On the other hand, I’ve been intrigued by some of his choices and have purchased my own when available, I just bought a D-10, and a while ago I bought a Rapman, but to be fair, I had one before so this was just me getting another one.
I bought an og JX-3P with the PG-200 controller way back in the late 90s and it blew me away with how great it sounded. A few years ago I got it modded with the KiwiXP mod that brought the MIDI up to spec, modernized the sequencer, buffed the envelopes, and expanded the patch memory. It's a synthwave monster now. The JX-3P is such an underrated synthesizer.
I bought into the Aira and Boutique stuff a few years ago.....and now all you do is review all my gear every Friday. It's been a love/hate relationship with Roland. The stuff is neutered and cost too much, but sounds amazing and is useable for what I need.
Only Roland products I own are the Cloud versions of D-50 and Juno-106, plus a handful of MIDI cables. The Cloud D-50 is an amazing thing to have in my arsenal though.
The cloud stuff should be better than the Boutique. But what can I do if i hate cloud? They are passing by and blown away like a candle in the Wind. So I prefer all other Brands like Behringer Yamaha and korg ☺️
@@texacomann, I have mixed feelings on Roland Cloud as a whole. I’m not currently an active member. But the D-50 and Juno-106 are mine for life. Only thing that could change that is if they completely killed the Cloud without leaving any residual support for its instruments. As big as software synths are these days, I don’t see that happening any time soon.
After carrying round the JX3P and PG200 in giant flight case since 1991 I love having the JX03 in my life. Yes, the 1/8 jacks, the power input and the sliders are a bag of shite but so is the molecular structure of my right knee. It is also so very cute and great for my small home studio. Cheers. Love your work.
To be fair, the JX-3P is excellent bad gear material. It's a very deep polysynth with innovative features like a sequencer and midi, that was slammed for its crappy 80s dial-less design. Also, it sounded just as good as its overrated Juno cousins. In essence it's the cooler Jx-8p, so I'd love to see what you do with it.
I actually had a JX3P back in the days. It sounded pretty bad except a few presets to my ears. It wasnt until I heard it with a programmer that this synth sounded awesome. Its got a few of my fav sounds these days :)
On the original JX-3P you could use the PG-200 controller OR you could use MIDI. The MIDI was note on/off only. 1983 was a cruel time to be a synthesist on a budget.
I have one. I kind of hate it but also I love it. I begrudgingly made it part of my setup because it’s the only polysynth I have that I’m not afraid of breaking at shows. And it kind of totally sounds amazing.
Very happy to see the JX03 on this show. The epitome of "Bad Gear". A slimmed down, less capable version of an already controversial synth. I own the original JX-3P and am a die hard. It shares a filter with the Jupiters and older Junos, but also has a lot of the Juno-106 parts within. Where it differs is in the oscillators, which you mentioned. It can do circles around any Juno with its second fully programable osc. Once modded to Kiwi-3p, it's essentially a budget Jupiter-6. That being said many still hate on this thing, but in my opinion both the boutique and original are some of the best made synths from a functionality standpoint. From a design standpoint? Not so much, and that's why they will never be worth anywhere near as much as a Juno or Jupiter. Think Windows vs Mac.
@ghost mall I totally agree. In terms of sound, unlike the 8p, the 3p and 106 are very similar. I think it’s all in the Ui and limitations of the Juno that oddly make it magical. I can convince myself that the 3p works the same but the way the Ui of the Juno’s work, it just becomes an instrument instead of something to menu dive with. Sparks much more creativity. If we’re talking about versatility, the 8p wins in spades with the 3p sitting somewhere in between the 106 and 8p, which is why it’s my personal favorite.
Okay but I LOVED that second track! Especially loved the added depth you got by slowly panning the high hats. A small detail, but it's things like that that make your pieces so fun to listen to!
@@theshadowsea5556 I was interested when I first heard about them, but when I finally laid hands on one in a store I thought I would break the damn thing. The Volcas are also small but their interface feels more human-scale.
The original JX-3P was a powerful synth featuring 2 digitally controlled oscillators for each of its 6 voices. The JX-03 features a chain mode that allows you to connect two JX-03 modules using the MIDI ports and create one, 8-voice synthesizer. Adding additional modules adds another 4 voices of polyphony with each module. This is especially great when controlling the JX-03 from a larger external keyboard. You can even edit the sound from the master module and control both units. Great for realtime filter sweeps and envelope adjustments
I owned a JX3P w/PG200 programmer. Bought it for $200 at the end of 1998 from a used instrument shop and it ended up being my second favorite synth of all of them that I had at the time (my favorite being the Sequential Multi-Trak). The one thing about the JX3p that really bummed me out was that the programmer's functions couldn't be accessed via MIDI. Still, the sounds I could pull out of it were pretty good and it was a great addition to my studio.
One of the best Bad Gear's yet. The original 3P, like the 03, is basically a Jupiter-8/JP-08 without a filter envelope (yes, yes, there were lots of performance based features on the Jupiter, but that isn't the point) and that is how it sounds. The original represents an incredible value, and is arguably better than any of the Juno series. The boutique, like the JP-08, are pretty faithful in their recreations, and as you mention more than once, and your great jams show...the 3P/03 can definitely hold its own...and is unquestionably 80s.
This was the boutique that led me to buying my first vintage synth, the JX-3P. Looked at all the boutiques because they were interesting and also a bit of a Roland history lesson, and after listening to comparisons, decided I really wanted the original!
The Roland recreations of their classic are VERY good in every way Ive tested them. This particular one sounds great, love it. Thanks Roland for decades of awesomeness and ty Bad Gear for your continued awesomeness as well!
..good in every way if you're into fake analog digital nonsense.. whereas Korg and Behringer have taken the lead by recreating synths of the past with true analog synths of the future instead of digital abominations.. the real magic between analog and digital is heard when you add hardware effects processors..
@@williamtell1477 ..you didn't read or were not able to comprehend my comment.. I own or have owned literally every analog synths from 1980 to today.. there is absolutely now way you can convince me that a digital (0's and 1's with empty space between them..) recreation of an actual analog wave sounds like an analog wave.. notice I mentioned empty space because that is exactly the problem.. either you want to believe it or you are tone deaf.. I own, have owned or played with a Juno 60, Juno 106, HS-60, Jupiter 6, Jupiter 8, SH-101, TB-303, Prophet 5, and many Moogs which I find somewhat boring.. analog can get tighter and 3D through external effects and digital gets wider and flat and distorts fast through effects because the 0's and 1's spread out like pixels on a tv screen.. the beautiful monitor or tv picture you are looking at, only looks good within a certain range then it distorts exponentially whereas real images that you can see with your eyes don't.. why does this matter..? ..because anyone with years of experience finds dry synths boring without effects.. the same goes for analog vs digital drums.. there is a reason why these Roland boutiques digital nonsense are the kings of the Bad Gear hierarchy..
I absolutely love how you start off every episode burning the machine in question to the ground only to bring out the best of it all in a demo to prove the talent lies with the user not the machine.
Interesting origin story for the JX series .. I always thought the JX3P was a rung *up* the ladder from the Juno, and the JX8P is the big brother of the Alpha Juno - it is similar to the juno but has 2 oscillators per voice. The 4 voices limitation on the boutique is a crazy limitation .. I have a real vintage JX8P and although it's big and heavy I do like the sounds that come out of it and actually prefer it to the Alpha Juno.
Again you've nailed it at the end and saw both sides of it - as a plucky companion running alongside bigger polys that don't have as snappy envelopes (JX8P, JP6 for example), then it works really well. I've always fancied the original, you've done nothing but enforce that desire. Oh, and you're definitely getting more musical in your jams - jam2 was a masterpiece today!
A classic movie - especially the wait for the plane attack. That's one of the most suspenseful moments in movies alongside Omar Sharif's entrance in Lawrence Of Arabia!
A friend used to try to convince me his JX-3P and programmer were the bee's knees, but I was never convinced by what I heard him do with them. I thought it sounded thin and weak. But I owned the Mono/Poly and Polysix siblings at the time, so I wasn't impressed easily. But these days, If I had this little boutique, I'd use it. For sure! Another great video that's ticking all the right boxes! 👍
This was the one I got just because of the knobs, made the same choice when getting the Studiologic Sledge (which you should totally do an episode on) and am still unsure if that was a good decision or not!
@@AudioPilz I usually like your jams demonstrating the synths you feature, but I've been enjoying the past few months more than in the past. Keep it up, buddy! Oh, I see a new vid! Time to head on over. 😉
1:36 the choo choo patch! Loved the sci fi accompaniment vids to the second jam. Roland built their own meme empire by such baffling decisions as a monophonic sequencer of 16 steps but heck the thing still sounds good and its got range! HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!
Interesting... I'm always surprised at the lack of polyphony on these recent synths/modules, especially on something sort of Juno-esque which are all about phat layered pads, etc. Talking of Juno... a review of the Roland alpha-Juno 2 would be a hoot as it's actually the only "big" synth with a keyboard that I own. Go on... you know you want... it's got lovely membrance switches, a tiny 2-line dot-matrix display and the infamous continuous "Alpha Dial". Of course best known for the "Hoover" preset beloved by early rave, but it does make lovely stringy whooshes with a gorgeous chorus!
@@AudioPilz oh yeah, I forgot it’s “worlds worst audio tools” not “favourite synth gear reviews” 🤣 Maybe I missed a video where your final verdict was “utter garbage” but you always seem to manage to say something nice about everything and squeeze out something musical! After all, look what Aphex Twin supposedly did with the Cheetah MS800! Now if you could track one of those down and even make it play a single beep noise I’d be impressed!!!
I remember reading somewhere that the JX3P was popular with Hi-NRG and Freestyle electro producers, I wish I could ask Synth Mania and see what his insight on that would be, dudes a wealth of historical synth knowledge
Cool video and one of the synths I had in the 90s w/the PG... List for 2023 one cheap small synth Behringer or another stuff to hang on the wall for the past... Have a great weekend!
Hi, I noticed that in your channel there are only 2 videos about Casio gear. Here, there is a vintage synth from this brand that has been hated a lot for its horrible display interface and programming complexity, but for me it is very underrated. A video about this synth would be great
I got the impression at the time that the JX-3p was seen as a step up from the Junos with 2x DCOs, MIDI and a polyphonic sequencer. It was more expensive too.It certainly looked more the part, the Juno 6/60 looked a bit dated when they came out. How times change.
bought one of these and a jp-08 when they came out - cool synth back in the 80]s i had a jx-3p plus pg-200 this is VERY close on many patches to a real one.
If the JX-3P had been released with knobs and sliders in 1983, maybe the Junos would be the ones considered the poor relations. I wanted to hate the JX-03, but it actually sounds really good and is, as our Synth-Sensai says, very versatile!
Oh I’ve been looking forward for this episode from long ago. So glad my sweet little JX-03 got featured, very nice episode indeed. I remember I selected it from the original three (and BT abomination) because it sounded more like what I was looking for plus it had knobs instead of those shitty faders. Still my weapon of choice for many things and thru WiDi it becomes a synth/soundcard/controller super portable powerhouse. Love it!
@@MatthewChristianMurray it’s a small device you attach to the MIDI ports of your synth and it sends and receives MIDI data through Bluetooth. Works with anything MIDI, old and new, it draws power from the out port in order to work and you can pair it with your computer, phone, other WiDi, etc.
Yet another great episode, you never fail to disappoint. :) Have you maybe thought of covering the Korg DS-8 or one of the Casio CZ series (e.g. CZ-5000)? Recently got those synths and I think they'd be good BadGear material (trust me lmao).
Cool! I own this little synth. It actually was my first subtractive polyphonic synth I bought. Later I bought the System 8 (future video suggestion?). I still like JX-03 and I use it actually as a midi controller these days, controller the virtual knobs of synth VSTs! :D
I purchased one of these used a few years back and love the strings on it. I think for the prices used, it’s a lot of fun to play. I’d never use it as a main synth, but it adds some flavor to my songs. Roland could have really done great things with these like ju-06a…
I think if you buy something with a specific use in mind (or even if you don't, but find a use that you always go to) then it makes it very worthwhile. I recently picked up the JD-08 and, in all honesty, I'm not getting much out of it yet. It seems great for pads, but it doesn't fit my style. BUT, I have found that the piano patch sounds much cleaner and crisper than the M1's piano, so for that reason alone, I'm quite hesitant to get rid of it right now.
In the past I thought the JX-3P was in the Korg Poly-800 budget-league. But in recent videos it can sound as good as a Juno-106. For me I prefer the warm sound of the JX-8P, so a Boutique JX-08 would be very welcome.
I had a JX3P. It was perfect for me in what I wanted to use it for. Mainly because of it's sequencer, which was great for the live jam, kosmische stuff that I was doing at the time. It was easy to program without the controller and excelled at retro piano and organ sounds with a bit of swirl.
Wow nice job getting some decent sounds out of this thing, it actually sounds pretty good in a mix. I used to have one of these briefly, music store near me was blowing them out for like $200 when they were first discontinued, and I returned it after less than a week. I didn’t really vibe with the sound, like I hate it when people say “this sounds like a VST” but I could definitely name a few VSTs that sound more like a real 3P than this thing haha. Later I found a deal on a real 3P and I was impressed at how warm and punchy it sounded, even the simplest patches sound great on it. The JX03 doesn’t quite do it for me like that, but it’s a decent facsimile I guess.
I remembre asking you to do an épisode about the jx3p at the very beggining of your chanel :) it’s for sure a most hated audio tools, however it’s a realy good synth, with great filters. And i think that’s why Roland did a re-edition. But the original full métal case and knobs is hard to replace. Love it !
Never owned the original but definitely very interested in the fact that the original had an associated controller that they smushed together for the redesign. Have to at least appreciate the engineering behind that decision making because I can’t imagine this thing without knobs. It has maybe gotten 20% use since getting it in 2016 but It’s surprisingly deep - and learning about these “hidden parameters” makes us excited like a kid learning about a VG cheat code. Keep rocking and subscribed!
About two months ago I've snatched second-hand JX-03 for approximately 200 Euros and never looked back since then, most probably because I had been wanting to put my dirty fingers on it for ages. From my experience this is a simple yet versatile and great sounding synth (but mind you, I'm a sucker for 80's sounds). Emulation of PG-200 (knobs instead of pinch-sized faders) just make it even more loveable. I could pass on slashed voice number but that sequencer is just an unfunny joke. 1 bar and monophonics aside but there's no live sequencing, no REC mode, just pressing the freeking wobbly seq button along with the note. I mean, what is this? Roland treating 2015 like it's 1980 again? Even first gen of Volcas had this feature two years prior! Great review as always, Florian. I knew JX-03 would land at your desk eventually!
My favorite part about the jx-03 is the LFO Delay, really nice on the brass/pads sounds, and yes an LFO dedicated envelope is technically better, but there is something deliciously 80s cheese about the way roland made it work here
omg, i think you missed your calling into the comedy biz. I had to keep stopping and rewinding to catch your 1/2 second meme jokes. Laughed all the way through this. You even had a picture cameo of Kerry Livgren! I just found out about this ...boutique thing after I searched one of my old synths and saw a post about somebody ...of course...hating the jx-03. I never even heard of this thing. And I'm an original JX-3P owner! Fascinating history too. Did not know about the 6 voice guitar synth thing. I admit , the biggest things I missed on the 3P is the portamento and midi out on the LFO trigger button. Loved your dawless jam too...now that I know what one of those are. All of my jams are dawed.
The original 3p is so underrated. I have one with some of the mods (there were several) and love it more than the Juno 60. I do believe it wasn't a "budget" Juno as they were around the same price and the Juno 60 itself was a Roland "budget" synth. The strings are great, a real shame they made all these boutiques only 4 voice. The real 3p sounds fatter, I think it's just due to age and random analog anomalies, the boutique sounds to clean and I mean more the synth sound than the chorus. Someday I'll get my Chorus fixed as it has the usual 3p noise from age.
Maybe I did not pay sufficient attention, but this video did not really make a strong case that this is bad gear. That is a very nice sounding synth, i love the bass and it squelches beautifully.
JX-3P is like a mutant Juno/Jupiter hybrid. One of the most misunderstood synths ever, it indeed sounds great. Get the boutique or the original and you won't be disappointed. Glad there are still haters out there keeping them cheaper than Junos. He did a great job showing off how much more versatile this synth is.
@@JJohnkkttran Frankly I am looking at the Juno X or anything that has at the very least 6 voices, especially when the synth is good with pads, bass and leads.I was forced to be super stingy with voices nowadays I try to avoid that frustration. Maybe a JunoX at some point in time. Otherwise I agree its a great way to get value to get the black sheep out of a virtually identical sounding type of synths
I love the JX-3P/MKS-30 sound, and enjoyed my boutique version but not enough to keep it. They feel so cheap and that stereo out on mini jack is just insulting at this price point. But I agree, it's good to have a more transparent sounding synth to pair with beefier ones. Great episode as always!
"it seems like a more midrangey version of the Juno sound" The same thing, roughly speaking, can also be said of the original. For which, the original, I would say even somewhat more aggressive if compared to the 106. Anyway, the first sequence where Cary Grant run made me laugh so much.😂 Great production and great actors as usual, bravo 👏🙂
Oh, I miss my JX3P. It was a wonderful instrument, actually liked it better than my Juno 106 that I had at the same time. Then again one voice chip was broken on the J106, so maybe that means nothing. But another great Bateman today! Good style is everything 😎
Dude - that Finale track was freakin awesome... You did a few things I hadn't considered with my 3P. (I'm stealing some ideas). Hmmm. I wonder if a jx-03 can create jx-3p compatible patch info - and if a 3P could even receive it via sysex. A jx-03 is cheaper than a pg-200, a stereoping, or a retroaktiv programmer - for those of us who didn't buy one. Research time - even though I'm certain the answer is 'no'. :) Awesome content again!
4 things I wish my JX-3P had... 1. Faster LFO Rate. 2. Portamento. 3. All four banks programmable. 4 Midi control when using the PG200. Apart from these wish list items, I think the original JX is a truly amazing synth, I have owned Jupiter and Juno models but the 3P has something special when you start exploring the sonic potential, and the filter is the same as a Jupiter 8. 3-P is more reliable, cost loads less, looks pretty, and with the PG200 is a great machine. I had the boutique version and A/B compared, the original, blows it out of the water.
Audiopilz: *slaps roof of YT channel*
Full Tracks, Extended Jams, Sample Packs: www.patreon.com/audiopilz
you know your studio is complete when every piece of gear you own has a bad gear episode dedicated to it
Congratulations!!!
This studio is checking all the boxes
I think about half of my gear has appeared on bad gear. I don't have a JX03... but I do have the original JX3P and PG200.
I feel seen
On the other hand, I’ve been intrigued by some of his choices and have purchased my own when available, I just bought a D-10, and a while ago I bought a Rapman, but to be fair, I had one before so this was just me getting another one.
Gotta love Roland for providing so much to work with.
I hope they continue releasing synths to keep this show going.
❤️❤️❤️Roland❤️❤️❤️
@@AudioPilz”we design the future (of the bad gear channel)”
I bought an og JX-3P with the PG-200 controller way back in the late 90s and it blew me away with how great it sounded. A few years ago I got it modded with the KiwiXP mod that brought the MIDI up to spec, modernized the sequencer, buffed the envelopes, and expanded the patch memory. It's a synthwave monster now. The JX-3P is such an underrated synthesizer.
Ah, the Kiwi mod. Super interesting!
i kiwi'd mine too... its kind of like a dco jupiter 6 now, give or take... the 3p has the cool sequencer... love it!
I hear you.
It is such a great synth that doesn't get anywhere near the love that it should.
I bought into the Aira and Boutique stuff a few years ago.....and now all you do is review all my gear every Friday. It's been a love/hate relationship with Roland. The stuff is neutered and cost too much, but sounds amazing and is useable for what I need.
Nothing personal. There are so many great things about the Boutiques but they always mess it up in the end
Only Roland products I own are the Cloud versions of D-50 and Juno-106, plus a handful of MIDI cables. The Cloud D-50 is an amazing thing to have in my arsenal though.
The cloud stuff should be better than the Boutique. But what can I do if i hate cloud? They are passing by and blown away like a candle in the Wind. So I prefer all other Brands like Behringer Yamaha and korg ☺️
@@texacomann, I have mixed feelings on Roland Cloud as a whole. I’m not currently an active member. But the D-50 and Juno-106 are mine for life. Only thing that could change that is if they completely killed the Cloud without leaving any residual support for its instruments. As big as software synths are these days, I don’t see that happening any time soon.
If he ever renames channel - know your gear
After carrying round the JX3P and PG200 in giant flight case since 1991 I love having the JX03 in my life. Yes, the 1/8 jacks, the power input and the sliders are a bag of shite but so is the molecular structure of my right knee. It is also so very cute and great for my small home studio. Cheers. Love your work.
Agreed!!!
To be fair, the JX-3P is excellent bad gear material. It's a very deep polysynth with innovative features like a sequencer and midi, that was slammed for its crappy 80s dial-less design. Also, it sounded just as good as its overrated Juno cousins. In essence it's the cooler Jx-8p, so I'd love to see what you do with it.
Agreed!!! Punchier than the 8P
@@AudioPilz I would lend you mine and ship it to you from Canada with the PG200 if you want to do it!
I have a bunch of 3P samples through Vintage Vault. I love the sound. I also love the appearance of the genuine article.
Agreed. It has the makings of a much better Juno but seems to have been (deliberately ?) hamstrung to place it below the Juno line
I actually had a JX3P back in the days. It sounded pretty bad except a few presets to my ears. It wasnt until I heard it with a programmer that this synth sounded awesome. Its got a few of my fav sounds these days :)
On the original JX-3P you could use the PG-200 controller OR you could use MIDI.
The MIDI was note on/off only.
1983 was a cruel time to be a synthesist on a budget.
True that! I assume playing bass in a hair metal band was not so bad back then;)
Get the Series Circuits JX-3P MIDI kit and it's all good.
@@AudioPilz But having no hair you could still roll with a jx-3p to compensate for that. 🤣
@@tiborvegh700 - I just make a wig out of patch cables.
@@ZenMountain Or sell it for miles more than you paid for it and fund your unhealthy System 100m habit.
Apparently. Talking about a friend.
I have one. I kind of hate it but also I love it. I begrudgingly made it part of my setup because it’s the only polysynth I have that I’m not afraid of breaking at shows. And it kind of totally sounds amazing.
Very happy to see the JX03 on this show. The epitome of "Bad Gear". A slimmed down, less capable version of an already controversial synth. I own the original JX-3P and am a die hard. It shares a filter with the Jupiters and older Junos, but also has a lot of the Juno-106 parts within. Where it differs is in the oscillators, which you mentioned. It can do circles around any Juno with its second fully programable osc.
Once modded to Kiwi-3p, it's essentially a budget Jupiter-6. That being said many still hate on this thing, but in my opinion both the boutique and original are some of the best made synths from a functionality standpoint. From a design standpoint? Not so much, and that's why they will never be worth anywhere near as much as a Juno or Jupiter. Think Windows vs Mac.
Nice, I'm super interested in the Kiwi mod!
@ghost mall I totally agree. In terms of sound, unlike the 8p, the 3p and 106 are very similar. I think it’s all in the Ui and limitations of the Juno that oddly make it magical. I can convince myself that the 3p works the same but the way the Ui of the Juno’s work, it just becomes an instrument instead of something to menu dive with. Sparks much more creativity.
If we’re talking about versatility, the 8p wins in spades with the 3p sitting somewhere in between the 106 and 8p, which is why it’s my personal favorite.
@ghost mall Good description! I never cared for the sound of the 8P either. (likely unpopular opinion) :)
Okay but I LOVED that second track! Especially loved the added depth you got by slowly panning the high hats. A small detail, but it's things like that that make your pieces so fun to listen to!
Thanks!!!
Ah, the boutiques never disappoint on this channel!
Classic!
@@theshadowsea5556 I was interested when I first heard about them, but when I finally laid hands on one in a store I thought I would break the damn thing. The Volcas are also small but their interface feels more human-scale.
This might be the only place where that's true.
Finally, a piece of gear I own made it onto Bad Gear. Much love AudioPilz from NYC!
❤️❤️❤️
Love that DX7 meme! I have once seen that clip, where he accidently selected the "Train" program on the factory cartridge during the performance.
Lol, even Rick James messed up from time to time
LOL - at least he picked the right one to mess up with!
@@AudioPilz "Cocaine's a hell of a drug." - RJ
You are the synth and pop culture king. Great channel.
Thanks!!!
All your little ditties are just tops! Agreed - I’d be intrigued what they would do with e D-02 reissue.
Thank you so much! Yes, D-02 should be a thing!
By making the jx03 4 voice Roland gave a whole new meaning to "limited-edition".
Lol, true that!
The original JX-3P was a powerful synth featuring 2 digitally controlled oscillators for each of its 6 voices. The JX-03
features a chain mode that allows you to connect two JX-03 modules using the MIDI ports and create one, 8-voice
synthesizer. Adding additional modules adds another 4 voices of polyphony with each module. This is especially great
when controlling the JX-03 from a larger external keyboard. You can even edit the sound from the master module and
control both units. Great for realtime filter sweeps and envelope adjustments
Well, these are under $200 on Reverb now, so maybe I will buy a second one, fuck the world!
Hey, that additional hystory section is great! Glad to see you experiment with this show)
Thanks, happy to hear that
There are more Roland products in this series than there are Roland's official UA-cam channel
Lol, true that
More Boutique! Can never get enough of you reviewing these little boxes of fun!
😀
No matter what kind of week I’ve had, this Friday fix always makes me happy. Thank you! 😎👍🏼
Thnank you!!!
I love seeing gear from when I was actively making music, as well remakes of the 80s gears
😀
The D02!!! Amazing show as always those plucks were out of this world
Thank you!!!
I owned a JX3P w/PG200 programmer. Bought it for $200 at the end of 1998 from a used instrument shop and it ended up being my second favorite synth of all of them that I had at the time (my favorite being the Sequential Multi-Trak). The one thing about the JX3p that really bummed me out was that the programmer's functions couldn't be accessed via MIDI. Still, the sounds I could pull out of it were pretty good and it was a great addition to my studio.
Classic!
One of the best Bad Gear's yet. The original 3P, like the 03, is basically a Jupiter-8/JP-08 without a filter envelope (yes, yes, there were lots of performance based features on the Jupiter, but that isn't the point) and that is how it sounds. The original represents an incredible value, and is arguably better than any of the Juno series. The boutique, like the JP-08, are pretty faithful in their recreations, and as you mention more than once, and your great jams show...the 3P/03 can definitely hold its own...and is unquestionably 80s.
Thank you!!!
That final jam could absolutely be the theme song to a 90s show about cryptids or the paranormal
I'll take that as a compliment, thanks;)
This was the boutique that led me to buying my first vintage synth, the JX-3P. Looked at all the boutiques because they were interesting and also a bit of a Roland history lesson, and after listening to comparisons, decided I really wanted the original!
Nice!!!
The Roland recreations of their classic are VERY good in every way Ive tested them. This particular one sounds great, love it. Thanks Roland for decades of awesomeness and ty Bad Gear for your continued awesomeness as well!
Thanks for watching!!!
..good in every way if you're into fake analog digital nonsense.. whereas Korg and Behringer have taken the lead by recreating synths of the past with true analog synths of the future instead of digital abominations..
the real magic between analog and digital is heard when you add hardware effects processors..
@@normdurkin6425 I’ve compared the Jupiter 8 vs the Zencore model of the JP08 and it is astonishingly accurate.
@@williamtell1477 ..you didn't read or were not able to comprehend my comment.. I own or have owned literally every analog synths from 1980 to today.. there is absolutely now way you can convince me that a digital (0's and 1's with empty space between them..) recreation of an actual analog wave sounds like an analog wave.. notice I mentioned empty space because that is exactly the problem.. either you want to believe it or you are tone deaf.. I own, have owned or played with a Juno 60, Juno 106, HS-60, Jupiter 6, Jupiter 8, SH-101, TB-303, Prophet 5, and many Moogs which I find somewhat boring.. analog can get tighter and 3D through external effects and digital gets wider and flat and distorts fast through effects because the 0's and 1's spread out like pixels on a tv screen.. the beautiful monitor or tv picture you are looking at, only looks good within a certain range then it distorts exponentially whereas real images that you can see with your eyes don't.. why does this matter..? ..because anyone with years of experience finds dry synths boring without effects.. the same goes for analog vs digital drums.. there is a reason why these Roland boutiques digital nonsense are the kings of the Bad Gear hierarchy..
I absolutely love how you start off every episode burning the machine in question to the ground only to bring out the best of it all in a demo to prove the talent lies with the user not the machine.
Thank you so much!
It's a good day when I have a new episode of Bad Gear in my subscriptions feed. Thanks for making this, man. 🔥❤️
Thanks! Have a nice weekend!
Interesting origin story for the JX series .. I always thought the JX3P was a rung *up* the ladder from the Juno, and the JX8P is the big brother of the Alpha Juno - it is similar to the juno but has 2 oscillators per voice. The 4 voices limitation on the boutique is a crazy limitation .. I have a real vintage JX8P and although it's big and heavy I do like the sounds that come out of it and actually prefer it to the Alpha Juno.
Glad you liked it!
Again you've nailed it at the end and saw both sides of it - as a plucky companion running alongside bigger polys that don't have as snappy envelopes (JX8P, JP6 for example), then it works really well. I've always fancied the original, you've done nothing but enforce that desire. Oh, and you're definitely getting more musical in your jams - jam2 was a masterpiece today!
Thank you!!!
Order placed for the D02, can’t wait.
😍 🥰 😍 🥰 😍 🥰
North by Northwest was a great movie. Great demo of the JX03 too.
One of the best Hitchcocks, thanks!
Dude I love your channel! You’ve been consistently putting out dope content since you came on the platform, keep dropping fucking crack my friend!
Thank you so much! Stick around!
The moment I get home from work - beautiful timing
Have a nice weekend!!!
@@AudioPilz Hope you do too!!
Your 3rd "Dark" jam was awesome, It had a very old school Dr. Who vibe to it.
Thanks!
Always a pleasure. Thank you!
Thanks for watching!
Roland, the gift that keeps on giving.
I love North by North West. Seen it so many times.
One of the best Hitchcock movies!
@@AudioPilz Absolutely!
A classic movie - especially the wait for the plane attack. That's one of the most suspenseful moments in movies alongside Omar Sharif's entrance in Lawrence Of Arabia!
The last jam is really cool. I love the Minipops sounds!
Thank you!!! Ah, you noticed!
A friend used to try to convince me his JX-3P and programmer were the bee's knees, but I was never convinced by what I heard him do with them. I thought it sounded thin and weak. But I owned the Mono/Poly and Polysix siblings at the time, so I wasn't impressed easily.
But these days, If I had this little boutique, I'd use it. For sure!
Another great video that's ticking all the right boxes! 👍
Thanks!
8:40 Nice Jean Michele Jarre style percussion there.
Classic Korg Minipops!
This was the one I got just because of the knobs, made the same choice when getting the Studiologic Sledge (which you should totally do an episode on) and am still unsure if that was a good decision or not!
The Sledge is super interesting!
@@AudioPilz its basically a blofeld in a.. sledge
the second of the boutiques whose sound I love, JP-08 being the first
awesome jams, too
Thank you!!!
@@AudioPilz I usually like your jams demonstrating the synths you feature, but I've been enjoying the past few months more than in the past. Keep it up, buddy!
Oh, I see a new vid! Time to head on over. 😉
"It's got the Flair..."
Well played.
Woooooo!
Woooooo! Woooooo! Woooooo!
This movie INTRO is totaly Epic Bro!
Thanks!
1:36 the choo choo patch! Loved the sci fi accompaniment vids to the second jam. Roland built their own meme empire by such baffling decisions as a monophonic sequencer of 16 steps but heck the thing still sounds good and its got range! HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!
Have a nice weekend!
Classic LOLand compromises!
It's so baffling that the sequencer step length, of all things, is where they decided to cut things.
And he's back !... I know its the weekend when you pop up! Woohoo!
Have a nice weekend!
Interesting... I'm always surprised at the lack of polyphony on these recent synths/modules, especially on something sort of Juno-esque which are all about phat layered pads, etc. Talking of Juno... a review of the Roland alpha-Juno 2 would be a hoot as it's actually the only "big" synth with a keyboard that I own. Go on... you know you want... it's got lovely membrance switches, a tiny 2-line dot-matrix display and the infamous continuous "Alpha Dial". Of course best known for the "Hoover" preset beloved by early rave, but it does make lovely stringy whooshes with a gorgeous chorus!
Thanks! A friend of mine has an Alpha Juno but it's almost impossible to find enough hate...
@@AudioPilz oh yeah, I forgot it’s “worlds worst audio tools” not “favourite synth gear reviews” 🤣 Maybe I missed a video where your final verdict was “utter garbage” but you always seem to manage to say something nice about everything and squeeze out something musical! After all, look what Aphex Twin supposedly did with the Cheetah MS800! Now if you could track one of those down and even make it play a single beep noise I’d be impressed!!!
The latest boutiques have loads of polyphony
@@annother3350 I'm a bit out-of-date, impossible to keep up with all latest gear! Or anything in the last 5-10 years 🤣
@@BigCrashTrackLoop Thats fine but if you have a shopping list at all bear in mind the new ones have 20 or so note poly
Another piece of gear I have. Awesome. Happy Friday Florian
Nice! Have a nice weekend!!!
I remember reading somewhere that the JX3P was popular with Hi-NRG and Freestyle electro producers, I wish I could ask Synth Mania and see what his insight on that would be, dudes a wealth of historical synth knowledge
Synth Mania is the GOAT!!!
Cool video and one of the synths I had in the 90s w/the PG... List for 2023 one cheap small synth Behringer or another stuff to hang on the wall for the past... Have a great weekend!
Have a nice weekend!!!
oh wow, 4min after upload and I am here! The first time I saw the JX03 I laughed out of the shop :)
Nice!
This little module is in the same league as its inspiration in terms of physical appeal. My goodness, it’s beautiful.
I wouldn't mind it to be a bit bigger;)
the horror beat at 8:24 is absolutely gorgeous, like the dark sheets you go to in a luxury hotel, so comfy sounding
😀😀😀Thank you!!!
Hi, I noticed that in your channel there are only 2 videos about Casio gear. Here, there is a vintage synth from this brand that has been hated a lot for its horrible display interface and programming complexity, but for me it is very underrated. A video about this synth would be great
Great input, thanks!
I got the impression at the time that the JX-3p was seen as a step up from the Junos with 2x DCOs, MIDI and a polyphonic sequencer. It was more expensive too.It certainly looked more the part, the Juno 6/60 looked a bit dated when they came out. How times change.
Thanks for posting! I have to check the introductory prices again
iirc Roland's 80s price range for polys low -> high was tiered:
1) alphaJuno -> 2) Juno 6/60/106, JX-3P -> 3) JX-8P -> 4) JP-6, MKS-80 -> 5) JP-8
bought one of these and a jp-08 when they came out - cool synth back in the 80]s i had a jx-3p plus pg-200 this is VERY close on many patches to a real one.
Yeah, SOS praised the authenticity as well
If the JX-3P had been released with knobs and sliders in 1983, maybe the Junos would be the ones considered the poor relations. I wanted to hate the JX-03, but it actually sounds really good and is, as our Synth-Sensai says, very versatile!
Arigato
I have both the original jx3p and jx8p plus both pg’s, they sound fantastic!
Nice!
Loved the Subscribe pattern on the DT
😀😀😀
I can't wait till 2030 when roland starts rolling out the boutique boutiques- all the features of the boutiques but the size of half a deck of cards
...or maybe just as an NFT;)
@@AudioPilz LOL
I noticed some co. is now producing some minimalist literally credit card size synths.
Oh I’ve been looking forward for this episode from long ago. So glad my sweet little JX-03 got featured, very nice episode indeed.
I remember I selected it from the original three (and BT abomination) because it sounded more like what I was looking for plus it had knobs instead of those shitty faders.
Still my weapon of choice for many things and thru WiDi it becomes a synth/soundcard/controller super portable powerhouse. Love it!
Thanks! Gotta get one of these WiDi thingies too
What’s WiDi?
@@MatthewChristianMurray it’s a small device you attach to the MIDI ports of your synth and it sends and receives MIDI data through Bluetooth. Works with anything MIDI, old and new, it draws power from the out port in order to work and you can pair it with your computer, phone, other WiDi, etc.
Waiting patiently for the Roland SEW-01 to hit the market 🧵
Lol
Yet another great episode, you never fail to disappoint. :)
Have you maybe thought of covering the Korg DS-8 or one of the Casio CZ series (e.g. CZ-5000)? Recently got those synths and I think they'd be good BadGear material (trust me lmao).
Thank you!!! Great suggestions!
Did you do the DS8 already? No, that was the 707, wasn’t it? Still, pretty close.
Don't suppose you happen to know if a CZ series synth was used in the creation of the Blakes 7 theme tune!?
+1 for the CASIO CZ-5000 ;)
@@tubthump probably not: Blake's 7 ended in 1981; the CZ-101 came out in 1985
Cool! I own this little synth. It actually was my first subtractive polyphonic synth I bought. Later I bought the System 8 (future video suggestion?). I still like JX-03 and I use it actually as a midi controller these days, controller the virtual knobs of synth VSTs! :D
Nice!!! System 8 is moving up my list, thanks!
I purchased one of these used a few years back and love the strings on it. I think for the prices used, it’s a lot of fun to play. I’d never use it as a main synth, but it adds some flavor to my songs. Roland could have really done great things with these like ju-06a…
I think if you buy something with a specific use in mind (or even if you don't, but find a use that you always go to) then it makes it very worthwhile. I recently picked up the JD-08 and, in all honesty, I'm not getting much out of it yet. It seems great for pads, but it doesn't fit my style. BUT, I have found that the piano patch sounds much cleaner and crisper than the M1's piano, so for that reason alone, I'm quite hesitant to get rid of it right now.
Yeah, it's intentionally limited
In the past I thought the JX-3P was in the Korg Poly-800 budget-league. But in recent videos it can sound as good as a Juno-106. For me I prefer the warm sound of the JX-8P, so a Boutique JX-08 would be very welcome.
Yeah, the newer ones seem quite advanced
I had a JX3P. It was perfect for me in what I wanted to use it for. Mainly because of it's sequencer, which was great for the live jam, kosmische stuff that I was doing at the time. It was easy to program without the controller and excelled at retro piano and organ sounds with a bit of swirl.
❤️❤️❤️kosmische stuff❤️❤️❤️
Oh man, hell yes to the classic monster theme of the final arrangement. Really speaking my language. 😂
Happy to hear that, thanks!
Every boutique goes to bad gear, sooner or later... Final jam is beatiful!
Thank you!!!
Wow nice job getting some decent sounds out of this thing, it actually sounds pretty good in a mix.
I used to have one of these briefly, music store near me was blowing them out for like $200 when they were first discontinued, and I returned it after less than a week. I didn’t really vibe with the sound, like I hate it when people say “this sounds like a VST” but I could definitely name a few VSTs that sound more like a real 3P than this thing haha. Later I found a deal on a real 3P and I was impressed at how warm and punchy it sounded, even the simplest patches sound great on it. The JX03 doesn’t quite do it for me like that, but it’s a decent facsimile I guess.
You definitely have to maneuvre around the cheese a bit
Thank you for what brings you joy Nid8ba
I remembre asking you to do an épisode about the jx3p at the very beggining of your chanel :) it’s for sure a most hated audio tools, however it’s a realy good synth, with great filters. And i think that’s why Roland did a re-edition. But the original full métal case and knobs is hard to replace. Love it !
Very sturdy little synth!
The tune at the end is ace.
Thank you!!!
Awesome!! its my fave little synth is this, its so limited but I love it. Glad you see its charm too
😀
@@AudioPilz roland have got me though, if they release a jx-03A with updated extras im buying it.
Never owned the original but definitely very interested in the fact that the original had an associated controller that they smushed together for the redesign. Have to at least appreciate the engineering behind that decision making because I can’t imagine this thing without knobs.
It has maybe gotten 20% use since getting it in 2016 but It’s surprisingly deep - and learning about these “hidden parameters” makes us excited like a kid learning about a VG cheat code. Keep rocking and subscribed!
Thank you so much!!!
About two months ago I've snatched second-hand JX-03 for approximately 200 Euros and never looked back since then, most probably because I had been wanting to put my dirty fingers on it for ages. From my experience this is a simple yet versatile and great sounding synth (but mind you, I'm a sucker for 80's sounds). Emulation of PG-200 (knobs instead of pinch-sized faders) just make it even more loveable.
I could pass on slashed voice number but that sequencer is just an unfunny joke. 1 bar and monophonics aside but there's no live sequencing, no REC mode, just pressing the freeking wobbly seq button along with the note. I mean, what is this? Roland treating 2015 like it's 1980 again? Even first gen of Volcas had this feature two years prior!
Great review as always, Florian. I knew JX-03 would land at your desk eventually!
Thanks!
I would love to see the Dreadbox Nymphes contest against all these miniature Rolands and Korgs on this channel...
Great idea, thanks!
My favorite part about the jx-03 is the LFO Delay, really nice on the brass/pads sounds, and yes an LFO dedicated envelope is technically better, but there is something deliciously 80s cheese about the way roland made it work here
Yeah, liked that a lot too
amazing, this one really hit on all the memes too, old thumbs up dude and the angry german unreal player especially 💎💎💎
Thank you!!!
Nice triplet feel in that last jam.
Thank you!!!
omg, i think you missed your calling into the comedy biz. I had to keep stopping and rewinding to catch your 1/2 second meme jokes. Laughed all the way through this. You even had a picture cameo of Kerry Livgren! I just found out about this ...boutique thing after I searched one of my old synths and saw a post about somebody ...of course...hating the jx-03. I never even heard of this thing. And I'm an original JX-3P owner! Fascinating history too. Did not know about the 6 voice guitar synth thing. I admit , the biggest things I missed on the 3P is the portamento and midi out on the LFO trigger button. Loved your dawless jam too...now that I know what one of those are. All of my jams are dawed.
Thank you so much!!!
Best Intro yet!
Yeah, worked really well
The original 3p is so underrated. I have one with some of the mods (there were several) and love it more than the Juno 60. I do believe it wasn't a "budget" Juno as they were around the same price and the Juno 60 itself was a Roland "budget" synth. The strings are great, a real shame they made all these boutiques only 4 voice. The real 3p sounds fatter, I think it's just due to age and random analog anomalies, the boutique sounds to clean and I mean more the synth sound than the chorus. Someday I'll get my Chorus fixed as it has the usual 3p noise from age.
That chorus is so great!
Lost it at Mortal Kombat finishing move button combinations. That one hit home haha
😀😀😀
This is a neat sounding unit. I'd totally grab one for the right price.
Yeah, that's what I did;)
Maybe I did not pay sufficient attention, but this video did not really make a strong case that this is bad gear. That is a very nice sounding synth, i love the bass
and it squelches beautifully.
I usually don't think it's Bad Gear. People hate it on the internet (which qualifies it for the show) and I try to give a little context
Very few of the products he reviews turn out to actually be bad.
"Not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good"- Run DMC
JX-3P is like a mutant Juno/Jupiter hybrid. One of the most misunderstood synths ever, it indeed sounds great. Get the boutique or the original and you won't be disappointed. Glad there are still haters out there keeping them cheaper than Junos. He did a great job showing off how much more versatile this synth is.
@@JJohnkkttran Frankly I am looking at the Juno X or anything that has at the very least 6 voices, especially when the synth is good with pads, bass and leads.I was forced to be super stingy with voices nowadays I try to avoid that frustration. Maybe a JunoX at some point in time. Otherwise I agree its a great way to get value to get the black sheep out of a virtually identical sounding type of synths
I love the JX-3P/MKS-30 sound, and enjoyed my boutique version but not enough to keep it. They feel so cheap and that stereo out on mini jack is just insulting at this price point. But I agree, it's good to have a more transparent sounding synth to pair with beefier ones. Great episode as always!
Thank you!!!
"it seems like a more midrangey version of the Juno sound"
The same thing, roughly speaking, can also be said of the original.
For which, the original, I would say even somewhat more aggressive if compared to the 106.
Anyway, the first sequence where Cary Grant run made me laugh so much.😂
Great production and great actors as usual, bravo 👏🙂
Thank you!!!
Oh, I miss my JX3P. It was a wonderful instrument, actually liked it better than my Juno 106 that I had at the same time. Then again one voice chip was broken on the J106, so maybe that means nothing. But another great Bateman today! Good style is everything 😎
Got to return some videotapes...
A nice little synth aside from the voice limit. i sold mine as soon as the System 8 came out.
System 8 puts quite a few of them out of work...
I have not really been tempted by these boutique offerings, but the JP-08 had really been tweaking my GAS.
One of my least favorite Boutiques tbh
This is a sick little synth and I'm just going to say that.
Much appreciated!
the j-6 is sweet as hell. its limited but that sequencer is so buttery.
Do you mean the Aira Compact?
@@AudioPilz yeah. they captured that juno sound in a teeny tiny box.
Dude - that Finale track was freakin awesome... You did a few things I hadn't considered with my 3P. (I'm stealing some ideas).
Hmmm. I wonder if a jx-03 can create jx-3p compatible patch info - and if a 3P could even receive it via sysex. A jx-03 is cheaper than a pg-200, a stereoping, or a retroaktiv programmer - for those of us who didn't buy one. Research time - even though I'm certain the answer is 'no'. :) Awesome content again!
Thank you so much!!! Unfortunately, the 03 doesn't work as a remote for the real deal AFAIK
4 things I wish my JX-3P had... 1. Faster LFO Rate. 2. Portamento. 3. All four banks programmable. 4 Midi control when using the PG200. Apart from these wish list items, I think the original JX is a truly amazing synth, I have owned Jupiter and Juno models but the 3P has something special when you start exploring the sonic potential, and the filter is the same as a Jupiter 8. 3-P is more reliable, cost loads less, looks pretty, and with the PG200 is a great machine. I had the boutique version and A/B compared, the original, blows it out of the water.
It's - after all - a classic
NEXT ONE ABOUT KORG DRUMLOGUE PLS !1!!!
I wanted to post the same comment, you beat me to it (by two hours) :-)
I NEED IT!!!
Would be cool to see you review some older Roland rack synths. 80s to mid 2000s.
Great suggestion, big advocate of rack synths here!
On a first glance I missed the ring modulation meme in the video. I had to rewind to make sure it's actually there.
Lol, things you can rely on;)