18 thoughts on “Roland System-8 Synth Jam

  1. Like it much for the looks and use as a MIDI controller for other synths, but the sounds are not unique as a must have. This should be a sub $1000 product. The vocoder and sequencer are not real must haves as well. More interesting sounding analog poly products are available like a P6/OB6/P12 module etc… You you pay a little bit more, but you get much more. The System 8 is not able to load System 1/1m plug-outs as well and no confirmation if that will be possible, that is close to a deal breaker and moves it a few places down on the shopping list..

    1. Hello

      The S8 can already load the SH-101 plug, and pretty much every bit of marketing so far has made clear the intention to make all the System-1 plug-outs available.

    2. It’s been stated in many demos by Roland rep that system 1 plugouts will load into it.
      It has the classic sound plus 106 coming. Plus the system 1/8 engine, I think of it as 8000/8080 v2.0.
      It can layer any combo of those.
      For me I can wait to get my hands on one. I want the classic sound and to run them through the filter options that i don’t don’t have to go push through extra kit.
      The sequencer is a breeze to use.
      I don’t care for the vocoder but I don’t care.
      Is going to fit extremely well in with my other gear, covering off what I want.

      Again, I so looking forward to the System 8 arriving.
      But each to there own.

      1. Found it https://www.roland.com/global/products/system-8/ It goes up a spot on the shopping list. 🙂
        Support for SYSTEM-8 on previously released plug-out synths to be available soon.
        Loading the SH-101 seems buggy at the moment. Still believe the S8 should be sub $1000 and adding all plug-ins/outs the total cost will be over the US$2000 mark, S8 + all plug-ins for $1500 is more in the direction, and hope they will update MIDI with good old Sysex patch saving/loading.

    3. not quite sure how you can say that you “get more” with one of the analog polys… on its own the System-8’s engine offers waveforms that no analog synth can do and then there is the whole Plug-Out thing which makes the S8 capable of becoming a totally different synth.

      no. it isn’t analog but Roland’s ACB tech makes that word irrelevant.

      and as already stated, the S8 will load all of the System-1 Plug-Outs

      1. better than the last gen of VA for sure i think… slowly but surely the sound is coming along.. one day the grunge-y 2-pole grind and fatness will be perfected in VA too. This and the Prophet 12 are pushing the edge toward the old fatness and power.

        – -that said I think the best ‘va’ i’ve ever heard is the Meeblip Anode, tho its got a real filter circuit in it, the TT filter. I think if companies moved to using at least analog filters as a real gain stage in the signal, they could get a lot more grunge and life out of VA. That’s what they do with the Anode and the results are great.

        1. That’s what lots of older synths did too, like the Ensoiq stuff, for ex.

          No idea why it isn’t just standard procedure to stick an analog filter and vca into every synth. You can even keep the digital ones for variety.

  2. I bought one of these a month ago and sent it back. I liked the sounds and build quality but i agree with “Q” that it should definitely be a sub $1000 product. I couldnt tell the sonic difference between the System 8 sound engine and the Jupiter 8 Plugout. Of course im not rich enough to have ever played a Real Jupiter 8, but compared to songs using it and software versions. The third oscillator was nice. I think the Effects section could have been more diverse in that the sounds were similar in my opinion (Overdrive, Distortion, Metal, Fuzz) basically harsh noisy.
    It would have been nice if the HPF could have been resonant. If it were a rack module i would buy it but there gonna have to come off that high price! It is VA and made in China after all!
    I am not biased against VA and the if it makes the sound im looking for great! but come on Roland get with the program! If Korg can make a 4 voice Analog for $499, no excuses.

  3. Speaking about System-1 and System-8 compatibility, there was SH-101 update 1.06 which specifically mentioned System-8 compatibility but curiously is at the moment missing from System-1 support page (problems and another update coming?), AND also System-1 firmware 1.30 “Compatible with the SH-101 PLUG-OUT Software Synthesizer Ver.1.06”.

  4. the lack of polyphony and multitimbrality makes the board useless imo. remember: it´s a DIGITAL synth, so therefore i can see absolutely no reason why roland artificially restriced polyphony and multitimbrality. buy a fa-06 instead and download all sypernatural synth sets from the integra 7 page at axial, incl. jupiter 8, jupiter 6, juno 6 etc. they sound better than acb imo because they contain samples of the original instruments. acb does not contain samples.

  5. Wow.. Rachel.. just let it go… same totally uneducated and incorrect arguments EVERY time. You obviously have NO understanding of synth design either VA or analog if you think that “digital” means “limitless”….. there are PLENTY of reasons as to why Roland (or ANY company) have to restrict the polyphony of instruments and STILL bring them in at reasonable costs.

    As for your old “FA-06/Integra sounds better than ACB because they’re samples”….. (AGAIN you obviously don’t understand the limitations of samples/supernatural against VA)….There is one difference between us last talking about this.. now.. right in front of me I have an Integra 7 and a System 8……

    The bottom line is?…… For the kind of sounds that you’re talking about the System 8 sounds better…. Period… 100% no doubt about it. I own/have owned or at least played extensively the instruments that you’re talking about here. PLEASE only give opinions with at least SOME knowledge or first hand experience rather than something you’ve read online.

  6. Read before buy. Custom patch saving, to SD (PC plugin perhaps) only. No CC dumps: http://forums.rolandclan.com/viewtopic.php?f=61&t=52665
    Same story repeats as on the Boutiques (After a long long time, Roland released a CC F/W update for ‘some’ reason)
    Apparently the system-1 still did perform a raw dump and S8 doesn’t, More for less. ~~~ I understand.. Who needs raw patch dumps when you can save it to a custom , unreadable format for simple CC’s). And BTW we don’t need CC for a performance instrument as all buyers should be knob tweakers, and yes this is not for studio use and yes, understand , understand sorry for this non value adding post 🙂 I hear you. MIDI file/sysex patch dumps ? OMG, that is so old skool. 64 patch locations should be enough (ahum, was 640KB enough?)

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