Some sounds by no means die. Whether it’s traditional rock guitarists coveting decades-old guitars and amps or Mac DeMarco messing with ’80s Casio keyboards, there’s one thing about classic sounds that goes past nostalgia. Old guitars, synths, amps, and drums have a sure tone that we haven’t essentially moved previous. It could possibly be the slight analog distortion, age in supplies, or simply the way in which they bodily really feel after we use them—there are actual, non-vapid the explanation why many musicians search out particular instruments from particular eras.

The drawback with outdated keyboards like Roland’s iconic Juno-6 and Juno-60 fashions (with sounds accountable for a ton of the hits you’re keen on from the Eighties) is that if you would like an actual one, you’re going to must pay hundreds of {dollars}, and you then’re going to have to take care of a 40-year-old, comparatively fragile piece of kit. It’s an annoying proposition.

But in case you’ve been looking for the right fashionable keyboard to scratch your classic itch, look no additional than Roland’s new Juno-X, which seems to be like a classic Juno, seems like a classic Juno, however is less complicated to make use of (and extra versatile) within the fashionable world.

The Sound of the ’80s

Originally constructed as a lower-cost different to Roland’s higher-end Jupiter-8 someplace between 1982 and 1984, the Juno-6 (later the Juno-60 and Juno-106) is famed for its iconic refrain sound. It was used with spectacular effect on hits like “Time After Time” and “Take On Me,” amongst many others. After its preliminary stint in pop music, the Juno (as all iterations would come to be recognized) grew to become a favourite of home and dance music artists within the ’90s and 2000s, who favored the way it layered in between bass and excessive notes. These days, it’s thought-about one of many must-have synths for any nerd—aforementioned indie rocker Mac DeMarco loves his.

The synth is polyphonic, which means you possibly can play a number of notes directly—comparatively costly tech on the time it got here out. The greater Roland Jupiter-8 was the primary to introduce this to Roland merchandise and price $5,000 on launch, however the Juno-6 was meant to carry that to the lots, with an unique beginning worth of $1,295. Part of the explanation it discovered quick success was that it featured digitally managed oscillators, which meant the synth stayed in tune between gigs, one thing that was additionally uncommon on the time. You might plug it in and it could be in tune! Eighties magic!

Original Junos by no means actually fell in worth a lot. To today, an actual Juno-106 will value you somewhat over $2,000 on the used market, which practically matches inflation with its unique checklist worth and is equal to this new Juno-X. That’s why I’m so excited.

The Juno-X packs considerably extra tech and much more sounds. You get spot-on emulations of the Juno-6, Juno-60, and Juno-106 (every had barely totally different presets and tones), together with three totally different variations of Roland’s legendary Juno refrain to combine and match with. The keyboard comes with a myriad of different glorious Roland keyboard sounds and even a built-in drum sequencer. You is likely to be accustomed to Roland’s iconic TR-808 drum machine—this has an equally glorious drum sequencer on board.

Couple that with a pair of balanced XLR outputs, MIDI enter and output, and even a mic enter for the included vocoder (!), and you’ll actually do something you need on this piece of beautiful ’80s design. It even has built-in audio system—a function of a rarer, pupil mannequin Juno—to play sounds with out an amp, audio system, or headphones. You may even flip them on once you play stay to behave as a small stage monitor in your piano tones.