Comments on: Roland Wants Videos of Junos New and Old; A Look Back at the Juno Line http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/ The latest gear, software, and techniques for electronic music production and performance Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:56:48 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Create Digital Music » Roland JUNO Contest Ends at Midnight; A Viral Ad for the … Alpha 2! http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/comment-page-1/#comment-933585 Create Digital Music » Roland JUNO Contest Ends at Midnight; A Viral Ad for the … Alpha 2! Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:34:05 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/#comment-933585 [...] that’s brilliant and you’re unafraid of criticizing what’s not. We covered the Roland “How Do You JUNO” contest launch back in April with a look back at the JUNO line through the years. Check out comments for [...] [...] that’s brilliant and you’re unafraid of criticizing what’s not. We covered the Roland “How Do You JUNO” contest launch back in April with a look back at the JUNO line through the years. Check out comments for [...]

]]> By: aaron http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/comment-page-1/#comment-904761 aaron Tue, 26 May 2009 17:48:10 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/#comment-904761 The rackmount of the JX-3P, the MKS-30 has Juno filter IC's (80017) instead of the Jupiter ones the JX-3P has, so technically it's much more similar to the 106 except that you use the 3P's programmer to control it. I wonder if that's allowed? :) The rackmount of the JX-3P, the MKS-30 has Juno filter IC’s (80017) instead of the Jupiter ones the JX-3P has, so technically it’s much more similar to the 106 except that you use the 3P’s programmer to control it. I wonder if that’s allowed? :)

]]> By: Create Digital Music » Keyboard Geeking Day: Roland Answers JUNO Questions, plus 2.0 Sampling on JUNO-G http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/comment-page-1/#comment-890293 Create Digital Music » Keyboard Geeking Day: Roland Answers JUNO Questions, plus 2.0 Sampling on JUNO-G Fri, 08 May 2009 11:04:42 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/#comment-890293 [...] The Roland JUNO-G has attracted some interest from CDM readers since I mentioned Roland’s YouTube contest and talked a bit about the JUNO line’s history. (See previous story.) [...] [...] The Roland JUNO-G has attracted some interest from CDM readers since I mentioned Roland’s YouTube contest and talked a bit about the JUNO line’s history. (See previous story.) [...]

]]> By: Ben There http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/comment-page-1/#comment-875624 Ben There Fri, 24 Apr 2009 12:10:14 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/#comment-875624 actually the Alpha's were way more reliable than the 106. The 6 didn't sell much and the 60's were pretty well made. The 106's came in constantly with the 80017 problem, broken keys, intermittent key contacts and pots that didn't work because they were cheap and this was in the late 80's, much less 20 years later. The Juno 106 also was their biggest seller by far until the D50 came out so the number of returns was going to be much higher just because of numbers. It was cheap at $1,295 I believe (and people actually complain about synths for $500-$1000 now days) and was an option for those who could not afford the $1,995 Yamaha DX-7 but who wanted a simple keyboard. The DX-7 was unique, not only due to FM, but because the most popular synth before it was the Minimoog with about 10,000 units sold over 10 years. The DX-7 had a reported 150,000 units in about 2 years. Totally unheard of numbers for a keyboard. Nowadays a synth that sells 5,000 units in it's lifetime is very successful. Nobody gets rich making synths, believe me. actually the Alpha’s were way more reliable than the 106. The 6 didn’t sell much and the 60’s were pretty well made.
The 106’s came in constantly with the 80017 problem, broken keys, intermittent key contacts and pots that didn’t work because they were cheap and this was in the late 80’s, much less 20 years later. The Juno 106 also was their biggest seller by far until the D50 came out so the number of returns was going to be much higher just because of numbers.
It was cheap at $1,295 I believe (and people actually complain about synths for $500-$1000 now days) and was an option for those who could not afford the $1,995 Yamaha DX-7 but who wanted a simple keyboard. The DX-7 was unique, not only due to FM, but because the most popular synth before it was the Minimoog with about 10,000 units sold over 10 years. The DX-7 had a reported 150,000 units in about 2 years. Totally unheard of numbers for a keyboard. Nowadays a synth that sells 5,000 units in it’s lifetime is very successful. Nobody gets rich making synths, believe me.

]]> By: Peter Kirn http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/comment-page-1/#comment-874266 Peter Kirn Thu, 23 Apr 2009 09:03:51 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/#comment-874266 Well, Iain, the legend is often bigger than the reality - vintage gear is definitely no exception. ;) Still, there's a lot about the Juno 106 I really liked - and plenty of reason to expect modern gear could learn from it, while still being, you know, modern. Of course, it'd be really fantastic if MIDI had progressed further than it did. OSC forever. Well, Iain, the legend is often bigger than the reality – vintage gear is definitely no exception. ;) Still, there’s a lot about the Juno 106 I really liked – and plenty of reason to expect modern gear could learn from it, while still being, you know, modern.

Of course, it’d be really fantastic if MIDI had progressed further than it did. OSC forever.

]]> By: Iain http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/comment-page-1/#comment-874262 Iain Thu, 23 Apr 2009 08:55:31 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/#comment-874262 I bought a Juno 6 from Sam Ash when it came out, at the beginning of my first year of high school. It was my first real synth, the best I could afford, and got me from being a piano player at home to being a keyboard player in bands. The Juno 6 had no MIDI and no memory so I had to change sliders and knobs between songs. After about a year I sold the Juno 6 and bought a Juno 106. I think the Juno 6 sounded better than the 106, but I didn't own them at the same time to compare. My thinking was that they were the same machines, minus the memory and MIDI, so I figured I was mistaken. When I told other musicians I had a Juno 106 they were impressed. The legend was bigger than the reality and I never understood why people liked it so much. It had a weak and limited sound so I relegated it to warm pads, the only thing I found it useful for. When one too many knobs broke off from using a cheap canvas carry case, and the sub osc stated to fail, I was glad to give it away. I bought a Juno 6 from Sam Ash when it came out, at the beginning of my first year of high school. It was my first real synth, the best I could afford, and got me from being a piano player at home to being a keyboard player in bands.

The Juno 6 had no MIDI and no memory so I had to change sliders and knobs between songs. After about a year I sold the Juno 6 and bought a Juno 106.

I think the Juno 6 sounded better than the 106, but I didn’t own them at the same time to compare. My thinking was that they were the same machines, minus the memory and MIDI, so I figured I was mistaken.

When I told other musicians I had a Juno 106 they were impressed. The legend was bigger than the reality and I never understood why people liked it so much. It had a weak and limited sound so I relegated it to warm pads, the only thing I found it useful for. When one too many knobs broke off from using a cheap canvas carry case, and the sub osc stated to fail, I was glad to give it away.

]]> By: Peter Kirn http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/comment-page-1/#comment-874061 Peter Kirn Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:33:31 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/#comment-874061 Oh, yes, and on the reliability topic: I think the Alphas were not quite as reliable as the 6/60/106. But yes, we're talking gear that's 20+ years old. Stuff breaks. Anyone manufacturing anything in large quantities runs into the occasional quality control issue. I think the main thing to keep in mind is, if you're using vintage gear -- any vintage gear -- you should figure you may have to budget a bit for repair. Oh, yes, and on the reliability topic:
I think the Alphas were not quite as reliable as the 6/60/106.

But yes, we’re talking gear that’s 20+ years old. Stuff breaks. Anyone manufacturing anything in large quantities runs into the occasional quality control issue.

I think the main thing to keep in mind is, if you’re using vintage gear — any vintage gear — you should figure you may have to budget a bit for repair.

]]> By: Peter Kirn http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/comment-page-1/#comment-874056 Peter Kirn Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:22:03 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/#comment-874056 Nick, I generally agree, but ... The MPU-401 had an impact on DOS, and DOS most certainly was a player. Not only Cakewalk was on DOS, but you'll recall Voyetra, Dr. T's and others were there, too, and the PC was a big platform. Windows was much, much later as a player. Sure, Steinberg and Emagic (and MOTU on the Mac) actually survived and these companies didn't, but they were a bigger deal at the time. And my (fuzzy) recollection is that MPU-401 adapter kits were pretty popular with the Apple II and C64, though there I don't speak from personal experience. So, yes, Roland with the MPU-401 and its keyboards, various other keyboard manufacturers (Yamaha topping the list), the Atari ST, and the Mac all played their part. I agree about the DX7. Roland didn't have a single flagship in the same way, but they had their own bit of success. Nick, I generally agree, but …

The MPU-401 had an impact on DOS, and DOS most certainly was a player. Not only Cakewalk was on DOS, but you’ll recall Voyetra, Dr. T’s and others were there, too, and the PC was a big platform. Windows was much, much later as a player. Sure, Steinberg and Emagic (and MOTU on the Mac) actually survived and these companies didn’t, but they were a bigger deal at the time. And my (fuzzy) recollection is that MPU-401 adapter kits were pretty popular with the Apple II and C64, though there I don’t speak from personal experience.

So, yes, Roland with the MPU-401 and its keyboards, various other keyboard manufacturers (Yamaha topping the list), the Atari ST, and the Mac all played their part.

I agree about the DX7. Roland didn’t have a single flagship in the same way, but they had their own bit of success.

]]> By: nick http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/comment-page-1/#comment-874053 nick Wed, 22 Apr 2009 20:11:40 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/#comment-874053 On the MIDI thread. While it's obvious that the idea of MIDI that connects multiple instruments and manufacturers meant that quite obvious it would take more than one successful unit to establish MIDI. That said the Yamaha DX7 had a bigger impact than any other synth at that time. Despite the MIDI having some blunders (try a velocity of 122 or the infamous but still potentially useful MONO mode blunder) that fact that it was on THE synth many professionals thought they needed to buy to stay professional. So there was both the likely rapid addition of a DX7 to studios and an incentive to buy still something else to connect to with MIDI. I'll agree that the MPU-401 was a landmark at least in terms of a major mainstream manufacturer supporting a platform that Windows, which came out after a certain 1984 debuted platform would eventually make the de facto home and small business computer for a portion of us. But at the time it wasn't that cut and dry. Apple II, C64 were not equipped with clones of the MPU-401. Only PCs had compatible MPU-401 interfaces and timing standards were generally more flakey than on the Atari ST platform that would eventually spawn Steinberg and Logic. On the MIDI thread. While it’s obvious that the idea of MIDI that connects multiple instruments and manufacturers meant that quite obvious it would take more than one successful unit to establish MIDI.

That said the Yamaha DX7 had a bigger impact than any other synth at that time. Despite the MIDI having some blunders (try a velocity of 122 or the infamous but still potentially useful MONO mode blunder) that fact that it was on THE synth many professionals thought they needed to buy to stay professional. So there was both the likely rapid addition of a DX7 to studios and an incentive to buy still something else to connect to with MIDI.

I’ll agree that the MPU-401 was a landmark at least in terms of a major mainstream manufacturer supporting a platform that Windows, which came out after a certain 1984 debuted platform would eventually make the de facto home and small business computer for a portion of us. But at the time it wasn’t that cut and dry. Apple II, C64 were not equipped with clones of the MPU-401. Only PCs had compatible MPU-401 interfaces and timing standards were generally more flakey than on the Atari ST platform that would eventually spawn Steinberg and Logic.

]]> By: gwenhwyfaer http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/comment-page-1/#comment-873974 gwenhwyfaer Wed, 22 Apr 2009 16:30:25 +0000 http://createdigitalmusic.com/2009/04/21/roland-wants-videos-of-junos-new-and-old-a-look-back-at-the-juno-line/#comment-873974 YJ: after nigh on three decades, and given that filter chips of all shapes and sizes seem to have lifespans that are lucky to stretch to two, I think we can cut Roland some slack. Don't you? After all, somewhere out there is a Prophet VS mountain... YJ: after nigh on three decades, and given that filter chips of all shapes and sizes seem to have lifespans that are lucky to stretch to two, I think we can cut Roland some slack. Don’t you?

After all, somewhere out there is a Prophet VS mountain…

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