Roland JU-06A Boutique Synthesizer

General

Since they were so cheap, easy to get hold of and even easier to manipulate, the Roland Juno is maybe one of the best known synth families to come out of the '80s. Back then, the Roland JU-06 was the head of this illustrious family but these days, you'd be lucky to find one. Not to worry, since the Roland JU-06A Boutique is available right now and not only looks a lot like a mash-up of the JU-06, Juno 6 and Juno 60, but has the guts to match. A vintage colour-palette and layout populated with satisfying off-white, yellow and muted orange control buttons: the beautifully retro JU-06A.

Features of the Roland JU-06A

For those who know nothing of the Juno: Seriously? This is a pop music history giant! A classic oscillator with block/pulse and sawtooth supplemented by a sub-oscillator and noise. The sound is processed by a simple HPF and this is one of the best functions, since the sheer volume that one of these units can produce gets so woolly and big that it might threaten to rattle your woofers right out of your speakers. With the HPF, you can eliminate much of the low-end energy and shape an overall sound that's more stable and actually pleasing. Besides this, the JU-06 has a standard low-pass filter; an envelope; that well-known Juno chorus in two different flavours; built-in delay and an arpeggiator and sequencer. This is a classic feeling and sounding foundation synth for key-players to warm up the sound of their band by laying out a thick carpet of unique yet familiar sound.