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Jupiters - worth their weight in gold or overrated?

I'm looking to get a new synth for my studio. I have been looking at Roland Jupiters - e.g. 6, 8 and possibly 4. Any advise? worth it or overrated junk? I'm also considering Alesis Andromeda but have been hearing mixed things about it. Some love it some think it's junk and some complain about reliability (and viability of the company). The bottom line - I want to add a real analog to my rig, any advise?
thanks...

I yet to hear any nice reviews about reliability in Alesis synths.

Alesis has a bunch of high school drops outs working for them. They are not tops on my list, that's for sure.

The Jupiter series isn't overrated. Without it some of the warmest sounds you've ever heard in cinema and on hit records would not have been made.

But...there is no need for the Jupiter with a synth like Atmosphere. It's like having a Jupiter, SH101 and Prophet in one package. And I don't say this glibly like some people say the Alesis Ion is like having all those analog monsters in one package.

Spend three hundred or so dollars on Atmoshpere rather than a grand or so on a Jupiter. You don't have to tune Atmosphere either. I've been talking a lot about Spectrasonics on here lately, and that probably annoys some people, especially since one must actually purchase it, but it really is their loss. I mean that.

No to the Jupiter IMO.

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Originally posted by Etherium Alesis has a bunch of high school drops outs working for them. They are not tops on my list, that's for sure. The Jupiter series isn't overrated. Without it some of the warmest sounds you've ever heard in cinema and on hit records would not have been made. But...there is no need for the Jupiter with a synth like Atmosphere. It's like having a Jupiter, SH101 and Prophet in one package. And I don't say this glibly like some people say the Alesis Ion is like having all those analog monsters in one package. Spend three hundred or so dollars on Atmoshpere rather than a grand or so on a Jupiter. You don't have to tune Atmosphere either. I've been talking a lot about Spectrasonics on here lately, and that probably annoys some people, especially since one must actually purchase it, but it really is their loss. I mean that. No to the Jupiter IMO.

I heard quite a few people comment nicely about Atmosphere, yet that does not fill the "analog" niche I was hoping to fill. Then again, one of the other (often overlooked) advantages of Jupiter - it can drastically reduce your heating bill in the winter time, as it tends to generate enough heat to boil an egg. I have a twitchy finger when it comes to e-bay auctions on Jupiters, yet I get cold feet at the last moment. Something about the manaical following of analog purists who self-deniedly refuse to be objective about the synth. All the frothing at the mouth, when jupe is discussed, still does not convince me I should shell out about $1,600 for a 20-year old piece of gear. But what do I know.. Hence my question. I also hear that VariOS has a soft-replica plugin of Jupiter 8. And costs substantially less. I think I'll just take a wait and see approach for now...

Thanks for the tip, though. Whoever has more info on Jupiter, feel free to convince me.

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yet that does not fill the "analog" niche I was hoping to fill

By that do you mean that you have a compulsion to buy 20 year old synths that, like you said, create enough heat to melt a small glacier and require calibration and tuning every so many years? Are you a collector of vintage synths?

You are no doubt looking for warm pads, big basses and maybe a few huge leads.

For the warm pads, look no further than Atmosphere. For basses, no further than Trilogy.

Yes, I know, Atmosphere sampled the Jupiter "so it isn't as good". Well, all I can say is Persing used state of the art Apoggee converters, 32 bit, 192k, and state of the art knowledge. Some of the best samples ever captured and 96 percent as good as the real thing.

Look, I understand why you want a Jupiter, it's a legendary synth, but software is coming out these days based on samples taken from that specific synth that essentially precludes the need for the real thing.

Sorry if that sounded cheeky, I'm just excited about Spectrasonics in general. Go with what feels right in your buying decision.

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Originally posted by Etherium By that do you mean that you have a compulsion to buy 20 year old synths that, like you said, create enough heat to melt a small glacier and require calibration and tuning every so many years? Are you a collector of vintage synths? You are no doubt looking for warm pads, big basses and maybe a few huge leads. For the warm pads, look no further than Atmosphere. For basses, no further than Trilogy. Yes, I know, Atmosphere sampled the Jupiter "so it isn't as good". Well, all I can say is Persing used state of the art Apoggee converters, 32 bit, 192k, and state of the art knowledge. Some of the best samples ever captured and 96 percent as good as the real thing. Look, I understand why you want a Jupiter, it's a legendary synth, but software is coming out these days based on samples taken from that specific synth that essentially precludes the need for the real thing. Sorry if that sounded cheeky, I'm just excited about Spectrasonics in general. Go with what feels right in your buying decision.

Tell me honestly, you're getting a kickback from Spectrasonics, right? Seriously, you got me so worked up about it ( I didn't know about the Atmosphere before) I hardly had a good night's sleep - I kid you not. I wanted to run out to the GC and get it, especially considering I know a guy who works there and I have a Gift Certificate for 100 bucks - I figured that'd be the best $250 I'd spent. Net savings: $1,250.. Bastards were closed today so I'll have to pay them a visit tomorrow. But if it sucks, I'm warning you - I'll track you down and give you a good ol'cheeky monkey beating you probably deserve. Just kidding... I did track down bunch of reviews and you're right - it's seems to be worth the hype. I listened to some demos and was very impressed. So, thanks for saving me some dough and saving my house from Green House effect, courtesy of Jupiter.

By the way, considering you're a guru on Atmosphere in these here neck of the woods, is there anything I can entice you with to give some crash-course lessons??? I'm willing to barter, pay, deal, or steal.

PM me if you'd be interested.

Thanks man, you're my hero... (for now)

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But if it sucks, I'm warning you - I'll track you down and give you a good ol'cheeky monkey beating you probably deserve. Just kidding

Hehe, well, if it comes about that you don't like it, then you will likely be in the minority because I've never seen anything negative written about it.

Let's us know what you think. I've already posted a few good tips on getting leads in the "Spectrasonics Atmoshpere demo" thread. When I collect some more I'll PM them.

One I can think of off-hand is that for the leads, use some quality compression like Vintage Warmer or C1 to add even more bite to them.

Tweak the cutoff and resonance of the Super Moog Bass preset, then go nuts on your filter and you'll get the classic ronski speed/above & beyond/midway type Acid squeals.

Will give that one a try. One thing I failed to mention earlier is that it is generally not a good idea to attempt to make a lead out of the bass sounds in Atmo. Persing said himself that because the bass sounds weren't sampled in the upper-frequencies they aren't that amenable to being molded into lead sounds.

Most everything else is fair game though.

Hey Cynemph, I like your banner, I helped form the Chuck Palahniuk fan club in Boston.

By the way, I think we should rename this thread to "Don't buy a Jupiter, buy Atmosphere" or something like that. Probably not many people are looking at it because of the current title.

http://www.flamevault.com/~celerity...sp_Spotting.mp3

Latest track of mine, featuring the wonderful atmosphere all over it. The only things NOT made with atmosphere in this track are the beats and the main chime lead. Should give you a pretty good idea how versatile this beast is.

The advantage of getting a synth like Jupiter is that you can make your own sounds and not sound like everybody else

You could buy any new VA for the same price as a used Jupiter 6 or 8 and not have to worry about it not working (gotta love warranties).

Or you could go out and buy a new Analog synth like a small modular or a Macbeth or something, theya run about $1,500 and up.

A good softsynth is a no-brainer too, but hardware gets the juices flowing.

Is it so hard to answer his question?

Jupiter 6 will blow any VA and softsynth away in terms of warmth. That is a fact. Just compare a virus pad with a jupiter pad and hear the difference. (and yes I do also like the virus pads) . If this is what you want then do a search and read all reviews on the net and find out it's a kickass synth.
The only pain with these old machines is that they have limited midi implementation..

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Is it so hard to answer his question?

Umm...

quote:

The Jupiter series isn't overrated. Without it some of the warmest sounds you've ever heard in cinema and on hit records would not have been made. But...there is no need for the Jupiter with a synth like Atmosphere.

Let me revise that, there is little need for a Jupiter.

quote:

By that do you mean that you have a compulsion to buy 20 year old synths that, like you said, create enough heat to melt a small glacier and require calibration and tuning every so many years? Are you a collector of vintage synths? You are no doubt looking for warm pads, big basses and maybe a few huge leads. For the warm pads, look no further than Atmosphere. For basses, no further than Trilogy. Yes, I know, Atmosphere sampled the Jupiter "so it isn't as good". Well, all I can say is Persing used state of the art Apoggee converters, 32 bit, 192k, and state of the art knowledge. Some of the best samples ever captured and 96 percent as good as the real thing. Look, I understand why you want a Jupiter, it's a legendary synth, but software is coming out these days based on samples taken from that specific synth that essentially precludes the need for the real thing.

Sorry, but I think this is answering the question. I'm not saying softsynths can emulate a Jupiter, but I am saying that pristinely recorded samples can come very, very close.

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Originally posted by Etherium Umm...

His question clearly says he wanted to add an analog synth to his setup.

quote:

Let me revise that, there is little need for a Jupiter. Sorry, but I think this is answering the question. I'm not saying softsynths can emulate a Jupiter, but I am saying that pristinely recorded samples can come very, very close.

That is your opinion, not mine , older analog synths have those imperfections (like the osc that is not always stable) that make them fatter than any VA + DIGITAL filters will never be as warm as analog ones. The flagship waldorf Q added an analog filtermodule for adding warmth. Samples can emulate some sounds but certainly not all (like modulating pwm's which still produce the fattest pads)
And then again there is the fun of the HANDS ON interface with dedicated sliders etc.. better than clicking a mouse imho + much easier than having 187 softsynths running when going live
but who am I?

quote:

Originally posted by TraNcerke His question clearly says he wanted to add an analog synth to his setup. That is your opinion, not mine , older analog synths have those imperfections (like the osc that is not always stable) that make them fatter than any VA + DIGITAL filters will never be as warm as analog ones. The flagship waldorf Q added an analog filtermodule for adding warmth. Samples can emulate some sounds but certainly not all (like modulating pwm's which still produce the fattest pads) And then again there is the fun of the HANDS ON interface with dedicated sliders etc.. better than clicking a mouse imho + much easier than having 187 softsynths running when going live but who am I?

Hmm... I do appreciate all the feedback. So far, I got an Atmosphere for mere $229 - peanuts, comparing to what Jupiter costs. I haven't tried it yet, but my fingers are itching. The only concern I have is that it's a memory hog.

I will have to wait for a Jupiter to be available to try before I commit 1,500 of my cash. On the other hand, alesis andromeda may just fit the bill nicely.

I have used both the jupiter 6 and 8. Jupiter 8 doesn't come stock with midi, you need a kit for it. The Jupiter 6 does , but it has less polyphony. They both kickass, Atmosphere is a wise choice for the price but I would love a jupiter. I would get a MKS80 Super Jupiter its a sound module version.

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