The new Roland JX-03 claims to take the sound and control of the popular JX-3P and brings it to a new age in the portable form of the JX-03 Boutique synth. Darren Burgos explores what it can do.
Roland’s new trio of “Boutique” synthesizers are mini replicas of three of their most popular and well-known instruments of the ’80s. I’ll be reviewing their new remake of the JX-3P analog synthesizer from 1983. I owned this instrument (and it’s add-on programmer the PG-200) until only a few years ago, and can tell you right off, that this new digital recreation sounds nearly identical to the original. Analog purists take note!
Because the programmer was sold separately (and it’s built-in presets were notoriously blah) many people dismissed the JX-3P and thought of it as more of a “preset” synth. This made the JX-3P somewhat of a secret weapon to people who actually took the time to program it. In this article I’ll not only be going over most of the features, but I’ll be showing audio examples of how fat, tight, and wonderfully analog this synth can actually be.
What’s changed from the 1983 original?
Several waveform additions to oscillators, cross mod, and the LFO have been added. A wider range of octaves per oscillator, a delay has been added, and best of all; the JX-03—unlike its analog mother—can be edited while receiving MIDI! (the original couldn’t when used with the programmer). You can expand the 4-voice polyphony of the JX-03 by buying another one (or more) and “chaining” them together, and the JX-03 can be powered by battery or by USB.
Digitally Controlled Oscillators
The JX-03’s two oscillators have a wider range of octaves than the original JX-3P. There are now more waveforms to choose from, like sine and triangle. With the tune knob, DCO2 can be tuned up or down by an octave, and there’s also a Fine Tune knob for detuning DCO2 for a thicker sound. The Cross Mod knob with its five different settings, allows you to generate a tighter sound by synching DCO2 to DCO1, or use it to create metallic sounds by modulating DCO1 with DCO2’s waveform shape. “Pulse Width Modulation” is also possible with Cross Mod’s Syn1 setting. When set, simply turn the Tune/Fine Tune knobs in the DCO2 section to taste. Unlike other synths, PWM is not limited to square waves, it works with any oscillator waveform type.
These are limited edition synths and stock is limited. If you want to book a test drive, be sure to contact the Paul Bothner Music store closest to you!
This review was written by Darren Burgos on Ask Audio (https://ask.audio/articles/review-roland-jx03-boutique-synth). To read the full review by sure to follow the link above
