Roland D-50 | King of synthesizers

For all PRACTICAL purposes the D-50 is the first VA synth.
It can sound very artificial analog in a way that cannot be replicated by any other synths, including its own clones like the Boutique D-05, Roland Cloud, V-synth D-50 card add-on or the VST version.
Only the original D-50/550 can sound like this.

I sell many of the patches you hear in this video. Contact me directly if you're interested.

[MrKoi]

I purchased my D50 when it first came out in 1987. I still have it to this day, it has never been on the road for anything and is in showroom condition. It's a fantastic piece of the 80's.

[madness]

I remember the first time I played the D50 in 1987 and was blown away by the factory presets. The George Michael Faith pipe organ and Enya pizzicato patches blew me away. However I was even more blown away a year later in 1988 when I played the Korg M1 for the first time! Oh my goodness, I thought that I was going to melt when playing the Universe program and hearing pianos, saxes, guitars and drums that actually sounded realistic. The D50, M1 and DX7 were the staples of 80s and 90s music.

[BooXdk]

Nothing sounds like a D-50... I never forget when I, in 1988 at age 14, played my older friends D-50 for the first time and always dreamed of owning one.
Now 33 years later I finally managed to get one in close to mint condition AND ! a PG-1000 - how lucky can one be ? 🙂
Only viewers of this channel will fully understand 😉

[HongroeBand]

One fun fact about the D-50 is that the bulk of the instruments in the Amiga 500 Soundtracker were based upon D-50 sounds. So around the late 80s/early 90s, the demoscene was crowded with tracker music using monophonic 8 bit versions of famous D-50 presets, becoming cliches in their own right.

Pizzagogo became "Pizza" and Shamus Theme became "Shamus", both of which were way overused in the demo scene music at the time, at least until musicians got their own samplers and made sure to make their own sounds from their own synths. :)

[themedicinesmusic]

One of the best synthesizers ever produced in the late 80's.

[axelfiedel]

Some of the presets in the D-50 are timeless and that's why a love it.

[arydant]

I just set up my old D-50 after many years in storage. Thanks for re-aquainting me with my old freind.

[PerryCodes]

Oh man ... every soundtrack from 80's movies just came rushing back! Love it :)

[rhill]

The D-50 is my “home” keyboard. I played one as my main instrument during the late 80s/early 90s on hundreds of gigs. Solid build and very reliable. It never failed me. Didn’t always use the sounds live(I owned some newer modules) but 1 of my all time favorites.

[deastman]

Actually, it wasn’t the technicians at Roland who came up with the idea for LA synthesis. It was Steve Porcaro of Toto, who was already using that technique by layering attack transient samples with his analog synths. Steve demonstrated his synthesis technique to Roland’s Ikutaro Kakehashi, and the rest is history.

[KRAFTWERKK]

The Roland D50 is the ONLY digital Synth of the 80s digital Synthesizers which i would gladly buy again in addition to my only D50. Difficult to program but my god does it open up SPACE for you when you load the proper presets.There is absolutely no other synthesizer like it which has such a "very-hard-to-narrow-down" sound aesthetic. Hard to put it into words. It's not as dry and glassy as FM synths but also not as cold and harsh as Wavetable synths. It is one of it's kind. A truly emancipated Synthesizer that literally makes you fly, both on a wave of nostalgia but also floating through time and space. No other synthesizer sounds like it. The D50 is eternal.

[CoolDudeClem]

I love that 80's sound, it was part of my childhood. A chilhood that I want back so badly I can't even begin to tell.

[linux]

I've owned many different synths, but when I acquired one of these it was just fantastic, even now its lush sounds and pads are wonderful and expressive.
For me, the D50 is number one even over 35 years later!

[JobimSynthMusic]

D-50 stands on the vortex of that analog to digital definitive transition. In a way, it's the single most essential synth Roland's ever made, if you had to keep only one in your studio. a very "analogue" digital synth and a very inexpensive "digital" analogue synth.

[darwinsaye]

Best demonstration of sound editing I've ever seen for a D50. You make it seem less mysterious.

[whswrs]

Love the D-50. I never had one. Had a JX-8P. Have a Fantom now. Thank you for sharing.

[PutItAway]

The sound of every late 80s /90s corporate training video!

[OfficialStevenCravis]

I love the clarity, depth and ambient qualities of those D-50 sounds!

[JobimSynthMusic]

I'm glad Roland didn't mess up with the boutique version of it. Other than minor annoyances like usb 5V power, a single 1/8" stereo output, the boutique has the same sound, the same menus, navigation and programmability, has a joystick even, plus 8 full user memory areas and all Roland's original expansion cards builtin.

[bobdemreau]

One of the best synth of the history! The sound potential is so incredible ! The D50, the SY77 for the AFM and the JD800= Best digitals synths of the 90’s fof me...