Roland JD-08 Sound Module Synthesizer

The Mobile Synth For Ambitious New Musicians

The Roland JD-08 is an easy-to-use mobile synth for bands on the move.

Life in a modern band doesn’t run like clockwork. On the same day, you might be rehearsing, recording, and playing live, with each session demanding a whole new musical approach. Some synths will slow you down with their bulky size and uninspired sounds. The Roland JD-08 sets you free. Wherever your music leads you, this streamlined weighted-action synth will follow, with compact dimensions, smart operation, and a choice of pro onboard sounds for anything from studio work to street performance. The JD-08 is the ideal instrument for piano-oriented keyboard players.

Plays like a traditional piano with weighted-action keys
When a keyboard feels good beneath your fingers, it inspires you to write better songs, play tighter shows, and take your band to greater creative heights. While expensive recording gear is beyond most budgets, choose the JD-08 and you’ve already got a smart solution, all onboard and at no extra cost. The JD-08 might be light and portable, but there’s a satisfying high-end touch to the Keyboard, which is the first in the JD series to feature full weighted-action keys. Try the progressive hammer action alongside the expressive new piano sounds and you’ll know that the JD-08 is the instrument you want to load in at tonight’s show.

Own the stage, hit the studio, play in the street
When your band is ready to take on the world, there’s nothing worse than a cumbersome synth that ties you to the bedroom. From stage to studio – and back – the JD-08 is right alongside you. With its compact size, practical weight, and speedy setup, this synth takes hectic schedules in its stride, letting you dart from a last-minute band rehearsal to a make-or-break gig, and then across town for a recording session. Clubs, pubs, and street gigs are all feasible thanks to optional battery power. In an industry that moves fast, the JD-08 is the only synth that keeps up.

Get creative with intuitive hands-on editing
With so many bands out there competing for attention, a head-turning synth sound could help you stand out. The JD-08 is a winner right out of the box – thanks to the selection of instant-access sounds – but even for first-timers, it’s simple to dig into the highly adjustable parameters and find your own voice. Select the performance mode and you can set up advanced sounds like layering strings onto the acoustic piano, or assigning organ and bass to your right and left hands respectively. Create and edit patches. Respond to the crowd and shape your sound mid-song with hands-on controls. Hook up your favorite expression pedals and push the sonic envelope. It’s impossible to be average when you play the JD-08.

A synth that stays fresh, with free downloadable sounds
As an upcoming musician, your playing is bound to evolve, and it’s vital that your synth does the same. You might start with the onboard sounds, but you’ll soon go further, with this modern synth supporting internal waveform expansion via USB, and giving you access to the best sounds on the web. The versatile EXP-06 Studio Collection is preloaded in the wave expansion slot, but you’ll want to investigate Roland’s Axial website, where over 1000 EXP patches are available for free download. Inspire your performance with top-quality acoustic piano collections, world instruments, go-to studio standards, percussion, and loops – or load in WAV files from your own sound library and play them from the keyboard.

• Authentic sound and behavior of the original JD-800 realized with advanced sound modeling
• 108 original waveforms for extensive patch design possibilities
• Includes the original 64 presets plus 21 new presets
• Two-part, 64-step, eight-note (per part) polyphonic sequencer with motion recording, random pattern generator, and memory for 128 patterns
• Onboard arpeggiator
• Two-part multitimbral with expanded polyphony, up to 128 voices (depending on patch load)
• Four-part structure for tone layering
• Detailed recreation of the JD-800’s unique two-stage multi-effects section
• Editable distortion, phaser, spectrum, enhancer, delay, chorus, and reverb
• Multi-phase time variant envelopes for complex, evolving sounds
• Palette sliders for quick parameter adjustment
• USB-C audio/MIDI interface, full-size MIDI I/O, and external clock input
• Portable design for mobile music-making
• High-quality construction with metal front panel
• Powered via batteries (4 x AA) or USB-C
• Control information can be sent and received via MIDI and USB-C
• Built-in powered mini speaker for instant enjoyment
• Compatible with optional DK-01 Boutique Dock or K-25m Keyboard Unit