Roland Juno-106
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| Image:Roland-Juno-106.jpg | |||
| Roland Juno-106 by Roland | |||
| Synthesis type: | Analog subtractive | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Polyphony: | 6 voices | ||
| Oscillators: | 1 DCO per voice (pulse, saw, square and noise) | ||
| Multitimbral: | none | ||
| VCF: | Analog 24dB/oct resonant low-pass, non-resonant high-pass | ||
| VCA: | ADSR envelope generator | ||
| LFO: | triangle | ||
| External control: | MIDI | ||
| Memory: | 128 patches | ||
| Onboard effects: | Chorus | ||
| Produced: | 1984-1988 | ||
| Original price: | ? | ||
The Roland Juno-106 was a hybrid digital/analogue polyphonic synth manufactured by Roland Corporation in 1984. It featured digitally-controlled oscillators (DCOs) for tuning stability with analog filters and envelopes, for their (subjectively) better sound quality.
Contents |
[edit] Features and Architecture
[edit] Sound Generation
The Roland Juno-106 was relatively simple in terms of its synthesis architecture. The central tone-generating component of the instrument was six digitally-controlled oscillators (one for each voice) capable of producing sawtooth and square/pulse waveforms, while the 'hybrid' feature of the Juno was a -24dB/octave analog lowpass filter with adjustable resonance which has been said to provide the Juno 106 with its rather distinctive sound. The filtered waveform then passed through a simple four-stage ADSR envelope and out of the instrument. The audio signal could be further modulated by a single triangle-wave LFO, or low-frequency oscillator.
Due to the simple features of the Juno-106, the synthesizer lacked the range of capabilities found in other instruments of its time that have multiple oscillators, complex envelopes, and more diverse modulation choices. Despite this fact the Juno-106 was quite popular and was able to produce rich basses, pads, and other tones.
[edit] Other Features
The Juno-106 featured an onboard stereo chorus effect which, while rather noisy, was also a fairly distinctive aspect of the instrument's sound. The Juno-106 also contained 128 internal memory slots for patch storage as well as surprisingly complete MIDI implementation, a rarity for analogue synthesizers, let alone any synthesizer of the time. All control surfaces on the synthesizer were capable of transmitting and receiving MIDI SysEx commands, allowing complete control of the instrument via a sequencer or computer.
Furthermore, this synthesizer featured polyphonic portamento, also rather rare for a 1984 analog instrument.
[edit] History
The Juno-106 was the third in the Juno series of digital/analog synthesizers. Its predecessors, the Roland Juno-6 and Roland Juno-60, were somewhat different in appearance than their later sibling, but shared most of the internal components and features in common with the exception of a tradeoff between a simple up/down arpeggiator on the earlier models and a portamento feature on the Juno-106. The Juno-106 also featured MIDI for inter-instrument communication rather than the proprietary Roland Digital Control Bus (DCB) found on earlier models. In addition to the standard Juno-106, Roland produced a synthesizer called the HS-60. This synth was simply a Juno-106 with integrated speakers and a slightly redesigned enclosure, aimed specifically at consumers rather than professional users.
[edit] The Juno-106 today
Despite being over 20 years old, the Juno-106 and its predecessors are traded among synthesizer aficionados with relative frequency and thus are more easily obtainable and less expensive than a number of other synthesizers. Furthermore, the instrument has proven generally reliable and long-lived if well cared for. Despite this, a common problem with surviving Juno 106s is a dead voice chip, which manifests itself as every sixth note played not sounding. One can get around this by playing the synth monophonically using its unison mode, but this is only a workaround rather than a permanent solution.
Another helpful site: JUNO-106 CONNECTION offers workaround for dead voice chips replacing old chips for a new ones. http://www.hinzen.de/midi/juno-106/
Due to their enduring popularity and despite their overall simplicity and limited range of sonic possibilities, Juno-series synthesizers still make appearances with a number of bands, including Franz Ferdinand, Moby, The Chemical Brothers, Sigur Rós, LEGO, Islands, the Unicorns, Pet Shop Boys, Laserdance, Architecture in Helsinki, Late of the Pier, and likely scores of other electronic and dance music projects.
[edit] Trivia
- Juno-106's vintage style was used in the modern Roland Juno-G workstation.
