Roland J-6 Tutorial | In-Depth Overview!

Link for Roland J-6: amzn.to/3CVgUst (Amazon Affiliate)
Roland J-6 Tutorial. In this video, I demonstrate all the major functions and features. How to Customize Juno-60 Sound Presets, Explore Chord Genres and change Chord Sets, Use Playing Styles/Variations, Change Patterns, Record Sequences, Insert Rests, Edit Beat Duration, and more!
The Roland J-6 Chord Synthesizer is an amazing little compact chord-generating synth hardware unit powered by the renowned sounds of the Juno-60 Synthesizer. The Roland J-6 packs a robust 4-voice Juno-60 synth engine into a tiny Lithium Ion powered unit. For an endless well of musical inspiration, the J-6 comes pre-loaded with 100 Chord Sets, 64 Juno-60 Presets, 9 Playing Styles with 12 Variations, and a Programmable Chord Sequencer with 64 user patterns and up to 64 steps in each pattern.
-Video Timestamps-
0:00 - Intro
1:27 - J-6 Synth Engine
4:35 - Chord Genres
7:05 - Style & Variation
8:58 - Patterns
10:35 - Chord Sequences
13:02 - Per Step Variation
15:51 - Saving Patterns
16:44 - Inserting Rests
19:55 - Audio & MIDI

[@WaveBits]

Link for Roland J-6: amzn.to/3CVgUst (Amazon Affiliate)

[@vasil3089]

get an NTS-1 as well

[@IsshmanGarcia]

PRO TIP:Each step has its own preset, but if you want to change the preset for a given step: 1. Press Pattern button. 2. Select the step(from sequencer) you want to change. 3. Press Sound button. 4. Select ANY sound from the 64 provided presets. 5. Press Pattern button. You now have the sound you want in the selected step slot. You're welcome.

[@MikeJayMusic]

This does quite a bit more than I had thought I understood. I'm usually on the fence about Roland pricing, but they've done something special here, comparatively speaking. Thank you

[@IsshmanGarcia]

FYI: Hold Shift button with Filter(for Resonance- without shift is cutoff frequency), with Envelope(for Attack- without shift is Decay), with Delay and Reverb(for timing settings- without shift is non synced).

[@HotStrange]

Great to know you have control of resonance and decay. That adds a lot considering there’s only 64 presets

[@dr.greggeddins1723]

You really are making a positive difference in many peoples’ lives !!! I was not going to purchase this until I saw you demonstrate most everything it does. Keep doing what you do my musical technical teaching friend !

[@WaveBits]

Wow, thank you for your comment and feedback, I try to put as much valuable tips and insight with each video. So it feels great to see comments like yours. Enjoy the J-6! 😃

[@theofuqua2599]

I was thinking about buying this to add to my synth family. I watched this video, love the in depth features you showed, then ordered it. THANK YOU!!!!

[@enphour7960]

Great in depth tutorial of J-6. I just got mine a few days ago, and I love the Juno sounds and chord function. I hope to start building patterns next.

[@delmeteor717]

Your Roland Aira videos are excellent. Really made using my J6 and T8 so much more enjoyable with your clear explanations of diving into the menus.

[@stoneysdead689]

I'm 2 years old and have spent life making music the old fashion way- this is a game changer. That said- because I'm finally getting into all the current technology and electronic music in general- I say that about once a week. Seems like every few days someone shows me something that makes me be like "This changes everything."

[@TheRoyalGenerationiTunes]

You seem pretty musically intelligent to only be 2 yrs old

[@stoneysdead689]

@@TheRoyalGenerationiTunes LOL- 52.

[@themorningstar8122]

These are some of the best tutorials that I have ever watched easy to understand And listen to thanks 🙂

[@IsshmanGarcia]

FYI: Shortcut to change step length in Pattern/step sequencer mode( instead of menu diving and going to "Beat" setting ) is to hold down Pattern button and turn Tempo/Value knob so you can change on the 🪰. Bzzzz!

[@patrickgregitis4521]

You’re the goat for that

[@andybside]

Nice. Thanks a ton.

[@BD-zg7is]

THANK YOU!

[@digitalninjatools5670]

Thank you so much for this - best j6 tutorial I've seen by a mile!

[@StrillLife]

Thanks for this tutorial. I didn't know how to access all these features or even save a pattern. This was very helpful.

[@englishiowa]

This was hugely helpful! I'm loving my J6 but hadn't really cracked the "recall sound/chords that I dialed in" and you've really shown how easy it is. +Subscriber!

[@buddingsignal]

thank *YOU* very much for this. very helpful. the j6 sounds great and has so much to offer.

[@CatGPT_]

bro.. you're doing gods work with this tutorial. much love

[@hernanvergara9313]

Thank you. Great tutorial, including the T-8 one. Keep them coming please. Cheers 👍🏾

[@matthatson]

Great tutorial thank you, I’m still getting to grips with the J-6 and your video is really helping me 😊

[@realdougdouglass]

Excellent in-depth overview. Thx!

[@9877joseph]

Very crispy sounding! I want all three! I honestly hope that they stay with this form factor. Subbed!

[@snidedj]

Amazing, thank you for your in-depth tutorial.

[@damelos4039]

Amazing video! Well done, easy to follow. Kudos to you and THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

[@vonbarfuss]

You’re the best J-6 ,,how it worx‘‘ teacher so far 😊!!!

[@BD-zg7is]

amazing video you have no idea how helpful this is!!! THANK YOU

[@enjo2258]

many thank's for your awesome work. thumps up

[@IsshmanGarcia]

I forgot to let you know I learned alot from your tutorial. Great stuff.

[@crittercamproductions]

I'm just starting out with electronic music, and picked up a J-6 today. Your video was tremendously helpful to me, thanks!

[@davehyper7835]

OMG 16:42 reminds me of a track on the Fantazia First Taste album. I love this little thing and you've just helped my buy one! Many thanks for this excellent tutorial.

[@davidhall-ei7br]

Excellent review, thanks so much!

[@S_e_a_n]

Wow amazing tutorial. The best I’ve seen for the J-6. Thank you for the post! Cheers

[@WaveBits]

Thanks for that, definitely! 👊🏻

[@narsil8756]

Great Tutorial! Thank you!❤

[@helenbrown8016]

Thanks, you really help me get started

[@vectorhold6489]

Dude, yes. Thank you. 11:35 was what was driving me nuts. Couldn't figure out why the sequence wasn't looping. Lol. Huge help.

[@andybside]

Thanks for all the great info, my man.

[@BrandInman]

Great video, thank you! I really learned a lot about this little guy from watching. Nice work!

[@Rafix-drummer]

Thanks for the video. you are a champion👍👍👍

[@JeffMyers-ir3pn]

Great video. Learned a lot. Thx! J

[@NicolasMelis]

best tutorial about the J6 i found on youtube! thanks

[@JohnWarehand]

Really helpful - thanks very much.

[@nodoze123]

Awesome tutorial!!

[@bobclark5360]

Thank you. Would you believe you are the only one I found actually demonstrating how to use the J6 with a DAW.

[@nodoze123]

Thank you for this review!

[@80iesDude45]

the Synthwave weapon, love it!

[@MusicZeroOne]

Thanks, the copy tip was particularly helpful.

[@massiveBallsX]

I’ve just ordered one. Exciting!

[@WaveBits]

Awesome! Such a great Roland Product🙂

[@palomiarhs]

Great video! The only one which mentions the fact that, when using the J-6 with your DAW, you can use it to record the sounds it comes with, besides using it as a controller for other VSTs. Thanks a lot! Keep up the great work 😉

[@orregomusic5850]

Good job Bro, the best of life for you.

[@PeterJoslynHarris]

Thank you so much for this! I've been really struggling with how to use this thing.

[@WaveBits]

Definitely, it takes time. I’m still learning all the nuances myself, but it’s a joy to explore!

[@karl.weaver]

Easy subscription, thank you.

[@thomascox3894]

very helpful!

[@oliverdepauw5663]

Picked one of these up to mangle it with a mood mk2 - really excited to dive in and make some crazy sounds with it - i plan on using a 3.5 to /4 inch male trs cable to link them up and i’ll probably add an expression pedal to the mix- should be a fun build

[@sodiumlights]

excellent video, cheers. Stilllll waiting for 'em here in the UK:(

[@david_pilkington_music]

Great Video, thank you. Personally I think that this unit is the best out of the J-6, T-8 and S-1. The integration with Ableton live is impressive. You know your gear !

[@djsavada718]

Thanks dude, helped me alot

[@WaveBits]

Got you, man! The J-6 is great, just needs a little guided exploration. 🙂

[@allilve]

liked and subscribed ‼️‼️‼️‼️

[@sodiumlights]

Great video, thanks. Hope they add what note/chord is being played via display.

[@dracul74]

Good video… subbed

[@rochefsky]

GREAT video! Easier way to insert rests I think is to just un-light any notes. in the step... so no notes are present.

[@rexcellencemagee6729]

I swore to myself I wasn’t going to get one of these! My iPhone has pleanty of chord apps! But since got Komplete Collectors I think it will come in useful!

[@snowboard360]

Great video…I’ll feel more confident in using this now…have you done any of the other units they have done in this series?

[@alexanderscott6332]

Thanks so much for this, it has to be asked, will you possibly complete the set and do a S-1 video?

[@cjoules3235]

That’s helpful thanks. Is it possible to program different lengths for individual steps?

[@leewightman8619]

I just got mine few days ago it sounds so good..iv had the t8 for about 6 months that's amazing too iv not used them together yet .. definitely getting the s1 and might grab the e4 ..I just wish Roland made an aira sampler how dope would that be

[@EchoKraft]

Your videos are awesome man! Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial. I haven’t hooked mine up to a keyboard yet. Curious would it play chords if I connected it to my Deepmind 12 ?

[@WaveBits]

I don’t know much about Deepmind 12 but I think you can trigger any synth that recieves MIDI input with the additional MIDI cable you can buy

[@henryblanchard4166]

Hi. Awesome tutorial. Can you change the beat between steps in a single pattern? Say 6 steps with 1-3 in “4 time” & 4-5 in “2 time??

[@jackhoad9182]

Hey great video! Ableton recognizes my J6 as an audio device and I can record audio no problem. It also recognizes it as a midi device but can't seem to trigger midi notes/information. Any tips on how to solve this? Thanks!

[@bobclark5360]

Can I control the J6 with my Novation LaunchKey 37 which a midi out and USB?

[@eFiddle]

Nice demo, I have subscribed to your channel. I have been using J-6, I have found some pattern I saved, could not recreate all state as I saved, even it had all parameters saved to backup.

[@Howdy606]

Great vid. Can the sequencer play long chord washes for atmos stuff?

[@cii2]

All day!

[@danielguerralopes]

Is it possible to make a chord sequence making chord changes on the second eight note of a beat? I really loved your videos about the Aira Series. Thank you very much!

[@subspeciez]

How do you change the velocity per step? I had this figured out months ago but I haven't picked it up recently and can't remember.

[@Drumsdude123]

Thanks! Some suggested that Roland Mc707 chord functions can be compared to this small device.. kipping in mind that's in 707 all the pads nobs are much more handy... What do you think?

[@bartjanc]

Can the styles&variations and chord mode be used when inputting notes by midi? For If i wanted to use a different sequencer, but still make use of all the J-6 has to offer/add to it.

[@itaydagani1704]

great tutorial, only one issue with this synth there is no way to use automation to change even the limited params of the synth so come on Roland, in 2022 every hardware or software synth has midi cc to control the synth parameters, give us a firmware update that allows us to do the above.

[@MoeShinola1]

Question: I had to disengage the sequencer on my Behringer Crave to keep it from automatically starting to run whenever I pressed Play on the Korg SQ-64 sequencer I hooled it up to. Can the J-6 sequencer be disengaged in the same way, so it dosen't start automatically, but waits til I press Play on the J-6, even if it is midi-ed up to the Korg and it's sequencer is running?

[@pameladolin929]

can you sequence be saved as a standard midi file on a USB Drive on the back of the unit? TYVM your video's are awesome!

[@luctussi]

do u have a tut for the s1 too? ur tutorials r awesome

[@bobclark5360]

Hi. I m having a terrible time with the Roland web site, manual and finding any detail. about integrating the J 6 into my Daw. Some Success with Abelton but Logic or Bitwig no luck. I find this thing is buggy, poorly documented on how to use it and so far you're the only one that actually describes how to use the device. Do you use it in a daw and how? Thanks. Good content and very helpful!

[@user-rk2xj8gr3h]

Thanks for your explanation of that E-Balalaika from Japan without any Rocket sience 😂

[@zzrwood]

The J-6 is also a class compliant midi/audio interface which means it works on iPad/iPhone with GarageBand and other mobile DAWs like Cubasis, Drambo, etc. This makes the J-6 and any iPhone a pretty capable and very portable setup. Ironically, the only DAW it has an issue with is Zenbeats - it doesn’t sync properly…

[@WaveBits]

Can’t wait to try the J-6 with iOS eventually!

[@9877joseph]

That's hilarious

[@rorz999]

@@9877joseph classic Roland! 🤦‍♂️

[@kubaswiercz]

great tutorial!! I have a question - can you set up different durations for differetn steps? Like: step 1 has 4 beats, step 2 has 2 beats, step 3 has 8 beats, etc.

[@Rucava1]

7:00 "yeah, that sounds cinematic" :)))

[@filipzawadzki9424]

I just thought about how to achieve Juno plucks cheaper than original to incorporate into my deep house music and here we have a great deal. I will connect it to my original JX-3P by MIDI and see where it brings me.

[@WaveBits]

True, enjoy!

[@remy5356]

Is it possible to the turn the variation off per step? When i make a pattern with straight chords and single notes and variation the variations wont switch off. Am i doing something wrong or is tha bug? Thanks!

[@michicrowave]

hi! how can you record its own preset into your daw with only the usb cable? seems like its not working for me, I choose J-6 as my input source but not hearing sound. This might be a dumb question and I know there are other output options but in this video seems like you are only connecting it via USB cable so I am really curious. Thank you!

[@electrosonicnebula]

Can you live record unquantized progressions or is it to a 16 grid per measure?

[@ipadmusichacks]

Great Video! One of the best that I have seen on YT! Is the J-6 audio over USB? It doesn't look like you have an audio cable just the USB cable? Thanks! Just saw the end of the video!! Thank you so much! lol

[@WaveBits]

Yep! Both Audio and MIDI over USB

[@RaquelFoster]

Let's all just take a second and appreciate how tight this close-up is, and I don't see any dust. Must be some kind of positive-pressure clean room situation where you need to go through a series of airlocks.

[@WaveBits]

Haha, I try 😅

[@djmikejolly]

Great video, but could you please add some instructions as to how to get midi and audio from the J6 into Logic Pro X as I've just bought a J6 and can't figure it out for the life of me! Many thanks.

[@Studio_4to1]

I just can’t seem to play two patterns back to back. Any idea? Great video! Cheers

[@scorpionleader1967]

How many sequences can you store? How do you recall them?

[@lucasmosching8983]

Can i use the J-6 and its Chord functions to midi control the S-1? As a non Musican i would love to use the advantages of the J-6 but still be able to tweak the thing out of the S-1.

[@kh485]

I like machines that play chords better than I do.

[@mrfeenix1]

How do i put a chord on the 3rd beat of the bar on the first step of the sequence ? Each step is 4 beats / a bar but i don't want to put the chord on the 1st beat but on the 3rd so i can make Dub chords...

[@karl.weaver]

Noobie with J-6 question, how you choose between minor/major chords etc?

[@CleanStepSystems]

What's the main difference between the J6 and the JU-06A? Does the JU-06A just provide additional sound sculpting capability? It looks like the JU-06A also has 64 preset sounds (like the J6), so I'm assuming that they are the same sounds as on the J6. Does the J6 do anything the JU-06A can't do? I believe the JU-06A has a sequencer, arrpegiator, and also has a chords function. Wondering how the two units compare, because I have heard that the new S1 Aira Compact can do almost everything that the SH-01A can do but also do additional things the SH-01A can't.

[@taisilva5101]

, can i choose everykind of chords, out of scale etc? Thanx

[@technodrone313]

j6 + microfreak is super nice. it also pushes td-3s pretty well

[@specialk1287]

How do you connect them? I have the right cords but I can't get them to talk to each other 😭

[@technodrone313]

@@specialk1287 i think theres a bug with the midi ports. i use it over usb.

[@specialk1287]

@@technodrone313 USB to USB on the microfreak?

[@technodrone313]

@@specialk1287 to a daw.

[@juanrajara2887]

Will this save the song of your sequenced patterns?