I think so 
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Iāve had the JX-08 for a few days now and really like the sound/feature set. Was able to get a pretty good deal on it too.
Quick question for other users. When in split mode is there a way to use the arpegiator on one half while playing over it on the other? For example, Iāve been playing an arp on one side of the split for bass lines and playing leads over with no arp on other split zone. But playing any keys using the lead part messes with the arpgeiator bass line pattern
EDIT: So it appears the arp is global by default and thatās just how it is.
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After getting more and more used to SH01 Iām becoming a big fan of the Boutique form factor and sound. Itās small and portable but still sturdy and great for live playing. A recent live jam with a friend using SH01 makes me even consider whether to get another boutique thatās better for pad/atmospheric sounds and sell the REV2. Sounds a bit insane, but Iām realizing that the sheer size and complexity of REV2 keeps me from using it as extensively as Iād want to. As used prizes are quite stable, Iām thinking about trying out JX-08 and/or JU-06. I am not a pro recording guy and donāt need the whole palette of possible analogue sounds in one synth necessarily.
One thing that is really offputting about JX-08 is that there is no knob catch function. Am I correct that this makes the fact that two envelopes share four sliders very problematic? Meaning as soon as I will jump between envelopes to e.g. just change filter envelope sustain a bit, all parameters of the filter envelope will jump to what the amp envelope was set to? Meaning itās fine for production but bad for playing live, except for when you are deciding to only play with one envelope and leave the other one as is? If thatās the case I might as well go for the JU-06, which only has one envelope to begin with. But JX-08 has more polyphony, which would be better for long release stuff even when only using 2-4 notes.
Another thing I found out when using SH-01 is that I am fine with not using presets at all on it as it is quite straightforward. This way, value catch is not a problem. And I always see what the parameters are actually set to in the moment. It makes me tweak and play a lot more and develop a deeper understanding and intuition about the instrument. Thatās another thing I have found out hampers me on REV2: I like it for its multi timbrality. However, when you are using it, jumping between layers will then mean that knob positions will no longer represent the actual sound necessarily. And knobs are not as easy to grasp from looking as sliders are anyways. It is also such a complex instrument that it is less inviting for tweaking. Iāve come to realize that I would prefer a deidcated set of options on the front plate like on the Prophet 6 and the Rolands that I can internalize and learn.
Sorry for the internal monologue. Iām curious what JX-08 users think: will I have fun and play with it or will the issues/preferences I have described keep me from using it? Would a Dreadbox Nymphes be a good alternative or would I have to fight with it as it is lacking a display while also sharing four sliders for two envelopes and offering more routing options? I am okay with sonic limitations at this point, I assume all three instruments will sound fine and offer enough to gravitate towards its strengths. I am not a big fan of cheesy 80s strings and pads per se but judging from plugins the Rolands can also sound differently. I could try out one of the aforementioned smaller poly analogue synths without having to sell anything to buy them.
Another quick question as an aside: Is it possible to live record sequences on JX08/JU06 if you are sequencing them via an Elektron box? So that hitting play on master Elektron will start the boutique sequencer to play and then you can live record notes while playing them and maybe even have them quantized in the boutique?
Man, I get it. My problem with these is that they all feel so close to being perfect.
JX-08 I thought was wonderful and clean sounding, more polyphony than Iāve got fingers, and I love the way it looks even. Multitimbral is a big plus.
But here what you suppose might be a problem was also my hang up with it: while the two envelopes can be very powerful for sound design, going from amp and filter envelopes does indeed jump when tweaking the parameters. It was frustrating to me, but maybe this is something that can be acclimated to.
I did wind up swapping my JX-08 for a JU-06A. While a little simpler on the sound design side and only having four-note polyphony, it does sound gorgeous for a little thing. The choruses are there, and I like the built in arp. The polyphony issue isnāt much of a big deal for me either as I generally ignore the built in sequencer in favor of a Syntaktās MIDI track where I can program four notes at a time anyway.
But now Iām looking at further minimizing my Roland stuff by selling the JU-06A for a J-6. It apparently uses the same ACB engine and Iām lazy at learning chords. Looks great for sequencing on the go, and later recording sequences Iām happy with into my Syntakt. Iād run arps on the Syntakt with it too.
J-6 has Great presets, but limited sound designā¦ 
I often start with a preset on the JU-06A and tweak it anyway, and Iām looking at J-6 more as a small MIDI controller more.
I was looking into the Nymphes too for a while as a JX-08 alternative. I like how small it is, but again the envelope section and the mono sound put me off. But I donāt have any actual hands on experience with it. Might be amazing.
These are just my thoughts on comparing these though! Make your own decision, I just thought Iād share my experience.
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My whole Roland journey actually started with the J6. I initially bought it for travelling and liked the idea of programming some sequences on it. I found the sequencer to be too cumbersome, but instead found joy in using its many arp modes and tweaking away. Most importantly, I was surprised by how much I liked the sound, especially how the filter frequency and resonance interact. As youāve mentioned, its also a great MIDI arp for devices which donāt have an arp or only a limited one.
That being said, I found the sound editing possibilities a bit too limited in the end and wanted to be able to change more than the panel is offering you. I would keep the JU-06a if I were you and see if the J-6 can replace it for you. You could still use it mainly as an arp for your Syntakt or chord machine for other synths. Or as a sketch pad for Juno sounds that you could then later polish with the sound editing possibilities of your JU-06a.
I thus got a Jupiter XM as I thought that would have some of the portability factor of the modules (battery!) but also a bigger interface, keys etc. - best of both worlds, or so I thought. However, the interface only makes sense for the Jupiter X/8. SH 101, Juno and JX sound great on it, but are unusable due to the interface. The multi-timbrality is also wasted as the interface is so unituitive that you constantly mess up things just by trying to do easy things such as wanting to edit parameteres of one track. I then sold it and got an SH 01a, as I really liked its sound on the XM, sort of as a last chance to Roland. It turned out that this synth and the boutique form factor is the perfect middle ground for me, as Iāve pointed out above. I also love how they look, nice bonus. So yeah, I found really good deals on a used JU-06a and a new JX8 and will just try them out for a bit. I just hope that I will be able to cope with the shortcomings of one by using it only for a specific thing, like I did with the SH01a, which can also be cumbersome but I just ignore these functions.
I think the boutiques are really unique in offering more or less complete synths in a travel friendly format and the newer ones are also quite usable after they got rid of the touch stripes. They also sound great and get along with other instruments easily without processing. Itās just sad that a few things that could easily be changed like adding a value catch mode or offering understandable PDF manuals keep them from being a no-brainer.
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Thatās solid advice. Thanks.
I do really like the JU-06A, but I aspire to have as nearly minimal of a setup as I can and thatās part of why Iām feeling like letting one go for another. One in, one out. That and Japan is generally pretty space conservative.
Iāve also got an Opsix that feels so comprehensive the more I learn it that Iām not sure I need another lead or pad type synth.
Iāll hang on to the JU-06A a little while and see if maybe in the future I can compare the two.
No kidding. That suggested value catch especially.
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the other option is one of these:
which I have basically ended up getting for most things that need to be plugged into usb at the same time as using their analog outs. Moog Minitaur being the least useable without oneā¦ but most things are pretty bad.
(it is also possible to put a bit of tape over the ground pin inside the usb connector as it is the fact that usb is supplying 5v power all the time even if you arenāt using it that is the culprit. This doesnāt ALWAYS seem to work as well as a proper ground lift though.)
second thoughts; obviously the ground lift is a much better solution and I take no responsibility for you losing a tiny bit of rolled up electrical tape inside the usb slot on your expensive laptop.
(but the tape totally works in a pinch!)
So I have the JX-08 since Friday and was able to noodle with it for about three hours. My first impressions are positive, I think it is a keeper. Bottom line: a lot of synth for the money in a nice form factor with a good interface. If you have other (analog) synths around, want one to give you the Roland sound and donāt expect one that can do anything, it seems like a good choice.
I have managed to get a little āBOCā-style lead out of it without too much trouble. I really like the interface so far. Having sliders and knobs for LFO or envelope amount in the different sections is really handy. I prefer this to having to set a destination for LFOs or envelopes, although itās of course more limiting. Big fan of the VCO octave sliders and resisting knob for further tuning - it just makes sense to make musical settings tactile.
Little surprise that it sounds especially nice for pads. Itās great that you donāt have to worry about voice stealing. Iām rarely playing chords with more than four notes, but itās nice knowing you can take full advantage of long release times. A hold button would have been a nice addition. Still have to find out whether the big polyphony is a double-edged sword though, as sounds barely fade with long release times.
Messing with A/B parts is surprisingly immediate and fun. I thought it would be a bigger mess. Big minus for me is that filter and amp envelopes are not strictly routed to envelopes A or B. It makes sense to give you the option for pitch, but itās an unnecessary extra step to find out/remember which envelope is controlling what. The display is also a bit cryptic, but at least there is one, which makes a huge difference for me. Navigating the menu is also more intuitive than on e.g. SH 01a or JU-6 with dedicated buttons.
The base sound is not that impressive, as has already been mentioned. But the effects are nice and enrich the sound a lot, not only the chorus. They are surprisingly easy to access, although finer settings are quite cryptic. Still leagues better than Jupiter XM. All presets I have played so far have aftertouch mapped, but respond far too extreme with my Keystep 37, havenāt dialed down response intensity yet.
And it just has that nice round Roland sound that I have realized I really like. It sure sounds 80s, but you can adjust presets to make them sound less obviously 80s but still really warm. I like these sounds a lot more when playing them than on a YouTube video, somehow. It wonāt give you abrasive or cold though, I think. But whoās buying it for that? You also get a nice bassy square/pulse that makes for nice arpeggio when combined with the great variety of delays.
A few things are a bit confusing so far, glad for help here. Is it normal that I cannot trigger the internal arp with my Keystep 37? So far, it only works with the buttons on the unit itself. Saving presets is also a bit confusing, it seems to save the wrong effect and not save some settings like a lower filter frequency. Did any of you experience these issues as well? Does anyone know whether X-Fade from JX-10 is accessible on JX-08? Meaning velocity decides how much is played of part A/B?
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I think I remember having this issue as well. The arp would only work on its own. Someone correct me if Iām wrong here.
(I WAS WRONG. At least on JU-06. Iām forgetful! 
)
You could leave it unsynchronized and just set tempo the same and practice timing? That sucks though.
I know itās not the same exact unit, but Iāll see what I can figure out on my JU-06A in a bit.
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Thanks for clarifying. Itās not a deal breaker as I will have an arp on my Keystep or OT. Would still be a bit weird though and probably a deal-breaker for other people.
Hmm! Works just fine!
I have the Syntakt sending over MIDI channel 1 into the JU-06A where I have the arp switched on. Works as intended!
Maybe check and make sure everything is on the right channel and cables are hooked up into the right ports? I know that sounds kind of silly, but Iāve definitely messed that up a few times.
Or maybe check to make sure that it is set to receive clock?
Are you routing through a DAW?
Maybe thereās something different there along the settings that Iām not aware of.
In my above test I am just using hardware. And if it makes a difference, my boutique has the keyboard module on it but I am playing it via Syntakt.
Thanks. I am using OT tracks to control parts A/B via dedicated channels. Keystep is on OT in. Works just fine for sending notes to parts A/B, but if I activate arp on A/B, itās still only playing normal notes.
Appreciate your review of it. Sounds like itās a keeper for you!
This shouldnāt be a surprise at all, the JX-8P was basically known for its pad sounds. 
Edit: perhaps you meant āno surpriseā when I think of it.
I landed at a slightly different conclusion. In my opinion, itās actually a rather limited set of Roland sound for the money. I paid around $/ā¬ 400 for mine, and returned it and bought a used MC-101 for 300 instead. Although the immediacy of the sliders canāt be matched at all, the MC-101 offers a lot more of the famous Roland sound, ranging from the Alpha, Juno 106/60, the JX-8P and even some of that cheesy 90s JD-800 etc. It comes with the JX and the Juno chorus, and loads of other effects, all four partials of the synth engine can be edited, thereās PWM which the JX-08 doesnāt have, etc. Itās definitely a lot less of a synthesizer than the JX-08, and instead much more of a groovebox, but Iād say itās a ton more Roland for the money. And the arp works from an external midi controller too.
Just thought Iād mention this if youāre in any way on the fence. Thereās a lot to love about the boutique form factor, of course, and you will know best what you need in your setup.
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Yes I meant that itās no surprise, not that I am a little surprised about the pads :).
I think your comparison to the MC-101 is apt. I think you shared a lot of your JX-08 experiences on this very thread and I really appreciated these takes to get a realistic view of what I should and shouldnāt expect from it.
I would say we are both correct, it just depends on what you are comparing it to and whatās your priority. Iām coming more from comparing it to other affordable analog synths like other Roland boutiques, Minilogue/Monologue or Volcas or even Deepmind. Besides PWM/shape, a triangle and maybe more LFO waveforms it has all the sound design options you would expect from a premium poly synth. An it has all of them on the front with knobs and sliders, downside maybe being that envelope sliders are shared. Add the wide variety of effects, 64 step sequencer and polyphony of 20 voices with multi-timbrality, it trumps all of the synths in its range I could think of. Sure, some comparable synths have advantages like the Deepmind with its modulation options or Minilogue with Shape control and triangle wave. Having that much power in such a small box with batteries that is still almost WYSIWYG-interface is quite impressive to me. And other desktop modules also have their shortcomings like Deepmind 12D sharing envelopes and having few waveforms or Minilogue XD only having two controls for the second envelope.
Of course it pales in comparison to MC-101 in the sheer amount of options available, but without having used that, the experience is something completely different due to its interface. Coming from Jupiter XM, I never want to mess with a Roland all in one box that buries a ton of great sound in frustrating menus and confusing interfaces. It seems more like a production rompler to me than a real instrument for playing live. The JX-08 seems to be the best effort from them so far to walk the fine line of packing a lot of things that make sense into a small synth that is still knobby/slidery. It might not be the best in anything compared to other boutiques, but the package seems most complete and thought through.
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I see. I do like that two-part nature about the JX-08.
I found this in the Sunshine Jones manual.
Page 34
NOTE:
The arpeggiator will not respond to CHA or CHB midi messages. In order to use the arpeggiator with the JX-08 for remote playback from an external keyboard or sequencer, we MUST use the System MIDI channel and operate in WHOLE, SPLIT, or DUAL mode in order to make remote use of the arpeggiator.
[2] CH.A 1ā16
Sets the MIDI transmitting/receiving channel for PART A.
Using CH A will treat PART A as its own tone module, and all of the PART functions are accessible via this MIDI channel. For additional functions (arpeggiator, etc) we will have to use the System MIDI channel.
[3] CH.B 1ā16
Sets the MIDI transmitting/receiving channel for PART B.
Using CH B will treat PART B as its own tone module, and all of the PART functions are accessible via this MIDI channel. For additional functions (arpeggiator, etc) we will have to use the System MIDI channel.
Looks like youād have to remain on the main āSystem MIDIā channel to play the arp remotely.
Staying on each partās channel wonāt arpeggiate.
With your setup maybe SPLIT mode would work best? For example notes C1-B3 trigger an arp on one tone while C4 and up arp a separate tone? I think the split point is user definable too.
Geez. Now I kind of wish Iād kept mine. I thought the arp was straight up unusable with a MIDI controller before.
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Ah thanks for that! Have skimmed the Jones manual before but not checked that. But honestly, I would rather use OT/Keystep arp then. Itās these confusing things that hold the boutiques back if you donāt have other gear.
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Excellent! Happy to help!
Yeah, I think I mentioned before but the boutiques are so close to being superb. Just weird little things holding them back.
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