Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

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V-CeeOh
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Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by V-CeeOh »

Hi everyone!
I decided to lock the other thread and start a new one here to make this more visible and clear since I gathered all I have available about the Di for now. I made a (long) review about it and also post the audio demos I got. I hope you find it informative.

First of all let me say I'm becoming a real fan of this instrument. Don't take me wrong, I own a G8, so for me it has some limitations which I would not be able to live with but for its price range and as simple-portable-professionally sounding keyboard the Di is a must.

First, like I said in the other thread, the Juno-Di is Made in China. This is by no means a bad thing. For its price the Di is very well built. It has an all plastic housing but looks rough enough for regular use. The “splited” letter size display may seem somewhat weird at the beginning but it reads well at regular light. Also, you quickly find that it has very few things to show. The “user interface” is plain simple and the available parameters are reduced to the strict minimum so you will mostly use the display for checking sounds. The nice surprise, at least for me, comes from the keyboard itself. It has that “clunky” sound when playing but has a good feel and is real comfortable to play.

Usual Roland users will notice some differences in the way the Di is organized. First: the MODE/MIC buttons are not for “that” kind of mode. They switch between MENU functions, MIDI controller settings and the... erh... PREVIEW function. The REVERB button is for the... MIC Reverb. Press SHIFT+REVERB and you can edit Reverb Type, Time and Level. The PATCH/ PERFORM(ANCEs) sounds are selected by the 0-9 group buttons below the display being the 0-8 Patches and the 9 .. Perform sounds (no, this is not a miss type. Its called PERFORM, not PERFORMANCE). In the PERFORM mode you can layer the usual 16 parts although you can only do this from the editor or find a similar PERFORM memory with the number of parts you need. This obviously also serves as a 16 part sound source for the SONG PLAYER or external sequencer.
Because this might bring some confusion let me also mention that the manual brings the “tone” reference again. There is even is a “Tone List” instead of a Patch List. I see none, just our usual Patches. If you open the Editor you will see the 4-Tone structure so I don't know why Patches are treated like that in the manual. Otherwise, the sounds are familiar to any Roland user since they are inherited from the Juno-G/Stage/SonicCell sounds.

There are no obvious “User” locations for storage until you actually press the WRITE button. As I remember this is a first for Roland since we are used to have Users sounds which are duplicates of the Presets. So, for User Patches we have locations from 501 to 628 (making 128 total), for User Performs, locations 501 to 564 (making 64 total) and for User Rhythm Kits, locations 501 to 508 (making 8 total). Don't ask me why all user locations begin at 501 'cause I really don't get it.
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V-CeeOh
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Re: Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by V-CeeOh »

You can create your own sounds using the Sound Modify knobs, the Patch Edit functions that you get by the MENU button or pressing SHIFT+0-4 buttons and the included software Editor (more on this later).The modifications will be applied to the selected Patch (Part if you happen to be in PERFORM mode). This is my very first regret since you actually can't do a more detailed editing through the Di itself. You're stucked with the Sound Modify parameters, the 3 MFX and Global Chorus and Reverb editing and Patch/Part Level, Portamento, Mono/Poly and Bend settings. At least these are well accessible – pressing SHIFT+0-3 buttons will led you to the parameters. By the way, pressing pressing SHIFT+ other switch will take you to the corresponding functions just like we are used to. It would not be bothered if Roland decided to use the V-Link switch to access extra editing functions instead of more then rare use of the V-Link functions.

I believe the SPLIT and DUAL buttons are clear enough to understand. Let me just mention that, although there is a split mark just above the keyboard you can set this to your liking pressing the SPLIT button and the wanted key. The news come from the SUPERLAYER button. Pressing this you get an up to 5 layer of the same sound which you can then Detune to get a “fatter” sound. It works nice with some obvious sounds like basses and pads. Not so nice with others. Any press of one of these 3 switches turns the PERFORM switch led ON to kinda let you know you're no longer in “simple” patch mode.

Connecting the Di with the Editor will bring you the “Fantom” engine we all know. And that brought me confidence for what you can get. Alright, you don't have the same wave quantity but you sure get the same quality that other “Fantom engine” products give you. Second regret on this - actually these are 2. First I don't understand why Roland decided not to include Sonar Le as part of the bundle. It would be more then useful to arrange the songs. Second, I somehow was expecting the Di to work as an audio interface. Well, maybe this would be too much since that would mean an extra cost but something like the SH-201 audio interface would be nice. Nothing fancy. No need for a Phantom Powered input. Just a straight forward audio stream through USB using the available connectors. These 2 adds would bring the Di to a more integrated audio-MIDI environment and I think everyone would gladly pay the extra money for it

The ARPEGGIO, CHORD MEMORY and RHYTHM PATTERN functions work as independent blocks. This means, and this is my last regret, you can't save any of their settings along with the PATCH/PERFORM data. Along the fact that these functions are not programmable this somehow comes as a drawback . This feeling is re-enforced by the fact that you also get a FAVORITE list to store your favourite or most used sounds. So it would be nice to call a PERFORM and have your arpeggio, chord memory and rhythm pattern select right away. Lets hope Roland updates this later.
When you hit the RHYTHM PATTERN switch, buttons 1-6 light up and you can select one of 6 variations for any of the 24 Rhythm Styles. You can also select any Preset or User Rhythm kit for playing.

The SONG PLAYER is also easy to use. I picked up a 1GB Kingston USB drive, dragged some file into it and placed it in the Di. The files were immediately available. I didn't even formatted the drive. I guess the Di recognized the files straight from the root directory. I'll have to check this further along the Song List Editor I still didn't check.

Last goodie, the VOCODER. This is also very simple. No carrier control, no band control. Just select one of the 3 patch memories dedicated to vocoding – 034 VOCODER Robt, 035 VOCODER Chr or 036 VOCODER Ens. What? only 3 variations? Well, no. Actually you can choose any sound, press SHIFT+2, if not turn MFX ON , select type 79:Vocoder and there you go. Adjust Mic and Synth level and MIX and you get a brand new vocoder sound. More, you can use the Vocoder in SPLIT mode with other sound, layer it with other sound in DUAL, double it in SUPERLAYER and, yes, apply Sound Modify to it. Gee!!! what a joy and fun!!! Again I find all this so simple and straightforward you can hardly believe it.

To end this, I'd like to say that I'm impressed with the Di. More because of what it offers for the price then for it's sounds and functions which most of us are familiar with. If you are considering a SonicCell as an extra sound source or a Stage as a second keyboard the Di will most certainly be a excellent alternative. If you don't ask to much of it it will present you with an excellent sound, a fun to use vocoder and a MIDI/WAV/Pattern Player player to back you up.
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V-CeeOh
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Re: Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by V-CeeOh »

Roland Juno-Di product page: http://www.roland.com/products/en/JUNO-Di/index.html

Roland Juno Portal:http://www.roland.com/synth/JUNO/

Juno Di Demo Video: http://www.roland.com/demos/en/i0167/

**AUDIO DEMOS**

*These are the internal DEMO songs recorded directly to an Edirol R-09HR in high quality wavs.
Song 1 - Have you met
Song 2 - Juno Pops
Song 3 - Juno Pops
Song 4 - Takedown

*The Juno-Di included CD has some audio files you can place in your pen drive to immediately test the Song Player. They show some basic sounds.
Juno-Di Song
Piano Ballad
Jazz EP
Rock Organ
Piano String Dual
R&B Split
Ac Guitar
Techno Arp
Drum Kit

**PERFORM Presets**
006 Mission Di
008 Choir Orch
009 Delicate
011 The Leader
014 Air Garden
022 Bright Pad
035 SeqBs_Sft Ld

**Using the Vocoder **(User settings)
Tell me
Time to leave
R U Alone
Listen what I say
Juno Di
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PauloF
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Thanks V-CeeOh

Post by PauloF »

"Second, I somehow was expecting the Di to work as an audio interface. Well, maybe this would be too much since that would mean an extra cost but something like the SH-201 audio interface would be nice. Nothing fancy. No need for a Phantom Powered input. Just a straight forward audio stream through USB using the available connectors...

V-CeeOh,
Wow, very nice work. Thanks very much for the review, as it gives a great view about the board !!!

One of the things I was looking after was to replace my XT as the Audio interface, so I could use the VC-1 (In VC-1 mode, the XT's Audio Interface does not work...), but reading your review, I see that is not possible to do with the Di... ;-(
So... back to SC, as soon as it's price drops ;-)

Keep it coming as we want to know more ;-)

** EDITED: Correction, "In VC-1 mode, the XT's USB Audio Interface does work, but cannot be controlled from the VC-1's inetrface. We have to restart as V-Synth made any needed changes and then go back to VC-1 mode...awkward...)**

Take care
PauloF
AAR
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Re: Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by AAR »

V-CeeOh, Thanks for you great review!!!!!!
Many thins are clear now. But i have one more question.
I read owner's manual. In a Effect list I see: all effects have half operation factors/parameters, than fantom or juno stage effects. Maybe in juno-di editor it is possible to control failing operation factors/parameters?
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Artemiy
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Re: Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by Artemiy »

AAR, we have discussed this in other threads, and the manual says the editor software allows to access all parameters of the sound engine. V-CeeOh confirmed it, although I don't think he has tested the editor yet.
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Re: Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by V-CeeOh »

Yes, I didn't spend much time with the Editor but I can confirm you get acess to ALL parameters of the synth engine through it.
Here are some shots:

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Re: Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by V-CeeOh »

Editor-2
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Re: Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by V-CeeOh »

Editor - 3

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Artemiy
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Re: Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by Artemiy »

Excellent work, V-CeeOh! I will include your post in the next newsletter.
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Re: Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by V-CeeOh »

Hey, that's great Artemiy, thank you for the heads up.
I still want to post more audio demos showing some sounds and the vocoder and check a few things I left behind. But now it's time for the Fantom-G ver 1.30 ;-)
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Re: Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by Artemiy »

No, no, forget about OS 1.30, give us some vocoder demos ASAP please ;-)))

BTW, I sent you an e-mail today, have you received it?
AAR
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Re: Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by AAR »

Thank you!!!! It's great news!!! Sorry for my stupid. Goin to learn english XD
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V-CeeOh
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Re: Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by V-CeeOh »

Hi,
Updated the Demos with some of my own playing. Watch my 3rd post.
Hope you enjoy
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Re: Di - First (long) Review and Sound Demos

Post by Artemiy »

HOLY SH*T!!! The vocoder sounds terrific!
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