ACME Synth Works unveils “world’s first” hardware clone of the Roland Jupiter-8 – but don’t get too excited just yet

Synth developer ACME Synth Works has unveiled what it describes as the “world’s first fully 8-voice Roland JP8 clone.”

ACME is the work of German synth expert Markus Malik, who has been repairing vintage synths for a number of years, as well as developing replacements for hard-to-find components such as the Roland IR3R01 envelope chip found in various ‘80s Junos and Jupiters.

Last year, ACME announced its first full instruments, the XP60, billed as a ‘modern hardware reinterpretation’ of the Oberheim Xpander.

Much like the XP60, ACME’s Jupiter-8 clone is clearly a labour of love that has been in the works for a number of years. In a video posted to YouTube earlier this week, ACME demos the project, which is now "95% finished" – and it looks and sounds pretty much on the money.

According to details posted alongside the video, ACME’s JP-8 has eight discreet voices and uses the original voice architecture of the Jupiter-8. Its filter section uses IR3109 and BA662 chips, while the envelopes are, apparently, “implemented in analogue form using different ICs, while preserving the original behaviour.”

It looks great, but sadly it’s unlikely any of us will be getting our hands on one any time soon. According to ACME’s post: “At the moment my main focus is completing the XP60 project, so I don’t have the resources to turn this into a product right now.

“Long term, I could imagine building a very small number of units. However, this would be a high-end, small-scale instrument — not a mass-produced product and definitely not in the ‘budget clone’ category.”

The original Jupiter-8 was released in 1981 and was one of the defining polysynths of the decade, used by a vast array of artists including Tangerine Dream, Prince, Orbital and Underworld, as well as being used prominently on Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

For those looking for some JP-8 action in a more readily available form, Black Corporation’s ISE-NIN is an eight-voice poly heavily influenced by the Jupiter-8, albeit in desktop form and with the addition of modern features including MPE compatibility. There are also plenty of software emulations, including Roland's own Cloud version and Cherry Audio's Mercury-8.

For more information on ACME's XP60, head to the developer’s website.