Jupiter Xm review and tutorial

Roland Jupiter Xm Review, in-depth tutorial and ZEN-Core engine overview

Roland’s Jupiter Xm is a synth that can play four different parts or timbres simultaneously and polyphonically, in addition to a fifth drum drum part. It has the same sound engine as its bigger brother, the Jupiter X, but in a much more portable form factor.

It’s packed with multiple sound engines or models – both virtual analog and sample based, you can split parts or layer them, program an arpeggiator or simple sequence per part, or just use the I-Arpeggio figure out how to arpeggiate all the parts for you.

The Xm’s ZEN-Core engine is massive – with four partials and dozens of parameters, it can certainly do a lot. The biggest question here is how accessible is that much power in such a small form factor – let’s take a look:

TIMELINE:

0:00 Intro
1:00 Overview
3:00 Connectivity
3:40 16 Buttons
4:00 Scenes
4:35 Parts
6:20 Models
8:00 Model assign
9:20 Function
9:55 Partials
10:50 Drum kits
11:55 Effects
14:20 I-Arpeggio
18:00 Sequencing
23:00 Model control
25:20 Osc & filters
27:25 JP-X model
31:30 Menu layout
34:15 Pros & cons

5 thoughts on “Roland Jupiter Xm Review, in-depth tutorial and ZEN-Core engine overview

  1. Hey Ziv, I’m a huge fan of your videos and a recent patreon member. I have lots of questions but the one that is really pressing on my mind is whether you would ever consider building a spreadsheet like the one on page 194 of your book (Nov 2019 version), except for ALL the equipment you review. It would make my life so much easier, I’m trying to get into this synth obsession with a limited budget. The hunt is great but I’m getting very frustrated with knowing where to jump in!

    I’m also curious about the sound quality of cheaper equipment. It’s very hard to know what I’m supposed to be hearing in real life, from a video that seems to be undergoing some sophisticated sound processing. I don’t know how you could represent that information, but I thought I’d throw it out there for you to think about anyway.

    Thanks, I look forward to more of your content in the future!

    Wes from Fairbanks, AK

    1. Hi Wes, thanks so much for your support! Indeed I have considered and am working on it but it will take more time… (though sound character is impossible to compare because it’s a matter of personal preference). Regarding sound processing – in my videos there is none except level adjustment. Please PM me on Patreon if you’d like to continue the discussion as I do prioritize those responses. Thanks again!

  2. Loopop,thank you so much for this overview and tutorial which is so helpful to a newbie like me. At 8 mins you expertly describe assigning different categories or models to one of the model banks. I have read that after doing this you have to “WRITE,System” so that your assignments are remembered during the next power up. How do I do this WRITE,System.
    Many thanks in advance,
    Phil.

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