Sweet Synth at a GREAT price 
by JMR from Des Moines, IA, June 2008
Music Background:  hobbyist / keyboard player in a band

This is a great synth. I've owned it for about a month now. Sounds like a Fantom, but doesn't cost as much. Four track analog audio recording, effects processors, over 1000 built in presets, analog knobs for manipulating various patch settings, and on-screen manipulation for deeper settings. Solid arpeggiator and rhythm kits. Decent sequencer and sampler. You just can't beat this thing for the price. Make sure to buy the memory upgrade and PC Card for long term storage though (costs about $100 more for the max upgrade). Without those the audio recorder isn't much more than a demonstration of how the synth would work if you could record enough to make it useful. Roland hit a home run with this system. Roland's had a few years of hit-and-miss synths recently, but this synth is definitely a hit. I wouldn't trade it for anything right now.

  Really, really, really, really good keyboard 
by Kevin B. from New Orleans, LA USA, June 2008
Music Background:  Electronic Musician

This synth/workstation is FANTASTIC!!!! I'm so excited about it. I started with a much more expensive MO8, but it didn't have sampling (and was too big to go on an airplane). This unit is lightweight, goes on a plane, does just about EVERYTHING, and has some great, warm-sounding patches. Tegan and Sara play this keyboard as well (good band if you don't know them). Perfect for live shows.

Reasons this didn't get 5-star:
-no aftertouch
-no weighted/semi-weighted keys
-piano patches are a little tinny and lack realism, need tweaking.
-have to buy adapter for Compactflash and RAM comes really low (however, both are easily rectifiable: ~$80)

  Character 
by MotifCity.com from Sac, CA, March 2008
Music Background:  Poducer, author, educator

I recently read an article pitting the Korg M3 against the Fantom X. At the end the reviewer said, "But Roland users know Roland synths have great character..." I couldn't agree more, and the Juno G is no exception. Ever heard the COSM Lead? Burning Lead? 2ReturnBass? They are simply WICKED and not found in even the best VSTis out there. This is where Roland has always shined: Bass, synths, pads, strings, keys, brass. All are top notch in the Juno (basses in particular). Sadly the drums and acoustic guitars leave a lot to be desired (the 808/909 kit is very pathetic--which makes no sense to me at all given Roland invented both of those machines..? MC series has WAY better drums).

The sequencer does its job, and I'm here to tell you the swing/shuffle algorithm they used bounces just like an MPC--although let it be known the Juno's outputs are NOT hot and punchy at ALL. In fact, if you want to record the Juno, you are going to need a pre amp. This probably helps explain why the board is so light (b grade amplification). I must say I like the non wall wart design. Smart.

Overall I dig the board.. but I hate the thin/short keys (feels like plastic casio keys and way too firm), the low contrast orange display, the thin sounding drums (WACK analog drums), weak acoustic guitars, thin sounding effects, and unorthodox operating system/layout (song mode is every bit as cryptic and lame as the XP series---ugh)

I don't mean to knock the board. As I said at the outset, it has CHARACTER. And I do recommend it for those who have a good pre and want to augment their sound arsenal with hot leads, bass, and keys (the acoustic grand is not bad at all (reminds me of awesome RD700 piano). I do not recommend it for beginners. Manual is-- characteristically--cryptic and the board's layout is unruly and hard to grasp.

  So far so good!!!!!! 
by Kevin from San Francisco, December 2007
Music Background:  Musician, Sound Designer

I've only had this for a few weeks but really love its abilities thus far. I play live electronic music so the features such as the built in sequencer, four track audio recorder, midi capabilities and the vast sound bank makes this synth ideal for what I do.

  awesome 
by marcus clegg from virginia beach, va, June 2007
Music Background:  aspiring producer

I use the juno G with an mpc 1000 and im very happy i picked it up. Im relitively new to production but right off the rip it was easy to use and navigate through. I will however say if your not totally used to roland workstations, defintely read that manual, (its a must) other than that with the expansion possiblities and usb connectivity this will be my new main board for years to come.

  mac says 
by amaculan from tacoma wa, May 2007
Music Background:  producer artist

i own one of these i like to sample on it an use the synth effects on my sounds its pretty dope tha mac album is actually comeing out pretty great

  THE VERY BEST OF ROLAND 
by CESAR from WASHINGTON, February 2007
Music Background:  JAZZ, FUSION, PRO MUSICIAN

IT HAS SUPERB SOUNDS RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX. IF YOU APPLY EFFECTS YOU WILL BE AMAZED. I BOUGHT THE SRX ULTIMATE KEYS AND ALSO THE SRX PLATINUM TRACK. I WILL NEVER LOOK BACK AGAIN. I HAD A TRITON EXTREME 61. IT WAS GOOD BUT THE BRASS SOUNDS WERE SO POOR AND PATHETIC AND EVEN THOUGH I APPLIED TONS OF EFFECTS, I COULD NOT GET WHAT I WANTED. WITH MY JUNO-G EVERYTHING IS PERFECT. MIND YOU, I AM A FAN OF KORG PRODUCTS, BUT THIS JUNO-G IS REALLY GOOOOOOOOD1

  Roland Juno G or Korg (Triton engine) - A basic comparison 
by Phil from South Central US, January 2007
Music Background:  Hobbyist

I own both a Roland Juno-g and a Korg MicroX(Triton engine) so I'll share my thoughts.
1: Sounds and quality of - Pianos go to Roland. The optional SRX cards are pricey but worth it. Korg pianos sound thin. Korg has great organ and synth sounds so these are a draw. Dance music Korg has the edge.
2: Ease of use - I've got to give Korg the edge. The Roland does amazing things but I seem to refer back to the manual for instructions.
3: Expansion - Roland. Up to a 512mb Dimm and a CF card and SRX. It's a make it like you want it system. However the Juno-G can only record a 23 second stereo wav file out of the box so you'll need some extra memory.

I haven't spent enough time recording on the Roland to comment and the Korg MicroX doesn't so I'm excluding this issue. Both are high quality boards. My suggestion "Buy Both" and spice up your music.

  Great keys 
by Mick Latter from UK London, December 2006
Music Background:  Pro performer and music teacher

You cannot beat this ketboard for features and price.
Easy to navigate, clear and consise screen. Sound set is fantastic and the effects section perfect. I have a Fantom X8 and this little gem has all but made that redundant except for the piano style keyboard on it which I use for piano features.
The real bonus is the juno g is so light ideal for gigging and quickly putting up in other locations or near PC's. Roland should sell loads of these and you can already get a great deal on them.

  amazing synth/sampler 
by ian matson from philladelphia outskirts, October 2006
Music Background:  aspiring keyboardists, hobbyist, and original song writer

i got this about 4-5 hours before a gig. this is a truly amazing and easily navigated synth. the effects and capabilities are very awesome. this is one keyboard i would certainly take over any other in its price range.

  Nice workstation/synth 
by FR from Bay Area, CA, October 2006
Music Background:  Hip Hop Producer

This board was much more than I expected. The synth capabilities are outstanding and the sequencer is very intuitive and easy to use. My only complaint is that the sequencer is only 16 tracks. This is slighltly limiting if you want to separate percusssion sounds onto to different tracks. You can, however, sequence all of your drums on the same track if you use one drum kit. Either way, it's only a minor setback. You can easily get around it if you're clever. The sounds are all top notch with many variations of each family (piano, organ, bass, synth, etc.) You can tell that Roland left out their best quality patches so that you'd have to buy the SRX cards. Regardless, there is plenty to work with right out of the box. The price is unbeatable. THe only other workstation at this price is the Fusion which has nice synth sounds but simply doesn't measure up when it comes to realisitic instruments. This is a great buy.

  Sounds like a good idea! 
by Mihaly Börzsei from Tampere, Finland, September 2006
Music Background:  Hobbyist

Just try it few days and even without reading a single review you will like it. There is one Demo song inside, which is modern, but poor and 3 other Demo at Roland web site which are better. I looked for a synth to compose music. I already had a Generalmusic CD3+ Hyperkeyboard, so I even consider just a modul unit. I tried various brands available in the city and even the second hand models. My old Keyboard has loudspeakers and a bunch of connection in/out therefore the synthesizer could be lightweight without speakers. I also have computers to connect to. To be honest I like blue or green displays better than orange color, and touch screen on E-series or G-70 is far more pleasure to handle. In contrast the SH-201 synth has no screen at all. I already had to read the user manual few times to understand the Juno-G logic! Its software could be improved, but control keys are very intuitive, D-beam is the best.
My fiancé were able to produce a pleasurable tune within no time without music background at all. That really surprised me! Unfortunately there is no Skip back sampling, like in Roland Fantom series so that one is lost forever.
Owners of the predecessor model Juno-D used to say that board Rocks! Juno-G then Rock & Roll.

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