Back in the days when Roland’s Jupiters and JUNOs reigned supreme, little did anybody realize that the JUNO line of synthesizers would become the legends they are today. In its early life [circa ‘80s], the JUNO line was considered the entry-level of Roland synthesizers. In 2005, Roland reintroduced the JUNO name with a new entry-level synthesizer called the JUNO-D.

The JUNO-D still holds true to the powerful sound that the JUNO name has been so well known for, while adding some new features such as arpeggiators, chord memories, and a built-in Rhythm guide. The sound of the JUNO-D is exactly what you would expect from the JUNO legacy, and its warm full tone will be welcome on stage or in the studio.

The JUNO-D has hundreds of great sounds, and thousands more are possible with the included editor/librarian software (for Mac and PC). This bonus allows the user to create custom sounds, and keep them neatly organized and easy to access. And, it also allows for easily constructed performance setups.

What It Is
The JUNO-D has about every base (or bass) covered. There are 640 sounds including classic Juno sounds, 47 multi-effects from cool to cruel, a massive arpeggiator, Rhythm Guide with real drum sounds (not just metronome bleeps), a multi-chord memory for assigning chords per note, and a D Beam for innovative real time control by waving your hand over the beam.

Audio Animation
The JUNO-D boasts three notable features for injecting expression and rhythm to your performances. The first is its Arpeggiator, which will surely inspire even the veterans out there. The JUNO-D’s arpeggiator not only affords you the traditional Up/Down modes, but you also get an additional Phrase mode, which allows you to trigger musical phrases based on a specific root notes. And there are dozens of built-in musical phrases to choose from, ranging from guitar strums to bass lines.

The second expressive feature is Chord Memory. With this function you can quickly create complex chord progressions in no time at all. The Chord memory has dozens of presets, plus the ability to create your own user chord settings and recall them instantly. The Arpeggiator and the chord memory function can be used at the same time so, the combinations are almost endless.

And there’s more. The JUNO-D’s Rhythm Guide is like having a built in drum machine at your fingertips. With patterns ranging from trance to bossa nova, the JUNO-D has you covered for nearly any style of music you crave. The Rhythm Guide is also a fantastic tool for practicing. Not only do you have beats to jam along with, it also has a metronome with different time signatures to help the beginning keyboard player practice his or her timing skills.

Realtime Control
One of the great benefits of the classic JUNO synthesizers was the ability to modify sounds on the fly simply by adjusting a few of faders. This still holds true on the new JUNO-D. Five realtime control knobs modify the most commonly used parameters, such as filter, resonance, and envelope settings. As an added bonus, all of the movements you make with these knobs can be recorded directly into your favorite sequencer. For example, let’s say you’re doing a dance-oriented track and you want to add some real “movement” and “tension” in the song. Simply try grabbing the filter cutoff knob on the bass line, give it a twist, and listen to how the track evolves. You’ll be amazed at how “smooth” and “fat” the filters sound while the bassline comes alive, giving your song new dimension.

The D Beam adds another realm of control and expression to your performance. This revolutionary light controller can be assigned to any of the parameters of the JUNO-D. You can assign it to filter cutoff, for example, or the amount of reverb that is applied to a sound. This makes for some great performance aspects.

Friendly, Affordable
Perhaps two of the best features of the JUNO-D are that it’s very affordable and easy to use. We are talking major bang for the buck here. No other synthesizer in its class can touch what the JUNO-D has to offer. With features like direct access buttons for all the sound categories, you can call up your favorite sounds in seconds. To find a piano sound, for example, simply press the sound category button labeled Piano. To find a bass sound, press the sound category button labeled Bass. It doesn’t get any easier.

The JUNO-D has the power to enhance any setup or musical style. And the fact that it’s 16-part multitimbral helps make your multitrack song ideas come to life quickly and easily. No need to worry about notes dropping out, thanks to the 64-note polyphony. This goes far beyond any Juno before it. The JUNO-D does all of this and still has the ability to be used as a General MIDI sound module.

The JUNO-D still holds true to the idea of the JUNO legacy while adding some great features at a price that can’t be beat. Head down to your local Roland dealer for a test drive of the JUNO-D, and you can thank me later.