ROLAND JX-1 [1993 – 2000]

A sample-based mono-timbral polyphonic rompler labeled as “Performance synthesizer”. Quite basic sound editability: 2 ADSR envelopes, one for the volume and the other to modulate the lopass filter. Reverb. 2 sound banks with 32 factory sounds each, and a possibility to save another 32 in a user sound bank. Two sounds from the same bank could be combined into one by selecting them simultaneously. Even though this one really doesn’t count as a synthesizer, it was the one that got me into synths. It also introduced me to MIDI, when I connected it to my first 386-PC with a Gravis Ultrasound sound card. I used it mostly as a master keyboard, for which it was quite nice. Having not really used it for several years, I ended up selling it in 2000. I don’t particularly miss it.