ACME Synthworks unveils working fully discrete 8-voice Jupiter-8 clone prototype

ACME Synthworks, a small German builder, published a sneak-preview video and post on February 23, 2026 showing what it calls a working, fully discrete 8-voice clone of the classic Roland Jupiter-8 polysynth. The footage presented the instrument running through a short demo and an overview of the panel, and the builder identified the prototype as "95% finish".

The prototype shown in the video was explicitly labeled by ACME as fully discrete and 8-voice, signaling a circuit-level recreation rather than a software or single-chip remake. The post paired that claim with a brief console demonstration, giving viewers an audible sense of the instrument and a visual tour of the controls during the short demo and overview segment.

ACME’s message in the post emphasized the working status of the unit. The builder’s use of the phrase "95% finish" frames the instrument as a near-complete prototype rather than a final production model, and the video content focused on functional sound examples and an overview of the control surface rather than construction minutiae or a production timeline.

Positioned as a clone of the Roland Jupiter-8 polysynth, the project explicitly references the Jupiter-8 name and the eight-voice architecture familiar to collectors and players of the original instrument. ACME’s choice to present the unit as an 8-voice, fully discrete clone ties the prototype back to that specific Roland model and its voice-count heritage in the demonstration posted on February 23, 2026.

With the prototype shown and described as "95% finish", ACME Synthworks communicated that the build is in late-stage development. The February 23 sneak-preview video and post functioned as the builder’s public reveal of a working prototype, offering the Vintage Synthesizers community a direct look at an 8-voice, fully discrete attempt to recreate the sound and interface associated with the Roland Jupiter-8.