MusicTech review the Juno-G.pdf - Roland UK

MTM46.Review Juno 11/28/06 5:31 PM Page 1
rev*e+ ROLAND JUNO-G
Roland
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RECOMMENDED
Its heritage is undeniably second to none, but will Roland’s latest synth live up to the
high standards set by its predecessors? Hollin Jones lifts off with the Juno-G...
KEY FEATURES
■ Fantom-X
sound engine
■ 128-voice
polyphony
■ More than
1,000 patches
and effects
■ Audio and
MIDI recording
with transport
controls
■ SRX slot, PC
memory card
slot and userexpandable
RAM
■ USB data/MIDI
connection
■ D-Beam and
V-Link
■ Arpeggiator
JUNO-G
M"#$%"&'$()(*Roland
P(,&)*£799
-.#'"&'*Roland UK 01792 702701
/)0*www.roland.co.uk
Roland’s original Juno series
of synthesizers was
instrumental in defining the
sound of pop and electro in
the 80s, and enjoyed
something of a renaissance in the early
90s with acid house and techno. You
can still find original Junos online, but
they’re not cheap and are few and far
between. The recent Juno-D marked a
return for the Juno name, although in
reality it was more of a workstation than
a synth. The new Juno-G is an even
more evolved instrument, packing in a
bewildering array of features to cater for
a market in which people increasingly
want one box to do everything, both on
stage and in the studio.
Retro rocket
The design of the Juno-G is
deliberately retro, reminiscent of the
classic 106. It’s solid but lightweight
with a large orange LCD screen, and
the ports on the rear panel reflect its
multi-functional nature. There are MIDI
and pedal sockets, stereo audio in with
a level knob, and four audio out jacks
plus phones. A USB port enables
communication with a computer for
data backup and for using the
keyboard as a MIDI interface, and
there’s a PC card slot built-in that
accepts a memory card. The Juno-G
has 4MB of sampling memory, but this
is user-expandable up to a more
realistic 512MB. Usefully, there’s also
the option to fit an SRX Expansion
board to increase the built-in palette of
sounds according to the specific types
of sounds you need.
At its heart the Juno-G is a
synthesizer with 128-voice polyphony
that shares the advanced sound
engine from the Fantom-X. The 1,024
preset sounds range from pianos,
organs and orchestras to drum kits,
loops, rhythms and a multitude of
synths. On the whole the sounds are
very good, with the sequences, synths
and basses having a definite edge over
the rest. The standard for electronic
sounds and beats is incredibly high
these days and the Juno-G doesn’t
disappoint, with great-sounding
electronic patches that demand to be
played and require little or no tweaking
for use on stage or in recordings.
The more traditional sounds are
good too, with the keyboards faring
rather better than the guitars and
brass – which is almost invariably the
case with any synth. The acoustic
drums are very useable and the
ethnic/world sounds do the job.
Selecting sounds is easy in Patch
mode using the category buttons and
the data wheel, and everything runs
through the excellent onboard effects
– of which there are 78 types,
including six input and three mastering
effects. The sound that the Juno-G
delivers is full and rich, brimming with
energy and power. Extensive use is
made of keyboard splits and layers,
especially in Perform mode, where you
can create complex combinations of
sequences and patches to organise an
entire performance across the keys.
Typically, this consists of beats and
bass in the left hand, and a series of
leads towards the top of the keyboard.
A mixer sub-screen enables you to
balance the parts, with level, pan,
effect and filter controls for each
element of the patch.
Deep space
It’s worth mentioning at this point that
despite the Juno-G having very
immediate appeal in the sense that it
makes you want to play it, there is a
tremendous amount of depth to its
sound-editing capabilities. Navigating
the screen using a system of tabs,
arrows and the data wheel, every
aspect of a sound and effect can be
controlled in great detail. One side
effect is that the screen, while quite
large, can get very busy if you’re
editing multiple parameters. It’s better
than some we’ve seen, but making
these kinds of changes is far easier
using the supplied editor software from
a computer, simply because there’s so
much more screen space available.
There are some well thought-out
performance features to be found on
the Juno-G, including an extensive
Sound Modify section from where
important controls such as attack,
cutoff and so on are instantly
accessible. There’s also an arpeggiator,
Chord Memory button and dedicated
Transpose buttons at your disposal,
plus the obligatory V-Link and
assignable D-Beam controllers for
more live sound-shaping flexibility.
68 January 2007 MusicTech MAGAZINE

MTM46.Review Juno 11/28/06 5:32 PM Page 2
As well as being an advanced
synthesizer, the Juno-G is capable of
recording four audio and 16 MIDI
tracks into its internal memory.
Onboard MIDI sequencing is nothing
new, but the Juno-G enables you to
feed in audio from an external source –
such as vocals or guitars – and use the
faders on the front panel to incorporate
it into songs, which you sequence on
the keyboard in Song mode. The
recording process takes a little getting
used to due to the proprietary
interface, but it works well once you
get the hang of it. Considering all the
other features on offer, the ability to
record audio is a surprising but
welcome bonus.
Another use for the audio
recording tools is, of course, to record
or import loops and samples of your
own and assign them to keys, giving
you a sampling keyboard in addition to
a synth and sequencer. The sample
editing functions are well
implemented, but again, it is a lot
easier to perform this task using the
remote editor software.
Juno the difference?
The Juno-G is an interesting mix of the
very immediate and the highly
advanced, and you can use it in either
way. On the one hand it’s a hugesounding
performance synth with
superb real-time controls and effects.
On the other hand, the depth of the
editing functions on offer is frankly
astonishing – as you will realise from
the thickness of the manual alone.
Clearly, a lot of thought has gone into
creating the sounds, which while
leaning towards the electronic side of
things, do a decent job of covering
many acoustic styles as well. The
preset splits and layers are especially
fun to work with.
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The ability to expand the RAM and
add an SRX Expansion Board as well
as a memory card makes this one of
the more flexible instruments on the
market at this price – and that’s before
you get to the audio recording
facilities. But whichever of the
Juno-G’s many features you use the
most, you won’t be stuck for ideas
with this inspirational synth. MTM
Measuring Up
There are one or two similar products on the market in a similar
price bracket. The Alesis Fusion 6 HD (£800) has sampling
capabilities, multiple synthesis types and an internal 40GB hard
drive for storing data. The Korg Triton TR61 (£900) also has
sampling capabilities, USB integration and a wide range of sounds.
Roland’s own SH-201 (£500) lacks the sampling or any serious
sequencing features, but it’s a straightforward synth that also has
computer integration and a great collection of sounds.
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WHY BUY
■ Excellent, useable sounds
■ Splits and layers work well
■ Fairly portable
■ Well-implemented, hands-on
sound-shaping controls
■ Very expandable
■ Audio recording features broaden
the appeal
■ Computer integration is good
■ Bundled with Sonar LE for PC
WALK ON BY
■ Easier to use remote editor for
complex editing
■ Some acoustic sounds less authentic
V#2D+/T
An excellent performer with more
features than you can shake a stick at.
The Juno-G is very playable, but it has a
lot of depth, too.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ ★★
METHOD SPOT
The Juno-G is a very
hands-on instrument,
and in Perform mode
you can take the
patches you have
created or edited in
Patch mode and start
to layer them together
and split them over
the keys. Thanks to
the excellent onboard
effects you can route
different sounds in
different ways. For
example, you could
have beats assigned
to the low end, pianos
in the middle and
synths at the top.
What’s more, the
Juno-G enables you to
sample your own
material, so some
keys could be
reserved for playing
loops, samples or
entire performances.
BUY THIS PRODUCT AT WWW.MUSICTECHMAG.CO.UK/STORE