AIR Music Technology have announced the launch of Jura, a software recreation of Roland’s iconic Juno-60 synthesizer. In addition to offering a faithful emulation of the original instrument, the company have also introduced an extended user interface that extends its capabilities and offers a modern take on the classic sound.
Jura offers users a choice of two different GUI views: Classic and Expanded. When Classic is selected, the plug-in offers an authentic recreation of the original hardware and its front panel controls. Expanded then reveals a selection of newly introduced features that aim to offer deeper control over the instrument’s sound and extend its capabilities.
Classic
The instrument’s oscillator section offers a choice of pulse, saw, sub and noise waveforms, and allows the creation of pulse width modulation effects using either a manual control, LFO or two different envelope sources. A filter section equipped with cutoff, resonance, saturation and drive controls follows, and can be modulated by an invertible envelope, an LFO and both keyboard and velocity tracking. A VCA section with gate and envelope modes is also present, and also features velocity tracking.
Expanded
Moving on to the new additions, Jura’s Expanded control view adds Saturation and Drive parameters to the instrument’s VCF section, and also offers more in-depth control than the original hardware thanks to the inclusion of a second envelope. As well as featuring the Juno’s legendary Chorus section, Jura has also been kitted out with some extra effects and processing capabilities courtesy of new dedicated Delay, Reverb and EQ sections. The plug-in also allows users to increase polyphony from the original six voices, as well as providing new Unison and Chord voice modes.
The enhanced LFO section boasts eight wave shapes, including two random generators, and can be synchronised to the tempo of a host DAW. Speed, Delay and Ramp controls offer yet more in-depth control over the instrument’s modulation functions, and an LFO Trigger button makes it possible to trigger the LFO manually. Control over the instrument’s pitch-bend range and glide behaviour is on offer, and Jura also features an on-board arpeggiator.
Compatibility
AIR Jura is supported on Windows and macOS systems, and is available in VST, VST3, AU and AAX formats. It is also available for Akai’s MPC and Force platforms, which offer touch control over every parameter.
Pricing & Availability
AIR Jura is available now, and will be priced at $74.99 until 13 June 2023, after which it will cost $149.99. A 14-day demo version is available.
