Roland JD 800

[plugin'd out]

I know its old and I really don't need one but they look fantastic, to me anyway, Are the filters really that bad ?

To each his own I suppose, but I think that it depends on what you expect. They are terrible for anything that you want to sound analog. They are ok if you just want some gentle filter behavior with limited modulation and limited resonance.

I think that the orginal Kurzweil K2K filters are crap too, but I was happy to get the K2K at the time as they were an improvement. For me, the definitive 90s filter that, while still not current, is still usable, was the Nord G1 modular filters.

I’ve never played a JD800 but I do have a Kurzweil K2k, and if the filters on that are an improvement on the JD800’s then I’d steer clear of the JD800, if you are at all bothered about the quality of the filters. Although I expect that (like the K2k) it has a lot more going for it soundwise than that.

[bibz1st]

Well, Ive thrown caution to the wind and only gone and bought one, wont get it til next week but I am very excited now

[gentleclockdivider]

For me, the definitive 90s filter that, while still not current, is still usable, was the Nord G1 modular filters.

Totally agree with you , the NM classic ladder filter ( the one that has control rate mod. input only ) still sounds fantastic>
Stroking my G1 rack while writing this

[excuse me please]

This site gives a good impression IMO

https://greatsynthesizers.com/en/review ... nthesizer/

[bibz1st]

My first real synth was a Pro One back in the early 80's, then a CZ1 a few years later. Sold them both cheap as at the time nobody really wanted them and there was no shortage and space was an issue.
I use softsynths and they are great but I miss the hands on experience, the JD has been an object of desire for a while and wish I'd got one sooner.
The one I've bought is gona need some attention...a little red glue, some keys not working, broken end cap, but am assured everything else is ok, we'll see. Its a project I fancy doing and if successful I'll be very happy to keep it.

[earwigo]

I have a good one , clean and in good working order, which just dont use anymore. I would sell for £875 and am in Suffolk uk.

[bibz1st]

I have paid just over £470 for one that needs the keyboard sorting out and with some cosmetic damage. Should get it tomorrow fingers crossed, hope the couriers treat it carefully.
If Id had more money I would have taken you up on yours and saved myself the hassle of doing my own repairs but that's life in sunny Lancashire.

[Haraldator]

It's a cool synth. I got my first one almost 25 years ago now, and I think I'm on my fourth as we speak. I used it a TON back in the nineties, along with a few of the JV synths. The JVs got left behind long ago, but the JD is something a bit special. And I wouldn't say the filter is all that bad. While we've come quite some way in terms of digital filter emulations since then, Roland did a good job on this one, I think, and that goes for their samplers too. They sounded great.

Congrats on your new synth!

[rob_lee]

http://www.polynominal.com/site/studio/ ... index.html

also had a couple of my synths customised in the past, this one below isn't mine but I love the new paint job on it



Rob

[DrGonzo]

I know its old and I really don't need one but they look fantastic, to me anyway, Are the filters really that bad ?

No, they're not crappy at all. They're not circuit modelled like Diva or Repro, but they have that essential 90s sound to them.

Oh my yes. That's a good way to put it. If you expect filters with a Moog quality or even DSI - you will wonder what kind of crap you are using. But if you take them for what they are, they really contribute to the cheesy 90s sound. Would be cool to see u-he implement digital Roland filters one day.

/C

[bibz1st]

Very much lookin forward to getting it although it might now be Thursday before it arrives, still after 20 odd years 1 more day won't matter

[bibz1st]

That white one is more Modal than a Modal

[ghettosynth]

I know its old and I really don't need one but they look fantastic, to me anyway, Are the filters really that bad ?

No, they're not crappy at all. They're not circuit modelled like Diva or Repro, but they have that essential 90s sound to them.

Oh my yes. That's a good way to put it. If you expect filters with a Moog quality or even DSI - you will wonder what kind of crap you are using. But if you take them for what they are, they really contribute to the cheesy 90s sound. Would be cool to see u-he implement digital Roland filters one day.

/C

Another way to put it is that they are crap digital filters. I didn't hear a lot of filter modulation out of the 90s coming from these kinds of machines. When I did hear it though it sounded just as bad then as it does now.

As I said, they are "ok" for subtle modulation, they don't sound good though, especially if you try to modulate them quickly or turn the resonance up. I'm not sure why people are surprised about this, they are real time DSP filters from the early 90s, I can't think of a single example in that category that isn't crap compared to today, not a one!

In any case, the question was:

Hi, would like opinions on whether or not it would be worth the effort buying a JD 800

Well, that depends on what you expect? IMO, they have more problems than what they're worth and I would not buy one like the OP did for that amount of money. I hope that he has fun with it, but, today, they're not really that cool anymore.

They were much more cool in their day because our choices were much more limited. For example, all those faders, awesome, but, you have the same problem that you have with any other synth where they're assigned to multiple functions/parts. When you switch parts the fader isn't where the sound is. Point being, unless you are already a dyed in the wool fan, it might not seem as awesome to work with as it did in the 90s.

Don't waste your breath telling me about the workarounds. I have one, I know, I even programmed sysex changes in Cakewalk and I used mine live. I'm familiar with it and I've had it since Roland blew them out brand new for $1200 sometime back in the 90s.

IMO, if you're trying to do 90s revival for the sound, the JD990 is a much better choice. It's a better synth in a number of ways and it's much more reliable. That said, even the 990 isn't really that much more "90s" than the Korg M1/Wavestation and you can get all of that "sound" from plugins today for cheap.

Software changed the game. Sure, you can only change one fader at a time with software (without a controller), but there's not that much value in changing multiple faders at the same time, perhaps with the exception of the part mix, on a synth like the JD. Again, I played mine live, so I'm not saying that there is zero value, it's just not all that much and every time I hear a JD with filter modulation it triggers that cringe from the sound of bad filters.

It's an ok synth, I still have mine, I'm going to fix mine and put it back into my little hardware room. I'll still play it, but, I would only recommend getting on if you are nostalgic for it AND you get a very good deal. If the price keeps going up, I may sell mine. I still have the original box and manuals and the red glue problem was caught long before any of it touched the key contacts.

[DrGonzo]

Another way to put it is that they are crap digital filters.

Sure! A few years ago I bought myself a MC505 just for nostalgia and it was even more rubbish than I remember But that is a quality of its own, and especially today when the quality level is so astronomically high - I absolutely think crappy digital filters have re-regained their place in sound design.

/C

[pdxindy]

But that is a quality of its own, and especially today when the quality level is so astronomically high - I absolutely think crappy digital filters have re-regained their place in sound design.

/C

To each their own then... I absolutely think crappy digital filters sound worse than ever and have basically zero redeeming value.