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Average Price: $4,990
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Description
Experience the rebirth of a legend with the Roland Jupiter-4, a synthesizer that captures the magic of the iconic 1978 original while embracing the capabilities of modern technology. Revered for its warm, full-bodied sounds, this polyphonic synthesizer is a staple for musicians who crave the rich textures and lush tones that defined an era. Thanks to Roland's Analog Circuit Behavior technology, the Jupiter-4 faithfully recreates the nuances of its vintage predecessor, offering both the beloved quirks of the original hardware and innovative enhancements.
The Jupiter-4 stands out with its single VCO, which produces colossal sounds expanded further by the built-in Ensemble chorus. This feature transforms your music into a galaxy of lush harmonics and textures. While the interface maintains the intuitive layout of the original, beneath its retro surface lies a wealth of modern features designed to unleash your creativity. Extend oscillator ranges, tweak noise levels, and experiment with sub-oscillator volume to customize your sound.
Beyond its vintage charm, the Jupiter-4 provides a full suite of effects, including phaser, flanger, overdrive, delay, and reverb. Whether you're crafting classic '70s tones or pioneering new sonic landscapes, this synth is limited only by your imagination. Integrate it seamlessly into your digital audio workstation or pair it with Roland's SYSTEM-8 for an 8-voice polyphonic hardware experience that delivers an authentic hands-on feel.
Key Features:
- Analog Circuit Behavior technology for authentic sound reproduction
- Single VCO with lush Ensemble chorus for expansive soundscapes
- Intuitive vintage interface with modern features for creative flexibility
- Full suite of effects: phaser, flanger, overdrive, delay, and reverb
- Compatible with DAWs and SYSTEM-8 for versatile integration
Product specs
| Brand | Roland |
| Model | Jupiter 4 49-Key Synthesizer |
| Finish | Black |
| Year | 1978 - 1982 |
| Categories | Analog Synths, Keyboard Synths |
| Analog / Digital | Analog |
| Key Size | Full Size |
| Keyboard Action | Synth Action |
| Number of Keys | 49 Keys |
| Polyphony | 4 Voices |
FAQs
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Is the Roland Jupiter-4 synthesizer polyphonic or monophonic?
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The Roland Jupiter-4 is a polyphonic synthesizer with 4-voice polyphony, allowing you to play up to four notes simultaneously.
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What type of sound engine does the Roland Jupiter-4 use?
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The Roland Jupiter-4 utilizes an analog sound engine, known for its warm and rich sound characteristics, typical of vintage synthesizers.
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Can the Roland Jupiter-4 integrate with modern music production setups?
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Yes, the Roland Jupiter-4 can integrate with modern setups through PLUG-OUT integration with the SYSTEM-8, offering enhanced polyphony and onboard effects.
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What are the key features of the Roland Jupiter-4's sound design capabilities?
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The Jupiter-4 features authentic analog polysynth recreation with enhanced ACB technology, allowing for a wide range of sound design options, including extended parameters and onboard effects.
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How does the Circuit Mod feature on the Roland Jupiter-4 affect its sound?
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The Circuit Mod feature allows you to adjust the synth's character to sound like a factory-fresh unit or a road-worn instrument, providing flexibility in sound texture and authenticity.
Videos
AnalogAudio1
ROLAND JUPITER-4 Analog Synthesizer 1978 | HQ DEMO
ROLAND JUPITER-4 Analog Synthesizer 1978 | HQ DEMO
AnalogAudio1
Roland Jupiter-4 sound design tutorial Duran Duran "Rio"
RetroSound
Roland Jupiter-4 Demo
Perfect Circuit
The Roland Jupiter-4: Compuphonic
Alex Ball
Roland Jupiter-4 40th anniversary extended demo
synthlegends
Is It Worth It? The Roland Jupiter-4
Alamo Music Sound Lab
Best of Roland Jupiter-4 Synthesizer ~ RetroSound Demo
RetroSound
The Secret Behind the Jupiter-4’s Magic | Alamo Music Oscillator Talk
Alamo Music Sound Lab
The Roland Jupiter 4: A Sound Engineer's Dream
Andy Whitmore
Reviews
PROS
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Unique sound with excellent oscillators and filters
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Provides a musical, warm, and punchy sound quality
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Features like discrete oscillators, stereo chorus, and hyper-fast LFO add distinctiveness
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Durable build quality; units still perform well decades later
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4-voice, discrete VCO based analog polysynth delivers vibrant and lush tones
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Includes sought-after features like sub-oscillator and chorus effect
CONS
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Expensive compared to some vintage synths offering similar features
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Limited to a 4-voice polyphony, restricting chord complexity
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Some users find better value in alternative vintage synths or modern emulations
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Specific sounds (e.g., Ensemble effect) considered superior in cheaper synths
Owner Insights
We analyzed real musician discussions from forums and Reddit to find what players love, question, and tweak about Roland Jupiter-4.
Features and functionality
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The PWM Melevolent, priced at $549, is noted for its ability to produce gritty, dirty sounds similar to the Jupiter-4, thanks to extensive sound-shaping controls.
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The specific sound character from the Jupiter-4 is achieved by routing the noise generator to the oscillator pitch, often using pulse wave and sub oscillator settings.
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The Jupiter-4’s CV inputs can be used creatively, such as routing a DAW click track to influence the arpeggiator.
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The Jupiter-4's internal distortion when playing chords is a unique characteristic, often attributed to its volume slider, creating a distinctive, sought-after sound.
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The arpeggiator on the Jupiter-4 includes a random setting, making it one of the first compact synths with this feature, adding unpredictability to its sound.
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The chorus effect significantly contributes to the Jupiter-4’s distinctive sound, enhancing its oscillators, filters, and envelope shapes.
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Comparisons
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The Behringer MonoPoly and MS-101 RD are suggested as alternatives that can produce similar pulse wave and sub oscillator sounds as the Jupiter-4.
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Use cases and applications
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For those seeking the "loud dirty synthy sine sounds" of the Jupiter-4, it’s important to focus on synths with noise generator capabilities linked to oscillator pitch.
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For emulating Bojack Horseman's theme, note-tracking with filter cutoff modulation and a slew limiter can achieve the sluggish sweeping effect.
Source
Software and compatibility
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Cherry Audio Mercury 4 is praised for its arpeggiator capabilities, potentially offering better sound emulation than Roland's official plugins.
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The Jupiter-4 emulation is available for a 30-day free trial from Roland, providing an opportunity for hands-on experimentation without commitment.
Source
Critic Reviews
5.0 out of 5
Based on 3 Reviews and 16 Ratings
182
Simply amazing.
4-voice, discrete VCO based analog polysynth. It is a dream to use and sounds so damn good. Each voice is so vibrant and lush, this type of sound was lost mostly as we went from the 70's to the 80's and VCO (and DCOs) got more stable. I would give the IR3109 filter version a 4.5 and the SH-filter based one a 5.
Artist usage
Add artist
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Kevin Parker is confirmed to use the Roland Jupiter-4 synthesizer, as evidenced by a photo he shared on his Instagram account (@tameimpala) on March 04, 2024. The synthesizer is visible in the bottom left-hand corner of the image, which was captioned "don’t worry" and described as a preparation for his 5th album.
In a 1979 photo from BlogSpot, Paul McCartney is seen in the studio with a Roland Jupiter-4 synthesizer. However, in this specific image, he is actually playing a Yamaha CS-80.
In the article "VANGELIS: Recording At Nemo Studios" by Soundonsound, it is mentioned that Vangelis used the Roland Jupiter-4 as part of his studio setup.
Sakamoto triggered the arpeggiater on the JUPITER-4 in his live performance (starting from 0'40").
"On the other hand, the little Roland was affordable. OK, £1,800 was far from chicken feed in the late '70s, but the Jupiter 4 undercut each of its competitors by around 50 percent. Consequently, the list of its owners became a 'Who's Who?' of the era, including Kitaro, Gary Numan, Tangerine Dream, Stevie Wonder, Tomita and, perhaps most famously, Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran. "
Another of Vince's many synths is the Roland Jupiter-4. Source.
"Sometimes, I’d sample them and then use them on a track along with other sequencers. With this gear, I started building up my first studio tracks. I also acquired a Roland MC-4 sequencer that I used with my Roland Jupiter-4 and MC-202."
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In the credits on both the vinyl and on discogs site of American Dream various synths are listed as being used by James Murphy. Roland Jupiter 4 is one of them.
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Gary Numan is credited with Roland Jupiter 4 in the liner notes for Telekon.
Mentioned in this May 14, 2012 The Fader interview.
What type of gear are you using now? Are you mostly inside of the computer at this point or are you using external stuff still?
I use a shit ton of external stuff. Pro Tools is the hub, for sure. I have a Pro Tools HD system. I was using Pro Tools LE for a long time but then I started getting offered these remixes for rock bands and shit. I remember I bought Pro Tools HD because I got a Mars Volta [song to] remix and that shit had like 96 tracks on it. I couldn't even open it! But yeah Pro Tools is the hub and I use a lot of external synths. I've had Moogs and Oberhiems and Tritons and a Jupiter 4, a lot of different stuff. It's a rotating cast. You get a synth, you use it, eventually you sell it and get a new one. It's a lot of external stuff and a lot of internal stuff. I have no problem using plugins and [virtual] synths, that's just another resource. If you know how to make something sound good or gritty or different then it comes out of the box and you're in a good place. I still use my EP 16+. [Another] thing that's evolved for me a lot over the years has been noise manipulation. I use a lot of outboard gear—pedals and filters and oscillators—to take a sample, change it and bring it back into the computer.
"This is the cheapest Jupiter on the market, and often discriminated as being an "organ preset synth" by people who don't know stuff.
But actually this is the best jupiter, in my opinion.
Why? First of all it looks cool...and it sais "Compuphonic" in a big 70ies retro computer font on the top. Next...the sound..I have seldomly heard such lush drifting magic analog fuzzness. It sits next to the Moog Minimoog in the analog realm...and it does this with only 1 oscillator per voice! 1 measly oscillator (and a sub oscillator, very comparable to the Juno layout)...a discrete oscillator with transistors, no SSMs or CEMs but thrustworthy discrete circuits that fly all over the place when it comes to drifting electricity.
Add some crazy modulation possibles with a superslow or fast LFO and Ringmodulator like effects, a buttery thick VCF, a superb arpeggiator, patch memory (we are talking 1978 here, it was one of the first synths with memory) and VCA EG that can be overdriven at the slightest touch (there is even a LED for this!!!)...and all this results in a beautifull synthesizer with an imense characteristic pallette."
Album Usage
The Roland Jupiter-4 has been featured on the following albums:
Doctor Who - Revenge of the Cybermen
Peter Howell & The BBC Radiophonic Workshop (2023)
Battle Cry
Classix Nouveaux (2023)
Living on Video
Trans-X (2019)
american dream
LCD Soundsystem (2017)
The End (Live)
Black Sabbath (2017)
展覧会の絵 ultimate edition
Isao Tomita (2014)
Music for Insomniacs Part IV
Matt Berry (2014)
Music for Insomniacs
Matt Berry (2014)
Live in Dresden
Al Deloner (2011)
Bigger Than America
Heaven 17 (1996)
She Blinded Me With Science
Thomas Dolby (1987)
Telekon
Gary Numan (1980)
Armed Forces (Super Deluxe Edition)
Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1979)
This Year's Model (2021 Remaster)
Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1978)
Genre Usage
Based on how artists on Equipboard use this gear, it is most commonly found in the following genres.
Used With
Based on how musicians on Equipboard use Roland Jupiter-4, it is most commonly used with the following gear.
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Community setups
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Add recommendation2 alternative and related items for Roland Jupiter-4, curated by the Equipboard community.
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has a pretty similar architecture, with its fast lfo and 4 voice mode it sounds similar to a jupiter with some tweaking and extra warmth (EQ, compression, saturation etc.). both jp4 v2 and sh101 had the IR3109 filter so the boutique digital IR3109 filter emulation in the sh-01a sounds quite close, if you ignore some minor aliasing in very high frequencies.
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