Thoughts on the Juno-X in 2025

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"I have had the Roland Juno-X since it's release and it may seem almost redundant in my studio, especially with the big bad Jupiter-X looming behind me in the main shot, but despite being it's medium sized brother, the Juno-X has so much to appreciate and even some improvements on the aforementioned flagship.
Here's a few reasons I still really love my Juno-X:

0:00 - Intro
0:45 - Connectivity
1:25 - Turning the Juno-X on
1:54 - Original Juno series vs. Juno-X
2:45 - Getting started making sounds
3:00 - Pulse Wave Modulation
3:22 - Filter envelope settings
3:55 - Layering in oscillators
4:20 - Adding in classic Juno chorus
4:34 - Effects
4:59 - Layering sounds
5:40 - Inverted filter envelope pad
5:59 - Together
6:36 - Part 3: Arpeggiated pluck
6:47 - Assigning arpeggios
7:48 - A big arpeggiated sound
8:34 - Part 4: Piano
9:04 - Everything Everywhere All At Once
9:40 - Bonus USB MIDI control
9:53 - Part 5: The Rhythm Section
10:13 - Playing with drum beats
11:35 - Thanks for watching"

Back at it again- Live looping in the studio 2025 and an Interview with MR TUNA Music

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"My friends I am sorry to leave you hanging all summer with no jams, but its a beautiful sunny world out there and I've got to be out IN IT! So in the meantime I have a few jams backlogged that have **never before been released** and expect some weird b-sides that I was too embarrassed to post when I had content to spare !

Anyways- lots going on here, we got some Hydrasynth deluxe, classic analog pads from the JX-8P... and lots of super pump-jumping with the MX-1 sidechaining and doing some beat effects. Jupiter-80 muted trumpet is the funnest sound in the world.

Stay a while, and listen!"

---

And an interview with MR TUNA Music by Ivan Trajkovic aka dejayiwan editor and journalist (and sometimes producer and DJ):

Q: Have computers and DAWs, in a sense, destroyed creativity – why do we have so many “DAWless” setups today?

A: I think a really big part of it is a desire to get away from 'the screen'. Staring at a computer all day for work, clicking away on a mouse and keyboard can become exhausting after a long day, and to break away from the rigidity and comforts of software simply makes it more fun.... and thats a really big part of why I do what I do. There is some minor advantage to the near-unbeatable quality of analog circuitry you cant quite replicate working purely within a DAW, but that point is being made more and more moot by incredible emulations and virtual analog softsynths.

Q: Today we have apps like BandLab that are complete studios on a phone – have we reached “peak technology”?

A: It staggers me to think about what the future might hold now that music production can be with someone anywhere anytime so long as they have their phones. You can literally be on the bus making a hit track with your thumb. That’s crazy. But I don’t think it’s peak.... Tech is always moving and it doesnt stop for anyone... AI is going to be the next big thing whether we like it or not and we need to find a way to keep in check so we're still doing the creating and imagining and the technology is just an extension of that.

Q: Why are new producers so mesmerized with 80s synths and samplers, even though they’re obsolete tech?

A: Things were built differently. Things were built for professionals. Instruments had a quality of sound and build that is still unmatched today. Some of my gear is 40+ years old and sounds better than the stuff from 2025 thats trying its best to emulate it all today. Why dont we build synths like that anymore? Because its all about money and the manufacturers want to make as much of it as possible while spending the least amount.

Q: With so much new electronic music today, how can anyone “find” an audience?

A: Maybe it's lame to say, but the best path is to be authentic to yourself. When i started finally sharing my music it was more of a personal diary than something i was using to 'get famous' or 'find an audience', but by being true to what I wanted and my own personal vision (and having trust in that over some time), people started to see what I was doing and it all came together. People connect with personality, but it's obvious when you're not being yourself... not just tracks. Its routine to say because its true: be consistent, put your stuff out there. The internet is huge — your crowd is out there, just waiting to stumble onto your page at 3AM.

Q: You have one of the most interesting studios – what was the idea behind its creation?

A: My studio was built with one idea in mind... live looping. When I started dreaming up how I *wanted* to make music there wasnt even the right tools to do it properly.... sequencers were still fairly limited and there wasnt a lot of people in the live-looping jam space. I was really discovering it all and making it work on my own. It all came together with the introduction of the Squarp Pyramid sequencer--- what it allowed me to do, the freedom it allowed me to create with... it was the breakthrough piece of gear I needed to bring everything together and start building and building... and BUILDING. I love the music I get to create, but I am more proud of my studio as a form of art in the beauty of it's function and how it's designed to jam with friends, than I ever have been of the music that I create in it.

Q: What’s the future of electronic music – maybe apps and DAWs in virtual reality?

A: The virtual space is here to stay and it will only get more and more indistinguishable from the real world.... We might be already living in that simulation, but like I said earlier I think the real future is going to be (for better or for worse) in AI production techniques, editing, and complete song production. We're already at the point where AI can create a song for us instantly with our own voices, but how long will it be before AI is doing our chores and boring tasks so that we are free to be creative and put our energy into real art rather than the opposite world we live in now! AI should save us from the hard stuff and let us work on the 'fun stuff', the worthy stuff, the music stuff!

Donner L1 vs SH-101: How close can we make it?? Sound design and comparison

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"In this video, we are putting the new Donner L1 analog synthesizer head-to-head with the original legendary Roland SH-101 to see just how close we can get! From pulsewaves to bass patches, we’ll break down the oscillators, filters, envelopes, and modulation to find out whether the Donner L1 can really capture that classic SH-101 sound. (spoiler: it can)

🔊 Expect A/B sound demos, patch design walkthroughs, and my honest thoughts on where the L1 nails it— and where the SH-101 still reigns supreme.

✨ If you’re curious about:

-Donner L1 sound demo
-Roland SH-101 comparison
-Analog synth sound design
-Best affordable SH-101 alternative

…this video is for you!"

Live Synth Techno in the Studio: Squarp Hapax, TB-303, Jupiter-80

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Some more uncharted territory here with some techno beats live from the studio. Not really our regular vibe but very fun and fast. Jupiter-80 creating some qualiy keys and big bass from the Korg Prologue with the boiling acid of the TB303 pushing us up and up and UP in the background.

Is this actually techno or is it something else? I can never actually nail it down properly this is probably too 'progressive'."

Synth Jamming in the Studio 2025: Prophet-6 solos 🔥🔥🔥

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Just ripping on that Prophet-6. Love the chopped-up synth vibes on this one.
Starting with some classic bell sounds on the Hydrasynth deluxe before we bring in the 303 and some chopping from the MX-1. Then its some sweet bass from the OB-6 and bring it all home with that solo."

How To Loop All The Gear In A Studio: Sequencers/Mixers/Synths

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Hello my friends this video has been a very long time coming. Its been years since I have done an updated studio tour and rundown so I figured today was a good day to catch up!

The reason it's taken so long to do something like this is because I've always been so overwhelmed at the idea of doing it right........ So instead of making a big production out of things we're going to keep it cool and casual and just see what catches out attention as we go. Thats the only way this is ever getting done!

The most important part of my studio is the ‪@ElectricSquad‬‪@squarpinstruments‬ Hapax sequencer. The Hapax is connected to every single piece of midi-equipped gear in the studio via 5-pin din or usb and is what allows me to loop everything in sync with each other.

When I play the keybed or change the controls on a synth, I'm not directly playing the gear so much as I'm playing it through the Hapax. With local controls turned off on the synth, all of the notes and midi information is sent OUT to the Hapax and does not trigger the synth in question (yet). After it gets to the Hapax it is run through any enabled MIDI effects and (if recording is armed) is recorded into the loop before it is sent instantaneously back to the synth in real time in a way you cant even tell that its happening. This way you can enable effects like arps and harmonizers on synths that dont have them.

All the audio from every synth and drum machine is sent to the tower of 3 Roland MX-1s. the MX-1s send MIDI sync and power through usb to some AIRA-link enabled pieces of gear and simplifies some cabling that way, and every track can be sent to Logic and recorded individually as its own instrument when combined as an aggregate audio device on my macbook."

Yamaha SEQTRAK Live Looping & Visualizer Performance

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"All sounds, sequencing, and visuals from @yamaha #seqtrak! 🏆 Such a fun and actually very capable machine— For this jam I’ve got Seqtrak hosting the Squarp Pyramid through USB as my glorified MIDI channel selector, and then I’m using the @roli_create LUMI Keys SE to connect to Seqtrak through the Pyramid via Bluetooth MIDI (and some @cmepro WIDI Masters) so I can switch between the 3 synth tracks and also bring in the drums live.

I’ve had the Seqtrak for a week and it’s melding the Tunaverse together in ways I could not have imagined… The live visualizer is very interesting and surprisingly deep. This is a customized program I built and I love the results but I’m really looking forward to putting it through the video synth 🦾🦾🦾"

MicroKorg: Big Sounds From Scratch

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Hello my friends today we are creating sounds from scratch on the new limited edition Korg MicroKORG Crystal. It's the same as the original microkorg but shiny!
The OG MK was my first synthesizer many years ago and now I have this beautiful commemorative model to remember it by... I was not expecting to love it so much right away! Sure its a little tricky to program if you cant read the small print too easy, but for me it was like riding a bike and I was right back in it (I remember a lot of the important positions and knob assignments so that was cool).
For this video we are going to focus on making big pulse-width modulating sounds with some long slow synth pad movement. I'm going to try and use as much of the features of the synth engine that I can including the built-in effects and virtual-patch section. The microKORG only has 4 voices, but it can sound huge with the right programming.

Stick around and let me know what you think!

Here are the chapters:

Chapters:
0:00 - Preview sound
0:08 - Initializing a patch on the MicroKorg
0:32 - Oscillator 2
0:50 - Square waves
1:04 - Slow envelopes
1:28 - Osc 2 sub oscillator
1:41 - PWM with virtual patch 1
2:26 - Adding in the filter
3:05 - Effects section
4:33 - Virtual patch 2: LFO to filter cutoff
5:01 - The finished sound
5:44 - Exploring
6:50 - DISTORTION ⚡️⚡️⚡️"

Making the biggest synth sound possible on the Jupiter-X

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Hello my friends, today we have the task of using all 4 synth parts on the Roland Jupiter-X to create the biggest sound possible starting from an initialized scene and 4 classic synth models: Jupiter-8, Juno-106, JX-8P, and SH-101.

Of course this might not be the biggest synth sound possible on the Jupiter-X considering we could stack 4 Jupiter-X model synths (that sounds like an insane persons idea that I will definitely try next time and will surely be a way bigger sounding combo that what we are doing today but its too late for that now) but it will be more diverse and interesting and show off a lot of the range that this synth has to offer. We're gonna stick to synth sounds today so no RD pianos or legacy samples.

Chapters:
0:00 - intro
0:26 - creating sounds on the Jupiter-8
2:08 - creating sounds on the Juno-106
4:00 - creating sounds on the JX-8P
6:04 - creating sounds on the SH-101
7:43 - stacking everything together
8:40 - adding in effects
9:18 - the final sound: everything all together with effects
10:30 - outro (with drums!)"

Synth sounds from scratch on 2 minilogue xd, layering pads + arp

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Quick and to the point making sounds on 2 Korg minilogue xd, aka the 'twinilogues'

It's only 1:30 so hold on to your butts"

HYDROLOGICS // Live Looping Synths : Jupiter-80, MS2000B, korg opsix, System-8

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Kinda starts a little janky but then the Jupiter-80 solo comes in and blllaammmmmmmm.

Jared thinks it's 'very cool'"

Wake The Dead - Forgotten Synth Jams with Squarp Pyramid

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Found this on my hard drive today and I wondered.... did I ever post this to Youtube?? I really tried to check but there's too many jams and I could have named it something stupid. In any case---- check out this forgotten gem from the long ago lost worlds of 2021 when my cameras were worse but the jams were still pretty cool 👍"

Blader Runner Theme MPE - Osmose & Hydrasynth Deluxe

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Connected the Expressive E Osmose to the ASM Hydrasynth Deluxe via midi and set them both to MPE for some double keybending, pressure-pushing action. Blade Runner theme is so sweet to play."

Exploring Arpeggio Options with Expressive E Osmose

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Here's another clip from my takeover on @ExpressiveE's ig a few weeks back featuring the very cool Osmose. In this video we are checking out the arpeggio functions that are available to control the built-in sounds and some of the unique features that you can take advantage of when using the Osmose's special keyboard."

Last Christmas: Vintage keytar sequencing the whole synth studio (Yamaha SHS-10)

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"The second best part about the 1987 Yamaha SHS-10 is the MIDI out and everything that it can do to control other pieces of gear.

The best part is the demo song.

MIDI parts:
Main - Juno-106
Bass 1 - OB-6
Bass 2 - opsix
Accompaniment 1: Prophet-6
Accompaniment 2: JX-8P
Accompaniment 3: Prologue 16
Drums 1: Jupiter-80
Drums 2: TR-8

Song: Last Christmas by Wham!"

Controlling the the whole studio with a vintage Roland arranger

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"I LOVE ARRANGERS ⚡️⚡️ Maybe they are a little cheesy but I've got the classic 1993 Roland RA-95 connected to the whole studio through the Squarp Instruments Hapax sequencer & I am just having a blast controlling it all with the ROLI Lumi Keys 🙏

Just listen to that bass!

Prophet-6 ➡️ bass
OB-6 ➡️ back up chords
Juno-106 ➡️ more chords
System-8 ➡️ the lead
Jupiter-80 ➡️ drums"

Exploring Ambient Sounds - Hydrasynth Deluxe Multi Patches

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Stay a while and get lost in the beautiful ambience of the @AshunSoundMachines #Hydrasynth Deluxe. Today we are going to scroll through the #ambient category patches in the multi-bank (Two 8-voice synth engines either stacked or split)

Which one is your favourite?"

New Roland GAIA 2: Creating and Explaining Synth Sounds 🎹🎛✨

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"Let's make some sounds from scratch on the all-new Roland GAIA 2 synthesizer. The GAIA 2 is a digital synth with hybrid architecture; It features one wavetable oscillator and two virtual-analog oscillators (including supersaw). The most interesting part is the Motion XY pad which allows you to record gestures and use it like a trackpad for the menu."

See the announcement post for the Roland GAIA 2 here.

OB-6: Creating and Explaining Synth Sounds 🎹🎛✨

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"It's time to learn about synthesis with the analog sounds of the OB-6
Join your friend MR TUNA as he takes a deep dive into this modern classic starting with a basic patch and exploring its features to create unique and distinctive sounds.

The Oberheim (or Sequential Circuits!) OB-6 is a highly regarded analog synthesizer known for its warm and classic sound. It's a collaborative effort between two legendary companies in the world of synthesizers: Dave Smith Instruments (DSI) and Tom Oberheim. Here are some key features and details about the OB-6:

Analog Architecture: The OB-6 is a true analog polyphonic synthesizer, which means it uses voltage-controlled analog circuitry to generate and shape its sounds. This results in a rich and organic sonic character.

Polyphony: The OB-6 is good for chords and complex musical arrangements. It has 6-voices that can be played polyphonically or stacked in unison.

Oscillators: The OB-6 features two voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) and a sub-oscillator per voice. These oscillators provide a wide range of waveforms, including sawtooth, square, and pulse, (plus anything in-between) allowing for diverse sound shaping.

Filters: The filter on each card is based upon the 12dB/oct state-variable resonant introduced on the SEM, and offers a continous transition from low-pass, to notch, to high-pass- as well as an additional band-pass mode.

Modulation: The OB-6 offers various modulation sources and destinations, allowing you to create evolving and dynamic sounds. It includes an LFO (Low-Frequency Oscillator) and an envelope generator for modulation.

Effects: This synthesizer comes with built-in effects such as delays, choruses, and reverbs adding depth and character to the sound.

Interface: The OB-6 features an intuitive and hands-on knob-per-function interface with knobs, sliders, and switches for easy sound tweaking and manipulation.

MIDI and Connectivity: It offers MIDI DIN and USB connectivity, making it compatible with other MIDI gear and software.

Overall, the Oberheim OB-6 is a highly regarded and sought-after synthesizer due to its superb sound quality, classic analog architecture, and user-friendly interface. It's a very cool and capable synth."

Creating and Explaining Synth Sounds on the Korg MonoPoly 🎹🎛✨

video upload by MR TUNA Music

"It's time to learn about synthesis with the vintage analog Korg MonoPoly. We will start on an initialized patch and use as many features and functions as we can to make new synth sounds from scratch. The Monopoly is a very unique synth in the way that you can play like a 4 oscillator mono-synth or play each oscillator polyphonically with paraphonic articulation. I really enjoy creating some crazy, out-of-control patches and seeing how maddening I can make it."