SoundForce Releases SFC-8, A Dedicated Jupiter-8 Style MIDI Controller

SoundForce recently introduced the SFC-8, a boutique class-compliant USB-MIDI controller dedicated to Roland Jupiter-8 plugin emulations.

It is usable with any MIDI-mappable software or hardware, but the panel layout has been designed especially for Arturia’s Jup-8 V and TAL’s J-8. Considering the differences in the plugins front panels, 2 modes have been programmed to suit the control panel layouts of the 2 plugins perfectly.

The controller has a USB connector for power and USB-MIDI, but it also has 5-pin DIN-MIDI input and ouptut. All the messages received at the DIN-MIDI input are merged with the controller messages and sent out to both the USB-MIDI and DIN-MIDI output. So you can plug your MIDI keyboard or sequencer to the SFC-8 and use it as a USB-MIDI interface, or use the DIN-MIDI output to go to the next MIDI device in your setup.

The DIN-MIDI connectivity allows direct connection with modern and vintage hardware synths and thanks to the control panel app, the user can setup their own MIDI maps and change CC numbers for each control. In the future, support for different hardware synths will be built in the control panel app.

Presets:

5 banks of 4 presets have been implemented in the controller and 3 modes (jump, pick-up and scale) are available for the user to define the behavior of the controller after presets have been loaded. The first preset of bank 1 is loaded automatically after boot, so the user can define the default start state of the controller.

4 configurations presets are available for the user to switch between CC or hardware configurations. The configurations can be saved to the device using the control panel application.

Build:

The enclosure is made of 100% sheet metal. The case is made of bent steel and powder coated in black. The front panel is aluminum, also powder coated and screen printed with scratch-proof white and orange inks. Walnut wood side panels of 8mm thickness are fitted to both sides of the controller.

Pricing and Availability:

The SFC-8 is available now for 499 euros incl VAT (exact price will depend on your local VAT %) in the EU and 412 euros for customers outside the EU. In the US, it is available via Perfect Circuit for $449 USD.

21 thoughts on “SoundForce Releases SFC-8, A Dedicated Jupiter-8 Style MIDI Controller”

  2. I hate to say it, but at this late date, I finally agree with Richard Stallman – and I loath Richard Stallman. not having the source code, is like renting the software. someday it won’t work, or you won’t want to work under it’s crippled operating conditions, and you’ll have to buy something else. to a similar extent, everything related to computers has turned out that way. technology is a treadmill. I’m tired. time to get off.

    yo! ho! ho! a luddites life for me!

    1. You bring up an interesting point. What happens when your software evolves or migrates to a new OS or chip set? There’s no guarantee that devices like these will continue to work a few years from today. OTBS, most software has some kind of midi learn which should sustain it across generational changes as described above.

      1. once upon a time, I was an amateur platform maintainer for an open source 3D animation and game engine application. I was maintaining the IRIX/SGI version – which was the original platform it was developed on. I *quickly* got smothered by open source contributions to the extent I was constantly porting open source to the platform and falling further and further behind on actual software feature adds. I dropped out and that version has languished since. not sure why I told 20 yo story, other than to say; even having the source code isn’t enough these days if you stray from the mainstream. having the source code engendered little sense of freedom after all. I prefer things *I* can fix myself or have some hope of understanding how they operate. I find the notion that there are [no serviceable parts inside] anathema to my sense of equanimity.

          2. i can’t think of one vst i stopped using in the last 20 years because of compatibility issue, i have 20 years old plugins running on my m1 with no issue.
            anyway, mapping 100 parameters takes what? less than half an hour? (for a very slow user)

    2. This is a class-compliant MIDI controller that can be mapped to any parameter in any MIDI-capable software. It does not require drivers and will work as long as USB exists.

      1. Whoa! So you think just posting the facts is enough here? That will likely confuse people. You have to insult someone indirectly to keep the thread going.

  3. If there’s one dream..
    If there’s one thing..
    If there’s a god..

    Soundforce + Elektron = The ultimate Juno polyphonic synthesizer.

  4. Lovely controller!

    As to all these people worried about software and updates: that’s why some of us like hardware synths, they tend to last much longer!

  6. I have this and the SFC-60. The controllers are very well made, beautiful craftsmanship! The customer support by Nicolas is excellent; he delivers firmware updates for new plugins and takes care of bugs very quickly. I use the controllers with TAL, Arturia, and Roland plugins without noteworthy issues, and it really made working on sounds and music much more fun.

      1. Not that I know of; the controller mostly sticks to the layout and features of the original hardware. There are, however, two user rotary knobs and three user buttons, each having two layers, which can be freely assigned (as can everything else).

  7. The class-compliance is the best feature here, because it provides you with at least some assurance of a decent useful life for the unit. Its not cheap, but the price feels reasonable if you loved the JP-8 enough to buy any version of it. Its a nice stopgap approach, especially when real JP-8s go for a wad of bucks 2nd-hand. Another plus: still cheaper than a Jupiter-X, which has some nice merits of its own.

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