Having spent over an year with my JD-XA, I've come to quite a different conclusion than Nick briefly described the filters of this absolutely wonderful synthesizer: In fact, a French reviewer once wrote in a French magazine somewhat like as follows, and I strongly agree with him: "…Roland spoils us by giving us the choice between a 4-pole low-pass filter to OTA type (Juno/JP/Jupiter 8), a 4-pole low-pass transistor ladder type (Moog), and a 2-pole low-pass/band-pass/high-pass type (SEM). These filters are extremely good, and each of the 3 filters is very distinctive from each other if you listen to them by moving the controller knobs very, very carefully: the LPF-1 respects the signal when the resonance is pushed, and it is undeniably Roland, which is a very good thing. The LPF-2 crushes a little in a very pleasant musical way, and it passes faster to the self-oscillation than the LPF-1, with a very different coloration. The LPF-3 starts in self-oscillation in a wild, completely uninhibited way, oscillating into all directions as soon as it reaches self-oscillation with a yet very different coloration. These filters are frankly one of the highlights of the JD-XA, in addition to a very flexible oscillator section." In fact, if you have spent quite some time with the JD-XA, you may start feeling that the filters of other analog synthesizers such as the Prophet-6 and the OB-6 to be a little too safe and too sterile. (Yes, I have Prophet-6 and OB-6 to compare side by side, as well as Prophet Rev2 (the notorious Curtis Filter on a chip) and Prophet X (David Rossum's new analog chip SSI2144), plus MatrixBrute (Steiner Parker filter and Moog-style filter), Moog Voyager XL, etc.)

Ive had one for a several years and I’ve had 45 roland synths over the years, this one is actually one of my faves.

Quite underrated from my experience. I have owned one for over a year now and its quite the deep synth once you dig in and capable of far more than a cursory glance over would indicate.

Nick, please consider doing a video of whatever length tickles your fancy (though longer = better) of you just playing this thing. It sounds fantastic and your playing really shows what this thing is capable of. You can get Gaz in on it too if you want.

The look of it reminds me of the 1966 Batmobile.

I just bought my JD-XA! What an amazing machine! The Pads are so much fun. :) Take care, Sam.

I love sincere reviews like this one. A lot of guitar Magazines or channels feel like mere advertisers compared to this. Great job!

Just ordered mine. Can’t wait to experience this amazing machine. I love customization and this quite the experience!

Thank You! This was a really fantastic intro inspirational video into using my new JD-XA!

This synth turned out to be quite incredible. Thank god they never fixed LPF3, it's just insane.

I think Roland are getting back on track. Though maybe not a visible color, it certainly looks great in red and black, rather than a very unpopular neon green. With RGB becoming so popular, it won't be long for that. Congrats to all who criticized Roland as a maker of ROMplers, etc. They eventually listened and responded to you.

I'm sold. Despite the issues, I'm not buying anything else for the next few months until this is in my hands. Great review of the analog, Nick, really looking forward to the next installments. Now, back to my Xi!

I ordered a JD-XA back in April. I wonder what the final product will be like. One suspects their engineers are looking at pre production complaints and will fix some of these seeming minor problems. Am looking foreward to it's release none the less. Thanks for the best demo I've seen to date on this product. Kudos.

Things learned from watching these videos: it is really easy to make really annoying sounds :P But it is really informative to watch, really enjoy it. Love how knowledgable the presenter is :)

The poly stack 4-voice + FX sound at around 5:00 is amazing. Lush, detailed, interesting, creamy. It's really nice I think.

I finally got this thing after 4 months of waiting. It is an incredible sound sculpting engine. It's menu driven operating system is a bit cumbersome to use. Just touching the knobs or sliders brings up parametric values (on the display) which is nice. This instrument requires practice to get proficient with however. Quality of construction is good. I hope it is a success. $2200 retail in U.S.

Good review of Roland JD-XA Analogue Engine.

Yay for sine! And that pulse width sounds sweet!

Getting close Roland. We are ready for a full classic analog. Thanks for finally listening to your "classic" consumer base.

Incredible demo as always from Nick-Thank You!

That ringmod/cross mod sounds great. Very impressed

I want this...now...good review ❤️👊🏼

Great review there Nick, looking forward to the next part. mine is on order - screwdriver at the ready.

It's in partnership with Alienware... :)

No problem with the design, the fingerprints and dust are exaggerated by the video lights. I've had an FA-08 for the past year that looks as shiny and new as the day I opened it. Clean hands before practicing, cover at night, don't look at it under video lights and you'll be happy as a clam.

Great demo. I'd love to hear a bit more about how saving/loading presets works. I like being able to have a few different ideas readily available without button pressing x number of times to get to the right preset.

Hope to see a combination of the analog and the digital parts in the next review. In itself the analog section is good, but not great. I'm guessing the power of this synth lies in combining the Analog and Digital parts together. So I'm curious to see how the two engines complement each other.

I purchased the synth graphic skins for mine. Wow does it all look and show up better with a Matt finish.

Instantly the best sound demo's done so far :)

So when you use multiple voices on the analog territory, can you have a different cutoff for each voice, or is it the same for each voice? The same for other controls, such as LFO settings, etc.? What can you do with velocity and aftertouch for analog? I like the sound of the effects. I'm not crazy about the fingerprint-happy panel. :(

Nice review, looking forward to the next instalment :) Doesn't make me wanna rush out & buy one just yet though.... Oh that design :-(

I just got my two XAs - both have the LPF3 behaviour as in the video. So either it 'behaves as designed' or Roland were misleading Nick saying it was only evident on pre-production models...

How are stored patches scrolled through? Up and down? Any ideas of the live performance capabilities?

Nick. Fun Friday this beast.

great demo. At it's price point it needs to be held accountable for some over sights, but it's sound is pretty incredible.Gonna keep watching

Hi Nick! Will it be possible to edit the Integra FROM the JD-Xa? Thanks for all your effort! //val

I have heard lots of people talk about the layering, but I am curious about splitting. Can you show some of the options for splitting between analog and digital parts?

What the different in the digital part compared to the Integra 7? The poliphony Iam sure, but how many patches we get? Supernatural synth tones? Can You do a bit deeper review on the digital part?

The shiny surface is annoying, especially under lights, but not a huge deal once you get used to the interface. Keep one of those tablet-cleaning cloths handy. Like you, I found myself squinting a bit to see labels on the controls in the darker room for the Roland preview at summer NAMM. But the individual controls are lit, which is really nice for tweaking under low light, once you know what control is what. But it sounds fantastic. It's really nice to see Roland doing something new and interesting here. Great review and demo.

I must be a bit thick today but I still don't get the structure of the analog part. Does the XA have four independent voices with two oscillators, a filter and envelopes per voice that can be adressed seperatedly or is it just two oscillators that can be played with up to four-voice polyphony?

What preset are you using at 15:19? I would really want to replicate that sound.

This might seem a silly question but how does this compare to Dominion 1 or sub 37 in terms of analogue sound build structure and key response ..I do have a nice reverb and delay already. I can only afford 1 out of these 3.

Have they resolved the LPF3 gain issue yet? Anyone has noticed any change in LPF3/BPF behaviour? Thanks!

Is this an independent keyboard? like... with samples and beats already on it? looking for a thing like i can make a track only with the keyboard (vocals also)... this one is pretty good.

Excellent review as always! I'm really looking forward to the review of the digital side, because I can't really find much specification on this unit's implementation of the supernatural engine... The JD-XI seems to have PCM, but this doesn't (which would be fine, but)... I see that "Variation" wave, and I'm wondering if there are a bunch of wavetables beyond just the standard waves (and whether they are real modulatable wavetables or just different waves), or whether the digital side is only standard waves.

Hello! How does this instrument feel in terms of quality? I mean, knobs? Keyboard? Especially keys. Thank you for response in advance!

Thank you for the review. I think you have the best reviews on you tube. I just have a question: Can you compare it with the Sequential Prophet 6? Are they similar, or they are apples and oranges? Thanks again.

Hi Nick, I was thinking of picking one fo these up and so revisited your review... and I live that patch you put together toward the end when you add the FX. Reminds me of an old Roland patch called potties pixie from the fantom family but sound so much nicer on the jdxa. Can you roughly remember how you constructed it, I’m somewhere near but just can’t just seem to get the envelope/lfo right. Trying to recreate on ultranova.

Thanks for the review Nick, nice sounding synth. However, in the next part, could you explain a little more around the sequencer? I bought a JD-Xi recently, and the sequencer is very underwhelming in the lack of an event editor. (Yeah, I know it's a cheap device.) I miss the hardware sequencer of my old W-30.

I actually liked that weird 12db filter sound. Similar to what I get from the doepfer Wasp filter. I would be nice if you could still get that, but maybe just at the end of the gain, or maybe with full Drive.

This keyboard sounds like a updated version of Casio's XW series keyboards with a lot of knobs and sliders. Which one is better to operate?

Shades of the old JD-800...This, and a workstation like the old (discontinued) Fantom would make my day!

Hello - very great Demo of a very great Synthi - nice time : )

Really nice sounding. The lack of a data entry knob/wheel is almost a deal breaker though

you say the digital works in paraphonic as there are more digital voices than analog. but you are still able to use 2 analog DCO's and 1 digital Oscillator in a 4 voice mode yes? (digital aspect just acting as a third oscillator on each of the 4 voices?) thanks for the wonderful video nick.

Spent 3 hours with this thing at a DJ store after having watched many KZfaq vids. I was really intrigued to see it and experiment with it in the flesh. First impression was that it looked beautiful in the flesh and was larger than I expected (compared to the jd-Xi).Very frustrating/ disappointing to start with... But... When you figure it out, how to edit the individual analogue voices, and how to tap into the 450 digital tones and really layer all the voices it is seriously impressive. I'm no expert on sequencers (re the negative feedback), but in my opinion worth the purchase for the gorgeous multi timbal pad/ string/ mechanical clatter sounds and the arpeggiator. You could produce some beautiful music with this thing if it's full potential is harnessed. I think this review is harsh and underrates it.

And I would be really happy to know how hard or easy is it programmed? Lots of things on the front panel, but Nick mentioned some menu-diving..

Hi Nick, Could you give us some info about build quality/feel in the next please. Thanks

Hello, can we find out, we still didn't understand, you can play them regardless of the computer, laptop, sequencers, programs on the xa rolonda roland jd-ha

Is it two Oscilators per part or one per part

Is there a way to turn off the knob/fader lights?

what is the comparison to the Dave Smith Pro 2?

Just quick question, what interface/soundcard have you used to record this synth? :)

holy smokes... it sounds REALLY good.

(another thing you can mention is that the JD-Xi and JD-XA are Roland's first analog synths since the MKS80 and the JX10 which I believe were the last ones marketed up until 1988 or something like that - I think they were in the brochure Roland Keyboards 10 (which also featured D-10/D-20 etc) - have it somewhere...)

The analogue section of this synth, has many similarities to the old Yamaha CS30 (1977-1979) especially the modulation that is available. it even sounds a quite like it. It's like Roland looked at a CS30 and said how can we

LFOs MIDI/sequencer clock syncable? Shiny knob-top look hard to see in stage conditions.. even once you learn to use it by motor memory, you still have to see the setting.

I recently bought a JD-XA and it's a great versatile synth. However, the filter issue hasn't been fixed yet.

any more JD-XA reviews coming?

Does it have a drum track like the JD-Xi?

Thanks Nick!

The thing sounds good! But does it sound $2200 good? Not sure.

can you dim the led's?

Sounds great - How do you keep the dust from sticking to the plastic ?

That sound @ 15.20 is gorgeous...

Nick, could you make a bit longer demo without talking, just playing through sounds?

For the digital part review, I'd be glad to have some information about the available waveforms apart from the typical saw and square types. Are there PCM waves for bread and butter sounds or is this Maschine basically an analogue / VA hybrid?

Finally picked one of these up and I LOVE that crazy third filter. I use that one the most. But I like more gnarly, or "nasty" as Starsky would probably say, sounds. I don't expect Roland to return to analog so this might very well be their last for a while. It's not particularly big or beefy and the filters are rather dull compared to the One, Matriarch, Pro 2, etc but that's not what this synth does best. I find this weirdo to be best for ugly sounds. Yeah, it has all those "super saw" presets but I've heard all that more times than I need to. I like this synth for what it is. One preset with a possible 20 oscillators, 16 filters, 20 lfos, 48? egs, effects, ring mods, cross mods, arps, etc. Pretty nutty. The analog polyphony does not bother me at all. I far prefer to make 4 totally different analog parts and arrange them on the keybed in a far more interesting 4 note paraphonic setup. The menu diving is definitely the most annoying for me. The glossy finish looks 100 years old after 2 days of dust but I kind of love the look. It looks like Gary Numan - Telekon.

Sounds very good.

What’s your opinion today? On the JD-XA

Sounds fantastic. It sounds really good, especially the filters, love how the 12db broke up and freaked out. Pity about the keyboard. $2200 for something without polyphonic aftertouch... and a synth engine that will respond to it... Bizarre. I guess why put it on there if the end result is just going to be compressed and hard limited to 0.0001 db dynamic range anyway, right? Always enjoy these videos though. Thanks for making them.

Is it multitimbral ,can you set different midi channels to say the analogue section and digital section

I think the analog part sounds really good, but only 4 voices are not enough.. If it had at least 6 voices, I would buy one in a minute.. Cmon roland, build a 5 octave 8 voice version, just with the analog part..

That white JD-XA is for Hardwell's ghost producer i presume ?

Im in between the Prophet 6 and the JD-XA. Does anyone have any suggestions on which one to get? I make melodic techno and deep house.

The sound is really good, but the look...

Are the filters analog as well?

Developers should have figured out that red on black type was a bad idea in the 1970s. :-(

Definitely need a JD XA for my next remixes

Very interesting hardware. Here's what I think from looking at this new digitally flavoured analogue synth. I do like the manual style interface. Dislike all red lights. It should let users choose. I'd prefer blue or green. The pure analogue sound shaping blocks are exciting, although I couldn't really tell from the video, apart from presets, it takes a bit to get them sound the way you want. Also, you are right about the display... real shame on this type of hardware. Without sounding (lol) overly un-optimistic, I will only guess, this is just another mid type synthesizer that's out right now, while Roland keeps perking their R&D department busy figuring things for their next flagship workstation (here's really hoping). I'd love to see this type of synthesizer, sitting down alongside my FantomG in the near future. Something with at least 16 tracks of pure analogue heaven (it is 2015, isn't it), with individual effects per track (Supernova had MORE than one per track, right?), or maybe just something totally different with 64 tracks and massive DSP power. I know I'm reaching a bit, but since a lot of music nowadays is being done on a computer, buying a synthesizer workstation should make you harmoniously feel like you can actually physically accomplish something awesome, and better, playing keys than moving your mouse around your screen, and picking randomly generated stuff. Again, here's hoping.

Love how Analog is wanted in a digital world, just shows how things always come back around and nothing is new. It looks digital but the sound is lovely warm deep analog, I just need the cash ;-)

What do you recommend for external speakers

Being a long time JV afficionado I am wondering if the digital section has expanded on the JV's Structure editing possibilities; the JV1080/2080/XP80 etc has 10 structures with ringmod and "boost". These functions are awesome for creating DX7 & SY77-like FM modulations with samples modulating samples or sinewaves modulating sinewaves etc. I've been getting back to my XP80 lately to just get some jaw-dropping experiences toying with this; it can easily create CZ- and TX 4-op "mallet" sounds and much more. I think this is a good example of Roland equipment being so much more than what meets the eye at first look. It's just weird that people refer to this synth range as "romplers" when they're really extremely flexible synthesizers in their own right. I've also been able to create distorted 303's (without using effects) & convincing, continously modulating PWM stuff. So if this has been thought of and maybe even expanded, excitement awaits… :) Goes without saying, any serious synthesist with the love for gear should pick up the JV synths again now that they're going for peanuts. Menu diving is actually fun! ;)

God I hate how it looks but some REALLY great tones there Nick! Thank you! Great to see an Amp ADSR Env. there too! Wow - 4 voice analog & the voices from the Integra7... whats not to like! :-) Can the Integra7s iPad editor be used (or hopefully there is one coming for this)?

This is as close as we'll get to having John Shuttleworth reviewing a keyboard.

Am I the only one who likes the design?

15:19 Oh, lovely lovely sounds

So, this has 5 OSCs? 2 analog and 3 digital?

So what's the polyphony like on this synth?

What happened to part 2?