A documentary short on the Roland D-50 - A classic synthesizer from the late 80's which helped define the future of digital synthesizers for years afterwards.
Funny when you look back how exciting the 80s was, I remember getting my DX7 back then and carrying it all the way home on a train then walking miles with it in a big box lol. Lots of good synths came out in the 80s.
Yes, those were the times. My father gave me a D-10 when it was release. I was so enchanted by it. The he gave me a Korg SQ-1 sequencer. How I miss my dad
I remember getting my D50 in 92. Paired it with a Korg M1. Best combo EVER. 30 years later in 22, they have been replaced with their soft synths. It's still the best combo EVER. 😊
I remember the D50 from my school in around '89 - '91. And although I was a drummer, I just remember all the beautiful sounds this thing could produce, when I fiddled around with it. Knowing very little about chords or musical structure, you could feel like Jean Michel Jarre by pressing a few buttons. So for the folks who actually used this, it must have been such a huge enrichment of their musical palette of sounds and creativity.
I was lucky to get one in 1987. Yes at the time it was genuinely exciting - you have to remember this was mostly uncharted territory in the digital world back then by making something sort-of affordable........
It certainly has a lot of character and a certain timbre about it. I first came across it much later in the early 2000s. I was fascinated by its looks and sounds and bought myself one in pristine condition. I agree, for someone who has no idea about music structure, chords, and sound design this beast would make them feel like JMJ by simply browsing through its preset sounds. It is also worth mentioning just how many of its preset sounds appeared on hit records. The number is just too much.
Nicely done. In the late 80's I was asked to provide music for a play and I was having trouble with my Poly800 so I rented a D50 for a few weeks. I was stunned by the sounds it could make, one patch after another had these complex layers of lush tonal character. Every sound suggested new music. Whoever programmed this was a true sound artist. I hated returning it, and I can still hear its haunting sonorities in my memory.
No true wife that really cares for your happiness does that ....ever !!! If she complaint that her time was her time, she is a true narcissisti needy one and not the one for you !! Read about NPDisorder and it will help you know who she really you have been with for such a long time !
I too was a teen in the 80s The D-50 was my second synth My first synthesizer was a Roland Juno 2 But the D-50 was special. It's the first keyboard I used in a band environment Thank you for your videos
@@epicon6 I wish my first synth had been a Juno 106 But that's history lol One of my favorite keyboards was the the Korg Triton and the Kurzweil SP88x Kurzweil had a really good feel about the keyboard, easy to play on. The Triton has brilliant sounds. The expansion boards are fantastic Unfortunately I played a lot of gigs on an Ensoniq SQ 2 I don't recommend that. Great sounds, horrible feel to the keyboard 😕 But it did the job...
Never able or even had the 💵 to purchase any synths in the late 80’s to early mid 90s. I’ve finally purchased the korg m1 and Roland d05 synth. Enjoying every free time I get to jam some great melodies and songs. My teens have been restored 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Lovely homage :-) I still have my D-50 right next to me! So many good memories from a lifetime ago! I still remember using it with my JX-3P, S-50 and Cakewalk 1.0. Wonderful retrospective and the Keyboard magazine flashbacks were a nice bonus. Keep it up!
Great video! I saved up to buy a D-50 in 1990 while I was in college, still have it. One of my favorite features was CHASE, where what you played you would hear from one partial then it would echo to the other partial and back and forth. It allowed you build loops, and you could manipulate the loop speed in real time, I've never seen anything else like it.
I bought one of these in 1987 (yes, I still have it)....I remember checking it out at EU Wurlitzer in Boston and noticing how "small" it was in comparison to the Jupiter-8s and Chromas they were still selling at the time! The effects may be grainy by today's standards and its noise floor was more the ceiling but OMG it was fun to play. Still is. Far from "perfect" but it captured a moment in time and I'll never get rid of it.
I might add that Jean Michel Jarre’s 80 album “Revolutions” is an absolutely fantastic example of what this synth can do as it managed to avoid a lot of the 80 sound cliques while utilising some fantastic presets. Even the opening loop of “The overture” is just a gritty 8-bit loop from the D50
The ‘spacious sweep’ patch also happens to be the foundation for most of my D550 patches too. such an incredible sound that always make me think of Prophet 5 sync sweeps.
Fantastic video Johnny! The Roland D-50 has a certain something to the sound... organic digital, grainy texture, very airy and ethereal... perhaps why it was so good for new age music too. :) There is a nostalgia in the sounds that is timeless from that era and instantly transports you back. It is truly special to this day. Thanks for sharing your insights as always and hope you are well.
Man, that sure brings back memories. I got the D-550 when it was released and it was the main Synth in my rig. I too anxiously awaited my Keyboard Magazine to arrive to soak up all that was new and coming. Great video Johnny, keep 'em coming!
I love the Roland D50. I got one with the PG1000 controller. With this controller it's so much easier to design your own sounds. I also love the basic presets and for me, age 45 now, it's always a walk on memory-lane when i play it. Same as my Yamaha DX7 and Korg M1 The Roland D50 in combination with my Strymon Big Sky, i enter Ambient Heaven!!!
Loved this. I found my D-50 at a flea market a few years ago and didn’t realize it’s significance. It’s been babied since I found it and I’ve only used it as a midi controller for the most part, but am getting more interested in learning all its cool sounds. Thanks for the video essay.
Johnny you are now my official new hero. I really appreciate your coverage of the history of Roland Synths. I currently own a Roland Fantom 6 and absolutely am BLOWN AWAY by its capabilities. Your videos really helped me to understand how all this began. Thank you!!!
It's not often you can remember everything around a purchase of a piece of technical hardware but I bet you can! A stroke of genius at the time this one.......
Awesome ode to the D-50. i assumed this was historical research piece by another passionate teen/young adult, so I was blown away when the presenter says he was in highschool in 1985. I didn't become a keyboardist until the mid 90s and the first pro synth I'd ever seen to that point was the Roland D-10 & the first I'd ever played was the D-5 (thinking they were the same keyboard), which i adored. I had no idea the D-50 existed until well into my 30s. After coveting the 550 for a few years now, I'll be grabbing the VST. Thanks for this awesome article
Still have my D-50 which I purchased in 1988 for $3k. A lot of money in those days, seeing as you could buy a fairly good second hand car for that amount. I changed the memory battery once since that time. About 7 keys no longer work and need to be cleaned or have the contact pads replaced, but with midi capability i can connect the D-50 to my other keyboards or run via sequencers or DAW. Superb sounds- well ahead of their time and I still use them today. My D-50 library editor has approximately 1800 patches or sounds saved in it including the 5 or 6 original Roland D-50 sounds (~300). And Roland built their synths like tanks during the 1970s and 1980s. Made for heavy touring and studio use
What currency is that? The list price in 1987 was $1799 USD. Still a lot of money then. I was able to pick up a used D-550 in the early 90s for $500 which I still own.
@@zibbybone Australian Dollars. Do you know how many Australians are musical instruments tourists? I flew to NY and bought many stringed instruments from places like Sam Ash. Even with the weak Australian dollar of $0.70US, a Fender Telecaster is still worth buying and returning to Australia with. At the time Roland D-50s were retailing for $2,995 (AUS) in Australia (without a case).
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams Are you aware of the Roland D-05 Linear Synthesiser that was released a few years ago? (may be discontinued today) For about $600 you get a module type unit that has the iconic sounds and control found in the original D-50. I still recall returning to my music store several times just to play the D50 in the late 1980s. The "Digital Native Dance" was an incredible sound to extract out of a synthesiser. I couldnt find a spot for that sound in any of my songs but I remember thinking, "if this thing can create that sort of complex sound, it can probably do anything". Cheers
@@PetraKann HI Peter - yes I have a few of the Roland Boutiques. They're pretty decent for the value for sure. I might get the JD-08 which also just came out - seems like a decent recreation of the JD-800
My musician friends chuckle at my D-50 obsession. Similar story to yours. My first synth was a Roland Juno-6, then I got the D-50 in January 1988. To this day I remember getting it home, hooking it up in stereo to the big speakers I had in my room and hitting the two lowest C notes on Fantasia. Gave me goosebumps then and still does today. At the time I bought the D-50, the first two Roland cards 01 + 02 were out, so I got those too. I had 192 patches right out of the gate. I also bought the PG-1000, but set it aside for several hours while I stayed up half the night playing the D-50. Around 3am I decided to see what this PG-1000 was all about and nearly cried when i saw it. I had NO idea it was going to be so sleek looking an full of faders! (I had assumed it was like a PG-800 or something smaller.) Picked up the last two Roland cards 03 + 04 around 1990 or so. Years later I got a steal on another D-50 to keep at home as my "programmer" D-50. Then, eventually picked up two D-550's on eBay over a few years. My wife and son gave me the Boutique D-05 for Christmas in 2017, so I have the whole set. Lol. My live rig for years was an 88-key Roland RD-300s piano/controller, driving my D-50 and my Korg T3. The best combo for pianos, realistic brass and guitars and the D-50 for strings and pads. I also ran the D-50 into my 1962 Leslie 45 speaker for all my organ needs. (And of course bought the Valhala Screamin' B3 card to help with that.) Nice video and great multi-D-50 demo song! Nice to see I'm not the only one "in love" with the D-50. Lol. Nowadays I love using the D-50 Librarian software to organize my database of thousands of D-50 patches, including a lot of old commercially sold card sets. Great fun.
Thanks for sharing your story DavR. I'm glad I'm not alone! I have the 2 D-50's and the D-550 here with me in the studio and still use them a lot. D-50 Librarian is great and yes there are a surprising amount of great patches and sound sets. When I get bored I load in something fresh and it totally surprises me. Ok all the best!
I remember working in dance bands in the late 70's and 80's as a bassist/guitarist/keyboardist. You couldn't get a gig unless you played keys and had a couple of good synths. My keys rig consisted of a Juno 60, ESQ-1 w/ the disc drive midi'd to a D-550. Doubling on bass or guitar required careful planning of bringing up the correct presets between songs during a 5 hour gig. Those were the days!
I used to work for a large music retailer up north and ended up being the go to man for all the tech gear we sold in the shop. We had a room filled with synths, drum machines, sequencers, all sorts, all linked up to a mixing desk with speakers on the walls. It was like a mini recording studio in itself. Anyway, my boss said to me once “anyone who comes in with long hair on a Saturday, just take them in the back room and sell them something”. The shop was in a posh area and on Saturdays you would get a lot of wealthy people coming in to look at pianos. He didn’t want band members cluttering up the place, lowering the tone haha happy day. Really enjoyed it there.
1987 was more 90s than 80s in all regards, and the fact the Japanese guy at Roland designed this thing in a few months is crazy. DSP chips were not around in 1986.
As a kid in the 80s, my first keyboard synth was a Yamaha DX21. I still have it...but I use my DX7 FD more...and now my Deepmind 12. Plus, I have a bunch of Korg Volcas that are super fun to play with, and an amazingly versatile Korg NTS-1!
Thank you for sharing this. The D - 50 is the very best keyboard synthesizer that I have purchased during the 80s. And gave me much more flexibility on creating the best sounds for composing my music. And, still use this in my recording studio to this day. During the 70s, I was working on building a Moog modular like synthesizer from the ground up, using circuit boards that I had made from schematics, yet much different from the original Moog models. This got my interest in electronics during school. But, finding this project became very expensive and time consuming.
Loved my D-50. In addition to sounding unique and great, it was one of the most beautifully-designed synths out there. I own a Juno DS-88 now, but looking under the covers at the parameters, it's basically a Supersized D-50. So yay for that!
My father purchased a D-50 when it came out. And I too was floored when I heard the Digital Native Dance preset. It was so new and fresh. 80's and 90's were exciting times for us keyboard players.
Cool video, although I'm a huge fan of analog there is something really unique and cool about the D-50. I have one now and the PG-1000 programmer. Looking forward to diving in and creating some of my own unique sounds with it. For me the pads and strings are my favorite aspect of it. Soundtrack has to be one of my favorite presets that comes with it.
that Keyboard mag with Keith Emerson was the first issue I bought. I was big into prog at the time, and an interview with a superstar like Emerson, and all those drool-worthy synths shown inside was an added bonus. I think I bought every month for the next five or six years.
Great video! I had a D-50 for a long time, but never could make it sound as amazing as some youtube videos, so i had it for sale a couple of times. But nobody wanted to buy it, so it stayed in the studio. Then i found a PG1000 a couple of years later and it completely changed the synth for me. Although it's still a little strange to program it, it's now one of my favorites! And i must say the VSTi version by Roland sounds very good too. Almost identical to the original.
My buddy Kevin got a D-50 our senior year of high school, I couldn't afford one (since I didn't have that kind of $$ the sale guy said I recommend this HS-60- what great advice!) I loved it from the first time I heard it, it was mind blowing. I have a D-550 now and it is still one of my favorite synths to just experiment with! Great video, thanks!
I truly recognize every bit of your story on the D-50 and the time when it came. We would hog the music store daily after school so we could jam on it. I have had several D-50's and I still miss them all the time. A magical thing happened where I'd had a D-550 for about a year and made patches on it that I hadn't saved. Fast forward 30 years and I pop in a D-50 editor in an old Atari and whopps. There were my sounds again. The next owner had saved them to disk, unreal! This was so crazy because I had that D-550 in Gnesta Sweden disconnected from the outside world with internet yet to come around. It all happened on floppy disks that users traded and kept stored.
I, too, was becoming a teenager in early 80s and DX7, D50, and M1 were the star synthesizers of 80s indeed! 'DX7' written on the back of 'sythesizer' looked so cool and attractive! Now fast forward 1 or 2 decades, I was at an indoor concert and the keyboardist was filling the venue with the soundscape that I never experienced... grainy? gassy? bubbly? organic? I felt like I was immersed in musical Ether. Then when I looked up, there was a D-50 in action on the stage!The keyboardist was playing a D-50, not a Motif or Triton underneath it. My first thought was 'OMG? I know this one... D-50, from 1987, isnt it quite old by now?' Fast forward more years, I ended up buying a D-50 from a musician who played for Shelia E. Wow! That is my D-50 story. Thanks for the wonderful video Johnny!
Thanks for sharing Young Choe. Great story about your D-50 experience. Yes - the D-50 is still pretty unique sounding and I think has a place in the modern studio.
Gosh I remember hearing a D50 for the first time in 1987 as a 15 year old when I was doing a course in synthesis and the teacher purchased one of the first ones to come into Australia. I was blown away by the pads and strings, not to mention the huge pipe organ and that infamous digital native dance patch, amongst others. Saying that, I was even more blown away a year later when I first played a Korg M1 and nearly went to synthesiser heaven after playing its infamous Universe, piano, organ, guitar, sax and drums programs. The Yamaha DX7, Roland D50 and Korg M1 really define the synth sounds of the late 80s. Great video and keep up the great work!
I bought a D-50 used in 1991, and it still runs great. Personally, I always found it easy to program - I found and bought a PG-1000 in the late '90s and maybe used it twice. Still have it, but don't need it.
Subbed. The D-50 is what started me down this path when I first encountered it (also as a teen) upon its introduction. Inscrutable to program, yet delicious-sounding... the workhorse in my garage band days playing cover tunes 😄
I had that same experience, seeing the D50 set up at a music shop in '87 and hearing Native Dance! I was 12 at the time and had a CZ-101, which I understood fairly well, but this was, as you say, complex and mysterious. I remember loving the look of it as well, and the sinking feeling that I'd never be able to afford it. I picked one up a few years ago, in mint condition, and it sparks joy every time I see it. Love the video!
Hope you still have the CZ-101. It is truly special, and probably worth more today than a D50, which curiously is one of the very few products that does not have Roland-TAX in the second hand market.
@@lovemadeinjapan Yes, I still have the CZ and would never sell it! I gave it an OLED display upgrade too. As a kid, I rigged a flashlight so I could use it in low light :D (note regarding OLED upgrade: I recommend installing a separate 5V regulator for it, to mitigate noise on the output)
My D-50 is dead. I need a new battery. 😔 I also own a D-70. Love the channel and information about my favorite Digital Keyboard 🎹 Synthesizer the Roland D-50. 🤗 Subscribed ☑️
STill have my original D550 it cost me over2300 and at 18% interest back in the day but man still sounds as amazing. sitting next to big Brother MKS80 with brand spanking new programmer. my sysnths look as new as the day I bought them.
"...the one synthesizer I'll never be without". I could not have said it better myself 🙂 I love my D50, purchased off eBay from a studio in Birmingham (UK) five years ago for less than £200. Two keys failed to sound when I got it (and it was filthy!) but some soldering over a broken PCB track fixed one and cleaning the contact points fixed the other. I used a while back to re-create most of the tracks from JMJ's Revolutions album, an example of what the D50 could do in the right hands and I will never, ever, sell it. Thanks for video, Johnny.
Thanks for sharing John. I had a similar problem with a few broken traces on the keybed pcb as well. Was pretty easy to troubleshoot, but I think it was a common problem. Very cool on the JMJ recreation! All the best.
Another great video, Johnny. Such a wonderful mood your score provides. Just recently got a D-550 and this makes me even more excited than I already was about exploring its capabilities.
I totally remember every add from Keyboard Magazine and other in the video haha! And oh man ... I bought a D50 again in the form of Roland D05 Boutique a few years when they started to dry up but before the prize went ballistic. The only important question, is the sound and experience there as my old D50. YES! It's a new box with the old sound and it's USB and fast, although the jacks and plugs on top is totally brain dead. Other than that it's SO MUCH FUN TO PLAY AGAIN!!! You did a great job with this video as well!
I had the D 50 and loved it and like you I waited eagerly after the next issue of Keyboard every month - Ha Ha - Now youtube gives us a much better view of Synths cause we can actually hear how they sound.
Bought my first D50 in 1991 in mint condition for $600. I traveled playing in a church choir and got the Valhalla Screamin B3 card which sounded great at the time
Totally agree - its a great option. Much more usable in a modern studio for sure. I wish they had of put some of the PG1000 sliders on it similar to the new JD-08
I bought my Roland S-550 this January! Now I am considering the D-550 to go with my S-550 and PC-200. :D I'm having the time of my life with the Roland S-550. It's so gritty and grainy beyond what I thought all this time. :) Groovie!
I love the S-550. I put a scsi2sd in it partitioned to 4 different drives. The factory libraries are great so it makes it super useful and everything from it just sits in the mix so well.
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams First things first your music in the SSX and SSX Tricky games are Groovie! I got a PS/2 to MSX mouse adapter hooked to a 90s Compaq mouse I remember from when I was a kid. With an oddly matching 1987 CCTV monitor and it works like a charm, I even contacted Llama Music for a Utility Disk and he explained to me:, "Jacob you know your S-550 V1.13 disk already has the Utility Disk in it?" He was so nice to still make me one which I keep for back-up. 😃😄 I love running my sampler through the Randall combo amp I have too. Allows that punchy edge to squawk about the room when I press a key. It just feels like 1990s nostalgia I never experienced before. :D Groovie Groovie Groovie! 😄🐼🎨📼 Thank You for your videos and even the SSX music you help create too. I might sample your SSX work sometime and run it through TurboSynth (what Nine Inch Nails used back then) and it's cool beans. :) Have a Groovie Day, Sample About & Stay Groovie! :D I even love formatting the floppy disks, it takes 79 seconds to format a floppy. And most of the time on the S-550 usually is 71 seconds. Very fast for an old timer too.
I fully restored mine a year ago, there isn’t a mark on it. The only thing all D50 owners will agree, is that the aftertouch will fail to the point of virtually having to stand on the keys to get a response. Luckily this is a fairly easy fix. You need to separate the aftertouch strip that consists of a semi conductive rubber and a copper one, the copper oxidises overtime causing the lack of response. But clean the two strips ( Brasso for the copper & acetone for the rubber) and it will work better than new. I’ve done this to five D50 with success.
Thanks for that info Sonic - I should try this. My D-50 and JX-10 have badly oxidized aftertouch strips. I've had a look at them, but not attempted anything yet
Still one of my all-time fave keyboards. Give me a D50 over an M1 ANY day. I used to program it via a patch editor on the Atari, which have the ability to "morph" patches together, which gave some surprising and very usable results. I went on using it for many years with a number of big names, and it always sounded fresh, (just so long as you avoided the well-known patches!) Just one point, the D550 has a noticeably slower MIDI interface than the keyboard, so be aware of that.
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams Yeah, I used to have both, and running side by side I discovered there is a noticeable lag on the 550. If you don't run any MIDI on it, how can you play it?
I've been a subscriber for a while, and enjoy the quality, details and history that you cover in your videos. I also appreciate the technical details. I have a small RUclips channel myself, with a few videos on synth/keyboard restorations, so this stuff is right up my alley. I grew up in the 80s, so these flagship synths were out of my reach at the time, but I was lucky enough to inherit a D-50 several years ago. Thanks for another great video.
People were basically giving away Moogs and Oberheims to fund their D50 purchase 😂 I had a Jupiter 6 and D50 as my main rig in the late 80’s. In 1991 West LA music was selling the PG1000’s for $50
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Funny when you look back how exciting the 80s was, I remember getting my DX7 back then and carrying it all the way home on a train then walking miles with it in a big box lol. Lots of good synths came out in the 80s.
Likewise! Walked it down from Ealing Broadway to South Ealing with a flat mate.
Yes, those were the times. My father gave me a D-10 when it was release. I was so enchanted by it. The he gave me a Korg SQ-1 sequencer. How I miss my dad
The D-50 always reminds me of late 80s PRINCE…
He used it a lot
Lovesexy batman graffiti bridges even diamonds and pearls
I remember getting my D50 in 92. Paired it with a Korg M1. Best combo EVER. 30 years later in 22, they have been replaced with their soft synths. It's still the best combo EVER. 😊
I remember the D50 from my school in around '89 - '91. And although I was a drummer, I just remember all the beautiful sounds this thing could produce, when I fiddled around with it. Knowing very little about chords or musical structure, you could feel like Jean Michel Jarre by pressing a few buttons. So for the folks who actually used this, it must have been such a huge enrichment of their musical palette of sounds and creativity.
Thanks for sharing Lui!
I was lucky to get one in 1987. Yes at the time it was genuinely exciting - you have to remember this was mostly uncharted territory in the digital world back then by making something sort-of affordable........
It certainly has a lot of character and a certain timbre about it. I first came across it much later in the early 2000s. I was fascinated by its looks and sounds and bought myself one in pristine condition. I agree, for someone who has no idea about music structure, chords, and sound design this beast would make them feel like JMJ by simply browsing through its preset sounds. It is also worth mentioning just how many of its preset sounds appeared on hit records. The number is just too much.
Jean Michel Jarre's "Revolution" heavily featured a D 50
Nicely done. In the late 80's I was asked to provide music for a play and I was having trouble with my Poly800 so I rented a D50 for a few weeks. I was stunned by the sounds it could make, one patch after another had these complex layers of lush tonal character. Every sound suggested new music. Whoever programmed this was a true sound artist. I hated returning it, and I can still hear its haunting sonorities in my memory.
My wife forced me to sell it. I regret ever since. I was so in love with the sound it made.
Divorce
Deeeeevorce!
No true wife that really cares for your happiness does that ....ever !!!
If she complaint that her time was her time, she is a true narcissisti needy one and not
the one for you !!
Read about NPDisorder and it will help you know who she really you have been with for such a long time !
1992 году первый разу увидел услышал этот синтезатор Roland d 50 в селе на свадьбе, звуки сочные жирные до сих пор так
@@dnantisok dr Phil
I too was a teen in the 80s
The D-50 was my second synth
My first synthesizer was a Roland Juno 2
But the D-50 was special. It's the first keyboard I used in a band environment
Thank you for your videos
No way! In the 80's my first synth was also a Juno 2 and second synth was a D-50!
Not really lol.
@@epicon6 I wish my first synth had been a Juno 106
But that's history lol
One of my favorite keyboards was the the Korg Triton and the Kurzweil SP88x
Kurzweil had a really good feel about the keyboard, easy to play on.
The Triton has brilliant sounds. The expansion boards are fantastic
Unfortunately I played a lot of gigs on an Ensoniq SQ 2
I don't recommend that.
Great sounds, horrible feel to the keyboard 😕
But it did the job...
The D-50 was everywhere in the late 80s.. I recorded them on tons of records.. Really excellent video, Johnny..!
Never able or even had the 💵 to purchase any synths in the late 80’s to early mid 90s.
I’ve finally purchased the korg m1 and Roland d05 synth.
Enjoying every free time I get to jam some great melodies and songs.
My teens have been restored 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Lovely homage :-) I still have my D-50 right next to me! So many good memories from a lifetime ago! I still remember using it with my JX-3P, S-50 and Cakewalk 1.0. Wonderful retrospective and the Keyboard magazine flashbacks were a nice bonus. Keep it up!
Thanks for sharing!
Roland D-50, without doubt one of the best synthesizer ever made. It can produce such wonderfull sounds.
Great video! I saved up to buy a D-50 in 1990 while I was in college, still have it. One of my favorite features was CHASE, where what you played you would hear from one partial then it would echo to the other partial and back and forth. It allowed you build loops, and you could manipulate the loop speed in real time, I've never seen anything else like it.
Totally - I forgot to mention how cool the chase feature was.
Don't ever sell it - cherish it.
I bought one of these in 1987 (yes, I still have it)....I remember checking it out at EU Wurlitzer in Boston and noticing how "small" it was in comparison to the Jupiter-8s and Chromas they were still selling at the time! The effects may be grainy by today's standards and its noise floor was more the ceiling but OMG it was fun to play. Still is. Far from "perfect" but it captured a moment in time and I'll never get rid of it.
I might add that Jean Michel Jarre’s 80 album “Revolutions” is an absolutely fantastic example of what this synth can do as it managed to avoid a lot of the 80 sound cliques while utilising some fantastic presets. Even the opening loop of “The overture” is just a gritty 8-bit loop from the D50
Nothing wrong with 80s sounding synths!
The ‘spacious sweep’ patch also happens to be the foundation for most of my D550 patches too. such an incredible sound that always make me think of Prophet 5 sync sweeps.
Fantastic video Johnny! The Roland D-50 has a certain something to the sound... organic digital, grainy texture, very airy and ethereal... perhaps why it was so good for new age music too. :) There is a nostalgia in the sounds that is timeless from that era and instantly transports you back. It is truly special to this day. Thanks for sharing your insights as always and hope you are well.
Thanks synth4ever! I totally agree on your comments - so airy and ethereal. Great to hear from you and see your latest videos as well.
omg you nailed it. It could also do killer organ sounds!
Nice! The D-50 was the first professional synth I ever bought. Love the Roland Cloud version with all the many different patches.
Man, that sure brings back memories. I got the D-550 when it was released and it was the main Synth in my rig. I too anxiously awaited my Keyboard Magazine to arrive to soak up all that was new and coming. Great video Johnny, keep 'em coming!
Love this. I also had a Korg Poly 800 and other Korgs.
Yes, you did the D-50! Can’t wait to watch.
I love the Roland D50. I got one with the PG1000 controller. With this controller it's so much easier to design your own sounds. I also love the basic presets and for me, age 45 now, it's always a walk on memory-lane when i play it. Same as my Yamaha DX7 and Korg M1
The Roland D50 in combination with my Strymon Big Sky, i enter Ambient Heaven!!!
How many machines do you have?
@@MeneTekelUpharsin Almost too much ;-)
You want me to name them all? :-P
Loved this. I found my D-50 at a flea market a few years ago and didn’t realize it’s significance. It’s been babied since I found it and I’ve only used it as a midi controller for the most part, but am getting more interested in learning all its cool sounds. Thanks for the video essay.
Good find on the D-50 Fitz - glad you liked the vid.
Johnny you are now my official new hero. I really appreciate your coverage of the history of Roland Synths. I currently own a Roland Fantom 6 and absolutely am BLOWN AWAY by its capabilities. Your videos really helped me to understand how all this began. Thank you!!!
These vids are great! Love how you cover both history and in depth technical information.
Thanks Jack - I try not to get too deep either way.
great stuff! keep doing this type of video. I really appreciate the amount of work you put in.
Thanks Michael
Great video the 80's rocked!!
Great video! I still have my D-50, and I treasure it.
It's not often you can remember everything around a purchase of a piece of technical hardware but I bet you can! A stroke of genius at the time this one.......
Thank you ❤️. I still have and play my D50 and have a librarian containing 20000 D50 patches and I love it and will never part with it.
Great to hear!
Awesome ode to the D-50. i assumed this was historical research piece by another passionate teen/young adult, so I was blown away when the presenter says he was in highschool in 1985. I didn't become a keyboardist until the mid 90s and the first pro synth I'd ever seen to that point was the Roland D-10 & the first I'd ever played was the D-5 (thinking they were the same keyboard), which i adored. I had no idea the D-50 existed until well into my 30s. After coveting the 550 for a few years now, I'll be grabbing the VST. Thanks for this awesome article
Thanks Dar2win - the D-50 still holds up in so many ways
Still have my D-50 which I purchased in 1988 for $3k. A lot of money in those days, seeing as you could buy a fairly good second hand car for that amount.
I changed the memory battery once since that time. About 7 keys no longer work and need to be cleaned or have the contact pads replaced, but with midi capability i can connect the D-50 to my other keyboards or run via sequencers or DAW.
Superb sounds- well ahead of their time and I still use them today.
My D-50 library editor has approximately 1800 patches or sounds saved in it including the 5 or 6 original Roland D-50 sounds (~300).
And Roland built their synths like tanks during the 1970s and 1980s. Made for heavy touring and studio use
What currency is that? The list price in 1987 was $1799 USD. Still a lot of money then. I was able to pick up a used D-550 in the early 90s for $500 which I still own.
@@zibbybone Australian Dollars.
Do you know how many Australians are musical instruments tourists?
I flew to NY and bought many stringed instruments from places like Sam Ash.
Even with the weak Australian dollar of $0.70US, a Fender Telecaster is still worth buying and returning to Australia with.
At the time Roland D-50s were retailing for $2,995 (AUS) in Australia (without a case).
Hi Petra - yes - totally agree - build like a tank - I toured with mine for years. Thanks for sharing your story.
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams Are you aware of the Roland D-05 Linear Synthesiser that was released a few years ago? (may be discontinued today)
For about $600 you get a module type unit that has the iconic sounds and control found in the original D-50.
I still recall returning to my music store several times just to play the D50 in the late 1980s. The "Digital Native Dance" was an incredible sound to extract out of a synthesiser. I couldnt find a spot for that sound in any of my songs but I remember thinking, "if this thing can create that sort of complex sound, it can probably do anything".
Cheers
@@PetraKann HI Peter - yes I have a few of the Roland Boutiques. They're pretty decent for the value for sure. I might get the JD-08 which also just came out - seems like a decent recreation of the JD-800
Great video! I bought the D-05 Boutique one a couple of years back and it is still great to explore!
My musician friends chuckle at my D-50 obsession. Similar story to yours. My first synth was a Roland Juno-6, then I got the D-50 in January 1988. To this day I remember getting it home, hooking it up in stereo to the big speakers I had in my room and hitting the two lowest C notes on Fantasia. Gave me goosebumps then and still does today. At the time I bought the D-50, the first two Roland cards 01 + 02 were out, so I got those too. I had 192 patches right out of the gate. I also bought the PG-1000, but set it aside for several hours while I stayed up half the night playing the D-50. Around 3am I decided to see what this PG-1000 was all about and nearly cried when i saw it. I had NO idea it was going to be so sleek looking an full of faders! (I had assumed it was like a PG-800 or something smaller.) Picked up the last two Roland cards 03 + 04 around 1990 or so. Years later I got a steal on another D-50 to keep at home as my "programmer" D-50. Then, eventually picked up two D-550's on eBay over a few years. My wife and son gave me the Boutique D-05 for Christmas in 2017, so I have the whole set. Lol. My live rig for years was an 88-key Roland RD-300s piano/controller, driving my D-50 and my Korg T3. The best combo for pianos, realistic brass and guitars and the D-50 for strings and pads. I also ran the D-50 into my 1962 Leslie 45 speaker for all my organ needs. (And of course bought the Valhala Screamin' B3 card to help with that.) Nice video and great multi-D-50 demo song! Nice to see I'm not the only one "in love" with the D-50. Lol. Nowadays I love using the D-50 Librarian software to organize my database of thousands of D-50 patches, including a lot of old commercially sold card sets. Great fun.
Thanks for sharing your story DavR. I'm glad I'm not alone! I have the 2 D-50's and the D-550 here with me in the studio and still use them a lot. D-50 Librarian is great and yes there are a surprising amount of great patches and sound sets. When I get bored I load in something fresh and it totally surprises me. Ok all the best!
I remember working in dance bands in the late 70's and 80's as a bassist/guitarist/keyboardist. You couldn't get a gig unless you played keys and had a couple of good synths. My keys rig consisted of a Juno 60, ESQ-1 w/ the disc drive midi'd to a D-550. Doubling on bass or guitar required careful planning of bringing up the correct presets between songs during a 5 hour gig. Those were the days!
Thanks for sharing AJMjazz. I remember having to pre-load sampler disks at the right time the song before the next - it was crazy!
How much did you make for a 5 hour gig?
I used to work for a large music retailer up north and ended up being the go to man for all the tech gear we sold in the shop. We had a room filled with synths, drum machines, sequencers, all sorts, all linked up to a mixing desk with speakers on the walls. It was like a mini recording studio in itself. Anyway, my boss said to me once “anyone who comes in with long hair on a Saturday, just take them in the back room and sell them something”. The shop was in a posh area and on Saturdays you would get a lot of wealthy people coming in to look at pianos. He didn’t want band members cluttering up the place, lowering the tone haha happy day. Really enjoyed it there.
Great story! Yes - keep all the long-hairs in the back with the synths.
1987 was more 90s than 80s in all regards, and the fact the Japanese guy at Roland designed this thing in a few months is crazy. DSP chips were not around in 1986.
Great video 👍👍 Thank you for sharing.
As a kid in the 80s, my first keyboard synth was a Yamaha DX21. I still have it...but I use my DX7 FD more...and now my Deepmind 12. Plus, I have a bunch of Korg Volcas that are super fun to play with, and an amazingly versatile Korg NTS-1!
Thank you for sharing this. The D - 50 is the very best keyboard synthesizer that I have purchased during the 80s. And gave me much more flexibility on creating the best sounds for composing my music. And, still use this in my recording studio to this day.
During the 70s, I was working on building a Moog modular like synthesizer from the ground up, using circuit boards that I had made from schematics, yet much different from the original Moog models. This got my interest in electronics during school. But, finding this project became very expensive and time consuming.
Thanks for that Edward. Synthesizers got me into electronics as well.
Really enjoying your 80s synth videos, top notch.
Thanks Whiskers 770 - much appreciated.
Loved my D-50. In addition to sounding unique and great, it was one of the most beautifully-designed synths out there. I own a Juno DS-88 now, but looking under the covers at the parameters, it's basically a Supersized D-50. So yay for that!
Couldn't agree more!
My father purchased a D-50 when it came out. And I too was floored when I heard the Digital Native Dance preset. It was so new and fresh. 80's and 90's were exciting times for us keyboard players.
I know - Digital Native Dance was mind-melting. When I first heard it I immediately knew the D-50 would be my next synth.
Cool video, although I'm a huge fan of analog there is something really unique and cool about the D-50. I have one now and the PG-1000 programmer. Looking forward to diving in and creating some of my own unique sounds with it. For me the pads and strings are my favorite aspect of it. Soundtrack has to be one of my favorite presets that comes with it.
Totally agree - you should try out the Carl Johnson sounds sets. They really breathed some new life into my D-50.
How have you got on?
Nice video!
At around 9:50 you say: "The late 80s were such a great time for a keyboardist." Well, you can say the same for today!
Very true - feels like that time all over again now.
The video showed your love for the D50. From Japan.
that Keyboard mag with Keith Emerson was the first issue I bought. I was big into prog at the time, and an interview with a superstar like Emerson, and all those drool-worthy synths shown inside was an added bonus. I think I bought every month for the next five or six years.
I think I bought every keyboard mag from about 85' to 90
fantastic details
Thanks neon void!
Great video!
I had a D-50 for a long time, but never could make it sound as amazing as some youtube videos, so i had it for sale a couple of times. But nobody wanted to buy it, so it stayed in the studio. Then i found a PG1000 a couple of years later and it completely changed the synth for me. Although it's still a little strange to program it, it's now one of my favorites!
And i must say the VSTi version by Roland sounds very good too. Almost identical to the original.
I just bought one in a very good condition. Love this synth ! Sounds great 🎹👏
They are all in good condition. They never have wear. As if they were all put on the attic collecting dust when the M1 came in.
Wonderful documentaries on here!! Bravo😍🎹😍🎹
My buddy Kevin got a D-50 our senior year of high school, I couldn't afford one (since I didn't have that kind of $$ the sale guy said I recommend this HS-60- what great advice!) I loved it from the first time I heard it, it was mind blowing. I have a D-550 now and it is still one of my favorite synths to just experiment with! Great video, thanks!
Thanks for sharing the D-50 story Domenic!
I truly recognize every bit of your story on the D-50 and the time when it came. We would hog the music store daily after school so we could jam on it. I have had several D-50's and I still miss them all the time. A magical thing happened where I'd had a D-550 for about a year and made patches on it that I hadn't saved. Fast forward 30 years and I pop in a D-50 editor in an old Atari and whopps. There were my sounds again. The next owner had saved them to disk, unreal! This was so crazy because I had that D-550 in Gnesta Sweden disconnected from the outside world with internet yet to come around. It all happened on floppy disks that users traded and kept stored.
I, too, was becoming a teenager in early 80s and DX7, D50, and M1 were the star synthesizers of 80s indeed! 'DX7' written on the back of 'sythesizer' looked so cool and attractive! Now fast forward 1 or 2 decades, I was at an indoor concert and the keyboardist was filling the venue with the soundscape that I never experienced... grainy? gassy? bubbly? organic? I felt like I was immersed in musical Ether. Then when I looked up, there was a D-50 in action on the stage!The keyboardist was playing a D-50, not a Motif or Triton underneath it. My first thought was 'OMG? I know this one... D-50, from 1987, isnt it quite old by now?' Fast forward more years, I ended up buying a D-50 from a musician who played for Shelia E. Wow! That is my D-50 story. Thanks for the wonderful video Johnny!
Thanks for sharing Young Choe. Great story about your D-50 experience. Yes - the D-50 is still pretty unique sounding and I think has a place in the modern studio.
Gosh I remember hearing a D50 for the first time in 1987 as a 15 year old when I was doing a course in synthesis and the teacher purchased one of the first ones to come into Australia. I was blown away by the pads and strings, not to mention the huge pipe organ and that infamous digital native dance patch, amongst others. Saying that, I was even more blown away a year later when I first played a Korg M1 and nearly went to synthesiser heaven after playing its infamous Universe, piano, organ, guitar, sax and drums programs. The Yamaha DX7, Roland D50 and Korg M1 really define the synth sounds of the late 80s. Great video and keep up the great work!
Thanks - I had a similar experience with the D-50 - it had a sound unlike anything I'd heard before.
Very nice Video... I, like you, will always be proud to have a D-50 in my studio...
THE milestone synthesizer! ❤️
ahhh keyboard magazine ..love the vinyl in the middle of the page
I bought a D-50 used in 1991, and it still runs great. Personally, I always found it easy to program - I found and bought a PG-1000 in the late '90s and maybe used it twice. Still have it, but don't need it.
you should give it to me 😌
Interesting - yes - I really got into programming the D-50 in 1990 without the programmer. It's actually not too difficult but a lot of menu diving.
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams I have the Juno and JX programmer. I can’t find the D50 programmer though
Subbed. The D-50 is what started me down this path when I first encountered it (also as a teen) upon its introduction. Inscrutable to program, yet delicious-sounding... the workhorse in my garage band days playing cover tunes 😄
I had that same experience, seeing the D50 set up at a music shop in '87 and hearing Native Dance! I was 12 at the time and had a CZ-101, which I understood fairly well, but this was, as you say, complex and mysterious. I remember loving the look of it as well, and the sinking feeling that I'd never be able to afford it. I picked one up a few years ago, in mint condition, and it sparks joy every time I see it. Love the video!
Being a teenager in the 80's, I loved going to the music store on weekends to see all the synthesizers. What a time! Thanks for the story.
Hope you still have the CZ-101. It is truly special, and probably worth more today than a D50, which curiously is one of the very few products that does not have Roland-TAX in the second hand market.
@@lovemadeinjapan Yes, I still have the CZ and would never sell it! I gave it an OLED display upgrade too. As a kid, I rigged a flashlight so I could use it in low light :D (note regarding OLED upgrade: I recommend installing a separate 5V regulator for it, to mitigate noise on the output)
Reminding me of my formative years, the icing on the cake would be the re-release of the XP - 60 and 80. Those were the best sounds to date.
Wonderful vid - that was a very moving story. Thank you.
Thanks Ash
great, great piece I can totally relate to, the D50 was a big part of my sound back then too. Well done!
Thanks Randy!
I still use my D-50. It looks cool and sounds cool.
Superb documentary
My D-50 is dead. I need a new battery. 😔
I also own a D-70.
Love the channel and information about my favorite Digital Keyboard 🎹 Synthesizer the Roland D-50. 🤗
Subscribed ☑️
Thanks for your vids love them
Thanks Brian
STill have my original D550 it cost me over2300 and at 18% interest back in the day but man still sounds as amazing. sitting next to big Brother MKS80 with brand spanking new programmer. my sysnths look as new as the day I bought them.
Nice - I know the D-50 was pricey back int he day, but worth it!. That's a great setup.
"...the one synthesizer I'll never be without". I could not have said it better myself 🙂 I love my D50, purchased off eBay from a studio in Birmingham (UK) five years ago for less than £200. Two keys failed to sound when I got it (and it was filthy!) but some soldering over a broken PCB track fixed one and cleaning the contact points fixed the other. I used a while back to re-create most of the tracks from JMJ's Revolutions album, an example of what the D50 could do in the right hands and I will never, ever, sell it. Thanks for video, Johnny.
Thanks for sharing John. I had a similar problem with a few broken traces on the keybed pcb as well. Was pretty easy to troubleshoot, but I think it was a common problem. Very cool on the JMJ recreation! All the best.
The D50/D550 was something very special. It still is.
Another great video, Johnny. Such a wonderful mood your score provides. Just recently got a D-550 and this makes me even more excited than I already was about exploring its capabilities.
I love the D-550 - Load on the Voltage Drift Patch set by Carl Johnson - it's amazing.
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams I will check it out! I also got the Patch Base sysex editor for it, which is great.
I totally remember every add from Keyboard Magazine and other in the video haha! And oh man ... I bought a D50 again in the form of Roland D05 Boutique a few years when they started to dry up but before the prize went ballistic. The only important question, is the sound and experience there as my old D50. YES! It's a new box with the old sound and it's USB and fast, although the jacks and plugs on top is totally brain dead. Other than that it's SO MUCH FUN TO PLAY AGAIN!!! You did a great job with this video as well!
I own a D-50; alaways sounds incredible 😊
I have a D05, in essence is almost the same, I love this synthesizer.
Many memories there - I had an M1/D50 setup for about 15 years and remember using that polysynth patch for Van Halen's 'Jump'. Good times.
I had the D 50 and loved it and like you I waited eagerly after the next issue of Keyboard every month - Ha Ha - Now youtube gives us a much better view of Synths cause we can actually hear how they sound.
2 thumbs up. great video :)
Bought my first D50 in 1991 in mint condition for $600. I traveled playing in a church choir and got the Valhalla Screamin B3 card which sounded great at the time
Iconic synth.
Such a well done video!! Enjoyed every moment of it plus this unforgettable vibe of the late 80s..
Thanks Marcin
I was keen on getting a D50 :) but when they introduced the D-05! I went for that!!! Small. Easy to transport and loaded with everything D50
Totally agree - its a great option. Much more usable in a modern studio for sure. I wish they had of put some of the PG1000 sliders on it similar to the new JD-08
I bought my Roland S-550 this January! Now I am considering the D-550 to go with my S-550 and PC-200. :D I'm having the time of my life with the Roland S-550. It's so gritty and grainy beyond what I thought all this time. :) Groovie!
I love the S-550. I put a scsi2sd in it partitioned to 4 different drives. The factory libraries are great so it makes it super useful and everything from it just sits in the mix so well.
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams First things first your music in the SSX and SSX Tricky games are Groovie!
I got a PS/2 to MSX mouse adapter hooked to a 90s Compaq mouse I remember from when I was a kid. With an oddly matching 1987 CCTV monitor and it works like a charm, I even contacted Llama Music for a Utility Disk and he explained to me:, "Jacob you know your S-550 V1.13 disk already has the Utility Disk in it?" He was so nice to still make me one which I keep for back-up. 😃😄
I love running my sampler through the Randall combo amp I have too. Allows that punchy edge to squawk about the room when I press a key. It just feels like 1990s nostalgia I never experienced before. :D Groovie Groovie Groovie! 😄🐼🎨📼
Thank You for your videos and even the SSX music you help create too. I might sample your SSX work sometime and run it through TurboSynth (what Nine Inch Nails used back then) and it's cool beans. :)
Have a Groovie Day, Sample About & Stay Groovie! :D
I even love formatting the floppy disks, it takes 79 seconds to format a floppy. And most of the time on the S-550 usually is 71 seconds. Very fast for an old timer too.
@@ArtisticAutisticandAiling I loved Turbosynth - yes - super 90's NIN sound sure. Ok great to meet you and let's keep in touch.
What a great video! Tks for sharing it with us.
Thanks NostalKeys
Great video, your D50 is in mint condition! Nice!!
Well, that was well put together!!
nice mate that an instrument touched you so much.
I fully restored mine a year ago, there isn’t a mark on it. The only thing all D50 owners will agree, is that the aftertouch will fail to the point of virtually having to stand on the keys to get a response. Luckily this is a fairly easy fix. You need to separate the aftertouch strip that consists of a semi conductive rubber and a copper one, the copper oxidises overtime causing the lack of response. But clean the two strips ( Brasso for the copper & acetone for the rubber) and it will work better than new. I’ve done this to five D50 with success.
Thanks for that info Sonic - I should try this. My D-50 and JX-10 have badly oxidized aftertouch strips. I've had a look at them, but not attempted anything yet
D50 it's my favorite.
Love that D-50!!!!!!!!
I also have a Alpha Juno 2, with the PG300. both great synths.
Still one of my all-time fave keyboards. Give me a D50 over an M1 ANY day.
I used to program it via a patch editor on the Atari, which have the ability to "morph" patches together, which gave some surprising and very usable results.
I went on using it for many years with a number of big names, and it always sounded fresh, (just so long as you avoided the well-known patches!)
Just one point, the D550 has a noticeably slower MIDI interface than the keyboard, so be aware of that.
Great info tryptychUK - I did not know that about the D-550 - I own one, but I don't run any midi data through it
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams Yeah, I used to have both, and running side by side I discovered there is a noticeable lag on the 550. If you don't run any MIDI on it, how can you play it?
@@TryptychUK Oh- wow - I mean I don't use the midi thru - just the in to play it. Ok I'll check this out today - very interesting.
@@johnnymorgansynthdreams Yes, I meant the MIDI in timing response.
What do you mean by ""you avoided the well-known patches"? What's wrong with the patches?
I never owned the original D-50, but I've got the D-50 card for my V-Synth, and it's a great enhancement!
Good to know - I bet it sounds great!
I've been a subscriber for a while, and enjoy the quality, details and history that you cover in your videos. I also appreciate the technical details. I have a small RUclips channel myself, with a few videos on synth/keyboard restorations, so this stuff is right up my alley. I grew up in the 80s, so these flagship synths were out of my reach at the time, but I was lucky enough to inherit a D-50 several years ago. Thanks for another great video.
Thanks Jeremy - I just checked out your channel. Very funky stuff - great recent video on the PolyBrute!
Oh thanks a lot Johnny, appreciate it!!
If the Jupiter 8 is Roland's king, the D50 is the queen no doubt.
People were basically giving away Moogs and Oberheims to fund their D50 purchase 😂 I had a Jupiter 6 and D50 as my main rig in the late 80’s. In 1991 West LA music was selling the PG1000’s for $50
Yamaha has a sound called Sweet Haven which is the exact same as Sticoto Haven on the D50
Fantasia & Soundtrack
Great work love the channel! D50 is my favorite synth:)
Had one of these D50s and an AtarST running Notator DAW (which eventually was Garageband)