Hello. I've made mostly hip hop instrumentals on FL Studio for years now, and recently I've been experimenting with an MPC 500. Lately I've thought about investing in a nice synthesizer to help take the quality of my music up a notch. I like all kinds of modern electronic & experimental music, I love old funk & R&B, and I love hip hop. I've been looking into Roland synths, and ideally I'd buy a Jupiter 80, unfortunately I'm not wealthy enough to do that.
So, I'm thinking about compromising with my budget by instead investing in a Juno Di, Gaia-SH01, or a Juno Gi. I'm wondering what makes the Juno Gi more expensive than the Gaia-SH1 or the Juno Di? What kind of sound quality and features does the Juno Gi provide that I wont get with a Gaia-SH01 or a Juno Di? What are some significant differences between these three synths?
Just for some clarification... the Roland Juno series keyboards are quite different from the GAIA. The Juno's offer a large library of sampled programs including realistic pianos, EP's, organs, strings, brass, and other acoustic sounds, while the GAIA is more of a "straight synth." It's better for blips, bleeps, leads and synth bass sounds.
I don't think the GAIA comes with any acoustic samples, though I haven't spent much time with one. It does offer great synth sounds though, plus it has many more knobs, sliders and switches compared to its Juno counterparts... offering easier sound "tweaking." It also runs on both AC and battery power.
My recommendation though, would be a used Korg Radias (pictured below). I've had one for several years and love it. I was able to buy one from Sweetwater right before they were discontinued. I'm sure if you get a chance to play one, you'll want to add it to your current rig. The Radias offers amazing features and sounds (read about it here: http://www.vintagesynth.com/korg/radias.php). It also offers a four-octave keyboard, versus the GAIA's smaller, three-octave one.
Last edited by Synthologist; 02-08-2013 at 11:03 AM.
Thank you Synthologist. I do appreciate the contribution & helpful information. I checked out some demos of the Korg Radias, its certainly a nice toy. Still, I think I may be leaning toward a Juno. Though, only time will reveal what fate has in store.
Spend as much time as you can with the Juno, and any other synth you are interested in purchasing. It's better to buy a keyboard you will grow into rather than one that will end up at the bottom of your closet in 6 months.
Just a tip... I have read a few negative reports over the years regarding build quality of the Juno keyboards--keybed problems and screen issues being the most common. It's definitely worthwhile to contact a Sweetwater rep for detailed information and recommendations.
I've dealt with Sweetwater for about 10 years now and their sales & service are top-notch.
Juno Di Vs. Juno Gi Vs. Roland Gaia SH-01
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks