Talk:Roland Alpha Juno

Dead Links

Most of the external link listed in the article are no longer working. --84.182.96.50 (talk) 19:19, 27 August 2014 (UTC)

Notable features

I would argue that one of the most notable features of the Alpha Junos was the fact that there was a seperate LFO to control pulse width. The main LFO, pulse width LFO and the Chorus could all be set to very slow speeds (with a period of more than 30 seconds), which created slowly evolving complex modulation sounds, ideal for house music. This was a real departure from the older Juno architecture, and also stood out when compared to other synths of the time. 84.198.246.199 (talk) 04:36, 19 April 2010 (UTC)

thoughts on editing

1. If you need to say it's "notable," it's probably not notable.
2. Explicitly calling something "notable" inspires others to ask "oh, really?" and seek for disproof, while simple statements of fact (or even as-if-fact) usually pass unnoticed.
3. Any "Notable Users" list ought properly be presented from one or more credible sources; any "editor" who simply pastes up a namehas drifted into the realm of Original Research (and ought to immedately read Wikipedia:No original research).
4. Even if civility means we turn a blind eye to the foregoing standard, each individual name must then cite a source that supports the claim of being a "user" — once again, pasting up a name is Original Research.
5. And even ignoring THAT standard means there must be a WP article about that person AND that article must explicitly AND verifiably state that the person has used that instrument.
6. Burying most of the article in the lede does not actually render statements somehow safe from scrutiny. It's a WP courtesy to not demand sourcing in the opening paragraph(s)… so long as statements are substantiated in the article proper.
7. FWIW, the article largely neglects the "home market" HS versions.

Based on those criteria, I've made some changes.
Weeb Dingle (talk) 17:18, 2 July 2018 (UTC)

Further notes.

• The usage of "digitally controlled" here strikes me as wrong. I'm moderately certain these employ not merely DCFs but digitally controlled oscillators (DCOs). I believe there's an actual timing crystal in JU synths; these are apt to "drift" in analog synths due to heat. A DCO offers analog "warmth" with digital stability, as well as ready conversion to MIDI control.
• If that's correct, then reference ought be made to the advent of DCOs in synths, particularly higher-tier Roland products (offhand: "Juno-60, Juno-106, JX-3P, JX-8P, and JX-10").
• A common oversight to Roland articles is failure to explain the "Alpha dial"/"Alpha wheel" much less mention how common it's been in Roland products. The gimmick probably deserves its own article.

This will never be a great article, but certainly can become a credible reference.
Weeb Dingle (talk) 18:22, 2 July 2018 (UTC)

For update — per the page http://www.vintagesynth.com/roland/ajuno1.php "The HS-10 SynthPlus 10 is an Alpha Juno for the casual home user, with a slightly less appealing cosmetic appearance, and the HS-80 was a similar repackaging of the Alpha Juno 2." (Not to be confused with the HS-60, a repackaged JU-106.) Per various sources including http://synthark.org/Roland/HS-80.html the HS-80 is substantially bulkier due to built-in stereo speakers; it also replaces the JU's RAM cartridge port with a cassette-tape interface, which may now be superior as the carts have gotten expensive and the tape coding is SysEx (so more directly accessible to us "old school" geeks).
Weeb Dingle (talk) 16:24, 24 November 2019 (UTC)