The Roland JUNO-60 helped define the sound of the ‘80s and is highly prized for its vintage vibe and unmistakable character with fat, punchy analog synthesizer tone. With the JUNO-60 Software Synthesizer, you get the full authentic experience of this legendary keyboard in a modern software instrument AND it also has PLUG-OUT compatibility with the SYSTEM-8 hardware synth!
In this article you will learn the new procedure to load the JUNO-60 PLUG-OUT from the Roland Cloud VSTi into The SYSTEM-8!
Contributed by Mark Watson for Roland Corporation Australia
Table of Contents
Step 1. Update the SYSTEM-8 firmware
Go to the SYSTEM-8 support download page here.
Here you will find instructions and information of the different version updates. If you scroll down to the bottom you will find a check box that you can check with a mouse click (read the license info) and then download the zip file. Unzip this file on your computer to get the update file in the “sys8_sys_v131” folder.
IMPORTANT! You must not rename the extracted file and never turn off the SYSTEM-8’s power while the update is in progress otherwise the system program or the SYSTEM-8 itself may be destroyed.
There are instructions on the download page how to update by connecting your computer to the SYSTEM-8’s USB port by a USB cable BUT in this article I’ll show you how to do it using the SD Card.
Step 2. Updating via an SD Card.
To update with an SD card, follow the procedure below to carry out the update.
- Format an SD card on the SYSTEM-8.
- Put the “SYSTEM8_UP.BIN” at the root folder of the SD Card.
- Leaving the power to the SYSTEM-8 switched off; connect the SD Card to the SD Card port.
- Hold down the LFO [KEY TRIG] button and turn on the power.
The message “Updating…” appears on the display and the update starts. - The message “update finished.” will appear on the display when the update process completes.
- Turn the SYSTEM-8 power off.
At the initial powerup following an update, the message “Updating Panel” sometimes appears on the display.
If “Updating Panel” appears, wait until the message “Completed” appears on the display, then reset the power again.
Step 3. Roland Cloud
To now install the new JUNO-60 plug out into your SYSTEM-8, you need the JUNO-60 VST from Roland Cloud.
The JUNO-60 plugin operates as a virtual instrument, but also includes a plug-out function that allows you to transfer the plug-out to one of the System-8 slots of your choice.
The JUNO-60 plugin is available as a free one month trial from Roland Cloud. After that, it will be included with the Ultimate level RC subscription, or you can purchase a lifetime key for US$149.
If you already have a Roland Cloud account and the Roland Cloud Manager software installed, use it to install the JUNO-60 software on your computer. If you do not have Roland Cloud Manager, start here:
Once you have the Roland Cloud Manager setup and have installed the JUNO-60 VST on your computer, open it in your DAW to confirm it’s operating. This can be in Logic, Zenbeats or the Digital Audio Workstation of your choice. Note that the plugin has a HELP button which opens a PDF manual for the software and how the plug-out process works.
Now that you have the JUNO-60 software installed, close your DAW.
IMPORTANT For the following steps, make sure you have the System-8 driver for your computer’s system installed AND properly configured. Use this link to get the driver for you computer system.
Step 4. Loading the JUNO-60 into your System-8
Connect the SYSTEM-8 to your computer with a USB cable.
Open your DAW program.
IMPORTANT Disable any MIDI settings associated with the System-8 in your DAW.
Load the JUNO-60 VST pluginand enable the DAW MIDI control for System-8 by clicking on the SETTINGS button on the JUNO-60 VST plug in. Choose “SYSTEM-8 CTRL” for both In and Out.
Now press the Plug Out button in the software VST and it will ask you which plug out slot on the SYSTEM-8 you want to install the JUNO-60 into. You will have to choose which one you want to replace, either the Jupiter 8, Juno 106, JX-3P if all of them are installed.
You can always restore them using the Utility menu.
You will now see a progress bar appear for a minute or so and the plug-out will transfer and the JUNO-60 will now be installed on your System-8.
For further reference, please refer to the SYSTEM-8 reference manual here.
The JUNO-60 Roland Cloud VST supports our PLUG-OUT format for extended operation with the Roland SYSTEM-8 hardware synth. Parameters are automatically mapped to the SYSTEM-8’s controls, giving you a full-featured JUNO-60 that you can take to the stage without a computer. And for DAW-focused workflows, it’s possible to use the SYSTEM-8 or a Roland Boutique JU-06/JU-06A for one-to-one, hands-on control of the JUNO-60 plug-in.
For more information about the Roland Cloud JUNO-60, go here.
