xiosynth25 vs. alpha juno 2

[catsampla]

hi all!


toughts?

xio knobs, more lfos, HP/BP/LP filters, tiny, only usb (who cares in 2011
aplha juno2: no knobs, analog lpf, long (61keys!), classic roland sound

is there anybody who made (nontrance) song(s) with xio synth?

[meatballfulton]

What's your application?

The fact that you can use the xio with a computer (via USB) as both MIDI controller and audio interface is the main attraction to me. I would only get the xio 49...25 keys is way too constraining.

The Juno wins if you need real analog...in all other respects the xio is a way more powerful synth.

I don't know if you are looking at a particular used Juno already but when they pop up on Craigslist they are usually cheaper than a new xio 49.

[krzeppa]

I think that overall the Xio is the better choice between the two. It is a pretty good little synth in its own right plus it is a nice midi controller. I agree with the previous post that I would much rather look at a 49 than a 25. I bought the 25 to use as mostly a portable midi controller, but I often find myself running out of keys when doing something. I think 37 keys would have be a good size for it.
As for the sounds on the Xio, they are definitely geared toward the techn/trance/dubstep kind of sounds, but it can do much more with a little bit of effort on your part. I do not make those genres of music (I make mostly industrial/goth and soundtrack styles), but I have been able to incorporate the Xio into 4 of the last 6 tracks I've been working on.
Yes the Alpha Juno 2 is analog, but that doesn't always make it better. Also, I don't think the Alpha has an arpeggiator; and the Xio actually has a pretty good one.

[TheKeytarist]

I have a xio 25, and it's awesome. I do usually find my self wishing for more keys, but the sound is still great. If you want to hear the xiosynth, youtube has some good demos. The x station, k station, and the xio are built around the same sound engie. The xio is said to have more "gritty" sharper sound to it because of its filter distortion option. The midi controller and audio interface are a pretty cool bonus. The xio wins(although I would recommend the 49 key model).

[grabme]

I've seen a few Xio demos on youtube but the sound quality hasn't been great so its hard to judge. It really depends on the type of music you want to make. The Xio has a wider pallette of sounds from what I can hear and the built in controllers and arps and effects. The Juno doesn't have those extras apart from an alpha dial and chorus! From what i can hear, the Juno is a lot smoother and punchier. I think its very suited to early house music and excels at pads, bass and bell tones which have the knack of sitting perfectly in a mix without cluttering it. Generally the sounds aren't that complex though but excellent bread & butter dance sounds. Perhaps its a little dated to some ears but I grew up with early house and electro so it suits me fine.
If I had to choose it would be a Juno, there is no way I'd swap mine for the Xio even though you get a wider range of tones and toys with that. Not knocking the softsynths market as its great but the Xio sounds like a basic softsynth to my ears, in other words I'd get a basic controller and a better softsynth if you want similar sounds.

[dustinh]

I second the alpha juno. Yes, it is more limited but I really love mine and I've owned a number of synths, yet my alpha juno is still one of my favorites. They have a warm sound, they can make some really fat basses , and they are just a great general purpose analog synth. Don't worry about not having a pg-300, there are plenty of free editor programs that make programming your own sounds a breeze. My favorite one is called PG300EMU.

My preference aside, it does depend one what you want to add to your setup. The xiosynth is going to be more flexible so it really comes down to what kind of sound you want and what kind of interface suits you best.

[redchapterjubilee]

The Alpha Juno may well be the best of the affordable non-knobby DCO analog synths Roland made. Sure, it's only got one oscillator but the more intricate envelope and the wider variety of waveshapes plus the Roland chorus makes for a fantastic synthesizer. It's a good team player, can get whacky, takes MIDI info very well for editing (though I found the data wheel easy to use), built like a tank and is very affordable. I've never warmed to the Novation sound (I've had Bass Stations and an A-Station). I say Alpha Juno FTW.

[dustinh]

The alpha junos really are a killer deal. They can still be had for $200 or less. I only paid $150 for mine. I'll probably end up getting another one since they're so cheap.

[DX7Alex]

I have owned an Alpha Juno, and I currently have a Xiosynth 49. The Xio sounds good, but the build quality is enough to be a deal breaker, in my opinion. The knobs fall off, the pitch bender has a mind of its own, and I'm afraid to play it. However, the sounds are very nice, and the basses are great. My only problem with the sound is aliasing on some lead patches that I have made.

I loved the Juno-1 that I had. I had to sell it to fund repairs on my DX7mk2, and I regret it. The Alpha Juno is made of plastic like the Xio, but it feels much more solid. The Juno is very portable and lightweight, too. The sound is typical DCO Roland, but I loved the strings that it made. The basses were pretty nice, too, because of the sub oscillator. It wasn't perfect for everything that I play, but it always served its purpose when and where it was needed.

In all, I recommend the Alpha Juno. Spend $200 on it, buy a Behringer BCR2000, and for less than $400 you can have a hands-on analog polysynth.

[TheKeytarist]

I have a xio and it's build quality is fine; some would call it cheap, I would call it light. I will say that the cap for the pitch stick has fallen off a couple times, and the LCD is only viewable from a certain angle now, but other than those things, it's functioned perfectly and hasn't quit on me yet. As for the build quality of the juno, well... things were just made better back in those days. The main thing that would erk me about the juno is the fact that it only has ONE KNOB. Still, the choice is up to you...