Roland JX-08 vs JX-8P | There will be blood...

video upload by Espen Kraft

"Can the new Roland JX-08 Boutique replace the classic JX-8P synthesizer?
More polyphony, more memory, a sequencer, arpeggiator and more. Is this enough for the 08 to beat the classic? Can the sound match up?

The JX-08 has no Sysex abilities, so it cannot import patches nor be used as a controller for the 8P. It cannot do Unison detune, so forget those extra fat patches. The envelopes are very different, and the filter does not sound the same.
You can dial in different effects settings, including parameters to mimic the classic 8P chorus, but again it's not enough to make the 08 sound good enough in my opinion.

I've taken all my custom made patches for the 8P and programmed them into the 08 and I've taken all parameters into consideration when doing this, but since so much of the sound engine of the 08 sounds so different, it's impossible to get any exact match for a lot of sounds. Some are easier than others, while some sound very different even if the settings match up, if you know what I mean.
The demo track uses these patches. They're on both machines and are triggered over MIDI. All external reverb is applied the same to both machines. I use only chorus from the 8P and 08 respectively, set up to match. The PG-8X has the 8Ps sysex loaded into it.

Another big annoyance of the JX-08 is there's no way to power this except over USB. This is a big mistake as it means ground hum and noise you'll have to use Di-boxes to get a clean recording signal. Not all of us love USB, I hate USB myself and want as little of this as possible.

* the story about the dead grandmother was fiction to illustrate my point. This is NOT legal i Norway."