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