The JUPITER-X & Xm Story

How did you come up with the idea?

Miki:Almost two years ago I started to think about what a “game changer” synthesizer from Roland would actually be. I spoke with professional musicians and sound designers and asked, “What is your most favorite synth available today?” Answers often included the Moog ONE or the Prophet X, and when I asked why, I was told “It’s because I can layer two different analog patches with 16 voice-polyphony to create huge sounds.”

This sparked the idea for a new Roland synthesizer which could layer as many as 4 vintage synths, but with more polyphony—maybe 32 voices, if possible. As I continued to build on the idea, I also thought about the possibility of expanding beyond vintage analog to include digital instruments like our XV-5080 and RD pianos, and with even greater polyphony plus mixing and high-quality outboard effects.

Of course I knew this was already possible in the software world using plug-ins on a PC or Mac, but I believed it would be a completely different experience if this could be achieved with a single, completely self-contained hardware synth with dedicated knobs and sliders, and the ability to quickly layer and customize any combination of synth sounds and effects. As a synth fan, to my mind, this would be a true Roland Game Changer instrument which I would want to own for myself!

Now that you have come up with the JUPITER-X, do you see Moog and Sequential as competitors?

Miki:At Roland we completely understand that Moog is Moog, Sequential is Sequential, and each have their own unique characteristics. For example, Roland is known by many fans for our very warm pad and brass sounds, while Moog and Sequential have their own great original tones which we respect very much! But to the question, the answer is yes, even though the JUPITER-X is much lower in price, we imagine it will appeal to some of the same musicians who are interested in Moog and Sequential. Frankly speaking, once musicians get to try the new JUPITER-X for themselves, we think we have the chance to please a very wide range of synth players, including new fans for Roland!

Of course, we will continue to develop the JUPITER-X in the Roland way, just as Moog, Sequential, and others have followed their own paths. For example, as the original JUPITER-8 and JUNO-60 did not have MIDI, the idea of layering these and other sounds on one master keyboard is powerful, and we can even add polyphonic versions of classic synths like the Roland SH-101, which were monophonic in their original form.

The compact JUPITER-Xm seems to have a special purpose in mind. Can you tell us about this?

Miki:While I often imagine a home studio filled with my favorite synths and other keyboards all connected and ready to play through professional outboard effects, the truth is I don’t have the time or patience to maintain this, nor do I have the space. This experience is kind of a luxury for highly dedicated enthusiasts with sufficient time, money, and space at their disposal.

My personal dream synth is the mobile JUPITER-Xm. It’s the same synthesizer specification as the larger JUPITER-X; almost like a module version which for convenience includes a premium compact keyboard, computer Audio Interface, integrated high quality monitor speakers, and even battery operation! This truly is the synthesizer “STUDIO” of my dreams which I can play anywhere—my dining room table, sitting on the couch in my hotel room, even on an airplane! I can always have my favorite synth sounds with me for playing on their own or composing with my PC.

It is surprising to hear that you drew inspiration for the JUPITER-Xm from a simple Ukulele; is this true?

Miki:Yes, it is! Honestly, for many years I didn’t fully understand why the Ukulele was so popular with so many people. Recently, however, I took a trip in a packed car with some friends, and someone brought along a Ukulele. We had so much fun enjoying music together as we drove, and this experience completely changed my thinking. I finally saw first-hand the value of the Ukulele as a portable and self-contained instrument that can go anywhere, is easy to play, and is truly spontaneous—even more so than an acoustic guitar which is larger of course, and requires more skill, does not hold its tuning, and so on.

This realization challenged me to consider much more deeply how we might bring this same level of spontaneity and practicality to digital musical instruments including the synthesizer, and I started to sketch out ideas that would ultimately become the JUPITER-Xm. As I worked through this process, simple ideas like being ready to play as soon as the power switch is turned on and with no other connections needed became very important to me!

At first, nobody within R&D understood my idea for a portable dream synth studio, but once we had the first working prototype, the vision became much clearer, and now we have many fans inside the company!

How is the fantastic sound of the JUPITER-Xm achieved?

Miki:We invested a huge amount of time and money to develop a new system-on-a-chip called BMC, which stands for Behavior Modeling Core. Proprietary to Roland, BMC contains a large array of DSP and CPU core blocks plus hardware logic; it is incredibly powerful.

ZEN-Core is an expandable and customizable synthesizer engine running on BMC, and is the heart of the new JUPITER, FANTOM, and GROOVEBOX synth instruments. The combination of BMC and ZEN-Core are like a highly tuned F1 racing engine for sound synthesis.

At the base level, ZEN-Core integrates next-generation PCM and Virtual Analog, with advanced features such as new Virtual Analog oscillators, precisely modeled filters, ultra-fast and smooth envelopes and LFOs, high-resolution parameters, and expandability . The JUPITER-X Series uses one of the first product-specific expansions to the base engine, Analog Behavior Modeling or ABM, which is the technology behind the Model Bank feature. For your interest, the second product-specific expansion to ZEN-Core is V-Piano on the new FANTOM synths.

Different from the base Virtual Analog of ZEN-Core, the ABM-powered “Model Bank” synths in the JUPITER-X and Xm reproduce the total character of specific vintage synths including the JUPITER-8, JUNO-106, JX-8P, and SH-101, all with incredible precision. For these synths, we did deep behavioral analysis of elements such as the filter’s curve, range, and response speed, which are different for each model, of course. We even recreate characteristics including oscillator drift driven by temperature changes. We actually put a physical temperature sensor inside the JUPITER-X and Xm to help with this!

I cannot explain all the secrets of the research done by our specialized engineers over months and years, but this should give you some sense of the massive sound creation power of ZEN-Core and the JUPITER-X and Xm. And by the way, we will continue to improve the current Model Bank instruments and introduce totally new ones in the future!

The expandable ZEN-Core engine truly embodies all of Roland’s synthesizer know-how, and through the immense power of our BMC chip, can run multiple synthesis types including product-specific expansions plus DSP effects simultaneously and in real time. It truly is a breakthrough.

How does the Analog Behavior Modeling behind the “Model Banks” of JUPITER-X Series compare to Roland’s acclaimed Analog Circuit Behavior approach?

Miki:Good question! ACB has been our most well-known analog modeling approach leading up to ZEN-Core. ACB focuses on simulating the analog circuits found in vintage Roland synthesizers, and because of the intense computing power it requires, is best suited to single monophonic or polyphonic sounds and simple layers. Analog Behavior Modeling takes a different approach, modeling all the key elements which contribute to the character of many different analog synths while offering much higher polyphony. This means more complex performances and the possibility for multiple layers. Whichever you choose, both ACB and our new ABM found in ZEN-Core sound fantastic—you can choose which is best for you!

Why did you add Bluetooth, an Audio Interface, and Speakers?

Miki:As I explained, my original idea was to create my personal completely integrated dream synthesizer “STUDIO” that could be carried anywhere and be ready to make music at any time with no compromise. To make this real, my personal dream synth would need to have a great-feeling controller keyboard, built-in reference speakers, a mixer with high quality DSP effects, an audio interface for working with my DAW, and wireless connectivity with my devices—everything in one box. We managed to achieve all of this with the JUPITER-Xm.

Could you tell us more about the included wireless connectivity?

Miki:We decided to include Bluetooth on the new JUPITER-X Series to make connection with devices and computers as easy as possible. Wirelessly connecting JUPITER-Xm to a mobile phone or tablet allows you to play along with tracks being streamed from your music library or YouTube while listening back on the built-in reference speakers. In fact, many professionals we have spoken with carry backing tracks on their phone, so now they can play along with them even more easily. We’ve also included Bluetooth MIDI so the JUPITER-X can be used as a controller for other music creation apps like our new Roland Zenbeats on your device or PC.

The i-ARPEGGIO feature seems quite unique. Can you tell us more about this?

Miki:When we were developing the total concept of the JUPITER-X, our thought was to include some tool or function to help generate unique synth performances, which would also be useful when designing sounds. We did not intend to include a full sequencing or recording function for composing, and instead chose to add features that would allow for easy and effective connection with a DAW.

As we considered this, we were reminded of the arpeggiator from the original JUPITER-8. Even though it was quite simple, it was fun and inspiring to use, and would allow you to tweak sounds with both hands while notes played back. You can hear it on many famous pop tunes! It was this thinking that lead us to develop the i-ARPEGGIO function in partnership with Meiji University in Japan. i-ARPEGGIO applies AI to the notes you play in order to generate unique drum, bass, and chord parts as well as arpeggiated lines in real time, all of which can be easily transferred to an app like Roland Zenbeats or virtually any DAW. It can be used in live performance and is a fantastic idea generator—I have so much fun playing with it!

Synth fans have a very strong opinion on the Roland JUPITER name. Why did you decide to use it again for these new synths?

Miki:Roland has given the JUPITER name to the premiere professional performance synthesizer from every era; if we count the JP-8000 and JP-8080, there have been 7 previous JUPITER models. With this in mind, it actually seemed very natural for us to call these new instruments JUPITER.

We are very aware of the very strong passion that synth fans have for the JUPITER-8, and some continue to wait for us to introduce a true analog version. This is something we do not plan to do. Our founder Mr. Kakehashi always said, “Never chase a ghost,” and I really understand his meaning. “Chasing the ghost” of the original JUPITER-8 or TR-808 does not make sense as we will never catch them, and this effort would not align with our vision for the future. Roland has developed many legendary products throughout our history that came from our drive to always design the future by applying the latest technology and our unique know-how from each era. This is our DNA which will never change.

Any final comments?

I really hope every synth fan will take the time to visit a music store and try JUPITER-Xm and JUPITER-X for themselves. Even watching a great video demo cannot convey the true power, musical expression, and fun that the JUPITER-Xm represents, and when you can touch and play it with your own hands at home, I think you will agree that it may change the way you enjoy tweaking synthesizer anywhere and anytime.

Finally, please stay connected with the JUPITER-X story, as we plan to continue expanding both models in many interesting ways!

Thank you for your continuous support and trust for Roland.

Jun-ichi Miki
CEO, Roland corporation