and Xi.
I love all three in this order.

1. System 8
1. XA
1. Xi

They are all brilliant in a different way.

I totally agree that the Xi is special but it gets even more special when you MIDI the Xi through the 4 parts on the XA. You can play the two digital parts in a multi timbral way. Strings/Piano etc. Plus using the CO filter on the XA to effect the Xi. Plus you have full size keys to play the Xi. Alot easier to make drum patterns.

The System 8 is a different animal. It can be raw and crisp. It really cuts through the mix. It's a lead instrument. It sounds analogue, as advertised.

So......I agree with you. The Xi stands side by side with the 8 and XA. Not a toy, a brilliant drum machine and sound module. Not better than but no worse than either.
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