Roland Alpha Juno-2

DESCRIPTION:
Digital-analog hybrid synthesizer (DCO/VCF/VCA).
SYNTHESIS:
Subtractive.
KEYBOARD:
61-note, C to C. Velocity- and pressure-sensitive.
SOUNDS:
128 onboard sounds (64 preset, 64 user-programmable).
VOICES:
6-voice polyphonic.
EXPANDIBILITY:
1 RAM cartridge slot (64 additional sounds).
FEATURES:
Octave transpose, chord memory, polyphonic portamento, "biometric" parameter adjustment.

BASICS

The Roland Alpha Juno-2 is a five-octave, six-voice polyphonic digital-analog hybrid synthesizer (DCO/VCF/VCA). It has a warm, analog sound, but its oscillators do not suffer from the tuning problems that often accompany voltage-controlled oscillators. The keyboard is velocity- and pressure-sensitive (channel aftertouch, if I am not mistaken), although you almost need a Mack truck to get anything at all out of the aftertouch sensitivity. The velocity sensitivity is ok, though; the Alpha Juno-2 synth was the first (and only) touch-sensitive Juno Roland made. Its little brother, the Alpha Juno-1, receives velocity and channel pressure information over MIDI, but its four-octave keyboard is not velocity- or pressure-sensitive. The rack-mount version, I believe, is the MKS-50.

It has only one oscillator per voice, but its sounds are plenty thick, thanks to its built-in chorus, sub-oscillator (a pulse wave 1 or 2 octaves below the main oscillator), and pulse-width modulation. It is a subtractive synth which sports pulse waves, sawtooth waves, and white noise. The four-stage envelope generator has adjustable levels and times (an improvement over the standard ADSR), but there is only one envelope and LFO per voice. Aside from the chorus, it has no built-in effects.

It is a performance-oriented synth; left-hand controls include the standard Roland pitchbend/modulation paddle (although the mod wheel is not throw-sensitive), two octave transpose buttons (normal and down an octave), polyphonic portamento, and chord memory. It also features real-time control over four groups of related parameters (a feature which Roland calls "biometrics" for all you sci-fi fans): Modulation Rate, Modulation Depth, Brilliance, and Envelope Times. "Biometrics" groups related parameters and makes them simultaneously adjustable via the Alpha-dial (were you wondering where that Roland term originated?...). For instance, adjusting the mod rate alters the LFO rate and the chorus rate; adjusting the envelope times lengthens or shortens all four of the time stages of the envelopes; adjusting the brilliance alters the waveform and/or the cutoff frequency of the lowpass filter; and so on.

LOOKS

Although it sounds like another Juno, it looks like a DX-7. Its predecessor, the Juno-106, had a ton of front panel sliders and knobs for real-time adjustment of parameters, but the Alpha Juno is much more streamlined: one dial (the Alpha-dial!) for modifying parameters. While the Juno-106 had only a two-digit patch display, the Alpha Juno could display patch names and parameters on its LCD. It was clearly designed to look like a DX-7, and while its touch- sensitivity and larger display are appreciated, it is unfortunate that Roland got rid of all of the front panel sliders.

SOUNDS

It has 128 sounds onboard (64 preset, 64 user-programmable) with the option of accessing 64 more sounds via a much-too-expensive ($80) RAM cartridge. But the onboard sounds are great (some of them, anyway). Two of the pipe organs are very good (especially Pipe Organ 1); the acoustic bass and the synth basses are quite full-sounding; the Piano 2, although it sounds nothing like a piano, is a very usable PWMmed sound throughout the entire range of the keyboard (as is the Electric Piano 2); the steel drums are very good; and the saxophone sound is a surprisingly good mellow sax (for a non-PCM-sample-playback or -digital-waveform-generating synth). Its "synthy" sounds are good, too: lush filter sweeps and punchy synth sounds (has anyone else played "Jump" on P-54, Fat Synth?) Its weak suit is DX-7 style electric pianos (or acoustic pianos, for that matter). Don't look for them here. It has a few good, usable full-keyboard sounds, which I like a lot, but it is not a DX-7.

JACKS

The back panel has stereo and headphone outs; MIDI In, Out, and Thru; sustain pedal input, pedal switch input (assignable to program switching, activating portamento, or activating chord memory mode), and a RAM cartridge slot. The Alpha Juno-1 also has a volume pedal input; I forget whether the Juno-2 does or not.

IMPRESSIONS

I bought an Alpha Juno-2 in 1986, about a year after it came out, as my first synth. It had gotten decent press, but was mostly upstaged by Roland's Super JX, Ensoniq's ESQ-1, and other fancier synths of the time. I liked the sounds a lot; I had compared it to the similarly-priced Korg DW-8000. As a first-time synth buyer, I found the punchy, warm sounds of the Juno to be preferable to the thinner sound of the Korg (although the Korg has probably retained its price and popularity more than the Juno has, and certainly has better electric piano sounds, as well as onboard effects). I remember comparing the pipe organ sounds and deciding that there was no contest, for the types of sounds I was looking for. I bought the Juno and have been happy with my purchase ever since. It is the only analog synth (or mostly analog synth) in my rig (I have a D-20 and a U-20), and I love the sounds I can get on it. I only wish, though, that it had onboard reverb. Oh, well. I guess you can't have everything. It was a good first synth, though (especially given the lousy Roland manuals -- believe the rumors!), and I learned a lot about programming synthesizers from working with this synth.

Now, if I could just pick up a PG-100 programmer, so that I don't have to scroll through all of the parameters with the stupid Alpha- dial....

Nick Velharticky