The Usual Suspects JE8086 - Bit-perfect emulation of the JP-8000 is here!

[Danno]

I've done a quick search, but can anyone suggest a good A/B comparison with the HW unit? (YT/etc)

[jtsterays]

I've done a quick search, but can anyone suggest a good A/B comparison with the HW unit? (YT/etc)

You don't need to, it's a 1:1, exact same codes.

[djanthonyw]

It’s amazing! sounds like the real thing because it is the real thing.

Crazy how most regular plugins today still don’t sound as good as soft synths that were made for dedicated hardware 30 years ago.

[inaheartbeat]

Piece of cake to get running and sounds incredible. Fantastic job by all concerned.

[Danno]

Yes I keep reading that.. and I agree it seems obvious, but other users still argue there’s a difference. I’d be interested in hearing a demo of this difference.

Maybe the absence of this demo says it all.

I've done a quick search, but can anyone suggest a good A/B comparison with the HW unit? (YT/etc)

You don't need to, it's a 1:1, exact same codes.

[rasmusklump]

It’s amazing! sounds like the real thing because it is the real thing.

Crazy how most regular plugins today still don’t sound as good as soft synths that were made for dedicated hardware 30 years ago.

In your mind maybe. Not for the rest of the world...

[jtsterays]

Yes I keep reading that.. and I agree it seems obvious, but other users still argue there’s a difference. I’d be interested in hearing a demo of this difference.

Maybe the absence of this demo says it all.

I've done a quick search, but can anyone suggest a good A/B comparison with the HW unit? (YT/etc)

You don't need to, it's a 1:1, exact same codes.

On Gearspace, there were people argued that they could hear a difference between 2 signals that 100% nulled. So these people will always exist. It's just a fact that this synth is 1:1 to the HW because they just emulated the CPU, the ROM (synth code itself) is the exact one provided by Roland. It's more of a port than an emulation.

[Dark Fiber]

EDIT: well, i was certainly missing something. The square waveform is significantly different.

Different how? There's only one kind of square wave, no?

See below.

Top is JE8086 and bottom is Arturia Jup-8000 V

Square JE8086 vs JP8K-V.png

Adam Szabo's Airwave (bottom) is even more different.

Square JE8086 vs Airwave.png

Impact on sound is minimal though, and no one is better than the other per se.

[PAK]

You don't need to, it's a 1:1, exact same codes.

In theory you don't need to. In practice there can be small things an emulated implementation does differently. I'm reminded of the opening of Donkey Kong when emulated on MAME. The way the emulation draws the initial girders on the screen is different, and this was used to bust someone trying to fake a world record whilst claiming to use original hardware.

So people should still look. You probably won't find any differences. But, if you do, I'm sure TUS would be interested to hear about them
Anyway, the CCC talk, related to this release, is now up on Youtube..

[psycho45039]

EDIT: well, i was certainly missing something. The square waveform is significantly different.

Different how? There's only one kind of square wave, no?

Your no is correct. In the analog world not all square waves are the same. The better term would be squarish. This is why a patch on one synthesizer can sound drastically different even though the settings are comparable between the two.

[VariKusBrainZ]

When using the original it has its own DA converter which is then going into some other hardware, mixer, soundcard AD converter which will impart subtle distortion through the pathway

[rasmusklump]

EDIT: well, i was certainly missing something. The square waveform is significantly different.

Different how? There's only one kind of square wave, no?

Your no is correct. In the analog world not all square waves are the same. The better term would be squarish. This is why a patch on one synthesizer can sound drastically different even though the settings are comparable between the two.

But in this case it's the same synthesizer.

[NAD]

Impact on sound is minimal though, and no one is better than the other per se.

FWIW, two waveforms can look nothing alike and yet sound virtually indistinguishable from each other. As an example, try running a simple saw or square through an all-pass filter and look at the result in your oscilloscope. It won't null with the original obviously but most people will be hard-pressed to hear a difference. In this case I suspect Adam and Arturia have gone the "black box" route for emulating the hardware and might have been focused on matching the spectrum rather than the waveform shapes.

[osiris]

I think the only difference is with the DAC. The one that was used in the Virus is a Motorola and can be found online. I've searched for what Roland used and the info is not there.

[psycho45039]

EDIT: well, i was certainly missing something. The square waveform is significantly different.

Different how? There's only one kind of square wave, no?

Your no is correct. In the analog world not all square waves are the same. The better term would be squarish. This is why a patch on one synthesizer can sound drastically different even though the settings are comparable between the two.

But in this case it's the same synthesizer.

The emulations are not the same synthesizer. They are attempting to emulate it. TUS JE8086 is the same as the hardware because they both run the same code.