Roland Releases New Synth: JUNO-STAGE at LIMS

[JunoJohn]

2TIM316 has found a video and started a new thread. Please take any discussion of the video over there.

Nice work, Tim!

[raccoon]

oh, how i only wished that my juno-g had 76 keys! that's all that was missing from it.
so, when i learned about this stage thing, i was excited. obviously, comparisons with the juno-g are inevitable.
but the more i learn about it, the less i like it. the vocoder is definitely attractive, but that's about it.
no sequencing, no sampling, no inserting external devices, since there is only one output.

the european suggested price point puts it between $1500 and $2000 and for a little more, you might as well go for the almighty X.


well, that was mean...

[Radek]

Anyone know if Juno Stage can be used as a computer (USB I presume) audio interface?
If so then I'd consider replacing my Juno-G with it!

[Parsifal]

I've seen an offer for about 1100 euros... I don't think you can get an X7 for this price... used, for that matter... I got my X8 - brand new - for 2000 euros.

[raccoon]

1100 euros = $1700, that's between $1500 and $2000... i think

like i said, for a little more you can buy an x7 (76 keys - apples to apples, right?) in the US

[JunoJohn]

I'm guessing $1500 in the US.

[MonoTim]

You're probably right, $1500 or less, keep in mind it doesn't have the sequencer.

I just came back from a car show/fair and got to thinking, if we had a similar "meet" where there was a display of keyboards in a parking lot, talking about our keyboards, especially new keyboards, it'd be a bit depressing.

"Oh man, no aftertouch...keyboards look cheap, this patch sounds thin.."

Our Buddy Jim Stout would probably hide behind his booth in fear "hey look it's the Roland guy, I have a complaint!"

[JunoJohn]

Price

We've got a estimate of

around $1600

from Sound on Sound. Wilmar found that article and video and has started a thread here.

Car Show

If the Roland keyboard "meet" was like a classic car show, Jim Stout wouldn't be at his booth. He'd be hanging out with everyone else, around the Jupiter-8's.

[2TIM316]

You know I think Roland has finally hit on something: Not every keyboard player wants or needs a full-blown workstation on a live gig. But many do want the highest quality sounds.

So many years Roland has re-packaged their technology in cheaper, less-featured ways. This looks to be a live player's instrument designed from the ground up, albeit borrowing sound-generating technology from the common pool (nothing wrong with that).

I'm getting really psyched about this keyboard. Much more than the Fantom-G, since mainly I'd be using a keyboard for live gigs. To start with, from a purely cosmetic standpoint, the silver thing is getting really old. Thank goodness the JS comes in classic/basic black. Much better for a wide variety of gigs. Next, while I don't like the typical 76 note E-G layout, this keyboard may be 76 keys of a wonderful playing synth action wrapped in an overall package that weighs 21 lbs (from what I see in the specs). Finally, it's at least as good sounding as the Fantom-X, and probably better. Add to that the 2 SRX expansion (not even available on the Fantom-G), and I think you have a real winner. Oh, and of course the master keyboard features. Again, major plus for me.

[Parsifal]

If they'll include significant SRX waveforms on it then it may seem like a logical acquisition next to an X. There are a lot of players who either don't have the money to get a G or they don't want to dump their X. That way it will please both worlds. Plus the Roland owners wanting to upgrade might consider getting a Stage instead of a SC plus the desired cards - if the Stage would also have the touted "seamless patch switching" for live gigging. Just a thought.

[raccoon]

oh, no, not more juno-stage bashing! wait for it to come out first. well... no.
if i am a prospective buyer comparing products in the same price range, what would possibly compel me to choose the juno-stage over, say, the triton le76? or even the yamaha mo8 (say what you want, but the keybed on that thing is nice). and those are workstations! if you look at just synths in this price range, the list is too long. so, why am i paying $1500 or so? oh, yeah, the jack for the portable mp3 player.
i love roland products, but this one is puzzling.

[Artemiy]

raccoon, if you are

a prospective buyer comparing products in the same price range

, you would probably read the specifications of those keyboards you mention.

What you're paying for in the Stage is:

- 128 voice polyphony (only 64 on LE and Mo)
- 3 multi-effect processors (1 on LE and Mo)
- sound engine itself which derives from high-end models, unlike the stripped-down engines on LE and Mo

So it looks like your comparison is just wrong - those keyboards aren't in the same league and even serve slightly different purposes.

[raccoon]

all good points, no argument there, but

it would seem that higher polyphony and effect count are more appreciated in a workstation; just hard to imagine a scenario playing live and running out of voices.

but i could be 100% wrong

[Artemiy]

Yes, you are 100% wrong

There can be some really huge-sounding patches which eat up to 8 voices per key, so you can only play 16 notes with these. Or, you can have a complex layer/split performance setup which would not be possible at all on a 64-voice synth. Believe me, even in live situations 128 voices make a big difference. On the Juno-G and Stage, even at their rather low price tags, you can sound like a whole orchestra with two hands (even with no sequencer).

[JunoJohn]

129 voices… if you count the vocoder