Roland JD XI and Korg Minilogue [2023 Review]

Analog synthesizer can be a godsend when you’re looking for a product that uses analog circuits and analog signals that will produce the sound electronically. However, it can be a little bit challenging to find the idea option for yourself.

In this article, we will review two great analog synthesizers which are Roland JD XI and Korg Minilogue. We will talk about the pros and cons of each analog synthesizers and help you understand which one is a better option for you.

We’re very excited to talk about both products. So, let’s get started without wasting any time.

Winner of Roland JD XI and Korg Minilogue: Korg Minilogue

We should start by mentioning that it was very hard for us to come up with a winner between these products because both have a lot of features that we like a lot. However, we concluded that Korg Minilogue has the slight edge over the Roland JD XI in our review of Roland JD XI vs Korg Minilogue for all the reasons that we will mention below.

We like Korg Minilogue better than the Roland JD XI because it comes with a very sleek design and it definitely has a lot of advantages even compared to the other very expensive products in the market.

The main reason for that is that it produces a sound that you wouldn’t expect from a product that has this kind of price tag. The main reason for that is that it comes with a warm, deep, refined and a very high-quality sound that is we’re very used to see in the products made by Korg.

Another reason why we like a lot about Korg Minilogue is that it comes with 2 and 4 pole modes which provides a lot of options for you. 4 poles will provide a smoother/darker whereas the 2 pole will also provide a bright and uplifting tone which is perfect for producing making kicks and hats. Therefore, that this product will allow you to control the velocity without any issues.

So, for all the reasons that we mentioned above, we believe this product is definitely worth the money if you have the budget for it.

Roland JD-XI 37-Key Interactive Analog/Digital Crossover Synthesizer Review

We should start by mentioning that this analog synth has been anticipated a lot by a lot of people. The main reason for that is that Roland is a very high-quality brand that manufactures a lot of high-quality musical products and a lot of people have been waiting for the analog synth they were going to create and we can confidently say that they didn’t disappoint with this analog synth they created.

Let’s start by mentioning that Roland JD XI has a very sleek design. The main reason for that is that the design of this product is very similar to the FA line. Therefore, this analog synth comes with a black and red color scheme with a glossy front panel which gives it a very eye-catching look.

As for the sound, we should mention that this product manages to impress in that aspect as well. Because it is a four-part multitimbral which is composed of two different digital parts which are a drum part and a monophonic analogue part. We should also mention that each parts comes with a corresponding sequencer track.

This analog synth comes with 256 digital presets, 64 analogue presets and 32 drum kits onboard and it also has 256 user spaces. We should also mention that the sound quality is very high-quality and it produces an amazing sound which you would expect from a product that has a much more expensive.

The main reason for that is that the digital parts are do an amazing job and it gives you the opportunity to produce different sounds with different partials. What that means is that you will be able to layer a PCM Piano. In addition to that, you will be able to layer SuperNatural strings and brass per digital part.

We also like the fact that Roland JD XI comes with built-in songs which we believe is very nice. To be honest, the sounds that are included in this product are not very complex but they are very high-quality sound that you will like instantly. Also, it is possible for you to add from the Axial library and you can also use the PCM samples.

Korg Minilogue 4-Voice Polyphonic Analog Synth Review

There are a lot of things that we like about this analog synth but what impresses us most about this product is the 4 different voices, which makes it possible for you to 4 different notes at the same time which we believe is very important because it is very uncommon to see this feature in analog synth that are in the similar price range.

We want to continue our review of Roland JD XI vs Korg Minilogue by mentioning that Korg Minilogue comes with a very sleek design that will make a lot of people fall in love with this analog instantly. The main reason for that is that this product comes with 2mm silver aluminium, which makes this product very durable and it also gives it a very stylish look. In addition to that, the chassis has a very durable and lightweight plastic which we also like a lot.

We should also mention that this analog synth comes with 14 metal paddle switches and it also has 29 black plastic dials on the panel. Another thing that we like about Korg Minilogue is that it has a little OLED display which will help you a lot when you’re playing this analog synth by showing the parameter values/changes, four sequencer ‘motion’ lanes.

Other than that, it will help you operate the settings and the eight red-blacklit voice mode buttons below. Another thing that is worth mentioning about this product is that it comes with a ‘Slimkey’ keybed that makes pressing and playing your analog synth enjoyable even if you play if for a long time.

That is also the reason why this product is very lightweight since it weighs 2.8 kgs/6lbs which we like a lot because it will help you carry around easily. In addition to that, this analog synth is sensitive to velocity, however, your aftertouch won’t be received by this product.

Another thing that is worth mentioning about this analog synth is that it comes with eight different voice modes and it also has a Voice Mode Depth Dial which will function in the way that you want your analog synth to function.

Conclusion: Roland JD XI and Korg Minilogue [2023 Review]

In this article, we tried to make a comparison between Roland JD XI vs Korg Minilogue. It was very hard for us to find a winner between the two since both products have very nice features. However, when we compare the features of both products we decided that Korg Minilogue has the edge over Roland JD XI.

We tried to explain all the reasons that we convinced us that Korg Minilogue is a better option. But that doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t make sense to go with Roland JD XI. It can definitely a great choice when you consider your needs. So, we highly suggest considering your options before you make your decision.