When it comes to iconic synths, there are a handful of instruments that stand tall within the annals of musical history, capturing the hearts of musicians, producers and listeners so profoundly that their sound has echoed throughout decades.
One such synthesizer is the JUNO-106, the legendary polysynth released in 1984 that has found a home in the set-ups of artists both classic and contemporary, from Vangelis and Depeche Mode all the way through to Tame Impala and Daft Punk.
What made the JUNO-106 so popular? Fans might point to the analogue bucket-brigade chorus, an effect so recognizable that it spawned scores of imitations, or the 24dB/octave analogue low-pass filter, which helped to sculpt its smooth and powerful tones.
Ultimately, though, it’s an instrument’s sound that matters most, and it’s the JUNO’s versatile sound palette that helped it become the legend that it is today; warm, rich and characterful, the JUNO is capable of sizzling leads, expansive pads and wall-shaking basses, all of which can be heard on too many hit records to name.
Though the hardware version of the JUNO-106 is long-since discontinued, musicians can now access the instrument’s timeless sound through Roland’s lovingly-recreated software version, bringing the authentic JUNO experience directly to their DAWs for a fraction of the price that a vintage unit would fetch on the second-hand market.
Precisely emulated through Roland’s proprietary circuit-modeling technology, JUNO-106 captures the beloved quirks, instabilities and imperfections of the original to create a stunningly accurate imitation. The plugin’s Condition parameter simulates the effect of aging, letting you instantly sweep from a sonic recreation of a freshly factory-made JUNO to a dusty, road-worn instrument with heaps of vintage character.
Balancing old-school charm with modern flexibility, Roland’s software version includes a handful of updates for convenience and flexibility. These contemporary touches include velocity sensitivity, which will let you rip expressive solos and sculpt dynamic performances, and an onboard tempo-synced arpeggiator that’ll have you conjuring ‘80s synth-pop vibes with ease, along with an additional envelope and increased polyphony.
Though JUNO-106 can be purchased as an individual plugin, you can also access the instrument through a Roland Cloud subscription. Roland’s ULTIMATE membership plan gives you access to a vast library of software instruments that includes emulations of beloved Roland classics such as the TR-808 and 909 drum machines and JUPITER-8 and SH-101 synths, along with more modern creations such as the ZENOLOGY Pro software synth.
If you’d like to purchase JUNO-106 outright, for a limited time only you can purchase a Lifetime Key for the discounted price of $199 as part of the Total 106 promotion, available now in the offers section of the Roland Cloud Manager. This gives you a bundle of free patch collections with over 600 radio-ready presets that showcase the incredible versatility of this iconic instrument. You’ll also receive free updates and new features for life, with no paid membership required.
Head over to Roland's website to find out more or join Roland Cloud.