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#301295 - 12/20/10 07:59 PM Just got a Juno Stage - now what?
RazerWolf Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 12/20/10
Posts: 5
Just got a Juno stage for the holidays, and I'm a bit confused as to what to do with it. I've had yamaha keyboards in the past, and have been very used to their auto accompaniment/arranger functionality. I produce dance/trance/techno/house tracks in my spare time, and once in a while I like to perform "live" for friends/small get-togethers, and I'm just trying to think how the Juno Stage will fit into that.

I can see it as a good:

- Patch synth. From what I've seen it has some nice patches and plenty of layering/fx. I'm sure I can get some pretty good trance leads out of this thing.
- Arpeggiator is a dead ringer for most dance songs
- Seems like a good Midi controller
- Keys feel great, can be used for building up my solo keyboard playing skills in general


Cons
- No auto arranger. Pretty much throws out any live performance (unless I use the backing track functionality. It seems interesting, but transposing and/or prolonging songs seem to be problematic with a setup like this. In other words, feels like improv is pretty much dead in the water.)
- The above limitation makes it hard to experiment with different styles.
- It just feels like it's this instrument that's kind of hard to fit in anywhere.


The question is, can my money be better spent somewhere else? Maybe a GW8 (which does have arranger facilities) or something else?

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#301296 - 12/21/10 06:49 AM Re: Just got a Juno Stage - now what?
FransN Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 05/16/09
Posts: 1415
Loc: Netherlands
Hi Razorwolf,

The juno stage is a great instrument for on stage or in a studio. For a one man live performance you better buy the GW8.

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#301297 - 12/21/10 07:09 AM Re: Just got a Juno Stage - now what?
RazerWolf Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 12/20/10
Posts: 5
Will definitely be more geared towards studio work, as I'm really looking to get more into production. It's just a bit different from anything I've used before, hence my disorientation.

Could you be a bit more descriptive in the ways you found it useful? What are some of the specific advantages that the Juno Stage has over synths, and/or arranger workstations like the GW8? What unique strengths should I be looking out for and taking advantage of? I'm still learning to mess around with it and I'm sure there are many things I'm not cognizant of.

Thanks

[This message has been edited by RazerWolf (edited 12-21-2010).]

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#301298 - 12/21/10 07:21 AM Re: Just got a Juno Stage - now what?
FransN Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 05/16/09
Posts: 1415
Loc: Netherlands
The GW8 is a synth (limited) and a arranger workstation in one and the sounds are good enough for use in a studio. See what these guys did http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sx2Z_lleUxw

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#301299 - 12/21/10 07:30 AM Re: Just got a Juno Stage - now what?
RazerWolf Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 12/20/10
Posts: 5
Interesting vid.

You said the GW8 is limited. Is it more limited than the Juno stage? In what ways? I thought they had the same engine and patches. I'm looking more for comparisons between the two (or others) and why I would/should prefer one over the other. Can you elaborate a bit on your thoughts?

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#301300 - 12/21/10 07:44 AM Re: Just got a Juno Stage - now what?
FransN Offline
Senior Member

Registered: 05/16/09
Posts: 1415
Loc: Netherlands
I mean with limited that you can change a few parameters on the GW8 to change the sound and that the Juno has more possibilities to change the sound. But the GW8 has more wave rom(256mb) and the Juno Stage 128MB. I see it this way. If you don't need styles go for the Juno Stage. If you also want to play as a arranger go for the GW8.

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#301301 - 12/21/10 09:19 AM Re: Just got a Juno Stage - now what?
RazerWolf Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 12/20/10
Posts: 5
Could please be more descriptive? I've looked around and I do see that the Juno Stage has a few more knobs. In your experience, have you found that functionality that the Stage provides particularly useful?

How does the GW8's 256MB wave rom compare with the Stage's 128MB wave rom? Have you personally heard either (or both)?

How do these compare to the Juno G? Is there another synth which is a strong contender? I'd appreciate more details if you (or anyone else) can supply them.

Thanks

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#301302 - 12/21/10 12:32 PM Re: Just got a Juno Stage - now what?
arranger_yes_pc_no Offline
Member

Registered: 07/16/09
Posts: 319
Quote:
Originally posted by RazerWolf:
Just got a Juno stage for the holidays, and I'm a bit confused as to what to do with it.


have you tried to sit on it?


no offence, but it sounds like you don't even know what you want....the lack of auto arranger isn't a cons. The Juno Stage is a synth workstation, not an arranger workstation. Synth workstations have been out for ages, just like arranger workstations. The Juno is a top instrument and does what it does. Does it do what you need to do ?

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#301303 - 12/21/10 01:06 PM Re: Just got a Juno Stage - now what?
RazerWolf Offline
Junior Member

Registered: 12/20/10
Posts: 5
My apologies, maybe I wasn't clear before. I got it as a present for the holidays, and it's a bit different than what I'm used to, hence my discombobulation. I was just looking for some general information and tips/suggestions on the strengths of this specific synth vs. others, accounts from people who've used it, what are some vanilla and/or interesting ways to use it, etc.

EDIT: Does it do what I need it to do? That's what I'm trying to figure out by asking here for people who've used it or know of it to give some advice on how it compares to others, strengths to look out for, etc. (Sorry if this is just a rehash of the above comments, I just wanted to be clear). Thx

[This message has been edited by RazerWolf (edited 12-21-2010).]

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