JADE from The Traditional Suspects is a Roland JD-990 simulator presently in alpha, and it’s out there free of charge.
You may obtain this alpha model from the builders’ Discord channel in AU, VST2, VST3, LV2, and CLAP codecs for macOS, Home windows, and Linux.
As soon as an official launch is introduced, you’ll be capable of obtain it straight from the developer’s web site.
JADE brings us the sounds of one other Roland basic, the JD-990 (Tremendous JD).
The JD-990 earns the Tremendous JD title as an enhanced rackmount model of the highly regarded JD-800 keyboard synthesiser.
The JD-990 got here round in 1993, and along with the shared capabilities of the JD-800, it presents nearly double the variety of PCM waveforms (195), oscillator sync, frequency cross modulation, ring modulation, and a built-in multi-FX processor that includes a three-band graphic EQ, distortion, phaser, refrain, delay, reverb, and extra.
The JD-990 additionally contains a multi-mode TVF filter that permits you to craft extra complicated textures than have been doable with the JD-800.
Every patch contains as much as 4 tones, making this multi-timbral, 24-note polyphonic synth module an actual studio workhorse.
Moreover, the JD-990 presents two LFOs per patch, three envelopes per tone (Pitch, TVF filter, and TVF amp).
One other much-loved attribute of the JD-990 is the flexibility to introduce analogue-like pitch drift.
Nonetheless, regardless of its many options, one of the crucial appreciated features of this synth is its simple interface.
The Traditional Suspects appear to have mirrored the workflow precisely, and, as all the time, the sound is spot on.
In order for you an instance of the JD-990 in motion, try Insomnia by Faithless. But it surely’s greater than only a 90s digital synth for dance music variants; there are funky, emotive, dystopian sounds, and extra.
The rationale the sound is spot on is that, just like the earlier releases from the identical staff, you’ll want the unique ROM file to make use of JADE.
If in case you have the legally acquired Roland ROM file, you’re all good; if not, the waters are far muddier.
So, it’s the standard story from The Traditional Suspects; not everybody will get to place JADE to make use of, however appreciation for his or her tasks is all the time evident.
It’s tough to put the JD-990 in Roland’s best hits; I feel some folks place it too excessive on the record out of nostalgia, and I get that. Wherever you place it, the JD-990 is a flexible and reliable synth that would grace any hit report!
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Final Up to date on August 3, 2026 by Tomislav Zlatic.
