Roland D-550 (D-50 module) Linear Synthesizer

[TrainmasterCurt]

If you go to Gametop dot com, and download the Diamond Lines game full version PC, I swear they used the Roland D-50 or D-550 for the sounds and music, check it out!

[BabyEvil1]

If these patches are available, i'm getting one . Do you share them?

[tie32101]

Anyone know the patch names at 0:05, 1:45, 2:34 & 4:25?

[tie32101]

Do you remember the names of these patches?

[cjbonecollecter]

Nice synth!have the d50 myself and love it!(really 80's retro digital sound). Has a really dreamy bell like sound great for anything from pads and ambient drones to DX7 and PPG style leads (drum sounds can be synthesised from scratch individualy, but no kits avalable!) would never sell mine! (:

[CoolColJ24]

U-ziq and maybe Aphex twin uses this a lot, those pads they use are so D50 :)

[vegunited06]

does the d-550 sound better than the U220?

[subversyv]

Nothing against your video .. but this synth sucked back in the day .. and it sucks even harder now .. I'm pretty sure this synth appeared on a bunch of "straight to VHS" videos.

[raymangold22]

@subversyv Are you serious? Any synth can potentially "suck" if it is not used properly. This little guy has a unique atmospheric sound. Roland usually always has good stuff :)

[subversyv]

@raymangold22 Well I guess .. used verrrrrrrrrrry sparingly .. it might be OK ... but it's definitely not the heart of what most aficionados call "synth sound." I mean check out retrosound72's JX-8P demo .. it blows the D50 away. I can only speculate on what Roland was thinking when they spewed out the D50/550. It was pretty dull, yah know

[raymangold22]

@subversyv Well if you want to start doing comparisons like that, I can say my Juno-60 blows both of them away.

But the D-550/50 has a unique sound, is what I'm getting after. It doesn't suck: but I'm not sure why you'd use one for an entire piece of music (it's good for atmospheres, not necessarily leads).

[subversyv]

@raymangold22 Whatever .. I'm not going argue with you. If you want to used one for your tracks .. go for it.

[raymangold22]

@subversyv I don't actually own one: but it would be cool for something dreamy. If I can get one for cheap, I'd totally go for it.

[subversyv]

@raymangold22 Well for this sort of thing, I'd either choose a more modern PCM Rompler or perhaps the JD-800. With the JD, you get a bunch of sliders for ease of programming. Cheers

[SpacehotelMusic]

@subversyv I've had both 8P and D-50 and D-50 is better in many ways. 8P is so close to digital you may as well go digital.

[loverickbass]

Are these all stock sounds?

[Merchantior]

der synth erinnert mich immer an 80er jahre filmsoundtracks :D

hab zaus noch den sampler aus der serie stehn, roland hat damals echt geile low-budget instrumente hergestellt :)

[shmeldrick]

what is the patch at 2:55 ?

[culturaleyes]

Hey did didn't know you did a D50/D550 demo. This is neat. Do you like this or the Korg M1 better?

[retrosound72]

@culturaleyes

I like the D50/D-550 more.

[TrainmasterCurt]

@retrosound72 The D-50/D-550 is way better than the Yamaha DX7 II and Korg M1 combined! Has the coolest sounds since the Pro-One came out in 81

[TrainmasterCurt]

@retrosound72 Me too, it produces ethereal otherworldly sounds!

[SpacehotelMusic]

@culturaleyes D-50 all the way!!! come on get serious :)

[FukDaMinutemen]

i cant wait for my 550 and proteus2k to arrive-old school slap

[frankmueller77]

The D-50 could still be buyed quite some time. It's actual decessor has been the D-70 which though was completely different, more a U-70. At least till this which should be around 91 you could buy D-50..

[Captain2Pig]

what do the drums sound like; i had the poor man's version (CM32 or something like that, away back in 1988) and you couldn't isolate the reverb on the drums and they sounded to washed out; i always wanted to know what the extra money would have got?

[frankmueller77]

@Captain2Pig The D-50/550 didn't have any drums. That wasn't it's purpose. It's a real digital synthesizer (actually one of the very few which is not entirely based on samples and not FM) to create new kinds of sounds. The CM-32 was more a version of a D-10 or even 5, those were again cheaper models of the D-Series plus Workstation features. D-50 didnt even want to be a workstation.

[x11i509]

Is it very difficult to program without the programmer?

[retrosound72]

@x11i509

easy to program with software programmer

[x11i509]

@retrosound72

Thanks, I bought one after I saw this video, it hasn't arrived yet. I was worried I might have to buy the programmer too. I'm glad I don't need it. that's more money for another synth.

[retrosound72]

@x11i509

cool!

[AdamasMst]

@retrosound72 What editor do you use? Sound Quest maybe? If not which one and where can I find it?

[jdb83xl]

lovely !!

[TH3ZAN3]

I feel like the Grateful Dead used this a bunch when creating "space".

[Thompsongs]

@TH3ZAN3  I think those guys are plenty spacey already....

[starbug6]

I've used the SysexD50 app with a budget midi usb cable, It takes me a few goes to get it to work, I get communication error at first then try a few more times and it works. Sometimes selecting factory presets in SysexD50 and then loading a new bank helps too.

[vegunited06]

is this 2unit or 3unit rack?

[retrosound72]

2 unit

[blackknight2545]

Ich besitze auch einen D-50 und einen D-550.

Möchte gerne neue Sounds in das Gerät D-550 laden.

Mit MIDI-OX oder ähnlichen Programmen.

Aber keiner weiss wie es geht oder kann/will einem helfen?!

[sauermusicDE]

In den letzten Jahren wurde (wohl aus Profit-Gier) seitens der größeren Hersteller viel zu sehr Wert auf glasklaren Klang (langweiliges Sample-Rom in 24 bit Qualität usw.) und General Midi-Kompatibilität gelegt. Kreativitätsfaktor gleich null. Die wenigen Lichtblicke wie z.B. Yamaha Tenori-On, Korg microSampler oder DSI Mopho bilden leider die Ausnahme. Wann wachen die Hersteller endlich auf?

[retrosound72]

Da bin ich ganz deiner Meinung. Die Industrie hat gänzlich verschlafen. Ein Ende des Tunnels sehe ich auch noch nicht.

[jota1995devil]

beautiful, very very nice, I had no idea the D50/550 was the machine where all these sounds came from. Just one question: are all or some of these patches standard presets or available on memory cards? or have these been programmed by you?

[johnspecker]

Most, if not all, are available on the internet to download for free. You can then load into D50/D550 via MIDI. I have a D50, too!

With a PC software called SysexD50 you can browse through patch/bank files on your PC, select a patch and automatically transfer it into current D50 patch memory, without doing a MIDI dump, this way emulating an infinite storage capacity.

[TrainmasterCurt]

They should use this in current music, may'be smooth jazz?

[RubixVanwalkman]

The D-550 and the JD-990 are the two Roland modules that any synth collector/player must have in their setup.

[inocandide]

Hallo, du konntest mir schon einmal helfen. Vielleicht jetzt wieder? Mir gefallen die Klänge vom D550 auch gut. Habe einen JD 800. Die Sounds klingen für meine Ohren z.T. ähnlich. Gibts Ähnlichkeiten zwischen beiden Synthies oder ist der D550 ein ganz andere Kiste? Ich danke dir schon mal für die Antwort. Grüße Ino

[retrosound72]

Also gemeinsam haben die beiden Synths, dass sie ziemlich eigenständig klingen.

Der D550 klingt rauher, rauschiger und längst nicht so hifimäßig wie der JD. Der JD ist ein Rompler und der D50 erzeugt seine Klänge mit digitalen Oszillatoren und kurzen Attack Samples.

Deshalb ist der Klangcharakter ein anderer aber nicht weniger interessant. Check doch mal mein letztes D50 Review auf Amazona Punkt DE

[phonix76]

Since yesterday i'm a happy new owner af a 'mint condition' D-550. :)

[retrosound72]

cool!

[ms20user]

Yeah,i have my D-550 about 24 years ago in my rack.

for me the 550 have one of the best digital filters ever,

it breathes so nice when it closed:)

and the two waveforms/pulse and saw are very organic

keep it on :)

greetz

[chrispoacher]

I love my D-550, just wish it sounded as nice as this though, great programming.

[HELLENIGMA]

Michael Cretu of Enigma used it a lot

[65MDornbusch]

Hi

Der Roland D-50 war der erste Synth mit Kinnlade runter Effekt :-) einfach geil

5***** für dich

Gruß

Michael

[retrosound72]

Danke.

Ging mir auch so. Ein wirklich toller Synth!

Zwischenzeitlich hatte ich den mal verkauft und dann schwer vermißt. Dann wieder gekauft und jetzt hat er seinen festen Platz.

[Twilight1964]

this is the rack module i am looking for as well... Marko how many presets does it have and can you customise them to make your own sounds?

[retrosound72]

64 ram memory for your own sounds

[MadCobraProductions]

I just bought one. it will arrive next week. I will let you know if you want how it sounds.

[kolossaeis]

80's equipment was ahead from their time,this is a brilliant linear synthesizer with great selection of sounds,digital screen TRUE MAGIC my friend from 1 9 8 7.............

[sanshuz]

The sound at 1.50 is majestic

[tonato17]

Does the new Keyboars/workstations has sounds as good as the D550, DX7, Korg M1? i mean... if you want to achieve that kind of sounds, is it necesary to have those sinths or with one of the new workstatios (such as Motif, Roland Fantom, etc) you can have those sounds....or a sound module?

[retrosound72]

the sound of the D50, M1 and DX7 is unique and not similar to the new keyboards.

[skyway22]

Yes, I think also;-)

[deejee1971]

If you buy a Roland v-synth XT it should have the VC-1 board installed wich emulate the D50.

And by the examples i listend too it does a very good job.

But this one will cost you a lot of money!

[pmgodfrey]

- @ tonato17 -

You can do pretty much anything with virtual synths on PC's now a days - but nothing beats OWNING the hardware.

[maccagrabme]

pmgodfrey: I'd take a virtual version of a synth anyday of the week. Its a lot less hassle not having to patch it in, take up space or use electric and of course cheaper and reliable. I'd only do that if the sound was accurate like the Korg Legacy and FM7. Just waiting for Roland to do the same for the D50/JD800/JP8000/D70/JV1080 and their analog range and that would be music heaven! Doubt they will get off their lazy arses and deliver though so an analog remake in hardware will do.

[RubixVanwalkman]

I have a D-550 and a M1R and found I don't need a DX7.  With these two you have it all...really!

[TheSynthZone]

@RubixVanwalkman I agree mostly, the DX 7 still has some different twists but they tend to difficult to "liberate" from the machine....

[azz666]

I think I've heard the Tine Wave preset in Leftfield's Storm 3000.

[dradhjr]

I am looking for a D550 to buy

[SpacehotelMusic]

I've got a D-50 (Keyboard version) - my favourite digital synth ever!

[TunnelAllstars]

question is there a software emulation of this synth? what did they use to make syntpop ,analogue or FM style? what's a good synth to start with to make synthpop (i mean hardware)? and for dance/trance?

[tonato17]

QUESTION: The sound of the D-550 is EXACTLY the same as the D-50 Synth?

[retrosound72]

the d550 is a little bit cleaner and has more power in the low frequencies

[agonaces]

It is nothing like a motif. The Yamaha motif, is known for it realism in its palete.

The D550 is a rack mount version of the D50.....it is a synth engine (LA) from the 80's.

The D550/D50 cant do what the Motif can.....but, as retrosound would prolly agree......what the D550/D50 does do is, It is one of the best Digital, glassy, newage, pad, machines ever built!

The motif is a jack of all trades, the D550/D50 is master of one.

I just won a D550 on Ebay like 2 hours ago

=)

TY for the vids

[krystiano9292]

Is it like yamaha motif rack or beter?

[retrosound72]

for me better :)

[krystiano9292]

Ok ;) and how to connect it with your pc? And, do you need to connect that to the synth? Or connecting that to the pc is enough?

[retrosound72]

midi masterkeyboard --> PC Midi Interface --> D-550

[krystiano9292]

Oh, so I got to connect that on my synth AND the pc?

[retrosound72]

yes

[krystiano9292]

hmmm.... shit lol my synth is casio ctk 800 so it's impossible

[sharkman99]

thanks

and do you know how to turn on the mono mode? i'm using a godin midi guitar with it

[retrosound72]

you can turn in Omni Mode or separate midi channel

[sharkman99]

...and do you know where to get the multitimbral upgrade??

[retrosound72]

google for: musitronics

[sharkman99]

i just got one of these with the controller

i've read the manual but can't figure out how to turn on mono mode--do you know how

[TrainmasterCurt]

Hey, do you know if the band ABC used this Roland D-550 Linear synth in their 1987 track Minneapolis? You seem to know about synth-pop quite a bit, and Minneapolis is a great track

[retrosound72]

I don`t know but a great track.

[retrosound72]

thank you :)

[TrainmasterCurt]

What is this song called? It belongs on the Ambient channel of CBC's Galaxie music channel

[retrosound72]

thank you :)

[retrosound72]

the sound is different

[aldistorted]

what does the roland v synth d 50 emulutor compare to the original ?

[ElasticMinds]

I have one of these! I need to dive much deeper into programming it. Such a powerful machine, none of my patches do it justice.

[TrainmasterCurt]

Out of all the Synths you have, this one sounds like it came down from Heaven!, i can't get enough of it, and i hope that you show more like this. The best sounds ever!

[retrosound72]

thank you :)

the D50/D550 is a great ambient machine

[BenedictRoffMarsh]

Sounds great. A fiend had one that lived in my studio for a while but I could never love it. Never sounded like this for me. Maybe if I had known that Gaz used it so much I would have persevered. BTW I also didn't get into the JX-3P also on loan.

[retrosound72]

Hi!

Yes Gary used the D50 really extensiv. For me one of the best digital synths ever made.

The combination of the crisp 8 bit samples with the synthesis functions is great.

Have a nice evening!

[GNeuman]

Great demo!! I never realised how extensively Gary Numan used this machine. There's loads of Numan's songs I've immediately identified from the presets on this demo..

In fact, I think he's still using one today for live work..........

All the best, Marko!

[5214428]

say if i had a motif would i still need one of these to produce music?

[retrosound72]

the D50 sound is unique!

[Xendgame]

Very Nice! A Synthesizerfan from Germany.

[retrosound72]

Dankeschön :)

[Chumleh]

Dude. This is phenomenal.

[retrosound72]

thanks :)

[soupkitten]

at the start it kind of reminds me of brian eno's song 'slow water' from music for films

[chilleliz]

dude awsome it sounds so pretty

[retrosound72]

thanks :)

[magevers]

Great sound, nice demo!

[retrosound72]

thank you :)

[footinmouthindustrys]

thats sounds so beautiful

[retrosound72]

thanks :)

[nocterbalbulus]

I had a "poor" Roland D-20, and I loved it!

[SynthaholicNH]

My favorite synth!

"OK Chorale" @ 6:22 - I used that patch in my tribute song for my sister.

[retrosound72]

yes, also one of my fav digital synths ever

[Schallschatten]

Genial, Ich liebe seine Streicher... Super Sound!!!! ich kenne ja den D 50...Grüße

[retrosound72]

Danke.

Viele Grüsse zurück!

[GCom67]

BTW..Is the sound @ 5:06 called Staccato Heaven?

[SynthaholicNH]

Yes, 5:06 is Staccato Heaven, which is my favorite synth patch, ever. ;)

There is a programmer, called the PG-1000.

[GCom67]

Absolute great sounding module!

Is there a controller for programming this synth, just like the SuperJ?

Cool demo mate!! 5*

[retrosound72]

thanks :)

PG-1000 is the D-50/D-550 programmer

[TrainmasterCurt]

Sounds like the intro to Foreigner's 1987 song I Don't Wan't To Live Without You

[retrosound72]

Bingo!

The first demo sound is the sound from the beginning of the song "I Don't Wan't To Live Without You"

[BlurredMan030]

can see why numan loves his

[rootbrian]

its awesome, i gotta play something similar with my band this sunday. its gonna be cool.

[CaseMarco]

I have one... love it. I'm getting my hands on a Pg-1000, really useful because the d-550 is quite a pain to program. BTW nice patches retro72!

[DDRpwnerer]

Wow, I would LOVE to get my hands on one of these synths. This sounds a lot like something you'd hear on old TV stations at the start, like the old PBS logo and what-not. :)

[Daaanvh]

Sounds great!

[infesticon]

Oh my god I want one of these. Very nice sounds indeed. And not over used.

[SpringDivers]

Unbelievable beauty! Thanks so much.

Wayne

[retrosound72]

Hi Wayne,

thanks a lot for your comment :)