How to make a loop on the Juno DS (beginners guide)

This is a (complete) beginners guide to making a loop on the Juno DS. I cover everything from turning on the Juno to saving your new loop. I show you how to record sounds, mix those sounds, and save them. Time stamps:
0:00 intro
0:09 getting to the pattern sequencer
0:58 getting set up to record
1:55 setting up BPM (or tempo)
2:18 pattern length
2:53 recording first sound
3:54 recording second sound
5:30 recording third sound
6:25 mixing (adjusting the volume and panning of sounds)
7:41 saving your loop
SoundCloud: / user-410656785-708752004

[@rio197]

But how do I delete a track if I made a mistake?

[@Exalter]

Hold down the erase button.

[@rio197]

@@Exalter Thanks. I used Shift + Erase finally.

[@jro778]

How do I erase a track I press erase button but it doesn’t do anything

[@rio197]

@@jro778 press Shift + Erase

[@jro778]

rio197 Very helpful thank you

[@litafetter5027]

I to infinity and beyond appreciate this video. I've had this keyboard for a few years now and with the crazy times depression kicking in I've just been staring at it from the couch. This video literally helped me get back on and feel like I'm moving forward again. Thank you.

[@Exalter]

Thank you for the kind words!

[@MultiMeg101]

Me too thanks for the video 🤘

[@audunskrindo5877]

After watching so many videos looking for exactly this, I must thank you for nailing it! This was awsome!

[@Exalter]

Thanks for the kind words! They mean a lot!

[@Synsizer]

Wow dude, excellent job! Easy to follow and concise. Much appreciation for your time!

[@jesusisaacantonioaltamiran6560]

Thank you so much bro!!! I bought an roland juno ds like 2 weeks ago Im New in this world of the synthesizer and you help me a lot 👌

[@maximilin8381]

Man, it is so helpful. I owned Juno G for 15 years, nobody could tell me what to do with it until I saw you tutorial on ds and understood what to do with Juno G. I am happy, I got ds, because it is more convenient to use and because of you helping us to operate it. Please, keep do it, man, I’ll keep pressing like on your videos!😊

[@lanechasek5560]

Just got one of these today. Great video! I’m super stoked to try this.

[@masha_piano_gal]

Great video!!! How can I delete an individual loop without starting the whole project from scratch? Thank you so much!!

[@natejohnson9669]

This is just what I needed. Thanks so much!

[@AmeliaBlakeMusic]

Fantastic. Perfect. Exactly what I needed to get started.

[@ThePubliusValerius]

Thanks a million! We ordered this thing because of what it can do - but it seems like quite a learning curve. But it's a beautiful machine that seems to do a ton!

[@alonzobarragan5658]

Exactly what I was looking for! Subscribed!

[@Exalter]

Thanks!

[@sciencemacarena]

so enormously helpful! Couldn't figure how to do this but now I know. Thank you!

[@mdvs42]

just got my roland a few weeks ago and am over whelmed with the possibilities thanks!

[@israelagbley1494]

It really helped, I appreciate sir. Thanks a million 😊

[@Jesoteric]

Nice thank you 🙏, my DS arrives tomorrow I’m really excited

[@rickaggen]

Great tutorial, it helped me a lot! Thank you

[@JoseLopez-hw9ng]

Perfect, didn't realize this keyboard has alot of features. Thanks for an excellent demonstration 👍👍👍

[@JoseLopez-hw9ng]

I do have a question, is there a way to have more time for the arrangements? I believe you only have about 30 seconds or less, I know I increased the boxes to 8, which I believe is the maximum. Is there some other way you can record with more time? Thank you ☺️

[@Exalter]

What I do, is put the BPM as low as possible, and turn off quantization. You have a lot of extra time, but no click. Other than that, I don't know any more ways to create more time.

[@JoseLopez-hw9ng]

Cool. I'll give that a try. Thanks so much 👍

[@cathywilson1273]

Thank you, so much @Exalter Music, for sharing this tutorial on the Juno DS!! You have a wonderful gift of teaching; you made it easy to follow and fun to watch!! Now, I can finally try this on mine!!

[@Exalter]

Thanks so much!

[@cathywilson1273]

@@Exalter - You're so welcome! Your video helped me to understand that the Juno has more functionality than I expected, and it has given me a starting point to explore and learn what more can be done with it. One function I will try to tackle is the 'daw' control. Thank you once again! 🙂

[@zarman1098]

Thank you so much for doing this video this what i exactly needed.Please make more videos like this. dude from Philippines ❤️

[@Exalter]

Glad I could help! I will definitely try and make some more in the future.

[@felipevargas6172]

Excellent video, Exalter. We want more!!

[@Exalter]

I can definitely make more! Is there anything specific you would like to see?

[@jeremygagliardi7063]

This was excellent

[@henko534]

This is great. Very good explained thank you sir

[@benediktamrhein5639]

I just discovered: I have been here before. Lol. Well .. I have previous knowledge concerning synthesizers, but from years ago - so I guess I will return here many times.

[@kiivje]

Great video/info thanks!

[@nsera9462]

A really helpful video.

[@fratersatenihil1653]

Thanks this helped me out.

[@rickomack7565]

Hey thanks bro this really helped

[@striverfor7628]

Brilliant, thank you

[@jordanleonmusic6852]

I watched this video 3 times.. Thank you

[@M33ch32]

Thank you so much man🤞🏾💪🏾

[@Exalter]

Your welcome!

[@brysonbost4100]

Thank you kind sir!

[@maocori]

Cheers from italy!!

[@cherdbondsounds4thasoul384]

Good job, thanks

[@evanryan6115]

You wonderful wonderful man!! Thank you!!

[@Exalter]

Thank you!

[@tenthousandcrashes1281]

Thank this was helpful

[@allanmacuser]

thank you for the info regards Allan UK

[@shawntill]

Thank you!!!!🎉

[@clarahopper1503]

This helped alot!

[@Exalter]

Glad I could help!

[@giljustmusicvlogs4470]

Is it possible i record all the track i need and play it later? For my future songs list.. can i record a full song also? How to adjust loop?

[@blazze7541]

thank you so much

[@MrPaulOfield]

This was so helpful!

[@Exalter]

I am glad it helped you!!

[@MrPaulOfield]

@@Exalter It'd be so cool if you could explain how to prepare your own sounds for a gig. I mean, for every song several sounds and what's the easiest way to jump without fear. Still, great video!

[@Exalter]

That sounds like a great video idea! I am not sure when I will be able to make it as I am very busy with school at the moment, but I will definitely try to put something together!

[@MrPaulOfield]

@@Exalter good luck with school then!

[@officialWWM]

Thank you, this thing is impossible to work out on your own, the manual is hopeless!

[@Exalter]

The manual is pretty hard to understand...

[@officialWWM]

Exalter that is an understatement, lol.

[@REM977]

Sure is---and it's in microscopic font! Sucks!

[@musician1026]

Actually it's real poor assistance from Roland Corp don't shop these people for equipment

[@UMK3HumanSmokeUMK3]

Awesome video thank you. Do you know if you can use a sustain pedal like a looper pedal to start and stop the recording?

[@alanaspalace4161]

Quick question and it doesn’t really have to do with this video but you know how the assign 1-4 knobs are defaulted to eq settings. Do you know if there’s a way to quickly bring them back to default after adjusting? All the other effects add an * next to the name of the patch. And when you switch the sound-it resets. It looks like turning it off and on will reset it but I can’t find another way besides putting all of the settings back to where they were.

[@katherinem502]

Thank you so much! Is there a way to change song sections?

[@samanthajett8508]

Thankkk you😭😭😭

[@dave.h4075]

I bought ds61 about 5 years ago. Only pulling it out now, lol. I'm going to have to busker one of these days with the way the world may be going.

[@floridahiker1503]

Hope things go better this year.

[@evasandys6675]

Thank you for this, very helpful!!!!😊💟

[@giuseppedimarco2791]

What patch is the intro to Babe by Styx I am looking for that sound. Is it built into this JUNO DS88? please help

[@TheCreativeComposer]

Thanks for this beginner's video. I have a question. I am wanting to record a backing track but that doesn't necessarily have any loops. Consider is like a song with say 5 tracks and they will go for about 10 mins. I want that to be played in the background when I am performing live. I read somewhere that the sequencer can accommodate only 8 measures? So, there is no way I can record something a bit longer but without looping? Or do I need to look into a different feature outside of the sequencer? Thanks

[@benediktamrhein5639]

Thank you for that video! I'm about to gift myself a Juno DS for my birthday - I don't have it yet - and I'm sure I will return to this video a lot. This won't be my first Roland, I owned a Juno-D 15 years ago or so, before that a beloved Yamaha-SY77 and a Korg M1 during the 90s. I'm not a complete newbie. I think that helps a lot in the beginning. What I loved about the Juno-D was its intuitive operation, hence my decision for the DS. Also, I love to create my own little songs with the Magix Music Maker and other DAWs. I'm curious about finding out more about the interaction Juno-DS/DAW. 😍

[@griffinw.5153]

For some reason my metronome and tempo section when I hit the button only shows “midi” instead of the bpm numbers. Also it won’t play any audio out of the sequencer although it says “now playing” even for the preset tracks that should have audio. Is this a memory issue or something that can be handled?

[@longsnapper5381]

Thank you so much for this. I'm a bass player/singer in charge of keyboards in my band. The looper is my only hope......sooooo many keys......so close together.....uhhhhh

[@calebbone4176]

I saved a loop to the number 1 slot but when I try and save it to the number 2 slot it records the same sound. I am trying to loop different pads in different keys to each button 1-8 but like I said when trying to save a new pad it just records the same one. Any idea?

[@swanlover8612]

Hello i can record rhythm patterns just fine but i cant seem to get arpegiation working, ill turn it on and the screen will pop up but its not arpegiated, any help?

[@startyourdayright]

How to save one sound on the pad. and when you click on it. And it will play only once? Example: playing This is Our Time by Planetshakers. And I want to save the brass sound and play it only once I touch it.

[@cindirosner2727]

I’m classically trained Wrote a through composed musical with 44 songs in 4 parts and orchestra on my little keyboard I could not figure out how to use my new roland Thank you so much…the only tutorial that helped!!!!!

[@NickieLou]

Is it possible to play a loop with the split key function? Thank you!

[@lgf2443]

This is so helpful thank you!! Quick question- how do i erase a sound from a pad- i accidently used a pedal and that made a whole mess of the progression

[@Exalter]

If you want to erase it, select the sound you want to erase. Then press play, and hold the erase button for the duration you want to erase.

[@cqlm]

Issue! For some reason when i record chords in the last bar before it ends, the chords start to overlap each other. It's like it's a bug! Any help will be much appreciated.

[@98FutureStar]

Thanks bro

[@Exalter]

Glad it helped!!!!

[@NikolaNovak]

Thx for video! One thing I haven't been able to effectively do is keep recording tracks while looping / without stopping, for a kind of "live looping performance" style 🤔. If I record one track, keep playing, and hit record again, it will only record to the end of loop and stop recording. I can't record it fast enough to catch first note. I'd rather it kept recording until I turned it off... 🤷‍♂️

[@tomyoung8229]

well explained, thank you. only suggestion is zooming in on the menu screen so we can see it better.

[@tylertrice1911]

Can you add a drum rythym pattern, into the pattern sequencer?

[@JamesArwood423]

Ok. How do I play live over the sequencer? If I record a track can I play over it

[@anomalyramirez]

After the first initial recording, how do I record without the metronome?

[@voicetrain929]

Can I include vocals with a connected microphone? On multiple channels?

[@nguyenminhhoang3900]

Hey man, i want to buy the Juno DS but i just keep wondering if i could add the rhymth patterns in the juno and where could i find those, pls help me out, thank you

[@Exalter]

I think the section you are talking about is the rhythm patterns. There are around 30 preset rhythm patterns. You could also create them in the pattern sequencer. Another option could be to load samples of drum patterns through the audio feature of the Juno. There's a lot of options!

[@magoo383]

How do you create a drum loop or add it to this creation?

[@adibabid9795]

Awesome ! Do you know if there's a way to disable the metronome sound ? I want to do a live session and you know this is not good for live. Thanks

[@Exalter]

There is a way to disable the metronome sound. It is hard to play in time after you disable it, but it keeps the performance sounding nice!

[@kylevmartin]

Everytime I go to record it continues to play the pre-recorded sample. How do I erase that or start a completely new loop?

[@nathanwahl9224]

Thank you muchly! From a different perspective, can you make it stop after playing through a sequence just once and stop? And then play/trigger it on when needed. There's a little horn riff that I'd like to add to a song I'm playing bass on, it comes in at the end of every fourth bar, but instead of playing it every time, if I could just put it on a one bar/measure "loop" and hit Play or the Pad itself when needed (kind of like an extended drum pad hit,) that would be great! Maybe just turn off the Loop button? I can't drive the whole song from a looping sequence, it would probably really screw up our drummer since this will be in a live gig situation. Thanks! (Again!)

[@Exalter]

You can make the loop play through once, but unless you sample the loop I don't think you can trigger it like you are talking about.

[@user-im2dc2ws5f]

can i record dram kit arpejio on pattern sequencer? i try but the dram kit is no arpejio. just regular

[@floridahiker1503]

Yes. On the arpegiator screen you have to select the same part number as the track your recording drums to otherwise it won't work.

[@jvalamukhi]

How to quickly erase and redo a take while making a loop recording?

[@giasilvermonroe2442]

Can the finished product be extracted/exported to memory stick?

[@amiyrlewis153]

How to change how many notes the pitch bend goes please?

[@realraven2000]

It would be interesting if we could use the Arpeggiator on one of of the tracks in the pattern, is it possible?

[@Exalter]

Yes!!!

[@realraven2000]

@@Exalter thanks! looks like I need to Read The Fine Manuals ... recently got a KOMPLETE Kontrol S61 MkII, and also find their patch browsing system not 100% intuitive. on the Juno DS some modes seem to be conflicting with each other. E.g. sequencer doesn't allow programming drum beats / access to arp etc. it's probably just me being awkward. Would be cool if the sequencer was usable for live gigs to either add missing instrucments, a drum loop and bass or a backing vocal layer. Not sure if that#s a little to much asked for.

[@thestranger5575]

I just purchased this keyboard not long ago much obliged.

[@moelester4766]

Can I ask what amplifier u use? Mine doesn't sound as good

[@kilomartin]

How would you make a pattern loop for a drum beat?

[@officialWWM]

I have a question. Can I assign different sounds to those pads and switch between them?

[@Exalter]

In pattern sequencer mode, yes!

[@officialWWM]

Exalter great, thank you. Now I just have to figure out how to do it :/

[@paulyllow]

How many bars can you record in a phrase? Long enough for a song?

[@mrnomical]

Can you just record a little piano sample or loop on the fly? Or is it always count ins, save etc.

[@charlesbell3951]

You can record on the fly by hitting the record button during play back. This does not require a count in.

[@leonidas4998]

My recorded tempo is all off cuz i think it is trying to adjust by itself, how do I just play to my own tempo without it messing with it?

[@wireguy123]

Can you save loops and samples to the pads like the FA06?

[@Exalter]

Yes!

[@patrasyounuskeyboardist5705]

Con someone tell me a different between Juno ds61 and xps30 ?

[@SLHkeyboards]

same machine sold in different markets, with slightly different sound sets.

[@jeanwilliam1892]

Hello. Can show me how to add the drum in loop

[@leehnsu]

maybe i didn’t watch it properly, but is there a way to get more than 4 measures/bars of looping? i’d like to record until i want to stop recording (sort of like on a loop pedal when you play until you press the button again

[@Exalter]

Sadly there is no way to set it up like a loop pedal. If you want to record a longer loop you just press the pattern length button and adjust to the number of measures desired. If that still isn't long enough you can slow down the BPM create more time to play (although it is harder to play with the click). Hope this helps!

[@kimofficialyt443]

Hi, I need help buying a keyboard. Well, I want a keyboard that can play midi and keyboard at the same time but i don't know what to choose. My budget is under 600dollors so please suggest some keyboard

[@jjchev]

Hello Exalter Music, thank you for these beginners guides! I am considering buying a juno ds 61 and can't find the answer to this question : is it possible to use the pattern sequencer with voice input coming from a micro ? Like is it possible to compose a song on this keyboard where several voices can be added on top of each other to create a polyphony (like gospel for example) ? In this way can it be used similarly to a vocal loop station (like rc505 boss) ? Thank you very much for your insight. J.

[@Exalter]

Sadly it can only loop midi... That is a feature that I think they introduced in the phantom

[@jjchev]

@@Exalter Thank you very much for your answer. I did purchase the keyboard yesterday. Now I am wondering if using a Zoom H4n is enough to record from the keyboard to computer in good quality, or do you know if/believe it is necessary to get a (good) external soundcard? Thanks a lot for your time and help.

[@markbuhmann430]

Hi and thanks. I am trying to stop the counting. Am changing it to off and also wait for note but it still plays. Really difficult for live looping. Is there some setting I am missing. Thanks.

[@Exalter]

Sadly I don't know of a way to stop it... I have tried in the past for live performances, but there doesn't seem to be an on/off button

[@markbuhmann430]

@@Exalter thanks for your tteply. Yes it seems no way of doing so.

[@scotz74]

Really helpful and I learnt a lot watching this. Better than the Roland ones because you can actually see the buttons. Could you do a couple maybe showing how to build well known synth numbers like Axel F maybe?

[@Exalter]

I actually did a Axle F video, but if you want me to do any other songs please let me know!

[@rolandberendonck3900]

@@Exalter Yes! Donna Summer with I feel love; with the world changing bass riff of Georgio Moroder!!!!!

[@franciscomoreno1392]

Hi good day bro I need your help please . Roland ds make fast changes with a pedal or footswitch thanks

[@Exalter]

I am not sure how to set up a pedal or footswitch to change sounds, sorry about that.

[@dalewiley9208]

Thanks a lot. How do you recall the loop once you return to the main screen?

[@Exalter]

There is an option to save the loop, then you can just recall the patch! You can save up to 128 loops

[@Liduniya]

It helped a lot. How do you transfer your loops to the laptop?

[@Exalter]

What I normally do is set my DAW to the tempo of the loops. Then I record in each loop individually. This allows me to arrange and add more sounds later if I want. If you don't know what a DAW is they are software that records audio. You can connect directly to one through the Juno DS's usb cable. I use Studio One (the free version works great), and in the past I used Audacity (another free software). Hope this helps!

[@Liduniya]

@@Exalter that helped a lot!! Yes, I have all of the software you mentioned. I also use Adobe Audition. Good to know that that it is not very hard. Thank you very much!

[@isaiahhammond104]

Heyyy how do I export my loops!!!

[@omarflores4736]

Hi! so I don't know if you'll see this but I actually have a question about recording. How do you go about doing that on this keyboard? I actually just bought it a couple of weeks ago and I really want to get into editing and stuff.

[@Exalter]

Sadly, other than the pattern sequencer that are really no good ways to internally record the keyboard. To record it externally I used Audacity (and then the free version of Studio One), and just plugged the Juno into my computer via USB. This was by far the easiest way to record it! With one cable you can record audio, midi, and a mic!

[@abbeyrd6606]

Thanks for the video! I have a question: my loop stops after two measures instead of looping itself. Do you have any ideas what might go wrong? Thanks!

[@Exalter]

There is a loop button which should be lit up (it is next to the erase mute and tap buttons). If it is not lit up the loop will only play once. If you press it the button should light up and your pattern sequence should loop. Hope this helps!

[@abbeyrd6606]

@@Exalter I did nothing and the same pattern looped itself lol. I guess it was just some random bug. But thanks a lot for the reply and the great video!

[@ImJwak]

i’m not sure if you said but how do you re record one of the tracks if you want to change it?

[@Exalter]

I don't think I covered that in this tutorial! If you hold down shift and erase it will delete the track. Then you just have to rerecord it!