Roland • Alpha Juno 2
This is an upgraded version of the Alpha Juno 1. It adds an extended 61 note keyboard with velocity and aftertouch and an external memory cartridge slot. Other than that it has the same great sound and features as the Juno 1. Sliders and buttons were replaced by membrane buttons and the Alpha Dial which is used to edit and browse through the extensive selection of parameters: DCO digitally controlled oscillators, LFO, bend, ENV, pulse, waveforms, noise, PW/PWM, high pass filter, VCF filter with freq/env/res/lfo/kybd, VCA envelope, chorus, and more.
Adequate in the studio or on the stage, the Juno 2 has 64 presets and 64 user memory patches, a nice LCD display, an LFO capable of a very slow rate for some cool sweeping effects, and a great bass sound (especially nice for acid basslines) and noise effects! It also has chord memory which is perfect for rave & techno, portamento and keyboard transposing. The PG-300 Synthesizer Programmer gives you traditional slider control of each parameter for much easier and faster editing. The Alpha Junos have been used by Mundo Muzique, Vince Clarke, Matt Megaton Haines, Paul Hardcastle, Fatboy Slim, Massive Attack, Bomb the Bass, The Prodigy, Faithless, Youth, Joey Beltram and Human Resource.
Roland HS-10
The HS-10 Synth Plus 10 is an Alpha Juno 1 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.
The keypads and alpha-dail are not very good ;-)
But you can control it 100% via Midi, great!
One of the best (!) analog synths for little money!
The one and only Hoover machine, responsible for one of the most (over)used sounds in electronica.
Many will say that it isn't as warm as a 60 or 106, but the Alpha has its own unique sound, which makes it a relevant addition to any studio.
You can find used models for next-to-nothing ($150-$200), so, if you're in need of a little "What The . . .?" Hoover in your mix, why not skip the samples and emulation and get the real thing?