Original JUPITER-8 Owner 
by Keith L. Nuccio from New Orleans, Louisiana, July 2007
Music Background:  Pro Musician

After seeing this program on sweetwater I thought at first they had re-issued my keyboard with all the newly released old analog newbies popping up lately. I have not had the chance to hear this program but can tell you that my Jupiter-8 still has the hottest and fattest signal when ever I go in the studio or play live. I have been using boards from the Oberheim OB-X,DX-7 era, M through T-1 Korg and now K2500xs to the K2600xs and my newest the Alesis Fusion 8HD. I sample all my baddest sounds off my Jupiter and let me tell you if this program has the actual samples... its got to be unbelievable! I grew up in the keyboard era and can tell you the analog sounds from the Roland JP-8 are phenominal!
I paid around $5000 back around 1980 for my beast and being lucky had the luck to rent mine out 3 times which paid it off. Once to Stevie Wonder at the SuperDome for $1500, Once to Ashford & Simpson for $1500 and last but not least and my claim to fame... Journey rented it for $2500 and never played a note on it. They used it to film the video "Seperate Ways" on the River Front docks and mounted my Jupiter 8 on the wall. If you get a chance look up that video and you will see what I am talking about! Anyway... back to reality... the JP-8 I am sure is a Bad Azz program and if I were you I would definitly check it out. I know if Sweetwater asked me to review it myself I would be glad to do so. I gave it a 4.0 only because I have not actually checked it out but know if it has original sounds from the JP-8 it has to be the bomb!
Keith L. Nuccio

  An Analog Classic Reborn 
by Mike Kauzlarich from Johnson City, TN USA, June 2007
Music Background:  Hobbyist

I have had a couple of weeks to put this baby through its paces and I'm thoroughly satisfied. Does it sound EXACTLY like a real JP-8? Never being lucky enough to own or play a real one I can't really say. I'm positive that an analog purist would probably be able to tell the difference, but I can't imagine it's too far off. And, with some of the added features that simply didn't exist in the JP-8, there are things you can pull off with this plug-in that would have been impossible without outboard gear on the original hardware. I've already recorded a couple of classic 80s songs that used this beast and am very happy with the results. Of the handful of virtual synths I own, this one is hands-down my favorite. One minor problem I ran into that I'll pass along to anyone who might experience the same issue: if you have wireless internet on your PC, go to Network Connections and disable it before running this or the thing will stop dead in its tracks after a few notes. Once I figured that out, it's been playing flawlessly ever since. Great product and great sales support from my go-to guy at Sweetwater, Mark Magdich!

  incredible product! 
by "Corey" Stuart Powell from NYC, NY, May 2007
Music Background:  pro musician, dj, remixer

I pre-ordered this gem after reading about it in the NAMM issue of Keyboard magazine earlier in the year. When it arrived, I had a bit of issues with playing it (it crashed on me after scrolling through some of the patches, and can't run it standalone without freezing up the laptop). HOWEVER, I didn't give up. After freeing up some space on the harddrive, I was able to start playing this baby. The sounds are immaculate; I was able to recreate the "Hungry Like The Wolf" arpeggio from Duran Duran within minutes. The only thing closer (but unstable) is my Jupiter 4. I like the added perks of modulation and effects that the good ol' boys at Arturia added, just make sure you have a strong CPU that can handle it in the event you want to enhance the already booming sound this synth can generate. The Jupiter 8 is my alltime fav synth....and it's so wonderful they've finally made it into a VST for those who may have not been so fortunate to own a real one in their lifetime. And, buying from Sweetwater is also a wonderful plus. They even put some candy in the box with it. Nice touch. Way to go, guys! Keep Rockin'!!!

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