TAL-U-NO-LX. Uber accurate Juno 60 emulation.

[Crackbaby]

Can anyone confirm getting midi program change to work with it? i can't here at my end

[dexterbella]

Got to admit that I was a bit surprised by the full price of the synth. Got it at the intro price so I'm happy but the full price definitely takes it out of the impulse buy/no brainer bracket. Not that it isn't worth it.

[fluffy_little_something]

Also I'm all for new technology - but can't we use that new technology for something other than emulating mid-range keyboards from the early 1980's and 70's?

You make a good point and I'll add why emulate anything at all? Let's look forward and see what new instruments and sounds we can create.........

I guess it's because a lot of people beyond a certain age still listen to and even make music of the 80s. I am one of those, I hate modern music, the way it sounds. I grew up with the sounds of the old Roland, Oberheim, SC, etc. instruments and care more about the music than about elaborate soundscapes. I would not use Omnisphere even if you gave it to me for free. I prefer a simple funky or sizzling old-skool analog pad from synths like the U-NO-LX anytime.

Listen to Nu Soul stuff from people like Jill Scott, you don't need modern synths for that and some other kinds of music like Jazz, Fusion, etc.

[fluffy_little_something]

I just want a virtual Roland analog series; once again like Korg did with their Legacy VSTs.

Which is a healthy family: Juno 1/2, Juno 106, JX3P, Juno-6/60, Jupiter 4/6/8 (the 8 has been done already but isn't quite spot-on), and the JX8P / JX-10 / MKS-70.

I only had one hardware synthesizer from Roland, the JX-8P. I got it cheaper, else I would not have bought it. Frankly, I did not like its sound that much, it was thin. If you had to sort the synths you listed above according to their sound quality, what would the order be like?

[lionscub68]

I just want a virtual Roland analog series; once again like Korg did with their Legacy VSTs.

Which is a healthy family: Juno 1/2, Juno 106, JX3P, Juno-6/60, Jupiter 4/6/8 (the 8 has been done already but isn't quite spot-on), and the JX8P / JX-10 / MKS-70.

I only had one hardware synthesizer from Roland, the JX-8P. I got it cheaper, else I would not have bought it. Frankly, I did not like its sound that much, it was thin. If you had to sort the synths you listed above according to their sound quality, what would the order be like?

That is a relatively difficult question to answer: All of these have that specific Roland analog sound, but in slightly different filter colors.
My personal favorites (I'm talking hardware here) is the JX8P, and I own it, plus I used to have two MKS-70s-- I liked the JX8P better, slightly different filters between these models despite using the same data. Next is the Alpha Juno. My first synth, I bought it new in 1986 - and still have it. I had a Juno-60 for a while; a very limiting synth but definitely sounded great when you dialed in a decent patch. Believe it or not, I never liked the Juno-106, something about it turned me off. The Jupiters? Well, I've never seen one in person; all I have is Youtube vids there to watch and hear; but I think they are over-rated personally, and the MKS-70 can come pretty darn close. The JX3P is too thin for my tastes.

As far as your not liking the JX8P, well, you have to program it yourself to discover its true potential.

Back to the topic of the post:
The TAL U-NO-LX is fantastic and is right on, right down to the obnoxious mod button, and THOSE FREAKIN BEAUTIFUL BUTTONS

[fluffy_little_something]

I did program my own patches on it, still, it did not sound like an Oberheim or SC, which unfortunately I could not afford back then

I read that the Juno 6/60 and the Jupiter 8 shared the same envelope generators, filters, and VCA's, so the hype about the Jupiter 8 might have more to do with looks and other things than with sound character.

Which Juno exactly is the U-NO-LX an emulation of?
Either way, I love the sound of the emulation, it sounds better than my JX-8P sounded. The oscillator concept was different, there is more to the Juno's one oscillator than one might think at first. On the other hand, being able to detune a second oscillator by 5 or 7 semitones enables nicer pads.

[lionscub68]

Which Juno exactly is the U-NO-LX an emulation of?

The Juno-60 (or Juno-6).

[fmr]

I read that the Juno 6/60 and the Jupiter 8 shared the same envelope generators, filters, and VCA's, so the hype about the Jupiter 8 might have more to do with looks and other things than with sound character.

According to Wikipedia, the chip is the same (VCF was based on the custom Roland IR3109 IC) but the filter is definitely not the same, if not for more, because the Jupiter can do 12dB and 24dB cutoff, while the Juno can only do 24dB cutoff. And you also have two Oscs, two envelopes, and more modulation options, including the osc sync. So, it's not just hype, it is a classic for a reason. But also is the Juno, and the U-No-LX is great at "impersonating" the Juno [/u]

[LeVzi]

Would (should?) it be hard to adapt this version and include the stuff from the Alpha Juno into it ? It's basically a similar architecture isn't it ?

[fluffy_little_something]

I have never played a Jupiter so far, I only read about it. I could not even tell if I heard one

One great difference between the emulation and the hardware is that the TAL has 12 voices

[lionscub68]

Would (should?) it be hard to adapt this version and include the stuff from the Alpha Juno into it ? It's basically a similar architecture isn't it ?

This question has been asked earlier in the string in several forms and the answer remains the same:

...if the plugin were changed then it would no longer be a Juno-60 emulation.

Maybe TAL will make an Alpha-Juno emulation next. etc etc

[Ingonator]

I did program my own patches on it, still, it did not sound like an Oberheim or SC, which unfortunately I could not afford back then

I read that the Juno 6/60 and the Jupiter 8 shared the same envelope generators, filters, and VCA's, so the hype about the Jupiter 8 might have more to do with looks and other things than with sound character.

AFAIk the filter chip in Juno-60 the Jupiter 8 are the same different. Besides that it got VCOs instead of DCOs (and the Jupiter had an auto-tune button because of that), 2 full featured oscillators, 8 voices, Split/Layer, low pass filter switchable between 12dB and 24dB/oct, 2 ADSR envelopes, Osc Sync, cross Modulation and more waveforms (e.g. Triangle). In the real Juno-60 the HPF only had 4 settings AFAIK while in both the Jupiter 8 and in the U-NO-LX they are continuous. The Jupiter did not need a Chorus for doing "fat" sounds while the Juno-60 seems to sound quite "average" without the Chorus applied.
The biggest difference seems to be in the VCOs used in the Jupiter 8. Many people seem to forget that the sound of an analog synth is not just about the filter. Also with a single envelope like in the Juno-60 some sounds are difficult to do.
Anyway i like U-NO-LX for what it is and got both Arturia Jupiter 8V and Diva as Jupiter 8 emulations.

As a Roland JX-8P emulation this one seems to be nice:
https://sites.google.com/site/mlvst0/


Ingo

[lionscub68]

As a Roland JX-8P emulation this one seems to be nice:
https://sites.google.com/site/mlvst0/

Indeed, I have been looking forward to Martin finishing the Mac version of that JX8P emulation.

[Sendy]

As a Roland JX-8P emulation this one seems to be nice:
https://sites.google.com/site/mlvst0/

Really liking that one too

We're spoilt for choice when it comes to classic Roland emulations.

[LeVzi]

Would (should?) it be hard to adapt this version and include the stuff from the Alpha Juno into it ? It's basically a similar architecture isn't it ?

This question has been asked earlier in the string in several forms and the answer remains the same:

...if the plugin were changed then it would no longer be a Juno-60 emulation.

Maybe TAL will make an Alpha-Juno emulation next. etc etc

That's what I am getting at. If the additional things were implemented the plug-in would be an alpha juno emu and released seperately.

What I am asking is the base sound of the J60 similar to that of the Juno Alpha ? Would the PWM on saw and the additional stuff be enough or is it a whole re-design based on a different build completely ?

I don't know the tech specs of the Juno 60 or the Alpha Juno so I dunno how they differ.