Roland JV-2080
Encyclopedia
The Roland JV-2080, released in 1997, is an expanded and updated version of the popular JV-1080
. Based on a sample + synthesis architecture, the JV-2080 provided a rich library of on-board sample material and a strong semi-modular synthesis engine in a commercially viable mass-market product.
Used by hundreds of artists and producers in many genres, the JV-1080 and JV-2080 are workhorses of the synthesizer world.
The internal memory of the 2080 is divided into five sections.
(stub)
The demos are:
Many of the most well-known Factory presets and Xpansion board sounds of the JV-series were created by Eric Persing
of Spectrasonics
and Ace Yukawa.
contemporary instruments, the JV-2080 could be expanded with SR-JV80 expansion boards, and could accept up to eight of them at one time, more than any other Roland product. Released at the same time as the JV-2080, was the SR-JV80-10 Bass & Drums board. This board contained 241 waveforms derived from the best-selling Spectrasonics
sample libraries "Bass Legends", "Burning Grooves", and "Liquid Grooves". The Xpansion board's name was carefully chosen as to not confuse Jungle
music producers
Various patches in the presets of the JV-2080 are specifically targeted at, if not completely emulating the sound of older machines, at least evoking the memory of them. Some examples are:
These and other patches are supported by raw sound samples, taken from the actual hardware. Some examples:
Interestingly, the JV-2080 contains not just waveform samples from earlier analog synthesizers, but also from influential digital synthesizers such as the Roland D-50
, various drum machines such as the Roland TR-606
and the Roland TR-808
, and even from equipment not specifically designed to produce sound (The Roland MC-500 sequencer metronome sound).
Ultimately the core synthesis engine of this generation came full circle in the Roland MC-505 (and MC-303), to not only emulate the sound of the older technology, but to replicate the physical way of working with the technology. These so-called "groove boxes" included not only the synthesis engine and core sample set, but sequencers and built in patterns for modern music styles.
Synth Pop artist Thomas Dolby
once remarked that he didn't find the JV as immediate in usability as his older synthesizers. The JV-2080 can also be found featured in the studios of Tidy Trax Records, a Hard House record label based in the UK. You'll also find a JV-1080 at the studios of UK label Nukleuz
, often referred to as the biggest Hard House label on the planet. Australian Electro band Gerling
used the JV-1080 on their album Children Of Telepathic Experiences, and even documented the equipment in the liner notes. You'll also find the JV-2080 in the kit list of the Speed garage
outfit of 187 Lockdown
, as well as Atmospheric Drum & Bass pioneer Rob Haigh
who used one for the Omni Trio album: Byte Size Life, and in the stage setup for Drum & Bass group 4 Hero
. Lastly, LTJ Bukem
and Photek
swear by theirs , making use of the synthesizer in music production and film scoring, respectively.
Other notable users:
Roland JV-1080
The Roland JV-1080 is a Sample-based synthesizer/sound module in the form of a 2U rack design.-Features:...
. Based on a sample + synthesis architecture, the JV-2080 provided a rich library of on-board sample material and a strong semi-modular synthesis engine in a commercially viable mass-market product.
Used by hundreds of artists and producers in many genres, the JV-1080 and JV-2080 are workhorses of the synthesizer world.
Main features
The JV-2080 ("2080") is a sample+synthesis synthesizer with support for 768 internal patches, including General MIDI. In addition to the synthesizer, it also include a multi effects module, with 40 effect types, of which three can be used simultaneously in conjunction with a master reverberation effect and a master chorus effect. The 2080 is expandable via proprietary modules (SR-JV80) that contain both sample-based waveform data and patch information. A fully expanded system contains 8 modules, for a total of 2,000 patches.The internal memory of the 2080 is divided into five sections.
- USER – User rewriteable storage, initially contains a modified copy of PR-E, with different octave settings.
- PRA-C,E (Preset A-C, E) – Presets in read-only memory, cannot be modified. Performances are found here also.
- PR-D (General MIDI) – Presets compatible with the General MIDI system. No Performances, not modifiable.
- XPA-H (Expansion A-H) – Sounds and patches from expansion boards, installed in slots A-H.
- CARD – Data from compatible memory cards and sound library cards (PN-JV80 series).
Compared to JV-1080
The 2080 is patch compatible with some earlier Roland synthesizers, including the JV-1080 and the XP-50 and the XP-80.(stub)
On-board demos
The JV-2080 has three on-board demo songs, accessible by holding the EXIT key, and pressing the down-cursor key, then the F6 key to start.The demos are:
- "Timepeace", by Scott Tibbs. Scott Tibbs is a performer and conductor based at UCLA, where he teaches music composition and theory.
- "Denki", by Ryeland AllisonRyeland AllisonRyeland Allison is an American music producer, composer, sound designer, and multi-instrumentalist. He has collaborated on music with artists such as Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard, TOOL, BT, Hybrid and Eric Persing. He has produced music for films, television and video games as well as album...
. - "Short Cuts", by Yuuki Kato. Directed by Takayuki Nagatani. Yuuki Kata is the managing director of Music Brains, Inc, and a guitarist, bassist, and drummer. Takayuki Nagatani is the chief director at Music Brains, Inc.
Factory Sounds
The core sampled waveforms of the JV-2080 were developed by Roland R&D-LA in Culver City, California.Many of the most well-known Factory presets and Xpansion board sounds of the JV-series were created by Eric Persing
Eric Persing
Eric Persing is a professional synthesist and producer in Los Angeles, California. He is best known as the Founder and Creative Director of the leading music software and virtual instrument company Spectrasonics...
of Spectrasonics
Spectrasonics
Spectrasonics is a music software company based in California, United States. Founded in 1994, the company originally produced sample libraries and then became one of the first companies to create software instruments in 2002 Their flagship product is Omnisphere, an extensive software synthesizer...
and Ace Yukawa.
Expansion
In common with other RolandRoland
Roland was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. Historically, Roland was military governor of the Breton March, with responsibility for defending the frontier of Francia against the Bretons...
contemporary instruments, the JV-2080 could be expanded with SR-JV80 expansion boards, and could accept up to eight of them at one time, more than any other Roland product. Released at the same time as the JV-2080, was the SR-JV80-10 Bass & Drums board. This board contained 241 waveforms derived from the best-selling Spectrasonics
Spectrasonics
Spectrasonics is a music software company based in California, United States. Founded in 1994, the company originally produced sample libraries and then became one of the first companies to create software instruments in 2002 Their flagship product is Omnisphere, an extensive software synthesizer...
sample libraries "Bass Legends", "Burning Grooves", and "Liquid Grooves". The Xpansion board's name was carefully chosen as to not confuse Jungle
Oldschool jungle
Jungle is a genre of electronic music that incorporates influences from genres including breakbeat hardcore, and reggae/dub/dancehall. There is debate as to whether jungle is a separate genre from drum and bass as many use the terms interchangeably...
music producers
Overview
Roland synthesizers have always had a place of prominence in electronic music, and especially dance music genres. As the earlier generation of synthesizers, such as the Jupiter 8 and TB303 aged, the demand for the sounds they produce remain strong. Roland recognized this, and produced several new synthesizers that incorporated samples from these classic machines. The JV-1080 and JV-2080, along with the keyboard versions, became not only replacements for the older technology, but were sometimes sought out for themselves. Until this generation, digital synthesizers were not considered replacements due to their colder and more clinical sound and problems with digital artifacts, specifically in envelope generators and filters. With the advent of faster processors and better analog to digital converters, these problems disappeared, and it became possible to not just digitally emulate the sound of the older technology, but create an entirely new sound based entirely in the digital domain.Various patches in the presets of the JV-2080 are specifically targeted at, if not completely emulating the sound of older machines, at least evoking the memory of them. Some examples are:
- PR-B 28 (101 Bass), a 12-pole filtered, single oscillator bass sound typical of the Roland SH-101Roland SH-101Roland SH-101 is a synthesizer from the early 1980s, manufactured by Roland. It is a small, 32 key, monophonic analog synthesizer. It features one oscillator with 3 simultaneous waveforms, an 'octave-divided' square sub-oscillator, triangle and square/pwm waveform. It has a low-pass filter/VCF...
.
- PR-B 30 (Super Jup Bs), a thicker, but still fairly dry, bass sound typical of the Roland Jupiter-8Roland Jupiter-8The Jupiter-8 is an eight-voice polyphonic analog subtractive synthesizer introduced by Roland Corporation in 1981.The Jupiter-8, or JP-8, was Roland's flagship synthesizer for the first half of the 1980's...
.
- PR-B 41 (Super JX Bs), A chorused multi-oscillator bass sound typically of the Roland JX-8PRoland JX-8PThe Roland JX-8P was a 61-keyboard 6-note, velocity and aftertouch sensitive polyphonic synthesizer released by Roland in 1984 to compete against the Yamaha DX7. In many aspects, the JX-8P delivers classic "fat" Roland synth sounds just like instruments as Jupiter-8, Jupiter-6, MKS-80 and the...
.
- PR-B 48 (Auto TB-303), A moving filter bass sound produced by the Roland TB-303Roland TB-303The Roland TB-303 Bass Line is a bass synthesizer with built-in sequencer manufactured by the Roland corporation from late 1981 to 1984 that had a defining role in the development of contemporary electronic music.-History:...
, and popular in Acid HouseAcid houseAcid house is a sub-genre of house music that emphasizes a repetitive, hypnotic and trance-like style, often with samples or spoken lines rather than sung lyrics. Acid house's core electronic squelch sounds were developed around the mid-1980s, particularly by DJs from Chicago who experimented with...
.
These and other patches are supported by raw sound samples, taken from the actual hardware. Some examples:
- INT-A 213-218 (JP Strings1A-2C), a selection of multisamples from the Jupiter-8 for creating string sounds.
- INT-B 40-32 (JP-8 Saw A-C), a selection of multisamples from the Jupiter-8 of the oscillator's raw sawtooth waveform.
- INT-B 33-38 (P5 Saw A-C), a selection of multisamples from the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 synthesizer's raw sawtooth waveform.
Interestingly, the JV-2080 contains not just waveform samples from earlier analog synthesizers, but also from influential digital synthesizers such as the Roland D-50
Roland D-50
The Roland D-50 is a polyphonic 61-key synthesizer produced by Roland. It was released in 1987. Its features include Linear Arithmetic synthesis, on-board effects, a joystick for data manipulation, and an analog synthesis-styled layout design. The external Roland PG-1000 Programmer could also be...
, various drum machines such as the Roland TR-606
Roland TR-606
The Roland TR-606 Drumatix is a programmable analog synthesis drum machine built by the Roland Corporation from 1981 to 1984. It was originally designed to be used with the Roland TB-303, a monophonic analog bass synthesizer, to provide a simple drum and bass accompaniment to guitarists without...
and the Roland TR-808
Roland TR-808
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable drum machines . Introduced by the Roland Corporation in early 1980, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demos. Like earlier Roland drum machines, it does not sound very much like a real...
, and even from equipment not specifically designed to produce sound (The Roland MC-500 sequencer metronome sound).
Ultimately the core synthesis engine of this generation came full circle in the Roland MC-505 (and MC-303), to not only emulate the sound of the older technology, but to replicate the physical way of working with the technology. These so-called "groove boxes" included not only the synthesis engine and core sample set, but sequencers and built in patterns for modern music styles.
Notable users and genres
The JV-1080 and JV-2080 attract artists and producers from a broad range of genres because of the versatility of their sounds.Synth Pop artist Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby
Thomas Dolby is an English musician and producer. Best known for his 1982 hit "She Blinded Me with Science", and 1984 single "Hyperactive!", he has also worked extensively in production and as a session musician.-Early life:Dolby was born in London, England, contrary to information in early 1980s...
once remarked that he didn't find the JV as immediate in usability as his older synthesizers. The JV-2080 can also be found featured in the studios of Tidy Trax Records, a Hard House record label based in the UK. You'll also find a JV-1080 at the studios of UK label Nukleuz
Nukleuz
Nukleuz is a dance record label based in the Clapham area of London, UK. Nukleuz is the home to many artists and compilation series in various genres including trance, UK hardcore, tech house and hard house....
, often referred to as the biggest Hard House label on the planet. Australian Electro band Gerling
Gerling
Gerling were an alternative guitar and electronic act from Australia. They formed in 1993, and are based in Sydney.-History:The band formed in 1993 with the line-up of Darren Cross , Presser and Brad Herdson...
used the JV-1080 on their album Children Of Telepathic Experiences, and even documented the equipment in the liner notes. You'll also find the JV-2080 in the kit list of the Speed garage
Speed garage
Speed garage is a type of music, associated with UK garage and hard dance scenes.-Characteristics:Speed garage has sped-up NY garage 4-to-the-floor rhythms. Snares are placed as over the 2nd and the 4th kickdrums, so in other places of the drum pattern. Speed garage tunes have warp, heavy...
outfit of 187 Lockdown
187 Lockdown
187 Lockdown was a British speed garage act, comprising Danny Harrison and Julian Jonah. The duo produced one album, with four singles released from it, and remixed many songs towards the end of the 1990s....
, as well as Atmospheric Drum & Bass pioneer Rob Haigh
Rob Haigh
Rob Haigh, also known as Omni Trio, is a British electronic, ambient and experimental musician.In the early eighties he released a series of experimental ambient albums under the names Robert Haigh and Sema - the most notable being ‘Three Seasons Only’ and ‘Notes From Underground’...
who used one for the Omni Trio album: Byte Size Life, and in the stage setup for Drum & Bass group 4 Hero
4 Hero
4hero are an electronic music band from Dollis Hill, northwest London, comprising producers Mark "Marc Mac" Clair & Dennis "Dego" McFarlane. While the band is often cited as "4 Hero" or "4-Hero", the name is presented as "4hero" on their own albums and websites.4hero are known as early pioneers of...
. Lastly, LTJ Bukem
LTJ Bukem
LTJ Bukem is the stage name used by the drum and bass musician, producer and DJ Danny Williamson . He and his record labels Good Looking and Looking Good Records are most associated with the jazzy, atmospheric side of drum and bass music....
and Photek
Photek
Photek is Rupert Parkes , a Los Angeles-based British record producer and DJ. He joined the drum and bass scene relatively early , and is still one of its most respected players...
swear by theirs , making use of the synthesizer in music production and film scoring, respectively.
Other notable users:
- Max MartinMax MartinMartin Karl Sandberg, known professionally as Max Martin, is a Swedish music producer and songwriter. Raised in Stenhamra, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, he broke through as a producer and songwriter in the mid to late 1990s after crafting a string of hits for pop artists like the Backstreet Boys,...
- Kristian LundinKristian LundinKristian Carl Marcus Lundin is a Swedish composer, music producer and songwriter.-Biography:Beginning his career as a member of the Swedish duo Amadin , Kristian's writing and production talents were quickly recognized by music industry icon Denniz PoP, who invited him to join the Cheiron Studios...
- Rami YacoubRami YacoubRami Yacoub is a Swedish music producer and songwriter of Palestinian descent, and former member of the successful songwriting/production houses Cheiron Studios and Maratone...
- Michael PinnellaMichael PinnellaMichael Pinnella is a keyboard player, most notably for the band Symphony X. He has also released a solo album, a mixture of classical and progressive-styled music titled Enter By the Twelfth Gate on the InsideOut Music label in 2004...
- Janne WirmanJanne WirmanJanne Viljami "Warman" Wirman is a Finnish musician; he is the keyboardist for the bands Children of Bodom and Warmen.-Biography:Born in the town of Espoo, Finland, Janne Wirman began playing the piano at the age of five...
- The NeptunesThe NeptunesThe Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
- Deafness
- Cali Iz ActiveCali Iz ActiveOn April 22, 2006 the group went to Elysian Park, Los Angeles, California to film the music video with director Damon Johnson for the only single on the album, "Cali Iz Active"...
- Todd TerryTodd TerryTodd N. Terry is an American DJ, producer, and remixer.-Career:Terry's productions extensively used samples blending the sounds of classic disco, the Chicago sound, and elements of hip-hop....
- Max GrahamMax GrahamMax Graham is a Canadian DJ, composer and producer who manages to transcend genres while producing international hits in the dance music scene. He is most famous for his hits “Sun in the Winter” and “Nothing Else Matters”, His Cycles CD Series/Radio show as well as his remix of the classic song...
- Mike OldfieldMike OldfieldMichael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
- LTJ BukemLTJ BukemLTJ Bukem is the stage name used by the drum and bass musician, producer and DJ Danny Williamson . He and his record labels Good Looking and Looking Good Records are most associated with the jazzy, atmospheric side of drum and bass music....
- ATBATBATB may refer to:*The US Reorder tone is often referred to as an ATB, for All Trunks Busy*Active Time Battle system is a feature of role-playing games*Mountain bike is an off-road bicycle...
- HardfloorHardfloorHardfloor is a German techno and acid trance duo, consisting of Oliver Bondzio and Ramon Zenker. Their most famous track is "Acperience 1" ....
- Jens JohanssonJens JohanssonJens Ola Johansson is a Swedish power metal keyboardist and pianist. He is notable for his high-speed neoclassical and fusion style.-Biography:...
- Kenji KawaiKenji Kawai, born April 23, 1957 in Shinagawa, Tokyo, is a Japanese music composer, for motion pictures, anime movies, video games and televised programs. He has contributed to the musical scores for numerous films from Japan and other countries in Asia, working in film genres as diverse as anime, horror,...