Wait... Did Behringer Just Tease Roland Jupiter 8 & TR-909 Clones?

If you were in the market for an original Roland Jupiter-8 (analog 8-voice poly with 16 oscillators) you'd be looking to shell out around $3,500 USD. An original 1983 Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer would set you back over $1,000 easily. It was the first drum machine to include samples and analog synth sounds.

So, why tell us this?

Well, Behringer have successfully cloned the iconic Minimoog with their Model D and stunned the world with a price of $299... next they are about to release their own (not a clone) 2-oscillator monophonic analog synth, Neutron. We are testing one in the AskAudio Labs and it is a keeper. Especially for just $299 again!

So, when Uli Behringer posts a picture featuring members of his team enjoying a Roland Jupiter-8 and a Roland TR-909 we think there's good reason to get excited. Perhaps even very excited (unless you work for Roland).

Interestingly, Roland have made a recreation of their Jupiter-8 as part of their Boutique range of synths. It's not analog, and uses ACB (analog circuit behavior) to emulate that analog feel. It's already a good synth and perhaps the main criticism from some is the small size.

If Behringer are indeed working on a Jupiter 8 clone, what price would you like it to be? Would you like a desktop synth without keyboard, or with? So many questions... so few answers (for now)!