Hi Jeffrey, if I lived in your neighborhood, I would bring that D-70 back to life for you at no charge as I am a retired 71 year old electronic service technician with time on my hands, I have here in New Zealand restored keyboards which include in my collection the Roland XP-50 and the Korg 01/wfd model among numerous other well known brands, thanks for this episode on You Tube, cheers.
I have a D-70, although it has been boxed for at least 15 years. When playing it before that people would remark about the big soundscape it produced. The sound was really good, and it seemed there was something special about it. Have to get it out some time to play again.
Very entertaining video, thank you! I worked for the local Roland agents in South Africa in the late '80's and up till the mid '90's, and witnessed the release of the D70. I was the 'product specialist' for the keyboard and hi-tech dept so it was my job to get familiar with the gear and to be able to offer backup support. If I recall correctly the D50 was a true 'LA' (Linear Arithmetic) synth, where short samples formed the attack transients of the sounds, and the body of the sound (decay and release) was more traditional digital synthesis. This was the 'magic' of LA. Following the D50, a series of romplers were released. The U110, followed by the U220, which was just a U110 with effects (reverb and delay, I think). There was a 61 note keyboard version called a U20. As you have astutely observed, I would agree that Roland were trading on the "LA Synthesis" popularity, by playing on the idea that the extra synth parameters which could be applied to the ROM samples on the D70, qualified it as 'Super-LA'. I think a better example of 'Super LA' appeared on the JD800 in 1991, but this label was not used on that synth. The JD800 returned to the more chrystaline sparkly sound of the D50. So essentially, the D70 was really just a rompler, as you mentioned, and had the same waveforms as found on the U220 with maybe some extras. I found it very disappointing at the time. It just seemed to lack sparkle and punch. I used to use a Roland MV30 sequencer/sound module that had many of the same waveforms. It was very usable at the time, especially with some EQ and effects. If I recall correctly all these units (D70, U220, U20, MV30) were compatible with the SN-U110 cards, so I am not sure why yours are not working. Anyhow, thanks for great videos. I am thoroughly enjoying your content. Great edutainment!
My Wavestation EX and AD had that annoying high pitch hum noise coming from the LCD screen. I have to upgrade to an LED screen to eliminate that noise 🙂
listening to the description makes me think they took the idea of the D-70, stripped out a bunch of features and slapped them into the Rhodes 760. Same keybed, same 6 sound multi-timbral setup. Less affects a heck of a lot less user patch spaces. My guess is the ribbon cables that curl around either end of the keybed got damaged. Once the carbon contacts under the clear plastic bars that clamp the two carbon contact sets together usually crack and once they are broken it's likely you'll never get them back together. Let me know if you want some help looking for the actual issue.
In September 2014, I purchased a Roland VR-09, a killer organ/piano/synthesizer hybrid the like of which I had been daydreaming for the previous 9 years. I was dumbfounded to hear one of the piano presets, “SA Piano”, which was the equal of a patch that (I didn’t know then) originated in the RD-1000 and MKS-20, “Piano 3”. That was the inaugural “E. Grand” patch. It wasn’t until the turn of 2024 that I finally learned that the “SA” stood for the “Structured-Adaptive” synthesis technique used for generating sound in those 2 models. I was curious if that SA synthesis method was preserved in this model. It seems big enough to host it, but what does that mean? I’ve been obsessing over that sound since it cropped up in the original Yamaha Motif. I didn’t know until recent to 2024 that it was a Roland signature sound, not a Yamaha sound. Being that the QS6 was my first synthesizer, I think I could pick out all of the sounds you played on it against the D 70. However, I’m more inclined to praise your playing than to pick sounds apart from each other. You’re incredible, Jeffrey.
I had a U20 and wished I'd bought a D-70 back in the day but I'm glad I didn't now! It succumbed to the red glue. I had extra sound cards, the Ethnic card was a standout, 3rd party sounds, I would detune the drums for odd effects. No one synth does it all but it had its strengths.
@@JeffreyScottPetro Lol - I know - I've been thinking of getting one, but as you mentioned they almost all need some love and repairs. I actually remember having the D-70 poster back in 1991.
That was a very nice demonstration of the D70 with to me so far (almost) completely unknown Roland- quirks. “Da fliegt mir doch das Blech weg” is not just an amazing song by Spliff, but also means that I almost can't grasp it. My WS EX Graffity limited edition's sticky keyboard is already enough to take but those D70 quirks obviously are rather for someone like you with nerves of steel. Since I've neither personal D70 nor QS experiences, the quiz was only 9 right guesses from 18. Hitherto I just experienced Roland after touch issues like JX10, 8P & @JUNO-2. While with JX its just simple corrosion, with AJ2 it's indeed been that Roland often forgot to stick the sensor into its socket what led to the rumour AJ2 has no key pressure. Mine I indeed had to open & to plug the sensor back BUT corossion was already in progress & to press the keys unnormally heavy just to trigger something ain't my style. 🙄😆
Surprisingly many of the Alesis QS7's synth sounds are similar to both the Roland D70 and also the Roland JV series, the only D-70 sounds that were obvious to me were 12 string guitar and clickleslie and maybe some of the bell type sounds on the D-70 are recognizable to me. I personally like the D-70's PCM sounds which are based on the Roland U series plus a few sounds from the U series PCM cards but I am more than happy with my Roland U-220, beige CM-32L and CM-32P boxes as well as my Roland JV-1080 and I also have many of those drum samples in my Roland R-8 so apart from the D-70's JV-like engine I don't think I'm missing out on much. If you want those same pianos, basses, strings or saxophones... but don't need the JV-like sound engine and aren't bothered about editing sounds then just get either a Roland U-110 or a U-220, the U-220 sounds pretty close to the D-70. I'm pretty sure Roland didn't release a rack version of the D-70 for a reason.
Thanks for doing this! Got 11 right, 7 wrong. I was lead to the D70 by Michael Cretu of Enigma & Mags of A-ha. Mags uses it all over the Albums: East of the Sun West of the Moon & Memorial Beach.
I remember i sold one D70 in the music store where i worked..that was to a friend in 1990. He is still my producer colleague i shall ask him what happened to it.
Perry Bamonte of The Cure (especially 'Wish' era Cure) after stepping in and filing in for Roger O'Donnell after 'Disintegration' often used the D-70 as the lower tiered synth on his synth stack. Often paired with a Roland JX-8P (I believe) on the top.
I enjoyed this video as I didn't know anything about either synth in the test. Red glue! Yikes! Same as JD-800 I guess... When I did the listening test, I judged simply on which one sounded more like a Roland synth (which I know), and I got 12 out of 18 correct. Fun stuff. Keep making these videos.
I have a D-50, and I want a D-20 and a D-70, the 70 is the oddest of the ducks and that’s a lot coming from Roland, and I have no issue getting a cheap faulty one and working on it (I can do electronics), its just its own thing, the JV/XP series is alive and well, the D 50 has its own recreation, and I feel the 70 will never be shown love, that’s why I want one
My friend bought a D70 new in 1990. After quite a few years (maybe 5 years) it developed the red glue problem. To Roland's credit they replaced the keybed under warranty. Also, I understand your feelings for your old hardware - my ESQ1 developed random issues pretty much weekly, but it's my baby and I won't get rid of it.
I have a Korg Taktile which has a key not working. It’s this same issue with a break in the trace. These breaks are almost impossible to see if you’re just looking at the board. You have to test with a meter or in my case I could visually see the break by backlighting the circuit board with a powerful led light right against it. Not sure if the D70 has all copper at the sensor or not. On mine, it’s a copper trace going into a carbon patch. Instead of wires, I’m Going to try conductive paint to fix this microscopic break.
Yeah, it's very sad when this happens. It's an okay keyboard, and there are things I like about it, but so many negatives, and the key issue is the worst. Best of luck fixing the Korg.
This was great.Like you I have had romantic memories of the possibility of what the D70 would have been.I thought it was 2 D50's on a 76 note semi weighted keyboard with additional storage features .More like a studio and stage/concert unit.
Back in the day I had the impression it was quite popular but that was maybe skewed because several people I knew had one. Maybe because it had 76 keys, a good keybed and also a good piano sound for its time. Edit for clarification: I live in Germany.
Interesting... Someone else mentioned that too. I've had my D-70 open a few times to fix it. As you know form the video, it's on the fritz again, so I'll take a look for that the next time I have it open.
@@JeffreyScottPetro I've been intrigued by the D-70 since it's release. The mediocre / bad reviews have kept me away. Thankfully, RUclips allows me to own it vicariously :D
I haven't had much experience with the Z1 interface. I have played the sounds, and for late 1990's modeling, I thought it sounds pretty good. I recall that the EPs and organs were pretty good.
@@JeffreyScottPetro Yeah, the sounds are lovely, especially the more synthy ones. But try to edit the sounds on the hardware is really cumbersome and quite weird. I'm going to try with MOTU Unisyn on a Mac with os9 on if I can find a working copy.
@@peppepop The Z1 sounds remarkable with a Lexicon PCM 80. I think we gotta remember pairings. Since our favorite artists rarely ever tracked synth parts dry. They tracked with a chosen effect or the overall reverb the engineer was using on that song.
Respect to the D-70 but I have been a fan of the D-50. I didn’t want to seek old hardware so I got a D-05 to scratch that itch. I remember hearing horror stories about red adhesive gumming things up.
I've always been intrigued with the D70 but after owning and selling the U20 a couple of times because they were boring in my opinion I dont need to go down the D70 route. On the other hand, I have never seen a D70 for sale were I live and might just by one if they come up for sale. Just for the heck of it! :)
U-220 OS was the same way. Not intuitive at all. About the backlight, AJs did that too (whine). AJ-1s also suffered from fragile keybed circuit board traces. The generation after this was proper. I have a JV-1000 with the Vintage Keys expansion and LOVE it ! (But, it still had red glue. What a mess). Oddly enough, I have no GAS for D-70.
Thanks such a fan of some of the amazing patches unique to this synth but can’t justify ( another😊) big , unreliable old keyboard, I know roland did software version (the closest in hardware is the MV30 but it will only load D70 sounds not full patches) .But it’s rom must be so tiny 😄 it’s shame Roland hasn’t added a D70 mode to their plug in or boutiques ( unlike the D50😢)...ps. Yes it does read some but not all of the U110/220 cards.
I hope they do too, add the D-70 vst emulation. The issue may be the OpAmps. They are special inside the D70. Hard to emulate them, maybe with TAL Sampler in post, we'll see.
My D-70 does not have the sound on the LCD, I changed it for a better one. But is one of the easiest keyboards to put apart. I just learned after fixing FOUR OF THEM so much.
It sounds nothing like the D-50, it sounds close to the JD-990. I have all of them. I think the problem was the 76 keys, too big to carry around. And it can not beat the M1.
Hi Jeffrey, if I lived in your neighborhood, I would bring that D-70 back to life for you at no charge as I am a retired 71 year old electronic service technician with time on my hands, I have here in New Zealand restored keyboards which include in my collection the Roland XP-50 and the Korg 01/wfd model among numerous other well known brands, thanks for this episode on You Tube, cheers.
Thanks, Barry. I appreciate the offer.
What do you think about the KORG 01/w PRO-X?
I have a D-70, although it has been boxed for at least 15 years. When playing it before that people would remark about the big soundscape it produced. The sound was really good, and it seemed there was something special about it. Have to get it out some time to play again.
Thanks for sharing.
Very entertaining video, thank you!
I worked for the local Roland agents in South Africa in the late '80's and up till the mid '90's, and witnessed the release of the D70. I was the 'product specialist' for the keyboard and hi-tech dept so it was my job to get familiar with the gear and to be able to offer backup support.
If I recall correctly the D50 was a true 'LA' (Linear Arithmetic) synth, where short samples formed the attack transients of the sounds, and the body of the sound (decay and release) was more traditional digital synthesis. This was the 'magic' of LA.
Following the D50, a series of romplers were released. The U110, followed by the U220, which was just a U110 with effects (reverb and delay, I think). There was a 61 note keyboard version called a U20.
As you have astutely observed, I would agree that Roland were trading on the "LA Synthesis" popularity, by playing on the idea that the extra synth parameters which could be applied to the ROM samples on the D70, qualified it as 'Super-LA'.
I think a better example of 'Super LA' appeared on the JD800 in 1991, but this label was not used on that synth. The JD800 returned to the more chrystaline sparkly sound of the D50.
So essentially, the D70 was really just a rompler, as you mentioned, and had the same waveforms as found on the U220 with maybe some extras. I found it very disappointing at the time. It just seemed to lack sparkle and punch.
I used to use a Roland MV30 sequencer/sound module that had many of the same waveforms. It was very usable at the time, especially with some EQ and effects. If I recall correctly all these units (D70, U220, U20, MV30) were compatible with the SN-U110 cards, so I am not sure why yours are not working.
Anyhow, thanks for great videos. I am thoroughly enjoying your content.
Great edutainment!
Thanks for sharing.
The first synth I really learned on ... glad you actually have one!
My very first synth along with an Ensoniq EPS sampler.
My Wavestation EX and AD had that annoying high pitch hum noise coming from the LCD screen. I have to upgrade to an LED screen to eliminate that noise 🙂
listening to the description makes me think they took the idea of the D-70, stripped out a bunch of features and slapped them into the Rhodes 760. Same keybed, same 6 sound multi-timbral setup. Less affects a heck of a lot less user patch spaces.
My guess is the ribbon cables that curl around either end of the keybed got damaged. Once the carbon contacts under the clear plastic bars that clamp the two carbon contact sets together usually crack and once they are broken it's likely you'll never get them back together. Let me know if you want some help looking for the actual issue.
I've read the D-70 was supposed to be called U-70. Apparently, U50 is even present on some circuit boards.
In September 2014, I purchased a Roland VR-09, a killer organ/piano/synthesizer hybrid the like of which I had been daydreaming for the previous 9 years. I was dumbfounded to hear one of the piano presets, “SA Piano”, which was the equal of a patch that (I didn’t know then) originated in the RD-1000 and MKS-20, “Piano 3”. That was the inaugural “E. Grand” patch. It wasn’t until the turn of 2024 that I finally learned that the “SA” stood for the “Structured-Adaptive” synthesis technique used for generating sound in those 2 models. I was curious if that SA synthesis method was preserved in this model. It seems big enough to host it, but what does that mean?
I’ve been obsessing over that sound since it cropped up in the original Yamaha Motif. I didn’t know until recent to 2024 that it was a Roland signature sound, not a Yamaha sound.
Being that the QS6 was my first synthesizer, I think I could pick out all of the sounds you played on it against the D 70. However, I’m more inclined to praise your playing than to pick sounds apart from each other. You’re incredible, Jeffrey.
I had a U20 and wished I'd bought a D-70 back in the day but I'm glad I didn't now! It succumbed to the red glue. I had extra sound cards, the Ethnic card was a standout, 3rd party sounds, I would detune the drums for odd effects. No one synth does it all but it had its strengths.
Thanks for sharing.
Spot on review of the D-70. Roland's biggest albatross
Indeed, and I own that albatross! Thanks for the comment, Johnny.
@@JeffreyScottPetro Lol - I know - I've been thinking of getting one, but as you mentioned they almost all need some love and repairs. I actually remember having the D-70 poster back in 1991.
That was a very nice demonstration of the D70 with to me so far (almost) completely unknown Roland- quirks. “Da fliegt mir doch das Blech weg” is not just an amazing song by Spliff, but also means that I almost can't grasp it. My WS EX Graffity limited edition's sticky keyboard is already enough to take but those D70 quirks obviously are rather for someone like you with nerves of steel. Since I've neither personal D70 nor QS experiences, the quiz was only 9 right guesses from 18. Hitherto I just experienced Roland after touch issues like JX10, 8P & @JUNO-2. While with JX its just simple corrosion, with AJ2 it's indeed been that Roland often forgot to stick the sensor into its socket what led to the rumour AJ2 has no key pressure. Mine I indeed had to open & to plug the sensor back BUT corossion was already in progress & to press the keys unnormally heavy just to trigger something ain't my style. 🙄😆
Surprisingly many of the Alesis QS7's synth sounds are similar to both the Roland D70 and also the Roland JV series,
the only D-70 sounds that were obvious to me were 12 string guitar and clickleslie and maybe some of the bell type
sounds on the D-70 are recognizable to me. I personally like the D-70's PCM sounds which are based on the Roland
U series plus a few sounds from the U series PCM cards but I am more than happy with my Roland U-220, beige
CM-32L and CM-32P boxes as well as my Roland JV-1080 and I also have many of those drum samples in my Roland
R-8 so apart from the D-70's JV-like engine I don't think I'm missing out on much. If you want those same pianos,
basses, strings or saxophones... but don't need the JV-like sound engine and aren't bothered about editing sounds
then just get either a Roland U-110 or a U-220, the U-220 sounds pretty close to the D-70. I'm pretty sure Roland
didn't release a rack version of the D-70 for a reason.
Thanks for doing this! Got 11 right, 7 wrong. I was lead to the D70 by Michael Cretu of Enigma & Mags of A-ha. Mags uses it all over the Albums: East of the Sun West of the Moon & Memorial Beach.
Fun fact: the lead sound from Liquido's 'Narcotic' comes from a Roland D-70.
I remember i sold one D70 in the music store where i worked..that was to a friend in 1990.
He is still my producer colleague i shall ask him what happened to it.
Perry Bamonte of The Cure (especially 'Wish' era Cure) after stepping in and filing in for Roger O'Donnell after 'Disintegration' often used the D-70 as the lower tiered synth on his synth stack. Often paired with a Roland JX-8P (I believe) on the top.
Didn't know that. Appreciate the comment.
I enjoyed this video as I didn't know anything about either synth in the test. Red glue! Yikes! Same as JD-800 I guess... When I did the listening test, I judged simply on which one sounded more like a Roland synth (which I know), and I got 12 out of 18 correct. Fun stuff. Keep making these videos.
12 out of 18 is pretty good. Thanks for the comment.
I have a D-50, and I want a D-20 and a D-70, the 70 is the oddest of the ducks and that’s a lot coming from Roland, and I have no issue getting a cheap faulty one and working on it (I can do electronics), its just its own thing, the JV/XP series is alive and well, the D 50 has its own recreation, and I feel the 70 will never be shown love, that’s why I want one
Agreed. Sometimes the curiosities get no love until they are collector items. Thanks for the comment.
My friend bought a D70 new in 1990. After quite a few years (maybe 5 years) it developed the red glue problem. To Roland's credit they replaced the keybed under warranty. Also, I understand your feelings for your old hardware - my ESQ1 developed random issues pretty much weekly, but it's my baby and I won't get rid of it.
Thanks for the comment.
I have a Korg Taktile which has a key not working. It’s this same issue with a break in the trace. These breaks are almost impossible to see if you’re just looking at the board. You have to test with a meter or in my case I could visually see the break by backlighting the circuit board with a powerful led light right against it.
Not sure if the D70 has all copper at the sensor or not. On mine, it’s a copper trace going into a carbon patch. Instead of wires, I’m
Going to try conductive paint to fix this microscopic break.
Yeah, it's very sad when this happens. It's an okay keyboard, and there are things I like about it, but so many negatives, and the key issue is the worst. Best of luck fixing the Korg.
Very interesting. I was unaware of this particular model.
Lucky you. It's been a world of frustration for many. Appreciate the comment.
Not only the LFOs slow down, but also the envelopes. That was really annoying back then. But I still liked that synth.
Indeed. I can live with just about all those things, but the key issues drive me nuts. Thanks for the comment.
i got one in many pieces in my closet, maybe its time to put it back together, the key goop sux though!
Good luck with that. If you get it working, I'd like to hear back from you.
This was great.Like you I have had romantic memories of the possibility of what the D70 would have been.I thought it was 2 D50's on a 76 note semi weighted keyboard with additional storage features .More like a studio and stage/concert unit.
Indeed. Two D-50's with a 76-note keyboard, kinda like the DX5 version of the DX7, that would have been a killer synth.
Back in the day I had the impression it was quite popular but that was maybe skewed because several people I knew had one. Maybe because it had 76 keys, a good keybed and also a good piano sound for its time.
Edit for clarification: I live in Germany.
Thanks for the comment.
I've heard that the main PCB has "U-50" silk-screened on it. So Roland must have re-branded to coat-tail after the D-50.
Interesting... Someone else mentioned that too. I've had my D-70 open a few times to fix it. As you know form the video, it's on the fritz again, so I'll take a look for that the next time I have it open.
@@JeffreyScottPetro I've been intrigued by the D-70 since it's release. The mediocre / bad reviews have kept me away. Thankfully, RUclips allows me to own it vicariously :D
Would be nice to hear your thoughts on the Z1. Talk about convoluted interface 😂
I haven't had much experience with the Z1 interface. I have played the sounds, and for late 1990's modeling, I thought it sounds pretty good. I recall that the EPs and organs were pretty good.
@@JeffreyScottPetro Yeah, the sounds are lovely, especially the more synthy ones. But try to edit the sounds on the hardware is really cumbersome and quite weird. I'm going to try with MOTU Unisyn on a Mac with os9 on if I can find a working copy.
@@peppepop The Z1 sounds remarkable with a Lexicon PCM 80. I think we gotta remember pairings. Since our favorite artists rarely ever tracked synth parts dry. They tracked with a chosen effect or the overall reverb the engineer was using on that song.
@@Ambientnauts I have a roland srv 330 somewhere, will look for it and see :)
@@peppepop Very cool. Oh man I love the sound of that one! Rich plate and so many other nice settings there.
Respect to the D-70 but I have been a fan of the D-50. I didn’t want to seek old hardware so I got a D-05 to scratch that itch.
I remember hearing horror stories about red adhesive gumming things up.
Red glue issue is not limited to the D-70 but affects also at least the JD-800 and probably other Roland gear from this time.
Why was the test between D-70 and QS 7? They are almost a decade apart, not that close really..
I've always been intrigued with the D70 but after owning and selling the U20 a couple of times because they were boring in my opinion I dont need to go down the D70 route. On the other hand, I have never seen a D70 for sale were I live and might just by one if they come up for sale. Just for the heck of it! :)
Good luck with the D-70 and thanks for the comment.
U-220 OS was the same way. Not intuitive at all. About the backlight, AJs did that too (whine). AJ-1s also suffered from fragile keybed circuit board traces. The generation after this was proper. I have a JV-1000 with the Vintage Keys expansion and LOVE it ! (But, it still had red glue. What a mess). Oddly enough, I have no GAS for D-70.
Appreciate the comment.
Thanks such a fan of some of the amazing patches unique to this synth but can’t justify ( another😊) big , unreliable old keyboard, I know roland did software version (the closest in hardware is the MV30 but it will only load D70 sounds not full patches) .But it’s rom must be so tiny 😄 it’s shame Roland hasn’t added a D70 mode to their plug in or boutiques ( unlike the D50😢)...ps. Yes it does read some but not all of the U110/220 cards.
I hope they do too, add the D-70 vst emulation. The issue may be the OpAmps. They are special inside the D70. Hard to emulate them, maybe with TAL Sampler in post, we'll see.
My D-70 does not have the sound on the LCD, I changed it for a better one. But is one of the easiest keyboards to put apart. I just learned after fixing FOUR OF THEM so much.
The problem with the CPU happens again with the Roland JV-90, is a nightmare, is supposed to be a JV-80 but the JV-80 didn't have that problem.
It sounds nothing like the D-50, it sounds close to the JD-990. I have all of them. I think the problem was the 76 keys, too big to carry around. And it can not beat the M1.
Have not torn apart my D-70 yet, but I suspect the Op amps are the same in the JD-800 / JD 990 line. Such a dark harmonic richness there.