When the Roland Jupiter-8 arrived in 1981, it wasn’t just another analog polysynth. It was a declaration. Japan had entered the golden age of synthesizer design with an instrument that could stand alongside, and in many ways surpass, the American giants that defined the decade before. By this point, synthesizers were no longer the exotic tools of university labs or recording studios. They were the beating heart of popular music. The Jupiter-8 captured that moment perfectly. It was lush, versatile, and unapologetically grand, built to bring the sound of the future to the stage (and studio, of course).
Its bold orange-on-black panel, its unmistakably wide, confident tone, and its uniquely musical filters, capable of both high-pass and low-pass operation, switchable between 12 dB and 24 dB slopes, gave it a character that became the sound of a new era. It was this sound that powered the rise of synth-pop, new wave, and the cinematic soundtracks of the early eighties.
It was also a technical marvel. Each of its sixteen voltage-controlled oscillators was built from discrete components and temperature-stabilized to stay in tune. Its filters and envelope circuits (the same family used in the Juno-60 and TB-303) gave it a rich, liquid warmth that has made it a unique and desirable tool for musicians and producers even today. Even the original engineers admitted it was a beast to build and calibrate, but the result was worth it. It was an instrument that could sparkle, whisper, or roar with complete authority.
With Cherry Audio's Mercury-8, every aspect of the original hardware has been meticulously recreated using advanced circuit and behavior modeling techniques to ensure unparalleled sonic accuracy and even compatibility with the original synthesizer. Its precision not only captures the distinctive sound and essence of the Jupiter-8 but actually allows you to transfer patch data to or from a MIDI-retrofitted vintage Jupiter-8. Furthermore, Mercury-8 goes "beyond Jupiter" by offering expanded feature that far surpass what was possible in 1981.
Key Features at a Glance:
A highly optimized dual-layer architecture that supports 16 polyphonic voices per layer, enabling powerful split keyboard and dual-stacked modes. Analog drift and condition controls allow fine-tuning of the synth's age and state, and the multi-voice mode provides subtle to extreme per-voice variations in pitch, panning, filtering, and envelopes for true, organic analog feel.
Analog-modeled high-pass and resonant low-pass filters faithfully recreate the legendary Jupiter curves, with 12 dB and 24 dB slope options.
A comprehensive modulation matrix with four slots, optional "Via" controls, and user-friendly click-to-assign functionality, offering dozens of source and destination options including Mercury-8's integrated effects.
A built-in arpeggiator and 16x4 programmable polyphonic step sequencer that are both syncable and transposable, and feature flexible humanize settings to create endless pattern possibilities.
Three independent five-unit effect chains that provide 20 studio-quality effects that can be customized, saved, and recalled.
Over 600 presets, including precise recreations of the original JP-8 factory patches along with "Factory Plus" enhanced versions.
Directly imports original JP-8 patch bank SysEx data (Encore Electronics format) via drag-and-drop.
Exports Mercury-8 preset data to SysEx data (Encore Electronics format).
Standalone virtual instrument and plug-in versions included.
In spirit and in sound, Mercury-8 is what the Jupiter-8 might have become if its designers had access to the technology of the present and the same boundless imagination that originally launched it into history.
A Word About the Presets
Mercury-8 comes loaded with more than 600 presets, covering everything from faithful recreations of the original Jupiter-8 sounds to brand-new creations that push its classic sound engine into modern territory.
Among them, you’ll find precise recreations of the 64 original Jupiter-8 factory patches, plus enhanced versions in the Factory Plus category that take advantage of Mercury-8’s expanded features while keeping the unmistakable Jupiter character intact. We’ve also included the eight original factory setups (the classic Dual and Split configurations) ready to play exactly as they appeared on the vintage hardware.
For sound designers and tweakers, the Templates category offers excellent starting points that are useful for building your own patches quickly.
As an added bonus, Mercury-8 also includes a generic preset (in the Templates collection) that is MIDI mapped to the Roland Jupiter-X hardware synthesizer. This setup allows Jupiter-X to function as an excellent controller for the Mercury-8, as the two share similar user interface characteristics and layout.