Bad Gear - Roland U-20 - Vintage Synthwave
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Welcome to Bad Gear, the show about the world's most hated audio tools. Today we are going to talk about the Roland U-20 RS PCM Keyboard. Is this classic 80s ROMpler the ultimate vintage synthwave instrument? - เพลง
![ความรักของยักษ์เขียว (ทศกัณฐ์) - เดี่ยว ไออุ่น [OFFICIAL MUSICVIDEO 4K]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/yCCy-QVHqK8/mqdefault.jpg)
I love how you nail genres like a comedian nails impressions.
Thank you so much!
Some might say that this actually IS comedy.
Once again we're proving the point that it's not always about the gear, it's about how you use it. Great tunes in this video!
Thank you!!!
Word🤘
Absolutely, I was amazed what he managed to squeeze out of this rompler
Si SOS de argentina y estás buscado uno, avísame ;)
I know! I keep coming back and re-watching this one 'cause I love the tunes
The "I am a cop from the future sample wave 4K laserdisc vaporfiction muzak" is no less than magical.
Thank you!!!
Yep, another stone cold winner from the Genre Whisperer™
Respect for never, ever dismissing the "Your last liveset crashed" dialog.
Ain't nobody got time for that!;)
Just love all those "blink-and-you'll-miss-it" memes you put in your vids...
Thank you!!!
laughed my butt off when Simba went flying!
A classic episode! Don’t tell Espen Kraft though.
I think Espen is cool with that!
Didn’t Espen just feature this unit/series last week? 😁
@@Roboprogs yup. I love contradictory opinion content provider wars.
Firstly, U110 cards have two prices. The one is what the seller asks for them, the second is the one a buyer pays. I bought all my sn-u110 cards for less than 20-30 euros including shipping, from sellers who finally understood that no one pays what they are asking for. Which makes them still overprized for the sad amount of waveforms they provide. My Proteus 1 rules over all of them combined. Secondly, I really enjoy my U220 and it is a great module if you like what you get. The converters are soundwise identical to the JV880, with no noise issues at all, and if you turn the FX off the unit's sound is even better. I wouldn't buy a U20. The U220 is cheap, available, usually with no issues. The mere idea of having to refurbish the keyboard to save it from the red glue plague gives me the creeps.
True that!
I blew my U220 budget on a Proteus/1 and have regretted that for decades. There were sounds in the Roland that the Proteus didn't come close to but the money was spent 😭. Hopefully a Bad Gear video will put up the price so I can sell it! 😀
Has anyone developed a way to dump the sn-u110 card memory onto an aftermarket memory interface? I searched and found some custom M-256/M-512 replacements for things like the D-50, but no solution for sidestepping the scarcity of those sn-u110 cards for the U-110/20/220. There is a 3rd party vsti including 13/15 of those cards, although I cannot attest to how faithfully they were captured.
@@brianjams9150 I saw the video of the 3r party. I had some difficulties recognizing my U110. Technically, for a simple rompler without filters, there should be little difference. But I was somewhat disappointed. I rather like to use the original.
Ooooh PROTEUS. Now there's a name I've not heard in a long time... a long time... :)
Florian, you should cover the Proteus. I remember everyone thinking E-Mu was "The bees' knees" BiTD™
I have watched over 20 of your videos in the last 36 hours and I want my life back.
I'm sorry, there is no turning back...
A U220 rack showed up on Facebook near me for $60 cad and I grabbed it thanks to this vid!
Nice find!
Wow the stock sounds of the U 20 are beautiful! I feel like a Michael Bolten power ballad could be composed on that thing in no time.
Agreed! The Michael Bolton of keyboards;)
Michael Bolten!!!😫😫🤘
I Am A Cop From The Future Samplewave 4K LaserDisc Vaporfiction Muzak is perfection 👌
Thanks!
I miss neon and electro marimba in that description but get enough vector and marble for calm my anxiety.
U should start making bad gear stickers, so I can proudly put em on all my roland stuff :)
Currently trying to figure out international shipping;)
This is a good idea! I’d buy a few!
Or just ask Roland for stickers and put them in everything with “at the first look is ticking all the bosses”
@@AudioPilz I'd wait for a boat for these.
Make a nice logo on a T shirt too
It was only a matter of time for the U20 to show and boy am I not disappointed!
This was to be expected;)
@@mrz80 Get one before this episode jacks up their prices lol. I love it too.
@@greatheightsu yep because a bunch of stalker are already swapping there sticker price going up LOL :)
This was my very first "real" synth ever. I was SO proud of it. I probably bought it in 91 and kept it for over a decade. Back then, I was so obsessed with learning how to make the sounds I heard on albums, and I learned as much as I was capable about that keyboard in order to achieve what I did. I know I had the Special FX Rom expansion card and at least one ram card for my own backup. Of course I wanted more synths but was lucky to afford that one at the time. I read Keyboard magazine every month and always wondered what a filter was as I read every other keyboard review, haha. I have very fond memories of the piano sound and many others, and I made splits and layers out the wazoo to try to cover songs in various bands I was in. Thanks so much for the video. I really enjoyed it!
Thanks for watching!!!
The Gojira sample on that Special FX Rom card was quite endearing.
I'm fairly sure the Prodigy strings sound you were looking for is actually the "Strings 3" tone presented at 2:37. Just play G-C-E, G#-C#-F, A#-D#-G and C-F-A stacked chords and you'll instantly hear intro of "Out Of Space". IIRC Liam used to put fat chorus over them. Same keyboard also contains bell sounds used on "G-Force" and "Omen".
Yeah, this was the closest I could get and there is certainly some additional processing going on. +1 on the bell sound!
My first ever (proper) synth! The king of the orchestral stab.. Used the Shakuhachi preset on my first record.
It’s not a proper synth, I wouldn’t let anyone know you used it on your first record if I was you.
My first (synth) was a Roland XP-10, you don’t hear me proclaiming it’s synth status.
@@mastercylinder1939 Don't tell them that you might've used tambourines either, they're just a toy for little babies after all.
LOVE Roland Shakuhachis!!!
@@mastercylinder1939 It was 30 years ago, I was young and didn't know any better. 'Synths' I had previous to that were mini Casios, so yeah, I still consider it my first 'real' synth.
My only keyboard i own & it's still doing it's job since 1988, bit dated sounds but great allrounder. I would even say a classic.
Every dated sound is the future nostalgic sonic gem. You just have to hold onto it long enough.
@@SianaGearz Well some exeptions like my 1st sampler the SK1.
But even that sounds great trough a valhalla shimmer😊
@@XHALE303 The thing with SK1 was that it was kinda junk to begin with, rather than good and then grew dated. But even then, as you say, reverb helps.
@@SianaGearz For those days it was the bomb & the only afforadable sampler for me😊
You know how much fun it was in school calling the teacher names & i drove the neighbours dog to insanity😀
It's all about context, dated tones can always be post processed or left alone. We are stopping electronics land fills by keeping, using and repairing these synth icons. I'm proud of anyone hanging on to old gear that can still be used.. bravo!!!!
I've been using the U-20 since 1992, and used it playing full time on gigis for over a decade and then in my music room for playing / recording since then. The battery hasn't even gone out. I don't understand the "bad gear" part. My Alesis sequencer bit the dust, but worked great for many years with this keyboard. I don't like whatever music is popular now, so I don't care how "up to date" the sounds are.
Fair point!!!
I got my U-20 in 1991, I still have it. It was a part of my live rig and my studio rig for the better part of 25 years. I used it mostly for string ensemble sounds, and piano with vocal sounds, in all cases, I created my own patches for the keyboard. It is also often overlooked that the U-20 had polyphonic aftertouch for its own internal sounds.
Nice!!!
My uncle is my keyboard player he still uses this with several cards paired with a Korg n5ex oh yeaaah🔥🔥
Classic!
Great episode! I own a U220 for 10+ years and it’s my goto “80’s in a box”. Also one of the cheapest rack romplers i could afford at that time. Love to play the strings patch and play some Max Romeo samples on it.
Thanks! That strings go so well with that old reggae stuff
This was a dark period in synth history. I worked at a music store at the time. All customers wanted was realistic piano and sax sounds.
Nice job on the vaporwave video. Your videos don't get enough credit for these "little" bits of video that you probably spend a billion years doing.
Thank you so much! Yeah, there's some elbow grease involved;)
What do you think of the Jupiter 80?
"All customers wanted was realistic piano": but at least with the U-110 / U-220 / U-20 they got it cheaply :)
For a young student this was actually a very bright time in synth history. The local music shop was basically throwing away the "old" analogue gear to make room for the U-20s and JV-80s of the day. As a high school senior I was able to outfit a home studio with a JUNO-6, Chroma Polaris, SH3, SH-1000 & 2000, TR-707, and a bunch of other gear that had come in as trade-ins. I don't think I ever paid more than $200 for any of my first wave of synths.
@@lo-firobotboy7112 Fair. That's how I got my HS-60 (Juno 106) and later an Alpha Juno, and then DW-8000. All cheap.
Buying the Juno 106 also got me a job at the music store I bought it from. Good deal for a 17yo :)
Great video again, and that 4K laserdisc vaportune-thingamabob rocks pretty hard. One of the best synth-channels out there.
Thank you!!!
It was the flute that i loved back in the day
Classic!!!
I had a U-20, I didn't love it like I loved my D-50 but it was the backbone of my little studio back then, awesome to see this review/tribute to it and yes - it plays you!
Thank you!!!
And once again, one my dream synths is on the channel. I think I may have no taste
...or random people on the internet have no taste;)
Your taste is fine. There's value in such clearly nostalgic sound.
I love seeing these videos. It's almost like a budget series since hated audio gear usually sells for cheap so this series is great for inspiration on what low cost gear might be a hidden gem.
Thanks! Some of the prices have become crazy by now (not my fault;)
I really enjoyed this episode and the sound you made!
Thanks!!!
This thing reminds me of my D70. Same bender & sliders, same dying keyboard, very similar sounds (but with a filter). The red-headed step-sibling of the mighty D50 could make for a great Bad Gear episode...
Yeah thing is about the D-70 it was originally going to be the U-70. I have one myself. I have a bit of a soft spot for it.
True, D70 is super interesting for the show. Thanks for the suggestion!!!
If your keyboard "dies", you may want to watch this repair video: th-cam.com/video/3Th9R0t17kw/w-d-xo.html shows in detail how to refurbish almost any Roland Keyboard, the D-50 is used here, but the keybed used is almost the same from all those Roland ones back then.
@@mrz80 If you don't have warranty on it, open it up, and see if it is a similar issue, could be! Dust and particles are synth enthuists like us enemy #1.
The Roland MV-30 is the lovechild of the U-20 and D70 with a sequencer thrown in...
Holy heck that vaporwave track paired with those visuals: a masterpiece!
Thank you!!!
MIDI investigations at 5 AM always pay off for finding hidden gems such as this video.
ALWAYS
Thank you so much!!!
I just love your intros and little inserts, great stuff!
Happy to hear that, thanks!
i just bought a U-220 and it sounds really good! i can't wait to drag an SKB case to a show a do techno with stereo equipment.
Nice!!!
The sounds on the U series are pure cheese for the most part. The horror back then was the unrelenting ubiquity of said cheese.
The Us are one of the very few Roland/Boss instrument series I never laid hands on. My ears would have downed tools.
Dedicated samplers were much easier to edit and had way better libraries for the preset junkies. The cheezromplers were duly hidden in attics and garages, where they were discovered by rose-tinted 21st century nostalgists who needed to authentically experience the pain their grandparents' generation went through.
True story!!!
no fridays without wachting a bad gear episode anymore!!
That's the spirit! Thanks!
Damn this makes me wish I kept some of my older Roland gear now. Those choir and orchestral patches are tight. Great job as always, dude.
Thanks! Yeah, choir and strings are my favs too!
The preset list sounds amazing (in my humble opinion). I did not expect that. The acoustic piano sounded great, if a LITTLE artificial. The strings, bass, and electric guitar are on point though. I was genuinely surprised at how good the internal library sounds
I think the acoustic piano on the U-20 sounds a lot better than many electric piano's sound, that are dedicated electric pianos, plus there is a PCM card with more grand piano patches that sounds great to my ears.
Great episode as usual, with a lovely vaporwave production. How about an episode about the Korg Wavestation SR or the Yamaha TQ5 (great design!)?
Thanks! Great suggestions, I'll take a closer look!
Once again, the greatest show on youtube. Look forward to every one of these
Thank you so much!
5 frames from The Name Of The Rose. That's a satisfyingly deep cut :)
Love is wiser than wisdom;)
"You don't play the U-20, the U-20 plays you."
Should've saved this line for an episode about the Polivoks. ;)
I think it's OK to recycle that joke as it will take some time to get hold of one;)
I remember the 80s .
My greatest hope was for a machine that would let me experiment by adding many guitar effect pedals (or maybe my Tom Scholz Rockman) to mimick a synth like the Odyssey.
This Roland rompler would have had me grinning ear to ear back then . To my ears it sounds amazing. That synthwave jam was off the hook . Kudos on the brilliant video!!😁
Thank you so much!!!
One of the best shows on TH-cam. Loved the episode
Thanks!
Amazing episode as usual! ♥️
I know this has probably been suggested a bunch but I’d really love to see you tackle the OP-1 one of these days!
Thanks!!! Great suggestion!!!
As far as i know, all of the sounds in the song "You" from Ten Sharp came out of a U220. Nice video as always :)
Thanks! Didn't know that!
I'm not old enough to have any nostalgia for this thing - all I can say is that it JAMS! . Not a "classic" synth in the traditional sense, but it nails a hyper specific sound - if you need that low budget late 80's/early nineties sound the U-20 will take you there 👌
Agreed!
Love this! These videos are so entertaining! Also love the Three Amigos reference
Thank you!!!
Awesome job. Sounds pretty decent! Love that outrun inspiration track. Very well done!
Thank you!!!
Love to see you try the Alesis Quadrasynth.
Great idea, thanks!
I have one that’s been in its case for 15 years or more. I do everything with VSTs, samples and beats today, but this great video inspired me to try taking a recent song and re-assigning the midi to the U-20 sound patches - just for fun.
Thanks! Yeah, stuff like this is a lot of fun!
How'd it turn out? I was seriously considering a U-220 rack module until I stumbled across a busted (but eminently fixable, as it turned out) Alesis QS8.1 for fifty bucks. It scratches my ROMpler itch very nicely, and it's got a very capable multi-fx engine built in. I just have to rebuild my desk to make room for the thing 'cause it's monstrous. :D
@@mrz80 a few of the keys are inconsistent. I tried to clean them with compressed air and contact cleaner, but really… the contact strip needs to be replaced.
I always waited for seeing this synth/workstation in one of your videos! Great to see this here! I have a D10, it’s from the same time and I love these time of digital (Roland called them linear) Synthesizers. I really enjoy these products, because they have another sound and another soul then the analog synthesisers. Great use of the U20 sounds in the video!
Thank you!!!
Great show! The jams sound even better through studio monitors. Bad Gear 4 Life!
Thank you!!!
dude you should release an album of just these bad gear tracks, they're legitimately fire
Thank you! Maybe not one but several albums;)
@@AudioPilz (*cue the Frye "Shut up and take my money!" meme*) :)
Suggestion for future episode: Yamaha SU700. Sampling drum machine that basically landed on the market with a thud & I've never heard of anyone beyond TH-camrs using it since. Surely there's reasons why?
Great idea!!!
Yep, and certain Dutch Techno producers (cough Speedy J cough cough) used two Yamaha SU 700’s as turntables as well as a laptop in the early 2000’s (!).
@@sawtooth808 I love me some Speedy J
Yet again I find myself really enjoying the final genre-overload jam. Lovely!
Thank you!!!
Excellent show!!
Thank you!!!
So, despite someone shitting on my first choice of synth, I recall after a bit of a think tonight paying £600 for my second hand U-20 in 1991. Shortly after I paid around £350 ish for a Juno 106. Analogue synths just weren't held in as high regard as they came to be at that moment in time. Digital romplers were 'the future', and samplers were the 'in' tech of the time. Look how that all changed!
It all comes in circles (and it's nothing personal;)
me: "ehhh its ok"
also me, after hearing that slap bass: "oh. OH."
It "slaps"...;)
This is the second time I send thanks for another super honest tongue-in-cheek review!
I was about to sell my U-20 but this video, the sounds and very low sale prices, made me keep it.
Definitely a keeper, thanks for watching!
Please let me know if you decide to sell it. I have one, but wouldn't mind a backup.
Man, you nailed those 80s grafx!!!
Thank you!!!
The last track of each episode is a banger in its own right. 🤩
Are there full length versions of those songs? Spotify, Bandcamp, etc.? 😊
I think if you sign on as a Patreon patron you get access to the whole enchilada.
Thanks! There are full tracks on Patreon (shameless plug;)
@@AudioPilz projects?
Must be time to look at that weird CASIO XW-P1 synthesizer.
Agreed, these are weird! Thanks for the suggestion!
XWP1 sounds like yellowed plastic, but has its place in cheap cover bands playing in shady places . if you get mugged, money loss is kept at a minimum... would be interesting to see it getting the bad gear treatment.
I dug this, as always. Nice job making this ancient, unsophisticated, lo-fi ROMpler sound modern and rad, as you always do. :)
Thank you!!!
That intro tune you always play has already become iconic for me.
Glad to hear that, thanks!
The U-seless 20, so hated even back the that the U-70 had its name changed to D-70 at the last minute!
Yeah, they had to fix it in the marketing;)
"Einen Absturz melden" - my brain when i have to listen to a 80's Rompler
Ctr-Alt-Del
@@AudioPilz Ctrl-Alt-Beer
Thank You! It is in deed a synth which always attracted me. I bought a U-220 for 20€ a few years back and I'm not jet to sell it again. I still like it and am still using it up to this date! Awesome Video!!!
Thanks! Great price!!!
Big up for the OOMPH! reference. Machinery Records immer!
Beste!!!
Rolandlove = “ feels like a great misfortune, a monstrous parasite, a permanent state of emergency that ruins all small pleasures" to fall in love without the fall is not possible? Next week some Casio stuff?
Casiohell
Back in the day I had the choice between one of these and an Ensoniq SQ1+. I chose the Ensoniq :) However I am looking at expanding my already big collection and seeing if I can find one of these.
They're still quite affordable!
Those old Ensoniqs are well-night indestructible. I hate schlepping our SQ-2 around the stage 'cause it weighs more than a minivan. :D
@@mrz80 I m trying to fix an SQ-1, even the plastic version is built like a tank
The way you lace memes into these is impeccable, I did a spit take with that miku DX7 image
Thank you!!!
the verselab ref was a drink-spit moment - great video, thanks!
Thanks!
"timeless 80s design" ~ the oxymoron-est!!
...but you get the idea;)
@@AudioPilz there is nothing more recognizable than a product from the 80s. They have a certain je ne sais quoi. Absolutely timeless.
You know I love 80's synth sounds so this synth gets a pass from me. My favorite bad review you posted on the screen was "the manual was written by the antichrist." I feel like that's true of a lot of 80's gear. Nothing will ever beat the manual to the Casio XW-PD1, though. That's easily the worst manual ever written.
Yeah, the trackformer has the most useless manual of all time!
I look forward to these videos every Friday! Would love to see an episode on the new Elektron Model: Cycles FM Groovebox*
Thanks! Great suggestion!
That lion king meme is a work of art!great stuff as always!
That got me ROFLing as well. Thanks!
At this rate, you'll review Roland's entire 80s and 90s synth lineup.
Actually, I wouldn't mind at all, just give other manufacturers chance
My doctor advised me to take breaks from Roland too;)
Still waiting for my S2000 episode :(
Thanks for you patience;)
Oh I just saw youre also a TDL afficionado. Love their plugins, sound great and are actually not robbing your bank account.
Great stuff. It's all over my productions!
The second to last song with the moog filter was great. Pads and strings always sound cool in techno
Thanks! Agreed!!!
"I'm a cop, from the future. I was sent back in time to color Miku, but I accidentally went too far."
Time travel can be so confusing...
@@AudioPilz Yea, gotta be careful when hacking time.
"The manual was written by the antichrist." lol
If that's who Roland employs no wonder they are the Bad Gear kings.
That said, even if this thing sucks for making your own sounds, I absolutely love all the nostalgic sounds you played today. Great preset keyboard.
Agreed! Those sounds stack well too!
very nice jams on this episode, love the 80s gear
the intro build-up jam with the named presets was very nice
keep up the great work
I have a D-110 but not a U-220 - my only Roland Samplers are 2 types of SP-404 and an S-760
E-mus are my favorite samplers
Thanks! Nice setup!
Waited the whole day for the new bad gear ❤️
Thank Moog it's Friday!!!
why why does Roland still use the small screen on their Gear? it's insulting
I think they still have a few warehouses full of the original screens;)
That makes the Korg Volca drum a real slap in the face , unless you like working with a magnifying glass .
Because they are cheap.
All in all, it didn’t sound that bad and now you’ve probably boosted its value on eBay, doh!
Don't worry, there are so many of them around...
I know right he made me went out there and buy a jdxi when I already had the jdxa same with a Yamaha cs1 I love the carpet sound Bank on the cs1 pure '80s dark movie background synth
takes me to a nice, nostalgic place! dig that digitakt jam- i should probably get one of those...
Thank you!!! The rack version is a solid choice too!
Who cares what others might say about this thing, you made it sound awesome! The demo songs in this video are my favorites from you so far, WOW.
Thank you!!!
can't be as bad as my ex
Shots fired!
EX what? 5 or 7 ?
@@peterpiper0815 He doesn't talk about the Blue Beasts, he talks about his former Hairy Beast.
@@patrikknoerr9777 What kind of freaky name is EX for a cat. Some peeps are crazy. +kopfschüttel+
You recently inspired me to shave my head.
I think I've shaved my sideburns too low.
Great video.
Thanks! Shaving one's head is an art;)
Great demonstration 🥰🎹🙏❤️
You made a very powerfull song.
A nice one.
The funky groove rock it too.
Thank you!!!
Trying to resist being snarky that every bit of old gear sounds great when a modern compliment to its sound does the heavy lifting lol
True that!
Florian , du machst einfach großartige Musik! der letzte Track hat wieder alles gef****😁 Danke für die klasse Folge
Danke sehr!!!
they came in peace! good find!
Thanks!
Had to revisit this classic
😀😀😀
DJ 70 was my first machine and i loved it. I learned and made the demos of my first releases with it.
Classic!
I love quality content for the week on Friday. It's beautiful every week...
Thank you!!!
@@AudioPilz nichts zu danken 😉 ich muss danken, dass du das so gut weiter machst 🙌
your synthwave demo was spot on
Thank you!!!
My favourite keyboard - I have several cards and the U-110 also. I loved this and the samples.
The cards make it much more versatile!!!