The Roland Juno-DS61 - My new busking synthesizer! Unboxing, quick sound demo and some busking 🎹🎶

After more than a decade with my Yamaha MM6, it was time for a new instrument. Enter the Roland Juno-DS61! In this video I unbox it and have a quick play through some of the sounds, before altering my case to fit it and rushing off to busk with it for the first time!
Chapters
00:00 Introducing my new synthesizer!
03:05 Unboxing
03:51 Keyboard case
09:12 First look
10:17 Sound demos
22:53 Keyboard case alteration
29:57 Busking
Website
www.samanthaedge.com
Social handles
Facebook / samanthaedgemusician
Twitter / samantha_edge
Instagram / samanthaedgemusician
Music purchase links
iTunes
12 track Original Album 'Moments'
itunes.apple.com/au/album/mom...
8 track Covers Album 'The Winter Sessions'
itunes.apple.com/au/album/the...
8 track Covers Album 'Covers Album'
itunes.apple.com/au/album/cov...
4 track Original EP 'What you wanted'
itunes.apple.com/au/album/wha...
Donation links
paypal.me/SamanthaEdge
busk.co/10966

[@daltonstephens]

Literally got my Roland Juno DS88 on my same date you uploaded. mine got here 2018 Dec, 17. And i loved it ever since, literally my top favorite keyboard!

[@Cpt_Kraken]

Happy for your purchase, nice instrument!

[@BaktaBak3]

WOW ! The sound(s) from this Roland is AMAZING ! ! ! ! Love it Samantha. Hope it works for you. 👍

[@fgauer1]

I love your playing and singing. Great job!

[@walfredmelendez9159]

80’s FM FTW 🙌

[@alfredolopez1626]

Excellent sounds!! Love it!!

[@edgesamantha]

Me too!

[@7139Harry]

Wow! Gratz on the new Roland ! Sounds incredible ... love the new sounds... it's like discovering you all over again 😀 Merry Christmas !

[@edgesamantha]

That's so good to hear! Merry Christmas to you too Harry!

[@kitgroovemachine]

I really like My DS, it sounds great, light weight, reliable, tons of sounds, runs on batteries and can be a midi keyboard !

[@edgesamantha]

It's a great machine!

[@marknettles]

Love it!

[@chrisgreenwood4713]

Very nice upgrade!

[@BaktaBak3]

Great job modifying the case !

[@BaktaBak3]

New keyboard.............AWESOME ! ! ! ! NICE ! ! ! !

[@LIFELOVER715]

A comprehensive, intelligent and well thought-out presentation. Your talents will serve you very well. Wishing you the best!

[@thegreat1548]

Thanks 🙏

[@jamelslifestyle]

Great video 👌🏼

[@lgovantes1]

Great video Samantha! I have a Juno dS61 and love it as well. I love your enthusiasm, energy, and authenticity! I and a DJ as well as a performer, and so I have a number of different amps (Katana 100, Air, Cube, Bose S1, JBL Compact and JBL One MkII, QSC), but I love my Bose S1 because it is compact, lightweight, battery powered, sounds amazing, and has a bluetooth link for backing tracks! ... great for solo performances.

[@edgesamantha]

That's awesome. I'm glad you're loving your gear! It's great when we find pieces that work well for us. 😊

[@BaktaBak3]

I find the Roland products to be very good. I/we have the Roland Streetcubes for busking and small venues (we have the older version) and still going strong. Well made and sound great ! 🎶🎶🎶

[@infn8loopmusic]

I have this one, and also the JDXI and man that thing is a beast in a tiny package.

[@marknettles]

I am a guitar player who has owned this synth for almost a year. I'm telling you all right now to check it out. It's fantastic in every way, and the price is deceptive considering how powerful it is. Get this board and delve deep into it's unbelievable potential!

[@edgesamantha]

It's so good! Over 6 months on and it's proved to be a great choice 👌 Still happy as with it and have only experienced a tiny fraction of it's capabilities!

[@marknettles]

@@edgesamantha Ain't it cool?

[@mikebythesea45]

How is the action of the DS61? I had the DS88 and the 88’s action was too heavy for synth playing for me.

[@edgesamantha]

For me, it's awesome! One of the key deciding factors that made me choose it. It will all be personal preference, but the DS61 doesn't have weighed keys, like the DS88 does, so it will definitely be a lighter feel.

[@JadeStarr]

Oh wow I missed this video somehow. Congrats on the new beast!

[@edgesamantha]

Thanks Jade 😊

[@infn8loopmusic]

I totally just go the same synth and it is absolutely amazing. It really does have everything. The sequencing / loop recording is great. You can put whole songs together in sections and then just play the sections in order and record it. Very nice. The expansions are good I got a 128 GB flash drive and it holds all ten expansions plus a ton of samples. I like expansion 2 (keys) and expansion 6 (studio pack) the best. Some of the other packs are pretty small. And the 'complete piano' is much better than the concert piano expansion I think. Has a lot more choices. You can only load one expansion at a time, but that's OK. They're easy to switch around. to load them just put them on your flash drive and plug it in, and then hold 'numeric' while you're turning the juno on(and follow the screen). It's really simple. My favorite thing on this so far is the super layers. It also has amazing EP /Rhodes sounds, and oberheim and classic synths. But really all of the built in sounds are just really great already. Have fun!!! Hope you enjoy it a lot!

[@edgesamantha]

Thanks for that info. I had heard you could only have one expansion pack loaded in at a time, but hearing that you can have them all loaded on the same usb and it's easy enough to switch between them is good to know!

[@infn8loopmusic]

@@edgesamantha yeah! It's great. I actually read all of the owner manuals so if you get stuck on anything ask away. 🤣 It's actually pretty easy to get around on once you get going though

[@samuelwedgeworth9879]

Good Job, love Your Voice to. Keep on keeping on😊

[@xgf122]

I started to learn piano in my 30th year :P and bought this Juno but 76 version for more space instead of PSR-EW425 few months ago, don't regret it to this day

[@BaktaBak3]

We do the same (last minute modifications ) with gear. Ya do what ya need to do !

[@edgesamantha]

Glad I'm not the only one!

[@danreavey2062]

Great vid and demo, thanks. Considering a DS61 for a lighter top board. Currently using a Korg Triton Extreme 61. Korg Kross 2 was the other possibility but I think the Roland is a bit better it most areas. Surprised about the Kross starting up time. I know that the Kronos takes almost 2 mins. Excellent voice and songs btw.

[@SMarie2222]

Hello, I was wandering Do you know if you can upload backing tracks , to play along with, on a USB thumb drive on the Juno ds?

[@t.michaelbodine4341]

I had the same issue with my car! The 76 key M-Audio keyboard I had my eye on was just too dang long to fit.

[@Jh0st]

Thank you for taking us through many different personal journeys - especially could relate to your struggles with the Roland KC-110 vs Bose S1 (glad to see the now familiar KC-110 even in this!) I was about to abandon Roland for Bose, but thanks to your videos, I did my homework (and realized I wasn't crazy ;-) The S1 sounds loud and fine-ish for Dj'ing music at weddings (majority of other YT channels show this), but for live performances they're claustrophobic and awful. } Bose standalone speakers have a certain 'sound' (an audiophile told me it was the design of their ported drivers) where the low and high tones aren't aligned. For some reason this makes a big difference for live performance. Out of curiously I even tested an old Bose SoundDock which at its core sounds similar to the S1. It's super loud for streaming music, but plugged into a vocal mic or guitar, sounds 'underwater' exactly like the S1 - it can't push out an articulate instrumental sound. You mentioned the BA-330: have you tried one for busking? I'm very curious. For an 'in between' solution that's not quite as big, for now I've settled on the Roland CM-30 Cube monitors. For small venues, 1 can be used, but in stereo they can be spread out and really fill a space. No batteries however, so they need a portable power dock... good luck and congrats on your new keyboard!

[@edgesamantha]

Thanks for your comment. Very interesting to read your experience and opinion too. Sorry it's taken me so long to respond! I have tried the BA330 once outside for a gig. My friend brought it along and I was able to play through it. It was nice and powerful and had the same sound I love from the KC110. Only drawback is the size, so still not completely sure which way I'll go when I next purchase a busking amp. There are some good seeming recommendations for other options over on my Bose S1 video, so I'd likely look into those as well. Will keep the Roland CM-30 cube monitors in mind too. Hoping I can keep going with my current gear for a while though, as I've not had as much work lately for a number of reasons, and can't afford to buy a new amp right now.

[@HarryBall-fw7pv]

The DS88 just went on sale here for 1000usd. Think im going to have to take advantage of the sale. I like the real piano feel of the 88 key

[@PaulIsbell]

I love the size and flexibility of the Juno-61. The Juno has been my favorite keyboard for around 10 years and I’ve wanted one for awhile now.. luckily with the holiday deals I am picking one up for only $599!! Question, does the Juno-61 work as a MIDI controller with Logic Pro for tracking and VST instruments?

[@edgesamantha]

Awesome bargain! 🎉 Great question! Wish I knew the answer for you. It definitely has a midi connection, so my guess would be yes, but I'm not familiar with Logic Pro and can't test it out for you unfortunately. Here's hoping! Guess it'll be one of the first things you test out once you've picked it up. Good luck and fun playing!

[@shugyy01]

How was the mm6 and also how's it compared to the roland

[@jamesewanchook2276]

hi ok I just noticed your new Roland does take batteries. Lovely playing and singings as always.

[@joeblow593]

Try the cathedrel patch in the organ section, best sound on the whole synth.😀 Maybe you can play Phantom of the opera?

[@edgesamantha]

Once we're passed Christmas I'm looking forward to getting more familiar with how to work this synth and it's many different sounds. A little disappointing you can only access one expansion pack at a time. The piano pack will probably be of more use to me to have loaded in there on a daily basis, but will definitely check out the cathedral patch just for fun!

[@britesynth]

You should have used the white factory foam to protect the pitch bend wheel, cut it to fit snug to your flightcase

[@edgesamantha]

I haven't made the final adjustments to the case, so I still have the opportunity to do so. Thanks for the idea!

[@britesynth]

@@edgesamantha has always been bothering me whenever I use a softcase, no way to protect the pitch bend 😁

[@wharman1]

Roland - Always a fine choice. If it inspires you to play, it is win. Be well! BP

[@JW75383]

I just got one of these too so I really appreciate your review. WOW , your voice is amazing!! Dumb question but is your mic also running through your Roland amp or do you have a small PA speaker and mixer as well? Sounds great!!

[@edgesamantha]

Oh thank you! My mic is running through my Roland amp as well. It treats vocals really well too. I did recently purchase a Shure impedence transformer to add to my mic cable which is supposed to increase the gain of the mic. I think it makes a little difference outdoors, but I noticed it less than I thought I would after testing it for the first time inside of my house. Anyway I was using my mic plugged straight into my amp for many years and found it sufficient 95% of the time. If I were to purchase a new amp, I'd likely go the bigger roland BA330 (or an upgrade to that one), because I just love how my KC110 handles both my keys and vox! All the best with your new synth!

[@JW75383]

@@edgesamantha thank you so much for your reply! The vocals and synth through the amp sound great. I am just getting into small, solo performing so that’s good to know that’s a viable option. I’m looking at the KC-200 or something similar for amplification. I literally just unboxed my JUNO DS61 today so am looking forward to exploring with it !

[@JW75383]

@@edgesamantha oh I forgot to ask since you mentioned you had a Yamaha. Did you try the MX61 in comparison to the DS61? I didn’t have the opportunity to try either before purchasing and ended up going with the Roland after a lot of research (including this video) lol. But am curious to see how the Yamaha is as well for performing.

[@edgesamantha]

I didn't get to try the MX61, but I did get to try the larger MX88. The sounds are the same between the both models. I wasn't all that impressed with the available tones, which was surprising given I've loved my yamaha mm6. I think the Roland is a good call. Amazing that you've made your decision without being able to test either of them. I made a lot of visits to music stores to test out various options before deciding on the DS61. I bought an amp 'blind' a few years ago and that ended up being a failure, so I was pretty concerned going into this synth purchase that I could end up in the same situation. It all worked out in the end. I will say the Roland sounds best in stereo. I was almost convinced while testing it out through the mono channel to my stereo amp that it was the one I'd choose, but then I swapped to a stereo cable and it just upped everything! So if you get the KC-200 I'd recommend using two channels for your left and right lines to get the best sound you can.

[@JW75383]

@@edgesamantha awesome! did you notice if the keys on the MX88 were also more rounded like the Roland"s? It was the first thing I noticed and is taking me a little bit to get used to. Also, thanks for the tip on the stereo cable for the amp, which one do you use? Sorry for all of the questions, lol.

[@howardbrown1951]

I just got the DS88

[@edgesamantha]

Do you love it? I'm still loving my 61 key version 😍

[@avalotikeshwara6136]

What brand is that table-microphone stand here at kzbin.info/www/bejne/q6KVYmp_a5ygbpo ? I am looking for something just like that.

[@edgesamantha]

I think you might be talking about the gopro tripod at that time stamp?

[@officialWWM]

I have one of these :)

[@edgesamantha]

Roland Juno-DS buddies!

[@officialWWM]

@@edgesamantha yes :)

[@101xaplax101]

nice voice

[@alan933]

wow you are interesting. I had to look up busking! and you need to interpret dogs better, your dog did not think it was a dog case he/she thought it was a dog bed. And you could tell that they weren't impressed with it as a dog bed. You are an accomplished woman! I was curious as to what you had your mic stand fastened on or was it on the ground? I have one that I fasten on my keyboard but it pics up the pounding and that is not good.

[@jamesewanchook2276]

Sounds great... what about battery power? We buskers don't always have access to AC. And... weighted keys? Can't find that on the 76 key version specs. Good luck. Don't get married, come to Vancouver sometime. Aussies like it here! cheers!

[@edgesamantha]

The Juno DS can be powered by 8 x rechargeable Ni-mh AA batteries. Or you can power it with a SLA battery/invertor set up. You can find more information on that, in this video I made about portable power. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hqO3fWt9j9Sko5o Weighted keys are only on the 88 model. The 61 and 76 models have non-weighted keys.

[@jamesewanchook2276]

@@edgesamantha Thanks Samantha, I sold my Nord Stage 3, 88 and settled on the Casio px 3100 battery weighted 88 keyboard. it's only about 23 lbs. My PA is the Roland Cube 'Street' [16 lbs] and I sing into Telefunken M80 mic [no lbs.].., It's basic, blues/jazz/latin rock, oldies, originals. I just got hired by the Vancouver subway system to play rush hour slots. It's very exciting , I'll keep you posted. So keep being great and remember me too. God bless you Sam.., I find you inspirational. Happy Xmas!

[@gerardmartin4718]

All I can hear is a blabbermouth geek

[@ScribbleBox]

Hello I just got one of these so do they require speakers? and if so what kind thanks

[@edgesamantha]

Yes, you'll need to plug into speakers or an amplifier with this as it doesn't have inbuilt speakers, just like most (if not all) synthesizers don't. Any kind will work. It's a personal preference thing for what you use. I can say that it sounds really good through my Roland KC-110, so I'd think you'd be quite safe brand matching and going for one of their amps too. They seem to have a good understanding of sound and keyboards. The current version of mine is the KC-220. I will say that using both line outs, so the signal that's sent is stereo, into my stereo amp made this synth shine. Really added depth and detail to the sound and solidified my decision to purchase. Good luck with your new synth!

[@ScribbleBox]

@@edgesamantha thank you sm!