The idea of the first synths was to "synthesize" the sounds of known instruments, giving the user the power to play different sounds (instruments) on the same machine. If we have had forums in those days, just imagine the comments we would see in this section: "...it doesn't sound like a <place>", "it is so unnatural, static, synthetic!" etc. With the time the synth evolved to an instrument itself. After some years of substractive, FM and etc. synthesis people demanded something different, more realistic and then sampling was the key. After sampling has gone easy and cheap people wants something different and a lot of other techniques and combinations of them try to get the attention, but after all, a wave is not more than a wave and it has only 2 dimensions: amplitude and time!
In my opinion the J-80 does that what a synth is expected to do: synthesize (or emulate) other instruments. Peter wrote this comment in his blog:
"By accident I listened to a discussion between two visitors talking about Roland’s new instrument. One of them unconsciously brought it to the point by asking “Did you hear this amazing acoustic guitar?”.
To me the disappointment of the show.
Well that may have dissapointed you Peter but you just stated the fact a synth was done for (at least from its definition).
Even if my interests are more in creating sounds, I think that Roland as well as Korg and the others has done that what the majority of users expect from such an instrument: Emulate other instruments, including synths!. As a proof of it, take a look at the R3/Radias or other VA-Synth forums and find out what is one of the most asked questions: "How/where can I get an acoustic piano patch?"
Hmm.. maybe you can afford that in several ways, but just in my case (and I think most of the people too) I would like to see what my neighbours and my family would say if I have a trumpetist playing at late night in my normal "working room", provided I could afford to pay himpeter m. mahr wrote:... I found it boring as my interest is not getting a trumpet sound as close as the real thing as possible. If I want a trumpet in a song them I would ask a pro to play on the track...
Well I am afraid that in that case your (and maybe my) thumbs will stay down because I think there will be nothing such as revolutionary as once the first synths were, anymore. Even such an impressive instrument like SCHMIDT's won't get you "out of this world" sounds and we will see all these ol' syns reencarnated in flat emulations more and more each time and we will constantly argument that the original was/sounded better! And that is OK for me because only a Jupiter-8, a VP-330 or whatever else can be themselves.peter m. mahr wrote:... if it were a new PM technology in which I could synthesize new, never heard solo instruments this would have made my thumbs up...