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Average rating:
4.8 out of 5
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Dont know why people selling this for a handfull bugs, just to buy another virtual crap. I bought my first one a month ago on ebay after using a JV 1080 a couple of years. The sonic qualities of the JD-990 are just amazing, far beyond the (superb) JV's as Luca mentioned in the master review. This is the outstanding studio sound I ever wanted! The only cons is the limited voice architecture (24 voices). But this is no reason to rate this machine lower than 5. Just an hour ago I bought my 2nd one :-) Now I have one with "Vintage SR-JV04" expansion and one with "World SR-JV05" expansion and the Techno soundset of SOR (www.sounds-of-revolution.com). And with Sysex-mapping on Logic I could easy remap PG-1000 (D50 programer) sliders to the JD-990 (what a fun, like having an extended JD800!). No doubt, this IS a classic and maybe some day I'll get my 3rd one. There is nothing to compare with it. Dont wait! Get one!!
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i bought one just to try it out (w/vintage expansion, and for a very reasonable price), but didn�t expect i�d like it this much. as a user of vco-type old analogue synths, i wouldn�t say it sounds like real analogue with all the quirks and grit. i once owned an mks-70 but sold it because of its coldish dco sound. this module imho shouldn�t be judged as a preset synth / analogue imitator. it should be loved because it sounds very right in its own way, and i don�t care how it generates its sounds...it shines when used for unobtrusive warm background textures and strings, but you can also make absolutely stunning modular patches that sound very clean and expensive. i actually like its halfway anlogue-digital sound, it enriches my palette. sometimes i don�t understand the stupidity of the market, like you can buy sth like this in mint condition for the price of a softsynth...
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very comprehensive editing here. lovely advanced features like modulation fade in time, analogue feel (adds random instability), ring and cross modulation. the menu is quite helpful, any synth this complex will not be very easy to edit, but it�s logical enough and in no time you should be able to program sounds even without a manual. i use mine stacked with a kawai k4, and find they complement each other well, the kawai adding some midrange grit. quite amazing. don�t judge either of these two great machines by their presets, because they are a) lame b) way too low volume c) hardly use the resonance to its full capability. sometimes i stack it with my jupiter 6 and get the best of both worlds. it�s funny how affordable older technology becomes. this should be worth 600 Euros.
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For all it's faults, I still love the JD-990. Faults = 24 note polyphony (at best)... closer to 8-10 notes on complex sounds, sometimes it is a bit tricky to edit (rocket science), etc (read the other commentaries on this site for other downsides of the 990. But it is still an addiction soundwise. I've owned 4 over the years and after welling the last one I thought I'd sworn off 990's for good... but as luck would have it a few months ago someone sold one on E-bay with the Vintage Board for $250 Buy it Now, so I bought it. I went right back to hating it when I tried to program it though (JP-8080 is much, much easier (especially if you are a keyboardist from the 70's). Searching E-bay to find a good selling price for it I stumbled across another less-than-bright individual selling a JD-800 for $450, so instead of selling it I bought the 800 to use as a programmer for the 990 (not to mention all the great things you can do with the 800). So with easy editing and the extra 256 sounds on the Vintage Synth expansion (only accessible) on the 990, I've decided to keep it and will be adding a few more as well (JD-990's can be linked together and used as a single synthesizer... the owners manual says you can link 4, but Roland says it's actually 8). If you decide to control you 990 with a JD-800, here is the settings you will need: Set the JD-990 "RX-Exclusive" to "ON 2" Set the JD-800 "TX Edit Data" to "ON" Warning: Do Not turn off the JD-800 or you will have to reset the TX Edit Data to "on" each time.
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I don't think the 990 will be a classic, though I will agree the 800 will. The 990 has some extra features but is not an easy unit to work with regardless of it's big screen. The 800 is so much more fun and intuative. You will have great fun. As a module the 990 is ageing.
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