Cheery Audio Mercury-8 Synthesizer

Cherry Audio Mercury-8Jupiter-8 Inspired Polyphonic Synthesizer (Plugin)

Mercury-8 is Cherry Audios ultimate tribute to the legendary Jupiter-8, combining meticulous circuit modeling with powerful modern features. It faithfully captures the rich character and behavior of the original JP-8, then goes beyond Jupiter with expanded polyphony, deep modulation, advanced effects, dual-layer architecture, and even SysEx data exchange with MIDI-modded hardware units.

Key Features

• Flagship JP-8 Emulation: Modeled using advanced circuit and behavior techniques for authentic tone, response, and behavior, with full virtual-analog control instead of static samples.

• Dual-Layer Architecture: Two independent layers with 16-voice polyphony per layer support split and stacked modes, each with its own synth, modulation, arpeggiator, sequencer, and effects settings.

• Powerful Sound Engine: Per-layer dual oscillators with classic JP-style waveforms (triangle, ramp, sine-saw, noise, square/pulse with PWM), high-pass and resonant low-pass filters (12 dB / 24 dB slopes), and two full ADSR envelopes assignable to filter, amp, and modulation.

• Expressive Analog Behavior: Analog Drift and Condition controls let you set the age and instability of the synth, from pristine modern to wobbly vintage, with adjustable VCO/VCF/VCA drift and envelope slop, plus multi-voice modes for subtle or extreme per-voice variations.

• Performance Modes & Arp/Seq: Solo, Unison, Poly-1/Poly-2, Multi, and Chord Memory assign modes, plus a syncable arpeggiator (Arp, Leap, Order, Random, with Swing/Chance/Feel) and a 164 polyphonic step sequencer with humanize options and tight DAW sync.

• Deep Modulation: A per-layer tempo-syncable LFO and a flexible 4-slot modulation matrix (25 sources, 43 destinations, with Via options) make complex routings and animated patches quick and intuitive.

• Studio-Grade Effects: Three independent effect chains (Layer A, Layer B, and Global) host 20 high-quality effects including flangers, choruses, reverbs, delays, distortion/EQ, lo-fi, ring modulation, spring reverb, tape echo, and new DCO Chorus, Panner, and Pulsereach with mini controls and per-effect modulation.

• Preset Library & JP-8 Compatibility: Over 600 presets in 16 categories, including accurate recreations of the 64 original Jupiter-8 factory patches, enhanced Factory Plus versions, eight classic Dual/Split setups, templates for fast sound design, and direct import/export of Encore-format JP-8 SysEx patch banks.

Whats Included

• Mercury-8 virtual instrument plugin (AU, VST, VST3, AAX) and standalone application

• 600+ factory presets by a large team of veteran sound designers

• Original JP-8 factory patches and factory Dual/Split setups recreated

• Integrated preset browser and MIDI controller mapping (including Jupiter-X compatible mapping)

• Full MIDI Learn, automation support, and UI zoom/focus tools

• Access to optional The Grid preset pack (100 extra synthwave/retrowave presets, sold separately)

System Requirements

• macOS:

  • macOS 10.13 or later (Ventura supported)

  • 64-bit only; native Apple Silicon (M1 or later, including Ultra)

  • Recommended: 3.4 GHz quad-core or Apple Silicon CPU with 8 GB RAM

  • Disk space: approx. 155 MB

• Windows:

  • Windows 7 or later (including Windows 11), 64-bit only

  • Recommended: quad-core CPU with 8 GB RAM

  • Disk space: approx. 155 MB

• General:

  • Internet connection required for product activation

Mercury-8 is ideal if you want the iconic sound and workflow of a Jupiter-8 with none of the maintenance, cost, or limitations of 1980s hardware. It delivers lush pads, searing leads, analog brass, strings, and motion-heavy textures with deep modern control, extensive presets, and hardware-friendly SysEx supportmaking it a centerpiece synth for both retro and contemporary productions.