oh yes the alpha juno 😃 (big smile here) imagine this.. Netherlands, 1995 in a large sport arena with room for 10. 000 people. the event still has to begin so the lights are still on. the first people are getting in and on stage paul elstak, Patrick van Kerckhoven and other dutch gabber producers are preparing their set. then paul elstak, just for fun, presses one key on the alpha juno... an extremely loud and and thunderes sound fills the hal. 1000 people go completely bezerk! people are cheering, clapping and yelling. what an atmosphere and a energy! amazing how just one sound can stirr up the crowd like this 🎉 amazing times, amazing synth 💖
About 4 years ago (2017), I found a FB marketplace ad and walked away with a mint condition Alpha with the original Roland hard case for under $200. It was a very lucky day indeed.
Back in the 90's I used to be a volunteer Youth Worker for my local council and one of the services provided was a "Music Workshop" where teenagers could come and learn music. We had an AJ-1 and two TR drum machines (along with a Kawai K1, Yamaha SY22 and the wonderful Roland W-30) I have great memories of using all this kit and especially the "Hoover Machine". Sadly due to financial cuts the council sold off all the instruments and I missed out getting any of it. Great vid and one last thing, I did download a VST named "Phutura" which kind of reminds me of the AJ-1 and the Hoover sounds it made.
I still have in my studio my alpha Juno 1, my 1st synth bought new in 85. A great sounding machine, it was my strings & pads provider for decades. And yes, its main drawback is the lack of self resonance in the filter.
I bought one a month ago for $200 and it's my 1st hardware synth. I'm a total synth noob so I still need to spend more time with it. Seems to be fully functional too.
Wish I'd bought the one my friend was selling in the 90's. Now I need to know how to get one without my wife finding out. It's been something that's been burning inside of me for years. Great video as always, many thanks.
In '86, I could finally afford my first synth. I wanted the Alpha Juno but it was over $1000. I ended up with a DX27. That sound still brings back memories of playing it in the music store.
Great video. I am a jazz bassist getting into techno/house and you have helped me understand the basic DNA of hardcore techno which I was never able to understand fully. The classic parallel minor triads of techno music come from this machine. and all the rest. Insightful. Thank you very much. Also, your depiction of all the early 90's records that immediately started using this sound in the aftermath of Beltram is also of great help. Good job. Chapeaux. Blake
Nice video. I love Roland DCO synths. When I got an Alpha 1 it totally cured the GAS I had for a 106. I highly recommend the D-tronics programmer, it makes it a real joy to mix the waveforms and program that complex envelope.
Really really awesome videos you produce. Not only do you make a sufficiently thorough and up-to-date review of the unit, but you tell how it fits into electronic music history and provide a few programming examples. That's the perfect recipe for my taste ✌️🙏
Got one in October 2020 and prices currently start at $200 more than I paid. That's still about 1/2 of a Juno 106 and about 1/4 of a Juno 60, though. Thanks for the video, very informative. Plus the things just sound damn good.
But is so not the same. You might in fact use a virtual version, they sound almost exactly the same. The coolness of the alphaJuno is the package. It may not sound as cool as a Juno-60, but they are absolutely lovely to play.
@@thomaskolb8785 If you're talking about the sound, I'm sorry but they are the same. I've had both. If you're talking about user experience, I'll take my MKS-50 and PG-300 over an alpha 1 or 2 any day thanks.
@@EstuaryMists Yes, I know they have the same innards. I actually had an AlphaJuno1 for a long time and when trying to save some studio space, I sold it and replaced it with the MKS-50. But for me, the MKS-50 was not at all as fun to play. It didn't give me the same immediate tactile satisfaction. I guess I am just not a rack-synth type of guy!
@@thomaskolb8785 I totally with that sentiment. Back in the early / mid 90's I tried to get as much into racks as possible for space reasons but over the years have moved back to keyboards with tactile surfaces for that very reason. I guess the one thing that Roland got right with the rack versions of their synths was that a programmer could be connected. Truth be told, I've only kept my MKS50 because I have the PG-300. It makes the programming experience so much more enjoyable.
Heck ya. Great video and the best I've seen about Alpha Junos. This is what I live for and the nostalgia is the best feeling ever. Kind of a somber sweet feeling for sure. I finally got an Alpha Juno 1 in mint condition about a month ago. Dude actually dropped it off to me to my door! Ive been on the hunt for one forever. The stars apparently lined up and wallah, Juno 1 time. Sweet vid. Appreciate you.
Oh man, trip down memory lane. In my early twenties at that time, visiting hardcore/gabber clubs almost every weekend (goldfinger rosmalen). But also the club and mellow tunes at that time in belgium (highstreet). pfff gettiing old
Ahh, the Alphas. I always get nostalgic whenever I see or hear them. Sold my second one 2 years ago, since it was only collecting dust, but now you've made me wanna buy another again :) great video as always, thank you!
I have an early Alpha 1 (with some different presets) plus the PG300 controller. Due to its size, i use it more often than my 106. But i think, you really need a controller to unlock the full potential of the synth.
I found programming it not too much of a hassle but I do have a controller as well (mostly because that specific controller can translate midi cc automation from cubase to sysex in an easy way)
Agree, I am not sure anyone can edit this with the on board controls better than me, but I can easily see why a physical controller would be a life changing different experience. After 35 years of playing mine, I didnt realize it was analog. I then started to use it for leads with pride.
Got my alphaJuno-1 in 1987 and it's been used in almost every recording I've done since. This synth isn't just good for techno. And I rescued a 106 from underneath someone's couch in the mid 90's. These two are monstrous as a combo.
Top video thx. Just for the historical purpose, the first ever to use the hoover sound in a techno track was mundo Muzique:Tranztechno ep. Beltram found it interresting and wanted to push it further in puting the sound into another synth filter. ; )
AJ, AJ2, MKS-50 or its emulations are the first way to go if you're looking for instant early '90s Techno sound. There are other synths with more aggresive sound, but they do not sound as menacing. Roland JX8P and Super JX have same voice chips, but their synthesis architecture is more complex. Their oscillators have much more modulating features, but they lack pulsewidth-saw waveforms, that are essential for hoovers.
I own 3 of them, made a lot of tracks with it for loads of famous like mokum, industrial strength, Gabberhead and many more! Still in use, same with the TR909
Well we've been given the task of finding a producer who came up with a technique which inspires a piece of music we're to write. Although I'd heard the sound before in many rave tracks over my youth, I'd never really known what the sound were until Tony De Vit used it in Are You All Ready, hardhouse/hard nrg became my first love for well over a decade because of that record, seemed a fitting choice for my first assignment.
Lovely synth which I will never sell ! Find a sysex controller and it comes alive responds perfectly. I use a novation sl and everything is mapped adsr, cutoff, chorus etc etc 😁👌
It's true indeed. The D- series have this option, not too surprising as it came out not that long after the Alpha Juno. It's digital though and won't sound exactly the same but it is a pwm on a saw oscillator. I had a D-20 on loan from a friend in the studio not that long ago but for some reason didn't really try if I could make an Alpha Juno like saw.
Indeed, I hope that the next model expansion will be either the Alpha Juno or the JP-8000 (or both :D) If it happens I'll surely be reviewing them on my channel and compare against the original.
Interesting stuff! Alpha Juno 2 (we only called it Juno 2) was my first real synth back in 87 which I'd as a real synth instead of the Yamaha PSR-6100... a play-at-home device a store keeper managed to sell me a year earlier claiming it was the best on the market, ha ha. Well although I only played more or less with factory sounds (I did not understand programming and I didn't know anyone who knew how) I remember thinking it was not good enough, although I liked the sound of the Juno 2. Everyone talked about the DX7 and the Roland D50 which had just been released. Digital was the sound everyone wanted, including me. A year later I bought the JX-8P which at the moment felt a little like the wrong move and the next year I finally had the D50, by flipping my Juno 2. If someone had told 15 yo me, that you could do almost anything and any sounds with these devices, if you just start digging into them properly. :-)
awesome video! your machine is in great condition too. just got my alpha juno 2 back from the shop, very timely! been messing around with the Patch Base editor for it. Cheers!
what i learned from this vid: the Alpha Juno is quite close to the Juno 6/60/106 line, is the only synth that does the "hoover" sound, the dutch love the Alpha Juno, and that i won't be selling my Alpha Juno anymore.
Thanks. Now I'm gonna bend my brain trying to emulate that Sawpulse on my synths XD. Would really like to... temporarily get my hands on one of these now for sampling
I've got one of these and it's totally unique among the lot. It's great when combined with a nice reverb and delay. The filter isn't great, but it's sufficient. I'd recommend it for choppy saw bass timbres and mellow, evolving pads.
@@Estuera No, they're not. Certainly not compared to the other Juno synths. A similar line from Roland that is very reasonable on the used synth markets (but is more of a pro line) is the JX8P and JX3P. I've got a JX8P and it can do even more than the Juno line, but sells for less than half the price of the Juno synths right now. It lacks the famous Juno chorus effect, but it has more flexible oscillator, filter, and MIDI options, and the modulation capabilities are also better. It's closer to the alphas, though, in that it has mostly membrane keys, but any of the modern MIDI controllers can be used to control all of the parameters with sliders and knobs if that's your thing. I just use a Ctrlr - based vst plugin and do it all right from my DAW, though (there is also a Ctrlr module for both alpha Junos and it works great with those synths, too). Now, if I can only find a nice, cheap used Jupiter 8. ;)
The JX'es are quite interesting as well indeed. For me personally they seem to miss a bit of an own identity though but that might be because I never really looked into them that much. And let me know when you find that cheap Jupiter 8 ;)
To fully use this synth, you can connect it to the controler PG800, but it's rare and expensive. There is a cheaper option with an iPad, a midi interface for iPad, and a very low Price app iPG800. Turn on the midi system exclusive on the AlphaJ, open the app and select the interface dedicated to AlphaJ. Then you get a very complexe enveloppe, LFO, oscillator tuning ect ... Every sound preset modifies the settings of your virtual controler ipg800, so it's better than a physical pg800 ;-}
Cool! Also had a Juno-2 during the gabber days. Still regret selling it. One of the best keybeds too. Now using the ReDominator vst, very close emulation. I even have some of those old Thunder magazines you’re talking about ☺️ BTW Roland also released a rack version of the Alpha Juno, the MKS-50.
I love the hoover sound none of my snyths have it so I sampled it and use it in alot of hardcore tracks. ...I bought the Roland j6 hoping it had the hoover sound on it as it's based on the Juno 60 but it didn't so sampling it works well enough
Awesome video!! The Alpha Juno is so versatile... Whether you're making (Happy) Hardcore, synth/pop/wave or really any strain of techno, this thing is your to go to synth. I believe another difference between the AJ1 & 2 is that the 2 has a memory cartridge slot where the 1 doesn't. The AJ might seem intimidating when it comes to programming sounds, but it really isn't bad. Besides, there is free editing software out there that will allow you to easily create or backup patches. I build my own midi programmer using an Arduino, in other words, plenty of options. Also, these units are a blessing to work on if you need to do any repairs.
You got one that’s great, I’m still looking haha. I hope you will do an old school hardcore/breakbeat recreation 1992 era, something like 2 slices of jam - Pressing on ya mind 👍
Congrats on your AJ! I had one from 1999-2004 and i recently bought a second one because i missed the special sound a lot! Has very nice sawtooth sounds for leads and pads. I like the warm analogue sound a lot!
Nice video. The hoover sound has something realy unique. I am searching the name of a famous hoover sound song. It had lots of short repeating hoover sound notes and now and then a voice said 'better' or something like that...
I've owned a used Alpha Juno 1, but it was in a rather bad shape and stereo output was completely broken (it would output only in mono because of previous owner messing up the repair) - add to that a pretty bad analog filter that has no resonance whatsoever - and I had to sell it quite fast. Which is a pity really, because it also has the most creative DCO design of all DCO analog synths with many weird waveshapes and it really begs for a good filter. Variable rate analog chorus is also a strong advantage.
The filter isn't that bad btw, it only misses that extra bit of juice in the resonance which makes creating some of the Juno-106 sounds impossible. But on the other hand there are many sounds the Alpha Juno can do that are impossible for the 106. Solution: get both (or any other synth that has nice self resonating filters. In my studio this is covered by the MS-20 and the PolyBrute)
@@Estuera Alpha Juno certainly has its own very different character and a ton of sounds other synths can't do, but in my case it was bad shape that was the deciding factor. I do have JX8P that uses the same filter - but because it has 2 envelopes and 2 DCOs per voice (and also Juno 106 chorus) that dull filter works well for this synth making it a unique pad machine with a very distinct soft sound. But yeah - Alpha Juno certainly isn't a bread and butter synth and is better as an addition to an existing palette of sounds. Ironically apparently Roland's reasoning for making filters barely resonant was that such resonance wasn't "realistic" - as analog synth designers were chasing acoustic instruments emulation throughout 70s and 80s
Yes, I wonder what people will think in 30 years about the current modern PolyBrutes, Hydrasynths, Grandmothers , etc... Although nowadays there is a _lot_ more variety in the market.
@@Estuera the same. Those '70s and '80s synths are popular because big names used them and it will be the same with the current lineup if somebody makes a big lasting hit record and says that a given synth was used. It's the reason why you get insane prices on Moog, ARP, Roland and Yamaha analog gear, but more obscure synths are still being sold for reasonable money. Like Akai, Teisco, Siel, Solton etc. The irony is that synths from those companies also offer some really unique features not found on more popular (or even modern) ones. Although "vintage tax" gradually keeps coming after those too.
I hope you'll give us some tips on programming this synth -- really like that sound you've got in the background in the first few mins (not the hoover right at the start)
Yes, I managed to get quite close with a PolyBrute as well. The thing is, those synths basically sound a bit 'too analog' for nailing this sound 100%. Part of the character of the Alpha Juno sound is that it can be quite aggressive but in a very stable way. This is probably because the DCO chip is fully digital before it gets fed into the analog filters. I haven't tried this yet but I have a feeling that the Microfreak could get very close, as long as you don't push the filter too much.
Thank you for this great hoover and Hoover history video. The Elektron Analog 4 might be able to create this sound, it has Saw with PWM, Sub-OSC, and Pitch Envelope.
now it's time to reveal the 'mystery' of a famous landlord stab .... haha 😂😂 (its not a mystery actually anymore, at least for me) but it would be great to see / hear your recreation vid!! hey man, you are doing a completely fantastic job, i'm watching today your 10th vid abt the oldschool sounds and I'm almost crying ... (45 today, haha)
There’s one piece of historical information I think you left out, Estuera. (Correct me if I’m wrong.) Wasn’t the architecture of both Alpha Juno models and the MKS-50 module based upon removing the second oscillator and its modulation capabilities from the JX-3p and the MKS-30 module? The 50 would be the model I would want if I had to have Alpha Juno sounds. Then again, I’ve got way too many keyboard synthesizers, three of which are other DCO polyphonics. I think what I would want from any Juno instrument is achievable with either my JX-8p or MKS-70.
