Cherry Audio Mercury-8 (Digital Download)

Cherry Audio's Mercury-8 utilizes advanced circuit and behavior modeling techniques to ensure unparalleled sonic accuracy and even compatibility with the original synthesizer. Unlike sample-based emulations, Mercury-8 uses virtual analog synthesis, enabling comprehensive, dynamic control over all synthesis parameters while remaining compact. Its precision not only captures the distinctive sound and essence of the JP-8 but also facilitates data exchange with MIDI-modified hardware.

Mercury-8 features a highly optimized dual-layer architecture that supports 16 polyphonic voices per layer, enabling powerful split keyboard and dual-stacked modes. Analog drift and condition controls allow fine-tuning of the synth's age and state, and the multi-voice mode provides subtle to extreme variations in pitch, panning, filtering, and envelopes for tones and patterns.

The comprehensive modulation matrix includes four slots with user-friendly click-to-assign functionality, offering dozens of source and destination options. The built-in arpeggiator and 16x4 programmable polyphonic step sequencer are both syncable and transposable, and feature flexible humanize settings to create endless pattern possibilities. 

Furthermore, Mercury-8 features three independent effect chains and provides 20 studio-quality effects for chains that can be customized, saved, and recalled. And producers can get started immediately with over 600 stellar presets, including precise recreations of the original JP-8 factory patches along with "Factory Plus" enhanced versions.

Mercury-8 is not just another recreation of the legendary classic synthesizer; it transforms one of the greatest analog synths of all time into a fresh and inspiring tool for today's musicians and producers.

Cherry Audio has assembled its biggest sound design team in years to do justice to this monster synthesizer. Mercury-8 includes over 600 sensational presets in 16 categories, as well as the original JP-8 Factory Presets.

Producers will find immediate inspiration in Mercury-8's extensive preset library, created by the talented and passionate sound design team led by veteran sound designer James Terris. Mercury-8 comes loaded presets covering everything from faithful recreations of familiar JP-8 sounds to brand-new creations that push Mercury-8's sound engine into modern territory.

Among them, you’ll find precise recreations of the 64 original Jupiter-8 factory patches, plus enhanced versions in the Factory Plus category that take advantage of Mercury-8’s expanded features while keeping the unmistakable Jupiter character intact. We’ve also included the eight original factory setups (the classic Dual and Split configurations) ready to play exactly as they appeared on the vintage hardware. For sound designers, the Templates category offers a variety of starting points that are useful for building your own patches quickly.

Mercury-8 Features:

• The ultimate JP-8 emulation, engineered by Cherry Audio with its latest comprehensive circuit and behavior modeling techniques to provide unparalleled accuracy to -- and exclusive compatibility with -- the original hardware

• Highly optimized, massive dual-layer voicing architecture with 16 polyphonic voices per layer. Keyboard split and stacked layer modes allow two simultaneously playable layers, with separate per-layer controls for all parameters, including synthesis, modulation, patterns, and effects

• Two oscillators per voice for each layer deliver thick, vibrant tones with classic waveforms, sync, and accurate exponential FM cross-modulation

• Triangle, ramp, sine sawtooth, noise, and square or variable pulse waveforms with pulse width modulation

• High-pass and resonant low-pass filters for each layer faithfully recreate the legendary Jupiter curves, with 12 dB and 24 dB slope options

• Two full ADSR envelopes per layer with velocity, independently assignable to filter, amp, and modulation for expressive control and dynamic sound shaping

• Tempo-syncable LFO for each layer, with retrigger option

• Analog Drift and Condition Controls to fine-tune the "age" of the synth from pristine new to unstable vintage, with adjustable VCO, VCF, VCA drift, and envelope slop

• Solo, Unison, Poly-1 and Poly-2, Multi, and single-key Chord Memory assign modes

• Multi-voice mode that adds adjustable "mini synth" trimmers to provide subtle or extreme voice variation in pitch, panning, filter, and envelopes to tones and patterns

• Repurposed "digital display" interface with clickable access to extended features such as trigger and note priority, unison voices, multi-voice modes, condition, and drift

• Over 600 out-of-this-world presets by ten sound design pros, along with the precise recreation of the 64 original JP-8 factory patches (with enhanced versions) and the eight factory setups, all accessible in a convenient preset browser. Also included are template presets that serve as ideal starting points for sound design in Mercury-8, and a MIDI controller mapping compatible with the Jupiter-X hardware synthesizer

• Comprehensive modulation matrix with four slots and simple click-to-assign functionality: 25 sources and 43 destinations with optional "Via" controls, including Mercury-8's integrated effects

• Syncable and transposable arpeggiator for each layer with Arp, Leap, Order, and Random modes, and Swing, Chance, and Feel to add degrees of randomness to arpeggiated patterns 

• Syncable and transposable 16x4 polyphonic step sequencer for each layer with Start, Stop, Auto Start, and humanize options, with accurate DAW clock and step synchronization

• Three independent customizable chains of effects, one for each layer plus a global layer, with an individual effects modulator for each layer

• 20 studio-quality effects that can be arranged, saved, and recalled within their effects chains, which are compatible and can be shared with Cherry Audio's Trident Mk III synthesizer:

  • BBD Flanger, Compressor, Digital Delay, Digital Reverb, Distortion & EQ, Dual Delay, Dual Ensemble, Dual Phaser, Envelope Filter, Flanger & Chorus, Galactic Reverb, Lo-Fi, Lushverb, Ring Modulator, Seven Band EQ, Spring Reverb, and Tape Echo. New in Mercury-8 are DCO Chorus, Panner, and Pulser.

• Persistent mini UI Effects controls for on/off, solo, bipolar modulator amount slider, and dry/wet mix for each effect. Global FX on/off, level, and stereo expand

• Utility panels to easily copy, paste, swap, and move layers, effects chains, and sequencer data between presets

• Directly import original JP-8 patch bank SysEx data (Encore Electronics format) via drag-and-drop

• Export Mercury-8 preset data to SysEx data (Encore Electronics format)

• Standalone virtual instrument and plug-in versions included

• User-adjustable oversampling control

• Complete MIDI control and DAW automation for all controls, with easy-to-use MIDI learn and mapping (Preset and Global)

• Cherry Audio's popular Focus zoom-in feature, as well as standard UI zoom and resize via drag

• Complete documentation available directly online from the instrument or in downloadable PDF format
  

System Requirements

Mercury-8 is available in AU, VST, VST3, AAX, and standalone formats, and a free 30-day demo is available.

macOS Requirements: 10.13 or above. macOS 13 Ventura supported. 64-bit required. Native Apple M1 or greater processor support, including Ultra. 3.4 GHz Quad-Core or M1 CPU with 8GB of RAM is recommended. Hard disk space: 155 MB

Windows Requirements: Windows 7 or above (including Windows 11), 64-bit required. Quad-core computer with 8GB of RAM is recommended. Hard disk space: 155 MB

An internet connection is required for product activation.