![]() ![]() The LFO section can be routed to Pitch, Filter, and Amplifier and offers six waveforms including triangle, sine, upward saw, square, noise, and random. The envelope function works for immediate results, especially when performing a mix on the fly, but serious editing of each part of the envelope can be performed from the Tone menu. Turning the knob toward the left produces a shorter sound with a stronger attack turning the knob toward the right makes the attack softer and the release longer. I would have preferred a dedicated ADSR envelope, but to keep the panel interface uncluttered, Roland opted for a single envelope control. The Amp/Env section includes a control for level and works well for balancing the mix of sounds. It is quite cable of recreating some the classic Roland sounds, including the SH101, MC202, and TB303. The digital multimode filter offers low pass, high pass, band pass, and band peak, while the analog filter is a low pass 24-dB/octave ladder style filter. I was happy to discover there are dedicated filters for each of the drum sounds of the drum section. ![]() A digital multimode filter is available to each digital part, while a dedicated analog filter is used for the analog part. To the right you’ll find the filter section, with controls for cutoff and resonance, as well as filter type selection controls. Simply select a part you’d like to use, turn the dial for the type of sound, and use the dedicated tone “+ and –” buttons to progress through sounds in that category. This makes finding a particular type of sound very quick and easy. Next, there is a chunky knob for selecting categories of digital synth sounds. When combined with the Shift key, these four buttons will mute their respective parts. Moving to the right, you’ll find the part selection via four buttons. The upper left of the synth has a display, menu, and program controls. The front panel offers a sparse but clear layout design, with the most-used parameters having dedicated control knobs. There is an auto pitch algorithm for pitch correction and formant filters for gender-changing effects. I was pleased to learn that there were dedicated patches and effects for the mic that go way beyond vocoding. The JD-Xi ships with a gooseneck microphone that connects to the mic input jack on the upper left of the keyboard panel and offers the standard “robot”-sounding vocal effects. The analog synth engine is a true analog circuit with a single oscillator, sub-oscillator, robust analog LPF filter, envelopes, and an LFO. The two digital parts offer a wide range of sample-based instruments and sound waves, including pianos, organs, leads, pads, bass, brass, sequence synths, FX, and a vocoder. However, there are some rock, pop, and jazz kits that cover a considerable breadth of genres. ![]() There are several variations on the Roland classic drum machines, including the 808, 909, 707, and 606. The drum part boasts some 30 drum kits, with much of the content leaning toward electronic music. The JD-Xi is small desktop synthesizer with 37 mini keys and features four sound engines: Drum, Analog, and two Digital. Roland has been very busy with research and development, conjuring up a new line of advanced instruments, which utilize its SuperNATURAL technology combined with an analog synth engine to create a formidable weapon of mass creation. I’m a bit of analog-synth geek, so when I was offered to try out the Roland JD-Xi synthesizer, I jumped at the chance. I’ve had several analog and digital synths come and go over the years, but the SH-09 has been very dear to me. I still have it, and it is one of my most prized possessions. My first synthesizer was the Roland SH09 that I purchased in 1997. I have been a big fan of Roland for many years. ![]()
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