Published 21/6/08
128 Voice Expandable Synthesizer
Roland's latest offering in the Juno range is, rather unexpectedly, aimed at the stage performer. The Juno Stage is a 76-note keyboard with semi-weighted keys, 128 voices, and a variety of features that will appeal to the performing musician.
For example, an MP3 or CD player can be plugged into the top of the keyboard via an eighth-inch jack socket, so players can cue up accompaniments without having to navigate menus. What's more, a USB socket allows for a flash drive loaded with WAV, AIFF, MP3 or MIDI files to be inserted, so backing tracks can be played straight into the keyboard, without the need for extra equipment.
A phantom-powered mic input enables a singing performer to mix their voice with the output from the keyboard and even add effects, and there's a vocoder which, let's face it, we all need in our rig!
The Juno Stage comes loaded with 1027 patches, including Roland's flagship 88-note grand piano, plus 256 General MIDI sounds. Further sounds can be added to the keyboard, thanks to the two slots of SRX expansion on the rear panel. These can be filled with any of Roland's 12 SRX modules, which include strings, electric pianos and brass.
Other features include a built-in arpeggiator, Roland's proprietary D-Beam controller, and a large backlit LCD. It comes bundled with a copy of Cakewalk's Sonar LE, as well as a suite of utility applications. It's due to ship in October, costing around $1600.
www.roland.com
For example, an MP3 or CD player can be plugged into the top of the keyboard via an eighth-inch jack socket, so players can cue up accompaniments without having to navigate menus. What's more, a USB socket allows for a flash drive loaded with WAV, AIFF, MP3 or MIDI files to be inserted, so backing tracks can be played straight into the keyboard, without the need for extra equipment.
A phantom-powered mic input enables a singing performer to mix their voice with the output from the keyboard and even add effects, and there's a vocoder which, let's face it, we all need in our rig!
The Juno Stage comes loaded with 1027 patches, including Roland's flagship 88-note grand piano, plus 256 General MIDI sounds. Further sounds can be added to the keyboard, thanks to the two slots of SRX expansion on the rear panel. These can be filled with any of Roland's 12 SRX modules, which include strings, electric pianos and brass.
Other features include a built-in arpeggiator, Roland's proprietary D-Beam controller, and a large backlit LCD. It comes bundled with a copy of Cakewalk's Sonar LE, as well as a suite of utility applications. It's due to ship in October, costing around $1600.
www.roland.com
