OK, we're talking synthesizers now, so get your heads out of Conan the Barbarian and listen up. What we have here is a full-scale invasion of the ear-snatchers into the world of rock 'n' roll. The computers have landed, and whether we are or are not men, we must face the onslaught.

Now we all know that synthos are nuthin' new, right? But the integration of computer circuitry, specifically memory banks, is a relatively new twist in electronic keyboards. Thus the following scrutiny of Roland's new Jupiter-4 Compuphonic Synthesizer.

In an effective live performance, there is usually little, if any, "dead air". Something is always going on up there on the stage. Most of the time', it's music. But often times certain changes in instruments are required before the band can render the next number. This is especially true of synthesizer/keybqard players, who often have to move from one instrument to another, or stop and spend precious time re-programming their instruments for the appropriate sounds. That is not any easy thing to do in a few short seconds.

To avoid the delay, synthesists sometimes have two identical units on stage, programmed differently, so they can jump from one to the other and be ready to proceed without any wasted time. Obviously, the value of a computerized pre-programmable synthesizer shodld be immediately apparent.

The Jupiter-4 can store up to eight different sounds in its computer memory bank. All the performer has to do is punch a button and select the desired sound that might have taken him a fortnight to program. The computer-stored sounds are in no way influenced by the ten Preset sounds provided. Those Presets include Bass, Strings, Funky Clavi, Piano, Voice, Sax, Trumpet, Trombone, Synth and . . . The Force. That's right, you get The Force already preset, so you don't have to spend your money on the soundtrack to the well-known sci-fi flick just to jog your memory. The Force is always with, you on the Jupiter-4.

So, if my math is correct, there are a total of 18 possible sounds available at any given time, just at the push of a button. Obviously, a keyboard player who Had never even seen a synthesizer could use the Jupiter-4 simply by sticking with the ten presetsounds. Butforthe adventurous, there is a completely programmable control panel that includes all those mysterious things like VCO, VCF, VCA , LFO, as well as switches, faders, and rotary pots galore.

The VCO (Voltage-Controlled Oscillator) generates a Triangle waveform, a Square wave, and a variable Pulse yvave. The nice thing about this section of the panel is the Sub-Oscillator, which will double the note being played one octave lower, thus giving a "fat" sound to the basic waveform.

The VCF (Voltage-Controlled Filter) High Pass Filter has a range of 40Hz to 5kHz. The Low Pass Filter range is 20Hz to 20kHz. The Low Pass Filter resonance is variable from 0 to selfoscillation. The Jupiter's VCF has a Keyboard Follow Switch, which will allow the Filter to "track" the keyboard voltage at any of four selectable percentages (0%, 40%, 70%, or 100%). The Envelope Polarity Switch makes possible the instant inversion of the shape of the filter Envelope Generator. You can literally play this thing inside out!

The VCA (Voltage-Controlled Amplifier) is pretty much standard fare. This section of the keyboard control panel has an Output Level fader, an Overload indicator, and ADSR (Attack, Decay, Sustain and Release) faders which shape the "behavior in time" of the final output of the synthesizer. In simpler terms, the ADSR determines when each note will begin and end once a key has been depressed.

Speaking of keys, this syntho has 48 of them (most of them white) which span,a 4-octave range beginning with a low C note. By using the VCO Range Switch (16', 8', or 4') and the Trarispose Switch, the keyboard qan be expanded to seven full octaves.

Of. course, no synthesizer worth its name would be complete without an LFO (Low Frequency Oscillator). The Jupiter-4 LFO generates Sine, Square, Triangle, and Inverted Triangle waveforms at a variable rate of from 0 to 80Hz. A lighted indicator helps the player set the rate of the LFO pulse visually, so that it can be quickly set to the desired speed. The 1.FO can be used to modify the VCO, VCF, and the VCA to produce vibrato, growl, and tremolo sounds.

But does it have Noise, you ask? Damn right. The pounding surf and the howling winds are just a switch away in the Noise Generator. Sample and Hold, that ingenious function that allows the syntho to play itself totally at random while you reach for a drink, is included in the VCF section of the Jupiter-4. So what else do you want?

Pitch bend? Sure. The Jupiter-4 Bend/Modulation function is manually variable and governs either vibrato, when applied to the VCO (+1 octave or more); growl, when applied to the VCF (+ 2 octaves or mojre of the resonant pitch); or tremolo when applied to the VCA (+ 12db). The Manual Lever used for pitch-bending is springloaded so it automatically returns to proper pitch when it is released.

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Portamento? No, it is not a village in Colombia , it's an electronic term more commonly referred to as "glide", and it's just that: a gliding change fn pitch that rises up several octaves above the note being played. The "rise time" of the Portamento is one second per octave. v

Now that we've established that the Jupiter-4 is indeed ef programmable syntho, complete with all the-necessary components, let's look at some of its best features.

By now you may have7 asked yourself the •question, when you turn Jupiter-4 off, do the programmed sounds in the memory bank go blank? Well, as a matter of fact, no. An automatically rechargable battery inside the unit provides enough power to retain the memory contents after the Jupiter is turned off. But what about the accidental erasure of programs that you labored over for hours? No way. Jupiter-4 has a Protection Lock button to prevent such a catastrophe, as well as a Manual Lock button to switch that overrides the memory function at any time.

There is a well-known polyphonic synthesizer on the market today that suffered a big drawback when it first came out. Although it had eight preset voices, the difference in the loudness of those voices was so extreme that it was next to impossible to maintain any kind of consistent volume level when switching from one preset to the next. Not so with good ol' Jupiter-4.

The "J up" has a Master Volume control in its VCA section which is used to set the output level of each programmed sound, so the player doesn't have to lunge for the volume control when changing from his "screeching cat" patch to his "medieval lute" patch.

The Memory Bank and the Presets of the Jupiter-4 can be manually overriden by the Modifiers, and even though the Memory will store LFO Rate, Waveform, and Depth in its computer system, that too can be manually altered with the LFO Ben Control. Jupiter-4 also has a delayed vibrato capability, which adds a sweetness to string lines, bringing in vibrato only after a key has been held down anywhere from ^ one to ten seconds.

Some synthos have continuously variable oscillator pitch controls; the Jupiter-4 VCO is only switchable over a three-octave range. However, a fine tuning control is provided on the lower front panel so the unit can be tuned to other keyboards with fixed pitches.

The rear panel of this synthesizer will accomodate a stereo headphone jack (the entire unit is stereo, by the way)' a foot switch and a filter pedal, and any external "clock" such as a rhythm unit or sequencer. An input for a volume pedal is also provided. The footswitch and the filter pedal are listed as accessories and are not included in the base price of the Jupiter-4, but they are essential to its operation if you want to get the most out of the synthesizer. The footswitch acts as a sustain pedal, and the filter pedal can be used to vary the cutoff frequency of the VCF. In other words, the filter pedal acts as a wah-wah pedal, or it can be alternately used as a volume pedal.

And yet, for all the things that this synthesizer will do, something about it just doesn't quite come across. I think it's just a simple matter of the way it looks to me, but if I were designing this thing, I would make the panel easier to see and read, and would choose som£ other kind of push-button switches for the presets and memory bank. I know that probably sounds crazy, but I also know for sure that color means a lot to drummers, bassists, and guitarists, and I suspect most keyboard players are conscious of color values, too. We Americans love that sleek, low-ridin' look, in everything from fender skirts to Fender Strats. So why make a really hot little syntho that looks as tame as those "magic one-finger'' home organs you find in department stores? Perhaps to give the Jupiter-4 a more universal appeal? 1 dunno . . .

Anyway, my little cosmetic objection doesn't carry much weight. The Jupiter-4 is polyphonic, programmable, and realistically priced. In the final analysis, Jupiter-4 has lifted off the launching pad and is now on* its way into the hands of the rockers, the rollers, and themidnight strollers. \

Far be it from me to abort the mission.