Roland JUNO-Gi Instruction manual

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®ÂØÒňήWorkshop
Realtime Control in the JUNO-Gi
© 2011 Roland Corporation U.S.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the
written permission of Roland Corporation U.S.
JUNOGiWS04
JUNO-Gi Mobile Synthesizer
and Digital Recorder

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About the JUNO-Gi Workshop Booklets
The Roland JUNO-Gi Mobile Synthesizer with Digital Recorder is an
affordable, portable, perfect instrument for performers and songwriters.
It’s got a top-of-the-line sound engine and over 1300 exciting new sounds.
The onboard digital recorder allows you to record and develop your songs,
with dedicated faders and acclaimed BOSS GT-class effects. With USB MIDI
capabilities and its instant MIDI Controller mode, the JUNO-Gi also fits nicely
into any computer-based recording system. Finally, the JUNO-Gi sports a
versatile USB song player for playing backing tracks onstage.
Each JUNO-Gi Workshop Series booklet focuses on one JUNO-Gi topic, and is
intended as a companion to the JUNO-Gi Owner’s Manual.
This booklet requires JUNO-Gi Operating System v1.01 or higher. You can
download the latest JUNO-Gi O.S. for free from www.RolandUS.com.
About This Booklet
The JUNO-Gi is packed with realtime controls that allow you to shape its
sounds as you play into something only you could create. This booklet
explains the JUNO-Gi’s realtime controllers and how to use them..
Understanding the Symbols in This Booklet
Throughout this booklet, you’ll come across information that deserves
special attention—that’s the reason it’s labeled with one of the following
symbols.
A note is something that adds information about the topic at hand.
A tip offers suggestions for using the feature being discussed.
Warnings contain important information that can help you avoid
possible damage to your equipment, your data, or yourself.
The JUNO-Gi’s Realtime Controllers
What Is “Realtime Control?
When we use the term “realtime control,” we’re referring to instantaneous
changes you make to live sets and their effects as you play. “Realtime
controllers” are the physical tools you use to make those changes.
The types of realtime changes you can make are nearly infinite. This allows
you to create sonic textures that are uniquely your own, truly personalizing
the sounds your JUNO-Gi produces.
Some Basic Ideas
We’re Not Talking Keyboard Here So Much
The main realtime device with which you control your
JUNO-Gi sounds is, of course, its keyboard. Though it is
technically a controller, it’s not our concern right now.
In this booklet we’ll be talking about realtime controls designed for turning,
poking, stomping, and waving your hand at (seriously), that allow you to
manipulate sounds in a very tactile way. The JUNO-Gi’s realtime-controls are
customizable since which controllers feel the best to you is a personal issue.
The Mechanics of Realtime Control
Realtime control requires two elements: a realtime controller, and the thing
being controlled. Here’s they work together most often.
• The realtime controller—As the controller is moved, it produces MIDI
Control Change, or “CC,” messages.
• The thing being controlled—Live set and effect settings can be
programmed to respond to particular Control Change messages, so
their values change in response to the realtime controller producing
that message.
There are also other types of data realtime controllers can generate
and to which the JUNO-Gi responds, as we’ll see.

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The SOUND MODIFY Knobs
For on-the-fly sound-shaping, there’s nothing better than the dedicated
SOUND MODIFY knobs. A quick twist or two changes the character of a live
set, and a couple of the knobs practically beg for use while you’re playing
synth sounds. There are actually three sets of knobs we’ll explain separately.
You can see any SOUND MODIFY knob’s current setting without changing
it by holding down the SHIFT button and turning the knob.
The REVERB Knob
The REVERB knob, which—as you’d guess—
changes the amount of reverb, or ambience,
a live set has. Turn it down to lower its reverb
level. Turn it up to add reverb.
The EQ Knobs
Pretty much every sound you hear is a
combination of sound waves playing over and
over at the same time—together, they produce
what it is you hear. These sound waves are
different lengths, and thus run at different
speeds, or “frequencies.” The slowest, lowest
frequencies contribute the bass portion of a
sound. Fast, or high, frequencies contribute the
treble element.
Introducing the JUNO-Gi Realtime Controllers
The Pitch Bend/Modulation Lever
The Pitch Bend/Modulation lever is located to the left of the keyboard, and
allows you to change a sound in two ways. When you
• flip the lever left or right—you bend the pitch of notes downward or
upward, respectively. The further you flip the lever, the greater the
amount of bending. You can set both the maximum and minimum
amount of pitch bend in a live set.
• push the lever forward—you apply modulation, which means “change,”
to the sound you’re using. Typically, sounds acquire vibrato when you
push the lever forward, though you can customize this behavior. When
you let go, the lever returns to its original position, and modulation’s no
longer applied.
Bend pitch Add vibrato
The response to lever movements is programmed for each live set. See
page 36 of the JUNO-Gi Owner’s Manual to learn more. The lever can also be
used for realtime control of effects, as described on page 46 of the Owner’s
Manual.

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The ASSIGNABLE S1 and S2 Switches
These two switches, located above the Pitch Bend/Modulation Lever, are
suited to turning things like tones or effects on and/or off.
The D Beam
The D Beam is an infrared sensor that tracks the position of your hand as it
moves above the sensor. It converts this information to control data, with
which you can do three kinds of things. You can:
• use the D Beam as a mono synth—playing notes by moving your hand
over the D Beam. This happens when you light the SOLO SYNTH button.
• control the level of your live set—using the D Beam to change the live
set’s Expression value when the EXPRESSION button’s lit.
• control some aspect of the current sound with the D Beam—as it converts
your gestures to MIDI Control Change values or other data. This occurs
when the ASSIGNABLE button’s lit.
EQ, short for “equalization,” is a process that allows you to select a range of
frequencies within a sound, and raise or lower its volume to change the
overall tonal characteristics of the sound.
The JUNO-Gi has a built-in master EQ that affects its entire sound, including
synth sounds and the digital recorder. It’s especially handy when you want
to optimize your JUNO-Gi’s sound for the room in which you’re playing.
The EQ section of the SOUND MODIFY area lets you get to the
master EQ in a heartbeat. Start by pressing the EQ ON/OFF
button to light it, and then turn the LOW, MID, and HIGH EQ
knobs as desired—the display shows you each knob’s setting.
The
• LOW knob—adjusts the level of the lower, bass frequencies.
• MID knob—adjust the level of the middle frequencies that generally
make a sound seem closer or further away.
• HIGH knob—adjusts the level of the higher, treble frequencies.
Since changes you make to the master EQ affect the JUNO-Gi’s overall
sound, those changes remain in place as you select different live sets
until you turn off the EQ ON/OFF button, power off the JUNO-Gi or
reset the LOW, MID, and HIGH values.
The SOUND MODIFY Filter Knobs
One of the key elements of a sound’s
programming is its filter settings. These
determine how bright or dull a sound it. Two
of these, in particular, are important: the filter
cutoff setting and the resonance setting. Each
of these has its own SOUND MODIFY knob. The
• CUTOFF knob—sets the brightness of sounds. Sweeping this knob up
and down as you play, especially with synth sounds, allows you to add
even more life to your notes.
• RESONANCE knob—determines the volume of frequencies close to the
cutoff frequency. Turning this knob up and then working the CUTOFF
knob increases the effect of your CUTOFF-knob moves. (Careful,
though—too much resonance can hurt your ears and speakers.)

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You can set up a live set tone to respond to the realtime control you want
to use. Here’s how:
1 On the Live Set Play screen, select the live set you want to customize.
2 Press the MENU button—the Top Menu window appears:
3 Highlight LiveSet Edit, as shown above.
4 Press the ENTER button.
5 Press 6 (PAGE) until you see “LIVE SET EDIT 3” in the top-left corner of
the screen, as shown here:
6 Press 2 (CONTROL).
7 Press 6 until you see the Tone Control Source settings, as shown
here.
Each tone has its own Tone Control Source setting.
8 For any tone you want to set up, highlight its Tone Control Source
parameter, and then set it as desired.
9 When you’re done, press the EXIT button to return to the Live Set
Play screen.
Since you’ve just edited your live set, you’ll want to save it as a new
User live set to preserve your changes. See page 35 in the Owner’s
Manual to learn how to save a live set.
Start by pressing the desired button beneath the D
Beam so it lights. Press the currently lit button to turn
off the D Beam.
As you move your hand down closer to the D Beam
sensor, the effect increases. As you move your hand up
and away from the D Beam, the effect decreases.
Foot Controls
You can gain foot control of various things in the JUNO-Gi by connecting
pedals to its rear-panel PEDAL jacks:
• An expression pedal—produces a continuous stream of Control Change
messages that allow you to adjust or set parameter values as desired
when the pedal’s connected to the PEDAL CONTROL jack. It’s a perfect
fit for the Roland EV-5 expression pedal. You can also connect a switch-
type pedal, such as a Roland FS-5U or -5L, or FS-6, to this jack.
• A damper pedal—is a simple on/off control for various features and
settings. When it’s connected to the PEDAL HOLD jack, it acts as a
sustain pedal. We recommend using a Roland DP-series pedal such as
the DP-2 or DP-10, sold separately.
(All of the pedals listed above are sold separately.)
Customizing Realtime Control
Preparing a Tone for Realtime Control
Each of the JUNO-Gi’s tones is pre-programmed to respond in some
interesting way to realtime control. A tone can respond to
• MIDI CC messages
• left-right flips of the Pitch Bend/ Modulation lever
• aftertouch—data generated when you press down into one of the
JUNO-Gi’s keyboard keys as you play the key.

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Select this value: And lower your hand in the D Beam to:
TAP TEMPO set the synth tempo after several downward
movements.
AFTERTOUCH generate aftertouch messages as if your were
pressing down into the keyboard keys.
You can also customize the D Beam’s Expression mode, setting the
minimum and maximum amounts of Expression to be applied. Just hold
down SHIFT and press the D Beam’s EXPRESSION button.
If you like, you can easily tweak the D Beam’s sensitivity from this
screen by pressing 1 (GENERAL) and setting D Beam Sens as desired.
3 To make your D Beam settings permanent, press 6 (WRITE)—D Beam
settings are saved into the JUNO-Gi’s system memory. If you’re not
sure, press 5 (EXIT) to simply leave the D Beam setup area.
Setting Up the ASSIGNABLE S Switches as Realtime Controllers
You can program the two ASSIGNABLE S switches—S1 and S2—above the
Pitch Bend/Modulation Lever to perform various realtime control actions.
Here’s how:
1 While holding down SHIFT, press either S button to display the LIVE
SET EDIT 3 CONTROL screen, as shown here.
To make the screen look exactly like this, press
6 a few times to scroll these settings into view.
Configuring Your Realtime Controllers
Setting Up the D Beam as a Realtime Controller
The D Beam can operate as a realtime controller in two ways. When its
• EXPRESSION button is lit—you can control the level of the current live set
by adjusting its MIDI Expression setting from the D Beam.
• ASSIGNABLE button is lit—you can generate the type of data you’ve
selected, by moving your hand above the D Beam. This is where the D
Beam’s power as a realtime controller lies once you’ve set up a live set’s
tones to respond to the data type you’ve selected.
When the D Beam’s SOLO SYNTH button is lit, it acts as an instrument,
with your hand movements playing the solo-synth sound.
Here’s how to configure the D Beam so it produces the desired type of data:
1 While holding down the SHIFT button, press
the D BEAM’s ASSIGNABLE button. The
D BEAM ASSIGN screen appears:
2 The Type parameter sets the behavior of the D Beam when
ASSIGNABLE’s lit.
Select this value: And lower your hand in the D Beam to:
CC01 – CC95 generate the selected MIDI CC message.
BEND UP bend pitches of currently playing notes up.
BEND DOWN bend pitches of currently playing notes down.
USB SONG START toggle playback of the USB Song Player on and
off.
RECORDER START toggle playback of the digital recorder on and
off.

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With this Assign value: The S switch:
SYS CTRL 1-4 SRC generates the MIDI Control Change
message to which the selected Sys Ctrl is
set. Pressing the switch down generates a
value of 127; letting go generates a value
of 0. (We’ll explain the Sys Ctrls in a bit.)
LAYER 1-4 SW (U1-L2) toggles the selected tone in the current
live set on and off with each press.
Setting Up Pedals as Realtime Controllers
There are two pedal jacks on the JUNO-Gi’s rear panel.
Connect a Roland
EV-5 or EV-7
expression pedal
or FS-series pedal
to this jack.
Connect a Roland
DP-series pedal to
this jack.
To get to the pedal settings:
1 Press the MENU button to show the Top Menu window.
2 Select System from the Top Menu, and then press ENTER.
3 Press 2 (KBD/CTRL) to show the SYSTEM KBD/CTRL screen.
4 Press 2 (PEDAL) to show the Pedal Setting screen.
For this section, we’ll call the pedal connected to the CONTROL jack the
“CONTROL pedal,” and the pedal plugged into the HOLD jack the “HOLD
pedal.”
Each of the switches has two settings:
• Switch [1 or 2] Assign—selects the job the switch is to perform.
• Switch [1 or 2] Type—sets the manner in which the switch
behaves. When this is set to LATCH, a single touch causes the
switch to act as if you’re holding it down, until you touch it
again. When it’s set to MOMENTARY, the switch only performs its
job while you’re actually pressing it.
For Assign values where a switch-type choice makes no sense, the Type
setting is disabled.
2 Configure the S switches as desired, and then press EXIT.
Here are the things you can program an S switch to do:
With this Assign value: The S switch:
TRANSPOSE UP shifts the pitch of keyboard notes up an
octave with each press.
TRANSPOSE DOWN shifts the pitch of keyboard notes down
an octave with each press.
TAP TEMPO can be tapped to set the keyboard tempo
to the desired speed.
MONO/POLY toggles the JUNO-Gi’s current sound
between monophonic and polyphonic
modes with each press.
PORTAMENTO toggles gliding between notes on and off
with each press.
HOLD acts as a sustain pedal.
MFX1, MFX2 SWITCH toggles the corresponding MFX processor
on or off with each press.
CHORUS SW toggles the Chorus effect processor on or
off with each press.
REVERB SW toggles the Reverb effect processor on or
off with each press.

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If Assign is: Press the pedal to: Use with:
RECORDER START toggle playback on or off
of the current song in the
digital recorder.
an FS-series
pedal.
RECORDER REC toggle recording on and
off for any digital recorder
track currently armed for
recording.
an FS-series
pedal.
TAP TEMPO to tap in the desired
keyboard tempo after a
series of presses.
an FS-series
pedal.
PROGRAM UP select the next-highest live
set.
an FS-series
pedal.
PROGRAM DOWN select the next-lowest live
set.
an FS-series
pedal.
FAVORITE UP select the next-highest
Favorite live set.
an FS-series
pedal.
FAVORITE DOWN select the next-lowest
Favorite live set.
an FS-series
pedal.
ARP SW toggle the JUNO-Gi’s
Arpeggiator on and off.
an FS-series
pedal.
CHORD SW toggle the Chord Memory
feature on and off.
an FS-series
pedal.
INSERT FX
CONTROL
set the level of the current
insert effect. If you’re using
the Wah effect in Manual
mode, the pedal acts as a
wah-wah pedal. If you’re
using the Rotary effect, it
toggles the rotary’s speed.
an EV-5 or EV-7
or an FS-series
pedal,
depending on
the effect.
To make your pedal settings permanent, press 6 (WRITE) to save them into
the JUNO-Gi’s system memory. If you’re not sure, press 5 (EXIT) to simply
leave the screen.
Normally, an expression pedal sends out higher values when it’s pushed
forward, and lower ones when it’s pulled back. Likewise, a DP switch is on
when it’s pressed down and off when it’s released. In the JUNO-Gi, both
pedals have a polarity switch that can reverse this behavior if you like. When
a pedal’s Polarity is set to STANDARD, it behaves normally. With the REVERSE
setting, the
• CONTROL pedal—produces higher values as you tip the pedal back,
and lower values when you push it forward. If you’ve connected an FS
pedal, the pedal acts as if it’s on when you’re not pressing on it, and off
when you are.
• HOLD pedal—the pedal acts as if it’s being pressed when you’re not
pressing it, and vice versa.
The HOLD pedal always acts as a sustain pedal. The CONTROL pedal, though,
is highly configurable via the setting of its Assign parameter. In this table,
we’ll presume your CONTROL pedal’s Polarity is set to STANDARD.
If Assign is: Press the pedal to: Use with:
CC 01-31,
CC 33-95
transmit higher values for the
selected Control Change as
it’s pushed forward.
an EV-5 or
EV-7.
BEND UP bend the current sound’s
pitch upward.
an EV-5 or
EV-7.
BEND DOWN bend the current sound’s
pitch downward.
an EV-5 or
EV-7.
AFTERTOUCH generate Aftertouch values
for modifying the current
sound.
an EV-5 or
EV-7.
OCT UP shift the keyboard’s pitch up
an octave.
an FS-series
pedal.
OCT DOWN shift the keyboard’s pitch
down an octave.
an FS-series
pedal.
USB SONG START toggle on or off the USB
song Player’s playback of the
currently selected song on a
USB stick.
an FS-series
pedal.

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1 Press the MENU button to show the Top Menu window.
2 Select System from the Top Menu, and then press ENTER.
3 Press 2 (KBD/CTRL) to show the SYSTEM KBD/CTRL screen.
4 Press 3 (CTRL) to display the System Control screen.
5 To reset a Sys Ctrl, select its Source value, and choose the control
source you want to use.
6 To make your settings permanent, press 6 (WRITE). If you’re not sure,
press 5 (EXIT) to simply leave the screen.
Arpeggiator and Chord Memory Onstage
The JUNO-Gi’s Arpeggiator and Chord Memory features can be very handy
onstage. The
• Arpeggiator—produces a series of notes based on the key or keys you
strike on the keyboard. This allows you to weave interesting, intricate
note patterns as you perform. You can also use arpeggios as an easy
way to trigger note patterns, such as bass lines or difficult-to-play
passages. To learn more about the Arpeggiator, see page 32 in the
Owner’s Manual.
• Chord Memory—plays a chord form assigned to each key you strike
on the keyboard. This can make the addition of chords to your playing
very simple. Maybe even more intriguing, the chords can be sounded
in different ways for special effects and for simulating things like guitar
strumming. Page 31 in the Owner’s Manual has all the details on the
Chord Memory feature.
The End
We hope you’ve found this workshop helpful. Keep an eye out for
other JUNO-Gi Workshop booklets available for downloading at
www.RolandUS.com.
About System Controls 1-4
The JUNO-Gi’s Sys Ctrsl, or “System Controls 1-4,” allow you to simultaneously
change the realtime control source for multiple tones and MFX without
having to go in and re-program each one individually. Here’s how they work.
There are four Sys Ctrls, each of which has been assigned a type of MIDI
Control Change message. By default
• Sys Ctrl 1—is set to CC01: Modulation (MIDI Control Change 01).
• Sys Ctrl 2—is set to Aftertouch.
• Sys Ctrl 3—is set to CC:02 Breath (MIDI Control Change 02).
• Sys Ctrl 4—is set to CC04: Foot Type (MIDI Control Change 04).
When a tone or MFX is programmed to use a Sys Ctrl as its control source, it’s
placed under the control of whatever’s assigned to that Sys Ctrl.
When a control source is designated as a Sys Ctrl, and the Sys Ctrl
is selected as a tone’s control source...
...then the Sys Ctrl’s control source acts as the tone’s control
source.
MIDI Control Change
01: Modulation Sys Ctrl 1 Tone Ctrl 1 Source
is assigned to... which acts as...
MIDI Control Change
01: Modulation Tone Ctrl 1 Source
as Sys Ctrl 1, acts as...
If you change the control source assigned to a Sys Ctrl, you therefore change
the control source of any tone or MFX that’s set to use it.
All of the factory live sets are set by default to use Sys Ctrls 1-4 as the control
sources for their four tones, respectively. As a result, it’s easy to change a
control source for all of your live sets at once by simply changing a Sys Ctrl
to whatever it is you want to use.
As you personalize your own live sets and MFX, feel free to use something
other than the default assignment as a Sys Ctrl’s control source. And
changing your mind at any time about what you want to use is no biggie,
thanks to the helpful Sys Ctrls. Here’s how to change them: