Roland Cloud Juno-60 £138 or as part of a Roland Cloud Subscription

>Roland’s Juno range first hit the streets in the early ’80s with the Juno-6. Since then the Juno name has been used by Roland for synths that sit in the tier 2 of their range – often reflected in more limited architecture. However, when it comes to the Juno-6/60, it’d be a mistake to dismiss them as B-team players. These Junos employed DCO (Digitally Controlled Oscillators), which meant their tuning remained rock solid from the moment they were switched on.

Of course, that meant that some of the ‘charm’ associated with other analogue oscillator designs was lost, but for any serious gigging musician this was a big advance. Those who wanted to delve deep into synthesis would also be disappointed, as they were also limited in this area when

weighed against the dual-osc/ envelope design of the major polysynths of the era. But the early Junos all succeeded for two reasons – they were affordable and sounded great. This is still true, and thankfully Roland have introduced a virtual version so we can all enjoy classic straightforward sound. As with other recent Roland software, the graphics are clunky in places, but the sound (including the essential chorus effect) is there, plus a few enhancements. Some may bemoan Roland’s current software-only approach to recreating their classics, but the Juno-60 is both affordable and fun. Bruce Aisher rolandcloud.com

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