The JX-3P is a pretty good synth, best known for a good string sound. It came about at the same time as the Juno series but represents a shift towards digital circuitry, push-buttons and (for the JX-3P) simplified programming. Compared with a Juno, the JX-3P sounds inferior however it is analog and capable of decent synth sounds for cheap. You will need the PG-200 programmer if you want real control of it. It's a six voice polyphonic with two DCO's per voice which means analog oscillators and sounds with digital stability and control. The typical assortment of filter, envelope, LFO and oscillator sections are here with easy and straight-forward programming.

Extended information

Surprisingly, the JX-3P is MIDI equipped, in fact it was Roland's first MIDI synth but was very limited to basic note on/off information only. Synths like the Juno 106 have far better MIDI implementation and sounds. Although the JX-3P may not be as nice or professional as a Juno, it makes a great entry level Vintage synth capable of creating some useful classic analog sounds. The JX-3P also came in a rack-mount version called the MKS-30.

Technical specifications

Polyphony - 6 voices Oscillators - 2 DCO's per voice Memory - 32 preset, 32 user Filter - Resonant Low pass Effects - Chorus Arpeg/Seq - Simple Sequencer Keyboard - 61 keys Control - MIDI (no velocity except with a special ROM upgrade)

Information above is courtesy of www.vintagesynth.com