Seriously thinking about buying one

13 Jan 2010, 15:10

Hi,

As you can read from the subject i am very excited about what i read and hear from the Juno-G. I could argue if this forum would be a good platform to get a independent opinion but i believe there is no doubt that in here the most knowledge resides about this instrument.

I am convinced about the possiblities but i am still strugling with one vital question

Is the Juno-G suitable to play in a band or is it mainly designed to compose and work from home.? While for sure i will do the latter i am also convinced that i will join a band as a keyboard player. Maybe i am reading to much forums as i getting mixed information about weather the Juno G is suitable for this. Hence i though i asked the experts.

Great forum by the way.

Cheers,
ValleyArt

Re: Seriously thinking about buying one

13 Jan 2010, 15:18

The JUNO-G features a sequencer with 16 MIDI and 4 audio tracks, but if you don't need it, it doesn't come at any notable extra price. You get 16 synth parts, 5 effects processors and 128 voice polyphony which build up to a really great synth for using in a band, especially since the JUNO-G, in my opinion, has one of the best sound sets among the recent Roland instruments.

Re: Seriously thinking about buying one

13 Jan 2010, 15:53

No doubt the Juno-G was designed as a workstation for new producer. That said, it has many powers of it's bigger brothers if you decide to unlock them.

For me, two considerations of taking it on the road - no balanced output and only 61 keys.

Is the Juno-G suitable to play in a band?

That, IMO, depends on who's playing it.

Oh yeah, don't believe anything you read on the interwebz.

Re: Seriously thinking about buying one

13 Jan 2010, 16:23

The sounds that a keyboard makes are subjective so one person will tell you that Korg are the daddy whereas others agree Roland is superior. This keyboad is great for using on gigs because the patches on it are great though you need to take some time removing the unnecessary amounts of delay of everything. The Patch mode works very well so you can name your patches and so forth but the Performance mode also works really well. You can split the keyboard, layer and add all sorts of effects to everything. AWESOME!! Cheap too for what it is! Korg Keyboards are almost the standard in some genres but I (subjectively) think that Korg Organ sounds are RUBBISH! whereas Roland are reputable. Hope this helps a bit! Any specific questions just ask!

Re: Seriously thinking about buying one

13 Jan 2010, 16:29

Thanks guys for replying.

Had to laugh at the comment that it depends of the quality of the musician if an instrument is suitable to play in a band. Truer words where never spoken

You did mention something that puzzles me. What do you mean with no balanced output?

I am sufferering from a popular dillema. Like the Juno for all it has to offer and is a real bargain second hand. On the other hand the Korg M50 is tough competition. The price of a secondhand Korg is not doing the Korg any favours but then again it is a newer product.

At the end my ears need to be the judge but it is tough sometimes too close your eyes

Re: Seriously thinking about buying one

13 Jan 2010, 16:48

Nothing to be puzzled about, Juno and M50 for that matter both have unbalanced 1/4" TS outputs. In short, this makes them more susceptible to noise in long cable runs.

As for comparing the M50 to the Juno-G, apart from the obvious feature differences, the Juno has much greater polyphony. You should definitely look beyond the presets and into the sound editing capabilities of each as well.

Re: Seriously thinking about buying one

13 Jan 2010, 16:58

don't worry about the unbalanced outputs

m50 > juno-g:

wave ROM 256mb vs 64mb
5 insert efx, 170 types vs 3 insert efx, 78 types
2 arpeggiators vs 1
pattern/linear recording vs linear only
bigger touchscreen vs smaller screen

juno-g > m50:

sampling, audio recording, although you can load and play back samples with the m50
128 vs 80 polyphony

neither one has aftertouch

search for juno-g lcd threads in this forum to get a better picture (pun intended).
i'm sure the m50 has its share of annoyances for its users, maybe not as crippling as a blank display. other than that, the juno-g gets better with age

Re: Seriously thinking about buying one

14 Jan 2010, 06:19

I think the korg m50 can't load or playback samples.