Description
Despite popular fears, 1984 wound up being an awesome year. Beverly Hills Cop, Ghostbusters, Karate Kid, and the original Transformers cartoon series were just a few of the icons to jump onto the scene in addition to a host of flagship hits for existing icons on pop radio. Among these gifts, 1984 also gave us one of the best-sounding synthesizers of all time: the Roland Juno-106.
A close cousin and adaptation of the famous Juno-60, the Juno-106 was released two years later, adding midi technology and portamento. While similar to the 60, the 106 sounded a bit subtler and had notoriously thicker bass. From Daft Punk to Charlie Puth, it’s become a weapon of choice for retro and modern sonic aesthetics, alike.
When interviewed about the production on Capital Cities’ song “Safe and Sound,” Ryan Merchant said the following:
“There is something to the sound of the Juno. A lot of times, we’ll program parts using software synths, but we’ll replace them with the Juno-106. It fits in the mix with a fullness and a richness – it’s warmer. I think people can subconsciously hear that…the sound is unbeatable.”
To create this library, the instrument was sampled note-for-note (twice, to provide round-robins), with the goal of providing the most authentic sound possible. The chorus was left in bypass during this process to avoid phase issues and allow for more control on the backend. There are many excellent Juno chorus plugins online, but for a free one you can check out “TAL-CHORUS-LX.” All patches are original and we genuinely hope you’ll find them useful and inspiring in your productions.
SOUND DEMOS
Anonymous (verified owner) –
doesn’t have the most presets but it’s solid for retro synth sounds.