The Alpha Junos and MKS-50 (rackmount version of Alpha Juno 2) are excellent synthesizers.
I couldn’t find a thread about them here, and unfortunately I do have a troubleshooting question for the forum.
I’m curious if anyone has experienced this noise. It’s a fuzzy/gritty noise during the attack and decay of the sounds. Most noticable playing low notes with the filter down. No chorus applied. Does anyone have any idea what this might be? Unable to reproduce it on other Alpha Junos
Based on similar experience with other gear from that era, one direction I would look into would be the capacitors (in this case in the output chain). They may need replacement. And BTW, if this is the case, it does not indicate a flaw per se, just that the capacitors have reached the end of their lifecycle.
That’s great advice thank you, I’ll look into it! I will update this thread one day if I find a solution. Looking at similar discussions on other forums indicates that yes it probably is just a result of aging components somewhere in the signal chain.
Could also be that the filter chip is getting a little tired. If you have access to another alpha juno with a good IR3R05 VCF IC, you might want to swap it temporarily into the unit in question and see if there’s any improvement. It’s around $60 to buy another one so if possible best to fully diagnose before throwing any money at parts or repairs.
bought my AJ (the SynthPlus 10 version) in 88 and will never sell. has it’s own quirks and the filter isn’t quite as nice as Juno 6/106 but can usuall get pretty close for most uses
It’s my favorite vintage synth, despite the interface.
I’ve compiled lists of software and hardware programmers for it.
https://alexwasashrimp.space/music/roland-alpha-juno-programmers-part-1-software/
https://alexwasashrimp.space/music/roland-alpha-juno-programmers-part-2-hardware/
I’m a proud owner of the Midi Club JunoCtrl! The build quality isn’t great but it’s excellent otherwise. Only downside is controlling envelopes with knobs isn’t ideal for me.
Love the Alpha Juno, because it has unique waveforms and capabilities the other Junos don’t have. And I love the Hoover too much @.@
Hope yours get fixed!
Pro tip for anyone looking for an AJ1/AJ2/MKS-50 controller: the old Novation SL Zero mk2 has a built-in template for them. Easy to get second hand for cheap (I think I paid around €65). And the envelope stages are mapped to faders. I use it with my MKS, works great. Doesn’t look as sexy as a dedicated controller and it’s maybe a bit bulkier, but one benefit is that you can use it with other devices as well (planning to set it up for my TX-7 and JV-2080).
Sorry for the side note, haven’t experienced what the OP is describing.
Hi!
Hope you Alpha Juno users can help me.
I bought a second hand Alpha Juno 2 some weeks ago and I am wondering if this synth has some kind of “test mode” like on Elektron machines where you can test if all the buttons and all the keys work properly. I’m afraid the aftertouch is a bit fucked up, since I have to press any key really hard to get the desired effect. And I guess some of the membrane buttons don’t work properly or require more pressure than normal.
Also, I’m wondering how the aftertouch works. Is it independent for every key? (maybe some keys require more pressure than others) or is it a whole system? (if deffective, it affects all the keys in the same way).
Sidenote… right now I’m using the iPad with iPG800 app and it works well, but I’m trying to find a real Roland PG-300 and it’s very difficult to find one in second hand marketplaces. Hope to find one for a reasonable price near me. If not, I would go for a Dtronics DT-300 programmer.
Cheers!
No. It has basic channel aftertouch. Pressure applied to any key affects all of the voices.
There is a parameter for setting the sensitivity of the aftertouch. Have you tried to adjust this? If so, and it doesn’t work, the sensor strip under the keys may be worn or dirty.
It’s been a long while but the old Behringer BCR2000s had an alpha Juno template that was supposed to work very well. Might be worth a look if you can find one for a fair price.
It’s worth replacing all the membrane keys, because the ones still working somehow may die any day.
I still gas for the Retroaktiv programmer. But if you’re on a budget, go for a Zero SL. You can check out the link I posted above for the complete list of programmers.
I have just obtained an almost unused Alpha Juno 2 in the original box! The owner told me it was used for a single studio session and then placed into storage. It looks fully brand new!