This video, via Hunart©, captures a user demo of the new Roland JD-XA analog + digital synthesizer.
Here’s what he has to say about it:
One day with the JD-XA… I was preparing a presentation so not much time left for the video itself, but I hope I captured some of the capabilities of the synth.
This thing is huge in sound and I was waiting for a hybrid analog/digital synth like this a long time. It IS analog. It is digital too. And it can give the best of both words If you know how to take it 🙂
In this quick demo every sound (except the few drum samples) and effect comes from the JD-XA which was recorded in to Cubase via a Roland Octa-Capture interface.
Feel free to ask any questions about it.
Does this run MIDI over USB? How did you record it to Cubase?
It runs both MIDI and audio over USB if I am not mistaking. If you are not familiar with the difference between the two, MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) sends note information whilst audio is simply audio.
Wow. Nice video – you could sell more of these than roland! Well done! You did a great job showing off the strengths and capabilities of the synth- it will help many people thinking about one decide whether or not it’s the right thing for them. Thank you!
This sounds and looks like a killer synth. I wish the price was closer to the fa-08.
I wish it costed one dollar. I wish the Prophet 6 would cost one dollar as well.
Or
I wish they would give me money, if I take the synths.
It’s still a steal at what they are asking for it now.
Analog voices cost roughly the same as P6’s voices, but XA has a VA on top of it, and a vocoder, 8 parts multi timbral and a 16 part sequencer, and some pioneering work on the hybrid design.
Get both the P6 and the XA?
Great demo! It looks like Roland has a friendly beast in the new XA.
All yur essential sounds in one box.
I don’t understand SuperNatural sounds. Are the oscillators static samples so we can’t adjust shape or pulse width? Which is, if the Omnisphere engine is anything to go by, fine.
Glad to see nobody is moaning about the lack of PCM percussion compared to the micro-key version.
Worthy of serious consideration. Recon we’ll see any competitors to this baby in the next year?
Reckon I’ll go with the JDXI, since I don’t have more money. The JDXI appears to be a serious bargain , but I guess you get what you pay for, although the JDXI promises much more than for the asking price. Both are serious bargains.
I tried a JP8000 today and I want that more than this. But I am looking at the Ultranova for a good digital synth and that too seems superior.
I have to say that though it sounded good, it became a little “samey” after a short while and I didn’t get the feeling that it had breath nor depth to its sounds. Maybe it does and I need to hear more.
I think it sounds good and looks like it’s fun to play. One of these with an Octatrack and a Machinedrum would be a killer live PA rig. I wouldn’t be able to say no to it if they released it as a rack module, I have no more room for keys, especially a board of this size.
looks so great and looks good on paper, and i really want to like this synth. but so far everything ive heard online just sounds very flat, and theres nothing i have heard that i cant get out of Sylenth. I just hope that my mind changes when i get to play with one in person. im sure not going to be pre-ordering this but i do want to hear it a lot more. This is the first Roland synth i have even given consideration in 20 years since the JD-800
I think that this synth really is no big deal considering the price. Also for its four analogue parts it only has two outs. Four part poly for a 1500 quid synth is not so good. An old Juno 106 , or Alpha Juno etc can be bought for a third of the price (or less) with doubel the polyphony . I think that the promo and hype might get in the way of the reality of the synths engine. I am pleased to see Roland making synths again, but not really this one . the system one M looks good and so does the system 1.
I have a Roland JP8080 and I have yet to see this synth surpassed reagrds real time control. I sold my 106 without regret years ago . I have had lots of Roland gear and we owe Roland for what came from their machines. (Electro, Techno Acid House, etc)
I hope there is new gear , that does away with the all things to all people and just give us simple synths again.
So much misnformation in one comment!
The JDXA has more polyphony than any of the synths you mentioned by far. Also, it offers analog plus digital plus effects, which would take three pieces of gear with those older keyboards.
Also, your math is terrible. A Juno has six voices, not double of even the JDXA’s analog synth engine.
Comparing an Alpha Juno voice to a full synth voice seems completely uninformed. The Juno has one of the most stripped down synth architectures ever implemented in a polysynth.
The JDXA has a separate audio out for analog, plus parts via USB like the aira gear, using one cable.
It’s also an audio interface and midi interface, cv & gate and a bunch of other features those other synths don’t have.
This isn’t the synth for you if you want a basic analog poly, the DSI prophet 6 would be a better fit for that.
But if you want a modern poly, this looks like a strong contender.
epic fail imo. the roland people should be ashamed of themselves. get this: just like the jd-xi the jd-xa has NO SWING! wtf? what are they thinking?? on the back of the jd-xa they want us to purchase the £300 sbx sync box which gives control over swing! roland suckz big time. still NO SONG MODE! so how am i able to chain my patterns together??? WHO DO THESE STUPID JAPANESE ENGINEERS THINK I AM???
stjepan is right. this board is for kraftwerk fanboys only. a 16-track sequencer without shuffle? bwahaha, gimme a break. a make-or-break-question to me. at least the new electribes can shuffle and have a pseudo song mode called event recorder.
With so many good new synths available today, it’s beyond me why people still pay huge dollars for expensive, comparatively limited vintage gear.
I would pay maybe $300-500 for one of these vintage synths, if that.
It might be useful in some situations, but that demo really wasn’t inspiring at all.
The problem is, nobody’s quite making modern gear yet that can quite match the old analog vintage gear.
4 voices just doesn’t cut it for a keyboard player.
And if you want 8 voices polyphony, 2 oscillators per voice, you’re really getting into pretty high-end modern gear: Prophet 08, Prophet 12 or Modulus 002. And the last two are hybrids with Digital “oscilllators”.
I’m waiting for my Parva to arrive…
Meanwhile I’m selling my MKS-80 and KORG EX 8000 on eBay UK (but I’m keeping the MKS-70 🙂
He turned it off. HE TURNED IT OFF AND LEFT. WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS MAN? 🙂 If I had one they’d have to slide flat food under the door!