I just saw a good Jupiter 8 vs system 8 video. I bought this guys prophet 5 patches before. He’s the real deal.
Is this seriously the main thread for System 8 on Elektronauts?
This synth (S8 engine) is a modern classic… 21 replies?
Strange, no?
Classic Roland flying just under the radar.
I think not too many people know what the main engine is capable of and maybe they think it is just a lame Jupiter / Juno host. The plug outs are the most boring thing about it even though they offer the best analogue VA money can buy. There is also an awesome digital side to it. FM, sideband filters etc.
I think all the green put people off? 
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I like mine very much. Rarely use any of the plugouts because the base synth engine is superior to them all, imho. It’s deep, has a great UI, the sequencer is spot on and it’s only when you start to push it (e.g crossmod) that its digital character becomes less appealing. If Roland would make a 16 voice model with poly aftertouch and copying the look of a Jupiter 6, it would absolutely rule.
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I have been able to forget my System-8 mostly successfully (until right now, damnit); as usual Roland gets so close but somehow misses. Still one of the best VAs available, and the S8 engine can do some very impressive stuff. Programming the cooler things the S8 can do sort of sucks, but hey, it says Roland on it - that’s almost part of the charm.
Both System-8 as well as System-1 are incredibly underrated synths if you ask me. I guess the green color and plastic feel didn’t help to make these synths get the attention they deserve. For me ACB is still the best form of ‘virtual analog’ available to this day.
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I got my S8 to have something to be as close as possible to a Jupiter 8.
Then I tried the S8 machine, enjoyed the firmware updates, and if I fire up the S8 it’s almost everytime S8 and not one of the plug-outs 
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Agreed. The System-1 is my go to bread 'n butter hardware synth for everything Roland. It’s also discontinued so it’s gonna be a sought after classic in about 5 years 
Loved that the 1 had a desktop/modular/rackmount version! Really wish the 8 had followed suit, but no denying it sounds a dream.
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To me Roland is the most musical of all the synth manufacturers, for whatever reason I don’t know, and as far as I’m concerned the System8 is still their flagship in terms of rich sound quality and depth. Other synth manufacturers tend to be more natural with their sound.
Mick Mars (Motley Crüe) likes the System 8…
“His wife, Seraina, bought him a Roland System 8 synthesizer as a present (“It does lots of cool stuff!” Mars says, excitedly)…”
I saw this flipping through a physical copy of Rolling Stone at the dentist office.
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Just had to bump this to say the System-8 is still a stone-cold killer of a synth. For a decade the only keyboard I allowed myself in my studio was a Moog. I replaced a much beloved Digitone Keys with the desktop for this reason. Same with a Super-6. And yet I’ve rearranged everything to make a permanent space for the System-8 because it’s just so… nice! Every time I sit down at it, the world feels like a better place.
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Same feeling here!
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It’s a great synth and completely erased my gas for vintage Roland analog synths(I have access to all the plug out models). Mine is in storage but my new studio will be going up soon and it’ll have a permanent spot. It’s also light and easy to carry out to jam with friends. 
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Is there anyone in here who have both the System 8 and Jupiter-X. I’m debating between the two. I know price point is very different, but four part multitimbral and huge polyphony on the X is a big seller for me.
I’d say it depends on how much you can hear the difference been the ACB modelling in the System-8 vs the Zen Core engine in the Jupiter X?
Or how much you hate neon green. 
Personally I really like the sound of the System 8’s ACB Jupiter 8 plugout.
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I know I’m on the fringe here, but I kind of love neon green. Haha! I have a SH-4D which is supposedly even lower quality than Zen Core and it sounds fine to me. I tend to mangle sounds with effects anyways. I do love the layout of the Jupiter X.
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I was fine with the sounds on the 707 when I had one as well, but I did also really love the System-1 ACB plugouts (SH-101 & ProMars) I tried… I guess it’s just deciding on how much you care about the multi-timbrality + big polyphony
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