Mercury-8

Name: Mercury-8
Price: 69 USD
Author: Cherry Audio

by Cherry Audio · Synth · Jupiter-8-style analog polysynth

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Mercury-8 is Cherry Audio's take on the Roland Jupiter-8, with two oscillators per voice, cross-mod and sync, and high-pass plus resonant low-pass filters.

It offers two layers of 16 voices, a modulation matrix, 20 effects in three chains and over 600 presets, including the 64 original factory patches, for $69.

Best for: Keys & Synths, Bass, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Pop, Ambient & Cinematic.

Keywords: polyphonic, analog, arpeggiator, modulation matrix, 80s, hardware emulation, preset-driven, sequencer, vintage, analog-sounding, basses, brass, chord generator, circuit-modelled, classic, FM, leads, lush, pads, sound design, subtractive, tempo-synced.

What it does

Mercury-8 is Cherry Audio's circuit-modeled recreation of the Roland Jupiter-8, the last in its Mercury series. In the developer's words it goes "beyond Jupiter" with more voices, deeper modulation, effects and patch exchange with the original hardware.

Dual layers: two layers of 16 polyphonic voices each, played split or stacked, with independent controls per layer.
Voice modes: Solo, Unison, Poly-1, Poly-2, Multi and Chord Memory; Multi varies pitch, panning, filter and envelopes from voice to voice.
Oscillators: two per voice with triangle, ramp, sine, sawtooth, square/variable pulse and noise, plus PWM, oscillator sync and exponential FM cross-modulation.
Filters and envelopes: a high-pass and a resonant low-pass with 12 and 24 dB slopes, two velocity-sensitive ADSRs and a tempo-syncable LFO per layer.
Mod matrix: four slots per layer with 25 sources, 43 destinations and optional Via controls.
Arpeggiator and sequencer: a per-layer arpeggiator with Arp, Leap, Order and Random modes plus swing, chance and feel, and a 16x4 polyphonic step sequencer with humanize.
Character controls: Analog Drift and Condition controls to age and destabilize the sound.
Effects and presets: 20 effects in three chains, including the new DCO Chorus, Panner and Pulser; over 600 presets in 16 categories, including the 64 original JP-8 factory patches and "Factory Plus" versions.

It imports original JP-8 SysEx patch banks (Encore Electronics and Groove Electronics formats) and exports in Encore format. A free 30-day demo is available.

Source: Cherry Audio product page

When to use it

Mercury-8 is the pick for a Jupiter-8 that keeps the original panel but adds a second layer, a modulation matrix, a sequencer and effects. Compared with Arturia Jup-8 V, it covers similar ground at a lower price and adds SysEx import of original patch banks. TAL-J-8 is the leaner, more hardware-faithful choice. Against broad analog synths like u-he Diva, it is narrower but more focused on one classic polysynth sound.

Best for: lush polysynth pads, brass stabs, split bass-and-chord setups, arpeggios and 80s leads.
Genres: pop, synthwave, electronic and film music.
Look elsewhere if: you want strict hardware accuracy over extra features; TAL-J-8 keeps closer to the original panel.
Tip: strip the effects to hear the vintage tone of the original factory patches, and try Multi mode for per-voice panning and filter movement.

What producers say

Reviewers see it as a very convincing, modernized Jupiter-8; the small controls are the main complaint.

MusicRadar (Roland Schmidt, December 2025) praised its faithfulness, layering, 600-plus presets and tape-style delay, calling it "sonically authentic, but with a tad more extension"; Cherry Audio's page cites a five-star MusicRadar rating.
Synth Anatomy liked the dual layers, cross-mod and sync tones, effects and hardware patch support, and found the presets "charming".
Criticisms: Synth Anatomy found the parameters "tiny and difficult to see" and missed ratcheting and probability in the sequencer; MusicRadar noted small differences in envelope timing and PWM feel versus aged hardware.

Where to buy

Tutorials and reviews

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