A brief history of the Juno
In the history of iconic synthesisers, there are few instruments that have had as much impact on music as the Roland Juno. This Japanese polyphonic synth was the affordable alternative to contemporary gear like the Prophet 5 or Oberheim OB-X and was used by everyone from 80s pop acts like Billie Idol and Eurythmics to modern electronic acts like Daft Punk, Calvin Harris and Joris Voorn.
Its enduring popularity can be put down to a couple of things. Firstly, it’s very simple to use. With some synths, you feel like you’re piloting a spacecraft when you start trying to design a sound. The Juno, however, is incredibly simple to use. With two digitally controlled oscillators, an arpeggiator, low pass and high pass filters, as well as LFO and envelope, you’ve got everything you need to make basses, leads or pads laid out easily right there.
Secondly, it simply sounds amazing. And when you switch on the built-in chorus effect, you’re instantly transported back to the 80s.
Over the history of the Juno synths, Roland released three different versions, each slightly different to each other but with more or less the same DNA and core sound. It can however get a little confusing given the small differences in features and similar names.
The first generation Junos were the 6 and 60. These were very similar and the only major changes were adding in features like MIDI and a slightly modified high pass filter. This was then followed by the Juno 106.
Most people will say that the 106 has more of a mellow, warm sound whereas the original 60 and 6 models were known for a more aggressive and punchy sound. These differences are fairly subtle however so you can quite easily program in very similar sounds in either model.
Best Juno plugins
With prices of the original units going crazy, it’s worth taking a look at some of the options to get these synths in the box. Let’s take a look at some of the best plugins that will let you get that classic Juno sound without having to spend on expensive hardware.
Arturia – Jun-6 V
When it comes to super-accurate emulations of classic hardware synths, Arturia’s collection of plugins stands out as some of the best in the business. Their Juno emulation is no different – their famous attention to detail when it comes to coding in every part of the original hardware down to a component level including all the quirks and grit that come with analogue synths.
This one is a copy of the original Roland Juno-6 synth but there are a few more features that make this far more versatile. They’ve added in second LFOs and envelopes as well as quality delay and reverb effects that will give you more options when it comes to creating your sounds.
There are a couple of different options for purchasing Arturia’s synth plugins. You can get them individually for between €149 and €199 or get the full pack of 33 instruments for the single price of €599 in the Arturia V Collection.
Softube - Model 84 Polyphonic Synthesizer
With flawless reviews from highly respected outlets like MusicTech, Softube’s emulation is highly regarded as one of the best-sounding Juno-style plugins out there. Extra attention has clearly been paid to the low-pass filter section that can be pushed to self-oscillate just like the proper hardware.
It focuses mainly on a super-accurate emulation of the original but there are a couple of minor tweaks that make it a bit more powerful. The high-pass filter has been renamed to EQ and it has two different levels of high-pass filters as well as a bass boost that’s perfect for getting some super fat-sounding bass sounds.
Purchasing this also gives you access to not only the instrument but also the Juno chorus effect for Softube’s Amp Room and seven Juno modules for Softube’s Modular system.
Roland Cloud Juno 60 and Juno 106
If you’re after a Roland synth plugin, it only makes sense to go to the people who made the original gear.
With the cloud series of plugins, you get the only authentic emulations of both the Roland Juno-60 and Juno-106.
The interface is a little dated by today’s standards and as far as user experience goes, it might be a little more clunky than some of the other options on the list but when it comes to the most important thing - sound - Roland doesn’t disappoint.
One of the most interesting and unique features here is the ‘condition’ knob. By changing this, you can go from a completely pristine sound, as if you took a time machine back to 1984 and got a synth fresh off the factory floor, or you can turn it all the way up to get the warped and weird sounds from a decades-old synth that’s played countless gigs.
Another selling point for the Roland Cloud software is how well it integrates with the Roland hardware. By using their proprietary ‘plug-out’ system, you can load this up onto a SYSTEM-8, JU-06, and JU-06A and play the sounds with a one-to-one mapping of the controls.
Cherry Audio DCO-106
This plugin from Cherry audio captures the sound of the Roland Juno-106 in ‘exhaustive detail’ and adds a couple of extra features to expand your creative possibilities.
Visually, it clearly captures the Juno look with its aesthetics more than a little inspired by the original’s front panel. It’s got all of the features you’d expect including the tempo syncing arpeggiator but it expands on this with a delay effect and a reverb with 3 modes from their new proprietary reverb algorithm.
There’s also a unison setting with a detune that allows you to build some really massive sounding basses and leads that you couldn’t on the actual hardware.
It includes over 330 presets, with a mix of the 106 presets found on the original model as well as hundreds of new ones from Cherry Audio’s sound designers.
TAL-U-NO-LX
Togu Audio Line (TAL) make a lot of great-sounding plugins that are either free or very reasonably priced. This one, a copy of the Juno-106, is one of their paid options but considering how great it sounds, you won’t mind parting with $70 to get your hands on it.
Despite its lower cost and lesser-known name, this is still considered one of the best Juno 106 plugins around. The sounds are so high quality that top techno producer Joris Voorn uses them as he demonstrates in his video course here on Virtuoso.
Best Free Juno Plugins
If you want to try out some classic Juno sounds in your tracks without having to invest lots of money in one of the premium options, you’re in luck – there are a couple of great free Juno plugins available.
TAL-U-NO-62
Speaking of TAL, they’ve also got one of their older models available for free. This one is a copy of the Juno 60. It’s got the same attention to detail throughout as on their U-NO-LX but it’s no longer properly supported by TAL so they’ve kindly decided to give it out as a freebie instead.
It was made using an original Juno 60 for reference for the oscillators and filters so the sounds are as accurate as you’d imagine.
Elektrostudio - Sixth Month June
Elektrostudio are known for their free emulations of old hardware synths and the Sixth Month June is their copy of the Juno 6.
As far as features go, it’s really bare-bones and accurate to the original in terms of layout and sound with just the addition of a delay effect section.
The downside is that it’s only available on Windows, so Mac users will have to try something else.
Juno Chorus Plugins
Such a key part of what makes the Juno sound so iconic is its built-in chorus effect. There are a couple of plugins that mean that you can use this chorus on any other sound you want. As far as effects go, it’s about as simple as it comes, with a simple on/off toggle for both of the two different chorus modes. You can also stack them together for even more chorusey goodness.
Arturia – Chorus Jun-6
On the back of their Juno synth plugin we’ve already mentioned, Arturia have also released just the chorus section as a standalone plugin. The same level of detail and attention from the synth carry over to this effect plugin so you can expect the same top-tier sounds here too.
Arturia’s copy of the classic Juno chorus expands upon the original unit by adding controls over the chorus rate, depth and phase, giving you much more power to shape your sounds.
TAL Chorus-LX
This free plugin is really simple to use and sounds fantastic – what’s not to like? TAL has taken the exact same chorus effect used in the TAL-U-NO-LX we’ve already mentioned and released it for free as a standalone.
Now you’ve got your hands on a lovely Juno plugin, check out our course with techno heavyweights Dense & Pika, where they show how they use a real original synth to craft some of their signature sounds.