AudioThing June is an authentic emulation of the legendary Roland Juno-60 Synthesizer for macOS, Linux, Windows, and iOS with extra features.
The Roland Juno series is one of the most emulated synthesizers in the plugin world. No wonder it’s a super popular synth with a warm, timeless sound that defined 80s pop and electronic music to this day. There are authentic emulations from Arturia, AIR Music Tech, Cherry Audio, even Roland, Softube, TAL, u-he, and others.
With so many 60- or 106-emulation options, it’s fair to ask whether the saturated market needs another one. Not necessarily, but I always say you can do better than the competition. Carlo from AudioThing seems to agree and has released JUNE today.
AudioThing JUNE
The Roland Juno emulation selection expands with another candidate. AudioThing June is a new cross-platform Synthesizer plugin that provides an authentic emulation of the Roland Juno-60 from 1982. Carlo from AudioThing says:
We spent months living with the original, studying every quirk and charm, from the warm, steady DCO to the silky filter and that unmistakable chorus, then modeled its circuits in detail to bring its soul into software.
Do we really need another JUNO? We think the answer is yes, if it’s done with care.
June offers the 1:1 original Juno-60 feature set, recreated using analog modeling. It includes a single DCO with pulse, saw, and square waveforms. You have the obligatory pulse-width modulation (PWM), a sub-oscillator, and noise.
Then, the filter section is also true to the original, with a non-resonant highpass filter, a 24 dB lowpass filter with frequency and resonance controls. In the section, you have direct access to filter modulation, envelope, LFO, keyboard tracking, and added velocity.
On the modulation side, there are some tweaks. Unlike the original Roland Juno-60, AudioThing JUNE offers two modeled ADSR envelopes, giving you more flexibility for oscillator, filter, and amp modulation.
It remains with an LFO but offers additional waveforms compared to the original hardware. You can set it with rate and delay controls, plus select a trigger mode (auto, manual, or modwheel). A VCA also has the envelope or gate function with added velocity.
Magic Chorus & Hypnotic Arpeggiator
Two essential features of the Roland Juno-60 are the lush, magical BBD-based chorus and the hypnotic, straightforward-to-use arpeggiator. Yes, both are also on board in extended versions. The chorus operates like the original hardware, with the I and II buttons.
Switch to the second UI page, and you can dive into the modeled chorus with modes modelled after the Juno-6 and Juno-60. On top of that, you can tweak the rate and noise parameters, giving you greater flexibility than on the 1982 synth.
The arpeggiator that many musicians love is also included here in a modeled version with expanded features. Alongside the original modes and additional ones, the arpeggiator now features selectable velocity, an order feature with chord functionality, and a bar reset.
Also, in the second UI page, you can set the pitch and modwheel behaviors, bring voice variations into play with the age function, and tweak the voices. You can play it in mono with legato option, with up to 24-voice polyphony, or in unison.
Multi-FX
As in all recent AudioThing Synthesizer plugins, JUNE also features a multi-FX processor. It consists of four vintage-inspired effects, including tape echo (based on the Outer Space plugin), spring reverb, overdrive, and phaser.
Further, it ships with various factory presets and a neat patch randomizer function.
First Impression
I can neither confirm nor deny the full authenticity of the JUNE plugin, as I don’t own a hardware Juno synth to compare it to. From the teasers of the last few days and the demo today, I like the output very much, and it gives me Juno vibes.
I like the new features that Audiothing has implemented, especially the second envelope and expanded arpeggiator. Big thumbs up to the plugin’s cross-platform option, so Linux and iOS users can play with it too.
Now the question: is this the last Juno emulation, or is it like a June fever dream that never ends? I suspect this will only be over when every possible developer has emulated a Juno.
AudioThing June is available now for an introductory price of 39€ instead of 69€ (43% OFF). It runs as a VST, VST3, AU, AAX, and CLAP plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel), Linux, and Windows.
The iOS version is available now for $12,99 on the Apple App Store and runs as a standalone app and AUv3 plugin on iPhones and iPads.
More information here: AudioThing / App Store
We all waited for this, because the plugin is so rare! There only a few on the market!
You don’t have to buy it. The rest of us appreciate the huge variety of plugins available these days. This one looks really nice; solid UI, quirky effects to add to the vintage flavour.
Ultimately, it’s all about finding a tool that inspires you to make good music.