Cherry Audio Mercury 8 delivers Jupiter 8 sounds, modern workflow tools
Cherry Audio's Mercury 8, a virtual analog recreation and expansion of the 1981 Roland Jupiter 8, earned praise in a hands on evaluation for capturing the classic sonic character while adding meaningful modern features. The synth ships with over 600 presets, SysEx import and export for original hardware banks, and a $69 price that makes Jupiter 8 style tones accessible without hardware hassles.
Cherry Audio has released Mercury 8, a software instrument that recreates and expands the sound and architecture of the 1981 Roland Jupiter 8. A recent hands on evaluation highlighted the plug in's strong modelling of the original instrument alongside contemporary additions that widen its practical use in studio and live setups.
At its core Mercury 8 offers dual 16 voice layers with 16 notes per layer and two oscillators per voice, giving large dense pads and thick leads without the tuning and maintenance concerns of old hardware. Filter options include 12 dB and 24 dB slopes to better match a range of Jupiter era tones and modern preferences. A fully assignable four slot modulation matrix increases programmability, while an onboard arpeggiator and a 16 by 4 polyphonic step sequencer are both DAW syncable for tight integration into sessions.
Effects and preset content were singled out as major value. Mercury 8 includes three independent effects chains loaded with a total of 20 studio quality effects, and it ships with in excess of 600 presets including the original JP 8 factory patches. SysEx import and export compatibility allows direct work with original hardware bank dumps, simplifying migration of classic patches into the soft synth environment.
The hands on evaluation noted subtle differences compared with a well used Jupiter 8. Envelope timings were slightly different, the Mercury 8 showed a touch more top end extension, and cross modulation response was described as more measured than the original instrument's anarchic analogue quirks. Those differences did not prevent the reviewer from judging Mercury 8 as both an excellent production tool and a credible vintage recreation.
Price and availability make Mercury 8 an easy test for producers and vintage synth fans. The instrument is priced at $69 and is available in AU, VST3, VST, AAX formats and as a standalone application. Verify system requirements and DAW compatibility, then audition the presets to see how Mercury 8 fits into your workflow.
Sources:
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
