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Introducing the J-6 Synth Pack For Nord Stage 3

The legendary Juno-6* synth, sampled to perfection for the Nord Stage 3.

When the original Juno-6 was launched in 1982, it took the synth world by storm in a way few synths had ever done before. Combining a stable analog oscillator with intuitive controls and a killer chorus, the Juno-6 was the ultimate stage and studio keyboard.  Over the next decade it showed up in hundreds of chart topping songs and arena tours, including with artists Billy Idol, Berlin, Eurythmics, A Flock of Seagulls, Cyndi Lauper, and many others.

The Juno-6 faded out of the limelight in the 90’s and 2000’s, but came roaring back into popularity when Bruno Mars released 24k Magic in 2016 (featuring 80’s era Juno synths on almost every track) and has once again become the studio staple for pop producers across the globe.

My personal favorite of the Juno line has always been the first edition, the Juno-6. It was made for exactly 1 year (1982) and was quickly replaced with the Juno-60 which makes them extremely rare to find. To my knowledge there aren’t any good VST instruments of this particular model, and no sample libraries available. I’d only had the chance to play a Juno-6 one time in a studio years ago, and had never seen one since. I figured I’d never get another chance to play one.

Then through a random series of events a studio engineer friend of mine casually mentioned that he owned one. I was shocked. In perfect working order? Yup. A few days later it was plugged into my Apogee preamps and I was spending a few long days getting every sample I could get out of this beautiful instrument.

After another few days of figuring out how to utilize the hours of audio I captured, I’m happy to release the first ever Juno-6 library for Nord Stage 3 (and quite possibly for any platform), the J-6 Synth Pack.

The Process

I wanted to make sure the the J-6 Synth Pack wasn’t just a static collection of audio samples, so I took a different approach in building this pack. Here was the process:

1. I sampled just the oscillators in 60 different configurations through ultra-clean Apogee preamps, then chopped up each oscillator audio file into a loopable sample.

2. I loaded all the audio files into my Nord Stage 3. I started trying to get the Nord Stage 3’s synth engine to behave in a similar way to the Juno-6’s. I used the samples as oscillators, supplementing the internal oscillators of the Nord Stage 3 where I needed to to give it a more authentic sound.

3. After designing all the patches possible, I went back through and took some liberties with the programs, adding different filters and delays, but always trying to stay firmly in the vintage analog synthesis goal for the pack.

4. At the end I went through and deleted around 50 patches that weren’t up to the standard I was going for, leaving only the best and most authentic patches in the Nord Stage 3.

The end result is strikingly authentic analog sound, perfect for taking into the studio or on stage. Using just 50.3 megabytes of samples, it’s easy to fit into the Nord Stage 3’s limited sample library storage space.

129 Total Sounds.

Building off of the 26 core samples, I’ve designed a range of synth presets and programs to use, bringing the total file count in this pack to 129 items. Categorized synth presets allow you to quickly bring the sounds from this pack into any program with the twist of a knob, and the program files offer a complete patch for playing live. The core samples allow you to use the tones included to create your own custom patches, adding a whole new sonic palette to your keyboard.

Perfect for use with the NS3 Worship Collection. Or any collection.

The J-6 Synth Pack runs great as a standalone pack (meaning you can load it in any Nord Stage 3 and instantly access the sounds), but it works great as an expansion pack for the Worship Collection, too.

Comprehensive Step-By-Step Installation Guide.

Installing patches on a Nord Stage 3 can be a bit confusing, especially for the beginner. Fortunately I’ve spent the last 3 years refining a straightforward system for bring samples and presets into your Nord, and that guide is included free with every pack. Check out the video below for more details:

* Nord Keyboards do not endorse or condone any products from Patch Foundry, and does not offer technical support on any products available on this website.

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