Roland JD-Xichat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

Multiple owners report keys breaking or snapping off over time, describing the keybed as the weakest part of the unit and needing replacement parts from third parties. Several say they now use it only via MIDI to avoid further damage.

@MSM5500

JD-Xi lacks inverted Calc. Saw wave form. which should be an exact but mirrored replica of the Calc. Saw. There aren't many synths out there which have both ramp saw tooth & inverted one at a time. JD-XA and Jupiter X do have ones and Sylenth1 as well. I got my JD-Xi in 2016 and I've replaced its keybed twice already, so having a spare either block of keys (preferably black) or the whole keybed ass'y in stock won't hurt. The black keys are prone to snap off if lateral force applied.launch

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January 31, 2022

@JeezVince

The jd-xi is a beast despite its limitations. Great sound, many PCM with ultra classic sounds, ok FXs, the drums (!), the sequencer, the analog mono synth, the guitar input (!!!), the great vocoder. Its a lot of fun.\n\nThe cons are:\n\n-a joke of a keyboard, way too small even for mini-keys standards and very breakable, so its a bit a waste of space in a normal studio.\n\n-stupidly hidden options (needs an editor and thats not a roland one indeed, shame!)\n\n-no proper ADSR on the panel!\n\n-Dark af panel!\n\nThey should have done a desktop/rack version, it would have been a massive winner.\n\n\nI bought it to plug a 303 and my guitars in, to use it with my talkbox, and over the mininova & microkorg for its analog part. Its a really cool piece of gear for its price.launch

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September 29, 2021

@EmptyTheBand

As a relatively new owner of the JD-XI, I really appreciate that there is still quality content being produced about this synth. Coming from absolutely no knowledge about synthesis, I basically hit the ground running with this thing. The manual is garbage, the keybed is absolute crap, but man, I love this thing to bits. I cannot explain the joy I feel when I learn or discover something new via playing this synth. The best term I can use to explain is... rewarding. I have virtually become obsessed with synths because of the JD-XI. To this day, There are new aspects about it that I learn, usually completely by accident. The synth has also inspired me to look into other hardware synths, I now own a Korg MS-2000 and dx7 as well. To avoid using the terrible analog channel on it, it is possible to daisy chain another synthesizer with better tones, link it to the analog channel via midi, turn the volume knob down and voila! Your analog channel is now playing and recording sounds from another synth. \n\nGreat video! Very informative and passionate. The gripes you have addressed are definitely shared by the majority of JD owners, but there is no denying this little thing is a powerhouse waiting to be unlocked. I look forward to binging the rest of your content!launch

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June 13, 2021

@MDM-님-CDGS-KSA

This synthesizer is worth the price of admission for its drums alone. Roland has a great track of keyboards with drum machine functionality (the D-20 in the background is the first type of Roland keyboard like that in fact, along with the D-10). As far as mini keys go, they can viable. I use Yamaha KX5 strap-on MIDI keyboard with great satisfaction. Casio CZ-101 mini keys however are horrible, but! I'd far prefer 49 keys at least on a horizontally orientated keyboard, but I am old and got spoiled... The plexiglass front interface is not to my liking, but I must say that everything else about this instrument is alright. I mean, very alright. Sound is marvelous, and so is smooth step-free filter.launch

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April 22, 2018

Many reviewers criticize the hidden, buried functionality requiring deep menu navigation to edit sounds, with some calling the process like keyhole surgery. This makes sound design tedious without a third-party editor.

@cakesteak

JD-XI is magical, this is what I'd buy a kid whos never touched music to see if he had any music making talent. The sequencer just works - for both people who want to play and for people who don't want to play. The drums are strangely punchy, and also strangely, it has rock solid timing (6 samples of audio out jitter which is way, way better than most pro music equipment, and better than rolands more expensive stuff, like the jd-xa).\nThe only thing it's not great for, is sound design. When you're starting out and finding you can make music, you are usually a preset patch using type anyway. To mess with sounds theres a bit of menu diving.launch

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January 28, 2025

@JeezVince

The jd-xi is a beast despite its limitations. Great sound, many PCM with ultra classic sounds, ok FXs, the drums (!), the sequencer, the analog mono synth, the guitar input (!!!), the great vocoder. Its a lot of fun.\n\nThe cons are:\n\n-a joke of a keyboard, way too small even for mini-keys standards and very breakable, so its a bit a waste of space in a normal studio.\n\n-stupidly hidden options (needs an editor and thats not a roland one indeed, shame!)\n\n-no proper ADSR on the panel!\n\n-Dark af panel!\n\nThey should have done a desktop/rack version, it would have been a massive winner.\n\n\nI bought it to plug a 303 and my guitars in, to use it with my talkbox, and over the mininova & microkorg for its analog part. Its a really cool piece of gear for its price.launch

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September 29, 2021

@EmptyTheBand

As a relatively new owner of the JD-XI, I really appreciate that there is still quality content being produced about this synth. Coming from absolutely no knowledge about synthesis, I basically hit the ground running with this thing. The manual is garbage, the keybed is absolute crap, but man, I love this thing to bits. I cannot explain the joy I feel when I learn or discover something new via playing this synth. The best term I can use to explain is... rewarding. I have virtually become obsessed with synths because of the JD-XI. To this day, There are new aspects about it that I learn, usually completely by accident. The synth has also inspired me to look into other hardware synths, I now own a Korg MS-2000 and dx7 as well. To avoid using the terrible analog channel on it, it is possible to daisy chain another synthesizer with better tones, link it to the analog channel via midi, turn the volume knob down and voila! Your analog channel is now playing and recording sounds from another synth. \n\nGreat video! Very informative and passionate. The gripes you have addressed are definitely shared by the majority of JD owners, but there is no denying this little thing is a powerhouse waiting to be unlocked. I look forward to binging the rest of your content!launch

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June 13, 2021

@alicestener1031

I've been trying to grasp this great synth for months and I discover huge new possibilities every day, but Roland gave us a great synth but extremely difficult to practice with, the engineers took precedence over music advisors. I need to record a sequence of chords, not possible, except by fiddling with a tempo slowdown. That's rubbish. I need to delete the drums, no way, except again to search in the sub-sub-sub menus. On the other hand having the sound of oscillators like Kraftwerk or the suite of sounds from my mentor's big equipment, Jean Michel Jarre, that's great. But honestly no way to have extra buttons? So buy it, but I'm telling you that you're going to spend weeks and months on it; Thanks to YouTube tutorials, because Roland won't help you.launch

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October 26, 2020

Commenters consistently feel the analog voice is underpowered, poorly integrated, or unnecessary, with some preferring a third digital track instead. Others note it's routed through digital effects, making it not truly analog.

@zunkrock

I love my JDXi. Have to say it doesn't \"fuse\" analog and digital, it does one or the other. The analog synth is also routed thru a digital delay and reverb section (even if those effects are on or off) which means it is NOT actually analog in the proper sense. It is a pity the 3rd party editor was never completed but having said that the editor is awesome as it stands and really shows how much is under the bonnet of this device, in particular the fact the drums can be a stack of 4 sounds per note! Huge power.launch

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December 9, 2024

@geoffdeanthemeparks

Hi Woody. Very good review as always. I'm glad that you mentioned the part about the analogue track, I thought I maybe the only one who thought that. The two supernatural tracks are superb to say the least and the speed and quickness that we can move on this synth is really important to producing sounds and patterns. I was innitially under the impression that the Analogue is a very much sought after thing with all synths and something that most profesionals would prefer over digital. I guess in some cases that is probably true, in yet like so many people it's far far better to have with something that sounds good straight away, no matter if it's digital, accoustic, analogue etc. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this, you'll find that most people are likely to agree with you, three supernatural sounds would have been the icing on the cake. Often I have used mine to start off some inspirational ideas, record them into Reaper, then add more supernatural sounds and patterns into the program, align them up afterwards because of lagg, add other synths etc down the line and it's absolutely amazing just what can be done. I wish I had all this type of power when I was starting out back in my 20s, but sadly non of this was really available then, i'm now 61. This is a something I did a few years back, a Paul Hardcastle track titled \"Rainforest\" together with other keyboards and synths but triggered mainly by the JDXi. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kc4MqPkE3I . Best wishes to you. Geofflaunch

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May 14, 2021

@danstar1985

Totally agree on the anologue feature, would have much preferred a third digital track. I think they most likely added it for the \"retro\" anoraks/ lovers out there! I've used it on some of my performances usually with the arpeggio engaged and it does sound quite neat but mostly find it a bit surplus to requirements! The pads etc are awesome, very big and lush, kind of what you would expect from the top end of Roland. \nAll in all, a fab synth for the money and jam packed with great features! A good 8/10 from me!launch

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February 21, 2019

@jenniferdarknight

I've had my JD-XI for a good while, and it's been a pretty worthwhile purchase. It's a hefty little synth that has a lot of bang for your buck, but my God is this thing cheaply built. The minikeys don't bug me since I have smaller fingers, but it just doesn't have much body to it; I keep worrying that it's going to fall apart at any moment. \n\nThe analog also isn't as nice as it could be, and I've found myself using the digital patches, the sequencer, and the drum kits more than anything else (it also works as a pretty good midi controller, but you can get way better for less). The vocoder is absolutely awful, though.launch

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August 24, 2017

The roughly 4-bar (extendable to 8 with workarounds) sequencer limit frustrates users trying to record full musical ideas or structure a live set, with some calling it a dealbreaker.

@jjrtech7806

I'm with you on the jdxi; for everything I hate about it, there's something I love about it. The 4 bar limit in the sequencer drives me mad(yes, I know you can get to 8 bars with the fudge) and you need the freeware editor to get to the voice editing, but time and time again this is my go-to for getting ideas down quickly. It's supposed to sit on my desk, but it spends a lot of it's time on the bedside table for when those early morning tracks pop into my head from a waking dream. I'm glad I didn't buy it new though, 500 planetary credits is a bit too much. I wish Roland would release one more software update for this to address a few of the short comings, but I fear their attention is now on the SH4D.launch

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October 19, 2023

@magnusjohansson295

Very good tutorial!!! So easy to create music. And when you're finished with your four tracks, you can start wishing there were four more... I quess you could just buy another JDXI! Or record tracks one by one into a portastudio, that's another way of \"getting past\" having just four tracks. For some applications, four is enough of course. Seems like a great little machine, the JD XI. I know of no other mini synth that can do what it does.launch

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July 30, 2023

@fprmusic1374

Hi Woody thanks a lot for the video. I just got the JD-Xi 2 weeks ago and I am unable to record tracks more than 4 bars long. Are you absolutely sure that the max pattern length is 8 bars? I am even considering to give it back because 4 bars is really limiting when I want to record musical ideas, and the sequencer does not really allow to structure songs properly. \nI think the JD-Xi is designed to jam with, but when it comes to setting up prerecorded tracks for a live set it becomes quite limited. I hope Roland fixed this with an software update, but I am not sure I can afford to keep it and risk to get stuck with the 4 bar x track limitation.\nThank you for bringing to my attention the envelope control limitations and the analog synth limited capabilities. I understand that it goes with the price tag as well, however the 4 track length limitation is becoming a deal breaker for me.launch

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June 8, 2019

@jPaulofe

Very nice video Woody!! \nAfter having a JD-Xi for two Months, I tend to agree with almost everything you mentioned.\nOne thing that really annoys me is the fact that we need to press SHIFT + TRACK in order to turn that track ON/OFF. When playing live with other synths that is really bad as requires both hands...\nOf course we can use the sequencer to sequence all knob/Button movements, but there are not enough measures to do an whole song, so really difficult to manage in a hurry. Need to find another way to turn tracks on/off with only one button! SysEx perhaps...\nApart from this, it is a great mini synth!!!launch

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June 28, 2017

Several users describe the built-in vocoder as awful or tricky to use, citing difficulty positioning the mic without peaking and inconsistent results compared to dedicated vocoder gear.

@jamesmay3941

I agree with most of what you say, especially about the drum kits. I've had one for a few months and agree that the vocoder mic is very tricky to use. I bought some mini windscreens for it that eradicated the pops, but it's still nigh on impossible to get the exact distance for it to pick up without peaking, which makes setting recording levels on my Tascam digital portastudio a pain. I don't think the analogue synth is too bad, but having said that I do veer towards my Yamaha reface cs for proper old skool oscillator sounds with lots of variable parameters - including separate ADSR faders! If you want a fun and affordable analogue synth I highly recommended the reface cs. There's no saving of settings on it, though. I write them down on paper. That old skool enough for ya? 😊launch

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January 6, 2024

@joonglegamer9898

Thanks for the review, I ordered this today earlier before your review, and you basically confirm my use case with it, so that makes me kind of happy with my decision. I have a Yamaha Montage (and as you said about the MODX which is essentially the same synth) The vocoder sucks on it. And I needed a proper drum machine next to it (yes, the Yamaha has very capable drums, but the built in sequencer...well...sucks), I like to do stuff on the fly, and this little thing (Roland JD-Xi) will help me make easy rythms on the fly while playing. Not only that, but as you said, it's an excellent SOUND MODULE, and since Midi Functionality is a bit on the limiting side on the MODX and MONTAGE, this is good for a DAWLESS setup. I have an external 3-keybed setup with a Yamaha HS-6 (it's an FM organ sort of, but with Bass pedals, 2 keybeds with touch AND aftertouch) which I plan to interface the JD-Xi with, I already do that with the Montage, but I need to set up each Midi channel for each voice inside a part, which is...cumbersome to say the least, but it works. \n\nFor what you get tho, 500 bucks for this thing is a STEAL, nevermind the toy keyboard, that's just well...for simple access I'd say.launch

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July 7, 2021

@jenniferdarknight

I've had my JD-XI for a good while, and it's been a pretty worthwhile purchase. It's a hefty little synth that has a lot of bang for your buck, but my God is this thing cheaply built. The minikeys don't bug me since I have smaller fingers, but it just doesn't have much body to it; I keep worrying that it's going to fall apart at any moment. \n\nThe analog also isn't as nice as it could be, and I've found myself using the digital patches, the sequencer, and the drum kits more than anything else (it also works as a pretty good midi controller, but you can get way better for less). The vocoder is absolutely awful, though.launch

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August 24, 2017

Owners complain about small red text and tight knobs that are difficult to read and operate, worsened by a glossy panel that shows fingerprints and scratches.

@MobileMusic

Actually, the Analog sounds are good and you can see their use and purpose if you examine the built-in programs and their analog tracks.\nWe can dive into the menu for any parameters like ADSR.\nOne annoying thing is - the Category know is too tight to twist.\nOther than that, it is a workhorse to create mobile music anywhere on-the-go.\nI can lift it with my pinky - it's that light weight - but it is - NOT - flimsy!launch

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November 14, 2020

@ytJnC

Big con is that you had to tape your own labels to see them. Roland does offer new overlays that reduce the glare from the polished panel, but the text is still small.launch

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June 11, 2017

@davegetsspam

the tiny red writing makes it hard to read labels for each knob. Roland are too cheap/lazy/apathetic to write windows app to program it or be a librarian for it. huge number of drum kits available but it is so slow to program your drum kits if you want customise the sounds there is a lot of button pushing and a huge need to be able to read the hard to read labels. Having said that I will try keeping it for a while to see if I can use it better. the sounds are goodlaunch

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November 30, 2015

A couple of owners report defective tempo and volume circuitry on multiple purchased units, requiring paid repairs that didn't fully resolve the issue, alongside repeated keybed failures on another unit.

@MSM5500

JD-Xi lacks inverted Calc. Saw wave form. which should be an exact but mirrored replica of the Calc. Saw. There aren't many synths out there which have both ramp saw tooth & inverted one at a time. JD-XA and Jupiter X do have ones and Sylenth1 as well. I got my JD-Xi in 2016 and I've replaced its keybed twice already, so having a spare either block of keys (preferably black) or the whole keybed ass'y in stock won't hurt. The black keys are prone to snap off if lateral force applied.launch

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January 31, 2022

@thailifemark

i wrote Roland Support about this 2 JDXI units i purchased from Roland, both with same defects. the 1st unit was purchased in 2016 and it became defective within 1 year. i drove it to Roland/Boss repair ctr 50 miles paid $100 for repairs each time, never fixed. the unit's circuitry is defective for both Tempo & Master Volume knobs, causing the unit to slow down /speed up tempo while playing, despite the tempo settings preset in the Program parameters. Volume control slowly fades too. I bought the 2nd unit in November 2019, now it has developed the exact same problem. JDXI needs to admit its defective engineering on this device.launch

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August 31, 2020