As a proud D50 owner i must say the Roland D50 is STILL a real Marvel in Synthesizer design. I have nothing but upmost RESPECT to everyone involved in designing this Synthesizer that is STILL to this day an absolute MUST HAVE for anyone who needs a real digital synthesizer flagship. No other digital Synthesizer sounded just as impressive. Others may have sounded similar but never really exactly like a D50. This Synthesizer and it's sounds have been a part of my life since earliest childhood. Almost no other Synthesizer warms my heart so much and i am always surprised what sounds you can still get out of it once you manage to understand the sound architecture. The built-in reverb was a VERY good choice because that really adds the signature D50 sound.
It was, and continues to be, and honor and privilege to know and have worked with Eric during our time at Roland together. Few hold a candle to his abilities in sound and application design...and what a team he has built! Bravo, EP!
Hi Mark. Do you recall what synths came into play for the Boss Dr-5 drum machine? I've noticed a handful of the DR-5 instrument sounds are actually on the Roland D-50. I was wondering what other synths/keyboards were taken from for the production of the DR-5? I love the sounds on there. Thanks
I heard the D50 1987 at the fair in Frankfurt and ordered one week at Sythesizer Studio in Wiesbaden - had to wait a few weeks - but then - those were and are still sounds - almost 40 years ago - I still play and love the sounds - programming easy and perfect for me - a milestone in the music world.
I always did figure that Digital Native Dance was used to sell D-50s, because it seems like such a perfect sound to just set the keyboard to and leave inside a music store. Everyone in town could bang a key and be blown away immediately.
Eric your contribution to sound design is unprecedented and the musicians around the world are forever indebted to your thoughtful sonic taste and understanding of the consumer of these patches. Fantasia is a nail file from your bathroom plus a few other whistles and bells that is Simply Amazing....
one day I realized that a lot of the sounds and synths that intrigued me as a child had Eric Persing's hand in them. The hand of Midas - whatever he touches, turns into gold. Thank you Eric
I would love to see Roland's vault full of their legacy synthesizers they have stored away. Mint condition, I can only imagine how many copies of each they have.
This synth and its sounds were the sounds of my childhood. So many movies, games and story cassettes used this synth or recreations of it in their music. Especially the slow ambient soundscape music of Sierra Point'n'Click games really got me hooked on synthesizer stuff.
Still today, nothing else can replace the D-50 sounds (except the D-05). I hope they make a full 16-part multi-timbral, 256 voice D-50 version for the 40th anniversary! I'm about to make my own D-50 video on my YT channel soon!
I am still very much in love with my all-time favorite synthesizer: Roland D-50! It's still active in my current studio together with it's module counterpart the Roland D-550. Timeless piece of gear!
Roland you guys did a fantastic job with the roland D50 Amazing I just bought one my self recently am proud of it quality it shows in your work roland Thank you I hope we see one just like the D50 in the near future proud of you roland thank you to everyone at Roland
Very nice and interesting to hear this man talk about his involvement in the original D50 patches. Great to see his big smile while playing them, regardless whether on the original or on the new D-05.
The song Sirius by the Irish band Clannad used the patch he played in the intro of the video. Every time I hear someone playing that patch on the D-50, I find the song Sirius in my playlist and listen to it. That synth is so iconic!
I first saw Eric demoing such gems for Roland like the JX-10 and RD-1000 S/A Piano. He was a one man maestro, orchestrating his compositions on a number of Roland keys, drums and effects. I was unaware how integral he was to Roland, as Jack Hotop is with KORG. He has thousands of patches and sample sounds on their gear. No wonder Spectrasonics is one of the key leaders in synthesis and sound design in the 21st Century. What an amazing soul God made.
Soundtrack was one of my favorite sounds. Fantasia too! I loved the Shakahuchi sound for soloing as well but so did everyone else. I don't think any other recreation of it has actually matched the actual sound the D-50 made. The D-50 was my first keyboard and I still have it to this day! I haven't pulled it out in awhile but I still plan to use it in the future. No broken keys!
I would like to hear under the hood story. About engineering the "LA Chip" and all supporting ICs design. Designing a complex fully digital DSP driven synthesizer in mid 80ties when home computers were barely capable of elementary graphics and sound (excluding the SID chip) sounds like great adventure...
Now I see where he probably began to lay the groundwork for Omnisphere by making a synth that makes use of layering different partials. I'm just guessing here but it makes a lot of sense.
@@khajub Yes of course. But from many musicians opinion, the emulation for V-Synth XT sound has slightly different than the original hardware. Like the "Digital Native Dance" patch, the ethnic loop after the choir pad is not as good as the original sound. But this time, the new D-05 and Roland Cloud D-50 software VST plugin are successfully close to the original, with some new features available.
Sounds like a lot of fun Eric! Thanks for sharing and breaking down how you designed these sounds. Sometimes I dial in my Roland U-220 just to hear your demo tracks on there so I can relive bermuda shorts and hypercolor t-shirts. Thanks for everything you've done!
dhampex ...A favorite of mine also. I composed a few songs with that patch back in the mid 90's. I suppose almost everyone did. Funny how I've always turned up my nose at presets...except for the D-50 factory sounds.
In all honesty I didn't/don't rate too many of the D50 presets. Along with Soundtrack, I also liked Glass Voices and Cathedral Organ but that was pretty much it.
One of the things I love to do with the d-50 was use the sounds for layering. For example I use to play the actual fender Rhodes or Yamaha cp80 and layer some of the sounds especially soundtrack underneath for coloring which bump the d-50 up big time. A lot of the sounds back then were different from what other synths were doing. It was new sound for me then and added with the old.
I had D-10, and now I have FA-08, thanks a lot. Can we have some behind the scenes interviews more with Eric Persing but also with all the other inventors at the Japan HQ or Roland around the world where the keyboards are being designed?
Thanks for this, that was good run-down of the must-haves (I think). I have a Arturia MiniBrute that I'm using with the Boss RV-6, I love the "shimmer" setting. I pondered the Moogerfooger and checked it out at Toronto's Moog store, but went with the Gronkinator. Mostly because I like saying "time to gronkinate..." Gonna watch part 2 now.
Still gives me goosebumps after all these years. This was accidentally the first virtual analog synth years before the term was even created. Sadly that architecture was dropped in favour of the later pure PCM synths.
The Soundguru himself is speaking. It's always interesting to hear about the history of sound design. And btw: did he loose weight? He's looking great! :D I learned to love the D-50 in the early 90's and this little box is a great chance to integrate the D-50 sounds in a lightweight live setup again! Thank you Roland!!
As a proud D50 owner i must say the Roland D50 is STILL a real Marvel in Synthesizer design. I have nothing but upmost RESPECT to everyone involved in designing this Synthesizer that is STILL to this day an absolute MUST HAVE for anyone who needs a real digital synthesizer flagship. No other digital Synthesizer sounded just as impressive. Others may have sounded similar but never really exactly like a D50. This Synthesizer and it's sounds have been a part of my life since earliest childhood. Almost no other Synthesizer warms my heart so much and i am always surprised what sounds you can still get out of it once you manage to understand the sound architecture. The built-in reverb was a VERY good choice because that really adds the signature D50 sound.
I’ve just got one and I agree, it’s such a characterful synth. Glassy and open, with reverbs that are usable in your recordings!
Even the Korg M1 to me doesn't have the same kind of charm and character that the D50 has.
perfect comment - i love the D50 sounds
Eric Persing is one of the originals. A real master of the craft.
I still can’t believe my parents bought me this for my 16th birthday. So nice to hear it again
amazing thing its something iv heard all my life
I finally found the guy who designed Roland amazing sound
Nice! I remember watching Star Trek TNG and jumping out of my seat hearing Digital Native Dance used when Data first discovers his brother Lore.
Eric is like 15 % of electronic sounds worldwide
..& if we're talking pop radio / movie soundtrack music..then Eric Persing / Roland sounds / Yamaha mixing is the sound of our entire lives
It was, and continues to be, and honor and privilege to know and have worked with Eric during our time at Roland together. Few hold a candle to his abilities in sound and application design...and what a team he has built! Bravo, EP!
Mark Altekruse Wow super jealous man. That's awesome!
i'm actually better at sound design than him.
Hi Mark. Do you recall what synths came into play for the Boss Dr-5 drum machine? I've noticed a handful of the DR-5 instrument sounds are actually on the Roland D-50. I was wondering what other synths/keyboards were taken from for the production of the DR-5? I love the sounds on there. Thanks
@@trollface1994 That's a pretty bold statement lol.
@@revokdaryl1 you need to take his name at face value rather than his claim.
That reminiscing smile is priceless! Well done Eric.
I love Eric's huge smile of satisfaction on the opening shot!
I heard the D50 1987 at the fair in Frankfurt and ordered one week at Sythesizer Studio in Wiesbaden - had to wait a few weeks - but then - those were and are still sounds - almost 40 years ago - I still play and love the sounds - programming easy and perfect for me - a milestone in the music world.
I always did figure that Digital Native Dance was used to sell D-50s, because it seems like such a perfect sound to just set the keyboard to and leave inside a music store. Everyone in town could bang a key and be blown away immediately.
Eric your contribution to sound design is unprecedented and the musicians around the world are forever indebted to your thoughtful sonic taste and understanding of the consumer of these patches.
Fantasia is a nail file from your bathroom plus a few other whistles and bells that is Simply Amazing....
The grin on his face is because that he recalls the days when he designed those awesome patches.
Massive respect for Eric and his peers.
Nice to hear how the sounds has been created.. I still have my D50, bought in 1987, perfectly working. I just changed the internal battery twice.
Fabrizio Caligaris I still use my original D-50 bought in 1987..... and its never had a battery change !!! :-O Unbelievable !
@@garys-617 take care for acide with old battery downtown pcb
Just pulled my D50 back out after 6 months of retirement while I concentrated on playing dobro. Still amazed and satisfied with it's sounds.
one day I realized that a lot of the sounds and synths that intrigued me as a child had Eric Persing's hand in them. The hand of Midas - whatever he touches, turns into gold. Thank you Eric
This guy is a genius, My D05 comes tomorrow, so looking forward to using it.
Looks like a good guy.
Ditto. Could listen to guys like this all day.
Just talking about their trade and what they love.
Eric is a gem. One of my heroes for sure. 👍🏻
Nail File + Bathroom + Digital Recorder + Eric = "And the Oscar for Best Original Score goes to..."
Hehe
They way he talks about things.. U can clearly see the passion :)
see ....you young generation - "imagination is key". (layer your sounds )
My God. This man's presets were behind so many hit records.
I would love to see Roland's vault full of their legacy synthesizers they have stored away. Mint condition, I can only imagine how many copies of each they have.
The legend himself. I've never had my ass kicked by a product demo before!
Love that he's grinning almost the whole time.
Eric, I tip my hat for you ! You have been one of the most important persons in the history of synthesizers !
Beautiful Jupiter 8 on Erics left. The greatest synth of all time!
Such a cool video. His enthusiasm for his craft really comes through.
A joy to watch and listen, simply stunning 😲🎹🎶
This synth and its sounds were the sounds of my childhood. So many movies, games and story cassettes used this synth or recreations of it in their music. Especially the slow ambient soundscape music of Sierra Point'n'Click games really got me hooked on synthesizer stuff.
Cute floof
I heard tons of anime song use them back then.
Still today, nothing else can replace the D-50 sounds (except the D-05). I hope they make a full 16-part multi-timbral, 256 voice D-50 version for the 40th anniversary! I'm about to make my own D-50 video on my YT channel soon!
Nice to see and hear the father of some of my favorite D50 memories. Awesome
Eric in the flesh! All my old fav patches from d50 to jv/xp
I had a JV90 and it definitely inherited a lot from the D50. It has the same vibe. Underappreciated synth.
I am still very much in love with my all-time favorite synthesizer: Roland D-50! It's still active in my current studio together with it's module counterpart the Roland D-550. Timeless piece of gear!
The use of the Soundtrack patch on Seal's "Violet" forever immortalized that sound, at least in my brain.
I heard it and immediately thought the same thing. Seal’s masterpiece.
Like seeing Eric really enjoy the new D-05. It looks and sounds amazing!
Roland you guys did a fantastic job with the roland D50 Amazing I just bought one my self recently am proud of it quality it shows in your work roland Thank you I hope we see one just like the D50 in the near future proud of you roland thank you to everyone at Roland
This was so wonderful to see! I remember this fella very well, too!
Reminds me of so many different albums!
Very nice and interesting to hear this man talk about his involvement in the original D50 patches. Great to see his big smile while playing them, regardless
whether on the original or on the new D-05.
First synth I ever got. Use it to this very day 27 years later, thank you Roland and Eric for the sounds. Make a new PG-1000 to go with it !
Grow to those magical sounds and. The great musicians that played them.
The sound of the late 80s and early 90's for real. And for obvious reasons the most true to the original of the boutique series.
That synth is legendary.
He's a very tasteful player. Always some fresh and inventive playing
The song Sirius by the Irish band Clannad used the patch he played in the intro of the video. Every time I hear someone playing that patch on the D-50, I find the song Sirius in my playlist and listen to it. That synth is so iconic!
I first saw Eric demoing such gems for Roland like the JX-10 and RD-1000 S/A Piano. He was a one man maestro, orchestrating his compositions on a number of Roland keys, drums and effects. I was unaware how integral he was to Roland, as Jack Hotop is with KORG. He has thousands of patches and sample sounds on their gear. No wonder Spectrasonics is one of the key leaders in synthesis and sound design in the 21st Century. What an amazing soul God made.
wow
that seems to be how it works with history
one man given the opportunity can influence alot for good
God Bless
that D-05 looks awesome!
Soundtrack was one of my favorite sounds. Fantasia too! I loved the Shakahuchi sound for soloing as well but so did everyone else. I don't think any other recreation of it has actually matched the actual sound the D-50 made. The D-50 was my first keyboard and I still have it to this day! I haven't pulled it out in awhile but I still plan to use it in the future. No broken keys!
I wish I could meet this man and give him a hearty hand shake. Fantastic!
Soundtrack patch is like a clear blue sunny sky and gentle breeze so beautiful but sometimes a hint of sadness in the sound.
I would like to hear under the hood story. About engineering the "LA Chip" and all supporting ICs design. Designing a complex fully digital DSP driven synthesizer in mid 80ties when home computers were barely capable of elementary graphics and sound (excluding the SID chip) sounds like great adventure...
I'll second this. I wouldn't even understand 80% of it but I'd still want to hear it
Fascinating stuff. So many of these sounds take me straight back to film soundtracks and big shiny pop songs of years gone by.
Dang... youve made all the sounds of my youth. Amazing.
Must be a crazy feeling to have your sounds define a whole era.
I love how happy these sounds make him!
Cool Stuff! Let's get more people like Eric doing stuff they enjoy for a living, doing the stuff. World. Fixed
Eric Pershing will always and forever be Incredible
Now I see where he probably began to lay the groundwork for Omnisphere by making a synth that makes use of layering different partials. I'm just guessing here but it makes a lot of sense.
Bingo! It’s not an accident :-)
A Legend. Thank you Eric
That guy is a beast of a synth programmer/sound designer.
The partials were truly the magic potion of this beautiful beast
No kidding, the EGs and filter suck royally
Simply put...The king of sound & design ✨️
Glass Voices was one of my favorites. I tweaked that one patch for several original patches in the old days
Eric is a total, total genius.
My favorite PN-D50-00 (factory preset) patches: Fantasia, Digital Native Dance, Staccato Heaven, D-50 Voices, Cathedral Organ, Soundtrack, Spacious Sweep, Future Pad.
are these Patches also available in the D-50 Card Emulation in V-synth XT ??
@@khajub Yes of course. But from many musicians opinion, the emulation for V-Synth XT sound has slightly different than the original hardware. Like the "Digital Native Dance" patch, the ethnic loop after the choir pad is not as good as the original sound. But this time, the new D-05 and Roland Cloud D-50 software VST plugin are successfully close to the original, with some new features available.
This man is a genius.
This is amazing to see and hear. Love these kind of videos to show how sounds were created. Beautiful!!
Sounds like a lot of fun Eric! Thanks for sharing and breaking down how you designed these sounds. Sometimes I dial in my Roland U-220 just to hear your demo tracks on there so I can relive bermuda shorts and hypercolor t-shirts. Thanks for everything you've done!
Always loved the sounds and your beaming smile is awesome :-D
"Made a lot of movies with that sound!"
- Eric Persing
Oh yes, the Intro on Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love" uses D-50's Digital Native Dance elements.
and Korg M1!
Just got a mint d50, love the thing
That second sound eric is playing "soundtrack" always been my fave on the D-50. Very dreamy sound.
dhampex ...A favorite of mine also. I composed a few songs with that patch back in the mid 90's. I suppose almost everyone did. Funny how I've always turned up my nose at presets...except for the D-50 factory sounds.
In all honesty I didn't/don't rate too many of the D50 presets. Along with Soundtrack, I also liked Glass Voices and Cathedral Organ but that was pretty much it.
One of the things I love to do with the d-50 was use the sounds for layering. For example I use to play the actual fender Rhodes or Yamaha cp80 and layer some of the sounds especially soundtrack underneath for coloring which bump the d-50 up big time. A lot of the sounds back then were different from what other synths were doing. It was new sound for me then and added with the old.
I agree with you. I'm relaxing if I listen to this sound
An absolute mastermind.
0:18 This sounds so much like Unsolved Mysteries or early 90s Martika or any rnb from that era.
He is smiling ear to ear!!!
I had D-10, and now I have FA-08, thanks a lot. Can we have some behind the scenes interviews more with Eric Persing but also with all the other inventors at the Japan HQ or Roland around the world where the keyboards are being designed?
The Roland D50, especially Digital Native Dance, was used in the 1987 TMNT series! I recognize many of the sounds from the D50 on that series!
Man I love seeing stuff like this.
Thanks for this, that was good run-down of the must-haves (I think). I have a Arturia MiniBrute that I'm using with the Boss RV-6, I love the "shimmer" setting. I pondered the Moogerfooger and checked it out at Toronto's Moog store, but went with the Gronkinator. Mostly because I like saying "time to gronkinate..." Gonna watch part 2 now.
Top 5 of my favorite synth of all times
Very interesting ! 👍
Wow that is taking people to class I always wondered how they did it cause it was more then layering partials.
Yeah, there were some awesome non-trivial patches in the original factory set :)
what a legend
He's a genius of his craft.
Still gives me goosebumps after all these years. This was accidentally the first virtual analog synth years before the term was even created. Sadly that architecture was dropped in favour of the later pure PCM synths.
1:44 the start of In The Air Tonight (Ben Liebrand Remix)
God Bless You Eric! (master samplist)
Amazing video. Does anyone know any songs that use the "glass voices" patch? Sounds so friggin good :D
Digital Native Dance 👌👌👌👌👌
Loved my d50.
The Soundguru himself is speaking. It's always interesting to hear about the history of sound design.
And btw: did he loose weight? He's looking great! :D
I learned to love the D-50 in the early 90's and this little box is a great chance to integrate the D-50 sounds in a lightweight live setup again! Thank you Roland!!
Yes, I can't wait for getting it in my hands. For me the most interesting Boutique.
Thankyou sir!
The fabled sounds of the D-50. What is there not to like about Eric Persing?
Nice video! :)
Eric Persin is the kind of guy, who made impossible thing - music got ahead its time!!!!
Eric, you're a master..So talented and gifted man..
Legend !