Roland Announces JD-XA Analog/Digital Crossover Synthesizer

Roland JD-XA – The Monster Unleashed

Published on Apr 15, 2015 RolandChannel

"Analog. Digital. Magical."

The JD-Xi's bigger brother is officially announced. The JD-Xi includes 4 voices of analog. You'll find the press release and a ton of pics including some of the inside voice boards below.



Roland JD-XA Performance by Scott Tibbs

Published on Apr 15, 2015

"Check out some of the sounds that the JD-XA Analog/Digital Crossover Synthesizer is capable of producing."

Roland JD-XA – The Best of Both Worlds Chapter 1

Published on Apr 15, 2015

"The analog filter in the JD-XA has both a smooth sound and a lighting-sharp response, giving you a high level of creative control when shaping sounds. The accuracy and quick response of the JD-XA’s envelope is important too, as it defines the leading edge of the sound. Each individual analog part can have its own dedicated effect, and all parts can be processed together through digital effects such as master EQ, chorus, fuzz, and many others."

Roland JD-XA – The Best of Both Worlds Chapter 2

Published on Apr 15, 2015

"The digital section offers a diverse palette of sounds, from fat synth waveforms to crisp metallic timbres and beyond. Digital sounds can be routed through the analog filter, instantly adding organic richness. Massive hybrid sounds are also possible by using both engines together. For example, use Poly Stack mode to layer the four analog parts for richness and body, then add digital tones on top for extra spice."

Roland JD-XA – The Best of Both Worlds Chapter 3

Published on Apr 15, 2015

"Roland’s famous Supersaw waveform coming from a digital part becomes a very warm and rich pad sound just by passing it through the analog filter. Even simple white noise can be transformed into a range of complex sound effects that are perfect for film and game scores. First, enhance the noise using two TFX types, such as one for subsonic reinforcement and the other a short reverb for body. After that, process the sound through the analog Ring Mod and Cross Mod functions and tweak their controls in real time for a variety of cool tonal colors."

"Advanced Keyboard Instrument with Analog and Digital Sound Engines

Musikmesse, Frankfurt, DE, April 15, 2015 — Roland is pleased to announce the JD-XA Analog/Digital Crossover Synthesizer, an advanced new keyboard that offers a unique and powerful approach to synthesis. Equipped with fully featured analog and digital sound engines that can be used independently or interactively, the JD-XA brings together analog warmth and digital versatility in one super-creative, no-compromise instrument.

With its distinctive crossover design, the JD-XA is truly two synths in one, providing keyboardists and sound designers an incredibly flexible platform for creating any sound they can imagine. The analog and digital engines can be used side by side, or layered together for monstrous hybrid sounds. Additionally, the two engines are able to interact in many creative ways, such as routing digital sounds through the analog filters or using them as modulation sources for the Cross Mod and Ring Mod functions in the analog section.

The JD-XA’s analog side features a discrete, four-part engine with true analog filters and a direct dry output. Each part has two oscillators, along with filter and amp sections and four envelopes with incredibly fast attack and response times. There are also two LFOs with super-smooth coverage from ultra-slow to ultra-fast. After building an analog sound, users can route it directly to the dry output, or send it to the onboard digital effects to shape the sound further.

On the digital side, the JD-XA is equipped with a four-part, 64-voice sound engine powered by Roland’s acclaimed SuperNATURAL synthesizer technology, providing some of the most expressive and natural sounds available anywhere. The engine is compatible with the synth engine from the INTEGRA-7 sound module, a favorite of top producers, composers, and sound designers. This allows users to take advantage of the large library of custom INTEGRA-7 sounds available for free at Roland’s Axial website.

The JD-XA offers an enormous amount of effects horsepower for shaping sounds. Each analog and digital part is equipped with an MFX processor that offers 67 different effect types, including high-impact processing options like Bit Crusher. The essentials are also covered via the five system effects processors, which provide reverb, delay, and master EQ plus two TFX processors with 29 effect types each.

With its comprehensive 16-track pattern sequencer, users can build songs and beats directly inside the JD-XA. There are 8 tracks for internal parts and 8 tracks for external sources, plus real-time and step recording modes for capturing parts in the method that best suits the user’s style and music.

Friendly and intuitive, the JD-XA’s interface is built around harnessing the potential of its remarkable sound engines. The velocity-sensitive keyboard supports aftertouch, and there are plenty of backlit sliders, knobs, and wheel controllers for direct hands-on control while creating and performing.

JD-XA owners can add an extra dimension to their sound via the synth’s built-in mic input. A voice can be used as an additional modulation source, controlling filter cutoff, Cross Mod, or other parameters for unique effects. With the Vocoder, users are able to sing into the mic and control the tone and pitch via sounds played on the keyboard. The mic input can be used for normal singing as well, with a high-quality reverb available as a dedicated vocal effect.

Along with standard MIDI I/O, the JD-XA features a USB audio/MIDI interface for working seamlessly with computer music software. It’s also equipped with two CV/GATE outputs, making it easy to interface with popular CV/GATE instruments."