Patrick's new baby... TAL- J-8X

[Markus808]

BTW Trevor Horn is a big fan of the JX-8P. In an interview with Amazona in 2023 he mentions that he still uses a JX-8P and that that synth can produce some sounds you can't get out of any other analog synth:

https://www.amazona.de/das-trevor-horn- ... ove-story/

I also bet that a lot of the super smooth and crisp hi-fi analog synth sounds in the 12-inch of Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "Rage Hard" ("Rage Hard - The Young Person's Guide To The 12'' Mix") - produced by Stephen Lipson - came from a JX-8P:

[hurricaneaudiolab]

Alright so, comparing it to my JX-8P, I would say this has nailed the sound, however, there are a few audibly minor things I am noticing. My real 8P is somewhat more transient and slightly brighter and the envelopes are slightly tighter. It is quite apparent to me as I am switching back and forth.

I'm quoting myself here because I saw a very similar post from someone on gearspace:

"What i'm hearing is something exact but in some examples the hardware has a more defined or tighter envelope, and on percussive sounds in particular there is a bit more transient with the hardware." - https://gearspace.com/board/showthread.php?p=17766813

It's never a finished product with TAL, as we all know he is very good about updating his plugins. So I hope more people compare their JX8P with J8X and provide some solid feedback to Patrick so he can make this the best JX-8P emulation out there, because right now, and in my opinion, the PG-8X is still the best.

[zvenx]

I actually went and re-downloaded and he now is at 1.05.
I have no idea what the changes are, but indeed, he will improve it and improve it and improve it...

Though it would be strange to me that pg-8x created 10 years ago? (probably had updates I am sure).. would be the best. Especially how meticulous I know Patrick to be.
But then, unlike you, I have never owned or still owned a jx-8p. So I have to take your word that at least with your hardware it is.
rsp

[vitocorleone123]

Haven't had a lot of time with it yet, but... I like it. More than the J8 one, I think. I'm not sad about the $47 for it, even though I suspect I'll use other synths more often.

Looks like I should re-download it, though!

[strangeflange]

That Alamo Music JX-8P revision compasion video (provided by himalaya) taken into consideration, I don't think it's reasonable to ask Patrick to chase someone's JX-8P peculiarities. There could be a hundred guys out there, all telling him their JX-8P sounds a little bit different.

Even, purely theoretically, if he had access to one of those other revisions and could develop an alternative, a new guy would appear, telling him it's still different to his hardware and there's still something "wrong", according to his perception based on the model he owns. This would be an endless maze and a nightmare.

It's like there's been dozens of guys telling Andy Cytomic their Tube Screamers sound different to 808 he modeled. He used to reply: "I get what you're saying, but I can only stay true to my source that's in front of me", meaning his 808. "I can't go chasing every guy's TS out there, it's not realistic".

So I think it's only fair to ask Patrick to deliver the best version of his own Rev 2 / OS 3.1 JX-8P (as mentioned in product description) that he modeled J-8X upon, that is in front of him. And that, I have little doubt, he delivered to his best ability and will develop further.

Then again, provided he had any interest to begin with, he'd need access to other revisions, which, if he had such an opportunity for starters, he'd definitely take advantage of that and study them as well.

[beely]

Yep. Old analog synths will vary in condition and calibration. It's not realistic to expect an emulation to 100% match one's own personal instrument, just as it's not realistic to buy a second hardware instrument and expect that the exactly 100% match your first one. They will all be a little bit different. As long as they are true to the reference hardware (ideally which was in good condition and calibrated properly), and perhaps offer some abilities to tweak/tune, that's reasonable imo.

Just as PG8X modelled a different reference instrument - both can be great, authentic emulations, and both slightly vary in behaviour. This is not a bug!

(It's quite fun to layer the same patch in J8X and PG8X though, as the slight differences give a nice thick/wide sound. But also being able to randomise the individual voices in J8X is stellar and really adds some extra juice.)

[strangeflange]

nvm. plz delete.

[zvenx]

And then there is this:

rsp

[jamcat]

The interesting thing on TALs is this:

"We decided to implement the UNISON modes in a more modern way than the
hardware. In the unison modes we only duplicate the DCO’s and not the whole voice.
And the synth also has a stereo WIDTH option, the hardware does not.
To emulate the original UNISON behaviour I recommend the chord mode together
with the VT settings."

I think I would prefer the original hardware unison behavior out of the box, with the option to choose MODERN (like on the filter).

I agree. I am a purist when it comes to hardware emulations. I don't care if the original behavior or the "modern" behavior is the default, as long as there was an option to set your preferred UNISON behavior.

It would also be nice if there was a global calibration panel, so you could get TAL-J-8X to match a particular unit, rather than having to edit each preset and alter the factory presets.

[jamcat]

And then there is this:

rsp

I saw Jim also said this:
"I've been beta testing it against my stunningly mint and well maintained JX-8P, and it's been hard to keep my mouth shut. Not only did they absolutely nail this, they improved on it in several ways (turn those DCOs into VCOs among other things). The fact that it can import/export SysEx with the hardware is icing on the cake. So freaking good!!"

https://vi-control.net/community/thread ... st-5848004

What does he mean by "turn those DCOs into VCOs"?

[beely]

What does he mean by "turn those DCOs into VCOs"?

In the hardware they are digitally controlled and pitch stable.

In the software, you can individually offset/randomise the voices, so they are less than perfect tuning, for more analog instability and warmth.

[jamcat]

In the software, you can individually offset/randomise the voices, so they are less than perfect tuning, for more analog instability and warmth.

But in default, they still behave like the DCOs?

One of the primary characteristics of the JX-8P's sound is its pitch stability.

[beely]

But in default, they still behave like the DCOs?

Sure.

SCR-20260408-ptkr-3.png

One of the primary characteristics of the JX-8P's sound is its pitch stability.

Yep, and one of the benefits of the software is that you can, if you wish, get some more VCO like behaviour or ageing if you go too far etc.

It would also be nice if there was a global calibration panel, so you could get TAL-J-8X to match a particular unit, rather than having to edit each preset and alter the factory presets.

You can turn "Lock" on and your voice tunings will be global and not affected by preset changes.

[TechHaus]

OMG once again if people are not getting paid, why are you going to multiple forums to talk about the same synth and monitor the conversations? I'm befuddled by what is going on here.

[beely]

OMG once again if people are not getting paid, why are you going to multiple forums to talk about the same synth and monitor the conversations? I'm befuddled by what is going on here.

Why are you trying to control what people talk about? That sounds like a "you" problem...