Softube Model 84 Synthesizer - More than just an emulation 

You and Matt Johnson releasing videos on this soft synth at the same time, a Tuesday doesn’t get any better!

Back when I used to own a Juno 106, I dreamed of other synths like the Jupiter 8. But now I realise just how good the 106's sound is, I use the Model 84 nine times out of ten over my Jupiter plug. It is a very special synth and sound, the bedrock of many genres past and present!

When I can feel the emotion of the chords you play, immediately I know this is a true emulation. Excellent video, authentic Juno sound. 💯

Great review & you came up with some lovely patches Alex! The modular demo tune was great, and I was particularly blown away by the bass sound (especially after you kicked in the 2nd tone) as well as the snare sound, which sounded full & added a lot to the frequency spectrum, but sat in the mix perfectly! 👍👍

Great review! Good to see some softsynth reviews among the hardware stuff, thanks Alex

Alex, I love your demo's. But I really admire your composing and recording skills on top of that. Everything sounds top notch and is well crafted. Cheers! From Peter/NL

That ending was sublime, please do a longer version :D And that softsynth does sound amazing....

I had a Juno 106 for almost 15 years. It was my first polyphonic synth. While I don't regret selling it, this brings back a lot of memories. It's a great synth. Great video as always!

just love your channel alex, and really appreciate your honesty regarding your gear collection. You are right, my self and many others cannot fit and/or afford some of this gear. So it's a joy to watch you demo and explain some of this legendary equipment to us week in, week out. much love

It's the modular aspect that really sells this plugin. If it was just another Juno plugin then, you know, whatever, but it's a genuine USP. I'm actually surprised a modular 106 (either digital or physical) hasn't appeared on the market sooner.

Bought the Model 84 and Modular yesterday because of this review. Now I just have to study your 80s Chord Voicing and P*rno Music Tutorials and I'll be Ballin' in no time. Radical!

Cool Video! Loved the score in the 'Summary and Thoughts' section. Vibe!

Awww the bittersweet tinge of nostalgia for how things were and admiration for what has become in the end there, I felt that.

Great video! On the outro topic: Honestly even disregarding the fact that vintage analog synths are getting rarer, more expensive and harder to maintain with each passing day, it's just far easier to load in a plugin in a DAW and jam out on that. No MIDI timing issues, no need to maintain it, no need for physical space to actually put it, and it being digital means there's no risk of scarcity (which means it's much cheaper too). It's faster, more reliable, and more accessible - you lose out on some of the physicality (you can get around by mapping different encoders to different functions, but it's just not the same as having the layout right there IMO...) I won't ramble on any further - once again, great video, loved the demos as always, keep it up!

If you want to turn your Model 84 into a 2osc, just make a duplicate instance of the synth and detune the two against each other (same sound settings otherwise). That's a much simpler way to get a richer sound than setting up a massive 16x stack in modular! But of course there's a lot more you can do by splitting up the modules. I love the *idea* of modular but I want to spend my time playing music rather than tweaking (especially on the computer), so I'm a little hesitant to open that can of worms. That said, the idea of making a 3osc Juno or some kind of Joog/Muno hybrid is very tempting. It just seems best suited to mono synths for pragmatic reasons. If Softube continues to create amazing analog emulations and porting them into Modular, it's only a matter of time before I'll have to check it out.

Great timing! An hour ago I was checking out a free VST for Linux & Windows called June 21, which attempts to emulate an Alpha Juno 2. Softube really outdid themselves on this, ey? It sounds great! Thanks, always for sharing. Have a great day Alex!

Oh man all your demos are a killer!

Bonjour Alex, You have pronounced the word "Bienvenue" to perfection in French ! As usual, an excellent video. A crush on your end music... which is simply magnificent... and magical !!!

Wow, that wash of string sounds at the end! Reminds me of the wonderful Solina String Ensemble :-)

Mate, you could almost consider doing this kind of thing for a living. 😜 Fabulous demo and the vast amount of effort you put into making this is greatly appreciated. Cheers and thanks from Sydney, Dave (about to buy the Model 72 and maybe this baby too...)

Sending me on a bicycle race to the moon here. Always great work.

I hear it's so good that Softube is Geert's new favorite tube site.

A video so 80s I'm now wearing flourescent socks, white slip on shoes and a jacket with the sleeves scrunched up above my elbows.

Serious for a moment: one of the things that drew me to your channel from the beginning and has always brought me back (aside from the humor, or - more properly -"humour") is your upbeat enthusiasm. If you have ever had a bad day or a down week, we'd never know it. I always feel good after watching one of your videos - even if it's just a straightforward review. Although I still like it when you review stuff with your face. :-) And ss that a rabbit mask behind you? When are going to see THAT in action? Scheshy!

You make the 106 sound so good!

Great sounds, as always! Much like the Minimoog, Softube has come into a space where there are already several great emulations, and still managed to carve out a space for yet another one. The Modular integration is a nice bonus, but it really does sound fantastic as a straight emulation as well. Just waiting for Live to finish scanning plugins (Softube updated everything else today too) so I can try it out.

Hello Alex: After watching your video, I have bought this VST. There is a freeware VST which emulates the Juno. However, it has some undocumented "features", as is in "it's not a bug, it's a feature" and it found it too frustrating. I am very happy with the Softube software. Keep up the good work.

Good job on the color grading. Nice Kodak Super 8 look.

This sounds pretty convincing, I owned a Juno 106, and now I am thinking on getting this (no more space for hardware, or at least no more space for unplanned hardware out of my wish list).

I've been neglecting getting another Juno plugin, because there are just so many out there (and that's not a bad thing). BUT, hearing this one, this one does sound exactly like you described it: "alive". Which is something that was missing in the plugins I tried. Long story short, I think I will have to check this one out myself! Top demo vid as always!

One advantage of the Roland Cloud ACB Juno 106 is its integration with the System 8 controller. I have that one and the Softube 84 for the heck of it. Was intrigued by the integration with Modular.

coming into this from Matt's review. this jam's a keep yaow !

Sounds quite a bit moodier than I remember my 106 to sound. Softube nailed it 10/10

You put a lot of energy into your videos! This is great, thank you!

Ohhhhh noice

Man what a dope tune to kick it off

The way I see it, there's nobody more qualified for reviewing a softsynth than someone who knows the sound of hardware synths. :D

Cool funky demo :-)

Modular demo sounds soo good....kinda of reminds me of the sound of some of John Foxx early stuff

I felt particulary honnored when you said "bienvenu !" ahaha perfect accent !

Can you do a video on how you record your guitars? I know it's a synth-focused channel but they always sound so nice too!

Yes, things have come a long ways since the days when I built a midi controlled synth with my Atari ST. I do remember all the limitations of VSTs from 20 years ago and that is no longer the case. Also, as a Linux user, things have really come a long way in the last few years. Great Linux compatible VSTs with a lot of power and flexibiltiy (ex. u-he, Matt Tytel's Vital, TAL), Bitwig as a full-fledged DAW and even a measure of compatibility with Windows VSTs thanks to Lin-VST. Lastly, I really like your videos because not only do you do good overviews of what you can do, but you make nice music in the process.

Softube do do a really good job on their emulations.

There is an universe of software that I don't understand but sounds amazing.

Alex, you are incredible. 🔥

The modular aspect is a very clever idea, though I found myself sitting here wishing they could release those modules in VCV Rack! I guess they'd be undercutting themselves though...

That drop did not disappoint... 😃

It sounds great 😃

My musician's life revolves around VSTs, yet, hardware makes my heart leap. Not sure, if you'd be sorry to hear that, but you're making an extra case against virtual instruments with this one. No matter how hard you may try it, you can't hide it either, hehe. Speaks for you all day! ☺ ...can't get enough of your videos, by the way! Hope you won't tumble down the promo hole too much, but people are wise to pick you, that's for sure!

Very cool. How does it compare to other Juno-106 / 60 clones from TAL, Cherry Audio, or Arturia sound-wise?

Great video sir. What drum samples are you using for this? They sound killer!

Sounds great and if you're into the Softube modular stuff, it's a no-brainer. Personally as I already own the TAL, Arturia and Cherry Audio versions (as well as the modules for their Voltage Modular), this seems a bit redundant for me.

Wow…the ender…..beautiful moving harmonics.

YOOOOOO I WANT THIS NOW

What a fantastic review. Just Bought! Curious / What are you using for drums in the intro track? So punchy!

Great demonstration, good vid. I might be picking up an old beat up Korg M1 tomorrow, should I be embarrassed?

How is doing a fairly quick filter sweep? Is it smooth and natural? That's where I think these emulations sometimes die. I'm generally happy with Arturia's emulations, but their JUN-6 sounds awful when sweeping the filter and seems to have some other weird artifacts (I don't think this is actually true on a real Juno-6, but I've only ever used a 106). I find that Cherry Audio's DCO-106 is much better with filter sweeps.

This sounds great. But, honestly, we have the Roland Cloud one, The Cherry Audio DCO-106, TAL-U-NO, the Arturia one, and probably others too. After the MiniMoog and ARP 2600, this must be one of the most emulated synths ever. So as nice as it is, I don't see myself running out and buying it, especially for $100+ dollars.

It sounds good, your demos are great. Strange that it only displays 4 1/2 octaves on the screen. That would annoy me in some situations.

oooo..interesting!! I like this

Another Juno recreation?? Worth it?! Already got TAL’s & Cherry Audio’s. What are the advantages of this one over those 2 outside of modular?

I think maybe this re-combining bits of a synthesizer with modular kit all in a simulator, has created a new kind of instrument? I wonder if the signal processing is being handled by GPUs? Enter stage left neural network based instrument modules from the Hartmann Neuron?

I love the way you legit demo the synth. Many vloggers just talk the talk, but don’t walk the funky chicken walk. 😎

10:35 How is this effect achieved? Glide? Is the synth comparable to the TAL V2 U-NO-LX?

99 US, they're taking the mick, Cherry Audio nailed this bad boy for a fraction of the price AND did a module for Voltage (i own Softube modular as well). Softube HAVE to start getting real about their asking prices, it's a different world guys.

Only thing I don’t like is 6 voice limit. Easy fix though. Load two up in unify with a key split - instant 12 voices. Stack again to detune OSC. Badass!

And this excellent video also goes to prove that the 106 is in no way inferior to the 60 when it comes to warmth and character.

Dyin' to know the secret of your ultra-fat snare sound! RMX? LinnDrum? Simmons? So deep!

I bought the Model 84 and 72 from Plugin Boutique today for £130 GBP. Fantastic-sounding synths for a bargain price 👍

does this have portamento control? like the roland cloud junos?

Does it have the original factory presets???

great sounding instrument Alex,however i already have arturia's V collection 8, wich has the juno in it aswel as many others,also not sample based but modelled,i also own a real juno 60,but have'nt used it for a long time because of setup,and the softsynths sound as good as the real thing nowadays and dont take any space exept for RAM on your computer,great compositions as always,cheers m8

damn you are awesome!!

Very interesting plug-ins (both 84 and 72). Having unlimited polyphony is a nice advantage over real hardware. What do you think of the affordable Behringer hardware analogue remakes of say the minimoog model D? or the Boutique Roland JU-06A (a digital emulation) with 4-note polyphony?

This sounds great. It's too bad Roland can't get their act together and make some CPU-friendly versions (even the reduce CPU settings are not enough). May have to buy this one though!

Need to see a vid on Roland's legit Juno-106 plugin vs Cherry Audio's version vs Softube (this one here). For authenticity's sake. But I do have to say that modular module bonus thing sure is a neat bonus.

Hmmm.... I hate to say this but some of those patches sound a bit nicer than my real 106. Am I crazy? I read on another comment that the modular mode is clunky and a processing hog, but that's what is getting me a bit psyched about this. Paid ad or not, good job Alex!

Youre SUCH an underrated keyboardplayer - (guitarist, bass player , singer - Damn , anything you DONT ecxell in !? )and between you, Marc Doty , Shoebridge and Loopop , and , possible a Nick Batt , and Gaz but they dont count , as they have the same taste both in sounds and bands , as me ,-theres VERY far down to the next presenters - i mean , theres the crazy outliers , like Jay Hosking , Bella Donna "RedMeansRecording," - "Agent Wong" , Mylar, -DivKid , GEOSynth and that ilk....and such - but as Presenter´s - there only the 4 of you that REALLY sticks out in a Abnormally knowing way ! - me thinks !

"Softube are cool but I don't need another Juno softsynth [less than a minute later] I NEED THIS!"

I just go this today. Throw a big reverb on this and long Attack. Oh my god.

bro ur crazy...wow 👏👏👏

Juno VSTs keep popping up, which is a good thing.

I like your reviews a lot! Very musical, you actually make music for the reviews, not just compare raw screechy osc tones like almost all the other 300000 reviewers out there. Only nit-picking... you must go more chill on the guitar ... sort of like a "shoegazer on valium" chill. It looks like you want to rip the guitar apart. ;-)

There's a stand alone mode? How does that work? I've got Modal 84 and haven't seen any way for it to run without being in a DAW.

this sounds great coming through my 5.1 the bass shakes the floor love it Pitti I don't have the $AUD127.24 for it :(

How much more 80's can this sound? The answer is none. None more 80's.

Why doesn't Softube supply a document of default MIDI CC mappings to control the Model 84? I asked Softube tech support. The guy claimed there are no defaults. I want to control the synth without having to do all the MIDI learn stuff. I want to know which CC numbers to send for the knobs and sliders. Most synth makers publish a document for MIDI mappings,

Merci! 😊

I wonder if customisable vcf and vco modules might be possible - by which I mean having dynamics perhaps not practical to ever actually implement in hardware... such a trend, together with maybe an online community for sharing such new modules, might open new doors never considered for hardware instruments?

Прекрасные звуки из каменного века.

what ever the softube team are drinking, its giving them some kind of magic powers.

It does'nt really important if it's virtual or analog when you playing so good, I love your tunes.

Well about MIDI Mapping, it's like this for every controllable thing in a DAW, isn't it? Another musician also "test drove" this and showed the MIDI Mapping thing exactly like this. Softube probably had strict guidelines what to demonstrate about this thing didn't they?

1:49 this is so Naughty Boys era YMO I’m amazed

Whats the list on the studio monitor? to do list or just a simple shopping list ;)

what is your main midi controller? looks very 2004

It Sounds great! I sit in front of a computer all day at work. So for this reason I will continue to buy and invest in hardware synths. When people say they can’t afford the hardware I question. Because If you have the ability to make money you have the ability to save money to buy the real thing. It just takes a little more time. However Just choose wisely .. . I will probably buy this as the real 106 is one of those hardware units I’ve stayed away from. To many headaches for the cost not to mention my alpha Juno 2 gets me close enough most of the sounds.. Thanks for the honest review. .

Awesome!

Is maximum nostalgia guaranteed?

I prefer Model 69.