As another software rebirth of a vintage classic from 1984 arrives, Softube delves into Greek mythology (via Japan) for inspiration

Back in the 80s, Roland had the good sense to do a really smart thing. The late 70s polysynth behemoths, which in many cases required hair of a similar magnitude, were big, bloated and expensive. This provoked a reaction from Roland to produce a more affordable polysynth, in part thanks to the shrinking of electronic components, that made a sensible price point more obtainable. And so the path was laid for the future classics from the Juno Series.

With reference to Greek mythology, Juno was the wife of Jupiter, better known among mere synth-mortals as the flagship synthesisers in the Roland range. Anyway, Roland created the Juno 6; a six-note polyphonic synth, now recognised as a vintage classic. Within a matter of months, the Juno 60 appeared. In essence, this was the same synth but with added patch memories and a connectivity format called DCB (Digital Communication Buss) which allowed easy connection to Roland sequencers et al.

Analogue issues aside

Those earlier Junos sounded rich and deep, in part thanks to the rather noisy chorus circuit, placed on the backend of the signal. The premise being that with only one oscillator per voice on board, the chorus would help thicken the sound, and so it did!