Our developer friends over at TAL have given a sneak preview of their latest virtual instrument, the tantalising U-NO-LX, a Juno 60 emulation that not only looks sexy, but sounds very, very credible indeed.
Roland’s legendary DCO-based Juno 60 is a certified classic but as second-hand prices continue to rise it’s quickly becoming a scarce vintage luxury which fewer and fewer producers can justify owning; rather ironic for one of the most affordable polysynths of its era. Until now, TAL’s free U-NO-62 plugin has been the obvious choice for Juno-esque sounds on a budget, but the company’s new U-NO-LX plugin looks to take things a step further.
Like U-NO-62, those familiar with the original hardware will recognise both the front panel layout and those beautifully warm, rounded tones. This time around, though, it looks like TAL have paid even more attention to recreating the iconic sound of the original. Indeed, so close is the modelling that TAL claim you’ll be able to recreate old Juno patches from existing patch sheets.
Check out their demo to hear how close it sounds (the hardware plays first in each case):
Coming soon as 64-bit AU and VST, U-NO-LX will be the company’s first commercial product. Its release is anticipated in a few weeks and it won’t, apparently, be expensive. We can’t wait. Stand by for a full test as soon as we get our hands on it.