Published
Sat, Mar 11, 2023, 11:00
- An emulation of the famed synth is in the works.
Behringer is recreating the Roland Juno-60.
The German music tech company has released pictures of a new synth called the Neptune-80, which is a copy of the Roland analogue instrument first released in 1982.
The Neptune will have eight-voice polyphony—an increase on the six voices of the original—and a shorter, 49-note keyboard. Otherwise it will be an almost identical copy, with the same layout, analogue architecture, arpeggiator and bucket-brigade chorus that helped to make the Junos some of the most iconic synths ever made. The Neptune-80 will also be MIDI and USB compatible, and have a unison mode.
"For years you guys have been urging us to build one of the most sought after synths," Behringer said in a statement. "We managed to resist for a long time, but we finally gave in."
Launched in 1982, Roland's Juno series began with the Juno-6, followed a couple of months later by the Juno-60, which was identical but could save sounds. The Juno-106, a MIDI-compatible version, arrived in 1984. All three models became integral to the sound of house and techno music in the '80s, '90s and beyond.
Behringer hasn't released any date or price information for the Neptune-80. In the past, the company has struggled to source components, with some of its planned synths taking years to arrive.