![]() ![]() In total, there are 768 Patch locations (128 user-programmable), plus 22 Rhythm sets and 40 Performance memories. And where would we be without squelchy 303-type basses, guaranteed to have you reaching for the filter cutoff and resonance knobs? While these particular sounds aren't the Juno-D's greatest strength, with a little overdrive and some gratuitous knob wiggling, they should prove good enough for live. ![]() There's a lot on offer, and I swear I came across Enya at one point, fulfilling an ambition of many years. There's even a decent mellotron flute (although the mellotron strings are rather lifeless) and the organs and pianos - especially the electric pianos - are all good enough for an aspiring band on a budget. The Juno-D is a General MIDI 2 (GM2) compliant synth, so prepare to audition oodles of sounds, ranging from orchestral and ethnic instruments to dance basses and percussion, with an ample assortment of pianos, guitars, choirs and so on. At just 5kg, it's easily one of the lightest keyboards I've ever carried into my studio. Externally, there are no further significant revelations, but you won't be surprised to find that the synth has stereo outputs, a headphone socket, a warty 9V power supply and MIDI in and Out sockets (sadly, no Thru). I find it sad that, at the budget end of things, it's always this particular avenue for expression that goes first. The 61-note keyboard feels quite positive but is let down by its lack of aftertouch. Performance controls include Roland's combined pitch bender and modulation lever, a D-Beam and two optional pedal inputs. ![]() Thus its slimline black panel is shy and somewhat anonymous, with real-time tweaking courtesy of just five knobs to control envelope and filter settings, plus modulation and tone balance. This synth sounds like an RS and looks like an RS (see review of original RS9 in SOS May 2001 issue). Instead it has its roots in Roland's PCM-based range. Let's cut to the chase: other than its name, the Juno-D has nothing in common with either the Juno or the Alpha Juno synths. Could this be a 'Juno-Digital', perhaps employing analogue modelling techniques? Or are Roland engaged in what I'll kindly call a 'marketing exercise'? As the venerable Roland Juno range of synths holds a special place in my affections, I was interested to hear of a fresh addition to the fold - the Juno-D. If I think of Jupiters, Prophets, Wavestations and Viruses, I mentally group them together as a family - and with this association, inevitably, comes a degree of expectation. When you give a synthesizer a name rather than a number, it suddenly gains an intangible yet undeniable aura. So is the Juno-D the rightful heir to the Juno throne or more of a young pretender? Giving a modern instrument the same name as a line of vintage analogues that have an assured place in the synth hall of fame invites comparisons. ![]()
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