JUNOS FROM MARS

Our Take on the Most Iconic 80s Synths Of All Time

The Juno series was an affordable line of synths created in 1982 as an alternative to the popular but expensive Jupiter 8. Sporting the same filter as the Jupiter, but with a simpler approach to synthesis, the Juno 6, 60 and 106 quickly became ubiquitous in 80's music - across all genres - and are still widely used and sough after today.

Loved by both newbies and pros alike, the Juno is, simply put, what a synthesizer is supposed to sound like. And since it was my first vintage synth I ever purchased and has been on about 50% of all of the music I've made, I thought it was about time we put our stamp on this classic! We sampled our 106 and 60, capturing extensively multi-sampled synth patches, chords, FX and even Juno drums, sculpted from scratch on each synth. 

Over Forty Years of Success

First released in 1982, the Juno 60 was comprised of digitally controlled oscillators shaped by analog filters and envelopes. It sported a simple, yet effective arpeggiator and one of our favorite choruses of all time.

Released in 1984, the 106 was quite similar under the hood, but curiously has a very different sound, which is why we've sampled both. It lost the arpeggiator and added portamento, MIDI, and more patch storage, and most notably, switched to a software envelope (which we love). Thankfully, it kept that beautiful chorus!

So what exactly is the difference in sound? The sound of the 60 is thick, creamy and big - almost like a scaled-down Jupiter 4, while the 106 is snappier, more plastic sounding, and capable of more modern basses, closer to a polyphonic SH-101. While most people prefer analog envelopes, we find the digital envelope on the 106 makes for more exact attack times, and thus a much more modern sound for bass. Do we have a favorite? Nope! They compliment each other beautifully. And they aren't hard on the eyes, either 😉

It all Starts With the Patches

Above all else, these synths are FUN, and that's exactly how our journey began. We plopped both synths on our big table, and programmed our favorite patches for days straight, tweaking to our heart's content, making sure to capture the best of what each synth had to offer. We baked in a lot of the onboard filters, envelopes and LFOs, and employed little tricks like engaging the 60's hidden Chorus 3 (achieved by pressing both chorus buttons simultaneously). We also sent the 106's resonance into self-oscillation, creating a very cool and beautifully unstable oscillator drift you can hear in this lead line: 

The Sampling Process

Next, it was time to start sampling. To provide the best representation of these synths in the DAW, we captured every single note from each patch, cleanly through our API console. 

For extra vintage feel, we employed our favorite tube DIs like the REDDI, Summit 200B, and Culture Vulture, and even opted for some patches to be recorded to tape!

Finally, we created a bunch of drums from scratch on both Junos, by setting short attack and decay times, and pushing the limits on the filters, envelopes, noise and resonance - all while adding Overstayer NT-02 saturation and API 2500 compression. The following drums were all made on the Junos! 

What You Get

The resulting 32 multi-sampled synth patches, Juno drums, chord hits and sound FX are instantly nostalgic, and sit in a mix as effortlessly as the Junos themselves. You'll get vintage sub bass, ethereal chorus pads, plucky leads primed for arpeggiators, classic epiano and wurli keys, warm and wobbly strings, slowly evolving pulse width modulations, quirky sound FX like "Wind" and "Ocean", house and jazz chord stabs, and 100% bespoke analog synth drum hits. The following is made entirely from the Juno patches, even the drums: 

While everything has been broken up into categories, these are mere suggestions - depending on which range you play them in, some of the leads will make for great bass lines, and the bass patches can be used as synth leads, etc.

As usual, the instruments are mapped and formatted for major DAWs, and the WAV samples themselves can be dropped directly into your favorite software or hardware sampler, or directly onto the timeline in your DAW of choice. 

Classics for a Reason

It's about time we sampled these classics, and I'm so glad we did. The Juno has not only been a constant suggestion from you guys, but has sat in our A room studio for years, front and center, being used constantly on music and begging to be sampled. 

And while Junos have been re-created and sampled a zillion times before, we feel that we've created a beautiful representation of these synths in a high-end studio environment with an extreme amount of attention to detail, and conveying the emotional resonance that these synths are so well known for.

There is truly no ground the Junos can't cover - they're appropriate for nearly any genre or style requiring a synth, from 80's ballads to sci fi soundtracks to indie rock and hard techno, the Junos can do the thing, they do it so well. ✨