I like your style of presentation, both visually and verbally! As for the D-50? Well, I simply love it! Always have. Have had numerous D-50s through the years and gigged heavily with them too. Today I have a D-550 in my studio.
Oh yes, I have three of these Roland D-50s, and I use them in my recording studio. I first discovered this back in 1987 when they first started to show up. 🎹🎶
I bought this synth 2 weeks ago. It’s sounds are money and the fidelity is insane. The panel graphics were scraped and worn- so luckily I found a top panel for sale and it’s on the way from Greece (I live in the U.S.). Espen craft uses these and praises them and I see why. I saw he complimented you and that’s really cool (he is awesome). I really enjoyed your demo and commentary- nice playing that really showcased the sounds. It’s still an amazing synth by even todays standards.
Thank you for a very pleasurable sonic trip back in time on a rainy Saturday in Sydney. I remember 30 years ago, tinkering with the sounds in a music store in Sydney, coveting this amazing instrument. I am not a muso, just a lover of music and playing with sounds on my computer. Now I want to go out and buy a used D50 just to play around with the sounds and have this hardware synth as a piece of legendary musical instrumentation. You play with such gusto, my aim is to learn to play the keyboard this year, now that I am retired from the treadmill, not life, and have more time. Thank you again!
The D50 sound has a good timbre, and can be edited using the pitch envelope to create the pitch change characteristic to the actual Emulator Library sample that was used by PG. But like this, in this video, it's not at all alike the real sound. (I had no sampler back then, but a D50....). :D
1 of a few layers using the DX50. I have recreated it with the D50. I have another really long demo I should just video put on video. You can hear in the demo of the PS sound I am still missing a layer or some airy sound, but hey I tracked this live. soundcloud.com/lobmo/d50-test
Greetings from Ireland Woody!!! Love all your synth stuff, just bought a D-50. Always had a want for one as a kid and finally getting one! Your demos and particularly your enthusiasm is just great, keep up the great work :) Ronnie
Spacious sweep has to be my favorite on this! I would use that for the intro to a song that I would write! I really want to bring back the 80's style in music!
The sledgehammer sound was a Shakuhachi sample on an Emulator I believe. It was also used by Enigma, and a few other bits of music too. This flute I believe was used in the JCVD film, Bloodsport, when he was training etc
The factory presets were featured heavily on Jean Michel Jarre's "Revolutions" album. The effect on 11:52 is a characteristic example, as well as the "Machine Run" preset and the "Kokobu Strings". Pretty much the entire album was a D-50 sound showcase. czcams.com/video/SDgIs1-to7M/video.html
You know I always believed that Orinoco Flow used real strings but with an effect added! I don't know why I thought that, but it shows how awesome that patch is! Sail away!
The "Afterthought" patch is widely remembered for being used in the opening melodic line of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror". Didn't notice that when you demo'ed it since you used it polyphonically.
completely magical experience when I received a D50 2 years ago. Maybe it was all the hype who knows but it was real for me. i went through my D50 and replaced all the worn out button switches. there's been no change in that electrical component since the 80s and i picked them up at Kjell and Company. had to replace about 5 of those buttons. i mean if they don't respond on the first push, just replace it. just a few hours and a soldering iron. also, the keys get dusty and dirty in the contacts, and probably should be cleaned.
hey, that's very interesting. i had a d10 and bought replacement switches from roland, but didn't ever get around to installing them, seemed like a huge job. and you're saying you buy them from kjell&comp? can you post a link to the item? cheers
here's what they look like, though you want to extract one just to be sure you get new switches with the same dimensions. -- watch?v=CKAhq2ye1SM -- the part is called "micro momentary tactile switch" or a "keyboard switch". take ample note of which keys don't respond 100%, and when you finally get to them, desolder one and take it with you to the electronics shop. they are dirt cheap.
You, sir, are an industrious fellow :-) I've tried re-soldering the battery and (some of) the main board mountings inside my DX-100, but no luck. About the best I've been able to do is clean out the key press contact switches on my old Casio (WK-1800) to get the velocity sensitivity "less wrong" on one of the keys that was playing way too hot. The little carbon (?) plunger had extended out of the rubber a bit and was hitting the printed circuit board too early. Reseated things and it's at least close, now. It's a crummy excuse for a workstation, but at least it has honest to God 5 pin MIDI connections. Having the wherewithal to get in, find the button contacts on the D50 and get the parts is pretty cool engineering, in my book. The D50 does sound pretty cool and worth saving.
I had a Yamaha SY35 (1995) that had similar joystick functions known as Vector Synthesis. However the 128 presets sounded supremely terrible against the D50 which was released 12 years earlier. If I had got the D50 back then I'd still be drooling over it to this day. Thanks Woody !!
Roland got it right with L.A synthesis. The generated parts on presets sound so realistic. In the late 80's Roland tried out another form of synthesis called Structural Adaptive Synthesis on the RD-1000. Its very hard to explain.
Many d50 sounds on queens miracle album..pet shop boys introspective ( i'm not scared)..and later in the 90s even 2unlimited used it on no limmits ..digital native dance is my favourite preset..nightmare on elmstreet 4 , omd's dreaming..and many more..
Erm... Men at Work "Down Under" was released in the UK in 1981/82 if I remember rightly - I think the D50 came out in 87. I've seen live videos of them and the keyboard player actually plays the line on a real flute. Just thought I'd mention it. Still love the vidoes so please don't hate me... Oh and Sledgehammer was 1985...and done on a Fairlight. Should I shut up now? :)
Great work on getting it cleaned up. Looks fantastic. Sounds superb too. I am starting to get an itch for one of these now. Would be very interested if you could put a vid out showing basic programming/edit functions for D50 and DX7. I
don't know if i fancy editing either of these through a little lcd and menu, life is too short. know someone with the hardware editor for the d50 might borrow that and try it out.
The free software editor (see my other comment) is better than the hardware one in several areas, and yes, like the DX7, doing any editing on the keyboard alone is torture.
I was lucky enough to get a dead D50 for AU$200 that only needed some new PSU capacitors and the keyboard contacts cleaned. It's battered and scratched to hell, but works perfectly and sounds gorgeous. I program patches over MIDI with the amazing free real time editor "D50 Librarian". Really good couple of videos on the factory patches there. *thumbs up*
thanks jon, had never realised there were editors, will check that out. an acquaintance has the real PG editor with the sliders and stuff so must try that out too. and congrats on your D50, and well done and thanks for bringing it back.
You picked the most essential and recognizable patches. Such a great synth demo! The "Depeche Mode" reference patch at 10:50 sounds more like Gary Numan's "Are 'Friends' Electric?" to me, but I doubt he used the D50 for it. Most likely the Polymoog.
davidryle Yes the string was polymoog Vox Humana but also. Thou im sure you emulate the sound with D 50 with some programming. I did a Vox Humana patch on the Jd990 .
I still have my D-50. I rarely use it, and then usually as just a controller. I pumped through my tube amp guitar rig yesterday and it sounded great and was fun. What I hated back in the day when I’d get together with a synth player was ... PATCH-HUNTING! Sitting there waiting while the right patch was hunted ... that would drive me crazy. Would I use it on my current recordings? Who knows!
The Shakuhachi sample heard on Sledgehammer originated on the Emulator II, but the D50's flute patch resembles the Fairlight CMI 'Swanee' sample a lot more.
Hey woody i have also a D5O in a perfect state ...except the button 7 ... Very strange isn't it ? Thank you for your Demo 👍 I expect to succeed in loading my old diskettes plenty of sounds into this exceptional synth !
it's quite common for buttons to go bad on d-synths. you might be able to squirt some contact cleaner into the switch whilst it's off. jiggle the switch around. wait a while for the cleaner to evaporate and then power on and test. in some cases it's helped me, in other cases it's made it worse so do at your own risk!!
I remember this keyboard its the best thing Roland every made it's been used in 100 movies or more and also did u know that the midi has a jitter in it and it's a problem also this keyboard was used in stanger things
The patch used in the intro is called "Space Fascination" - It is available in the "All the web" collection from this website: bobbyblues.recup.ch/roland_d-50/d-50_patches.html You can find it in the file "Bank05.syx".
I sold my mt 32 to a friend...i think he still has it, I'll ask him next time i see him if it's working and what condition it's in....he never gigged with it for sure - bedroom player!
Does the joy stick alter the tone balance left to right as well? I have the rackmount version of the D-50 and only has to 2 buttons that controls the tone balance.
Its a good feature to have on a keyboard though. Its a bit of a pig pressing the up and down button all the time on my D-550 to do the tone balance but gets there eventually.
@Michael Langley...The "Data Joystick" can be used as a data entry lever if you select the Tone Balance for editing. While the value is flashing on the screen, moving it left or right will adjust the tone balance setting. Same process for other values as well. I have a D-50 and two D-550's, and I agree, editing on the D-550 can be cumbersome. If you edit things a lot, you might invest in a PG-1000 external programmer. Gives you all the controls at your fingertips. In my case I do a lot of editing on the D-50, just because I'm so comfortable with it, and then move my patches over to the D-550 rack afterwards. :-)
4:10-4:14 ET seq would not sound out of place in Blade Runner. Maybe Vangellis would turn his nose up at a digital synth but it sounded pretty phat to me. In 1986 my friend bought a DX7 & I bought an Ensonique Mirage which I still have. I got he Mirage for it's sampled piano which I found utterly amazing at the time. If you're ever in London I'd be happy to help you check out the Mirage and put it on your Chanel.
agree, the D50 is a pretty good sounding VA. .the mirage and all ensoniq stuff (whatever happened to them?) is a cool piece of gear, i remember wanting one when i saw it in the pages of sound on sound. thanks for the offer, always open to collabs but no imminent visits to london.
At 5m 30s (Glass Voices), are you playing a particular song? As you progress from the 2nd to 3rd chord, I was hit by just how familiar it sounded but can't place it. Not sure if it is just the sound in general or if you are playing something in particular. Have even asked a couple of friends who are, like me, stuck down a google rabbit hole. Can you put us out of our misery?
![Almost in tears | Roland D50 demo | Factory sounds [01]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/3xfdigHwIeg/mqdefault.jpg)
![Almost in tears | Roland D50 demo | Factory sounds [01]](/img/tr.png)
Staccato heaven suddenly appeared in the New Jack Swing and smooth jazz sounds of the early 90s - beautiful stuff.
Eric Pershing's finest creation
...and Adrian Scott as a co-creator
I like your style of presentation, both visually and verbally! As for the D-50? Well, I simply love it! Always have. Have had numerous D-50s through the years and gigged heavily with them too. Today I have a D-550 in my studio.
thanks for the comment, appreciate it. really digging your channel and music, keep it going!
Thanks. You too!
Oh yes, I have three of these Roland D-50s, and I use them in my recording studio. I first discovered this back in 1987 when they first started to show up. 🎹🎶
three!! wow, and congrats!
I bought this synth 2 weeks ago. It’s sounds are money and the fidelity is insane. The panel graphics were scraped and worn- so luckily I found a top panel for sale and it’s on the way from Greece (I live in the U.S.). Espen craft uses these and praises them and I see why. I saw he complimented you and that’s really cool (he is awesome). I really enjoyed your demo and commentary- nice playing that really showcased the sounds. It’s still an amazing synth by even todays standards.
yes we all love espen! congrats on your d50 and well done on making the effort to restore it, good luck
Spaceous sweep woooow !!!! . Im such a sucker for for 90s sounding pads. Didnt realise the filter was so lush !!!
Great job Woody! And thank you. Truly a joyful experience. I must get my hands on one of these.
The sound at 11:35 is frickin' insane. That sound alone makes me wanna get a D50.
you're right, i never really noticed during the editing, when listening again, that patch is MENTAL!
Ikr, like holy shit this is happening in a 1987 affordable digital synth with so little storage space?
LOL same! I want to annoy my neighbors with that :D
it's like the opening of the soundtrack for 'A Clockwork Orange' - a sound both unsettling and mournful but in a glorious way..
Amazing job on that restoration and beautiful sounding of course, nice demo of this truly legendary synth :)
Thank you for a very pleasurable sonic trip back in time on a rainy Saturday in Sydney.
I remember 30 years ago, tinkering with the sounds in a music store in Sydney, coveting this amazing instrument. I am not a muso, just a lover of music and playing with sounds on my computer. Now I want to go out and buy a used D50 just to play around with the sounds and have this hardware synth as a piece of legendary musical instrumentation.
You play with such gusto, my aim is to learn to play the keyboard this year, now that I am retired from the treadmill, not life, and have more time. Thank you again!
Really like your preset guided tour videos.. thanks for putting the time & energy in to make them !!
thx, really appreciate the kind words and feedback, makes it all worthwhile
you're the boss man! thank you very much for this great moment! i had never listened to the sound of the d50 and its amazing i m gonna buy one!!!
Sledgehammer's Shakuhachi was from the EMU Emulator II.
The D50 sound has a good timbre, and can be edited using the pitch envelope to create the pitch change characteristic to the actual Emulator Library sample that was used by PG. But like this, in this video, it's not at all alike the real sound. (I had no sampler back then, but a D50....). :D
What demo amazing. Thanks for making.
Has recently moved into one of my "favorite synths of all time".
Very flexible for so many uses.
You have done a fantastic clean up job on this wonderful synthesizer . Looks amazingingly showroom clean 👍👍
4:53 It feels good to see another person really appreciate beauty.
incredible demo
3:55. There. Finally! It has to be the synth patch that was used in the classic Playstation 1 intro!
You're correct
1 of a few layers using the DX50. I have recreated it with the D50. I have another really long demo I should just video put on video. You can hear in the demo of the PS sound I am still missing a layer or some airy sound, but hey I tracked this live.
soundcloud.com/lobmo/d50-test
I have the Roland D550, and I have always loved its sounds.
I really enjoyed this demo! You're indeed a delightful character :) Greetings from sweden.
Sounds like my teenage years... Great synth!
Greetings from Ireland Woody!!! Love all your synth stuff, just bought a D-50. Always had a want for one as a kid and finally getting one! Your demos and particularly your enthusiasm is just great, keep up the great work :) Ronnie
that's awesome, took me a while to get mine too, congrats!
D50 sound really amazing, well done Woody....thanks ...happy weekend. ..Daro😉
That spacious sweep is PS2 all over!!
Enya's song was ORINOCO flow :-)
Sadly the preset name wasn't mentioned :-(
+gridsleep I did find it, later. I believe you're right. Looked it up: Pizzagogo (patch 44) Good of you to mention.
Ronald Kapaun I believe the Orinoco River is in South America. I remember getting sick of that song. It was everywhere!
I have had a couple of D50s over the years. Great build and sound quality, currently looking for another one.
Ok good, you included Future Pad. Such an underrated D50 patch!
love the d50!!!
Pizzagogo is definitely my favourite! Makes me feel so nostalgic hearing Orinoco flow :)
Yeah Woody. Liked your video. Nice presentation.
I believe the "Sledgehammer" Patch was an EMU Emulator Patch.
That Emulator Shakuhachi sample was seemingly everywhere by the early 90's. :-p
Your videos are brilliant.
thanks for your coments peter, appreciated!
Spacious sweep has to be my favorite on this! I would use that for the intro to a song that I would write! I really want to bring back the 80's style in music!
Love it, no wonder these were so popular. It is worlds away from analog synths.
The sledgehammer sound was a Shakuhachi sample on an Emulator I believe. It was also used by Enigma, and a few other bits of music too. This flute I believe was used in the JCVD film, Bloodsport, when he was training etc
Emulator II
this SYNTHESIZER has some Great sounds
awesome!
The "Afterthought" patch was used on "Man In The Mirror" by Michael Jackson...most notably on the intro
some great deep house usable sounds on this!
The D50 has always been great for pads.
The factory presets were featured heavily on Jean Michel Jarre's "Revolutions" album. The effect on 11:52 is a characteristic example, as well as the "Machine Run" preset and the "Kokobu Strings". Pretty much the entire album was a D-50 sound showcase. czcams.com/video/SDgIs1-to7M/video.html
I was hoping to hear him play 'Machine run' and mention JMJ's Revolutions but alas he did not even reference it :(
Future pad was used on Al B. Sure’s Nite and Day and Vesta Williams 4 U, both R&B tracks released in 1988.
I'm very impressed how good you can play keyboards. I wish i could learn it.
never too late, just takes practice and dedication!
You know I always believed that Orinoco Flow used real strings but with an effect added! I don't know why I thought that, but it shows how awesome that patch is! Sail away!
The choral sound, Bad Love by Eric Clapton. :)
The "Afterthought" patch is widely remembered for being used in the opening melodic line of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror". Didn't notice that when you demo'ed it since you used it polyphonically.
The Shakuhachi patch was used in the film Kickboxer, with JCVD, when he was training. I think they used the D50 for the soundtrack.
SUPER!!!
Great job restoring the D50. I have an Access Virus KB that could use your loving attention! :)
I swear with the right kinds of sounds, the D-50 could lend itself to trance really well~
completely magical experience when I received a D50 2 years ago. Maybe it was all the hype who knows but it was real for me.
i went through my D50 and replaced all the worn out button switches. there's been no change in that electrical component since the 80s and i picked them up at Kjell and Company. had to replace about 5 of those buttons. i mean if they don't respond on the first push, just replace it. just a few hours and a soldering iron. also, the keys get dusty and dirty in the contacts, and probably should be cleaned.
hey, that's very interesting. i had a d10 and bought replacement switches from roland, but didn't ever get around to installing them, seemed like a huge job. and you're saying you buy them from kjell&comp? can you post a link to the item? cheers
here's what they look like, though you want to extract one just to be sure you get new switches with the same dimensions. -- watch?v=CKAhq2ye1SM --
the part is called "micro momentary tactile switch" or a "keyboard switch".
take ample note of which keys don't respond 100%, and when you finally get to them, desolder one and take it with you to the electronics shop. they are dirt cheap.
You, sir, are an industrious fellow :-)
I've tried re-soldering the battery and (some of) the main board mountings inside my DX-100, but no luck.
About the best I've been able to do is clean out the key press contact switches on my old Casio (WK-1800) to get the velocity sensitivity "less wrong" on one of the keys that was playing way too hot. The little carbon (?) plunger had extended out of the rubber a bit and was hitting the printed circuit board too early. Reseated things and it's at least close, now. It's a crummy excuse for a workstation, but at least it has honest to God 5 pin MIDI connections.
Having the wherewithal to get in, find the button contacts on the D50 and get the parts is pretty cool engineering, in my book. The D50 does sound pretty cool and worth saving.
The first patch was also used by Queen on The Miracle
Almost bought the D50 also shopped EMU Emulator III but then then M1 came out and I made my purchase.
I had a Yamaha SY35 (1995) that had similar joystick functions known as Vector Synthesis. However the 128 presets sounded supremely terrible against the D50 which was released 12 years earlier. If I had got the D50 back then I'd still be drooling over it to this day. Thanks Woody !!
oh yeah, i vaguely remember the sy series!
Roland got it right with L.A synthesis. The generated parts on presets sound so realistic. In the late 80's Roland tried out another form of synthesis called Structural Adaptive Synthesis on the RD-1000. Its very hard to explain.
Spacious Sweep can also be used for a pretty dead on recreation of Tom Sawyer by Rush.
Many d50 sounds on queens miracle album..pet shop boys introspective ( i'm not scared)..and later in the 90s even 2unlimited used it on no limmits ..digital native dance is my favourite preset..nightmare on elmstreet 4 , omd's dreaming..and many more..
Erm... Men at Work "Down Under" was released in the UK in 1981/82 if I remember rightly - I think the D50 came out in 87. I've seen live videos of them and the keyboard player actually plays the line on a real flute. Just thought I'd mention it. Still love the vidoes so please don't hate me... Oh and Sledgehammer was 1985...and done on a Fairlight. Should I shut up now? :)
Great work on getting it cleaned up. Looks fantastic. Sounds superb too.
I am starting to get an itch for one of these now.
Would be very interested if you could put a vid out showing basic programming/edit functions
for D50 and DX7.
I
don't know if i fancy editing either of these through a little lcd and menu, life is too short. know someone with the hardware editor for the d50 might borrow that and try it out.
The free software editor (see my other comment) is better than the hardware one in several areas, and yes, like the DX7, doing any editing on the keyboard alone is torture.
I was lucky enough to get a dead D50 for AU$200 that only needed some new PSU capacitors and the keyboard contacts cleaned. It's battered and scratched to hell, but works perfectly and sounds gorgeous. I program patches over MIDI with the amazing free real time editor "D50 Librarian".
Really good couple of videos on the factory patches there. *thumbs up*
thanks jon, had never realised there were editors, will check that out. an acquaintance has the real PG editor with the sliders and stuff so must try that out too. and congrats on your D50, and well done and thanks for bringing it back.
www.d50librarian.co.uk/
At 2:30, D-50 Pressure Me Lead patch.
Great Great
D50 my favorite Synth and my favorite Patch first is FuturePad then Staccato Heaven, Soundtrack ,Fantasia,DigitalNativeDance
The Coral sound is used in some song of Tuna Turner.
13:05 -- Birdland!
Alter Falter, was ein fettes Brot, mega geil
You picked the most essential and recognizable patches. Such a great synth demo!
The "Depeche Mode" reference patch at 10:50 sounds more like Gary Numan's "Are 'Friends' Electric?" to me, but I doubt he used the D50 for it. Most likely the Polymoog.
Some D-50 brass patches can sound close to a Polymoog.
Agreed, but Numan himself says the brass was Polymoog.
www.theguardian.com/music/2014/feb/18/how-we-made-are-friends-electric-gary-numan
davidryle I know.
davidryle Yes the string was polymoog Vox Humana but also. Thou im sure you emulate the sound with D 50 with some programming. I did a Vox Humana patch on the Jd990 .
Are Friends Electric came out 8 years before the D50 was released.
The patch at 10:31 was used in the intro to Bad Love by Eric Clapton if I'm not mistaken.
ive just bought one !!
congrats mate!
I love it .... also have a DX7 ..... just need an M1 and then that’s the 80’s covered ..... awesome!!
I still have my D-50.
I rarely use it, and then usually as just a controller.
I pumped through my tube amp guitar rig yesterday and it sounded great and was fun.
What I hated back in the day when I’d get together with a synth player was ...
PATCH-HUNTING!
Sitting there waiting while the right patch was hunted ... that would drive me crazy.
Would I use it on my current recordings? Who knows!
Free Citizen sell it to me thanks :)
The Shakuhachi sound on the D-50 is from George Michael's song Father Figure. :)
Sledgehammer used the Shakuhatchi on the Emulator 2. It was used by Dire Straits before though on Ride Across The River.
81 is the intro to Dirty Diana.
there's almost a korg wavestation signature in this wow...
Reminds of the Revolution album with JMJ.. he almost recorded the whole album on a D50 ;)
Nice demo, nice playing, nice cameras! What are they? And the Sledgehammer sound is a Fairlight IIx factory sample.
yeah ok, wondering if the shakuhachi on the D50 is used in other songs, sounds very familiar
Woody Piano Shack it certainly does...it's probably on a ton of stuff!
The Shakuhachi sample heard on Sledgehammer originated on the Emulator II, but the D50's flute patch resembles the Fairlight CMI 'Swanee' sample a lot more.
Sledgehammer was also recorded in 1986 which predates the D50 by a year or so.
Woody Piano Shack actually that sound features clearly at the very end of George Michael's "Father Figure" and some other tunes I guess...
A modified version of patch 84 was used on Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson
The synth bass is strikingly similar to the one in Smooth Criminal (possibly mixed with a DX7).
For people who are interested to know Yamaha has keyboards with the sound called sweet heaven which sounds just like staccato heaven on the d50 7:14
Wow! The chords you play at 3:38. I have a D-05 on the way and would love to know the chords because they sound so awesome! :D
if heaven doesn't sound like this, I'm off the other way for sure
There are scratches.
You can see that ad 0.47 and 1.02
It sounds neither analog nor digital. It has its own dignity and territory :)
AtI'm needing to get mine d at the jack,hopefully resosoldering
Hey woody i have also a D5O in a perfect state ...except the button 7 ... Very strange isn't it ?
Thank you for your Demo 👍
I expect to succeed in loading my old diskettes plenty of sounds into this exceptional synth !
it's quite common for buttons to go bad on d-synths. you might be able to squirt some contact cleaner into the switch whilst it's off. jiggle the switch around. wait a while for the cleaner to evaporate and then power on and test. in some cases it's helped me, in other cases it's made it worse so do at your own risk!!
1:45 Orinocco Flow
Which is the name of The "Depeche Mode" reference patch at 10:50
That is Bank 7 Patch 7, "O K Chorale"
I remember this keyboard its the best thing Roland every made it's been used in 100 movies or more and also did u know that the midi has a jitter in it and it's a problem also this keyboard was used in stanger things
8:48 did you say patch sextiofem?
Phil Collins used a D-50 on on the intro Another Day In Paradise but can't find out what patch he used.
The patch used in the intro is called "Space Fascination" - It is available in the "All the web" collection from this website: bobbyblues.recup.ch/roland_d-50/d-50_patches.html
You can find it in the file "Bank05.syx".
NT654321 Thanks i will now upload that bank and a few others to my D-550.
soundtrak- also on my old MT-32
really want an mt-32 in 2017, bought one new back in the day coz i couldn't afford the d50. :)
I sold my mt 32 to a friend...i think he still has it, I'll ask him next time i see him if it's working and what condition it's in....he never gigged with it for sure - bedroom player!
Wonder if Steve Winwood used the D-50 on Valerie?
Sounds like he used one in "By the Light of Day" from 'Refugees of the Heart'. Valerie was mostly Prophet 5 and Multimoog on both versions. :)
My first synth...
not bad for a first synth! what year?
Woody Piano Shack 87-88...i was 14 15 years old : ) great christmas gift from my parents at the time.. My d50 is still working ...
Does the joy stick alter the tone balance left to right as well? I have the rackmount version of the D-50 and only has to 2 buttons that controls the tone balance.
no it does not pan, in direction up and down it adjusts balance between tones, can't figure out what it's doing horizontally.
Its a good feature to have on a keyboard though. Its a bit of a pig pressing the up and down button all the time on my D-550 to do the tone balance but gets there eventually.
@Michael Langley...The "Data Joystick" can be used as a data entry lever if you select the Tone Balance for editing. While the value is flashing on the screen, moving it left or right will adjust the tone balance setting. Same process for other values as well. I have a D-50 and two D-550's, and I agree, editing on the D-550 can be cumbersome. If you edit things a lot, you might invest in a PG-1000 external programmer. Gives you all the controls at your fingertips. In my case I do a lot of editing on the D-50, just because I'm so comfortable with it, and then move my patches over to the D-550 rack afterwards. :-)
I'd get a D50 for one patch... Intruder FX
Most of the sounds from this Roland and the Juno, Jupiter are on software, readily to be utilized by the S10 or S50??
What was the name of the song for the “Depeche Mode” reference?
4:10-4:14 ET seq would not sound out of place in Blade Runner. Maybe Vangellis would turn his nose up at a digital synth but it sounded pretty phat to me. In 1986 my friend bought a DX7 & I bought an Ensonique Mirage which I still have. I got he Mirage for it's sampled piano which I found utterly amazing at the time. If you're ever in London I'd be happy to help you check out the Mirage and put it on your Chanel.
agree, the D50 is a pretty good sounding VA. .the mirage and all ensoniq stuff (whatever happened to them?) is a cool piece of gear, i remember wanting one when i saw it in the pages of sound on sound. thanks for the offer, always open to collabs but no imminent visits to london.
Beautiful demo of the mighty D50! Are you in Sweden by any chnace?
How did you enable the joystick modulation? I just move it on my roland d-50 and it doesnt work :( how to enable that function?
you got to press some buttons too, don't remember what, upper or lower partial select perhaps. read the manual! ;)
At 5m 30s (Glass Voices), are you playing a particular song? As you progress from the 2nd to 3rd chord, I was hit by just how familiar it sounded but can't place it. Not sure if it is just the sound in general or if you are playing something in particular. Have even asked a couple of friends who are, like me, stuck down a google rabbit hole. Can you put us out of our misery?