Part of the beauty of this device seems to be that it's not just a thing that enables non-musicians to express themselves musically, but it's also a way for musicians to explore new territory. To your point, Jack, we (as in all of us so-called musicians) tend to have our own go-to chord progressions and performance styles, and the J-6 widens our palette. Would you agree?
I'm a "non-musician" with a passing interest in composing, but I'm still a bit puzzled as to how this can really help. Plus it seems I would need to spend time figuring out what to do with the patterns it generates.
@@80ssynthfan48 if you're interested in composition, you should be able to see how this can help with it. It basically gives you a well of options to try out and use your ears to decide where your composition should go next.
@@80ssynthfan48 You mean you don't like the sound of them? There are many different patterns, including very basic chords without any arpeggiaton so there should be something for everyone. If you mean that there are too many patterns to choose from, then that's another thing. Regardless, it sounds like this one isn't for you.
looks like Roland´s idea is to make music creation a very easy process, I´m getting one of this, and by the way I´m not scared of sounding similar to other guys holding this device, we have been using the same 4 chord progressions for ages and nobody complained about that.
@@Leviathan-mj8gi Oft-repeated chord progressions also aren't necessarily unoriginal. There are distinguishing traits a song can have apart from harmony, and all those ARE valid criteria for a "different song" in most genres. Different genres have different average levels of similarity between songs, and we can't really judge Pop, Rock, or any basically Blues-derived genre by the standards of more formal traditions like Classical or Avant Garde. Some music just isn't TRYING to be original with its harmony and doesn't need to. The idea that a song has to be harmonically different or else it's the *same* song is the logic copyright trolls have been using for a decade or so now in rent-seeking lawsuits against Pop artists. It's a notion worth challenging because if all genres got held to the standards of being harmonically distinct, music would become an anticompetitive hellscape run by large copyright holders.
I had piano lessons and individual piano practice for years, still this little thing makes me come up with new ideas again and again. Love it, and I especially love the fact that it outputs all note data via midi, so I can use any other synth's / sound module's / DAW's sounds when I'm bored of the Juno sound
Just got a J6 from Andertons today. Delicious little instrument. Interesting to explore 6, 2, 5, 1 progression in all sorts of chord configurations. Delightfully snappy envelopes and short chord pulses can be extended out into pads. Beautiful synth sounds.
Has anybody had any success connecting the J6 to Logic Pro X so that you can record both the midi data and audio from the j6 in Logic for further editing and also send the midi data back to the J6 for it's synth engine to play the midi data in sync with Logic?
I bought a 404 at Christmas and while I was in the shops Roland section I had a play on one of these. I fell in love with the little thing and I'm sure I'm going to have to get one soon. As someone who doesn't consider themselves a musician but wants to be it was very intuitive and inspiring. Your description of a bowling alley with the rails up is spot on.
The more I play around with the J-6 the more I like it. Roland found something useful to do with a midi chord pack (which many slagged off), stick one in a budget chord synthesizer 👍. Well worth looking at the manual from page 25 onwards for a full description if you struggle with chords. 🙂
This seems like such a great sketch pad for ideas! Using it as a midi controller to sequence other devices really seems like the ticket to take this to the next level!
I have one of these, just getting to know it. I see a great compositional tool and a different gateway into theory, which I lack. Easy to use and fun. I always find Anderton's vids great but one thing I would love are links to the videos of the people mentioned such as Ave McCree and Rachel K Collier who I tracked down and are really worth checking out.
I like this as a song template device to create the bones and structure of a song. But, I'd play a synth alongside it, like the Yamaha Reface CS, would be nice, just to keep the potential for mistakes available. : ) The 3 of the Aira Compacts together are fantastic. I like your approach to this and just jumping in.
just got mine. It is fun. Definitely true on exploring new palettes of progression and styles. Hooking it up to a JU-6a and get the all Synth experience. Will be good for MPC one too. Good little friend this J-6
Are they Yamaha ns 555av speakers? I have them, love them! But I blew one of the mid drivers and there’s no replacements to be found anywhere on the whole web😢
Great review! I have a question: can you set different durations to different steps? Like: step 1 has 4 beats, step 2 has 2 beats, step 3 has 8 beats, etc..?
my advice/plug it to a roland MC 101 ,incredible what arpegiated sound come out of it,in fact you can plug a Masterkeyboard to it and plug it to any synth module you want ,and you ll never play wrong chords
it's a powerful little device - all I need is the vocal unit for a powerful little mobile rig in a case 🙂 and it uses Roland's proper ACB instead of the newer, weaker ABM modeling
This fascinates me. I'm not interested in the sounds it produces. What I want to do is generate MIDI chord progressions to save to an MPC X MIDI channel and then use that to drive an analogue synth (Dreadbox Erebus) to record back to an MPC audio channel. Only thing that I don't get is that the MIDI output looks like a 1/4 in TRS whilst the MPC MIDI in is 5 pin DIN (or USB). I don't know whether you can get adapters for this?
Hello, A question for the experts. *How do I connect devices with built-in sounds Directly to a control keyboard that has no sounds? *Which cables do I need? And what is the friend why? - I have: launchkey 25 mk Novation control keyboard and want to connect it for example: to CIRCUIT TRACKS. Or - for the Roland device / Roland Aira S-1 and use their sounds. Many thanks to the helpers
Great video dude, one of the most down to earth i've seen about anything on youtube! big ups! Are you doing one on the new Roland S-1 Tweak Synth pleeeasseee? Cheers!
I'm way more impressed with the j-6 than I normally am with Roland gear. I love playing my Bass station 2 with the MIDI via j-6. Even though I love the way juno sounds it's got nothing on the BS2 for bass tones.
great demo, only one issue with this synth there is no way to use automation to change even the limited params of the synth so come on Roland, in 2022 every hardware or software synth has midi cc to control the synth parameters, give us a firmware update that allows us to do the above.
Similar to Garage Band on ipad. Sounds great no matter what chords you pick, especially in Guitar mode. I tried to duplicate it on a real guitar and still can't get the picking sequence right.
Please could someone answer this.. can you connect this with an Aira M1 sequencer? if so, which plug do you us to go through the cv on the M1? please.. any answers how to run this J-6 through the Aira M1 sequencer? thank you.
Do you guys think this would be a good first synth type device for someone who doesn't play keyboards- I'm a guitarist- but I'm synth curious. I don't read music, I don't know anything but basic theory, and I've never used a DAW or MIIDI controller or anything like that. I'm 52 so I grew up playing guitar with a tube amp and as few pedals as I could get away with. But- like I hinted at already- I'm starting to get into digital and using effects and all that good stuff- learning to create on my own with a looper. But yeah, the only thing remotely like this I've ever played was an old 50$ Casio someone bought me when I was a kid for xmas. That said- I do understand basic theory- what intervals make up what scales, how to build a basic chord progression, etc. If you give me a minute to reason things out, I can build almost any chord you ask for on a piano. Now if you start getting into the real wacked out- augmented, minor, sus chords and stuff you may lose me but- I know enough to start learning anyway- that's my point. Would this be a good device to start learning on though? Anyone?
I can definitely see using this is in a music education situation, especially for younger musicians ... wonder if I can get a discount on a multi-pack! I'd like to see the mapping of chords to keys for each genre - presumably that's documented somewhere
Great tool, unfortunately user manual does not provide chord names, but only chord tones for each genre; finding all it's a pain in the ass or, in alternative, a great learning exercise
So (daft question) could you do Ed Sheeran and Satriani type of stuff, what about if you were thinking of doing music for tv/ would it do that.. *think minded guitarist here sorry.
I bought one of these. you can't actually sequence in 'real time'. For example, finger playing in your own pattern in 'real time' is something you can't do. you have to rely on the 'style' and 'variation' functions to find something near to what you tapped out. I hope roland fixes this in a firmware update because making bass lines on it would also add to the j-6's usage
Well, there are 100 different chord progressions / voicings on it and everybody might use them in a different order. So: yes, if you're stuck on preset no. 1, but no, if you really enable the true power of the device...
LOVE how the specs and overview section manages to disclose absolutely nothing about the unit's specs. Like, for example, the fact that it's reliant on USB charging and an internal battery for power. No external power supply. Really stupid move from Roland there. No sale.
Part of the beauty of this device seems to be that it's not just a thing that enables non-musicians to express themselves musically, but it's also a way for musicians to explore new territory. To your point, Jack, we (as in all of us so-called musicians) tend to have our own go-to chord progressions and performance styles, and the J-6 widens our palette. Would you agree?
very good point
I'm a "non-musician" with a passing interest in composing, but I'm still a bit puzzled as to how this can really help. Plus it seems I would need to spend time figuring out what to do with the patterns it generates.
@@80ssynthfan48 if you're interested in composition, you should be able to see how this can help with it. It basically gives you a well of options to try out and use your ears to decide where your composition should go next.
@@sinewaymusic For me the patterns are too much "information", but that's just my opinion.
@@80ssynthfan48 You mean you don't like the sound of them? There are many different patterns, including very basic chords without any arpeggiaton so there should be something for everyone. If you mean that there are too many patterns to choose from, then that's another thing. Regardless, it sounds like this one isn't for you.
Ave McCree gets a shout out on Andertons!!
Husband bought this for the family for Christmas. Had no idea what it was. After watching this, I think it’s going to be a hit!
Your husband's cool
@@markz9739 Aphex Twin fan, you must be pretty cool yourself ;)
looks like Roland´s idea is to make music creation a very easy process, I´m getting one of this, and by the way I´m not scared of sounding similar to other guys holding this device, we have been using the same 4 chord progressions for ages and nobody complained about that.
Every prog music fan has indeed complained about it
@@Leviathan-mj8gi I-V-vi-IV, I-IV-V-IV, ii-V-I, I-vi-IV-V I suppose? Those are like, everywhere.
@@Leviathan-mj8gi Oft-repeated chord progressions also aren't necessarily unoriginal. There are distinguishing traits a song can have apart from harmony, and all those ARE valid criteria for a "different song" in most genres.
Different genres have different average levels of similarity between songs, and we can't really judge Pop, Rock, or any basically Blues-derived genre by the standards of more formal traditions like Classical or Avant Garde. Some music just isn't TRYING to be original with its harmony and doesn't need to.
The idea that a song has to be harmonically different or else it's the *same* song is the logic copyright trolls have been using for a decade or so now in rent-seeking lawsuits against Pop artists. It's a notion worth challenging because if all genres got held to the standards of being harmonically distinct, music would become an anticompetitive hellscape run by large copyright holders.
I'm not a very experienced musician so sounding like someone else isn't that bad a place to start for me as long as it's going in my direction.
I had piano lessons and individual piano practice for years, still this little thing makes me come up with new ideas again and again. Love it, and I especially love the fact that it outputs all note data via midi, so I can use any other synth's / sound module's / DAW's sounds when I'm bored of the Juno sound
As a song writer I love devices that spark new ideas, this fits that bill and sounds good as a synth too.
Just got a J6 from Andertons today. Delicious little instrument. Interesting to explore 6, 2, 5, 1 progression in all sorts of chord configurations. Delightfully snappy envelopes and short chord pulses can be extended out into pads.
Beautiful synth sounds.
Has anybody had any success connecting the J6 to Logic Pro X so that you can record both the midi data and audio from the j6 in Logic for further editing and also send the midi data back to the J6 for it's synth engine to play the midi data in sync with Logic?
I bought a 404 at Christmas and while I was in the shops Roland section I had a play on one of these. I fell in love with the little thing and I'm sure I'm going to have to get one soon. As someone who doesn't consider themselves a musician but wants to be it was very intuitive and inspiring. Your description of a bowling alley with the rails up is spot on.
The more I play around with the J-6 the more I like it. Roland found something useful to do with a midi chord pack (which many slagged off), stick one in a budget chord synthesizer 👍. Well worth looking at the manual from page 25 onwards for a full description if you struggle with chords. 🙂
This seems like such a great sketch pad for ideas! Using it as a midi controller to sequence other devices really seems like the ticket to take this to the next level!
I have one of these, just getting to know it. I see a great compositional tool and a different gateway into theory, which I lack. Easy to use and fun. I always find Anderton's vids great but one thing I would love are links to the videos of the people mentioned such as Ave McCree and Rachel K Collier who I tracked down and are really worth checking out.
I love mine. It brings a huge smile to my face.
I like this as a song template device to create the bones and structure of a song. But, I'd play a synth alongside it, like the Yamaha Reface CS, would be nice, just to keep the potential for mistakes available. : ) The 3 of the Aira Compacts together are fantastic. I like your approach to this and just jumping in.
I like the aproach in this video too!!
just got mine. It is fun. Definitely true on exploring new palettes of progression and styles. Hooking it up to a JU-6a and get the all Synth experience. Will be good for MPC one too. Good little friend this J-6
So could I theoretically send the same chords from this thing into my Circuit to control the built in synths there?
@@vznquest ? узнали????
Amazing little thing! Can you hook it up to a daw and save the chords in MIDI form for lets say use another your you have? Thanks
Nice one Jack! 1:27 I love this sound so much! Love the simple joy of this synth! 💙
Wow, very cool ... been waiting for something like this! An "idea instigator" with a nice Juno sound.
First video I watch from this channel.
Loved it!
Thanks for the clear and entertaining info! :)
Hope you have a nice day
So good. Just the ticket for colour or when you're wanting a creative kick start. Getting one.
How will it do as a midi-module? I don't do patterns or arpeggios, but just want the Juno sound.
Just switch off the chord Mode.
Is it possible to choose, in the chords progression library, specific chords?
Example: F#m/ Bm/ D/ C#7
Thank you
Turn off "Chord" mode then you can enter whatever notes, up to 4 per step,on the keyboard into sequences
Are they Yamaha ns 555av speakers? I have them, love them! But I blew one of the mid drivers and there’s no replacements to be found anywhere on the whole web😢
Great review! I have a question: can you set different durations to different steps? Like: step 1 has 4 beats, step 2 has 2 beats, step 3 has 8 beats, etc..?
I need this thing :D I would love to smoke some zaza at sunny warm summer day, go to forest and just play with this and my PO-33
Hey Jack, if you have the other little devices in this compact series, can we get a demo of you working with them together? I liked this video!
my advice/plug it to a roland MC 101 ,incredible what arpegiated sound come out of it,in fact you can plug a Masterkeyboard to it and plug it to any synth module you want ,and you ll never play wrong chords
The desk is too small for this device, please consider enlarging the desk or get smaller gear to demo.
xD
If you have an s1-, is the j-6 really needed?
Did you guy say you can change the Key of the chords? That would be great but I don't see how to do it on mine.
Do I need anything else with this equipment? I've only got an amplifier 😊
Dag nammit! I just bought a new synth on Monday and now I have to buy another?! Thanks team!
it's a powerful little device - all I need is the vocal unit for a powerful little mobile rig in a case 🙂
and it uses Roland's proper ACB instead of the newer, weaker ABM modeling
Always the most entertaining reviews! Thanks for covering this one. Mine’s on order
Loved your sense of humor - great review as well!😂
This fascinates me. I'm not interested in the sounds it produces. What I want to do is generate MIDI chord progressions to save to an MPC X MIDI channel and then use that to drive an analogue synth (Dreadbox Erebus) to record back to an MPC audio channel. Only thing that I don't get is that the MIDI output looks like a 1/4 in TRS whilst the MPC MIDI in is 5 pin DIN (or USB). I don't know whether you can get adapters for this?
Yes it's a type A, TRS midi adaptor. Just buy a cheap one not the expensive Boss.
I like that he shouted out DJ Ave Mcree.
Hello,
A question for the experts.
*How do I connect devices with built-in sounds
Directly to a control keyboard that has no sounds?
*Which cables do I need? And what is the friend why?
- I have: launchkey 25 mk Novation control keyboard
and want to connect it for example:
to CIRCUIT TRACKS.
Or - for the Roland device / Roland Aira S-1
and use their sounds.
Many thanks to the helpers
How many sound presets? Is there a sound list? I'm in it for the sounds.
So once you found a sound, chord, Arp / sequence you like, can you save it so all the tweaks and dial positions you have made are remembered?
Yep it remembers all the settings
Great video dude, one of the most down to earth i've seen about anything on youtube! big ups! Are you doing one on the new Roland S-1 Tweak Synth pleeeasseee? Cheers!
Will this save a long sequence of progressions you program as a song so in the future you can just press play and play along with it?
Thanks! I wonder if I already have Roland mc707 with chord functiond, do I need this chorder?
This going into the mpc keys??
Whats the difference between roland j6 and the S1?
I'm way more impressed with the j-6 than I normally am with Roland gear.
I love playing my Bass station 2 with the MIDI via j-6. Even though I love the way juno sounds it's got nothing on the BS2 for bass tones.
With a monosynth/duophonic? What sort of results do you achieve?
@@colonelpercival2832 im using J-6 chords for arpeggios only, really. So one note at a time, no problems.
What’s the DAW you used or how did you get it to play sound.
I want one of those!!!! Mind you, I'd probably get confused by the manual and give up!
How Roland J 6 + E4 vs arturia microfreak vocoder?
For me honestly I'm just looking for something that will make me simplify. It also just sounds very classic and nice.
wow, now that's cool! I might have to get one, and I was just wasting time passing through
Could you please tell me what the
white speakers on each side of you are ? I would like to buy them.
looks like kali lp6 or lp8
@@rooberry-music Thakyou so much ! I buy
things based on looks. Those look
very nice to me. I really appreciate
that, friend !
great demo, only one issue with this synth
there is no way to use automation to change even the limited params of the synth
so come on Roland, in 2022 every hardware or software synth has midi cc to control the synth parameters, give us a firmware update that allows us to do the above.
just got mine. absolute magic
Is there a way to start from the key root and make a song from it?
I'm Sooooo excited for mine to get here!!
Is your accomplice the "Maltese Falcon" because he too is a mcguffin?
Similar to Garage Band on ipad. Sounds great no matter what chords you pick, especially in Guitar mode. I tried to duplicate it on a real guitar and still can't get the picking sequence right.
You need to put the J-6 on the gtr and it should work.
Please could someone answer this.. can you connect this with an Aira M1 sequencer? if so, which plug do you us to go through the cv on the M1? please.. any answers how to run this J-6 through the Aira M1 sequencer? thank you.
Do you guys think this would be a good first synth type device for someone who doesn't play keyboards- I'm a guitarist- but I'm synth curious. I don't read music, I don't know anything but basic theory, and I've never used a DAW or MIIDI controller or anything like that. I'm 52 so I grew up playing guitar with a tube amp and as few pedals as I could get away with. But- like I hinted at already- I'm starting to get into digital and using effects and all that good stuff- learning to create on my own with a looper. But yeah, the only thing remotely like this I've ever played was an old 50$ Casio someone bought me when I was a kid for xmas. That said- I do understand basic theory- what intervals make up what scales, how to build a basic chord progression, etc. If you give me a minute to reason things out, I can build almost any chord you ask for on a piano. Now if you start getting into the real wacked out- augmented, minor, sus chords and stuff you may lose me but- I know enough to start learning anyway- that's my point. Would this be a good device to start learning on though? Anyone?
Now we got a triad of Roland tech
Thanks!
Man this one and also the S1 are beasts from another planet !
Just look at the size and listen the sound ?
Um really 😅?
Love the sound. Can this be used commercially? Or is this mostly for inspiration? I’m curious if the beats it creates are trademarked or something
You can’t copyright a chord or a chord progression; many have tried and failed in court
Heard somewhere that Hans Zimmer is scoring his next movie using only the J-6!!!! Might also be why Junkie XL got rid of all his gear....
How do the chord sets relate to musical key?
Exactly! I’m trying to have this answer!
I believe it always defaults to be in the key of C and then you can transpose the chord sets as you please
That’s kinda brilliant! 🎉
All sold out everywhere for 8-12 weeks! That sucks
uff so they just implemented Scaler? cool idea
Great video❤️👍
it's the one for me
Should have a "randomize" -button...
as someone who loves the sounds but can't play for shit this is perfect for me! :D
it does what the tyros keyboards have done for years ?
But not for $200 USD.
Hi there, this guy is cool, funny, but real open...I'm gonna buy this sequencer anyway...
What is the polyphony on this?
4 voice
I can definitely see using this is in a music education situation, especially for younger musicians ... wonder if I can get a discount on a multi-pack! I'd like to see the mapping of chords to keys for each genre - presumably that's documented somewhere
insert Futurama Fry Shut up and take my money meme here --->
This is quite an interesting product.
2:06 for a moment I heard the dudgeon song from the original Legend of Zelda!!! 😮
It's nice but .. I'd go for the Uvver beat one
Great tool, unfortunately user manual does not provide chord names, but only chord tones for each genre; finding all it's a pain in the ass or, in alternative, a great learning exercise
Just fun wow for fun
If they made it bigger so you could press with your feet, you could play chords while playing guitar or saxofon solo.
So (daft question) could you do Ed Sheeran and Satriani type of stuff, what about if you were thinking of doing music for tv/ would it do that.. *think minded guitarist here sorry.
Its analog or zen?
ACB engine
Looks like a great tool for toddler’s hand … Regardless, As always, great review !!!!
Love the shoutouts to Ave Mcree. My favorite all-around hip hop / electronic tutorial creator.
I bought one of these. you can't actually sequence in 'real time'. For example, finger playing in your own pattern in 'real time' is something you can't do. you have to rely on the 'style' and 'variation' functions to find something near to what you tapped out. I hope roland fixes this in a firmware update because making bass lines on it would also add to the j-6's usage
considering about the battery ... anyone?
3ish hours, super good charge time tho
Jack! Please STOP helping me spend money!🤣
👍👍🏻👍🏼👍🏽👍🏾👍🏿
Nice "toy" my granddaughter would love it (for about a week) she’s 10…
First question: how many notes of polyphony is it?
4
These are gonna get stuck to many an electric guitar and many a foot controller.
Battery powered, together with the J8 and a pair of headphones. Oof.
Imagine this in a JU-06A.. The JU-06C 🤔
The shift key button is not to shift the tone to tonal key lol
Good thing it generates EVERYTHING for you because you don’t seem to have a clue about chords :-)
Still don't understand why anyone would protest this thing, much less go to jail for doing so.
By using this, isn't everyone going to end up with the same chords
Well, there are 100 different chord progressions / voicings on it and everybody might use them in a different order. So: yes, if you're stuck on preset no. 1, but no, if you really enable the true power of the device...
LOVE how the specs and overview section manages to disclose absolutely nothing about the unit's specs. Like, for example, the fact that it's reliant on USB charging and an internal battery for power. No external power supply.
Really stupid move from Roland there. No sale.