Roland or Yamaha?

[Paul4703]

Hi,

I'm a guitar player buying my first keyboard to use with a home studio and have got the short list down to two instruments:

The Roland Juno D

or

The Yamaha MM6

Unfortunately there is no music shop that stocks these where I live, so I can't try before I buy. The most important features for me at the moment are that the keyboard can produce good acoustic guitar sounds and that the keys are pleasant to play as I intend to learn on it also. But if anyone can point out other distinct advantages one has over the other, I'd be grateful.

Which one would you recommend and why?

Thanks,

Paul.

 

[evergreenthompson]

I plan to be making yet another visit to the local shop by the end of the weekend for more test driving, and can compare sound quality of various instruments between the two. Any other instruments besides acoustic guitar you'd like me to check?

 

[PianoMan]

Ummm... if you're a GUITAR player, buying a KEYBOARD, why is it that you want the KEYBOARD to have GUITAR sounds when you can just play the actual instrument? Am I the only one that finds this absolutely absurd?

 

[evergreenthompson]

His other thread gives the background.

 

[evergreenthompson]

Paul,

I've not yet made it to the store for a comparison, but I'm about to head out in a few.

I have discovered there are two versions of the Juno D: original and the newer Limited Edition. The online stores don't seem to indicate which they are selling, so here's how you can tell:

Original (older): 604 patches
Limited Edition (newer): 706 (original 604 + 66 new)

The new patches are supposed to include improved piano and organ sounds. I didn't find any mention about quality of guitar sounds.

Anyway, if you ultimately decide on the Juno D, you'll probably want to make sure you are getting the newer one. You may have to call your vendor directly to ensure that you do. For example, I've seen a Limited Edition at a local Best Buy, but the specs listed on BestBuy.com indicate they are selling the older original version. If it becomes necessary, I can get you the phone number of that local store.

Now out the door with me to compare the Juno D with the MM6!...

 

[evergreenthompson]

OK, let's try this again. (Thanks, vBulletin for throwing away my post. AGAIN. )

OK, back from the local Guitar Center, comparing a Roland Juno D Limited Edition with a Yamaha MM6.

Please keep in mind:
1. Comparisons are according to how I remember real instruments sound.
2. GC's demo area isn't the most conducive for performing an accurate test. People banging on other keyboards, music and noise from other areas, keyboards not using the same monitors, etc.

I tried a variety of instruments in an effort to get a better feel for both keyboards.

Acoustic Guitar:
Both played very well, and sounded pretty close to each other. The guitar voice included that initial strum sound on the string. How you strike the keys effects the resulting sound greatly. In the end the Juno D edged out the MM6, and sounded more like what I remember how an acoustic guitar sounds.

Piano:
Again both played very well, and sounded pretty close to each other. This time the MM6 edged out the Juno D.

Violin, Cello, Trumpet, Clarinet:
Each keyboard was better at different features of each voice.

Drums:
Oops! Time was running out on me, so I didn't try any drums.

Selecting an instrument:
Instrument group names: Juno D's grouping made a little more sense.
Instrument names: MM6 wins. You can usually tell which voices are likely to sound closer to the real thing (especially if "Sweet!" in the name) and which are on the General Midi list (name includes "GM")
Finding instrument in group: MM6's 7-line display with selector wheel wins over the Juno D's single-line display and next/prev buttons.
Selecting instrument you know: Juno D wins, because you can select an instrument by number (if you know the number).
After instrument selected: MM6 wins. Juno D often had me adjusting the octave keep a key in the same octave on the new instrument. Odd.
Keyboard: Tie. Both felt quite good.

Software:
Juno D: Juno D editor. Not sure if it also does editing, mixing, and rendering of songs to an audio file (MP3, WAV, etc.)
MM6: Cubase LE--definitely allows editing, mixing, and rendering songs to an audio file!

Well, I hope this helps you out some. If acoustic guitar voice is #1 for you, you may be better off buying both from a dealer with a 30-day return policy, playing with them, and then returning the loser.

Please let us know what you decide! Good luck!

 

[Riotblade]

please stop double posting, use the edit button..


get the MM6

 

[evergreenthompson]

Who is double-posting?

And why the MM6 over the Juno D?

 

[Riotblade]

Who is double-posting?

And why the MM6 over the Juno D?

you were

and MM6 because I thought it felt more comfortable using and it felt smooth to play

 

[evergreenthompson]

Double-posting... ? I'm not aware of anything I duplicated in this thread or another part of the forums.

MM6... Thanks for explaining why; your response meant little without it.

 

[evergreenthompson]

Riotblade's comment about the keyboard and this post reminded me of something about the Juno D that I had forgotten to mention earlier.

While playing through a wide range of notes, I noticed that sometimes adjacent keys' velocity sensitivity felt different. Whenever I encountered that I'd retry the keys, making a point to hit them the same way. Half the time that did the trick, the other half it seemed like I had to work too hard to hit the keys the same way. I think it was in the octave above the one containing middle C (4th octave?) on the keyboard when octave adjustment is 0.

Maybe it was because of how I was standing in front of the keyboards, but I don't recall having that problem while playing on the MM6's keyboard.

 

[Riotblade]

Double-posting... ? I'm not aware of anything I duplicated in this thread or another part of the forums.

MM6... Thanks for explaining why; your response meant little without it.

Sorry if didnt help much, I played an MM6 only a couple times, never owned one. I thought i would give my opinion.


also, im not trying to bring this double posting thing into a controversy, you posted 2 times or more in the some topic in a row. Just use the edit button.

 

[evergreenthompson]

It's good to know people's reactions to different keyboards, even under less than ideal conditions, like in a store. I'd love to know what you thought of all the keyboards you tried, and which one(s) you ultimately settled on. Though, it'd be better to post that in a new thread than to hijack this one.

NP, on the double-posting. I've never seen the term used this way before. I've always seen the term used where people post the same thing in multiple threads. I'm a member a quite a variety of forums, and it is commonplace on all of them to post the way I did. Going back to edit a post with new information after a significant amount of time has passed makes it hard for people to keep up with newly posted information. (Lack of email alerts, etc.)

 

[evergreenthompson]

More reactions/comparisons to Juno D and MM6 can be found in this thread, starting with Laura's post (#3).

 

[Paul4703]

Thanks

Hi,

Thanks to all who replied. It's great to get input from people who know their stuff.

I managed to buy a second hand Roland and will live with it for a while to see how it works out. This way I won't lose too much if I decide to sell it and move on to another model.

Cheers,

Paul.

 

[evergreenthompson]

Congrats! Which model? Let us know how it works out for you.

 

[maimai]

Hello Paul !I'm new member.I'm female I like guitar music.Have you ver been in Viet Nam yet ? If one day you have travel to Viet Nam.Please send me an email.I would like to listen your player.Thanks

 

[Paul4703]

Such is Life

Well, I bought a second hand Roland Juno D on ebay, but it was broken. The seller refunded and the only other second hand keyboard available was a Yamaha MM6. So I bought that.

Who can argue with fate?

 

[evergreenthompson]

Aww, that kinda puts a damper on the whole experience. But I think you'll like the MM6. Let us know how it works out for you.