- When Roland re-introduced their famous synth tag with the Juno D and Juno G, they moved it away from the analogue classics we all love and repositioned it firmly in the performance and workstation arena. An interesting move, and one designed to appeal to the many live performers looking for a reliable, compact workstation, packed with Roland sounds, but not willing or able to shell out on their excellent but pricey Fantom workstations. Last year the Juno D got an upgrade to become the Di and now it's the G's turn. And this time it's gained more sounds, better connectivity and a much-improved audio recorder.
The underlying unit is pretty straightforward, but still features over 1300 sounds (called "live sets") derived from the 128 MB of onboard ROM; impressive stuff. The keyboard is a typical 61-key Roland Juno design and rather usefully can run from eight AA batteries as well as the usual power pack. Further Roland features include the combined pitchbend/modwheel and their popular D Beam controller, although there's no aftertouch. Polyphony is 128 and sounds can combine up to four tones, which are assigned to two upper layer and two lower layer slots, allowing for easy key range splits. If you're using an external DAW sequencer you can assign the lower layer to its own MIDI sub-channel.
The Gi's sounds can be augmented using the two multi-effects units (79 different effects) and there's also dedicated reverb and chorus. Basic synth sound modification (three-band EQ, reverb level, filter cutoff and resonance) can be made using the sound modify section at the right hand end of the panel. However, for deeper changes you'll have to use the main menu screen.
The Gi's other main feature is the eight-track audio recorder. This allows you to record directly from the synth or from external sources using the back panel inputs. With one combination mic/instrument input with 48V phantom, and twin jacks for line level inputs, Roland clearly view this as more than just a notepad option (which the Juno G's recorder was). Tracks are accessed via four fader/button combinations and each track can have eight virtual tracks (V-Tracks) allowing for easy access to multiple takes. You can even add track specific insert effects and reverb, or use the mastering toolkit to process the overall stereo output (although alas not simultaneously). You'll find the recorder also includes an extra rhythm pattern track with dedicated fader which has its own set of patterns. You can use this simply as a guide or construct more complicated arrangements to accompany your eight-track audio. Either way, settings are saved with your eight-track song.
Unsurprisingly, the Juno Gi also includes combined audio/MIDI USB connectivity (24 bit 44.1kHz). This integrates well with the physical inputs so you can route audio to your DAW, and it's also possible to route your DAW output to the recorder if you like, as well as monitor via the main outputs. In fact the only obvious limitation is you can only record two tracks at the same time.
There are a number of further features worth mentioning. Firstly, at the left of the top panel you'll find the USB Memory Song Player slot. This allows you to play standard MIDI files or audio files (WAV, AIFF or mp3) saved to a USB memory stick. All files need to be at root directory level and Roland suggests you only use their USB memory (although I had no problem using a standard stick). The other memory slot included is round the back and this is for standard SD cards. The Gi uses this for recording the eight-track's audio and for data backup, and thankfully they include a 2GB pre-formatted card so you're ready to record straight out of the box. You can use up to 32GB cards, which would give you 24 hours of full 8-track recording, however, in practice each song is limited to 2GB. Finally the Gi can be switched into MIDI controller mode. This disables local control of the synth and turns a number of the knobs and buttons into MIDI data controls.
In use it's immediately obvious that the Juno Gi serves up a massive selection of quality sounds, and if you're flicking through them, the quick load times and panel preview button are extremely welcome. Arranged into a number of categories (piano, keyboard/organ, bass, guitar/plucked and so on) accessing what you want is reasonably quick, although I did find myself wondering how long it would take me to truly get to grips with all the sounds. Particular highlights are the pads, which make excellent use of the onboard effects; the basses, which are rich and weighty; and the inclusion of a vocoder patch ready-made for the mic input. However, the Gi has most sounds covered, and although there may not be anything particularly unusual here, that's not really what they're trying to achieve.
As mentioned, editing requires you to enter the Gi's menu world and this is less speedy. If you're used to quick hands-on access to envelopes or effects then this sort of approach can feel like a step back. Although having said that, there are plenty of options in there if you have the time and patience, and for some quick results I headed straight for the onboard effects. In addition to the main Live Set patches, the Juno Gi also includes so-called "Special Live Sets." These are ready-made performance patches and tend to include splits, arps and so on. In use I thought some of these were excellent and others less inspiring.
It's obvious to me that the recorder is where most development time has been spent. I found it really easy to get up and running, and whether you're recording vocals, guitar or line signals, the fact you can apply insert effects at this stage is a major bonus. OK, it has to be said that although you can copy and move the audio on a track-by-track basis, editing features are reasonably basic and reliant on the onscreen menus. But on the up side, the dedicated faders, transport controls and onscreen recorder window are easy to use. One interesting additional feature is the option to import audio from the SD card (you'll need to copy it to the Roland directory when the card is in your computer). Although as mentioned you can also route audio from your connected DAW and simply record it.
So, is the Juno Gi considerably better than the Juno G and worthy of its reasonably steep price tag? First up, the recorder and sound set are great, and if you're a live performer or spend time out on the road, couple it with a laptop and you've got an enormously flexible system. As a standalone workstation there are some things missing such as onboard MIDI sequencing and sample importing, and if you really like to tweak your sounds, there just aren't enough hands-on editing controls. So on balance I would say it would suit a keyboardist more than programmer. However, there's still plenty to like and although there may not be enough to trigger an upgrade for existing Juno G owners, the abundance of sounds should be a major draw for new purchasers.
Ratings:
Cost: 3/5
Versatility: 4/5
Sound: 5/5
Ease of use: 4/5