Ultimate Patches JP-08 & SH-01A Roland Boutique Patches Review
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So are Ultimate Patches truly ultimate? Any company who states that their product or service is “ultimate” certainly sets a high expectation. So, we corralled a couple of our reviewers to check out what sound designer, Scott-John Dougan, has to offer. Their observations in quotes below.
Let’s go back for a moment. We actually learned about Ultimate Patches from one of our readers who informed us that he was about to put his Roland Boutique JP-08 synth on Craig’s List, but instead spent less than $60 for 300 new presets on UltimatePatches.com. Not only did he end up keeping his JP-08, but he commented that the patches he purchased gave him inspiring sounds that he never knew his Baby Jupiter could produce.
Therefore, we downloaded the JP-08 and SH-01A patches and let two of our reviewers take them out for a spin. Although there is no information on the Ultimate Patches website, it’s quite easy to upload new patches to both the Roland JP-08 and SH-01 Boutique synths. Simply attach the synth to your computer via USB and turn on the synth holding down the Bank 2 key for the JP-08 or the Menu key for the SH-01A. A new drive will appear on your computer where you can then drag the contents of the Ultimate Patches Backup folder onto the Restore folder of the Boutique synth. (Important: If you have created any of your own patches on either the JP-08 or SH-01A, you should Drag the Backup Folder from the JP-08 or SH-01A to your computer first.) Turn off the power and then cycle it back on, and the Ultimate Patches are now loaded. Easy.
The Roland Boutique synths don’t set much of a high-water mark for Factory Patches. For example, the JP-08 comes preloaded with emulations of about one-third of the original patches from the famed Jupiter-8. While they could be nice starting points for your own mods, they “sound dated,” are “not that inspiring,” and don’t showcase exactly what the JP-08 can do sound wise. Enter Ultimate Patches. “All right,” started our JP-08 evaluator, “now I get it. These patches are the real deal.” Scott-John Dougan painstakingly programed each sound to “take the JP-08’s ACB engine to redline.” Although, “some of the unison patches sound similar, [Ultimate Patches] did an amazing job bringing out this synth’s definitive character and voice.” So would our reviewer buy these patches for his own Baby Jupiter? “If you own the JP-08, the Ultimate Patches Volumes One and Two are a must buy.”
Ultimate Patches Features and Specs:
» SH-01A 1-3 Bundle (160 Patches)
» SH-01A 4-6 Bundle (160 Patches)
» JP-08 Volume 1 (150 Patches)
» JP-08 Volume 2 (150 Patches)
How did the Roland SH-01A Volumes 1-6 perform? According to our reviewer, who not only owns the SH-01A, but also an original Roland SH-101 monosynth, she felt that the Ultimate Patches “had a lot to offer” especially for “users who rather work with presets.” That said, users “who want to dial in their own sounds” will find the [Ultimate Patches] presets “to be a great leaping off point” in order to “create something fluid and unique.” The Roland SH-01A’s interface is a lot more user friendly than the JP-08, being less cluttered and more suited for sound design, however many buyers usually don’t dig deep enough to create their own sonic signature. “With six volumes of sounds,” our reviewer commented, “there is something here for everyone.”
“From reedy monophonic blasts to evolving Blade Runner crescendos to wet, bubbly filter sweeps, the patches bring out the SH-01A’s best…”
“From reedy monophonic blasts to evolving Blade Runner crescendos to wet, bubbly filter sweeps, the patches bring out the SH-01A’s best,” our reviewer remarked. With so many patches to choose from, our reviewer suggested “marking the standouts and then creating a special Best Of… folder to upload to the SH-01A when you finish auditioning.” A great idea and one you can take further “by creating specialized patch sets based on mood, energy and character.” (Right now, Ultimate Patches is having a sale where you can get all six volumes for $34.99 as a bundle! —Ed.)
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Conclusion
Ultimate Patches has presets available for the Roland JP-08, JU-06, JU-06A, D-05, SH-01A, JD-XI and the just released the SE-02 bundle. Also available are patches for Korg’s popular Minilogue XD, Monologue and Minilogue, as well as the Behringer DeepMind12 / DeepMind6 and the Arturia Minibrute. Scott-John Dougan is continually creating new sets for synths that need some preset love, so subscribe to his social channels to stay up to date. Highly recommended.
Rating: 100%
Cheers:
+ Value
+ Quality
+ Diversity
+ Easy To Upload
Jeers:
– [None]
Ultimate Patches cost $34.99 for the SH-01A 1-3 Bundle (160 Patches) and $34.99 for the SH-01A 4-6 Bundle (160 Patches) or $59.99 for all six / JP-08 Volume 1 (150 Patches) costs $34.99 and JP-08 Volume 2 (150 Patches) costs $34.99 or $59.99 for the Volumes 1+2 Bundle.
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The Future:
Just keep dropping those bombs!
