TAL-Pha Released! Alpha Juno II Emulation from TAL-Software

[Hettoblaster]

Such a shame that TAL couldn't get Tim Shoebridge to do his version of the Top Ten Greatest Hoover Hits video. Oh well, our loss, maybe next time.

Do you have a link to this? Searched 'Tim Shoebridge Top Ten Greatest Hoover Hits' on YT ans scanned his uploads, can't find it

[chk071]

Okay, here's a question for y'all. Can you point to an example sound on this thing that we haven't really heard before? I'm not asking for the moon on a stick, it can be relatively subtle (though not to the point of being imperceptably subtle), but something uniquely Alpha Junoish that is done here notably better than anywhere else?

I love 80s analogue (even with DCOs). I adore it. It's home. If I had a billion dollars I'd have a room with every analogue hardware synth in it, and maybe a token one or two digtial ones. But blimey crikey I've got a lot of fantastic soft synths now.

I don't begrudge this - it sounds terrific to me. But with the best will in the world, I'm deluding myself if I think I actually need it.

Fair enough. Patrick's thing are emulations, specifically Roland emulations. They obviously sell, which is all that matters for a business.

I don't need (or want) this either, so *drumroll*, I just pass on it.

[dellboy]

I have an Alpha Juno 2, but its in the spare room in its case. Without going through the bother of setting it up, and from memory, this synth sounds very similar, and is very playable. The thing that makes it in some ways better than the hardware is that all the controls are now on screen, and a good size, and if you have a touch screen laptop as I do, you find that its very responsive to touch and makes it come alive. For instance, playing "E Bass 1" while jiggling the cutoff gives it a tremolo wah-wah effect that I find very pleasing.

[noiseboyuk]

Okay, here's a question for y'all. Can you point to an example sound on this thing that we haven't really heard before? I'm not asking for the moon on a stick, it can be relatively subtle (though not to the point of being imperceptably subtle), but something uniquely Alpha Junoish that is done here notably better than anywhere else?

I mean, it's a pretty simple synth, there's no ancient lost knowledge in there that modern technology has been unable to replicate for the past ~40 years. The original Alpha Juno was a simple budget analog synth designed to tide Roland over until they got their shiny new digital tech (D-50 etc.) ready. Over the Juno-106, it added velocity and aftertouch, some additional waveforms, a more complex EG and freely adjustable chorus rate as well as a slightly different filter chip with less aggressive resonance.

The biggest thing would be the waveforms ("PWM" Sawtooth), but they're available in Diva and there are probably dozens of other synths that do something similar even if they don't strictly emulate the Alpha. Lots of synths let you shape and morph the oscillator waveforms in different ways.

The main thing with these vintage emulations is that they replicate many of the limitations of the original, which forces you to work in a certain way, leading to a certain character in the sounds you design.

Thanks - that all makes sense to me. Omnisphere's Hardware library is a cool trick because it uses the limitation of the hardware to make you program in a certain way.

Stuff like aftertouch would have been a strong selling point for the Alpha hardware. But overall today it feels like one for the pure programmers - it'll lead you down certain specific sonic paths you might not go otherwise, but in terms of the end results there won't be much that's unique. Cool.

[Vortifex]

..

[synaesthesia]

Okay, here's a question for y'all. Can you point to an example sound on this thing that we haven't really heard before? I'm not asking for the moon on a stick, it can be relatively subtle (though not to the point of being imperceptably subtle), but something uniquely Alpha Junoish that is done here notably better than anywhere else?

I love 80s analogue (even with DCOs). I adore it. It's home. If I had a billion dollars I'd have a room with every analogue hardware synth in it, and maybe a token one or two digtial ones. But blimey crikey I've got a lot of fantastic soft synths now.

I don't begrudge this - it sounds terrific to me. But with the best will in the world, I'm deluding myself if I think I actually need it.

Hello mate. Maybe you'll spot something in my little TAL-Pha video that piques your interest in it?

[mhe]

nice video, thanks for sharing - not helping my GAS though! haha

[legendCNCD]

Alpha Juno-2 was the first synth I programmed sounds from zero to hero. Jeebus that alpha wheel driving... Still love how it sounds and this sounds like it a lot

Now if someone would make 1:1 of Crumar Bit-99 too, that detune man.

[enCiphered]

+1
Yeah, what a waste of talent, time, and resources.. Unfortunately, there are still so many developers who are obsessed with converting relics from a bygone era into software, just to put their own stamp on it.

So teach them and open your own company and show us your talent. Oh, I can hear crickets in the background of your talent...

Oh, brilliant idea! Because apparently, having an opinion now requires a business license. Let me pencil in "CEO of Not Buying Your Bullshit Co." on my to-do list. You made my day, you bright fanboy

[SebAV]

I myself was not a fan of the hardware though I might have played a huge part convincing Patrick to model this a year or more ago.
Why? In most roland cloud threads I have read, to me this and the jx-8p have been the most requested ones.

rsp

Too bad it’s not the JX-8p : this one has the obvious advantage of cross modulation between oscillators and env-controlled volume of oscillator 2. Those 2 features allow for different adventures in sound design. Well maybe next one ? I very hope so since PG-8x seems to be abandoned.

[beely]

Maybe someone can send a JX8P, JX10, or MKS70 to Patrick in the hope to convince him to model it...

[Arashi]

Sounds legit! Bought it right away. Great work once again, Patrick.

[perpetual3]

Damn. What a burn.

+1
Yeah, what a waste of talent, time, and resources.. Unfortunately, there are still so many developers who are obsessed with converting relics from a bygone era into software, just to put their own stamp on it.

So teach them and open your own company and show us your talent. Oh, I can hear crickets in the background of your talent...

Oh, brilliant idea! Because apparently, having an opinion now requires a business license. Let me pencil in "CEO of Not Buying Your Bullshit Co." on my to-do list. You made my day, you bright fanboy

[zvenx]

I like the jx-8p even less .
rsp

[seafire]

After the SH101, Roland went down hill...