Roland Juno-106
Released in 1984 as a Digital/Analog "Hybrid" synth. Hybrid in that it is an analog synth with a digital oscilator (DCO - digital controlled oscilator as opposed to a VCO - voltage controlled oscilator, which most synths had up to then). The single DCO and basic programming set may seem limiting at first, but many sonic mixtures can be extracted from this straight-forward and easy to use interface. The Juno-106 was a step forward Midi-wise over previous Roland Midi synths such as the Jupiter-6, featuring basic requirements such as 16 Midi channels and sys-ex commands. The Juno-106 was hughly popular and a big seller for Roland. It still has a loyal following and is one of the more commonly used and traded of the vintages.
Average Advertised Price: There's always a Juno for sale somewhere...prices
range from $250 to $500 with the average common price being $400.
Jetboy's Humble Opinion Of Worth: For the most part Juno-106s are overpriced.
As much as I love this instrument, their numbers are too abundent for them
to be priced as high as they are. Also, with their solid construction, most
age well and are in excellent condition, so a "mint" instrument shouldn't
be as big of a deal for a Juno as it is for a Arp 2600 or other more rare
instrument. The Juno is more a buyer's market than a seller's. I think that
$400 to $500 for an excellent condition unit is a fair price.
Jetboy's Review: Oh boy, I love this thing! The HS-60 (Juno-106 with built-in speakers marketed to the consumer market) was the first synthesizer I ever played and made a huge impression on my young sole back in the mid '80's. After moving on to many other synths - Moogs, Rolands, Korgs, Kurzweils, Yamahas, Oberheims, etc. - I still keep coming back to this fiesty little friend (or shall I say friends - 2 Juno-106's and an HS-60). This is the most consistantly used vintage synth in my setup. Some users claim it to be too thin, or too lacking of sonic variety, or too this or that. Like anything else, some people are gonna love it, and some aren't. I find it to be filled with character and a large helping sonic spunk. I love it.
Haerens Jean-Marie at Jhaerens@Cybernet.be informs us: "I've got 4 synths ... but my favorite is the Juno-106 ! I like its sounds, there are a lot of colors ... Its sound creation is easy and so enjoyed ... I've got a Roland JV-1080, D5 and JUNO-106 and a mini Korg 700s ... I work on macintosh G3 with Studio Vision from Opcode. I use audio features and sample my Juno (I know, digital will never be analog) but, I make a sequence with 5 or 6 Juno's channels ... I LIKE IT ! ! Roland has been first in electronic instruments for 80's !! "
Mr. Krypto lays down the following lines: "Ah the 106. My first synth was a D-10, followed by an M-1 and a Minimoog (when they could be had for 350). I traded the M1 for a Poly-800 (since departed) and a pair of unwanted rolands, an SH-101 and a Juno 106. The guy I traded with thought he rooked me, guess time has proven him wrong. The 106 isn't particularly versatile, but it's sound still gets me. I actualy composed a 30 minute "side" (about 7 pieces) using only the 106 and a multi-track (digital). No midi, no samples, just the 106 and a little reverb. It remains some of my best work." -Jetboy wishes Mr. Krypto left an e-mail address, would be very interested in the solo 106 with a multi-track project mentioned above. This is something I've thought about doing myself.
velure at velure@onsitenj.com stimulates our senses with: first synth. you'll have to pry it from my dead, cold hands. great foundation synth heard in every genre. wish it responded to midi volume and had 2 LFO's, but that's why they made the jupiter 6. my 106, 101 and 202 coupled with a matrix 6 ARE trance music monsters...its all about the way you work them. if you have a choice between mks-50 and 106...get the mks-50!
BUDDA-X at Tricom5@hotmail.com enlightens us young grasshoppers with: Just got a 106, for about 400$, a little over priced, but what the hell!...it looks cool, sounds raw, but at the same time warm, and most important analoug!!.... Great synth!!! BTW....i guss it dosen't respond to sysex...but mail me if you know about this... thanks!
Emory at deadman@ipass.net cuts us off at the pass with: Excellent piece. I play in a guitar driven pop band (think Yo La Tengo kinda), with the Bass player and I taking turns adding keyboard lines and we both really love our juno 106. its great to be able to grap the sliders an change the sound. No one in our band is keyboard savy at all and got this because it was the right price and had a decent organ sound (I still lust for that Acetone) but this thing does such a great job adding an intresting layer to our music. It is so easy to use and stands up to the road with no road case.
ERik E at trip-hop@centuryinter.net trips us up with these magnificent phrases: I've got two analog synths, my hs-60 and a sequential circuits multi trak. I love my hs-60. It makes some of the best synth pads anywhere. I've got some really perfect 303 sounds from it too. The only thing with it is when I put it into mono mode it sounds kind of muffled, I think there could be something wrong with it. It loses a lot of character but I mainly use that only for basses and with a nice low cutoff setting you can really shake the floor. All around a really fun easy synth. I paid I think 350 for it. Anyone who has or would like to trade patches mainly in a trip-hop/big beat/acid style mail me k? See ya!
Image of Juno-106 from Roland promotional literature.