Roland System-8 physical impressions

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Hi guys n girls,

I'm very far from a decent music shop atm so I can't go and visit a System-8 myself. This is the first release by Roland since the V-Synth that has got me interested again. The sound speaks for itself imo. I'm gonna be keeping my eye on this to see how things develop, whether new firmware is released and what enhancements they'll bring. Roland could make this an absolute winner...I wonder if they will this time?

I'd like to hear some impressions of the System-8 from those of you who have actually got to grips with one. I hear the build quality is good, is the casing metal or plastic? Is the keybed lightweight synth action or semi-weighted? Does it produce thonky clicks when you release the keys like so many other Roland keybeds? (I'm looking at you V-Synth). Do the knobs feel firm and solid, or are they a tad flimsy? Is the LCD display properly backlit or perhaps a bit dim? Does the synth feel good and leave you with a positive impression, or not?
All observations welcome. Thanks.

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Nobody?

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xalama qo wrote:Nobody?
I don't know if anyone even has one yet. A bit early to ask for physical impressions. You might have to wait another month or so.

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Ah ok, I just thought there might be a couple early/demo releases in a few shops by now.

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It isn't realised,may be months....earliest delivery date I have seen on line is 15th November in the UK...
Deep Mind 12 may be out by then, I don't fancy the Roland 8's chances against that unless you can afford both!
X32 Desk, i9 PC, S49MK2, Studio One, BWS, Live 12. PUSH 3 SA, Osmose, Summit, Pro 3, Prophet8, Syntakt, Digitone, Drumlogue, OP1-F, Eurorack, TD27 Drums, Nord Drum3P, Guitars, Basses, Amps and of course lots of pedals!

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Yup, it's entering the market at a pretty tough time. But I think it's enough of its own thing to appeal to enough people. It's essentially the JP-8000's successor, and a lot of people would go for that.

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Dunno about the physical impression, but it sure sounds good from the sound demos i've listened to. It's also much more appealing compared to the never ending TB-303 and TR-909 reboots. :roll: Bit pricey though IMO.

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chk071 wrote:Dunno about the physical impression, but it sure sounds good from the sound demos i've listened to. It's also much more appealing compared to the never ending TB-303 and TR-909 reboots. :roll: Bit pricey though IMO.
+1 ... sounds awesome, and as a controller, has massive potential. But def "a bit pricey".
I'm not a musician, but I've designed sounds that others use to make music. http://soundcloud.com/obsidiananvil

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Shabdahbriah wrote:
chk071 wrote:Dunno about the physical impression, but it sure sounds good from the sound demos i've listened to. It's also much more appealing compared to the never ending TB-303 and TR-909 reboots. :roll: Bit pricey though IMO.
+1 ... sounds awesome, and as a controller, has massive potential. But def "a bit pricey".
I'm very likely to pre-order one, but I don't think it's shipping until at least the end of October. That said, I want it more as a controller than I do as I synth.

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Funkybot's Evil Twin wrote:
Shabdahbriah wrote:
chk071 wrote:Dunno about the physical impression, but it sure sounds good from the sound demos i've listened to. It's also much more appealing compared to the never ending TB-303 and TR-909 reboots. :roll: Bit pricey though IMO.
+1 ... sounds awesome, and as a controller, has massive potential. But def "a bit pricey".
I'm very likely to pre-order one, but I don't think it's shipping until at least the end of October. That said, I want it more as a controller than I do as I synth.
The controller aspect really appeals to me also, and had I not just received my Sledge II Black Edition the 1st of this month, I would def consider pre-ordering this.

The ONLY thing that bugs me about Roland synths, (which I would have to adapt to) is their mod/pitch-bend controllers. I've used a Korg Karma for years, mainly for its joy-stick, which goes both UP and DOWN (as well as sideways), which is an absolute joy with stuff like guitars/violins, etc. Damn near rip a finger off when ever I play a Roland, which does not go down. :hihi:

I've also heard earliest ETA is sometime in October/early November.

I'll assume you (all interested parties) have seen this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Wqy1UQ7Cqk
I'm not a musician, but I've designed sounds that others use to make music. http://soundcloud.com/obsidiananvil

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Hehe! Yup, I've probably watched ALL the videos online :)) It really looks and sounds fantastic! None of the other ARIA/System-1 stuff has appealed to me at all. IMO the TB-3 sounds like the old VariOS/V-Synth 303 clone, which just doesn't sound right at all. They still haven't got it right.
The System-8 seems to tick all the right boxes tho, except price.

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xalama qo wrote:...The System-8 seems to tick all the right boxes tho, except price.
Ditto.
I'm not a musician, but I've designed sounds that others use to make music. http://soundcloud.com/obsidiananvil

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The system 1 has 4 voices and is very similar (same basic sound engine, the 8 plays the system 1 plug ins) you can pick one up pretty cheap....lots on eBay! I have the system 1m I have been using it with my eurorack. It's a good digital Oscilator, one of the better VAs - but my real analog stuff, and the 8 costs more than a lot of my analog synths!
X32 Desk, i9 PC, S49MK2, Studio One, BWS, Live 12. PUSH 3 SA, Osmose, Summit, Pro 3, Prophet8, Syntakt, Digitone, Drumlogue, OP1-F, Eurorack, TD27 Drums, Nord Drum3P, Guitars, Basses, Amps and of course lots of pedals!

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I can see the System-8 being used a lot by live "playing" keyboardists who need presets, polyphony and great VA sound that can cover both modern and vintage tones equally well. Upper end guys in backing bands for top pop artists, numerous TV talk show house bands, etc etc. It could potentially replace anything that has "traditionally" been done by a JP-8000 or Nord Lead up to now due to its one knob per function hands on-ness.
The System-1 tho seems to be aimed fairly firmly at studio producers and live dj acts needing a knobby controller (and 4 bonus synth voices). That alpha dial replacing the pitch/mod stick is a bizarre design choice IMO, and I haven't been convinced by the "scatter" arp function...from what I've heard of it. In producer/dj scenarios it seems to make sense as a sort of note-burst trigger/generator, but it still seems gimmicky in an "instant wow" dazzle-the-crowd-for-a-second kinda way. Might be different in person tho.

@SLiC, what's the build quality/physical impression like on the System-1m? Good solid knobs n stuff? I guess where I'm going with the physical aspect is that if the System-8 is built like a tank and will withstand hours of gigging and enthusiastic knob-twisting abuse, then the price could be justified. I'm thinking V-Synth-like SOLID build. But if it's plastic casing and JP-8000-ish, then it's probably over-priced and Roland should rethink things.

Impressions of the System-1 are welcome too. The front panel seems to be made of aluminium rather than plastic?

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SLiC wrote:The system 1 has 4 voices and is very similar (same basic sound engine, the 8 plays the system 1 plug ins) you can pick one up pretty cheap....lots on eBay! I have the system 1m I have been using it with my eurorack. It's a good digital Oscilator, one of the better VAs - but my real analog stuff, and the 8 costs more than a lot of my analog synths!
It's not the same except for the oscillator 1-2 waveforms.

The Sys8 have more filter types and a more powerful Sub oscillator + more effects, vocoder, Chord mode, sequencer and it sounds different from the demos i have heard compared to my system 1.

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