Roland UNO-Di Instruction manual

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© 2009 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.
JDiWS01
Getting to Know the JUNO-Di
®ÂØÒňήWorkshop
JUNO-Di Mobile Synthesizer with Song Player

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About the Workshop Booklets
Roland’s JUNO synthesizers have been making history since the 1980s.
They’ve always been affordable, easy to use, and sounded great. The
JUNO-Di is designed for performing anywhere. It’s super-lightweight, can
run on batteries, and it puts everything you need on a gig right at your
fingertips. Enjoy the best of the latest performance-oriented sounds from
Roland with 128-note polyphony. Use dedicated buttons to quickly split
the JUNO-Di keyboard or layer sounds. Shape JUNO-Di sounds as you play
with its extensive realtime controls. Play along with audio files or SMFs
stored on a USB flash drive, or connect a personal music player. Plug a mic
into the JUNO-Di for singing along. With one button-press, configure the
JUNO-Di as a controller of other MIDI devices or a computer-based DAW.
This Workshop booklet is intended as a companion to the JUNO-Di Owner’s
Manual. It requires JUNO-Di Operating System v1.02 or higher.
About This Booklet
The JUNO-Di’s got a lot of tricks up its sleeve. Though it weighs less than 12
pounds, it’s packed with sounds and tools you’ll love having at your fingertips.
This booklet takes you on a step-by step tour through its features.
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.
Hot Links
Each Workshop booklet is meant to be read in order from beginning
to end. However, if we mention an upcoming section—and you see
this arrow—you can click the arrow to jump there immediately.
Setting Up the JUNO-Di
Making the Power Connection
You can run your JUNO-Di on standard AC power, or on batteries. We’ll leave
it up to you to choose how you want to power your JUNO-Di for going
through this booklet.
It’s best not to power up until you’ve made your audio connections,
which we’ll discuss on the next page.
Using an AC Outlet
Assemble the JUNO-Di’s two-piece power adaptor.1
2 Plug the AC end into a grounded power outlet—the adaptor’s
indicator lights green.
Plug the other end into the JUNO-Di’s rear-
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panel DC IN jack.
You can wrap the cable at the DC end of the
power adaptor around the cord hook to the left
of the DC IN jack to help avoid unintentionally
yanking out the plug or damaging the adaptor.

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Using Batteries
The JUNO-Di can run for about five hours using eight standard nickel-
metal hydride AA-type batteries (purchased separately). With an active USB
connection, you’ll get around four hours of battery operation.
Its lightness, and ability to run on battery power make the JUNO-Di an
excellent portable practice instrument for students, or go-anywhere
songwriter’s tool.
Before you run the JUNO-Di on batteries, disconnect the AC adaptor.
Installing Batteries
On a soft, static-free surface, turn the JUNO-Di onto its face so its1
bottom is facing you and the battery compartment door is visible.
Gently press the door’s tabs inward, and then lift out the door.2
Insert eight fresh batteries according to the polarity symbols shown3
in the battery compartment. The JUNO-Di will successfully power up
only when you’ve got the batteries in the correct way.
For optimal results, avoid mixing new and old batteries. Fresh batteries
are always best, of course.
Re-attach the compartment door by inserting its far edge, and then4
gently pressing down the door so its tabs lock in place.
If you reconnect the adaptor while operating on batteries, the JUNO-Di
momentarily shuts down to switch power sources.
Running On Batteries
You can lengthen the life of your batteries by turning off the JUNO-Di’s
display backlight when you don’t need it. See Page 21 in the JUNO-Di
Owner’s Manual to learn how to turn off the backlight.
As you use the JUNO-Di on battery power, the front-panel BATTERY indicator
to the left of the display remains unlit unless you to have an issue with your
battery power. If the indicator:
lights—
• you should replace your batteries as soon as
possible. Your batteries are starting to run low.
flashes—
• you should replace your batteries immediately, since you’re
just about out of battery power. You’ll soon see “Battery Low!” on the
display, and you won’t be able to play your JUNO-Di.
You shouldn’t rely on the behavior of the BATTERY indicator—whether
it lights or flashes—to decide when to replace your batteries. If it lights
at all, change them as soon as possible.
Setting Up For Listening
You can listen to the JUNO-Di through stereo headphones, a keyboard amp,
a mixer, or powered speakers.
We don’t recommend listening to the JUNO-Di directly through a home
music system since the JUNO-Di’s dynamic range may exceed your
system’s capabilities, and could damage your equipment.

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To listen through
headphones—
• connect your headphones’ 1/4” plug to
the JUNO-Di’s rear-panel PHONES jack. If you’re using
earbuds or other headphones that have a stereo mini
plug, you’ll need a stereo-mini-to-stereo-1/4” adaptor.
keyboard/guitar amp—
• connect the JUNO-Di to the amp in mono or
stereo, depending on the amp. If you’re using a
mono amp—
• connect the JUNO-Di’s OUTPUT L (MONO) jack to
an amp input.
stereo amp—• connect the JUNO-Di’s OUTPUT L (MONO) and R
jacks to the amp’s left and right inputs, respectively.
Match the battery-powered JUNO-Di with Roland’s battery-powered
CUBE Street or MOBILE CUBE, and you’ve got a rig you can take
anywhere.
mixer or powered speakers—• connect the JUNO-Di’s OUTPUT L (MONO)
and R jacks to two of your mixer’s or speakers’ input channels.
Powering Up and Setting Your Listening Level
Turn the JUNO-Di’s main VOLUME knob all the way1
down to avoid blasting your ears or system.
Press in the JUNO-Di’s rear-panel POWER switch to turn
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on the JUNO-Di.
Once the JUNO-Di’s finished starting up, you’ll be on
this screen.
3 If you’re listening on headphones, skip to Step 4. Otherwise, raise the
level of your amp, mixer, or speakers to a normal level.
As you play the JUNO-Di keyboard, slowly raise the
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JUNO-Di’s VOLUME knob to set your listening level.
The JUNO-Di Controls
A setting on the JUNO-Di is called a “parameter.” To change a parameter’s
value, you select it so it’s underlined, as shown here.
Here, the patch number is underlined and therefore selected.

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To select a parameter and change its value:
Use the JUNO-Di’s1 3, 4, 5, and/or 6buttons to underline the
desired parameter.
Turn the VALUE dial in the display area to set the2
selected parameter’s value.
Hold down the SHIFT button as you turn the Value
dial to raise or lower values by greater amounts.
The Synth Side of the JUNO-Di
Listening to the JUNO-Di Demos
The JUNO-Di’s sounds are probably the most important thing about it. Let’s
take a few moments to listen to the main JUNO-Di demo.
If you’ve already installed a USB memory stick in your JUNO-Di, please
remove it and turn the JUNO-Di off and back on before proceeding with
demo playback.
Press the PLAY/STOP button in the SONG PLAYER area—1
the Demo screen appears and first demo starts to play.
If you want to stop the demo before it ends, press the PLAY/STOP2
button again.
When the demo ends—or you press PLAY/STOP—the display shows
the titles of the other built-in demos.
To play another demo, press3 6to display and select it, and then
press the PLAY/STOP button to hear it.
The JUNO-Di’s Sounds
The JUNO-Di contains a lot of sounds, configured in different ways so that
you can always have just what you need at hand onstage.
Patches and Rhythm Sets
At the heart of all of the configurations are two types of basic sounds:
patches—
• that play a single sound up and down the entire keyboard.
(The JUNO-Di Owner’s Manual calls patches “tones.”) There are 1,338
factory Preset patches, including 256 GM2 patches). You can also save
up to 128 of your own patches.
rhythm sets—
• which have a different drum or percussion sound on every
key. There are 29 Preset rhythm sets onboard (including nine GM2 kits),
and you can save another eight of your own.
“GM2” is short for General MIDI 2. To learn more about General MIDI,
you can download Roland’s An Introduction to MIDI InFocus booklet
from here.
Combining Sounds
Performances
When you combine sounds in the JUNO-Di, you do so in a “performance.”
A performance can have up to 16 sounds at a time, playing on top of each
other, in different areas of the keyboard, or both. Each sound is played by a
“part,” which has its own settings that determine how its sound plays.
The JUNO-Di contains 64 factory Preset performances, and you can save
another 64 performances of your own.

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Performances Built for Speed
In addition to standard 16-part performances, the JUNO-Di has a few special
tools for constructing simple performances fast. When you press
SPLIT—
• you can quickly divide the keyboard into Lower and Upper
zones, with each having its own sound and part settings.
DUAL—
• you can play two patches together, layered on top of each
other across the entire keyboard. Their parts have their own settings
here, too.
SUPER LAYER—
• you can pile multiple copies of the same patch on top of
itself for a single super-fat sound. You can also detune them from each
other to make the overall sound even bigger.
We’ll discuss the Split, Dual, and Super Layer features in
detail later on. If you want to go there now, click the Jump
button to the right.
Selecting Sounds
You select sounds on the JUNO-Di using the buttons beneath the display.
To select a
patch—
• pressthePIANO,KEYBOARD/ORGAN,GUITAR/BASS,ORCHESTRA,
WORLD, BRASS, VOCAL/PAD, or SYNTH button.
rhythm set—
• press the RHYTHM button to display the available rhythm
sets.
performance—
• press the PERFORM button.
Once you’ve got the desired type of sound, turn the Value dial to select the
specific sound you’re looking for.
You can check out the currently selected sound by playing the
keyboard, or by pressing the PREVIEW button in the MODE/MIC area so
the JUNO-Di plays the sound for you.
You can set up sounds as Favorites that you can grab quickly.
We’ll discuss Favorites later. If you’d like to read this section
now, click this jump button.
Realtime Control of Sounds
The JUNO-Di’s sounds respond musically to how you play them, and you can
also change them as you play using a variety of “realtime” controls.
For the next section, select a patch you like to play. We’ll use it for trying out
the things we’ll discuss.
The Responsive JUNO-Di Keyboard
The JUNO-Di’s keyboard detects the force, or “velocity,” with which you play,
and the currently selected sound changes accordingly.
Low velocity High velocity
Getting louder and/or brighter as you play harder is one of the most
common velocity responses, though, really, lots of things can change with
your playing force.
Try playing the patch you’ve selected and see how it responds sonically to
your touch.
If you find you have to play uncomfortably hard or unnaturally soft
to make the sounds react, you can change the keyboard’s touch
sensitivity, as described on Page 75 of the JUNO-Di Owner’s Manual.

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The Pitch Bend/Modulation Lever
The next most basic way to control a patch’s sound in realtime is by using the
Pitch Bend/Modulation lever to the left of the keyboard. Flip the lever left or
right to lower or raise the pitch of notes, or push it forward to add modulation
to the notes. Modulation—which means“change”—is often vibrato, but can
be most anything depending on how the patch is programmed.
Bend note pitches Push to add modulation,
release to remove it
The SOUND MODIFY Knobs
In the SOUND MODIFY area of the JUNO-Di front panel are knobs that let you
quickly adjust some important parameters as you play.
The ENVELOPE ATTACK and RELEASE knobs—
• The ATTACK knob adjusts
the speed at which a note starts to play after you press its key. The
RELEASE knob adjusts how long it takes a note to return to silence when
you release its key.
The CUTOFF and RESONANCE knobs—
• Change a patch’s filter Cutoff and
Resonance values to produce the moving “yowl” that’s often part of
dance and electronic synth music. The CUTOFF and RESONANCE knobs
adjust those parameters in the current patch.
Press the SYNTH button to select 001: Porta Lead 1, and turn CUTOFF
and RESONANCE as you play the keyboard. (Try turning RESONANCE up
a bit first, and then turn CUTOFF for a more obvious effect.)
The REVERB knob—• Use this knob to increase or decrease the output
level of the JUNO-Di’s reverb processor.
The SOUND MODIFY knobs affect the currently selected patch or
rhythm set. If you’re using the Dual or Super Layer features they affect
the entire sound. When you’re playing a standard performance, they
affect the currently selected part. For more details on the SOUND
MODIFY knobs, see Page 65 of the Owner’s Manual.
The D Beam
The D Beam is an infrared sensor that tracks the position of
your hand as it moves above the sensor. It can operate in any
of three ways. Press the desired button beneath the D Beam so
it lights to select :
SOLO SYNTH—
• to play notes by moving your
hand over the D Beam.
EXPRESSION—
• to adjust the parameter
designated at the Roland factory as the best for
adding expression to the current patch.
ASSIGNABLE—
• to control the value of a
parameter in the current patch that’s been set
to respond to D Beam control.
As you move your hand down closer to the D Beam
sensor, its effect increases. As you move up and
away, it decreases. Press the currently lit button to
turn off the D Beam.
Transposing the Keyboard
The JUNO-Di’s Transpose features allow you to easily shift the notes the
keyboard plays to any key or octave, allowing you to play in any key using
the fingerings you find most comfortable.
Viewed from the side,
this is the area above the
D Beam in which you can
move your hand.

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The JUNO-Di’s Transpose feature raises or lowers the pitch of the
current sound. If you’re using the Split or Dual features, it affects
the pitch of the currently selected part. If you’re playing a standard
performance, it also affects the pitch of the current part.
To Transpose the Keyboard by Octaves
Press the OCTAVE DOWN or UP button to lower or1
raise the keyboard’s pitch as desired. The JUNO-Di
displays the amount of transposition.
Transposing the Keyboard by Semitone Steps
Hold down the TRANSPOSE button and then use1
the - or + button to lower or raise the pitch in
semitone steps as desired. The JUNO-Di displays
the selected amount of transposition.
Using the Split, Dual and Super Layer Features
When you use the JUNO-Di’s Split or Dual features, you’re using a special
performance in which all the parts except Parts 1 and 2 are turned off. With
the Super Layer feature, Parts 1-5 are available.
When you use the Split, Dual, and Super Layer features, the
JUNO-Di creates a temporary performance. If you like, you can save
this performance by writing it into the JUNO-Di’s memory as described
on Page 52 of the JUNO-Di Owner’s Manual.
You can use your computer to create complex splits and/or layers by
constructing performances using the JUNO-Di Editor software included
with your JUNO-Di.
Quickly Creating a Two-Sound Split
When you create a simple split using the JUNO-Di’s Dual feature,
the keyboard is divided into Lower and Upper zones, each of
which plays its own sound. Here’s how to use the Split feature.
Select the patch or rhythm set you want to play with your right
1
hand.
Press SPLIT to light it and display the Split temporary performance.
2
Upper sound
Lower sound
Select the desired Lower patch or rhythm set.3
You can select either the Lower or Upper sound at any time on this
screen by using 5 or 6 to select the desired part, and then turning
the Value dial to choose the sound you want.
To turn off a split, press SPLIT again so it’s unlit.4
You can adjust the relative volume of your Upper and Lower parts, as
explained in “Adjusting Part Levels,” on Page 9.
Changing the Split Point
You can change the lowest key—or “split point”—that plays the Upper
sound. Here’s how.
When SPLIT is lit, hold down SHIFT and press SPLIT
1
to display the split-point screen.
Turn the Value dial to select the desired split point.2
Press SPLIT again to leave the split-point screen.3
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Quickly Creating a Two-Sound Layer
The Dual feature layers two patches or rhythm sets on top of each
other so they both play when you strike any key on the keyboard.
Here’s how to use the JUNO-Di’s Dual feature.
Select the first patch or rhythm set you want to use in your layered
1
sound.
Press DUAL so it lights and Parts 1 and 2 are displayed.
2
Select the patch or rhythm set you want to layer with your first3
sound.
To turn off a Dual layer, press DUAL again so it’s unlit.
4
You can adjust the relative volume of your parts, as explained in
“Adjusting Part Levels,” at the right of this page.
Swapping Split and Layer Sounds
When you’re dealing with a simple split or layer, you can easily swap your
Upper and Lower sounds. Here’s how:
Press SPLIT or LAYER so it’s lit and its parts are displayed.
1
Cursor to the top sound, hold down SHIFT and press1 6, or cursor to
the bottom sound, hold down SHIFT and press 5.
Using Super Layer
With the JUNO-Di’s Super Layer feature, you can stack up to five detuned
copies of a single patch on top of each other for the ultimate thick, fat sound.
Here’s how to use it.
Select the patch you want to use.
1
Press SUPER LAYER so it lights to display the Super Layer’s temporary2
performance.
Set the parameters on this screen as desired. You can set3
Layer—• to the number of copies of the original sound you want
to use.
Detune—
• to the amount of detuning that’s applied to the copies.
More detuning makes the sound bigger though less precisely
tuned.
Adjusting Part Levels
To adjust the volumes of your Upper and Lower sounds in a split or layer, or
the parts in a performance:
Hold down SHIFT and press the PERFORM button
1
to display the PART EDIT screen.
We’re adjusting a split’s part levels in this screenshot.
Adjust any part as desired. To set the level of2
a Split or or Dual layer part—• select and adjust the part’s Level
parameter.
Parts 1-16 of a performance—
• select and adjust the part’s Level
parameter.
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Quick Access to Favorite Sounds and Performances
The JUNO-Di’s Favorite feature allows you to set up frequently used patches,
rhythm sets, and performances for quick recall by registering them as
Favorites. Any Favorite can be easily grabbed at any time.
To use a split, Dual layer, or Super Layer as a Favorite, you’ll need to
write its temporary performance into the JUNO-Di’s memory first.
You can have up to 100 Favorites, organized into Favorite Banks 0-9. Each
bank holds 10 Favorites, called “Favorites 0-9.” Each Favorite in a bank is
assigned, or “registered,” to the corresponding 0-9 button beneath the
display.
When you’re onstage, you’ll have a bank selected and ready to go so you
can quickly recall the Favorites it holds. To make this happen, you’ll group
your Favorites ahead of time in the way you expect to need them onstage.
For example, if there are 10 patches, rhythm sets, or performances you know
you’ll need in a set, register them all in the same Favorites bank so you can
get to each one instantly as you play by pressing its 0-9 button.
The JUNO-Di remembers your Favorites even when you power down. Only a
Factory Reset clears them.
Navigating Favorites Banks
To Figure Out the Favorites Bank That’s Selected
Press the FAVORITE BANK button so it lights—the button for the1
currently selected Favorites bank flashes.
To Select a Favorites Bank
Press the FAVORITE BANK button so it lights.1
Press the desired Favorite bank’s 0-9 button—its name appears in2
the display, and the button flashes for a moment, at which point the
bank’s button and the BANK button turn off.
Registering a Sound or Performance as a Favorite
Select the patch, rhythm set, or performance you want to register as1
a Favorite.
If you’re not already there, navigate to the desired bank as described
2
in the previous section.
Hold down the FAVORITE ON/OFF button and press a 0-9 button to
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register the current patch, rhythm set, or performance there. The
JUNO-Di confirms what you’ve done with an onscreen message.
To change the Favorite registered to a 0-9 button, just register the
button’s new Favorite there.
Selecting a Favorite Sound or Performance
If you’re not already there, navigate to the desired Favorites bank as1
described in “To Select a Favorites Bank,” above.
Press the FAVORITE ON/OFF button so it’s lit if it’s not already.
2
Press a Favorite’s 0-9 button to select, or “recall,” the Favorite you3
want.
You can also move through Favorites using a footswitch—see Page 47 of
the Owner’s Manual for details.
The FAVORITE UTILITY screen provides tools for managing your
Favorites. To jump there, hold down SHIFT and press the FAVORITE ON/
OFF button—see Page 69 in the Owner’s Manual to learn more.
JUNO-Di Synth Performance Tools
Both the JUNO-Di’s Arpeggiator and Chord Memory features automate the
playing of phrases that might otherwise be difficult to pull off onstage. They
can also act as inspiring creative tools.

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The Arpeggiator
The arpeggiator takes notes you play on the keyboard and generates a pre-
programmed phrase based on those notes. Each of these phrases is called a
“style.” The JUNO-Di contains 128 styles. Arpeggios can be great for creating
repeating patterns such as those used in dance music, and can also produce
automatic bass lines that begin with the note you play on the keyboard.
Let’s explore how arpeggios work on the JUNO-Di.
Start by selecting a polyphonic patch
1 —Synth Patch 017: Jump Poly.
To turn on the arpeggiator, press the ARPEGGIO button so
2
it lights and the ARPEGGIO screen appears.
On the ARPEGGIO screen, you can customize the arpeggio to be
played in a variety of ways, as explained on Page 67 of the Owner’s
Manual.
Hold down some notes on the keyboard and try out the available
3
arpeggio styles.
As you listen, move your fingers around to different keys to hear how
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your notes interact with the current arpeggiator style.
If you’d like to play some notes and then just let go as the arpeggiator
takes over, turn the Arpeggio Hold parameter on.
Let go of the keys—or turn off Arpeggio Hold—when you’re done5
experimenting.
Select the monophonic Synth Patch 023: Hot Coffee. It plays one note
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at a time, no matter how many keys you press. The arpeggiator does
some very interesting things to mono patches.
Play around a bit more with the arpeggio styles as you play different
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notes with Hot Coffee.
To turn the arpeggiator off, press the ARPEGGIO button again to
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unlight it.
Chord Memory
The JUNO-Di’s Chord Memory feature generates a chord based on a single
key you play on the keyboard. The chord can be set up to play its notes in
several ways. A “chord set” is an octave’s worth of chord structures assigned
to keys—the actual notes they play are based on the key you’re in. There are
17 factory chord sets.
Let’s try out this feature using the first GUITAR/BASS patch, 001 JUNO
Nylon.
Turn on the Chord Memory feature, by pressing the CHORD
1
MEMORY button so it lights—the CHORD MEMORY screen
appears.
Chord Set
parameter
There are three parameters on this screen you can use for getting just
the chord form you want. The first parameter allows you to select the
“chord set” that the Chord Memory feature is to use.
See Page 125 in the Owner’s Manual lists the chords each key plays in
the factory chord sets. (The chart shows the chords for the key of C.)
Adjust the Chord Set parameter to try out different sets as you2
play some keys on the keyboard and listen to the chords each one
contains.
Set the KEY parameter to select the actual key of your song. Each set’s
3
chords are automatically transposed into the key you select.
The Roll Type parameter is what makes CHORD MEMORY so useful for
4
playing guitar sounds. By default, it’s set to UP, which means that the
notes in the chord are played as a quick glissando from the lowest key
to the highest, like a standard guitar strum. You can also select DOWN
so they go in the opposite direction, ALT so the JUNO-Di alternates
between upward and downward glisses, and OFF if you want the
notes in a chord to be played at the same time, with no roll.

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MIDI Controller Mode
The JUNO-Di can act as a powerful MIDI controller you can use for playing
external MIDI sound modules, soft synths on a computer, or sequencing in a
computer-based digital audio workstation (“DAW”). In fact, with its light
weight, battery power, onboard sounds, and USB MIDI connectivity, the
JUNO-Di makes an killer road or stage companion for a laptop, providing you
with a totally portable performance/sequencing system.
You can connect the JUNO-Di’s MIDI OUT jack to any device
that has a MIDI IN jack using a MIDI cable, or exchange MIDI
messages with a computer using a USB cable. Once you’ve made
your connections, you can activate MIDI Controller mode by
pressing the JUNO-Di’s MIDI CONTROLLER button to light it.
Before connecting the JUNO-Di via USB to a computer for MIDI
communication, you’ve got to install the JUNO-Di’s USB driver on the
computer. The driver’s on the CD that came with your JUNO-Di.
To learn more about using the JUNO-Di as a MIDI controller, see Page 81 in
the JUNO-Di Owner’s Manual.
Using a Microphone with the JUNO-Di
The JUNO-Di has a MIC IN jack, a mini-mixer, and a vocoder that uses
the mic for shaping notes played on the keyboard. There’s a 1/4”
phone-type jack on the back of the JUNO-Di for connecting your
mic.
The MODE/MIC area of the JUNO-Di front panel contains
MIC IN controls for your mic. You can:
Set your mic’s level—
• using the MIC IN VOLUME
knob.
Add reverb to the mic—
• by pressing and lighting the
MIC IN REVERB button.
Hold down SHIFT and press the MIC IN area’s REVERB
button to display the MIC IN SETTINGS screen.
+
Make sure the REVERB button is lit to hear the effect, since pressing
SHIFT and REVERB to get to this screen turns off the REVERB button.
To display all of the MIC IN SETTINGS screen’s parameters, use the 6
and 5 buttons.
On this screen, you can:
customize the mic’s reverb level, reverb type, and reverb length—
• by setting
the Reverb Level, Type, and Time parameters.
set whether the mic is live or used only for the vocoder—
• by setting Mic
Mode to ALL or VOCODER ONLY, respectively.
Using the JUNO-Di Vocoder
The JUNO-Di’s vocoder effect allows you to control the shape of notes you
play on the keyboard by speaking or singing into your mic. Here’s how to
use it.
Select the VOCAL/PAD patch 036: VOCODER Ens.
1
Though VOCODER Ens is a good place to start, you can also use VOCAL/
PAD 034 VOCODER Robt or 035 VOCODER Chr, or PERFORM 60, 61, and
62, which are bass, organ, and pad vocoder sounds, respectively.
What makes the JUNO-Di vocoder work is one of its multi-effects (or
“MFX”). You can actually vocode any JUNO-Di sound by setting the MFX
to 79:VOCODER, as explained on Page 61 of the Owner’s Manual.
Hold down some keys on the keyboard and sing or speak into the2
mic—you’re “singing” or “speaking” the JUNO-Di’s notes.
Try tweaking the vocoder’s settings to optimize the effect for your
3
mic and voice, as described on Page 43 of the Owner’s Manual.

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The Song Player Side of the JUNO-Di
Now that we’ve discussed the JUNO-Di as a synthesizer, let’s
discuss its Song Player tools. The Song Player brings a few
different things to the table:
You can play along with rhythm patterns played by the
•
built-in drum machine.
You can play songs in .WAV, AIFF, MP3, and/or SMF (Standard MIDI File)
•
format stored on a USB memory stick.
You can connect a personal music player or CD player and play along with
•
its music.
Playing Rhythm Patterns on the JUNO-Di
The JUNO-Di contains rhythm patterns—beats—that are perfect for playing
along with onstage. It’s got 24 Preset rhythm patterns, and you can adjust
the tempo of any pattern.
Rhythm patterns are arranged in “rhythm groups,” which are sets of six
stylistically related rhythm patterns, along with a rhythm set that’s pre-
programmed to play them.
To use the Rhythm Pattern feature, press the SONG PLAYER RHYTHM
PATTERN button so it lights and the RHYTHM PATTERN screen is
displayed.
The JUNO-Di Rhythm Patterns
While the RHYTHM PATTERN screen is displayed, Category Buttons 1-6
directly beneath the display light to act as rhythm pads. Each one triggers
playback of one of the rhythm patterns in the current rhythm group.
How To Play Rhythm Patterns
To start playing a rhythm pattern—• press its pad. The pad lights and the
pattern begins playing.
To switch to another rhythm pattern—
• press the desired rhythm pattern’s
pad. The JUNO-Di immediately switches to the new rhythm pattern.
To stop a rhythm pattern—
• press its lit pad or press the SONG PLAYER
PLAY/STOP button.
Setting the Rhythm Pattern Tempo
Press the TAP TEMPO button to open the Tempo window.1
Set the tempo as desired by2
tapping it out—• on the TAP TEMPO button.
setting the Tempo parameter—
• using the VALUE dial.
The Rhythm Pattern Transport Buttons
While the RHYTHM PATTERN screen is displayed, the transport buttons in the
SONG PLAYER area allow you to to navigate rhythm patterns. Here’s what
they do:
Use this button to start playback of the last-
selected rhythm pattern, or stop playback of the
currently playing rhythm pattern.
Press this to go
to the previous
rhythm pattern.
Press this to
go to the next
rhythm pattern.

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Setting the Rhythm Pattern Level
As a rhythm pattern plays, you can adjust its volume by pressing the
SONG PLAYER’s LEVEL button, and then turning the Value dial to set
its volume as desired.
Selecting Rhythm Sets
Though each rhythm group contains a preferred rhythm set, you can use any
rhythm set you like with any rhythm. To change rhythm sets, highlight the
name of the current rhythm set on the RHYTHM PATTERN screen, and turn
the VALUE dial to select another set.
Playing Along with Songs on a USB Drive
If you’ve got a personal computer, you can load songs onto
a JUNO-Di-formatted USB memory stick, and the JUNO-Di
can play them. This makes it easy to perform along with pre-
recorded tracks.
To learn how to initialize, or format, a USB stick for the
JUNO-Di, see Page 78 in the Owner’s Manual. You can
also use a USB stick for backing up your own data, as
explained on Page 77 of the Owner’s Manual.
We recommend using the Roland M-UF1G USB memory stick. Any
standard USB memory stick should work, though Roland obviously can’t
guarantee the quality of other manufacturers’ products.
The JUNO-Di’s Song Player lets you play along with a variety of audio and
MIDI file types. You can play
MP3 files—
• at a 44.1 kHz sample rate. The JUNO-Di stage plays MP3s
with a range of bit rates, as listed on Page 71 of the Owner’s Manual.
audio files—
• in .WAV or AIFF format with a 44.1 kHz sample rate. The
JUNO-Di can play 8-, 16-, and 24-bit audio files.
SMFs—
• that are Type 0 (all tracks combined into one track) or Type 1
(multiple separate tracks) SMFs. SMF songs play the JUNO-Di’s internal
General MIDI sounds according to MIDI Bank-Select and Program-
Change messages embedded in the file. An SMF can be no larger than
roughly 240 kb in size, and if an SMF contains System Exclusive (“SysEx”)
data, that data must have a packet size of 512 or less.
To learn more about MIDI, SMFs, and SysEx data, see Roland’s An
Introduction to MIDI InFocus booklet, which you can download here.
Using the Playlist Editor on Your Computer
The included computer-based Playlist Editor software allows
you to build playlists that place audio and MP3 songs in the
order you want. The JUNO-Di can then play these playlists.
The Playlist Editor comes with its own documentation, so
we’ll just take a quick look at it now.
If you want to play individual songs without using a playlist, you can
copy the song files to your USB stick on your computer without putting
them into any folders on the USB stick.
Before Launching the Playlist Editor
You’ll need to install the Playlist Editor on your computer according to
its installer’s instructions—the software’s on the CD that came with your
JUNO-Di.
Using the Playlist Editor
When the Playlist Editor launches, you’ll see:

15
The pane at the right of the Playlist Editor screen shows you the contents of
whatever it is you’ve selected in the Playlist list. Below, we’ve selected Playlist
Library, so the pane on the right is showing us our entire playlist library. You
can add songs to the library by dragging them into the pane or by using the
Add Song... File menu command.
You can create a new playlist using the Edit menu’s New Playlist command
and then dragging the desired songs onto its name.
If you prefer, you can select the library songs you want to use, and then hit
the checkmark button at the bottom of the screen to create a new playlist
from those songs.
A playlist can contain up to 999 songs.
Once you’ve created the playlist(s) you want, and set its/their playback
options, select the stick—called “JUNO-Di” in the Playlist Editor’s Drive
Selection popup menu—and then click the arrow pointing from your
computer to the USB stick, as shown here.
When the JUNO-Di asks if you’re sure, click OK.
Working with Songs and Playlists in the Song Player
The PLAYLIST SELECT Screen
When you’ve got the playlists and songs on your USB stick, insert it into
the JUNO-Di’s front-panel USB jack and wait a few moments until you see
“Loading...” momentarily appear.
Press the SONG PLAYER button, and you’ll see the PLAYLIST SELECT screen:
In this screenshot, our first playlist is called “Sand Paintings.”
This is the screen on which you select and play songs and playlists from your
USB stick. To:
select something onscreen—
• use the Value dial or the 6and/or 5
buttons.
select a playlist and display its contents—
• use the
Value dial or the 6and/or 5buttons, and then
press ENTER.
close a playlist—
• press the 3button.
When you’re in a
playlist or folder, a
left-pointing arrow
shows the way out.

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Playing Songs and Playlists
Before playing back an SMF, press the PERFORM button to light it. If
you want to play along on the JUNO-Di keyboard, turn the Value dial to
select the PERFORM sound you want to play before starting playback.
To:
play a song that’s not in a folder or playlist—
• press 5to select USB
Memory, and then press the ENTER button to display a list of songs.
Select the song you want to play, and then press PLAY/STOP.
see all of the songs in your playlist library—
• select Playlist Library and
press ENTER. To play a song, select it and press the PLAY/STOP button.
select and play a playlist—
• select it and press PLAY/STOP. (If you enabled
Chain Play in the Playlist Editor, its songs play one after another.)
select and play an individual song in a playlist—
• select the playlist and
press ENTER. Select the desired song and press PLAY/STOP.
The SONG PLAYER Transport Buttons
Use this button to start
and stop playback of the
selected song or playlist.
Press this once
to return to the
top of the current
song, or twice
to go to the
previous song.
Press this once
to go to the next
song.
Music Minus One
The JUNO-Di’s Music Minus One feature allows you to quickly
silence one of the tracks in an SMF song by simply pressing the
C. CANCEL/MINUS ONE button to light it. Typically the track you
remove from the arrangement is the one you want to play yourself,
live. See Page 76 of the Owner’s Manual to learn how to designate
the track to be muted with Music Minus One.
Adjusting the Playback Volume of a Song
To change the playback volume of a song, press the SONG PLAYER
area’s LEVEL button to display the AUDIO LEVEL screen when an
audio or MP3 file is selected, or the SMF LEVEL screen when an SMF
is selected. Turn the Value dial to set the playback level as desired.
Playing Along with a Personal Music Player or CD
You can also play along with music from a personal music player—
the type that plays MP3 and AAC files—or a CD player. Using a 1/4”
stereo mini cable, you can connect the player’s headphone or line
out to the rear-panel EXT INPUT jack. The audio from the player is
heard along with the JUNO-Di’s own sounds in the main outputs.
Removing a Lead Vocal or Instrument
You may also be able to use the JUNO-Di’s Center Cancel feature to remove
the lead vocal—or anything else in the center of player’s stereo image. The
success of this feature depends on each song’s mix—press the C. CANCEL/
MINUS ONE button so it lights to give it a try.
The End
We hope you’ve found this workshop helpful. Keep an eye out for new
JUNO-Di updates and support documents you can download for free at
www.RolandUS.com.