ROLAND JX-3P vs ALPHA JUNO 2: Live Shoot-Out Of 2 Undervalued Analog Synths 💸

[@EdgetoneStudios]

Another great episode. Sorry that I can't make the live stream more often.

[@VultureCulture]

I'm glad for people to enjoy the stream whenever it suits them!

[@mitchelstephen7536]

Sweet. I still have an MKS 50, best $100 dollars I ever spent. Love to see you do a Casio CZ-1 VS Yamaha TX81Z comparison.

[@VultureCulture]

That would be a good one! Just need to get my hands on some more synths!

[@infindebula]

Those oscillator waves on the Alpha Juno are amazing for transistor-organ (Vox, Farfisa) type sounds. Man oh man Mr. Culture, I wish I could catch more of these streams live. I really enjoy them, and as we discussed before there is something unfortunate going on with the audio in the archived vids that is adding digital noise to the synths. I got into one of your live streams a few weeks ago and the noise didn't seem to be there.

[@VultureCulture]

Ugh - I understand KZbin needs to cut corners with the 30,000 hours of content uploaded every hour, but with an audio-based channel like this it's very disheartening.

[@dadonutslvl90]

If you've played around with the aftertouch assignment on the alpha juno you can get some very lovely movement on pads with detune via aftertouch

[@VultureCulture]

I didn't realize you can route aftertouch to detune!

[@dadonutslvl90]

@@VultureCulture what do you think of the kiwi 2 mod for the alpha 2 as well?

[@VultureCulture]

@dadonutslvl90 kiwi mods have a bit of a reputation for being buggy, and in the case of the Juno 2, I don't really think there's any need for it. It's a great, cleverly laid out synth. Looking at the list of features there's nothing I feel like the synth really needs. What do you think?

[@dadonutslvl90]

@@VultureCulture if the midi works properly and MPE in combo it's a solid upgrade in the department that definitely gives more flexibility in controllers that don't require sysex, unfortunately there's barely any talk or anyone demoing it nor even a kiwi demo so it's a bit of a mystery to me, if there was a vechoven mod would that be more trusted instead yeah?

[@VultureCulture]

@dadonutslvl90 not necessarily lol. Do you do a lot of MPE over midi? I just saw poly aftertouch in the website description but maybe I missed it.

[@VincentPresley]

Hey guy, just a heads up that I managed to throw up a quick demo of some nutty patches you can make with the Jx3p with the new kiwi matrix mod.

[@VultureCulture]

Nice!

[@emdotambient]

I've had my JX-3P since 1983. Used to have the original programmer for it (PG-200), but it got stolen at a gig in 1989. 🤬 But the programmers go for as much or more than the synth itself. I've had the PG-2K on my wish list for ages ... but again, $675. I actually have an older version of the Kiwi-3P mod kit but have never installed it. Anyway, love the 3P.

[@VultureCulture]

Sorry to hear your pg-200 got stolen! And yes, Retroaktiv's programmers aren't cheap but they make the synths so incredible.

[@andivax]

Kiwi mod ruins classic jx-3p sound.

[@michaelpierce3264]

love my alpha juno1 most synth techs agree that the oscillators are pure digital with no analog wave shapers coming from a single chip for all six voices.Curious if this is the case why didn’t Roland explore more that technology when digital was the future?

[@VultureCulture]

I don't believe the oscillators are digital, for the record. The real giveaway is how much smoother the pwm on the alpha juno is than the D-50.

[@emdotambient]

The big difference from my point of view is that the Alpha Juno 2 doesn't have a sequencer. Not really a problem for most if you're OK using an external sequencer or MIDI from a DAW (or can actually play a f***ing keyboard!). But back in the day, I used the JX's sequencer ALL the time. It's limited in that it can't be synced to MIDI (see below) without something like the KIWI mod. But it can be controlled via a Trigger, which I used to do using a TR-606 (you could do the same with the likes of the TR-707 as well, or from modular gear), using one of the Tom tracks. But the sequencer on it has like 128 steps (unlike the boutique "emulation" which has a paltry 16 or something stupid like that). Programming the sequencer is a pain if you're doing polyphonic sequences, but I got some pretty complicated results out of it. I'd write the note values in the sequencer and then use the 606 as a trigger sequencer. Altering the pattern on the 606, or switching time signatures (the Scale switch) made some really interesting sequence changes. Actually to sync the 3P's sequencer to MIDI I used a TR-707 synced to the 606 via DIN connector, then trigger the 3P from the 606, thus giving 2 drum machines plus the 3P's sequencer.

[@VultureCulture]

That's pretty brilliant!

[@holgernetterby4863]

I have a MKS-50 (rack version of the Alpha Juno 1/2) that I owned since 1991 (I felt it was old then when it was 5 years old 😂) and NOW when the unit is 38 years old the battery died last month. 😎

[@VultureCulture]

That battery was the true MVP!