Roland please, software update possible?

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Recorder
Posts: 15
Joined: 08:59, 28 July 2017

Roland please, software update possible?

Post by Recorder »

Dear Roland Team,

in the last week I had to program the Juno DS for a gig as a last minute replacement keyboard. I am pretty impressed what this little machine (DS 61) is capable of.

There are some functions I am really missing which I would like to focus on:

#1 As a live keyboardist I (have to) use the Favorite Function to have quick access to all my different Patches and Performances. If I save a User Patch, I name it the song's name e.g. "Blame it on the Boogie". If the Favorite memory space refers to a Patch than the Name appears in BIG LETTERS which is ideal for a gloomy stage. If the Favorite memory space refers to a Performance, the big letters refer to the activated Patch as part of the Performance while the Performance name, again the song's name, is displayed in the upper right corner in pretty small letters. If it would be either or (always small letters in the right corner or always big letters in the center) it would be ok but with this changing issue one has to flip around between Patches and Performances names to find out what current song they refer to. I was used to Yamaha's Master Mode where I could type in a Master Name regardless of the memory beeing a Patch, Performance, Song, Pattern Sequence ...) Only the given name appeared, nothin more. That was quite comfortable. Maybe this could be solved via a software update, having always the Big Letters as the Performance name in the center?

#2 One wish with regard to the Vocoder funtion. In some songs I just use it as an addition to my live playing e.g. for the tune "Let's Groove tonight". Unfortunately changing the MODE to Vocoder hinders me from playing the needed Rhodes sound. I know that I can do a workaround with the MFX:79 in Performance Mode but the quality of the Vocoder is not comparable at all. Here a software update would catapult the Juno DS to a even higher level.

#3 Please arrange the possibility of importing Multisamples. A sampling function in the machine itself would be wonderful! And I was used to import my own drum samples to then manipulate these samples with the internal effects, could this be arranged as well?

During the last days the above mentioned points were inconvenient for me. Maybe this headroom could be filled with some updates?

I am looking forward to the next OS

rgds and greetings

Heiko
AaronPDX1
Posts: 162
Joined: 17:58, 8 May 2017

Re: Roland please, software update possible?

Post by AaronPDX1 »

Hi Heiko,

Good suggestions, I think.

I have little experience with the vocoder; would you mind explaining a bit more about the limitations you're experiencing? And why your inconvenient workaround works?

And as far as samples + effects, you're saying that internal effects are not allowed for imported samples? Even if that sample is defined as a patch? (I haven't tried this yet, myself.)
Recorder
Posts: 15
Joined: 08:59, 28 July 2017

Re: Roland please, software update possible?

Post by Recorder »

Hi AaronPDX1,

As far as I understood the Vocoder/Auto Pitch works as a separate Mode. If i switch it on, the Patch changes to Vocoder/Auto Pitch Presets PRST 001 Voc:Ensemble ... AP:to Bass, meaning, if I wanted to combine a proper Vocoder Sound e.g. Voc: Robot with other Patches in Performance Mode, it is not possible. At least I haven't found out how it works...

There is the possibility to setup a Performance with the MFX 79: Di Vocoder. For example fo the song Let's groove tonight I would like to sing the Robot voice with my left hand playing the single tones triggering the Vocoder effect and my right hand playing the nedded Rhodes chords.
This can be done via putting any instrument e.g. on Patch 1, driving the Patch through the MFX 79, limiting the range of that Patch to the notes needed for singing and put the Rhodes sound on Patch 2 not overlappiong with the notes of Patch 1, route it through the wanted MFX 2 e.g. Phaser. For uplifting the Vocoder sound I routed the output of MFX 1 to MFX 3 and put a compressor on it and manipulated the sound as needed. This is a workaround because this Vocoder effect can not be compared to the quality of the Voc Robot at all.

I did not mean that the MFX are not for imported samples but that I could not find a function to import own drum samples to create User Drumkits. I was used to import all my needed samples (Glissandos, Pitches etc.) as one shot samples and imported them all into a User Drum Kit instead of importing only one sample at a time into one Patch and waste one User Patch just for one sample which brings the machine quite fast to the limit of User memory spaces. There might be some room for improvement in my eyes.

Hope this helps as an additional explanation.

rgds

Heiko
AaronPDX1
Posts: 162
Joined: 17:58, 8 May 2017

Re: Roland please, software update possible?

Post by AaronPDX1 »

Thanks for your reply, Heiko.

I'm only starting to get into the effects section, so I am not totally following your vocoder fix explanation; for now I'm simply impressed by your efforts!

The sample import/storage does indeed seem inefficient. I guess the way for now is to import each sample to its own patch, then assemble a performance from those patches, with multiple split points so all are accessible on the keyboard...?

Barring an OS upgrade, this is fertile territory for an enterprising coder to make a cross-platform app -- allowing the user to easily organize multiple samples into a Performance patch. Or is this something the Di Editor software helps with already? I will have to investigate...
tomo
Posts: 25
Joined: 11:03, 12 February 2012
Location: Croatia

Re: Roland please, software update possible?

Post by tomo »

I'm also using Juno DS professionally for live performances. I've bought it as a replacement for my ageing Fantom X. Regarding to sounds and features, I don't miss anything except for two seemingly minor, yet for me, very important details.

1) Multisample support. Currently, Juno DS can only import a single WAV sample at a time which it then stretches across the keys automatically according to the specified original key of the sample. This leads to artifacts - sample plays either too slow or too fast when you step out of a very narrow space of 1.5 octave, which is almost unusable for playing any more complex part. Although Juno's vast library, which also includes most of the Fantom sounds plus the Roland Axial expansion cover almost all my needs when performing live with a band, I occasionally need a few regional ethnic sounds that are not found there. With Fantom, I had them available thanks to the multisampling feature.

2) Not that important, but I wish if Juno DS could have at least two Axial expansions installed at the same time. It was really great move from Roland to release most of the content from nowdays hard to find and still expensive SRX cards in a digital format for free. And since Fantom could have up to 4 SRX cards installed and available instantly, it would be really great to have similar possibility on Juno DS with virtual expansions.

Although I'm mostly really pleased with Juno DS, the features I've mentioned would make it a true successor of the venerable Fantom series. I'm hoping that adding these is technically possible and that we'll see new firmware updates in the future.
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