Roland JD-990

JD-990 Super JD
JD-990
ManufacturerRoland
Dates1993-1996
PriceUnited States: $2,195
United Kingdom: £1,445
Technical specifications
Polyphony24 voices
Timbrality7 + 1 Drum part
Oscillator6MB of PCM ROM with 195 waveforms (expandable to 16MB), 4 waveforms (tones) per patch
LFO2 per patch
Synthesis typeDigital Sample-based Subtractive
FilterTVF (Time Variant Filter): Lowpass/bandpass/highpass-filters with resonance
AttenuatorTVA envelopes, TVF envelopes and pitch envelopes
Aftertouch expressionYes
Velocity expressionYes
Storage memory3 banks of 64 patches (expandable), 3 drum kits with 61 sounds
EffectsChorus, Reverb, Delay, Phaser, Spectrum, Enhancer, Distortion and EQ
Input/output
KeyboardNo
External controlMIDI

The Roland JD-990 Super JD is an updated version of the Roland JD-800 synthesizer in the form of a module with expanded capabilities, which was released in 1993 by Roland Corporation. JD-990 is a multitimbral synthesizer utilising PCM sample-based synthesis technology.[1] In a sense it is not a true module version of a JD-800 as it has many expanded features and as a result the two are incompatible in exchanging presets. It is equipped with 6 MB of ROM containing sampled PCM waveforms, four sets of stereo outputs that are assignable to individual, internal, instruments, and standard MIDI in/out/through ports. JD-990 has a large LCD[2] and programming takes place through a keypad on the front panel of the unit. The unit can generate multi-timbral sounds reminiscent of the vintage analogue synthesizers but is also capable of generation of modern digital textures. There are several expansion boards available for JD-990 that can be installed in the provided expansion slot in the chassis of the unit.[3]

Features

The JD-990 had the following[4] features which were not available on the JD-800:

  1. Expanded wave ROM (6 MB vs. 3 MB)
  2. Ability to use an 8 MB expansion board from the SR-JV80 series
  3. JV-80 patch import
  4. 4 additional outputs
  5. Individual panning of each tone in a patch
  6. Oscillator sync
  7. Frequency cross-modulation (FXM)
  8. Matrix Modulation
  9. Available Palette type editing of each parameter for four oscillators simultaneously
  10. Modulation of the same destination from multiple sources
  11. Available dual-oscillator synthesis Structures featuring ring modulation and/or serial dual filters (uses 2 polyphony)
  12. Additional LFO waveforms: sine, trapezoid and chaos
  13. MIDI CC control of parameters
  14. Tempo sync delay
  15. Polyphonic portamento
  16. Analog Feel. Adds a very subtle pitch modulation to the basic waveforms intended to recreate an analogue synth's 'drift'
  17. Performance Mode Multitimbral Parts increased to 7+1 (from 5+1)
  18. Performance Mode Multitimbral mutiple memories (16 User/32 ROM/Optional 16 Memory Card)
  19. One patch can keep full effects in Multitimbral Performance Mode ("Part 1 Super Synthesizer")

Expandability

The JD-990 is compatible with the following:

  • The SR-JV80 series of expansion boards. The SR-JV80-04 Vintage Synth board includes 255 patches programmed specially for the JD-990.
  • The SL-JD80 series of waveform & patch cards released for the JD-800.
  • The SO-PCM1 series of waveform cards.
  • The JD9D series of patch cards developed specifically for the JD-990.

Factory Sounds

The Factory presets of the JD-990 were created by Eric Persing and Adrian Scott.

Notable users

The JD-990 has been used by artists such as Klaus Schulze,[5] Paul Shaffer,[6][7][8] Steve Duda,[9] Vangelis, The Prodigy, Apollo 440, ATB, and Mirwais.[3] Apollo 440 used the JD-990 for atmospheric sounds on the track "The Machine in the Ghost", on the album Gettin' High on Your Own Supply.[10] On the Faithless song "Insomnia", the pizzicato hook is from a JD-990, with added reverb.[11] Ronnie Martin from Joy Electric also used the JD-990 to synthesise every sound heard on the "We Are The Music Makers" album before moving onto more vintage synthesisers.

References

  1. ^ "JD-800: COMPARABLE SOUND MODULE". roland.com. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
  2. ^ "The History Of Roland: Part 4 |". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved 2018-07-17.
  3. ^ a b "JD-990 Profile on Vintage Synth Explorer|". vintagesynth.com. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
  4. ^ "Roland JD-990 revolutionary concept two decades later".
  5. ^ "Catching Up With Klaus Schulze". KeyboardMag.com. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
  6. ^ "Paul Shaffer's Keys to The Late Show". KeyboardMag.com. Archived from the original on 22 Mar 2019. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
  7. ^ Regen, Jon (March 2010). "Paul Shaffer - The Soul of Late Night TV" (PDF). Keyboard. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 Jan 2023.
  8. ^ Ferrante, Michael (January 24, 2006). "Shaffer's Keyboard Rig Setup?". Sweetwater Sound. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
  9. ^ "Steve Duda Ponders Programming and Production". KeyboardMag.com. Retrieved 2019-03-22.
  10. ^ "Apollo 440: Gettin' High On Your Own Supply". Future Music. No. 220. November 2009. p. 20. ISSN 0967-0378. OCLC 1032779031.
  11. ^ Snoman, Rick (2004). Dance Music Manual: Tools, Toys, and Techniques (2nd ed.). Focal Press (published 2012). p. 87. ISBN 9781283709583. OCLC 819507201.

Further reading

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