Roland has introduced a Jupiter-8 Model Expansion for its Zenology platform.
With the Jupiter-8 Model Expansion, the sound of the iconic synth is now available for your DAW and compatible ZEN-Core hardware. This means that the Jupiter-8 engine can be used on Roland’s Fantom 6/7/8 & Jupiter-X series synths, MC-101/707 grooveboxes and other ZEN-Core compatible hardware.
Features:
- Model Expansion for ZENOLOGY and compatible ZEN-Core hardware
- Authentic JUPITER-8 sound and behavior
- Expanded polyphony versus the original hardware
- Swap Model Expansions and load sounds instantly
- Set the condition of your virtual JUPITER-8 to ultra-vintage or pristine
Audio Demos:
See the Roland site for details.
All is well, but I hope that they are still considering to expand their ACB models catalog… if only to add the JX8P into the System 8 🙂
not chasing ghosts of the past ?
I couldn’t tell from anything on Roland’s site how you would actually get these models for something like an MC-707. Do you have to be a subscriber to Roland Cloud? If you cancel your subscription, do the Jupiter-8 models disappear from your MC-707? How would that even work?
You can’t. There are different ‘zen-core’ systems, and the Fantom, Jupiter and MC lines all use different ones. The idea that you are paying to use a soft synth across a range of devices is, at this point, simply a marketing lie.
To be fair, for the past few months Roland has been talking about a Zenology update launching this fall. I expect to see Zenology come to iOS/Android for example. I think it’s exciting and Zenology as it is now sounds great on my Mac.
From the Roland site on the Jupiter-8 Model Expansion: ” Model Expansions work in your DAW via ZENOLOGY—and will soon enhance compatible Roland ZEN-Core hardware.” So it’s looking like ZEN-Core compatibility is coming soon and will most likely offer different levels of interactivity based upon which ZEN-Core compatible device the expansion is loaded. My guess is the FANTOM series will get full functionality and possibly the MC-707 while the MC-101 gets a cut down version.
Why won’t this download to my iPad??? ???
Let’s put “Roland” in quotes. It is a different company with nobody from the Jupiter 8 team who understands it. Arturia has been doing this J8 VST for years while Roland took a long time to chase this ghost down and do a half-hearted VST.
But sound of Jupiter X and Jupiter 8 has a lot of common and Jupiter X is great synth. Also Roland Cloud is so good. I don’t understand so many hate to Roland for producing stuff from past but in modern twist, and so love to Behringer for producing just copies from the past.
The Roland engineers who designed the IR3109 filter IC are not the same people who integrated it into the final polysynth. But that’s not really the point. Roland has a solid team of DSP engineers who have been modelling analog circuits in software for decades.
It’s funny how Roland stated that they are not going back (to old analog) but are moving forward. Then they do stuff like this. Don’t they realize that a reissued, upgraded Jupiter 8 real analog hardware synth would sell well? But of course, Behringer will do it down the road and make the money, and Roland will lose out.
Can’t we just let the Jupiter 8 RIP? I had one, tbh it wasn’t that great like the hype that it found 20 years after it was released. So much of the new stuff just blows it away.
The OB8 however – different story… I cherish it still but that’s because I still have it after 30 years, but I admit the software emulations are SO close.