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ARTURIA – JUPITER-8V – USER’S MANUAL
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5 A UNIQUE SYNTHESIZER, WHY ?
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The Jupiter-8 is capable of creating very versatile sounds. The Jupiter-8 sounds the way
it looks, ‘sleek and polished’. It offers oscillator sync, cross modulation, a switchable
12dB/24dB filter and polyphonic portamento. It also features a superb arpeggiator. The
sound design opportunities are virtually endless.
The filter (VCF) structure is one of a special kind. It is composed of two independent filter
units, a non-resonant 6 dB/Octave high pass filter and a resonant 12 or 24 dB/Octave
low pass filter. The combination of the non-resonant high pass filter with the resonant
low pass filter, enables creating very characteristic Roland style sounds. This structure
can also be found on the Roland Juno series.
The Jupiter-8 is often considered the biggest and fattest of the Roland Jupiter family. The
Jupiter-8 offers eight analog voices. The sound of the Jupiter-8 is often referred to as fat
and crispy clear at the same time. The Fast envelopes make it possible to create punchy
sounds. This is great for bass and stab sounds in particular. The colorful interface with
lots of sliders and knobs is inviting for sound designers and producers. Furthermore, it
was one of the first synthesizers that offered a keyboard split and layer possibility. In
fact, the Jupiter-8 complemented its competition by bringing something different.
In 1982, Roland released an upgraded Jupiter-8, the JP8A. It upgraded the Jupiter-8 with
a number of enhancements. The most noticeable changes where an improved DAC with a
higher resolution of the auto-tuning system from 12- to 14-bit, and a brighter LED
screen. The Jupiter-8 has become one of the most revered of all synthesizers.
The electro-pop community became quickly convinced by the qualities of the Jupiter-8.
'Relax', by Frankie Goes to Hollywood was produced incorporating a Jupiter-8, and
players such Vince Clarke, John Foxx, Howard Jones and Martyn Ware also used it
enormously. The path to classic status of the Jupiter started there.
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Aside from recreating the original in every aspect, the Jupiter-8V adds many new
functions which make it even more attractive to use. The Jupiter-8V offers various new
editing possibilities which can result in sounds that were never heard before.
The galaxy module creates very complex modulations with interaction of 3 LFO’s. The
first 2 LFO's can each modulate a different parameter on a X/Y axis. The third LFO can be
set to rotate the X/Y axis at a certain speed. This is beautifully visualized in the interface
of the Jupiter-8V and enables a totally new dimension for sound design.
Furthermore the Jupiter-8V offers two connections of «Voice» effects. The connections of
the effects can be made inside the synthesis chain, between the VCO and the VCF and
between the VCF and the VCA. These effects can be modulated by the different available
sources of modulations such as the LFO or the envelopes. Combinations of effects and
modulations provide the Jupiter-8V with even more sonic power. Two « PATCH » effect