alpha juno 1 & vs alpha juno 2

[Dee]

hi guys,

I was just wondering :

does the alpha juno 2 have the same sounds al the alpha juno 1?
what's the most important diffirence?

Cheerz
d

[Solderman]

My understanding is it's the same sound engine, just a longer keyboard with aftertouch.

[meatballfulton]

Solderman is correct, the keyboard is the only difference between the two.

[Dee]

thx guys.
that is what I wanted to know
d

[space6oy]

belongs in shootouts since it IS one...

[vinyl_junkie]

Don't forget the Roland HS-10 it's a Alpha Juno 1 but with different graphics on the case..it was intended for the home market, same thing inside though...pick one up instead as they go for less

[Pro5]

Solderman is correct, the keyboard is the only difference between the two.

The keyboard has aftertouch, velocity AND there is a cartridge slot.

ALso the Juno 2 is mostly metal with plastic end caps (ala JX8P) the Juno1 is a plastic POS that usually come in very poor condition. I've had both. Just my opinion. Go for the 2 everytime if you can get it NICE keys on it. If you are just going to midi it up then either is fine.

[th0mas]

Considering the lack of realtime controls available on the Alpha Junos the keyboard with velocty & aftertouch would go a long way to making the thing a versatile instrument.. I had a Juno 1 as my first synth and it made nice pads and some nice bass, but the uniformity of playing made it very static and boring.

[desotoslo]

Solderman is correct, the keyboard is the only difference between the two.

the Juno1 is a plastic POS that usually come in very poor condition. I've had both. Just my opinion.

the size of the Juno 1 is perhaps the only reason I keep it around. (I now have a juno 6 and it makes the 1 a little unnecessary, though that could be argued.) and yes, I have to agree, the plastic does tend to break.

it's great to carry to a friend's house because it is small, and still has great analog sound. IMO

[Antonino]

"Two αJUNO models are available: The αJUNO-1 and the αJUNO-2. There are only three major differences between them.

The first difference is the keyboard. The αJUNO-1 has 49 keys while the αJUNO-2 has 61 keys. Using Key and Octave Transpose functions, both models can produce the sounds over an 8-octave range. The MIDI note messages for the note range can be transmitted and received.

The second difference is the dynamics sensitivity. The keyboard of the αJUNO-2 is velocity and pressure sensitive, allowing the player to control some sound elements by the force applied to the keyboard. The keyboard of the αJUNO-1 is neither velocity nor pressure sensitive, although the player can control these sounds elements using the EV-5 Expression Pedal. Both models can receive MIDI velocity and pressure messages, however.

The third difference is the external memory. Both the αJUNO-1 and αJUNO-2 provide 64 preset patches and can internally store 64 programmable patches. Programmable patches can also be externally stored. In the case of the αJUNO-1, patch data can be stored on cassette tapes through a Tape interface. The αJUNO-2, on the other hand, uses an M-64C Memory Cartridge to store 64 programmable patches."

source: Roland Keyboards, Vol. 8, 1986

[Sir Ruff]

Everyone's forgetting that the Juno-1 sounds better too, cos the dynamics and extra CPU load don't interfere with the signal path...

[desotoslo]

it should be noted, that using an external midi controller with the alpha juno 1 can be a little frustrating when it comes to polyphony. there is a funky cpu thing that tricks notes into holding as long as they are kept pressed down, so you actually have to make sure you release a key on the controller to also release the voice. it's not a huge deal, but it does affect my playing and i find myself adjusting to this quirk. obviously not a big deal with pads, because the note is still sounding, but it does come into 'play' with notes of short duration, such as an e-piano patch.

this difficulty is not present when using the actual board on the juno1.

it's also worth noting, that this is not the case with other sound modules i've tried, such as the kawai k1 module. controlling with an external keyboard presents none of the same difficulty. this seems unique to the juno1.

[0e0]

i think the 49 key size is really fun.

however the dynamics of the juno2 really brings out the synth architecture.

The keybeds of the juno2 have been known to be problematic but fixable.

j

0=0

[Sexor]

Everyone's forgetting that the Juno-1 sounds better too, cos the dynamics and extra CPU load don't interfere with the signal path...

Sorry Ruffie, but I'm calling bullshit on this one!

The AJ1 accepts velocity and aftertouch via MIDI. The only difference is that the built in keyboard lacks the sensing mechanisms and thus spits out a constant value of 127 every time a note is played, which is just as taxing on the CPU as a different value each time.

I have played both VERY extensively and have also had the PG-300 controller. I ended up selling the PG-300 for the price of a Juno-106. In fact, I prefer using a cheapo Behringer BCR-2000 to the PG.

My personal choice between the two is AJ1, mostly because of the smaller form factor, but that's just me. It seems that everyone else prefers the 2.

What I like about it, is that it allows me to bring the Roland analog DCO poly sound on the road. I don't use it so much in the studio, but for touring with a small analog setup it's perfect! It's smaller, lighter and cheaper to replace than the other Junos, if something were to go wrong.

[Sir Ruff]

Everyone's forgetting that the Juno-1 sounds better too, cos the dynamics and extra CPU load don't interfere with the signal path...

Sorry Ruffie, but I'm calling bullshit on this one!

Call it what you want... I'll be rockin' the sweeter sounding aj1 all day long. You can have your dynamics!


Oh, and that's another thing: cos it's not velocity sensitive, the aj1 is louder than the aj2.