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Using a Roland JP-8000 for vintage games

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First post, by Zilch

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Sooo....

I have the chance of purchasing a Roland JP-8000 synthesizer for not too much money. Since I'm a bit of a Doom nerd, I was thinking I can grab one of those USB to MIDI active adapters and send the MIDI data from my source port of choice and mix it with my PC's stereo sound output.

Pretty sure this will work, since the JP-8000 has MIDI inputs and analogue outputs.

My biggest concern, however, is whether or not the instruments will sound 'right'. Not just with all the old Doom games, but also some newer ones with SC-55 compatibility in mind (such as Plutonia 2 with its sublime OST).

Can the experts on this forum please advise me on how to correctly proceed?

Reply 2 of 8, by Shponglefan

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The Roland JP-8000 is an virtual analog synthesizer. It doesn't have soundbanks for General MIDI sounds and therefore won't work for game music playback.

If you're looking for a sound module for games like Doom, get yourself a Roland SC-55.

Last edited by Shponglefan on 2022-09-05, 18:29. Edited 2 times in total.

Pentium 4 Multi-OS Build
486 DX4-100 with 6 sound cards
486 DX-33 with 5 sound cards

Reply 4 of 8, by Zilch

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Shponglefan wrote on 2022-09-05, 18:25:

The Roland JP-8000 is an virtual analog synthesizer. It doesn't have soundbanks for General MIDI sounds and therefore won't work for game music playback.

If you're looking for a sound module for games like Doom, get yourself a Roland SC-55.

Ah, I see. Thanks!

Still curious as to how it will sound anyway ;P Wacha think?

Reply 5 of 8, by Shponglefan

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Zilch wrote on 2022-09-05, 18:28:

Ah, I see. Thanks!

Still curious as to how it will sound anyway ;P Wacha think?

It's fine for electronic music production if you're into that. It's most notable for it's use in 90s and 2000s trance music.

If you want to know what it sounds like, you can always listen to one the most famous trance songs ever: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6120QOlsfU

Technically it used the JP-8080, the rackmount version of the JP-8000. But the actual sound architecture of the synths is identical.

Pentium 4 Multi-OS Build
486 DX4-100 with 6 sound cards
486 DX-33 with 5 sound cards

Reply 6 of 8, by Tree Wyrm

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Roland JP-8000 is a VA (virtual analog) synthesizer, but as mentioned it's not GM/GS, it is mono-timbral, and it won't work for MIDI game music playback. But yeah, enjoy supersaw oscillator, the quintessential sound of trance music.
Now JV/XV series of synthesizers is a different topic, some (if not all?) models are GM compatible, like JV-1010 you can hear here.

Reply 7 of 8, by Shponglefan

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Tree Wyrm wrote on 2022-09-05, 19:20:

Now JV/XV series of synthesizers is a different topic, some (if not all?) models are GM compatible, like JV-1010 you can hear here.

The JV-1010 has in my favorite combination of Roland sounds for GM playback.

However, it does have one annoying drawback. There is a note playback latency issue when program changes trigger the same time as notes. This means that note timing gets delayed when those program changes occur. It's especially noticeable at the beginning of certain music tracks, especially the Doom music. It's an issue inherent to the JV-line of sound modules.

If it wasn't for that one issue, it would otherwise be the best GM module ever for gaming.

Pentium 4 Multi-OS Build
486 DX4-100 with 6 sound cards
486 DX-33 with 5 sound cards

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