Upgrading from the Juno-G to Fantom-06

19 Aug 2022, 16:43

Hi everyone,

I've owned a Juno-G for several years now, and while the screen was replaced about 7 or 8 years ago, it's worked flawlessly since I bought it second hand in 2011.

Now, it's time for an upgrade, and I've put an order in on a Fantom-06. It has to be shipped from the other side of the country, so I'm waiting about 10 days to get it, but I'm really looking forward to exploring on and playing with this new synth!

Has anyone else made the jump from a Juno-G to the Fantom-06? Any thoughts?

Re: Upgrading from the Juno-G to Fantom-06

20 Aug 2022, 13:37

I've made this exact jump as well! Bought a Juno-G new back in 2008 and this is my first Roland workstation since then. I think the 06 is a great upgrade to the Juno-G. The sound quality increase, even the same patches, is pretty substantial imo. It has a much more clear and defined sound. I always felt the Juno-G sounded a little "muddy" at times. I know I wasn't the only one who felt this way. I like the keys on Fantom-06 and think it is much better than the Juno-G. Sequencer also is way better as I like building up clips and being able to change patterns. There's no linear sequencer so if you liked that on the Juno-G you might miss it. You can always make a really long sequence on the Fantom if you need to record something long. Programming patches is faster on the Fantom and having the sliders is really nice. Also the TR sequencer is fantastic. You can get something going so fast on this thing! I got pretty quick on the Juno-G. Faster than a DAW and so that's why I always wanted to keep a workstation around as I feel like I can be more creative on it. Basically it's an upgrade in every way by a long shot except you lose the linear sequencer. Build quality is about the same (except keys being better on the Fantom) although I miss that piece of metal on the front of the Juno-G. But I recognize that's pretty much just cosmetic and the Juno-G is really just all plastic.

Re: Upgrading from the Juno-G to Fantom-06

21 Aug 2022, 22:18

Thanks for the reply and the feedback I appreciate it. I did use the sequencer on the G but I've shifted to using a full DAW now so it's less necessary. I'm looking forward to trying out the clip sequencer.

Good to know about the sounds including the old Juno-G sounds (Fantom-X) and I like the fact that the srx expansions are in Roland Cloud.

I really appreciate the info!