Roland JX-8P

The Roland JX-8P, an almost entirely analog synthesizer, was released in 1985 and boasted 61 keys. It featured velocity and aftertouch sensitivity and six-note polyphony. Despite the increasing popularity of digital frequency modulation synthesizers like the Yamaha DX7, the JX-8P offered an optimal mix of both types, optimizing the creation of traditional analog synth sounds, while enabling the production of some FM synthesis-related sounds due to new modulation parameters and redesigned hardware. A Yamaha DX7-style interface with membrane buttons and one “edit” slider replaced traditional hands-on controls. The JX-8P’s predecessors were the JX-3P and the rack MKS-30. It was one of the last true analog synthesizers produced by Roland in the 1980s, joined later by Alpha Juno 1/2 synths, racks MKS-50 and MKS-70, and then finally the JX-10. The famous opening brass fanfare of Europe’s 1986 hit “The Final Countdown” was produced through a preset patch layered on a Yamaha TX816 using JX-8P. Eric Persing and Dan DeSouza created the factory presets on the JX-8P.