Roland Shrinks the Jupiter-8 Into the $549 Jupiter-08 Boutique Synth

Roland has introduced the Jupiter-08, a compact desktop instrument in its Roland Boutique line that reworks the Jupiter-8, the polyphonic analogue subtractive synthesizer the company released in 1981. The Jupiter-08 is priced at $549.99 / £589 and is sold through Roland.com, Andertons.co.uk and the @RolandGlobal channels. Unlike the original, the new unit carries an onboard speaker, runs on batteries and offers full MIDI compatibility. It ships with Roland's modular K-25M keyboard, which also pairs with other Boutique modules, and polyphony can be expanded to 32 voices. A step sequencer reaches 64 steps, and 17 onboard effects make the instrument self-contained and portable. The Jupiter-8 originally carried a price above £4,000; original examples now fetch upwards of five times that figure, and more when provenance is attached. Its sliders-and-knobs interface, arpeggiator and sound-shaping range have kept synthesists attached to it across the 45 years since its debut. Giorgio Moroder, Tangerine Dream, Duran Duran, Marvin Gaye and Tears for Fears are among the artists associated with the instrument, which supplies the main chords of Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' and serves as the primary instrument on Harold Faltermeyer's 'Axel F'. The Jupiter-08 arrives alongside a second Boutique release, the n/vision wavetable synthesizer. Both join a range that already includes compact contemporary versions of the TB-303, TR-909 and Juno-106.