Version 2.0 Official Release

Thanks for the tip off

So it was true... unfortunately, it seems that the only thing added is the pad feature... a thing that certainly many may find useful, but there's no track of bug fixes or other tweaks that would have been necessary...

someone from roland must have read this forum to find out what changes and features users want in their juno-g and said, "well, it's obvious to me that everyone wants a sample pad feature!"

Multisampling you'll probably never get: it would overlap with the Fantoms, and we know they have to cut some features in lower-end instruments.

Here are the pages of the "new" Juno-G:

http://www.roland.com/products/en/JUNO-G/index.html

To me, it looks like they made this update just to boost the specifications a little. Maybe they think that this will add appeal to the Juno vs. its contestants. Now the Juno-G has six sample pads to add to the specs sheet and add the "Sampling Expansion" sticker (but come on, sample triggering was already possible, even it I have to say that you can save keys by assigning samples to the "pads").
Ok, it's a new feature and of course it's welcome, but the fact that they do not declare any bugfix...
I will install the update anyway, hoping that they have fixed something (you know what I'm talking about...) without saying it.

I have a CompactFlash memory card but no reader. The only way for me to copy files into it is using the Juno-G itself as interface between the card and the computer.
May I copy the update file into the card using the Juno-G?
It should boot the update file, I open my card through the keyboard once more and delete it.
Will it work?

Pads. Well...I guess it's hard to complain about something that's free.

Yeah, I agree, they should've give us multisampling, but pad idea isn't so bad, and if you're making even multisamples it's faster this way - you don't have to press every time audio track, start, play etc. But.... as far as I understand from manual, you can't set pads sustain as their parameter, but you have to every time press part mixer and then pad button.... kinda lol, I'm curious how it'll work in live mode (like if I'm playing in live mode, I need a sample so I press part mixer and pad number, and then I want to change with footswitch next live mode patch, hope Juno will remember where I was before)

But wait.... maybe IT IS prima aprilis joke? Heh, who am I kidding, they even released a manual -.- I have one good idea how to improve speed of making multisamples (but Roland should take initiative, because it's about software). I'll post that idea later, I don't have time now

and BTW hi everyone

@matias: no, it won't probably work, as the Juno reads the card to look for the update file. And even if it worked, you would end up with a machine that updates itself every time you start it because it would load the update file again and again and you would not be able to delete it. That's why you need the card.

@all: I installed the update yesterday, all went fine with no problems. I can't say if other bugs have been fixed beyond the new feature. Anyway, I didn't want to say that the pad feature is not useful. It's actually a good idea, and as you said it's free. It's just the fact that Roland usually seems to ignore the existence of bugs that leaves me a bit puzzled. I also own a Clavia, and OS and sound updates are constant, bugs are solved, and Clavia always thanks its users if they report bugs or problems. This is what also Roland should do: listen to users and fix bugs. But if you report a bug to the service centre, they just think you're doing something wrong or pretend that the bug does not exist, like if you were you're the only one having it....

I'm not sure I can be bothered even downloading this update. It sounds like a gimmicky function that will be compromised by the fact that too many operations are already accessed via the same buttons. Frankly I cannot imagine wanting to use the function buttons to try to accurately trigger samples, I wouldn't expect them to last long with enthusiastic tapping... I'm sure they're not sturdy enough!!! I can't believe the number of different ways of searching through patches, yet so many key presses are required to program and save. The lack of copy functions - especially for effect settings - and better access to the menu pages - such as straight into pro edit are needed!!!!

Multisampling should now have been included. The UK price went up from around £625 to £825 overnight (a couple of months back). In these tough times, this addition, if possible by way of a software update, would not cost Roland a penny to implement (beyond development - and let's face it, they already have it), but would add the extra value that the prices now dictate! The Juno G and Sonic Cell were spectacular value - seriously giving the Fantom X synth engine and 99% of the same waveforms (so far as I am concerned, we're talking about losing A multisampled piano)... for as little as £429 in the UK last year and into January. For anyone in the know about Roland products, I suggest that those who can afford the Fantom G, who want the better keybed, or who play live and want it for appearance's sake, will by the Fantom G. Anyone else can get the ROLAND sound side of the product for a fraction of the price. I can see that making the use of multisamples prohibitively expensive helps retain sales of Roland's own SRX boards. And if you have the money to by synths like the Fantom G frequently, then SRX prices would previously not have been a hurdle (now they're pretty silly). Perhas the Juno G should have always commanded the price it now has risen to, with two SRX slots, and with SRX's costing less!!! If Roland had given the Juno G (on its release) half the expansion possibility of the (being phased out) Fantom X range (or in other words, twice the expansion opportunity it has) and lowered SRX prices, then maybe both fantom and more cash-strapped Juno G owners would have bought more SRXs. Roland could have justified a higher selling price of the Juno for including Multisampling and still made its own expansion boards attractive by lowering the price! Afterall, the boards would still load much quicker than samples from user/card memory!!! It surely cannot be long before affordable synths, capable of housing and running, very stably, the software instruments already available, become more common place than the few offerings in that field already (i.e. MUSE). Then, all of a sudden, we shall find the big synth manufacturers capable of including massive hard-drives and all product features, without breaking a sweat. Well, maybe... but because of their brand equity, they'll command a massive premium and we'll all pay it!

Yea, I totally agree with RobJuno. Even if they wouldn't release this kind of OS update... why not update JUNO EDITOR? C'mon, all of you who tried make some multisampled instruments know what I'm talking about. Surely there is a faster way to assign wave files to keys... unless you're satisfied with expanding large menu, searching for sample, and doing it TWICE for one sample.. yeah like I wanna take left channel from this sample and right from other -.-. It should be done in a user-friendly way, cmon Roland! Even if it was possible to manually input number of wave (and editor should in this case assign automatically left and right channel), or something like copying key settings to chosen range of keys and in a second I have nice velocity range of keys, that would be nice.. but wait, if would be almost like multisampling feature -.-. Maybe it's possible to do something like this on your own if you're good at programming, I don't know, but Roland doesn't give a :}
And about SRX expansions... they cost 1/4 of the price of JUNO-G. WTF? It's like for rich people or sth? But let's don't worry. The most important thing is that if we want multisampled instruments in Juno, we can make it
@ Pedro:
Yeah, it's nice function but haven't it been always in Juno? If you're using samples live you can just make rhythm preset like in multisampled instruments, and assign some samples to the keys you don't use often (like in the lowest part of keyboard) - it could be sometimes even more comfortable - you're playing on keyboard, and you dont have to stop playing with one hand to trigger pad (unless you're playing with one hand ;d), instead you can quickly press low key, and nobody will even hear:D

Juno G has 64 Mbytes waveform ROM. Each SRX card also has 64 Mbytes... so you practically double your waveform data by just buying one SRX card. However, I agree there should have been more SRX slots on the Juno G (I've said this BEFORE Juno Stage appeared - which has 2 slots - which proves I'm right ) The Stage should have also had 1 ARX slot - just in case - to motivate ARX sales. It's like their marketing staff thinks backwards. But I think it also has to do with nowadays' problem: nobody ever sells his stuff directly. Most Roland's stuff is sold by different retailers so any price change will only reflect on the market price in about 6 months or even more - depends on how large the stock is. Once the previous stock (acquired at a previous price) is depleted, they're gonna put a different price (the new acquisition price established by Roland). So even if Roland is trying to compete on the market at some critical date (like a competitor's new release), shrinking prices won't reflect on the market at that time which may deem this marketing tactic unfeasible and useless. Not to mention that the large price increase has nothing to do with Roland (or any company) but it's because the Euro has depreciated its value (the $ too) while the yen became stronger.
I bet the "2.0 edition" was released because sales have been constantly threatened since the release of Korg M50 (which entered a niche previously held only by the Juno G - the cheap workstation niche) and has nothing to do with solving bugs whatsoever.

Heh, so that settles it. They just .... oh. ;D

BONUS: http://forums.rolandclan.info/index.php?action=show_thread&thread=20523&fid=1&page=2 here's new EDITOR for Fantom X and Juno G!! Release is planned on april 2004 :}

@kmg

Yes, for all the supposed elements of the update, I can only see the use of function buttons as triggers as NEW! And as you say, to trigger samples from within a rhythm patch (which could form a part within a Performance, assigned to an extreme end of the keyboard), gives the ability to utilse velocity... the 'pads' can't offer this realtime dynamic.

And as for the increase of sample locations from 2,000 to 9,000... WHY??? It would take months to load... if the Juno didn't crash first! Assuming one wanted to load all samples. Even if not, the menu system is so slow scrolling through larger-size samples, that it would be totally impractical.

Actually I think the way Roland that are claiming this as a new feature is pretty sly and cheap! You'd have to be pretty mindless to be in the market for a Juno G and this become the deciding factor for you... sampling was always part of the product, it's as plain as day for anyone to see. Very very odd!