Roland Juno 106 vs. Boutique JU-06...are you joking? No really, am I supposed to be laughing?

Recently a friend of mine who is none too bright bought himself a Roland Boutique JU-06.

"Oh, you twit!" I exclaimed upon discovering the purchase.

"You just paid a few hundred dollars for 2$ worth of software and 1$ worth of Chinese plastic....what the h*ll is wrong with your dumb a$$?!?!?!"

"Bl*w me!" said my friend, "Roland says this is just as good, and I bet YOU can't tell the difference"

"If Roland told you to perform fellatio on peoples pets down at the dog park and then give me all the money because it's a fantastic idea, would you do that as well?" was my retort as I took up my battle station on the couch facing away from my Juno 106 that is set up at the other end of the room.

"And LEVEL MATCH! You got it? You even know what that is"? I ordered my companion.

"Duh!" he replied. "I'll use the same length of cable"

I groaned as he ran to set up his new toy alongside my serious tool (Don't bother).

How did it end? Let's just say my friend ended up at the proverbial dog park with a mouthful of goodness.

But this raises a larger question for me regarding the boutiques.

Am I the only one who can tell the difference with his eyes closed?

The original is producing harmonic content at (I would estimate) a 2:1 ratio when compared to the new model. And that harmonic content isn't static, it ebbs and flows in an interactive dance with its environment, acting and reacting to the world around it, it's temperature, the cleanliness of the power it's consuming, the magnetic field produced by the people around it. All these things play a role in analog electronics,

Now, I know the Juno 106 can barely be called "Analog" at all, especially when compared with a true VCO synthesizer. I get that, but there is STILL enough going on under the control of analog CV that all those factors I listed affect its sound, and that even though it could be argued that it's DCO's are not analog oscillators, the sound engine when taken as a whole provides the user with the variance, liveliness and, "Phatness" of an analog synth, whether the original Juno 106 is an analog synthesizer or not by law, it certainly is in spirit.


 Weight, Girth, Fatness, ALIVE

All just synonyms for more and more varied harmonic content. The harmonic content, you dear reader and I, live and die by.

So, what does the JU-06 do the cover its tracks? To distract you from its anorexic harmonic content and soulless robotic squelch?

Elementry my dear Hirohito! Push the fundamental tone straight into your face then take a small group of harmonics and have a resonant filter sweep them, thus the ILLUSION of analog variance will be produced.

Where on the original, the fundamental frequency sits luxuriously in a bed of unpredictable harmonics. The JU-06 tries to poke your eye out with it. (Ostensibly so you don't bother trying to look BEHIND it.

This makes Roland's little "Plugin-in-a-box" sounds less smooth, more abrupt and jarring. Its focus is on delivering the frontline aspects of the sound and making sure you pay attention to them, the less obvious (but the aspects of the sound that you pay the big bucks for) are nearly non-existent,

It actually a very cheeky little hustle, and a very a Roland thing to do.

It's like when you try and spice up date night, by convincing your wife to swing with the couple across the street. And everyone plans to wear masks to make things less awkward at the next PTA meeting. Then when you're getting busy with what you think it your neighbor's wife (and he is plowing yours) You pull off his wife's mask and find a blow-up doll!

I can't believe other people don't hear this. I guess most serious audio professionals aren't interested in these "Boutiques" so wouldn't be here listening in the first place. Hey, if YOU can't tell the difference, then HAVE AT ER!

And bring your wife over sometime!