Roland JD-990 explained

Synth Name:JD-990 Super JD
Synth Manufacturer:Roland
Synthesis Type:Digital Sample-based Subtractive
Polyphony:24 voices
Timbrality:7 + 1 Drum part
Oscillator:6MB of PCM ROM with 195 waveforms (expandable to 16MB), 4 waveforms (tones) per patch
Filter:TVF (Time Variant Filter): Lowpass/bandpass/highpass-filters with resonance
Attenuator:TVA envelopes, TVF envelopes and pitch envelopes
Lfo:2 per patch
Keyboard:No
Velocity:Yes
Aftertouch:Yes
Memory:3 banks of 64 patches (expandable), 3 drum kits with 61 sounds
Ext Control:MIDI
Fx:Chorus, Reverb, Delay, Phaser, Spectrum, Enhancer, Distortion and EQ
Dates:1993-1996
Price:United States

$2,195
United Kingdom: £1,445

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 display[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. True stereo engine
  6. Individual panning of each tone in a patch
  7. Oscillator sync
  8. Frequency cross-modulation (FXM)
  9. Matrix Modulation
  10. Modulation of the same destination from multiple sources
  11. Oscillator structures that allow ring modulation and serial dual filters
  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 memories
  18. Additional multitimbral slots
  19. One patch can keep full effects in multi mode

Expandability

The JD-990 is compatible with the following:

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. 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]

Further reading

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: JD-800: COMPARABLE SOUND MODULE. roland.com. en-gb. 2019-03-22.
  2. Web site: The History Of Roland: Part 4 . www.soundonsound.com. en-gb. 2018-07-17.
  3. Web site: JD-990 Profile on Vintage Synth Explorer. vintagesynth.com. en-gb. 2019-03-22.
  4. Web site: Roland JD-990 revolutionary concept two decades later.
  5. Web site: Catching Up With Klaus Schulze. KeyboardMag.com. en-gb. 2019-03-22.
  6. Web site: Paul Shaffer's Keys to The Late Show . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20190322181001/https://www.keyboardmag.com/miscellaneous/paul-shaffer39s-keys-to-the-late-show . 22 Mar 2019 . 2019-03-22 . KeyboardMag.com . en-gb.
  7. Regen . Jon . March 2010 . Paul Shaffer - The Soul of Late Night TV . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230127132212/https://davidhastingsstudios.com/wp-content/uploads/Kbrd-Paul-Shaffer-Feature.pdf . 27 Jan 2023.
  8. Web site: Ferrante . Michael . January 24, 2006 . Shaffer's Keyboard Rig Setup? . 2023-03-19 . Sweetwater Sound.
  9. Web site: Steve Duda Ponders Programming and Production. KeyboardMag.com. en-gb. 2019-03-22.
  10. Apollo 440: Gettin' High On Your Own Supply. Future Music. 220. 20. November 2009. 0967-0378. 1032779031.
  11. Book: Snoman, Rick. Dance Music Manual: Tools, Toys, and Techniques. 87. 2nd. Focal Press. 2012. 2004. 9781283709583. 819507201.

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