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Roland Juno DS-61 Opinions?

Postby onthecorner » 28 Mar 2019, 16:25

For some time I've been wanting to add an all purpose synth-type keyboard to my rig, which is currently just a NE5. I'm not looking for anything super powerful or high end, not trying to spend hours tweaking sounds etc, just looking for something with some decent out of the box leads, pads and vocoders. If it could get me through a gig in a pinch if my NE was out of commission (I'm talking emergency situations here!), even better. budget is flexible for the right thing, but considering what I'm looking to accomplish - which isn't much - I'm shooting for under a grand.


I'm considering the Roland Juno DS61 as it ticks most of these boxes. I haven't played the board myself -- no shops around me carry it -- but I spent a lot of time with an RD-800 and I think Roland's piano, EP and synth sounds are pretty good. And it's a minor thing, but I've always liked how their pitch bend stick works. I'm a little concerned it's more on the "toy" end of the spectrum, though. Has anyone here used one? Any thoughts?
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Roland Juno DS-61 Opinions?


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Re: Roland Juno DS-61 Opinions?

Postby Ivan Jochner » 28 Mar 2019, 19:30

I remember tried one in the shop comparing with FA 6, should admit Ds sounded with a lot of Mid EQ high and "soupy" sound.
Get ROLAND FA 06 secondhand ,the prices are somthing from 1000$-700$.
Good luck!
Last edited by Ivan Jochner on 28 Mar 2019, 19:31, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Roland Juno DS-61 Opinions?

Postby 23skidoo » 28 Mar 2019, 20:34

If you can omit the vocoder, my Nord Lead A1 is pretty friggen versatile - darn fast to program and the EP/Organ-like sounds from it are entirely usable in a pinch or if you're looking for an extra tweakable layer. Out of the box sounds are great and there's a ton of third party sounds to get too. It's my go-to synth, hands down, and I use it for all kinds of stuff, including flutes/winds/brass/strings in many cases, since I like them all to have a very slight synth vibe anyway it's almost too realistic sometimes. I'd say it checks all your other listed boxes perfectly. Of course, it's 49 keys, so that's to be dealt with, but wow is it ever portable and in terms of sound versatility, quality, and speed of programming, it's pretty ace.

Anyways, specifically with respect to the Rolands, I've heard similar things to Ivan about the DS... especially when you try to get away from the bread-and-butter Juno-style synth stuff. It felt pretty plasticky to me too when I was in the store - not confidence-inspiring durability-wise.

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Re: Roland Juno DS-61 Opinions?

Postby Rusty Mike » 28 Mar 2019, 22:32

There is a plethora of keyboards in that 61 key, sub-$1000 area that could fill your needs:
Roland DS, VR-09
Korg Kross 2
Yamaha MX
Casio MX or PX series

They are all light, flexible and easy to use. They are also pretty much all plastic construction with lower quality key actions. No clear winner there.
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Re: Roland Juno DS-61 Opinions?

Postby ajstan » 03 Apr 2019, 01:27

I’m happy with my Juno-DS61. I wanted something inexpensive, light, and battery-powered to go with my Bose S1-Pro and I’ve always liked the Roland sounds. Aside from the built-in presets, you can download additional sound banks from the Roland Axial website: http://axial.roland.com/category/juno-d ... 88_xps-30/. You can only have one bank loaded at a time, but it’s still nice to have.

I also checked out the Korg Kross 2, which I think has a full sequencer instead of the pattern sequencer in the Juno. I just connected more with the Roland but I think the Korg is a really good option too. Both keybeds were about the same and I got used to it after a couple of weeks.

FWIW, if I was buying again, I would probably make the same choice, although the Kross 2 is really close.
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Re: Roland Juno DS-61 Opinions?

Postby anotherscott » 05 Apr 2019, 18:40

onthecorner wrote:just looking for something with some decent out of the box leads, pads and vocoders. If it could get me through a gig in a pinch if my NE was out of commission (I'm talking emergency situations here!), even better...I spent a lot of time with an RD-800 and I think Roland's piano, EP and synth sounds are pretty good.

I like the Juno DS a lot, and I personally prefer it to the FA, but based on what you've said, I think FA is probably better for you. The Roland FA has the SuperNatural pianos/EPs so those sounds would be more like the RD800's than the DS pianos/EPs would be. FA also has a better synth section (again, their SuperNatural synth) than the DS has. As an NE replacement, the FA also has better organ than the DS. FA-06 and DS61 have the same action, which is just okay... noticeably stiffer toward the rear of the keys. (Korg Kross has the same issue.) From a posting elsewhere:

FA OVER DS:
* SuperNatural sounds... VA synth engine, tonewheel organ engine, piano, EPs, clav, basses, acoustic guitar, ensemble strings, drums
* built-in full sequencer
* ability to load two expansion sets at once (instead of only one)
* Stereo Sub Out to send selected sounds to alternate external processing/locations
* Large color display
* Can put MFX effects on up to 16 sounds at once (instead of 3)... though unlike the DS, you can't put more than one on a sound a a time
* Functions as a 16-zone MIDI controller
* more trigger/select pads (though their functions between the two boards are not identical)
* ability to save many more user sounds/combinations... 512 User Studio Sets vs. 128 Performances; 896 tones (split among different categories) vs. 256 patches

DS OVER FA:
* ability to load custom samples as full keyboard-playable instruments (this can also be used as a way to partially get around being only able to load one expansion instead of two)
* ability to change performances (equivalent of FA's Studio Sets) without your previous sound cutting out
* ability to put 2 or 3 insert (MFX) effects on a single sound (but you cannot put MFX on 16 sounds at once like you can on the FA... 3 is the max if you assign one MFX to each. Effects on 16 channels is more important for sequencing than live performance, so it's a difference that makes sense since the FA has the 16 part sequencer and the DS doesn't.)
* when playing live with a 2-way split, you can easily adjust the volumes and octaves of each part on the fly with the front panel sliders and octave buttons (it's great to be able to quickly switch the octave of your RH sound when playing LH bass, for example... not so easy on the FA)
* vocal processor (i.e. pitch correction)
* You may find the DS basic sound set preferable. Apart from the SuperNatural sounds, the FA sounds are from the XV-5080, while the Juno DS sounds are newer (Fantom and up). Plus axial even gives DS owners a way to add the FA's XV-5080 sounds if you need them, but you can't add the DS/Fantom sounds to the FA.
* DS has a pattern sequencer (of course FA has its own sequencers, but each can be better for different things)
* Roland has a Mac/PC editor/librarian for DS
* DS has a front panel MFX control
* Numeric entry works more smoothly, it repurposes the Favorites/Selection buttons (instead of the pads as on the FA), so it doesn't get in the way of your using the pads for other purposes; and as soon as you finish entering a number, the buttons revert to their previous function, whereas on the FA, once you use the pads for numbers, you have to use a multi-button sequence to manually switch out to get back to your normal pad function.

As for the Kross, I think it's most significant advantages over the comparably priced Juno DS are in the sequencer and its MIDI options for controlling other gear, and that it's smaller/lighter. Which has better sounds is subjective. I prefer the DS for the seamless sound switching, the better independent control of your left and right sounds when doing a split, and the ability to load custom keyboard-playable samples (actually better than Nord there, as the samples can have multiple velocity layers).

For your needs of synth leads/pads, vocoder, and emergency Electro 5 replacement, at low cost... I think these are probably the best options.
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Re: Roland Juno DS-61 Opinions?

Postby JayDee » 05 Apr 2019, 19:23

I prefer the FA 06 to the DS, YMMV. Liked the pianos better.
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