Ian, after seeing that pic...I now have more respect for you.....

I think my largest stage set up was 4 keyboards and 2 modules..mid 80's

You're only saying that because I was using two Roland's...

Seriously, the Jupiter 8 was a more powerful synth than the Polymoog, even though it was only 8 note polyphonic (4 in double mode) compared to the Polymoog's full 71 note polyphony.

I paid well over $6500 for the Polymoog (included the Polypedal unit) in the money of the day (mid 70's)...wonder what that would be in today's dollars?

I got lots of work with it, as it was really the only poly synth in the area...I did a lot of radio segues and "donuts" (music before and after an announcement) for the Canadian Brodcasting Corporation (CBC), and they paid pretty good money....I was lucky that I could read music very well, a perk from my many years of classical piano.

The Jupiter 8 is much more of a collector's item than the Polymoog, and also a very practical one...it sounds great and is very reliable.

Then again, my old Polymoog is still going strong...it's in a church (it had a terrific pipe organ sound) in Lunenburg Nova Scotia, and is played every Sunday.

The Roland SH-2000 was a great "live" mono synth, with an after-touch sensitive keyboard, and a bunch of presets that could be drastically modified (but not stored) by the panel controls. It was single oscillator with a sub-octave generator. I still have it.

Four keyboards are certainly enough...then again, Dave also indicates that it does look good to have stacks of them around you...it is also kind of showy, where you have to be moving from one to the other, and/or playing two at once...it becomes a sort of choreography for each tune you play.

I never used modules, or tone generators very much...the only ones I had were a Yamaha TX-81Z, and a Yamaha TQ-5...both were FM synths...I still have the latter.

I did use some arranger modules in later years...the Roland RA-50 and RA-90 I believe.

What modules did you use with your largest setup?

Ian

I agree Donny...Dave would make a great demonstrator for Korg...he's got the experience, personality, and the chops (arranger chops too!)...they sure need a good clinician/demonstrator like Dave.

Ian

Ian, the modules (rack) I used were also Yamaha..

I used the 81z as you did, and the 8 in 1 TX rack..I can't remember the model..I think it was a TX 802..

And not to forget the Yamaha RX120 drum machine and Roland TR707 unit too..

SH101 was my bass ...JX10 controlled the Yamaha's..and a pair of Alpha Juno 2's for color sounds..replaced the JX8p's (lighter)..

The JX 10 remained my favorite board for many years..


I tried the Rhodes and Hammond set ups....but after selling Hammond in the 60's..I didn't want to haul them anymore..

The multi keyboard era was great..I enjoyed the combinations..and was never totally brand oriented...I mixed them all..

I always thought it would be fun..to set up big set ups again...sure is far from necessary..but would look neat...

Imagine the rocket ship look of the MediaStation ..flanked by the G70, and a A-33 controller...and of course an accordion strapped on...

Hey, with that setup, you'd be bouncing the needle off the pin on the Cool-O-Meter...

The JX-10 was a lovely synth...it had what we would would call a "BIG" sound, yet full of richness and detail...warm strings, followed by sumptuous digital pianos, superseded by knife-edged Brass, acceded by warm Horns.

I liked the "chase-play" feature...very cool.

A friend in New Brunswick still has one...a very well made instrument...expensive switches and sliders...nothing cheap about it.

Ian

Yep, the JX-10 is a great synth. But although it should be identical to 2 X JX-8P ... for some reason I always enjoyed playing the JX-8P more using the same patches. Was it just my imagination? I have a JX-8P and at one time played it side by side with a JX-10 and kept going back to the JX-8P. I always loved that Soundtrack patch .... sheer heaven that I have never heard a digital synth come close to matching. I still have the JX-8P, plus a non working one that I have kept for parts in the future. It is my favorite synth. Plus I have the PG-800 controller.

I really think the Jupiter 8 was the greatest analog synth ever made. There was nothing else that could match it. I wish really I owned one now. It really is a classic instrument that marked the peak of analog synthesis before digital electronics moved in.

I sold the one I have several years ago, and by sheer luck, was able to buy it back at exactly the same price...it was in storage, and not being played, another stroke of luck.

Talk about fortune shining upon me.

I had a Prophet 5 here for a while...it was very nice, but the Jupiter 8 "out-warms" it by a good measure. Plus, the Prophet 5 was a tad buggy, and the parts for it, especially the J-wires that were part of the keyboard action, were easily broken (or worn) and it was hard to find replacements for them.

The Jupiter 8 uses some parts from the lesser synths, so it is easier to maintain...mine has MIDI installed, and upgrades to the auto-tune.

The JX-8P also looks as cool as it sounds....I like the design around the pitch bender, and the dedicated "touch sensitivity" slider on the panel...and yes, Soundtrack was one of the signature sounds, just like "Digital Native Dance" and "Living Calliope" were on the old Roland D-50, another great synth.

It is cool you have the PG-800 programmer...they are very scarce, and really make the instrument a joy to use.

Ian

I was very lucky to get it. Back in the mid 90s the broken JX-8P I have just stopped working one day. I was gonna spend the money to get it repaired when I saw a classified ad for a JX-8P with the PG-800 controller in Burbank CA for $150. That was at least what it was gonna cost me to get mine fixed ... so I just bought the working JX-8P with PG-800 and kept my broken one for spare parts. Just can't beat a deal like that.