JUNO-60

Name: JUNO-60
Price: 69 USD
Author: Roland

by Roland · Synth · JUNO-60 analog polysynth emulation

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JUNO-60 is Roland's ACB-modeled software version of the 1982 JUNO-60, with a DCO, sub-oscillator and the famous JUNO chorus.

It adds a CE-1 chorus model, switchable JUNO-60/106 high-pass voicing, Circuit Mod and Condition controls; it is a Lifetime Key or part of Roland Cloud Pro and Ultimate.

Best for: Keys & Synths, Bass, Sound Design. Genres: Electronic & EDM, Pop, Lo-Fi, Ambient & Cinematic.

Keywords: hardware emulation, 80s, analog, basses, polyphonic, arpeggiator, licensed emulation, monophonic, pads, analog-sounding, classic, fat, leads, lo-fi, modern, plucks, sound design, subtractive, tempo-synced, vintage.

What it does

JUNO-60 is Roland's software recreation of its 1982 polysynth, built on enhanced ACB modeling. Roland says it keeps the original's "odd quirks and charming limitations" while adding a few modern conveniences.

Oscillator: one DCO per voice with saw, pulse with PWM (manual, LFO or envelope), a fat sub-oscillator and noise, over an extended 64' to 2' range.
Filters: a resonant VCF with envelope and LFO modulation, key follow and velocity, plus a high-pass filter you can switch between JUNO-60 and JUNO-106 voicing (the 106 adds its bass bump).
Envelopes and VCA: two ADSR envelopes, where the original had one, with the VCA set to ENV1, ENV2 or gate.
Chorus: JUNO Chorus 1 and 2, the hidden third mode with both buttons pressed, and a BOSS CE-1 chorus model, including the original's inherent noise.
Other effects: overdrive and distortion, delays, flanger and reverbs (ambience, room, halls, plate and modulation), with tempo sync.
Arpeggiator and voices: the original up, up & down and down arpeggiator over one to three octaves; up to eight voices, which you can cut to six or fewer, with mono, unison and two poly modes, portamento and legato.
Character and hardware: Circuit Mod and Condition (-128 to +127) for analog drift and ageing; PLUG-OUT for the SYSTEM-8 and pre-mapped control from the JU-06 and JU-06A.

It is sold as a Lifetime Key or included in Roland Cloud Pro (via Pro Selector) and Ultimate memberships, with a 30-day free trial.

Source: Roland product page

When to use it

JUNO-60 is Roland's own take on the Juno sound and the natural first stop if you want it from the source. Compared with TAL-U-NO-LX it costs much more but adds Roland's circuit modeling, a second envelope, the BOSS CE-1 chorus and SYSTEM-8 and JU-06 support. Against Arturia's Jun-6 V it is closer to the original's simple layout, while Arturia adds more modulation. Diva or Vital go far beyond it in scope, but JUNO-60 gets classic chorused pads and basses with almost no programming. The catch is CPU: Sweetwater buyers report high load and dropouts.

Best for: chorused pads, chords, plucks, soft leads and round basses.
Genres: synth-pop, synthwave, house, lo-fi, film and ambient.
Look elsewhere if: you want a cheap, light Juno (TAL-U-NO-LX), deeper modulation (Jun-6 V or Diva) or the 106's bass punch by default (JUNO-106).
Tip: switch the high-pass filter to JUNO-106 voicing to get the 106's bass bump on a 60 patch.

What producers say

Users and press praise the sound, but Sweetwater buyers are split, mostly over the Roland Cloud software and CPU load.

Sweetwater users rate it 2.6 out of 5 from 10 reviews. Fans called it "what synth plugin emulation should sound like!" and praised the oscillators and filter.
Criticisms: several buyers reported verification errors in Roland Cloud Manager, high CPU use, crashes, and clicks and pops even in Low CPU mode.
MusicTech (2023 buyer's guide) called it "the obvious first place to go" for a Juno plugin and noted it stays fairly faithful to the original.

Where to buy

Plugin Boutique: $69 (regular $199)
Roland: see store

Tutorials and reviews

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