@@louiselay4879 Chinese manufacturing gets better all the time, I'm starting to see chinese brands that do things a lot better than their western counterparts. Don't write them off completely
Yeah, the finish isnt the greatest. Roland used to paint their late 80s drum machine in a matte but slightly metallic looking paint, wore well, looked good but possibly more expensive to make?
I bought a Juno-6 in 1985. Being broke and unemployed, I was offered a job in a gigging pub band and needed a decent synth (or two), for playing current pop hits. I couldn't afford a Juno-60, and the 106 was still a couple of years away from being affordable. So I practiced programming the Juno-6 almost as much as I practiced playing music. There were a few great sounds - the jazz organ was eerily similar to a B3 in 8880000 setting (great for Stuck With You by Huey Lewis, and Walk Of Life by Dire Straits), and although string sounds weren't great with just one oscillator, I got a lovely, lush sounding pad, similar to the intro to Sign Your Name by (at the time) Terence Trent D'arby, using the triple chorus mode, and which I used to death for songs like Everybody Wants To Rule The World. The arp was amazing (Red Red Wine, Take On Me, Hot In The City spring to mind). It was my main pad and organ synth right up to '89, when I switched to a D10 (for multitimbral sequencing use with an Atari ST). And I hated it. But I let my Juno-6 gather dust in my parents' garage for a few years, before giving it to a friend for his studio. But I wish I'd held on to it and looked after it. And not just for its monetary value.
Great review. I started in the 80's with synths of the era and have a fondness for the SH-101 and DX7, having ditched my gear to fund a growing family and returning to music years later I really appreciate these reboots they aproximate the sound well enough for me and have new features that I really wish I had. The Volca FM stands in for my DX7 and takes my patches midi and the boutique SH01 with keyboard is a joy and I love driving it from my Novation Circuit. Cheers.
I fully agree on the new remakes being near enough...especially for home and live stage use. And often having less issues and added features. Replaceablity another issue with vintage gear if you tour/gig...stuff breaks. Maybe in a high end recording setup you'll notice that little bit of extra magic that the original would give. But the little trade off is worth all the advantages. 👌
I just got one and I love it. So easy to use and sounds fabulous. The 4 note polyphony is a little bit of a shame but I can just record the audio and then go again. I already loved the Juno sound and now I can afford it in hardware form!
+ Science With Attitude I'm undecided on this one. For the Jumo 106 Cloud, Roland increased the voices to eight along with some other updates. Four voices seem like a step backwards even though I would like the hands-on operation. I believe the boutique is designed to also work together with the 106 Cloud.
I have been looking at other reviews and I haven't seen if the JU-06a has the "3rd Chorus" where both choruses can be active simultaneously. Anyone know if it can do that?
Who doesn't like a Juno-60 (Detroit techno) Juno-106 (fill in any pop tune in the 80s including Madonna's Holiday)? I think Roland's interpretation of these iconic synths is spot on. Is it not the size of a Chevy Pickup? No, the size of a 12" record. Is it battery powered? Does it have a dedicated headphones output? Yes. Can I take it into the mountains and play it without a generator? Yes? Does it have a speaker like the ARP-2600? Yes? Will I get a back ache carrying this mother around? No. It sounds like a win-win to me.
For those who want a juno sound, full polyphony but don't want to break the bank: alpha juno 1, 2 or the MKS-50. They aren't as highly regarded for dumb reasons. No, the filter can't self oscillate but you still get 90% of the juno sounds and have the added benefit of velocity sensitivity/ aftertouch (on the juno 2 or by using an external keyboard on the juno 1/mks50) more wave forms, SAWTOOTH PWM, variable chorus rate (meaning you can change the speed of the chorus), chord memory, multi stage envelope and more. It's basically a juno 106 on steroids. It's my main synth and I use it on everything, bass, pads, leads, you name it. Get em now before they also suffer the classic juno price gouging.
Agreed that not everybody wants analog but I would assume anybody wanting a decent Juno experience would want more than 4-voice polyphony. That's one of the biggest failures with these Boutiques. Roland really should consider a hardware revision. But as you say, they still sell so maybe everyone is using them for bass and leads. Maybe chords went out with the 80s along with CHORUS ON BASS.
Does anyone know how many of the original 106 and 60 patches can be found in the Ju06a? I can't seem to find this info as easily as I thought. The grouping of the patches (A1, A2, B1 etc) seems totally illogical
@@palaHDthat’s great for you, but I’ve been looking for a good price on n one for years and 75% of the time there’s an issue with at least one of the chips. “You don’t deserve it”? That may be the cringiest, most elite at thing I’ve heard when it comes to music gear. Yuck.
Superb and honest review - well done. I owned the JU-06 boutique for a bit but then sold it because I didn't care for the tiny form factor and jacks. Great sound though.
If this isn't an analog recreation what is the point of using this over something like the Tal U-No-LX? Only for the tactical feel aspect? I cant see a benefit here honestly other than that, being that they are both digital. If I'm missing something can someone please fill me in? Thanks :)
well... one is a hardware synth and the other a software. One is also an audio interface (sort of). So you are right: it is mainly the hardware aspect which sells them. And it could even be argued that analog reproductions or clones doesn’t sound better either. You can see for example Behringer RD-8 vs TR8. Both sound very good. Analog doesn’t magically make it better than software either.
BoBeats thanks for the response! Yeah I agree just because something is analog, it does not automatically make it “better”. So that’s what I figured, that it was mainly the fact that it exists in the physical world which gives it its appeal... and yeah the interface thing cool I guess. I feel that if you’re going to go for a digital emulation of an analog synth why not go for the plugin, as I can think of multiple benefits that the plugin offers and there should be no objective quality differences 🤷🏻♂️. Not hating on this device I really just wanted to know if there was something I was missing. Nice job demoing it btw! :)
I'm thinking this would be a good controller for the TAL UNO-LX VST, has anyone tried it? I'm guessing this sends CC messages, which you could set up with TAL using the MIDI learn function.
Same here. They managaged 8 voices ACB on the System 8, so it should be possible. Making them bi-timbral and split/stackable would have brought something new to the table. Or why doesn’t Roland release a Boutique that loads all the plug-puts from the System 8 for that matter? Well, I probably don’t need more synths anyway. More playing and less RUclips would be the thing REALLY affecting my music I suppose.
@@matszh OH it's more than possible and cost no more money to do it because it's digital, it's just software programming. Roland continues to disappoint me.
@@matszh They managed 8 voices on the System-8 because it has three DSP chips instead of one. The boutiques can run on battery or USB bus power, which is only enough power for one DSP chip. Personally I would have preferred an 8-voice version that requires a power supply, but these things are designed to be portable.
@@synthartist69 Digital doesn't mean free. The ACB emulations are very computationally expensive. Learn how the technology works and you will no longer be needlessly disappointed.
This is my favorite jam you've done bo! Absolutely love the sound of this, and the features. I'll definitely be getting one. The four voice thing doesn't bother me at all.
I don't have a 707 but using a module with it you would record loops from the midi channel and bounce them to a track? What I am trying to workout is if synth or modules like this are redundant now as there are so many patches available and the entire Zencore system why is there a need for separate devices? is it just to have the convenience of having a fader or knob per parameter? This is a genuine question... I can't just keep buying gear all the time!!
If you have docked it with the K25M, can you still use the MIDI controller via the MIDI connector on the back? If yes, will both k25m and midi controller be active at the same time?
I'm looking for a nice little synth expander to sit on the free space on top of my nord electro 5D 73 and to be played with the nord electro keys in split mode. I don't know if I should try to get a used JU-06 or a Blofeld... Playing keyboard in a pop band. No need for sequencer, I just miss synthetic sounds on my nord electro. Which one would you suggest?
Question combien y a-t-il ils de présent dans le juno 106 et 60 et ce retrouve t il dans le juno06A ou juste quelque sons et des rajout de chez Roland comme dans le jupiter X
Nice vid Bo, honest and straightforward opinion. The one thing I found a bonus for Boutiques is the way patches are loaded and saved using a simple, plain, text file. This may seem a weird perk to mention, but it opens a whole new world to "customized" editors, or rather librarians, if someoue was so inclined. It allows anyone to see what constitutes a patch, and what numbers make up the valid values. This makes it dead-easy to create a patch librarian. Unlike the System 8 which needs the cloud to do this. The S8 is a sound designer's delight, hampered by an inability to control your sound library without being tethered to Roland's cloud. It's bad enough when a synth needs a computer ball-and-chain for this, but when it extends to the web it is worse. That said the sound of the JU-06A is pretty spectacular. Don't really care about analog purists - it does sound great, but editing in miniature can be stressful.
This is an interesting point, and sounds pretty convenient. Is it relatively human readable (eg hopefully named key / value pairs?) You can do the same with synths that use sysex byte streams, but if the structure is undocumented, you need to do much more legwork to isolate the offset and width of each field and reverse engineer the structure. (Preemptive warning - this is going to be long for a RUclips comment) For example, I wanted to overwrite all the patches on a sysex-based synth with the init patch, but this would have been extremely tedious to do manually. This was some pretty low-hanging fruit, because (as you would expect) each preset record is largely identical, although one field varied that indicated which preset slot to store the record in. The way I was able to determine this was by manually writing init to two slots, and then dumping the sysex data to files on a computer and using a hex editor to diff the two byte streams. Using this technique, you could isolate every field that makes up a preset record, but it would be a tedious process. In my case, it turned out the field was actually two bytes wide, with the least significant byte encoding a decimal value of 0-99, and the most significant byte encoding a decimal value of 0-4. This was determined by saving a few more inits in slots spaced out strategically and dumping those for comparison. Once I did that I just through together a quick and dirty program that was largely a for loop writing the slot values to the appropriate byte addresses and dumping that out to a sysex file. Edit: Oh yeah, I also had to determine the length in bytes of each preset record. That was pretty easy though, since I was already doing sysex dumps of individual presets. At the time I was going in totally blind w/ respect to how sysex works, so I also did a dump of all presets as one continuous byte stream for a reference point just in case there was some sort of extra header or footer data
I ordered one because i used to own a juno 60 and had no idea they would cost the amount they do now when i sold it.i was going to buy the udo super 6 but got impatient and bought a prophet 6.i absolutely love the prophet 6 and feel it has replaced my want for a juno 60.Bo what is your favorite poly synth at that level of synthesizer?
Hey Bo, I keep watching your videos because you just say what you think. I enjoy your take on things. Thank you for the honesty. Also are you doing a video on the mc 101? I am very interested in that guy.
Hey man, nice set up. Great video. Do you know if i can link my 707 with midi, then daisy chain the 707 into a JU06A and daisy chain that to another keyboard (my korg m1)? No one instore seems to know.
Hi - I’m looking for some advice here. Is the JU-06A directly input into the 707 and is being put through on of the channels or is it actually only controlling it via midi and the sound is being mixed elsewhere? Or is the JU-06A being directly input and sampled? I’m a novice and I’m intrigued by the 707 as a means to link up and control the boutiques I have with the additional bonus of the functionality that the 707 provides. Hope this makes sense!
Hey Bo! Since you mentioned using the Audiofuse 8Pre as your audio interface how you like it? I am looking to upgrade to an interface with more inputs and I like the fact that it has insert points. What about the quality of the preamps and converters and latency? THX!
There's a reason those early synths had arpeggio; they were limited by voices. Early adapters took music to new places with those arpeggio controls. (Listen to Styx such as "Too Much Time On My Hands" etc for an example. At least 8 voice minimum in my opinion so it can be played with two hands using an external keyboard controller.
Roland JU-06A, for the guy who wants to be Oneohtrix Point Ever but can't afford to spend $2,500 on a Juno-60 on Reverb with his $25,000/year salary. So.. me.
Why oh why Roland? WHY?! ffs why can the external clock in on the JU-06a work with the step sequencer but NOT the ARPEGIATOR? Why? are you nuts? The SH-01a ext clock works with arp & sequencer. The Original Juno 6, Juno 60, Jupiter 4, 6 & 8, the SH-101, all of these had arpegiators that clock synced via the external clock in via a drum machine trigger. Why build in a arpeggiator section that is hugely prominent on the front panel and the marketing, then build an external clk input, and not use in for the arp. Utter insanity. I want an answer. Anyone got an answer for me?
It's a little older now, but another small portable option is the audiothingies micromonsta. Easy to power off a USB power bank, 8 note polyphony and a much deeper synth engine. Not one knob per function, but pretty usable. I do like some of the boutiques and have a JP-08 which I think it more interesting from a sound design standpoint even if the sliders are way too small due to the form factor.
So re the number 6 used in the name 106 60 or 6 of the juno's i assume this stand for 6 poly ..so why the hell are Roland going backwards :( this thing should be called JU-04D
Just bought one. Must say it is really good value for the money. Build quality is better than expected however it sits really crappy without the ridiculously expensive stand. Soundwise it is close enough especially if you concider the silly pricing on vintage junos. SE-02 up next then I’m good with boutiques 😝
The Modal Skulpt and CraftSynths would be a highly recommended pair of alternatives from my POV. If you HAVE TO have Juno sounds, I honestly get pretty far just using Legowelt’s amazing (free!) samples, but that’s just my two cents.
@@HotStrange Skulpt is a great synth in its own right (backed the project on Kickstarter), but I ended up trading it for something else...it has a character that makes it harder to set levels from patch to patch when using live (for me)...but I believe that the Skulpt has the ABSOLUTE BEST BATTERY LIFE of any of the modern battery-powered synths on the market right now.
I have the Skulpt and Craft and a few boutiques. My two cents: I like the sound of all of them. The build quality of the modal synths is as cheap and toy like as it gets, which continues to bother me. The Rolands are much nicer. The Rolands are much quicker to dial in the sound you want and do good recreations of classic Roland sounds. The Modals are capable of more complex sounds and include a useful distortion, syncable delays and LFOs, but it will take longer to get there and programming them without the app is not pleasant.
As much a demo of the 707 as the JU-06A. I like it. (That’s before your in-depth review.) Looking at the JU’s front panel reminds me more of the ARP Axxe front panel than the original Juno panels do. Have you git an opinion of the Mininova, compared with the models mentioned here?
I understand. I mentioned that model, because I previously had a desire for a Supernova II, but I didn’t try to get it. I momentarily imagined that the MiniNova would give you the essentials of a Supernova compressed into a little box. Kinda foolish, huh?
i actually made a second video going over the difference between the modes :-) linked in the tagged comment. So if you want in-depth audio comparison, maybe it will help
The value just isn't there in my opinion. €399 for a 4-voice digital synth plus €89 for the mini-keyboard puts it very close to the DeepMind 6 in price (€522), which has an OK keyboard, more features, bigger faders, and 6 voices of real analog (if that matters). Digital synths like the Skulpt and Blofeld also offer way more synthesis for the money. I also noticed the Bass Station II has been reduced to €377 at Thomann. I'd much rather have that than the JU-06A to be honest. Not hating on Roland or the Boutiques, just pointing out the alternatives. I actually have an SE-02 which I really like, but I like it in spite of the form factor, not because of it... The SE-02 and D-05 to me are the best Boutiques.
Agreed. I'd happily take a BS2 over a JU-06A. It's a fantastic instrument. I also get a lot of mileage from my Blofeld, since it provides as many voices and timbres as I ever need, all by itself.
I can't agree more. I also feel this is little too expensive if I add the boutique keyboard. Around that price range, I feel I could get something more better ? I think..
Great review as usual. I had to lol a bit at the comparison to a Blofeld though, since other than size and price they don't have much in common. However, it was a nice way to point out that people can get a whole lot more virtual analog for the price.
Many people dislike the boutique series frim Roland, but I really like them. I already have all the previously released Boutiques, some of them even more than one (JP-08 and SH-01A) and I’m going to buy this one as well. Then again I never found the Volcas very interesting and have none of those, even I don’t dislike Korg or anything... The Boutiques aren’t perfect, but they are pretty nice.
Really nice review! The best reviews are always the ones that shows you how to actually use the product. But tbh I think Roland is just angering us customers not giving it 6 or 8 voices. I would have paid more if they had to use 2x FPGA chipsets. Oh yeah, the SE-02 is the king of rough bass. Totally underrated!
@@BoBeats the FPGA chip can just do so much. It's quite different from what you find in a PC or Cellphone. It emulates hardware on a low level. That's why I think they should have used 2x FPGA
Im more impressed with the 707 and your arrangement than the JU 106, which you either like the sound or you dont. but that MC 707 has a killer little synth of its own that you should do an in depth tutorial for...
I understand why synths went from multitimbral to monotimbral, probably due to the rise of DAWs and the resurgence of true analog over digital. But I still really dig the old multitimbral stuff and I look forward to its eventual return in newer products.
Cepheid I mean if you want to do huge evolving pads, yes. You’ll run into voice stealing. If you want leads, basses, chords, and standard pad sounds, it’ll be fine.
i have never found my 4 voice minilogue or XD be much of an issue. Ofc if you really want to do big evolving stuff 4 might not cut it. But there are so many situations where I don’t utilize the 8 of the Peak for example
@@BoBeats I feel ya. I typically only do intervals anyway, to leave room for other instruments. Never been into the huge chords thing like big room EDM. I'm gassing for this JU-06a though! Back to my Reface CS Juno pads I suppose.
I had an HS-60 and an Oberheim Matrix 1000. I quickly sold the HS-60 (for only $250 - damn). I was so scared the voice chips would die and back then the fix was a little more difficult. Also, I loved (and still love) the sound of the matrix, the two oscillators just sounded better to me. Back in 2011 I had no understanding of synth hype - so I just got rid of the HS. Wish I hadn’t of course, but mainly cuz they’re ridiculously expensive now. Now I own the JX3P... and I’m just as underwhelmed as I was with HS. That said, I don’t know if I can really do the 4 voice replicas, but it sounds nice here. Thanks for sharing.
the jx3p is better than Hs60 maybe due to its very fast enveloppe , all the juno and jx are fine synths because they fit in a mix without being overbearing , hold on to your jx
I think the boutique is an affordable homage to the 60 and 106 but i do own a 106 and as someone whos curious I want to see roland make a modern full size successor to it. Moog has done that with the voyager and sequential with the prophet 6 so i think roland should explore that territory because people would definitely like to see it become a reality. although i do agree with you on warm up times for analog synths all three junos had dcos so the warm up time was non existent.
So did you just leave this in 106 mode ? The 60 is the king of the Juno’s... just saying :-) Maybe another vid Mr Bo Beats ? Put it into manual mode, make a sound and switch between the two so we can hear the different engines :-)
i guess tho that in my review i offer other things instead :-) its not so focused on demoing every possibly sound, but on the other hand few reviewers have actually gone thru the trouble of testing it as an audio interface so there is that
BoBeats Yes you do, and you’ve done a fine job. But it would be really cool to hear the difference (if any) between the two Juno varieties, the original 60 sounded far superior, the 106 sounded flat in comparison. It may also help those that already have the JU-06 (minus the A) in deciding if there’s enough sound difference to upgrade :-)
I never understood way folks rave about the Juno. in fact I dislike many of the classics. I tend to gravitate towards the under-dog, and my synths reflect that. Personal, I wish Roland, Yamaha and the like put there efforts into going forward and inventing something new, rather than going backwards - rehashing their old stuff.....
compared to the jupiters 4 and 6, the junos were horrid thin nasty sounding synths capable of one stringy sound. a cheesy organ and a weedy bass and some fizz bips oh, and a lumpy chorus, horrible things
@@emjay946 'Cheesy organs and lumpy chorus'....Sounds like Gordon Ramsay's synth review :-) I had a Tesico 60F- probably the thinnest, weediest sounding synth I have ever owned, until I took a soldering iron to it.
why didn't you include the 106/60 switch in the review? the sound difference between the original 106 and 60 are cavernous and it would have been interesting to see how they handled it here
Hey Bo, Very interesting. From your opening song to the review, great! Most reviews and patches sound like an 80's flashback -great if you are in an 80's coverband, but I'm not. You've made this quite interesting. Question is, do I need it since I have a Yamaha modx6 and Moog Subsequent 37! And I'm a guitarist, singer first!! Well done!
I used to not like boutiques but since getting the Elektron Digitone and Digitakt, my attitude changed and I now prefer them. I picked up a TB-03 at Knobcon and I love it. Wish you could have been at Knobcon Bo! Maybe next year.
I think I'll keep the Blofeld I have...:) the JU is a very nice replication of the original Juno 106, but IMHO kind of a limited synth...it's easy to tell where it is in a mix and what it's doing. Iconic, yes...just not as versatile. Still don't understand Roland's 4 note polyphony thing either with the boutique units...
It's probably a bit silly to compare the JU to a Blofeld. They may both be synths which are similar in size and price, but that's pretty much where the similarity stops. JU is monotimbral with 4 voices and a very simple engine, while Blofeld has a very powerful engine and can do all the instruments for an entire song simultaneously. For an idea what the Blofeld does, look at a video demo of its Analog Voltage sound bank. It may be old and inexpensive, but it does more than most high-end modern synths. It's like a budget version of the Access Virus. All it needs to make songs is a multitrack sequencer to drive it.
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No made in China crap for me, thanks though.
@@louiselay4879 Chinese manufacturing gets better all the time, I'm starting to see chinese brands that do things a lot better than their western counterparts. Don't write them off completely
Yeah, the finish isnt the greatest. Roland used to paint their late 80s drum machine in a matte but slightly metallic looking paint, wore well, looked good but possibly more expensive to make?
1. Blasphemy!!!! 2. Thanks for the shout out :)
I bought a Juno-6 in 1985. Being broke and unemployed, I was offered a job in a gigging pub band and needed a decent synth (or two), for playing current pop hits. I couldn't afford a Juno-60, and the 106 was still a couple of years away from being affordable. So I practiced programming the Juno-6 almost as much as I practiced playing music. There were a few great sounds - the jazz organ was eerily similar to a B3 in 8880000 setting (great for Stuck With You by Huey Lewis, and Walk Of Life by Dire Straits), and although string sounds weren't great with just one oscillator, I got a lovely, lush sounding pad, similar to the intro to Sign Your Name by (at the time) Terence Trent D'arby, using the triple chorus mode, and which I used to death for songs like Everybody Wants To Rule The World. The arp was amazing (Red Red Wine, Take On Me, Hot In The City spring to mind). It was my main pad and organ synth right up to '89, when I switched to a D10 (for multitimbral sequencing use with an Atari ST). And I hated it. But I let my Juno-6 gather dust in my parents' garage for a few years, before giving it to a friend for his studio. But I wish I'd held on to it and looked after it. And not just for its monetary value.
"I'm not going to try to pronounce the name" (ME: I wonder why...) *five seconds later, says "Yuno"* (ME: oh.)
🤣
At least he didn't call it a "jew" like one other guy.
Great review. I started in the 80's with synths of the era and have a fondness for the SH-101 and DX7, having ditched my gear to fund a growing family and returning to music years later I really appreciate these reboots they aproximate the sound well enough for me and have new features that I really wish I had. The Volca FM stands in for my DX7 and takes my patches midi and the boutique SH01 with keyboard is a joy and I love driving it from my Novation Circuit. Cheers.
I fully agree on the new remakes being near enough...especially for home and live stage use. And often having less issues and added features. Replaceablity another issue with vintage gear if you tour/gig...stuff breaks.
Maybe in a high end recording setup you'll notice that little bit of extra magic that the original would give.
But the little trade off is worth all the advantages. 👌
I just got one and I love it. So easy to use and sounds fabulous. The 4 note polyphony is a little bit of a shame but I can just record the audio and then go again. I already loved the Juno sound and now I can afford it in hardware form!
+ Science With Attitude I'm undecided on this one. For the Jumo 106 Cloud, Roland increased the voices to eight along with some other updates. Four voices seem like a step backwards even though I would like the hands-on operation. I believe the boutique is designed to also work together with the 106 Cloud.
I have been looking at other reviews and I haven't seen if the JU-06a has the "3rd Chorus" where both choruses can be active simultaneously. Anyone know if it can do that?
Yes it can
love the retro black look of it's panel and 80's design layout
Who doesn't like a Juno-60 (Detroit techno) Juno-106 (fill in any pop tune in the 80s including Madonna's Holiday)? I think Roland's interpretation of these iconic synths is spot on. Is it not the size of a Chevy Pickup? No, the size of a 12" record. Is it battery powered? Does it have a dedicated headphones output? Yes. Can I take it into the mountains and play it without a generator? Yes? Does it have a speaker like the ARP-2600? Yes? Will I get a back ache carrying this mother around? No. It sounds like a win-win to me.
For those who want a juno sound, full polyphony but don't want to break the bank: alpha juno 1, 2 or the MKS-50. They aren't as highly regarded for dumb reasons. No, the filter can't self oscillate but you still get 90% of the juno sounds and have the added benefit of velocity sensitivity/ aftertouch (on the juno 2 or by using an external keyboard on the juno 1/mks50) more wave forms, SAWTOOTH PWM, variable chorus rate (meaning you can change the speed of the chorus), chord memory, multi stage envelope and more. It's basically a juno 106 on steroids. It's my main synth and I use it on everything, bass, pads, leads, you name it. Get em now before they also suffer the classic juno price gouging.
Agreed that not everybody wants analog but I would assume anybody wanting a decent Juno experience would want more than 4-voice polyphony. That's one of the biggest failures with these Boutiques. Roland really should consider a hardware revision.
But as you say, they still sell so maybe everyone is using them for bass and leads. Maybe chords went out with the 80s along with CHORUS ON BASS.
Lol juno only 6 voices anyway. It's not a big difference. Just play bass lines on another pass lol
No way chorus on bass rules!
Y'all ever flanged a bass before? That shit is wild
Heard u can stack them and chain the voices to get 8 voices polyphony
Apparently the voice sharing doesn't work properly when chained.
Does anyone know how many of the original 106 and 60 patches can be found in the Ju06a? I can't seem to find this info as easily as I thought. The grouping of the patches (A1, A2, B1 etc) seems totally illogical
lol @ people criticizing the 4 voices in the JU-06A... Try finding a Juno-106 with all 6 voices working properly lmao
hahahaha.... right?
If you’ve got a 106 and all the voice chips don’t work and you don’t get them replaced then you don’t deserve the synth
@@palaHD Yeah, the point is that the voice chips are unreliable and break fairly often.
I’ve had my 106 for 20 years and mine only went for the first time this year
@@palaHDthat’s great for you, but I’ve been looking for a good price on n one for years and 75% of the time there’s an issue with at least one of the chips. “You don’t deserve it”? That may be the cringiest, most elite at thing I’ve heard when it comes to music gear. Yuck.
Is there a way to get around the 4 voice limitation on these?
I suppose I can buy two lol.
Superb and honest review - well done. I owned the JU-06 boutique for a bit but then sold it because I didn't care for the tiny form factor and jacks. Great sound though.
If this isn't an analog recreation what is the point of using this over something like the Tal U-No-LX? Only for the tactical feel aspect? I cant see a benefit here honestly other than that, being that they are both digital. If I'm missing something can someone please fill me in? Thanks :)
well... one is a hardware synth and the other a software. One is also an audio interface (sort of). So you are right: it is mainly the hardware aspect which sells them. And it could even be argued that analog reproductions or clones doesn’t sound better either. You can see for example Behringer RD-8 vs TR8. Both sound very good. Analog doesn’t magically make it better than software either.
BoBeats thanks for the response! Yeah I agree just because something is analog, it does not automatically make it “better”. So that’s what I figured, that it was mainly the fact that it exists in the physical world which gives it its appeal... and yeah the interface thing cool I guess. I feel that if you’re going to go for a digital emulation of an analog synth why not go for the plugin, as I can think of multiple benefits that the plugin offers and there should be no objective quality differences 🤷🏻♂️. Not hating on this device I really just wanted to know if there was something I was missing. Nice job demoing it btw! :)
I'm thinking this would be a good controller for the TAL UNO-LX VST, has anyone tried it? I'm guessing this sends CC messages, which you could set up with TAL using the MIDI learn function.
4 voice poly is a bummer for me and Iam not buying two.
Okay, then don’t?
Same here. They managaged 8 voices ACB on the System 8, so it should be possible. Making them bi-timbral and split/stackable would have brought something new to the table. Or why doesn’t Roland release a Boutique that loads all the plug-puts from the System 8 for that matter? Well, I probably don’t need more synths anyway. More playing and less RUclips would be the thing REALLY affecting my music I suppose.
@@matszh OH it's more than possible and cost no more money to do it because it's digital, it's just software programming. Roland continues to disappoint me.
@@matszh They managed 8 voices on the System-8 because it has three DSP chips instead of one. The boutiques can run on battery or USB bus power, which is only enough power for one DSP chip. Personally I would have preferred an 8-voice version that requires a power supply, but these things are designed to be portable.
@@synthartist69 Digital doesn't mean free. The ACB emulations are very computationally expensive. Learn how the technology works and you will no longer be needlessly disappointed.
This is my favorite jam you've done bo! Absolutely love the sound of this, and the features. I'll definitely be getting one. The four voice thing doesn't bother me at all.
agreed, it's good!
Am I crazy, or does this VST in a box actually sound...good?
I don't have a 707 but using a module with it you would record loops from the midi channel and bounce them to a track?
What I am trying to workout is if synth or modules like this are redundant now as there are so many patches available and the entire Zencore system why is there a need for separate devices? is it just to have the convenience of having a fader or knob per parameter?
This is a genuine question... I can't just keep buying gear all the time!!
Isn‘t the Microfreak a good alternative? (Digital, 4 voice polyphonic, small, usb powered?)
yeah! Thats not a bad suggestion. For some reason I didnt quite think of it
microfreak is the best arturia product....period!!!!
"I don't even like the classic JUNO..." that's click-bait right there!
You may have already answered but, how did you connect the Roland Boutique to the MC 707? What settings for each unit also?
Great stuff Bo!
you can switch it between a juno 60 and 106,is there much difference in sound?
yes, its quite noticable
If you have docked it with the K25M, can you still use the MIDI controller via the MIDI connector on the back?
If yes, will both k25m and midi controller be active at the same time?
I'm looking for a nice little synth expander to sit on the free space on top of my nord electro 5D 73 and to be played with the nord electro keys in split mode. I don't know if I should try to get a used JU-06 or a Blofeld... Playing keyboard in a pop band. No need for sequencer, I just miss synthetic sounds on my nord electro. Which one would you suggest?
Question combien y a-t-il ils de présent dans le juno 106 et 60 et ce retrouve t il dans le juno06A ou juste quelque sons et des rajout de chez Roland comme dans le jupiter X
Can I use it as my principle synth in a live situation, via midi with a controller ?
Speaking about Roland .I am looking forward to the fantom synth workstation .Perhaps your tutorial and presentation .
Nice vid Bo, honest and straightforward opinion. The one thing I found a bonus for Boutiques is the way patches are loaded and saved using a simple, plain, text file. This may seem a weird perk to mention, but it opens a whole new world to "customized" editors, or rather librarians, if someoue was so inclined. It allows anyone to see what constitutes a patch, and what numbers make up the valid values. This makes it dead-easy to create a patch librarian. Unlike the System 8 which needs the cloud to do this. The S8 is a sound designer's delight, hampered by an inability to control your sound library without being tethered to Roland's cloud. It's bad enough when a synth needs a computer ball-and-chain for this, but when it extends to the web it is worse. That said the sound of the JU-06A is pretty spectacular. Don't really care about analog purists - it does sound great, but editing in miniature can be stressful.
This is an interesting point, and sounds pretty convenient. Is it relatively human readable (eg hopefully named key / value pairs?) You can do the same with synths that use sysex byte streams, but if the structure is undocumented, you need to do much more legwork to isolate the offset and width of each field and reverse engineer the structure.
(Preemptive warning - this is going to be long for a RUclips comment)
For example, I wanted to overwrite all the patches on a sysex-based synth with the init patch, but this would have been extremely tedious to do manually. This was some pretty low-hanging fruit, because (as you would expect) each preset record is largely identical, although one field varied that indicated which preset slot to store the record in.
The way I was able to determine this was by manually writing init to two slots, and then dumping the sysex data to files on a computer and using a hex editor to diff the two byte streams. Using this technique, you could isolate every field that makes up a preset record, but it would be a tedious process.
In my case, it turned out the field was actually two bytes wide, with the least significant byte encoding a decimal value of 0-99, and the most significant byte encoding a decimal value of 0-4. This was determined by saving a few more inits in slots spaced out strategically and dumping those for comparison.
Once I did that I just through together a quick and dirty program that was largely a for loop writing the slot values to the appropriate byte addresses and dumping that out to a sysex file.
Edit: Oh yeah, I also had to determine the length in bytes of each preset record. That was pretty easy though, since I was already doing sysex dumps of individual presets. At the time I was going in totally blind w/ respect to how sysex works, so I also did a dump of all presets as one continuous byte stream for a reference point just in case there was some sort of extra header or footer data
Ah, now it makes sense. This is because there are so many customized editors around. ;-)
Hi! Can you control this roland ju06 with the roland gaia sh01 via midi and use the gaia as the controller? Thanks
I ordered one because i used to own a juno 60 and had no idea they would cost the amount they do now when i sold it.i was going to buy the udo super 6 but got impatient and bought a prophet 6.i absolutely love the prophet 6 and feel it has replaced my want for a juno 60.Bo what is your favorite poly synth at that level of synthesizer?
Hey Bo, I keep watching your videos because you just say what you think. I enjoy your take on things. Thank you for the honesty.
Also are you doing a video on the mc 101? I am very interested in that guy.
101 should be on its way
is it worth it? like de juno 80? like get a great retro atmospheres? or better save money and get the jupiter xm?
Hopefully someone sees this but should I
Buy the dock for the ju-06a or use my Lodi controller that I have?
Sounds like videogame music when customizing your chacter 😂
Only with Batterys? or power adapter?
Thanks. Just curious why don’t u like the juno 106? To dull sounding?
I am still in shock from reading the title! How can any self respecting synth enthusiast say they didn't like the original Juno?
Some people never had access to one. And some that did were granted access from people who had 'one of everything' but didn't own a Jupiter 8? lol
I prefer the Korg Polysix, albeit these two are both very similar.
Do you know how to change the tempo for the sequencer and arpeggio?
Would you still be able to use pitch bend and/or modulation through a midi controller that have both wheels?
I’m really digging the thumbnails, Bo!
The blur effect is super cool. 👍
Can both chorus’s be used together like on the original
not that I found: it seemed to work like a switch
Yes. SonicState shows it in their video.
Just have to push the two at the same time
How about the IK multimedia Uno synth as an alternate?
Hey man, nice set up. Great video. Do you know if i can link my 707 with midi, then daisy chain the 707 into a JU06A and daisy chain that to another keyboard (my korg m1)? No one instore seems to know.
Would you say the ju-06a is a good companion to the mc-707? Or do you think the mc-707 has a lot of those sounds covered already?
Can I run this live in ableton everytime, meaning can it offer total recall without having to record to audio before quitting like a vst?
Hi - I’m looking for some advice here. Is the JU-06A directly input into the 707 and is being put through on of the channels or is it actually only controlling it via midi and the sound is being mixed elsewhere?
Or is the JU-06A being directly input and sampled?
I’m a novice and I’m intrigued by the 707 as a means to link up and control the boutiques I have with the additional bonus of the functionality that the 707 provides.
Hope this makes sense!
Hey Bo! Since you mentioned using the Audiofuse 8Pre as your audio interface how you like it? I am looking to upgrade to an interface with more inputs and I like the fact that it has insert points. What about the quality of the preamps and converters and latency? THX!
I have used the classic AudioFuse as audio interface for a long time: it is excellent except the micro usb which is so so
@@BoBeats Well, good morning! Thx for the fast reply. I just discovered your 8pre review video and am watching it right now 😎
Ive used the 8Pre for a few weeks now, and classic Audiofuse for 2 years. I recommend both if you need the features
Great video, thanks for spending the time on it. The unit sounds great!
Hi Bo great video as always I can't find a manual anywhere for this unit, do you have a link please?
nice little Jam Bo ! ^^ thanks for this
♥️☕️
Does it have a headphone jack? Thanks.
There's a reason those early synths had arpeggio; they were limited by voices. Early adapters took music to new places with those arpeggio controls. (Listen to Styx such as "Too Much Time On My Hands" etc for an example.
At least 8 voice minimum in my opinion so it can be played with two hands using an external keyboard controller.
Hey there I’m completely new to synths, would this synth work with any midi keyboard? I want to be able to connect a 61 key keyboard to it
As long as its got a midi out from keyboard to ju06 but if you are using a DAW then USB only is fine.
so the mc 707 already has juno 106 sounds built in
Roland JU-06A, for the guy who wants to be Oneohtrix Point Ever but can't afford to spend $2,500 on a Juno-60 on Reverb with his $25,000/year salary.
So.. me.
As someone who earns about $17,000 per year, I am jealous of your wealth.
@@mikeexits Americans are spoiled over here but inflation is relative.
I earn 60000+ but still cant "afford" a $2500 Juno :)
Can the audio in be used to trigger the apprgiator as in the analog model?
Why oh why Roland? WHY?! ffs why can the external clock in on the JU-06a work with the step sequencer but NOT the ARPEGIATOR? Why? are you nuts? The SH-01a ext clock works with arp & sequencer. The Original Juno 6, Juno 60, Jupiter 4, 6 & 8, the SH-101, all of these had arpegiators that clock synced via the external clock in via a drum machine trigger. Why build in a arpeggiator section that is hugely prominent on the front panel and the marketing, then build an external clk input, and not use in for the arp. Utter insanity. I want an answer. Anyone got an answer for me?
Bo, have you ever used a Mini-Korg 700? I would love to see you explore one to see what you think.
Never tried it
Well, I take my JP-08 everywhere along with my OP-1.
It's a little older now, but another small portable option is the audiothingies micromonsta. Easy to power off a USB power bank, 8 note polyphony and a much deeper synth engine. Not one knob per function, but pretty usable. I do like some of the boutiques and have a JP-08 which I think it more interesting from a sound design standpoint even if the sliders are way too small due to the form factor.
Привет Bo! Скажи пожалуйста, как ты используешь Elektron? Через Send/Return? Спасибо. Привет из Таллинна
So re the number 6 used in the name 106 60 or 6 of the juno's i assume this stand for 6 poly ..so why the hell are Roland going backwards :( this thing should be called JU-04D
fair point....
Great video. Love the sound!
Just bought one. Must say it is really good value for the money. Build quality is better than expected however it sits really crappy without the ridiculously expensive stand. Soundwise it is close enough especially if you concider the silly pricing on vintage junos. SE-02 up next then I’m good with boutiques 😝
The Modal Skulpt and CraftSynths would be a highly recommended pair of alternatives from my POV.
If you HAVE TO have Juno sounds, I honestly get pretty far just using Legowelt’s amazing (free!) samples, but that’s just my two cents.
I’d rather have the Skulpt for sure but this does sound great.
@@HotStrange I'd trade my skulpt for one of these. The sculpt is pretty hard to program without the manual and it feels kinda cheap.
I add my vote for the Modal Skulpt. Have one and love it.
@@HotStrange Skulpt is a great synth in its own right (backed the project on Kickstarter), but I ended up trading it for something else...it has a character that makes it harder to set levels from patch to patch when using live (for me)...but I believe that the Skulpt has the ABSOLUTE BEST BATTERY LIFE of any of the modern battery-powered synths on the market right now.
I have the Skulpt and Craft and a few boutiques. My two cents: I like the sound of all of them. The build quality of the modal synths is as cheap and toy like as it gets, which continues to bother me. The Rolands are much nicer. The Rolands are much quicker to dial in the sound you want and do good recreations of classic Roland sounds. The Modals are capable of more complex sounds and include a useful distortion, syncable delays and LFOs, but it will take longer to get there and programming them without the app is not pleasant.
This just makes me want the MC-707 more. It looks great for getting ideas out quickly
Same! Probably gonna get the 101 personally. I already have enough gear and not enough space.
As much a demo of the 707 as the JU-06A. I like it. (That’s before your in-depth review.)
Looking at the JU’s front panel reminds me more of the ARP Axxe front panel than the original Juno panels do.
Have you git an opinion of the Mininova, compared with the models mentioned here?
mininova is excellent but its not something ive used a lot
I understand. I mentioned that model, because I previously had a desire for a Supernova II, but I didn’t try to get it. I momentarily imagined that the MiniNova would give you the essentials of a Supernova compressed into a little box. Kinda foolish, huh?
did you switch it into the 60 mode at all in the video, or was it only in the 106 mode?
i actually made a second video going over the difference between the modes :-) linked in the tagged comment. So if you want in-depth audio comparison, maybe it will help
Hope behringer don’t take too long to clones a Juno 60
That's what the Deepmind is. Wouldn't hold my breath on anything else.
The value just isn't there in my opinion. €399 for a 4-voice digital synth plus €89 for the mini-keyboard puts it very close to the DeepMind 6 in price (€522), which has an OK keyboard, more features, bigger faders, and 6 voices of real analog (if that matters). Digital synths like the Skulpt and Blofeld also offer way more synthesis for the money. I also noticed the Bass Station II has been reduced to €377 at Thomann. I'd much rather have that than the JU-06A to be honest.
Not hating on Roland or the Boutiques, just pointing out the alternatives. I actually have an SE-02 which I really like, but I like it in spite of the form factor, not because of it... The SE-02 and D-05 to me are the best Boutiques.
Agreed. I'd happily take a BS2 over a JU-06A. It's a fantastic instrument. I also get a lot of mileage from my Blofeld, since it provides as many voices and timbres as I ever need, all by itself.
I can't agree more.
I also feel this is little too expensive if I add the boutique keyboard.
Around that price range, I feel I could get something more better ? I think..
Great review as usual. I had to lol a bit at the comparison to a Blofeld though, since other than size and price they don't have much in common. However, it was a nice way to point out that people can get a whole lot more virtual analog for the price.
yes, comparison doesn’t mean that that things are comparable. :-)
Many people dislike the boutique series frim Roland, but I really like them. I already have all the previously released Boutiques, some of them even more than one (JP-08 and SH-01A) and I’m going to buy this one as well. Then again I never found the Volcas very interesting and have none of those, even I don’t dislike Korg or anything...
The Boutiques aren’t perfect, but they are pretty nice.
Really nice review! The best reviews are always the ones that shows you how to actually use the product.
But tbh I think Roland is just angering us customers not giving it 6 or 8 voices. I would have paid more if they had to use 2x FPGA chipsets.
Oh yeah, the SE-02 is the king of rough bass. Totally underrated!
Yeah more voices seem to be the biggest gripe. I don’t quite get why its just 4 voices.
@@BoBeats the FPGA chip can just do so much. It's quite different from what you find in a PC or Cellphone. It emulates hardware on a low level. That's why I think they should have used 2x FPGA
Agreed 4 voices ... pass
Im more impressed with the 707 and your arrangement than the JU 106, which you either like the sound or you dont. but that MC 707 has a killer little synth of its own that you should do an in depth tutorial for...
Great review thanks! Do you know if the Arp sends midi notes out? (can you record the arpeggiated notes in your DAW? or just the single key hit?)
Remember when synth modules used to be multitimbral? I can remember a time when groove boxes had a song mode as well... Strange 🤔
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I understand why synths went from multitimbral to monotimbral, probably due to the rise of DAWs and the resurgence of true analog over digital. But I still really dig the old multitimbral stuff and I look forward to its eventual return in newer products.
I demoed the JU-06a yesterday at Knobcon and as a Juno-60 owner I think Roland nailed the sound: punchy as hell and bottom end for miles.
it does sound beefy
You think the 4 voice will be a big limitation? Or something minor
Cepheid I mean if you want to do huge evolving pads, yes. You’ll run into voice stealing. If you want leads, basses, chords, and standard pad sounds, it’ll be fine.
i have never found my 4 voice minilogue or XD be much of an issue. Ofc if you really want to do big evolving stuff 4 might not cut it. But there are so many situations where I don’t utilize the 8 of the Peak for example
@@BoBeats I feel ya. I typically only do intervals anyway, to leave room for other instruments. Never been into the huge chords thing like big room EDM. I'm gassing for this JU-06a though! Back to my Reface CS Juno pads I suppose.
I had an HS-60 and an Oberheim Matrix 1000. I quickly sold the HS-60 (for only $250 - damn). I was so scared the voice chips would die and back then the fix was a little more difficult. Also, I loved (and still love) the sound of the matrix, the two oscillators just sounded better to me. Back in 2011 I had no understanding of synth hype - so I just got rid of the HS. Wish I hadn’t of course, but mainly cuz they’re ridiculously expensive now. Now I own the JX3P... and I’m just as underwhelmed as I was with HS.
That said, I don’t know if I can really do the 4 voice replicas, but it sounds nice here. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers bud
the jx3p is better than Hs60 maybe due to its very fast enveloppe , all the juno and jx are fine synths because they fit in a mix without being overbearing , hold on to your jx
Great presentation Bo, Many thanks 😊
I think the boutique is an affordable homage to the 60 and 106 but i do own a 106 and as someone whos curious I want to see roland make a modern full size successor to it. Moog has done that with the voyager and sequential with the prophet 6 so i think roland should explore that territory because people would definitely like to see it become a reality. although i do agree with you on warm up times for analog synths all three junos had dcos so the warm up time was non existent.
Maybe Behringer will do it in time
So did you just leave this in 106 mode ? The 60 is the king of the Juno’s... just saying :-) Maybe another vid Mr Bo Beats ? Put it into manual mode, make a sound and switch between the two so we can hear the different engines :-)
not a bad idea
BoBeats Awesome :-) or... send me the 06A & I’ll pop up a vid up ;-)
i guess tho that in my review i offer other things instead :-) its not so focused on demoing every possibly sound, but on the other hand few reviewers have actually gone thru the trouble of testing it as an audio interface so there is that
BoBeats Yes you do, and you’ve done a fine job. But it would be really cool to hear the difference (if any) between the two Juno varieties, the original 60 sounded far superior, the 106 sounded flat in comparison. It may also help those that already have the JU-06 (minus the A) in deciding if there’s enough sound difference to upgrade :-)
BoBeats ps - The Juno 60 & Juno 6 sounded amazing on synth bass lines :-)
I don’t even like the classic Juno...I LUV IT!!!
the opening sequence was fantastic
i find this boutique better than the originals
You're a brave one for making those statements at the start, respect.
I never understood way folks rave about the Juno. in fact I dislike many of the classics. I tend to gravitate towards the under-dog, and my synths reflect that.
Personal, I wish Roland, Yamaha and the like put there efforts into going forward and inventing something new, rather than going backwards - rehashing their old stuff.....
compared to the jupiters 4 and 6, the junos were horrid thin nasty sounding synths capable of one stringy sound. a cheesy organ and a weedy bass and some fizz bips oh, and a lumpy chorus, horrible things
@@emjay946 'Cheesy organs and lumpy chorus'....Sounds like Gordon Ramsay's synth review :-)
I had a Tesico 60F- probably the thinnest, weediest sounding synth I have ever owned, until I took a soldering iron to it.
why didn't you include the 106/60 switch in the review? the sound difference between the original 106 and 60 are cavernous and it would have been interesting to see how they handled it here
In getting the new Jupiter x and udo super 6 whin they come out and I will be complete for the winter
Hey Bo,
Very interesting. From your opening song to the review, great! Most reviews and patches sound like an 80's flashback -great if you are in an 80's coverband, but I'm not. You've made this quite interesting. Question is, do I need it since I have a Yamaha modx6 and Moog Subsequent 37! And I'm a guitarist, singer first!! Well done!
Just picked up a Strymon Volante echo machine delay pedal. Really just a reverb synth...it’s beautiful!
How do those faders feel? It's my only concern. The unit itself sounds great. Wonderful demo, unfortunately. Ive too much gear as it is.
If they’re the same size as the JP08 they are too small to control easily. Best done by midi controller.
I feel like this thing would be fun to sample into the sp404 mk2
I used to not like boutiques but since getting the Elektron Digitone and Digitakt, my attitude changed and I now prefer them. I picked up a TB-03 at Knobcon and I love it. Wish you could have been at Knobcon Bo! Maybe next year.
I'm massively into synth nostalgia but I loved your review, good work
Thank you! I totally get nostalgia, I just dont have that emotional tie to it
just ordered a JU-06a so thanks again
Well, if the Juno is your thing, this will work. Roland has gotten the digital sound down, their gear sounds amazing.
Absolutely, phenomenal sound
I think I'll keep the Blofeld I have...:) the JU is a very nice replication of the original Juno 106, but IMHO kind of a limited synth...it's easy to tell where it is in a mix and what it's doing. Iconic, yes...just not as versatile. Still don't understand Roland's 4 note polyphony thing either with the boutique units...
Do u feel u can get a lot out of the Blofeld that u hear from this Boutique?
It's probably a bit silly to compare the JU to a Blofeld. They may both be synths which are similar in size and price, but that's pretty much where the similarity stops. JU is monotimbral with 4 voices and a very simple engine, while Blofeld has a very powerful engine and can do all the instruments for an entire song simultaneously. For an idea what the Blofeld does, look at a video demo of its Analog Voltage sound bank.
It may be old and inexpensive, but it does more than most high-end modern synths. It's like a budget version of the Access Virus. All it needs to make songs is a multitrack sequencer to drive it.
@@ToyKeeper I second that. Thanks for replying
You don't buy a juno for versatility, you buy it for its unique sound.