Roland D-50 | King of synthesizers
Вставка
- Опубліковано 16 чер 2024
- For all PRACTICAL purposes the D-50 is the first VA synth.
A day in the life of a Nordic synth artist and UA-camr: • A day in the life of a...
If used in one of the structures that don't involve any PCM attack samples, it can sound very analog in a way that cannot be replicated by any other synths, including its own clones like the Boutique D-05, Roland Cloud, V-synth D-50 card add-on or the VST version. Only the original D-50/550 can sound like this.
The "fake" filters, the DAC and the way it crunches through the numbers (LA) to get down to brass tacks is so crisp and aliased that it sits on top of the food chain imo.
I just set up my old D-50 after many years in storage. Thanks for re-aquainting me with my old freind.
I purchased my D50 when it first came out in 1987. I still have it to this day, it has never been on the road for anything and is in showroom condition. It's a fantastic piece of the 80's.
I remember the first time I played the D50 in 1987 and was blown away by the factory presets. The George Michael Faith pipe organ and Enya pizzicato patches blew me away. However I was even more blown away a year later in 1988 when I played the Korg M1 for the first time! Oh my goodness, I thought that I was going to melt when playing the Universe program and hearing pianos, saxes, guitars and drums that actually sounded realistic. The D50, M1 and DX7 were the staples of 80s and 90s music.
For the record, how old were you in 1987-88?
@@Barber747 I was 15-16 years old.
@@Barber747 why do you ask?
@@madness8556 just wondering outta curiosity, that's all
@@Barber747 I've been into synths since I played on a DX7 and Jupiter 8 at a family friend's wedding in 1987 when I was 15.
Actually, it wasn’t the technicians at Roland who came up with the idea for LA synthesis. It was Steve Porcaro of Toto, who was already using that technique by layering attack transient samples with his analog synths. Steve demonstrated his synthesis technique to Roland’s Ikutaro Kakehashi, and the rest is history.
I don't think Porcaro did the CPU programming to make it crunch through the numbers in the LA synthesis engine.. ;-)
Espen Kraft Obviously, but it was his concept.
@@deastman2 Source for this story?
@@looneyburgmusic It was some interview with Steve... might have been in connection with Spectrasonics, or for the anniversary of the D-50. Can’t quite recall exactly. It wasn’t this interview, but here’s a different version of that story: www.kvraudio.com/interviews/continuing-a-family-tradition-an-interview-with-steve-porcaro-36653
The 1983/1984 Kurzwiel K250 also used the sampled attack plus synthetic decay method. Still sounds great to this day.
Nothing sounds like a D-50... I never forget when I, in 1988 at age 14, played my older friends D-50 for the first time and always dreamed of owning one.
Now 33 years later I finally managed to get one in close to mint condition AND ! a PG-1000 - how lucky can one be ? 🙂
Only viewers of this channel will fully understand 😉
You are so lucky I'm probably the same age as you and would be like a little kid if I owned one today ✋ Enjoy!
_"how lucky can one be"_
All that + robot legs.
Bought mine for 55 euro with one broken key and 3 memcards really! , Fun fact was when it came out in 87 i was buying all the analogs you could get instead as they we're dirtcheap then, any of the analogues even the little mono's go 10 to 30 times the price of a used d50 now , i was right in not spending the 2000 euro newwprice of the rapid ageing d50 then!
Some of the presets in the D-50 are timeless and that's why a love it.
One of the best synthesizers ever produced in the late 80's.
The D-50 is my “home” keyboard. I played one as my main instrument during the late 80s/early 90s on hundreds of gigs. Solid build and very reliable. It never failed me. Didn’t always use the sounds live(I owned some newer modules) but 1 of my all time favorites.
done the same, I will argue for that every home needs a D50
I love the clarity, depth and ambient qualities of those D-50 sounds!
I love that 80's sound, it was part of my childhood. A chilhood that I want back so badly I can't even begin to tell.
I know how you feel. ;-)
We all hear you
@@digiface Well, I hate not being a kid, and I hate the 21st century ways. If I could be young again, and things such as cars, music, tv shows, films and some of the fashion would go back to how it was in the 80's, I would be happy. Living a second childhood in an 80's style utopia would be my heaven. Just throw in high speed internet, modern computers and UA-cam in there too (and yes I know they didn't exist in the 80's but there the only things out of the 21st century that matter to me) and I'd be set for life.
@@CoolDudeClem It wouldn't be 80's though, with the internet. Especially with things like youtube :p
SAME🎯 retro music is like time travel for me_before this & that happened_but id still rather know what i know today_can go back in time & do it naively all over again_so id rather use this wisdom & reintroduce these sounds of the naiive generation today_w/ a modern twist_& that will enhance their lives_which will in turn save my life_then i can start having my own kids & do it all over again_its my only reason to continue living thru all of this reset agenda ♟
Your chord progressions and song arrangements always make my day. Beautiful! So much to deeply study.
Many thanks for saying!
Oh man ... every soundtrack from 80's movies just came rushing back! Love it :)
I freaking love how the D-50 and D-05 look like they came straight out of an '80s sci-fi movie.
Me too
You tune allways me in happy mood with that 80's groove!
One fun fact about the D-50 is that the bulk of the instruments in the Amiga 500 Soundtracker were based upon D-50 sounds. So around the late 80s/early 90s, the demoscene was crowded with tracker music using monophonic 8 bit versions of famous D-50 presets, becoming cliches in their own right.
Pizzagogo became "Pizza" and Shamus Theme became "Shamus", both of which were way overused in the demo scene music at the time, at least until musicians got their own samplers and made sure to make their own sounds from their own synths. :)
i love the honesty and the generosity , you are not here to get subscribers but to share your love for the 80 s sounds. bravo !
Cheers!
The Roland D50 is the ONLY digital Synth of the 80s digital Synthesizers which i would gladly buy again in addition to my only D50. Difficult to program but my god does it open up SPACE for you when you load the proper presets.There is absolutely no other synthesizer like it which has such a "very-hard-to-narrow-down" sound aesthetic. Hard to put it into words. It's not as dry and glassy as FM synths but also not as cold and harsh as Wavetable synths. It is one of it's kind. A truly emancipated Synthesizer that literally makes you fly, both on a wave of nostalgia but also floating through time and space. No other synthesizer sounds like it. The D50 is eternal.
if you include the 90s as well, I would also add the Roland JD-990 ;)
@@timmbrockmann959 Fair enough. That one is a mighty fine digital flagship as well. The kind of greatness that Roland hasn't produced in a looong looooong time..
D70 all day
I could say the same thing about the Ensoniq ESQ-1. It is still a VERy 80's sounding synth. We can get by with that. I hope that you keep stretching the parameters of the D-50. (However, it didn't have the amazing capability of the onboard sequencer that was on the ESQ-1).
@@bandfromtheband9445 True, the ESQ-1 (and also the Mirage too, even thou it's a sampler) are 2 more very distinguishable digital Synths with such a charismatic unique sound. I'd still love to have an ESQ-1 in my instrument section as well. Maybe one day.
That Juno 2 pad is just heavenly !
Cheers!
I've owned many different synths, but when I acquired one of these it was just fantastic, even now its lush sounds and pads are wonderful and expressive.
For me, the D50 is number one even over 35 years later!
Keep these videos coming :) Your passion for 80s synths is infectious, and inspiring to me for the retro game I'm making. Firing up my Roland Cloud D-50 now to mess about!
Thanks! Fire it up :)
@@EspenKraft it's 25$ a month I better fire it up more often!!
But you get almost all the synths Roland made. It's quite good, but not quite as good as the real deal I'm sure!
Well, I have access to Cloud as well and the sound of these are superb no doubt. Nothing beats playing the real thing though, I admit to that. ;-)
Best demonstration of sound editing I've ever seen for a D50. You make it seem less mysterious.
Thanks!
"mysterious"
It's just an old subtractive synth.
Juno 2 - so much emotion
SKYLINE SYSTEMS i loved every second of that patch!
Some of the best sounds I've ever heard coming from a D-50. Bravo!
Sweet!
I like your demo a lot! The D-50 is great, beautifully KRAFTed sounds! Thank you for all that work.
Thanks! :)
I really love your demos. You're great! Love the demo sounds at the end and also the song you've made. Fantastic!
Sweet! :)
I still have my Roland D-50, still in great shape and still sounds great.
Wow. I'm so glad I kept my D-50 that I bought in 1987. I have a D-05 as well! This is by far the best demo I've ever heard of the D-50. It reveals some magic I never knew existed in there. Please keep us updated on your patches for sale. I would love to buy them.
Many thanks Mike!
If you want to check out more of these sounds you can go here, this is my patch bank for the D-50:
thepatchbay.co.uk/product/roland-d-50-32-retro-patches-for-synth-pop-synthwave-italo-disco-electronica/?description=true
That Juno 2 patch is absolutely ridiculous! When the filter AT comes in - pure eargasm!
Sounds soooo good!! All those pads are so beautiful and rich... It's sometimes hard to believe these sounds are coming from a digital synth! Thanks for sharing, Espen. You truly are the 80s :-)
Sweet man! :)
I too heard this dermo'd in a music shop. Somewhere in Regent Street, London. Blew my socks off then and is still one of my favourite synths. Thanks for the classy run-through.
Many thanks Adam! :)
That would probably be Chappel's.
The sound of every late 80s /90s corporate training video!
No you'd need to include the DX.
@Chicken George Ahh you’ve got it upside down.
Those sounds and this composition really took me back! 😁 Good times! Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful and creative work!
Many thanks! :)
Thank you Espen, bought the D-50 in Hong-Kong 1997, sold it a view years later and bought one in stellar condition together with a PG-1000 last year. So many good memories...
Things are interesting second time around. It sounds so perfect and clean. The font on the logo is just as important as the sound.
Love the D-50. I never had one. Had a JX-8P. Have a Fantom now. Thank you for sharing.
We get D-50 sounds in modern Roland keyboards like the Fantom.
You're not really missing out on much. D-50 is basically an inferior Fantom. Mediocre EGs, rubbish filter, limited LFOs and modulation options, no mod matrices, only a square wave and a sawtooth wave for regular synth sounds, the irritating limitations are easy to hit. With Fantom, MC-707, FA-06, and so forth, your imagination is much more the limit than the synth. Not as much as, say, Kontakt and Massive X, but as far as it gets with Roland gear.
Fantastic demo of the D-50 Espen, amazing sounds from you as per usual.
Sweet, thanks! :-)
Amazing! Youre lucky to have one! every sound is nailing it and that itself is rare.
I forgot to add, one area the D50 brings a little something extra, is that it's possible to slow the ADSR envelopes way down which allows you to create sounds that drone and change and evolve over several minutes just from latching a key or holding sustain. It's one of the only synths that can do that. It makes it excellent for pad sounds on movie and TV soundtracks.
Yes - the D-50 has the longest envelope times - like no any other synth. And its 6 stage TVA envelopes are much more flexible than the most standard ADSR envelopes.
And with 4 partials, 6 LFOs, 2 pitch envelopes, 4 filter envelopes (TVF), 4 amp envelopes (TVA) you would find everything to generate large and evolving ambient pads.
Try once a Ensoniq SQ80 ;)
it’s a fucking envelope beast. my secret weapon along with the mighty mks50. btw the only preset I’ve ever used is patch 37 soundtrack...
@@pthex_2859 I'm not ashamed to admit I mostly use presets when I'm playing around and only done my own patches for special projects. I was surprised when Espen said he prefers the on keyboard controls for editing. I'd kill for a PPG.
@@MrVinylistic Don't forget on board effects :) It makes track ready sounds all by itself.
Love and respect to everyone that made the 80's so amazing.
To Espen Kraft for the amazing videos.
Many thanks! :)
Thank’s for your work and videos, always love it!👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Many thanks David! :)
Thank you for making this video Espen! :) I recently picked up one of these at a really good steal. One of the most lovely sounding instruments I have ever gotten to play. :)
Thanks! Congrats on the purchase :)
D-50, DSS-1 and Wavestation are my all time favorite digital pad machines!
Roland JV, XP and XV are also awesome digital pad machines as are most Korg synths from the M, T, I, X Trinity and Triton series. I also love Ensoniq VFX and TS series as well as Kurzweil K series.
@@madness8556 Man those Ensoniqs, ESQ-1 too.
@@HenritheHorse I lusted over the SQ80 when it was released and then also over the TS10 a few years later. Ensoniq made fantastic instruments but they did have reliability issues at times. I loved using a Kurzweil 2000 whilst studying music at university 30 years ago. That's an amazing digital pad machine that can also sound decidedly analog. The Novation Supernova series and Yamaha EX5 were also great digital machines for creamy sounding pads.
Great video, Espen!! I loved the way you explained the D-50 synth and those chords / atmospheres you were playing are to die for. The filter control was awesome, really smooth. It's my favorite synth (for nostalgic reasons). I remember the display to be green, though :^D Perhaps a replacement. Btw, personally I wouldn't call the D-50 a VA synth.... I think that's a rumor that DON SOLARIS :^D spread a few years ago - I'd call the first VA synth the Nord Lead / 1995.
Many thanks Paolo! I admit to being a little cheeky with the title and I knew it would stir up some controversy. I know it isn't a VA synth per definition and that's why I nuance my words both in the voice over as well in the video description. Since the D-50 has so much to give in the structure 1 and 2 with its "oscillator" synth engine only I just wanted to point out that I personally think it IS the king of VA synths (the true VA synths).
I'll probably change the title now that it has made my point, sort of... ;-)
I'd go with the Waldorf Microwave as the first real VA synthesizer. Especially if you had an Access Programmer gizmo.
SynthMania and Espen Kraft congratulating each others, love it ! You guys are both legends, thanks for sharing your knowledge
@@secretelitemusic A wavetable synthesizer is not considered as a VA synth.
Show us your thousand page thesis on the subject.
Great video editing on the demo! All in sync too. The track is really well put together, and always interesting. I'm just about to take delivery of a D-50 and this vid has confirmed my decision to buy one.
Thanks!
I enjoyed listening to you getting into the D50 ..it was the first synth I ever bought back in the 1980s. Thanks🎹😊
Thank you! :)
One of the best synth of the history! The sound potential is so incredible ! The D50, the SY77 for the AFM and the JD800= Best digitals synths of the 90’s fof me...
I have all 3 synths you mentioned - 2 x D50, 1 x JD990, 1 x TG77. I use them all the time together with many other synths and modules. Beautiful machines that never lost their charm. Cheers!
D-50 and SY77 we're my first two serious synths, and complimented each other well. Still have the D-50.
The D-50 was my first ever synth, had it for many years. I kinda got tired of it at one point in the late 90s and had to sell it in a bad financial time... I regret it now, it definitely is a unique sounding synth. I especially loved to play with the joystick ;) some of the d-50 sounds can still be heard on some of my songs on this channel . Thx Espen!
Thanks Espen for posting this fantastic video. I just acquired a Mint D-50 with the PG-1000 that was almost never used with all the manuals and blank card. I cant wait to start making music !
Congrats!
Thanks for sharing this video - helps to tune out from virus talk and just nerd out over one of my favorite Roland synths of all time
That's great to hear. Thanks. We need our little escapes these days. ;-)
Cool. I purchased a D-50 as my first keyboard back in 96, I still have it
An hour ago, I added your name to “D50” in the search machine to check if you had some videos of this synth on your channel. I commented on that video of yours from two years ago about the D50. 45 minutes later and you’ve uploaded this one. Funny coincidence!🤣 excited to see the video!
11:30 I love that sound...
Been advertizing this video for a week now.. ;-)
Clear and precise! Congrats for the post. Amazing.
Many thanks! :)
One of the most iconic and famous synthesisers of all time! I very cool and interesting idea to combine the sound of a real instrument sampled for the first seconds and then combined with a digital synthesis, to create a whole new form of sound. Genius and inventive! I also love that demo song you did it’s so catchy and I can’t stop listening to it sometimes for how rhythmic and great it sounds, as well as those patch demos. Very cool and even inspiring! Great video as always Espen Kraft!
Many thanks! :)
@@EspenKraft Anytime mate! 👌 :)
What a perfect warm and lovely sounding synth. Wish we would have some sort today...
you are joking right?
Roland really had an incredible decade for synths. Jupiter 8, 6, juno, d50, jx series.
These days they don't lead the pack as much as they create digital versions of their past hits. Hoping Roland can return to making fun innovating instruments in the future. The Roland sound was always my favorite. Alpha Juno is my all time favorite.
I was always more a Yamaha and Korg fan .
@@CraigScottFrost Sounds like a winning combo. Also sounds expensive. But flagship gotta flagship. They should shoot for a Kronos-killer, and what you've described sounds like the sauce they'd need for it. Don't forget the D-Beam lol
Espen you are the D-50 master and the blue screen perfectly fits the color scheme!
My reason to buy the D-50 in 1990 was mainly for the Valhalla Screamin B3 card
Had such a blast in church with those 64 organ patches!
I can imagine! I know a lot of churches that had the D-50 as part of the house band/choir etc. Thanks! :D
Tack Espen! Den här videon är tillagad med kärlek.👍
Tack så mycket! :)
Thank you for this fantastic video Espen.
For years I yearned for this synth, and it so happens to be that only a while ago I managed to find a (very) used one, bought it really cheap I was told it was completely broken (not so) So I was a little offish at first about playing it.
A few nights ago at the studio I turned it on and started exploring. I mean deeply exploring it. I couldn't stop playing and being amazed at the sounds. I loaded different SYSEX files and each and everyone just took my breath away.
This is a real jem and I am proud to be an owner of one...
Thanks! :)
My Dad’s D-50 was the first synth I started learning to program my own synth patches on. Was a fun one.
Blessed are the children of synthesizer loving dads
I still have my Roland D-50, and I absolutely love this synth. I also use this when I'm composing my music.
Great video and song.
Your channel has the best 80s vibe.
I love the sound of the D-50.
Back in the day it was so revolutionary.
The 80s were a magical time for the evolution of synthesizers.
I would have no problem using a D-50 today, timeless sound.
I am glad i lived through the years of the great 80s synth evolution.
For me it all started in 1984.
I wanted a YAMAHA DX7, but settled for a YAMAHA CS-01.
When the D-50 came out i almost completely stopped wanting the DX7, lol.
These days, If i was to buy just one old synth from the 80s, it would be the ROLAND D-50.
Thanks!
I bought my D-50 in 1987--traded in my JX-8P for it, as I could only afford one synth at the time--and I still have it. In my opinion, the best sounding and least cliche patches are those that use structures 1 and 2 (both synth, no PCM). With three envelopes, three LFOs, and ring modulation there is a lot of raw synth power here.
I could listen to the Juno 2 demo part for ever.
Great Video Espen Kraft! You are so right about the D-50's programmer. It really does seem to get in the way more than help when making patches :D
Thanks! Yeah, I guess I know the programming routine on the synth itself too well.. ;-)
I have the D550 and it's still one of the most emotive electronic instruments I've ever played. You can literally get lost in it. The Juno 2 demo in this video is absolutely fantastic
Cheers!
That juno 2 patch is amazing!
Back in those times I was a live gigging musician and I still am. I stuck to my Hammond, Rhodes Moog, Korg Dw8000, etc. ensemble I was right. Until the M1 the D50 nor DX7 never quite got there. It was about Piano's back in the day. that said, it was a lovely machine and one i wanted though not really sure why.
Wow! I love the way this synth sounds! I saw a D-05 video that went into making custom patches and I was very impressed with the results, even though programming it is different than what I’m used to. The UVI version is the closest I’ve come to working with it.
Great video. I still have my D-20 bought when it was released.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks!
When Reason finally got Midi out, the D50 was the first thing I hooked up. The brass patches sounds amazing arppegiated
I had the D-70, -lovely pad machine, especially with the *analog feel* active...
It is quite a powerhouse! I love blending it with my JX-8P😍🎶🎹 Great stuff as usual, Espen👍
Many thanks man!
That melody 😲 2:44 love it !
👏👏👏 Very impressive...
Thanks for the videos and tutorials ✌️
Uncle Espen strikes back! The coolest man on earth! The one who teaches us how beatmaking was born!
from erasure to don henley it sits right in a mix, black slab of power, fascinating textures, so shiny
D-50 fantastic sound, and very nice demo song you made.
Thanks! :)
LOVE THIS!
Definitely in your top 3.
Awesome, thanks! :-)
I've been looking for the final components to my time machine...this magnificent devise will be used to power my flux conpasitor (powered by soundwaves) which is controlled by my memotech computer..lol thnx for the vid! I've always wanted to create my own retrowave music.....and you just inspired me to do so! Thnx again!
I'm building a time machine @
(dj.digital01) Instagram
Not going to lie, I've just gone and bought a D-50 after being reminded of exactly why I need to own one from this. Cheers Espen!
Congrats Graham! :)
Cool. That said, I would recommend the D550 rack over it because it's MIDI is way faster.
how much are they worth? I still have mine from 1991 and wouldn't mind unloading it.
Unreal 🤯, absolutely loved that song, just incredible, all of the parts but the lead is 😎...Thanks Espen...You are “The 80s” 😃
Many thanks! :)
Sounds so good man! Great work
Many thanks! :)
I love the D50..and also Korg M1.. both Synthesizer are the perfekt Combo...👍❤👀
The D-50 clearly can't make the kind of sounds the M1 could. It's also doubtful the M1 could make some of the sounds of the D-50. So probably a good combo. I had the CZ's for my digital analog VA sort of sounds, and my FB-01 for FM sounds along with my M1.
Exploring D-50 sounds more now via soft synth options.
Love it Espen! When I played keys in bands in the 80s, my rig was a D50, an M1, a DX7, an Alpha Juno 2, an ESQ1 and a TR707
Thanks Jan! :)
Espen Kraft I’m disappointed to say, I no longer have any of them now. I must admit that the Roland keys were my favourites. I particularly had a love for the Alpha Juno 2.
How is your new job going? I’m happy to see you’re still finding time for a video or two.
IF I go along with he new job I'll start June 1st. I haven't decided yet on what I'm going to do.
Espen Kraft whatever you decide - tillykke med!
That's an awesome setup for a live performance! Do you have any music I can listen to?
I have two units and love them. Thanks for the review!
Thanks for watching! :)
This synth has very nice sounds! For what I see, it's versatile, with many editable parameters, even in real time and has a wide palette of timbres. Thanks for the video!
Thanks!
@@EspenKraft You're welcome. I forgot one thing: the preset used for "The Final Countdown" is identical to the original song, but I read that keyboardist Mic Michaeli blended the sound of a Roland JX-8P with another one from Yamaha TX-816
Yes, that's right. I find this D-50 can sound pretty much the same and even more majestic than the original sound. ;-)
@@EspenKraft Yes, it's really good!
A fitting tribute to the instrument that finally out sold the DX7.
I guess the slight irony with synths that brought entirely new ways of creating sounds (like the DX7 and D-50) is that they are most famous for their presets.
True Alex. Both these synths have the burden of carrying their famous presets with them like a curse. ;-)
These two synths were near the beginning of a couple of decades of digital synths whose chances at success / popularity hinged primarily on the quality of their presets. A blessing early on that you eventually wish never existed, even though you may have never taken the time to learn the instrument in the first place if they weren't there.
No the dx outsold the d50 and strangely roland most sold synth was the juno 106 ( i worked as product specialist in a synth import dealer) ,the one that outsold all was the m1
@@cnfuzz Maybe it outsold the brown original DX7, but the DX7 had some reincarnations like the DX7II and the FD versions. The DX7 in total sold more yes. If you count all flavours of the M1 the M1 family sold over 500000 with the original M1 doing over 300000! The M1, M1R, M1ex, M1Rex, T3, T3ex, T2, T2ex, T1, M3R all share the same architecture and waveforms and the keyboards share the form factor (except the wooden T1 and the M3 needs combinations to make some dual oscillator sounds exactly the same).
@@cnfuzz Sorry, I misremembered, yes it was the M1 I was thinking of.
The D-50 was released in 1987 and that was also the final year that anything with "DX" in its name was produced by Yamaha.
I'd conflated two things.
Yesss - it's really the king of the 80s beside the DX7.
Still today one of my favourite synth. It has something magical and some sounds (e.g. Spacious Sweep, Soundtrack, Glass Voices etc.) that can't be generated by other synths.
One reason for D-50's great success were its excellent on board presets - designed by Eric Persing.
Eric Persing was a consultant and chief sound designer for Roland in that time. One of his most celebrated accomplishments with that company was programming many of the factory patches for the popular D-50 synthesizer, along with fellow sound designer Adrian Scott.
20 years later Eric Persing presented the VSTi Omnisphere....and made it to the king of vsti's...hehehe...again...
Unfortunately most people only know those famous D-50 factory presets, that are maybe dated today, but it has also a huge potential for numerous modern sounds. Especially with tone stucture 1 and 2 it's like a great VA-Synthesizer too. Would never sell mine.
Roland D-50 Celebration Moments with Eric Persing (Performance) - ua-cam.com/video/VggsB5eZ0oM/v-deo.html
Mr Woofer - Molding Glass (Roland D-550 Demo) - ua-cam.com/video/5T5WFGv9ZEM/v-deo.html
Great Video. The Roland D50 was my favourite Synth in the late 80‘s.
Thanks man! :)
I love my D50 and PG1000! My first synth when I was 15. Still love it! The built-in effects was the primary reason I got that over the DX7IIFD. Also have the D-50 cartridge for my Roland Vari-OS. So it's like having 2 D50s! Also just got the Hypersynth memory card which holds 6400 patches (one for the DX7 also). It's amazing! Great video!
Thanks! :)
You know as much as I love my D50 and D550, I came to the realization earlier that my TG77 does everything it can, plus it has a DX7 instead of subtractive synthesis so it can also do a whole lot more. Got to love the D50 patches though, Pizagogo, Digital Native Dance, Soundtrack, classics.
Fabulous synth. It was my dream synth back then, but I could never afford to get one. I did have D-10 and D-20 at one point it time, but they did not sound as rich and lush. When Roland released the D-05 a few years back I jumped all over it and I tell you what Espen... I love it. The cool thing about the D-05, is I can take it around the house, it has a build it speaker (okay that is not good but that's okay) it has all of those after market sound cards preloaded and only at a fraction of the price of the original. I don't know if you have had a chance to play the re-pop version but Roland did a really good job of replicating the D-50. Thanks for the video.
Many thanks James! :)
I love watching these synth videos knowing I'll never ever come face to face with one.
Great sounds Espen, the D50 has a great unique sound.
Nothing sounds like it. ;-)
Nice. K1 and K4 from Kawai were very unique and awesome too( and also far cheaper) - and needed not fear comparison back in 1988
Thanx Espen, the D50 has so many merits on it's own, because it was used in so many songs. You can argue "it's not a proper this or that" but the guys using it could get their music out there, while the mockers who want to grow everything by themselves, did not get their songs out of the door, because they were all still tweaking their oscillators and fiddling on their filters... ;)
Very true. Some will never get anything done because of this! ;-)
Wow... "Juno 2" is just beautiful... I just love my D50
So, 80's. It brought back so many of my memories.
When this synth came out and after some time appeared on the TV shows I was hooked. Then I heard Digital Native Dance. I remember thinking what is that?
one of the most expressive and inspiring synths ever created. i will never sell my D550. mine sits right next to it's older brother MKS-80 and MPG-80, but holds it's own with pride. this luscious monster doesn't get intimidated by pure analogs or pure waldorf analog filtered waveform synths or pure Yamaha FM beasts. D50/D550 is a synths that even after 4 decades, it will make you sigh.....like an old sweetheart never forgotten.
Bought the D50 new back in the 80s, sold it in the 90s. I regret that every day. When it was new I swear it had the most beautiful keybed I've ever touched. Really appreciate the programming you've done here.. Maybe I'll get another some day.
Or just grab the VST version.
Or a D-05.
The original has a sluggish CPU, D-05 is more responsive, has plenty more memory for custom patches, and doesn't require the expansion cartridges as it has all those sounds integrated already.
I recommend combining it with a MIDI controller with a Fatar keybed. Lastly, there are much more practical solutions for programming it without having to hunt down those overpriced programmer boards for D-50/D-05.
Thanks for making this. We had one in our band room that I would go and fiddle with during lunch time. Loved this keyboard. Clean yet powerful...and of course it made all my favorite 80’s sounds!