Roland Debuts All-New Jupiter-X Synth Lineup

Roland has introduced the Jupiter-X line, a new series of premium synthesizers that they say offer “a diverse selection of sounds and advanced composition and performance features”.

The Jupiter-X’s sound engine is inspired by Roland’s long history of genre-defining gear. Analog classics like the JUPITER-8, JUNO-106, SH-101 and others are recreated, as well as digital machines like the vintage XV-5080 and modern RD pianos.

Also available are the sounds of classic Roland drum machines, including the TR-808, TR-909, TR-707, CR-78 and others.

The new Jupiter-X will be available in two formats:

  • The flagship Jupiter-X model features a full-size control layout and a 61-note keyboard.
  • The Jupiter-Xm model is designed to be a compact music production and performance system, built around a 37-note slim keyboard, with support for battery-powered operation.

The Jupiter-X’s sound architecture features five parts: four for synths and one for drums. It can run multiple sound engines, like the JX-8P or JUPITER-8, with enough polyphony to create thick layers and complex backing parts. You can freely create layered sounds, splits,and backing parts, without needing to limit your performance or composition.

The Jupiter-X’s I-Arpeggio feature uses artificial intelligence to accompany your performances. I-Arpeggio takes player-created notes, rhythms, and phrases and uses them to develop complementary drum parts, basslines, chords, and arpeggiated lines in real time. It works on each of Jupiter-X’s five parts simultaneously, and generated patterns can be customized and even exported to aDAW.

The Jupiter-X features a large display and an array of large knobs, sliders, and buttons. It’s also designed for immediacy, with a dedicated effects section and quick switching between synth layers.

Here’s the official intro video:

Pricing and Availability

The Jupiter-X line is expected to be available in September, with two models:

  • The compact JUPITER-Xm is equipped with a 37-note slim keyboard and will be available in September 2019 for $1,499.99.
  • The flagship JUPITER-X features a full-size 61-note keyboard and will be available in the U.S. in April 2020 for $2,499.99.

55 thoughts on “Roland Debuts All-New Jupiter-X Synth Lineup”

  1. Well they’ve done the look really well compared with the Jupiter 80, I like it, a great tribute to the Jupiter 8. But the ‘engine’ talk leaves me cold: imagine if this was an actual analog synth…

    2. Still on about this analogue nonsense? Are you a climate denier as well? Let me guess, do electrified vehicles bother you too? This is progress, analogue technology and synthesis have serious limitations. There are only so many iterations that can explored without basically creating the same thing over and again. And we have reached that point.

      I have no intention of purchasing this synth, yet I applaud them for innovating.

      2. Calm down. I like and own plenty of digital gear, and there’s absolutely no need to get personal.

        It strikes me that certain quarters are screaming for a proper revamp of the Jupiter 8, and it would be a commercial slam-dunk given the insane s/h prices out there.

        As for ‘analogue nonsense’ I think plenty of people would disagree with you.

        1. Ben, you may disagree with me, yet that disagreement in actually with science and in essence physics.

          I’ve been involved in the synthesiser industry for nearly 20 years, and whilst I love analogue synths, the future to me is still within the digital realm.

          Cheers

          1. You’re jumping around now. Where did I say that digital wasn’t the future, or that I didn’t like it, or for that matter that I’m a climate denier (I’m not, of course)?

            1. No, I am still standing firmly as I stood previously. Most “traditionalists” seem to be at odds with progress, thus that was the leap……

              That said, analogue synths are plentiful in this environment, a notion that seemed implausible a several years ago. Roland has bet its future on the future.

      3. What an absolute horrible comparison. Digital trying to be itself sounds good and usable. I love the D-50, DX7, ect…..but when it tries to emulate analog it sounds lifeless because it is digitally emulated. It does not have the small nuanced nature of analog that is never exactly the same (digital is static) so digital creations of analog gear will never have the liveliness of analog. This is coming from a left winger BTW in case you have any delusions of “climate denier” like really? Get outta here with that.

      4. If you’re not trolling can you please explain what’s innovative about these products because I’m really struggling to see it? Also, I don’t see how you can relate people who discern the obvious differences between digital and analogue technologies with climate change denial?

        1. Trolling…..no, that is not how I ever spend my time. What is the point in simply agitating.

          The point is the progression of the technology, and whilst you may choose not to be the test bed for that progression, Roland is forging ahead without looking back. This is a deliberate path they have chosen. Whilst some analogue synths have incorporated new technologies and at the very least better build quality, the basics remain the same.

          Within the next 3 to 5 years, not only will digital synthesis be able to recreate analogue “sound” so faithfully that the differences will actually favour digital synthesis, most objective musicians, artists, and creators will prefer them. That is my belief.

          As for the climate change analogy, there is a same vein of nostalgia and belief that if we simply revert to the past, it is somehow better, in the manner by which many do not wish to adopt new technologies and methods as they continue to deny climate change is occurring.

          1. “As for the climate change analogy, there is a same vein of nostalgia and belief that if we simply revert to the past, it is somehow better, in the manner by which many do not wish to adopt new technologies and methods as they continue to deny climate change is occurring.”

            What utter rot.

    3. I really don’t understand why people are getting so cross about some of us liking analogue, or wanting Roland to revisit the likes of the Jupiter 8 *properly*. That doesn’t mean we’re Luddites or misty-eyed nostalgia freaks…From a digital perspective, I think instruments like the Hydrasynth and the Novation Summit are more interesting that cloud-based VSTs in boxes. But that’s just my opinion, I have others 🙂 To return to Roland, I think the Jupiter X looks like a really decent performance synth, and I far prefer it from what I’ve seen to the Jupiter 80.

    1. hey they had to make up for the video shoot costs somehow! the track itself shows just about nothing also, they went for the premium media package premium price, so lots will ‘assume’ its a capable synth

  3. They waste so much money on these product videos. Just a guy and a keyboard and some playing, done. For the price of free. Watched a video and done know what you’re selling since your selling sound and functionality.

    1. Spot-on, actors with manicures living the life of Riley in their luxury touring bus doesn’t sell it for me. A good video demo showing what the synths (alone) can do would be way more useful. They should fire their marketing / advertising head and take a look at what demos people are watching on YouTube instead.

  5. I guess I could see this for live playing maybe at half the price if you didn’t know that Diva was a thing. It is so sad to watch my favorite synth company plug their ears and circle the bowl. Roland either need to switch out their management team or just pack it in at this point. They have become a parody of their former selves. They couldn’t even send me an announcement where the links worked for this synth.

  7. Hmmm .. well I’m one of the few I guess who actually ‘get’ what the Jupiter 80 was all about, and I bought one at the end when the price was down to replace my D70 for a quality 76 note action, but as a former Jupiter 8 owner who worked with it in the 80’s, the Jupiter X with its digital engine just does not push the right buttons for me. Like everyone else wish they’d made the Jupiter X an analog synth.

  8. I’m so disappointed. If that would be analog, I would preorder in a second. Anyway – so far Roland Cloud is good enough for having a piece of fake Jupiter 8 and a lot of other synth which are offer in JPX (I like RC, don’t understand me wrong). So far, I can’t understand if new engine is better on JPX or just step down from ACB for having more polyphony. Check Sonicstate youtube video – looks like new technology is because they need more polyphony, not better sound. Also 2500$, lot of other nice synths in this price range. And my Jupiter 4 eat this JPX alive 🙂

    But it is third approach of Roland to make Jupiter 8 – Jupiter 80 – bad, Jupiter Boutique – bad, System 8 – bad. So maybe fourth time they will produce real JP8? Never say never 🙂

    1. Another one who pretends that a monotimbral compact synth “can eat” a full fledged VA monster… Without even owning one. Be cool, these are two great synths.
      P. S. are you so experienced to justify where the JP80 or System-8 are bad, as you have previously stated?

    2. I like my analogs, I have a Roland Promars among others. But I also have a System 8, and I love it. It’s hard for me to imagine anyone slapping a “bad” label on it after actually spending some time with it.

      And I think these new Roland offerings are intriguing.

  10. So many grumpy nay-sayers here: if you want analogue there’s a bunch you can choose from already, both new & old – with limited polyphony, noisy circuits, imprecise filters and dodgy tuning if you like.

    Personally I really like both form factors Roland is giving us here: a proper 5 octave keyboard with all the knobs, or a cheaper smaller version (that 4-octave compromise never worked for me). I could use either of those (finding the pennies is a different matter!).

    The key question is how good do they sound? and I suspect Roland will have nailed that. I’ve played the System-8, it’s pretty awesome, but it was limited in polyphony – I hope they’ve truly fixed that here.

    The control surface looks excellent, with all the knobs & dials you’d want. For me that’s really important, tweaking parameters with a mouse doesn’t float my boat.

    And then you’ll get polyphony & effects the like of which you won’t get out of a real analogue synth – not to mention the drum sounds & AI auto-accompaniment – I’m sure it’s loads of fun!

    Roland quality is also excellent, probably the best out there – worth remembering when you’re comparing to other synths.

    So here’s to a bright future!

  11. Overall feeling a bit let down. I’ve played both the Jupiter 8 and a Jupiter 80. Out of the two, the ‘8’ was far more an inspiring and creative instrument because you were actually creating new sounds, rather than just tweaking patches. I fear the ‘Jupiter X’ is just a re-packaged Jupiter 80, with a bit of extra capability.

    My question to Roland – ‘why not just re-issue a new Jupiter 8’??? It can’t be that hard surely? Other companies are re-issuing very good, fully analogue and fully useable versions of classic analogue synths we all want (Behringer is doing the most interesting things these days – not just dull mixers) but can’t afford the originals on ebay anymore.

    Everyone is telling Roland this is what it should do, but its like they are completely deaf to the customers they serve. They won’t listen. Why???

    Nothing is stopping them from developing new digital synths. I’m not against digital – and have some in my studio. So do a new digital synth that is ‘new’ and also re-issue the classic vintage analogue synths people want as analogue – Jupiter 8, Juno 60, System 100, SH-5 – and in their original design (not stupid, pathetic little boutique toys).

    Rant over… I probably won’t get this. It will probably retail for about $3000 here in Australia, which is too much for just a re-issued Jupiter 80. Another missed opportunity, Roland.

    1. Have you actually owned a Jupiter 8? I have .. for 10 years .. it earned me a living playing clubs in the 80’s. Its all subjective and relative man .. I find my Jupiter 80 WAY more inspiring than I ever did my Jupiter 8 .. there are patches in my Jupiter 80 that were only a dream back when I had my Jupiter 8 .. like a real acoustic piano, choirs, D50’ish digital type sounds, real horns! .. we jonsed for for that stuff! .. literally unobtainable back then unless you had a Synclavier or Fairlight, but I’m a progressive rock and jazz/jazz fusion guy .. the whole Roland Super Natural thing is a joy for my style of playing, on my Jupiter 80 I have 76 excellent semi weighted keys and a ton of polyphony for layering to make HUGE pads my Jupiter 8 never could.. my Jupiter 8 only had 5 octaves and 8 voices .. I’d often run out of keys when doing splits or layers .. no problem on the 80. There are some big time chopsters who own and play Jupiter 80’s like Herbie Hancock, Jonathan Cain, Junkie XL, Howard Jones, and Jordan Rudess to name a few. Its all good man if it inspires you and doesn’t get in the way. I actually never regretted selling my Jupiter 8 (for $450.00 in 1990) until this past decade when the prices on the used market went through the roof, now I wish I still had it .. more as a historical/investment piece though.

      1. What a great comment – people spend so much time fetishizing vintage gear that they don’t realize that we’ve got some of the best gear ever made in production right now.

        Sequential’s line has better synths than ever, so does Moog’s, the Prologue is as interesting as about anything KORG as done, Elektron, Arturia and Novation are making great synths…

        Even a Deepmind 12 is arguably a better synth than half the collectible vintage ones people lust after.

        We’ve got it fucking made right now.

      2. Thanks for the Perspective, I didn’t own Jupiter-8 but I owned a fair amount of gear back in the day and I can agree with pretty much everything you said. Even though I did more “industrial” music I appreciated variety. (folks these days don’t know how good they have it). I have the JP-08 as well as the System 8 (and JD-XA) and the ability to combine those tones with newer ones gives a lot more sonic possibilities and flavors than those old analog machines could produce on their own. (With out the hassles real analog can bring).

    2. This comment hits the nail on the head…..exactly. All they have to do is literally remake the exact. same. thing. Then sell it. “Hmm…our 40 year old, used Jupiter 8s are selling for over ten grand on eBay, I know, let’s make a totally different synth but use the same shell and colors…what’s the difference?” -Roland

  12. From watching the sonic state demo, this thing looks awesome, but it’s a bit pricey to buy without more investigation or retro fetishism. I don’t care at all about the lack of analog though.

    1. Congratulations Chris, for really not making much sense, a vapid point, and including everyone when clearly not everyone agrees with you.

  15. ah man, just…idiotic. I’ll join in the very loud chorus of: GIVE US ANALOG!!!
    And up above, I believe I’ve just read the dumbest comment ever on synthtopia:
    “Still on about this analogue nonsense? Are you a climate denier as well?”
    Trying to equate the mass distaste of anaother digital Jupiter with the climate? ahhh hahahaaaaa.
    (just for the record, we have stuff all influence on the climate anyway. It’s mostly cosmic.)
    No ones against digital. And digital has also been done to death and reached it’s peak. Hell,
    Roland should even repro their digital synths from the late 80s/early 90s. Oh yeah, they have one.
    Yet they STILL won’t give Jupiter and Juno fans a REAL proper repro.
    Lame.

  16. “The Jupiter-X’s sound engine is inspired by Roland’s long history of genre-defining gear. Analog classics like the JUPITER-8, JUNO-106, SH-101 and others are recreated…”

    Are the recreations better than soft-synths? What can it do that soft-synths cannot? Are the shell, keys, knobs, sliders, etc. worth $$ thousands $$ more than soft-synths? I suppose that is subjective. I do like the panel controls.

  18. This is clearly thought as a stage keyboard for live players. Nobody in their right mind would take a vintage Jupiter 8 on tour these days, so people need a halfway portable replacement that sounds good enough. With the Roland Cloud plugins available for a few bucks a month, using this in a studio environment is pretty much pointless.

  19. Roland had a strategy meeting and decided to leverage digital on all their future products. This way they could move away from “one of a kind” products and “future proof” everything they do, and enable really interesting new products based on their DNA heritage but in completely new shapes and mixes. It looks like the new phantom is showing a bit of this strategy coming to life. All the boutiques have been a way to build a path towards this future while being able to have it paid for along the way… My 2 cents…

    1. „Completely new shapes and mixes“: It’s literally a user interface from 1981. The problem with Roland‘s new synths is not that they are not analogue. The problem is they are absolutely boring and uninspired.

  20. Whoever wanted a digital synth, went VST/Cloud long ago. Only real analog thru-hole circuitry sounds full and right. VST synths light years ahead of this junk but at the same time they wont ever give you analog feel. Roland just catches hype of vintage synth reincarnation.

    1. There’s zero difference in a through-hole part and a surface-mount part. The **tolerance** is what matters and modern parts do have better tolerances. But not because they are surface mount! Only because they are modern.

  21. For years I’ve been a bit concerned that the value of my 1980s Jupiter-8 would drop through the floor with a big announcement from Roland. Seems that such anxiety was misplaced. They’ve put a VST plugin inside of a case that looks like their analog flagship products, what a joke. Is anyone awake at Roland HQ and do they have an internet connection over there? Give the people what they want, analog polysynths based on the synths from your 1970s/1980s golden era.

    1. not sure if Roland have to redo their old analogs, but totally agree that put this all digital masterkeyboard engine, with pianos and “vintage” xv sounds, inside a reproduced jupiter 8 body sounds like an insult to their own legacy. Here is even worse than what they have done with the previous jup 80. Here they did not just take the name, color schemes and some details of the design, they somehow cloned, in a bad way, the panel and controls of the jp8. Their previous green polysinth / vst player was a much better concept.
      By the way, considering the price, it looks to a pro or semi pro market, and I think pros looks at substance and deprecates these gymnics and market tricks. I’m sure it will sound more than decent, I love Roland, but it’s just a master all purpouse keyboard with a shameless jupiter 8 dress

  23. Why lust for a Jupiter 8? Get an analog poly from people who are doing it right, today.
    I had a JP8 back in the day, as well as a Memorymoog and an OB8. IMHO, the OB not only sounded better but also had a ton of extra features via it’s Page 2. I sold the Jupiter and Memorymoog with no regrets, they really weren’t as amazing or as special as the worshippers proclaim, to be honest. I know I’ll get a ton of blow back, but the JP8 and the MM were actually kind of boring compared to the OB.

    I still have the OB8. I also have the DSI OB6, which sounds amazing and truly is something to be excited about. It’s available now.

  25. Hello, currently owning the jupiter xm, various VST emulations, hardware VA and a Korg DSS1, I can say that the Jupiter xm sounds very good and has become my favorite piece of gear ever bought. The layering abilities makes it a monster retaining a similar high quality as the System 8 for pure VA. Ultimatly, my ears tell me that the jupiter xm sounds much better that my vintage “analog/hybrid” synth. I definetely recommend this board and trust roland for their virtual analog coding.

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