I gigged like crazy with the U-220 in 1989-1991. It was very affordable and with a computer MIDI sequencer (e.g. Dr. T) you had a very powerful set up. It made the MT-32 sound like a toy.
@@rachelar the U220 has some great acoustic samples such as the fabulous solo trumpet, ensemble strings and some great choir patches. I also liked the U220 acoustic piano at the time. However it was very limited in terms of sound editing lacking any form of filtering. Once I got my first JV1080 in 1997, there was no need to keep the U220 and I actually ended up selling for more than what I initially paid for it used a couple of years beforehand.
@@bastiaanw3519 It is a lot going on, but 80s pop/synthpop takes a lot of processing and layering to shine. Every single separate track here is worked on with compression, limiting, EQ and effects.
I agree. Speaking of bringing out the best of the U-220 check out Liam Howlett's (The Prodigy) use of it when making tracks like G-Force or Out of Space... he said he was just playing around with the sounds.
Bought a u20 three years ago... instantly found so many 80s and 90s sounds. Many hours of “oh so that’s where they got that sound” haha Now it is in storage while I build a studio room. Thanks for showing this romper... can’t wait to play it again!
I have is a Kawai Spectra from 91 (bought it last year and removed the protective foil on the display lol) it has pretty much all the sounds of the 80s and a lot of what was used in the 90s, and it was cheap. And the key action is a dream, so much better than on my Roland RS-70. (yet another almost unknown gem, the "better Juno", except for the keybed) I am thinking about using it to play the Roland via midi, and put a board over the Roland keybed to have more free space for synths. Options! xD These old instruments are so much fun. And finally afordable to people like me.
And then came JV series. Some of patches sound really nice even today, that's what I like on pro line of synths, in past every new one defined music, as they sounds has been used everywhere, and today their value is because of that specific sounds.
Actually, right after these U-series-"romplers" came the D-70 and it's variants, including the MV-30 workstation. Roland called the sound engine of these synthesizers "RS-PCM" (just like that of the U-models), the main difference being that the later models incorporated filters which were actually a powerful tool (they were multimode filters called TVFs, similar to those found in Roland samplers of that era, and sounded great). Cheers!
The U-20 was my first real “synth” back in 1992. Used it in multitimbral mode and tracked it from my Amiga 500 in Dr-T. I especially liked the piano and string patches. Nice presentation 👍
My first arrangements as a kid were using the U220, I recorded several dozens of them just with this sound module. Fantasia, JP8 Strings, Strings 3, and the Piano still sound good to day in a mix
@@AndersEngerJensen Yes. M1 and D50 were very famous, but the U20 also. I heard that the used the Promars and/or Jupiter 4 for single cycled waveforms as well.
Thanks for the nostalgia. We had one of these (110) back in the electronic music studio at college in spring 89. I remember being blown away at the time.
Vintage Synth Explorer, which was the first website that I ever visited years ago, describes this unit as "nothing special" but I disagree. It got the job done and still sounds lovely! Thanks Mr. Kraft!
Thanks so much for this, so many memories for me of giggling back in the late 80s / early 90s with a U220 MIDI’d up to a Korg DS8 plus a Kauai K1 on the second tier. That set up,keep me rocking in so many bands for a good 6 years. The sounds on the U220 always cut through live and I remember having a lot of comments back in the late 80s on how good, for the time, the piano samples were. Even though I’ve moved on to bigger and better sounding synths I still think of that setup as being one of the most flexible and decent sounding, for the time, I’ve had.
I just got a U-110, very unexpensive - it’s great! I love late 80s rack gear. The strings and choral sounds, amongst others are really good. I’m surprised it gets criticised like it does on some other forums - I reckon I’ll be using it quite a lot.
I purchased a used U-220 for a very cheap price some months ago and was impressed by the many useable sounds. Great for sound layering! Thank you for showing the three fellows :-)
Back then I used the drum performance of the U-220 and put a piano on it. The drum patches/performances have a random parameter, so that you can make the piano sound more vivid (and slightly detuned). Worked really well when mixed with other pianos that sounded dull on their own.
Still have my fully working U-220 that i used for a Decade or more in my Trio (sequenced Drums and Bass using MC500 mk II)and now have sampled the hell out of it...Your Vid has reminded me to get my U-220 back out again....there are some awsome sounds in it Thx. PS: bought back memories of the years i spent working for Roland...i wrote a few demo's for the U-20/220 and MV30, W30, JD800 sounds etc etc...my fave keyboard at the time was my W-30. My live BIG rig was 2 x W30's with scsi board and syquest drives, 2 x S550 (they were replaced by an expanded S-750) 1 x U220 1x RD300, 1 x D-50 and an Aplha Juno 2....all controlled by an MC 500 with a MK 2 kit in it and performance software running into a Roland A-110 and through a Roland M-120....now ALL that gear is replaced with Fantom X7, Fantom XR and Fantom G6...and STILL going through my A110 and M120 :-)...i still have most of that old gear...apart from my W30's....wich unfortunately i had to sell....i still miss them
I had the U-110 with the 'Latin and FX Percussion' and 'Guitar & Keyboards' cards. The latter had the JP8 strings and brass as well as the Fairlight's Arr1 sound (or Roland's version thereof). The former had an orchestra hit. The U-110 opened up so many possibilities for me and it definitely marked a turning point in my music.
That chord function i was completely unaware of😲 I remember putting on the demo song that followed along the U-110 for my music shop customers...jaw dropping moment back then👍
Thank you for another excellent demo and history lesson! I recently purchased my second Roland MV30, an incredible hardware sequencer with sounds in the same family as the U110.
The D70, which was initially going to be called the U50, is also worth mentioning here. It is essentially a 76-key U20 but with advanced (for the time) sound-shaping parameters and amazing MIDI controller functions. It also accepted the U110 cards except for the drum / percussion ones. However, it was pretty much unusable without a manual.
It was a hybrid synthesizer. A bit from U-20, a bit from D-50 and the rest was unique for itself such as better digital filters, Analogue Feel parameter and DLM. I have one.
this makes me nostalgic enough to think about getting my D70 out of the storage room. Its been a while. I imagine the UI will convince me to put it back again.
@@musicaldracula2017 D70 is not a hybrid synthesizer, it does not have the same architecture as the D50. D50 : virtual analog + PCM attack, D70 : Rompler with subtractive synthesis.
@@Zebulon94 Hello. I did not mean its operating system by saying Hybrid. I meant to say that it has some similar aspects with D50. I also have D50. It might somehow be closer to JD800, minus real time sliders. Cheers
@@musicaldracula2017 D70 looks more like a U20 with resonant filters (It was the precursor of JV series). The D50 can generate sound without a PCM which the D70 cannot 😉 I Love my D50 😊
Loved my U20, bought brand new, but it was stolen after a gig, one day I will fine another. Great video as usual, one of my favourite sound was the fuzz guitar!
I also have the complete U-Series in my Studio. Love that almost cheesy and somewhat hi-fi sound of them. The Fanta Bell sound is very popular in the spacesynth genre. A U(2)20 was also used for the creation of MS Windows 95 sounds. And the Haddaway Organ was done with a U20.
Always wondered where that iconic sound came from (Haddaway)! To add, Liam Howlett, of The Prodigy stated that the piano from 'Jericho' came from a U20. Even without filters, apparently they're quite useful.
@@StephanS Yes, a U20. A Roland U20. Not the U-Boat. 'Jericho' from 'The Horns of Jericho', from the sound of the small propellers on the landing struts of the JU-87. . .ties it all together.
I love Roland 80s gear. I don't care that more recent gear sounds more current or anything. The 80s sound texture is exactly what I love about those old synths. With my Roland D50, and a U-220, I can play old hits, and compose some synthwave with the proper sounds and texture. My only mistake was selling that fabulous Juno 106 about 20 years ago.
I got one U-110 in 1993, and a second one in 1996. They were the backbone of my rig until 2017 when I got an RD-2000 stage piano. However I still have both, and use them when recording.
I had a a Roland U-220 in the late 80s and it complemented great to my Roland D-50. Later I replaced the U-220 with a real sampler Ensoniq EPS. But in that time the U-220 sounded great and offered a lot of arranging possibilities.
5:01 (individual outputs) "means nothing for most people but back in the day individual outputs were very important". I love the Direct Output of the Roland U-220. Unfortunately, today in the cheaper price range, each synthesizer has only one stereo output.
Wonderful video where the nostalgia of those sounds is mixed, with a sublime interpretation of the compositions that marked our time (80`s) together with a didactic explanation that borders on perfection. Thanks to musicians who love synthesizers like you, Alex Ball or Marko Retrosound, the new generations will understand why we love the 80s and these musical instruments. Thank you and you do not stop teaching us.
I remember the 80s cause I'm f"@#*king old. No need for a time machine for me. I do like music from this time though! Great video, Espen, I often watch your videos many times, theres a lot packed in each "episode"! Is it just me, but I don't think theres much difference between the sound of the U20, U110 or U220. I'd go for the 1RU units, as you can fit (or should that be cram) more synths in the spare bedroom, ahem, I mean "studio"!
I'd like to learn more about these. A week ago, one of my old guitarists gave me his Roland D-70, which seems to have a lot in common with these, but I believe has added filter/s and a few more features. I hear the D-70 has the same waveforms as the JD-800, but without the real-time controls. It has keybed issues, but works MIDIed to another keyboard. I'll probably trade it as the Roland Cloud synths can provide me these kind of sounds and a lot more I'd think, without storing a bulky keyboard like this. It's pretty big. He bought this new in 1990, and used it in our 80s tribute band between 2008-2013 on a couple songs as we featured duel keyboards on a couple songs. It has a lot in common with the D-50, but I believe includes 16 bit samples instead of 8 bit (correct me if I'm wrong). Features a better grand piano than my M1 did, and some cool D-50 style sounds. Over all, the M1 was a much better synth however. But this does have some classic Roland flavor the M1 didn't.
Yes I think so also they used one. I still have my U-110 in the rack. When I heard You the first time back in 1991 I thought. Well sounds familiar to me. Most likely no "real" instruments in this track!? 😉
Lol! Espen! These instruments where made in 88-90 and they sound like it with the samples but you sure know how to bring the "80s" out of them for sure! I had the U110 with Ethnic card and I liked it. I upgraded to the JV880 with world expansion card.. A marked upgrade for sure. Very nice video!
Not really related to this aw Epson, but I have had a D110 hanging around collecting dust that I did not realize how incredible the pads and strings sound and there are some great bases too. And easy to edit with Patch Bay. But I got this thing for like 80 bucks years ago, and lately have been entertaining buying an MKS to add to my collection for the pads but given I already own this pup, I think I’m going to save some money! Just want to say, I love your videos and I love the D110 all of a sudden.
I couldn't agree more and the sounds still hold up today. The U220/20 were nicer for not having that low bit noise but the U110 got me started and still has a charm. At one point, my live rig had 2xU110, a U220, a D110 and R8m with Alesis Data Disk (remember those?)! The work was actually done on a Commodore Amiga with Music X (Remember that?)! This takes me strolling down a very happy memory lane. Many of the sounds were used on Incognito records I always thought.
Call me a heretic... but while I'm feeding my JV2080 a new SR-JV80 card now and then, the U110/U220/JV880 combo is what I'm using every day. Technically speaking, the JV2080 or my TG500, RM50, and EX5R blow them out of the water into the atmosphere. But they are SO MUCH fun. If you love what they offer, you are in for a treat!
I used to have a U20 and it had delay, ping-pong delay, flanger, and a random pan which sounded cool on piano and vibes or any percussive sound. You could set the arpeggiator to one sound in a patch and that sound would be bouncing around while the other pad type sounds were unaffected. Another trick was to put some bass sounds in a drum set so you wouldn't have to sacrifice a part for the bass.
The sound around 13:50 reminds me of the start up sound on an old Apple Mac? Love this video btw! Maybe one day I buy a Roland U110 to be used for some piano house music! 😊
I don't have a U-110/220, but I do have an SC-880. I like to think I'm using a descendant of the U series with my SC-880. I definitely want to get a couple of U series units at some point.
I actually sold my P5 rev. 3 w/midi to get a 220. I needed “real sounds” to also go with the K3 & M1EX. I later picked up a 110 to leave at our rehearsal space… I have not sold anything since then, only added. I still have the 110 & 220, plus two full sets of library cards! ✌🏻😎🎹🌴🌞
The U-20 definitely has a bit more high end and it's a bit richer when playing the vocal patches. You don't notice a difference nearly as much with the shorter, piano patches. It's almost refreshing not to hear a filter envelope but... I've run older synths through simple pedals like my venerable Digitech Bass Synth Wah and gotten very usable results with subtle or extreme usage.
The U220 along with an MC500 or MC50 sequencer was a very popular music production combo in the early 90s. I myself was interested in the D70 but lost interest after getting completely bamboozled by its archaic GUI! I went for a Korg T3EX instead which I ended up owning for over 25 years.
I use my U-110 all the time, it's a really nice sounding unit in the right context. The cards are weirdly expensive these days though. Guess there'll be a rush on these in the wake of your demo..!
I got my cards for 20-30€ shipping included each. Even that's insane, given that there are only a few waveforms on them, and even fewer are actually cool. I paid 20€ on the grand/clavi card and I got ONE cool clavi sound out of it. Admittedly, my favorite clavi :)
@@patrikknoerr9777 totally, the only one I'm missing is the 08 Synthesizer card, but the last one I saw here sold for about £35 I think. Crazy money. Those sounds come as standard on the 20/220 anyway, it's almost cheaper to buy the synth! Have to say though, I love Rock Drums, there's 80s gold on there.
@@synthnerd4539 I got my synthesizer card for 20€ incl. shipping because I got good karma. You need good karma or a big wallet for this card :) I got the rock drums card with the percussion card in my U220, and they are used as a drum expander. I actually like the power drums very much and prefer them to the iteration on my 2080. It's insane when a cheap crappy rompler sounds better than a production workhorse.
I wanted an easy to carry synth position over my piano. I was used to some good gear eg D50, Juno 60, DW 8000, M1 etc I found by combining two or three tones in layers or splits it became a really great sound machine. I still have two!
I remember a few one man bands using "arranger keyboards " like the Roland E series. Im sure they probably had other rack gear hidden away somewhere though
Of all the synth-related channels on youtube, I think your channel actually inspires me to close my internet browser and make music more than any other. Even if I don't have the specific piece of gear being talked about in the video, I get ideas about how i can maybe better utilize what i already have, instead of instilling a gear lust for whatever the hot new piece of kit is. Theres a "no nonsense" element to your video style and the equipment itself I find very refreshing and highlights both the actual sonic qualities of the equipment and the thoroughness of your knowledge and explanations. Maybe that says a lot about my respect for your music and how much I enjoy it. Or maybe thats because I have a strong affinity for 80s synth sounds (despite being born in '95 ;)). Okay now gonna go fire up my SC-88 and get down with it.
I'm very happy you mention just that. It's my goal that my videos can inspire the watcher even if those watching does not have the particular gear in the video. Workflow, tips or tricks.. I always try to have something in there that goes beyond the gear I'm showing. Very few comment on that so I'm thrilled you mention this. Thanks! :D
I had the U20 and the U220 one thing bad is the quality of the buttons, they are fragile. One thing great, many instruments from the orchestra are convincing for 1988, the piano is just great (bass, medium, treble sections), just add some reverb and here you are. Last point the U20 has a awesome aftertouch, when you were playing electric guitar if you push more the key you get a big vibrato, alas it is not MIDI, can't be recorded in a DAW this way. The U110 I had listened to it before going to the U20 was too noisy a kind of wind into the sounds. The SN Roland sound cards aren't just an addition of others existing presets but really totally new presets, a must have. Thank you for the video.
Madly in love with the U-220, mainly for the fact that the first album I ever owned (Ten Sharp - Under The Water Line) was produced solely with sounds from this synth and sounds still amazing. You never forget your first record, so this synth gives me true nostalgic vibes. Got one on ebay cheap not long ago. It's a bit quirky to program though.
The Proteus 1 is one hell of a rompler. If you can keep the polyphonic demands down, it's very very good, versatile, and got tons of different sounds. Solution: Own them both now :)
@@patrikknoerr9777 I never got along with ROMplers well enough to bother chasing down a U-220. I am experimenting with combining digital synths with Eurorack processing (basically using them as sophisticated oscillators) so I'll be dusting off the Proteus/1 soon.
@@patrikknoerr9777 I own them both too now! I had some success creating my kind of sounds on the Proteus with careful layering and so I bought a U-220 this morning ...for $60! I still greatly prefer the Roland's factory presets but now I have a better understanding of how to create 21st century sounds using ROMplers, I'm getting over my prejudice! 😂
I bought (and still have) the D-20. I was hoping it would be the D-50 with a sequencer so I was disappointed with the sounds at first, but it proved to be a useful and reliable workhorse which still functions today.
Oh yes, that choir sound was amazing! At that point in time, I had a JX8P+PG800, a DW8000 and a TR505. Suddenly, those elusive sampler sounds were within our reach!
I used to have a Roland U-220 back in the '90s...It was my go-to piano sound until I got something better. But you need to make people aware that it has a real bad MIDI lag/delay, especially once you have a few simultaneous tracks going.
5:35 The attack times on the envelopes are noticeably slower on the u110 vs the u20 on every patch you compared (even the piano), which is surprising if the patches are actually identical. It definitely makes the piano definitely sound nicer on the u20 but I prefer the pads on the u110.
I noticed the same thing, but was unsure if it was Espen who hit the keys more gently when repeating the notes with the u110. Could we maybe hear the same demonstration with a U20 and U220 as well?
At the time, Roland should have made a sound module that was like the U-220 except that it had no motherboard sound samples and had 8 PCM card slots to accommodate 8 different PCM cards.
I gigged like crazy with the U-220 in 1989-1991. It was very affordable and with a computer MIDI sequencer (e.g. Dr. T) you had a very powerful set up. It made the MT-32 sound like a toy.
Very true. I had a U220 and sold it after getting a fully expended JV1080 that made the U220 sound like a toy.
What made you stop? Needed a more modern sound?
@@madness8556 ah you answered my question below
@@rachelar the U220 has some great acoustic samples such as the fabulous solo trumpet, ensemble strings and some great choir patches. I also liked the U220 acoustic piano at the time. However it was very limited in terms of sound editing lacking any form of filtering. Once I got my first JV1080 in 1997, there was no need to keep the U220 and I actually ended up selling for more than what I initially paid for it used a couple of years beforehand.
Man, you have an incredible knack for bringing out the best of this old gear!
Thanks my man! I get so inspired by using it. :)
@@EspenKraft as I read from the description, it takes some mixing skills though, to make it all shine :-)
@@bastiaanw3519 It is a lot going on, but 80s pop/synthpop takes a lot of processing and layering to shine. Every single separate track here is worked on with compression, limiting, EQ and effects.
I agree. Speaking of bringing out the best of the U-220 check out Liam Howlett's (The Prodigy) use of it when making tracks like G-Force or Out of Space... he said he was just playing around with the sounds.
Bought a u20 three years ago... instantly found so many 80s and 90s sounds. Many hours of “oh so that’s where they got that sound” haha
Now it is in storage while I build a studio room.
Thanks for showing this romper... can’t wait to play it again!
I have is a Kawai Spectra from 91 (bought it last year and removed the protective foil on the display lol) it has pretty much all the sounds of the 80s and a lot of what was used in the 90s, and it was cheap. And the key action is a dream, so much better than on my Roland RS-70. (yet another almost unknown gem, the "better Juno", except for the keybed)
I am thinking about using it to play the Roland via midi, and put a board over the Roland keybed to have more free space for synths. Options! xD These old instruments are so much fun. And finally afordable to people like me.
Cheers! :D
Honorary mention, Roland also made this as Rhodes 660 and 760. Thanks Espen, my U220 and entire Library of ROM cards just 10x in value. 👍🏻
Happy to help. :P
And then came JV series. Some of patches sound really nice even today, that's what I like on pro line of synths, in past every new one defined music, as they sounds has been used everywhere, and today their value is because of that specific sounds.
Actually, right after these U-series-"romplers" came the D-70 and it's variants, including the MV-30 workstation. Roland called the sound engine of these synthesizers "RS-PCM" (just like that of the U-models), the main difference being that the later models incorporated filters which were actually a powerful tool (they were multimode filters called TVFs, similar to those found in Roland samplers of that era, and sounded great). Cheers!
@@heinzvoll7798 Yep, S+S, when I heard JV-2080 for first time (quite late in 2007), I couldn't believe , that it have only 16MB of compressed rom.
The U-20 was my first real “synth” back in 1992. Used it in multitimbral mode and tracked it from my Amiga 500 in Dr-T. I especially liked the piano and string patches.
Nice presentation 👍
Cheers! :D
Dr.T's KCS is an amazing Sequencer. Still use it on my AMIGA 2000 today ;-)
My first arrangements as a kid were using the U220, I recorded several dozens of them just with this sound module. Fantasia, JP8 Strings, Strings 3, and the Piano still sound good to day in a mix
And now you know where the MOD-scene took many of their samples from back in the day. Especially with that chord feature. ;)
Secrets exposed... :P
@@SarcasticTruth77 Yes. Althought mainly a D50 was used, but the U20 was also used very often
Also with M1, as you can hear Lore/ Universe in quite few mod/ s3m tracks. :-)
Yes, they used M1, D-50 and a bunch of others, but also the U-20 in many MODs. :)
@@AndersEngerJensen Yes. M1 and D50 were very famous, but the U20 also. I heard that the used the Promars and/or Jupiter 4 for single cycled waveforms as well.
I still have my U-220. Just used the drums on a new song. They were exactly what the song needed!
Thanks for the nostalgia. We had one of these (110) back in the electronic music studio at college in spring 89. I remember being blown away at the time.
Cheers!
Vintage Synth Explorer, which was the first website that I ever visited years ago, describes this unit as "nothing special" but I disagree. It got the job done and still sounds lovely! Thanks Mr. Kraft!
Cheers! :D
That U20 looks like it came out of the box wow!!!! Beautiful condition
I use to have a Roland D-70 the big brother of the U-20
U-20 is a soft warm high quality sound, D-70 - sound hard....
I still love using my U220 for Synthwave!
Thanks so much for this, so many memories for me of giggling back in the late 80s / early 90s with a U220 MIDI’d up to a Korg DS8 plus a Kauai K1 on the second tier. That set up,keep me rocking in so many bands for a good 6 years. The sounds on the U220 always cut through live and I remember having a lot of comments back in the late 80s on how good, for the time, the piano samples were. Even though I’ve moved on to bigger and better sounding synths I still think of that setup as being one of the most flexible and decent sounding, for the time, I’ve had.
Cheers! :D
Oh yeah…. I remember touring with these keys! Writing lots of arrangements for them! Loved every minute of it all! Wish I still had those boards!
I have the U220. it is perfect for city pop. i love it
I just got a U-110, very unexpensive - it’s great! I love late 80s rack gear. The strings and choral sounds, amongst others are really good. I’m surprised it gets criticised like it does on some other forums - I reckon I’ll be using it quite a lot.
I still own the U-110. It was state of the art rompler back in the day, 6 individual outputs connected to a Korg KMX-62 keyboard mixer.
I purchased a used U-220 for a very cheap price some months ago and was impressed by the many useable sounds. Great for sound layering! Thank you for showing the three fellows :-)
Cheers! :D
Early Roland PCM sound module before The Roland JV Series in 1992
Back then I used the drum performance of the U-220 and put a piano on it. The drum patches/performances have a random parameter, so that you can make the piano sound more vivid (and slightly detuned). Worked really well when mixed with other pianos that sounded dull on their own.
I wore out 3 U-20s! Loved them. I also used a Yamaha QX-3 sequencer with them at times. A great combination.
The U220 is the best!!! Got to get another one. Plus it's got the classic ARR sound from the Fairlight! Class!
Still have my fully working U-220 that i used for a Decade or more in my Trio (sequenced Drums and Bass using MC500 mk II)and now have sampled the hell out of it...Your Vid has reminded me to get my U-220 back out again....there are some awsome sounds in it Thx. PS: bought back memories of the years i spent working for Roland...i wrote a few demo's for the U-20/220 and MV30, W30, JD800 sounds etc etc...my fave keyboard at the time was my W-30. My live BIG rig was 2 x W30's with scsi board and syquest drives, 2 x S550 (they were replaced by an expanded S-750) 1 x U220 1x RD300, 1 x D-50 and an Aplha Juno 2....all controlled by an MC 500 with a MK 2 kit in it and performance software running into a Roland A-110 and through a Roland M-120....now ALL that gear is replaced with Fantom X7, Fantom XR and Fantom G6...and STILL going through my A110 and M120 :-)...i still have most of that old gear...apart from my W30's....wich unfortunately i had to sell....i still miss them
The W-30 is still pretty awesome. ;-)
I like your Roland u20 keyboard
I had the U-110 with the 'Latin and FX Percussion' and 'Guitar & Keyboards' cards. The latter had the JP8 strings and brass as well as the Fairlight's Arr1 sound (or Roland's version thereof). The former had an orchestra hit. The U-110 opened up so many possibilities for me and it definitely marked a turning point in my music.
I think it was for many. ;-)
That chord function i was completely unaware of😲
I remember putting on the demo song that followed along the U-110 for my music shop customers...jaw dropping moment back then👍
I got my U-20 over a D-50 back in the day because the U-20 had a piano :)
Thank you for another excellent demo and history lesson! I recently purchased my second Roland MV30, an incredible hardware sequencer with sounds in the same family as the U110.
The D70, which was initially going to be called the U50, is also worth mentioning here. It is essentially a 76-key U20 but with advanced (for the time) sound-shaping parameters and amazing MIDI controller functions. It also accepted the U110 cards except for the drum / percussion ones. However, it was pretty much unusable without a manual.
It was a hybrid synthesizer. A bit from U-20, a bit from D-50 and the rest was unique for itself such as better digital filters, Analogue Feel parameter and DLM. I have one.
this makes me nostalgic enough to think about getting my D70 out of the storage room. Its been a while. I imagine the UI will convince me to put it back again.
@@musicaldracula2017 D70 is not a hybrid synthesizer, it does not have the same architecture as the D50. D50 : virtual analog + PCM attack, D70 : Rompler with subtractive synthesis.
@@Zebulon94 Hello. I did not mean its operating system by saying Hybrid. I meant to say that it has some similar aspects with D50. I also have D50. It might somehow be closer to JD800, minus real time sliders. Cheers
@@musicaldracula2017 D70 looks more like a U20 with resonant filters (It was the precursor of JV series). The D50 can generate sound without a PCM which the D70 cannot 😉
I Love my D50 😊
Clearly the best reason to buy a U-220 is being able to listen to "U Might Be The 1" ;)
Still sounds great 30 years later!
Loved my U20, bought brand new, but it was stolen after a gig, one day I will fine another. Great video as usual, one of my favourite sound was the fuzz guitar!
That guitar patch was actually quite useful. Cheers! :D
I also have the complete U-Series in my Studio. Love that almost cheesy and somewhat hi-fi sound of them. The Fanta Bell sound is very popular in the spacesynth genre. A U(2)20 was also used for the creation of MS Windows 95 sounds. And the Haddaway Organ was done with a U20.
Always wondered where that iconic sound came from (Haddaway)! To add, Liam Howlett, of The Prodigy stated that the piano from 'Jericho' came from a U20. Even without filters, apparently they're quite useful.
@@Michael_Smith-Red_No.5 20+ years ago i read in a magazine that the keyboardist stated it was from the Roland U20.
@@StephanS Yes, a U20. A Roland U20. Not the U-Boat. 'Jericho' from 'The Horns of Jericho', from the sound of the small propellers on the landing struts of the JU-87. . .ties it all together.
I love Roland 80s gear. I don't care that more recent gear sounds more current or anything. The 80s sound texture is exactly what I love about those old synths. With my Roland D50, and a U-220, I can play old hits, and compose some synthwave with the proper sounds and texture. My only mistake was selling that fabulous Juno 106 about 20 years ago.
I got one U-110 in 1993, and a second one in 1996. They were the backbone of my rig until 2017 when I got an RD-2000 stage piano. However I still have both, and use them when recording.
I had a a Roland U-220 in the late 80s and it complemented great to my Roland D-50. Later I replaced the U-220 with a real sampler Ensoniq EPS.
But in that time the U-220 sounded great and offered a lot of arranging possibilities.
Thanks for the tour . Great trip down memory lane thanks 😊 again cheers
Cheers! :D
The U-20 was my first keyboard! Loved it!
That's a great demo song bringing out the juice of the U series. Roland should've included it in the factory ROM and expansion cards.
Very nice! I remember the Roland U series. Than coming JV series and XV series. But the Roland U series is my heart. Thanks for this video! 👍🤝
Cheers!
5:01 (individual outputs) "means nothing for most people but back in the day individual outputs were very important".
I love the Direct Output of the Roland U-220. Unfortunately, today in the cheaper price range, each synthesizer has only one stereo output.
It can still be useful. Except for on drum machines and samplers I don't use them anymore.
I have the u220 and I love it so much ! Espen, you music is very cool ! You're a king !
Cheers! :D
Estaba viendo otro video tuyo y justo apareció este nuevo. Genial... Saludos
Gracias! :D
Wonderful video where the nostalgia of those sounds is mixed, with a sublime interpretation of the compositions that marked our time (80`s) together with a didactic explanation that borders on perfection. Thanks to musicians who love synthesizers like you, Alex Ball or Marko Retrosound, the new generations will understand why we love the 80s and these musical instruments. Thank you and you do not stop teaching us.
Many thanks for saying!
I remember the 80s cause I'm f"@#*king old. No need for a time machine for me. I do like music from this time though! Great video, Espen, I often watch your videos many times, theres a lot packed in each "episode"!
Is it just me, but I don't think theres much difference between the sound of the U20, U110 or U220. I'd go for the 1RU units, as you can fit (or should that be cram) more synths in the spare bedroom, ahem, I mean "studio"!
More waveforms in the U-220 than U-110 though. ;-)
I'd like to learn more about these. A week ago, one of my old guitarists gave me his Roland D-70, which seems to have a lot in common with these, but I believe has added filter/s and a few more features. I hear the D-70 has the same waveforms as the JD-800, but without the real-time controls. It has keybed issues, but works MIDIed to another keyboard. I'll probably trade it as the Roland Cloud synths can provide me these kind of sounds and a lot more I'd think, without storing a bulky keyboard like this. It's pretty big.
He bought this new in 1990, and used it in our 80s tribute band between 2008-2013 on a couple songs as we featured duel keyboards on a couple songs.
It has a lot in common with the D-50, but I believe includes 16 bit samples instead of 8 bit (correct me if I'm wrong). Features a better grand piano than my M1 did, and some cool D-50 style sounds. Over all, the M1 was a much better synth however. But this does have some classic Roland flavor the M1 didn't.
D-70 and JD-800 ->>> They have all different - weavforms, and filters, and converters color, and effects
Thank you for the demo Espen it was great, cheers.
Thanks! :D
Amazing machine! , a lot of the sounds are in "Liberty" album from Duran Duran.
the suspiria theme gave me the chills
Nice demo, I still use a old U110 for the double e-piano sound, combined with a NUX rotary a good 60/70s sound!
Thanks!
11:20 Veeeery nice music! A simple but effective way to make use of the arpeggiator. From what I've read Ten Sharp used the U-220 on their hit "You".
That's true, they did as far as I know. Cheers! :D
Yes I think so also they used one. I still have my U-110 in the rack. When I heard You the first time back in 1991 I thought. Well sounds familiar to me. Most likely no "real" instruments in this track!? 😉
I have one in my collection but I lost the weights under the keys. great keyboard, the beginning of decent piano sampling.
U110/D110/U220 here too. these were the first modules i got, love roland gear
Good choice of crap :) Got to love these buggers :)
Cool performance and showcase.
Thanks!
Lol! Espen! These instruments where made in 88-90 and they sound like it with the samples but you sure know how to bring the "80s" out of them for sure! I had the U110 with Ethnic card and I liked it. I upgraded to the JV880 with world expansion card.. A marked upgrade for sure. Very nice video!
Not really related to this aw Epson, but I have had a D110 hanging around collecting dust that I did not realize how incredible the pads and strings sound and there are some great bases too. And easy to edit with Patch Bay. But I got this thing for like 80 bucks years ago, and lately have been entertaining buying an MKS to add to my collection for the pads but given I already own this pup, I think I’m going to save some money! Just want to say, I love your videos and I love the D110 all of a sudden.
Suspiria theme... Nice!
Greetings from Italy
Thanks! Yes, I love the music in Dario Argentos movies.
Had U-110 back then and then I got U-20 borrowed from someone and heard 10:27 distorted guitar sound. I remember the Wow! Cheers! S
Cheers! :D
I couldn't agree more and the sounds still hold up today. The U220/20 were nicer for not having that low bit noise but the U110 got me started and still has a charm. At one point, my live rig had 2xU110, a U220, a D110 and R8m with Alesis Data Disk (remember those?)! The work was actually done on a Commodore Amiga with Music X (Remember that?)! This takes me strolling down a very happy memory lane. Many of the sounds were used on Incognito records I always thought.
Never did own any Amiga, but I know what you speak of. ;-)
@@EspenKraft Was good for sampling and gaming. community. Superb
The hit "You" by Ten Sharp used this piano-sample. I also used one back then - god I hated it ;)
here we go again!!!!
I owned a U -20 and 2 U-220's back in the day:)
back in the 80's I really wanted a u20 or u220, but couldn't afford one. they were really hot then!
I was given away a U220 which thanks God someone else traded it to me for a Casio FZ1, which is 100 times more interesting.
My first synth a D 50... And my first expander....u220.. and of course an atari St
Call me a heretic... but while I'm feeding my JV2080 a new SR-JV80 card now and then, the U110/U220/JV880 combo is what I'm using every day. Technically speaking, the JV2080 or my TG500, RM50, and EX5R blow them out of the water into the atmosphere. But they are SO MUCH fun. If you love what they offer, you are in for a treat!
I used to have a U20 and it had delay, ping-pong delay, flanger, and a random pan which sounded cool on piano and vibes or any percussive sound. You could set the arpeggiator to one sound in a patch and that sound would be bouncing around while the other pad type sounds were unaffected. Another trick was to put some bass sounds in a drum set so you wouldn't have to sacrifice a part for the bass.
Good tips right there. ;-)
The sound around 13:50 reminds me of the start up sound on an old Apple Mac? Love this video btw! Maybe one day I buy a Roland U110 to be used for some piano house music! 😊
Cheers!
I don't have a U-110/220, but I do have an SC-880. I like to think I'm using a descendant of the U series with my SC-880. I definitely want to get a couple of U series units at some point.
Love that bass! Great track!
Thanks!
I actually sold my P5 rev. 3 w/midi to get a 220. I needed “real sounds” to also go with the K3 & M1EX. I later picked up a 110 to leave at our rehearsal space… I have not sold anything since then, only added. I still have the 110 & 220, plus two full sets of library cards!
✌🏻😎🎹🌴🌞
I used a U220 with a Rhodes MK80 for some live playing in the early 90s. Then upgraded it to a Korg 03R/W. Good memories though.
bought both the U-110 and U-220, both are useful romplers :)
2:11 I had to pause the video for a moment as I didn't expect to see Len in an Espen Kraft video.
Also, it was nice to hear a bit of Wishing by A Flock of Seagulls.
I have some figures. ;-)
Pair this with a Roland GP-8 guitar effects processor from the same time period and you have a nice gig anywhere needed
I love the patch title at 9:33. A 'classic hit' eh? Sounds like a love song alright...🤭
The U-20 definitely has a bit more high end and it's a bit richer when playing the vocal patches. You don't notice a difference nearly as much with the shorter, piano patches. It's almost refreshing not to hear a filter envelope but... I've run older synths through simple pedals like my venerable Digitech Bass Synth Wah and gotten very usable results with subtle or extreme usage.
The U220 along with an MC500 or MC50 sequencer was a very popular music production combo in the early 90s. I myself was interested in the D70 but lost interest after getting completely bamboozled by its archaic GUI! I went for a Korg T3EX instead which I ended up owning for over 25 years.
I use my U-110 all the time, it's a really nice sounding unit in the right context. The cards are weirdly expensive these days though. Guess there'll be a rush on these in the wake of your demo..!
I hardly think these or the romplers will increase in value based off this video. ;-) Cheers
I got my cards for 20-30€ shipping included each. Even that's insane, given that there are only a few waveforms on them, and even fewer are actually cool. I paid 20€ on the grand/clavi card and I got ONE cool clavi sound out of it. Admittedly, my favorite clavi :)
@@patrikknoerr9777 totally, the only one I'm missing is the 08 Synthesizer card, but the last one I saw here sold for about £35 I think. Crazy money. Those sounds come as standard on the 20/220 anyway, it's almost cheaper to buy the synth! Have to say though, I love Rock Drums, there's 80s gold on there.
@@synthnerd4539 I got my synthesizer card for 20€ incl. shipping because I got good karma. You need good karma or a big wallet for this card :) I got the rock drums card with the percussion card in my U220, and they are used as a drum expander. I actually like the power drums very much and prefer them to the iteration on my 2080. It's insane when a cheap crappy rompler sounds better than a production workhorse.
I wanted an easy to carry synth position over my piano. I was used to some good gear eg D50, Juno 60, DW 8000, M1 etc I found by combining two or three tones in layers or splits it became a really great sound machine. I still have two!
I remember a few one man bands using "arranger keyboards " like the Roland E series. Im sure they probably had other rack gear hidden away somewhere though
A great demo and review!
Many thanks! :D
I once got a U110 as a package deal with a Kawai K1 never really used it, will try it now!
Try to layer them. Use synth waves from the K1 and the attacks from the U110 and you got a fake LA Synth ;)
@@patrikknoerr9777 nice idea!! (I also have LA synth btw, Roland D70)
Of all the synth-related channels on youtube, I think your channel actually inspires me to close my internet browser and make music more than any other. Even if I don't have the specific piece of gear being talked about in the video, I get ideas about how i can maybe better utilize what i already have, instead of instilling a gear lust for whatever the hot new piece of kit is. Theres a "no nonsense" element to your video style and the equipment itself I find very refreshing and highlights both the actual sonic qualities of the equipment and the thoroughness of your knowledge and explanations. Maybe that says a lot about my respect for your music and how much I enjoy it. Or maybe thats because I have a strong affinity for 80s synth sounds (despite being born in '95 ;)). Okay now gonna go fire up my SC-88 and get down with it.
I'm very happy you mention just that. It's my goal that my videos can inspire the watcher even if those watching does not have the particular gear in the video. Workflow, tips or tricks.. I always try to have something in there that goes beyond the gear I'm showing. Very few comment on that so I'm thrilled you mention this. Thanks! :D
I had the U20 and the U220 one thing bad is the quality of the buttons, they are fragile. One thing great, many instruments from the orchestra are convincing for 1988, the piano is just great (bass, medium, treble sections), just add some reverb and here you are. Last point the U20 has a awesome aftertouch, when you were playing electric guitar if you push more the key you get a big vibrato, alas it is not MIDI, can't be recorded in a DAW this way. The U110 I had listened to it before going to the U20 was too noisy a kind of wind into the sounds. The SN Roland sound cards aren't just an addition of others existing presets but really totally new presets, a must have. Thank you for the video.
Cheers!
Madly in love with the U-220, mainly for the fact that the first album I ever owned (Ten Sharp - Under The Water Line) was produced solely with sounds from this synth and sounds still amazing. You never forget your first record, so this synth gives me true nostalgic vibes. Got one on ebay cheap not long ago. It's a bit quirky to program though.
10:25 sounds a lot like guitar samples used in SNK Neo Geo games, like Geese's stage in Fatal Fury
My big regret - getting a Proteus/1 instead of a U-220. From that I learnt to never compromise because once the money was spent I was stuck.
The Proteus 1 is one hell of a rompler. If you can keep the polyphonic demands down, it's very very good, versatile, and got tons of different sounds. Solution: Own them both now :)
@@patrikknoerr9777 I never got along with ROMplers well enough to bother chasing down a U-220. I am experimenting with combining digital synths with Eurorack processing (basically using them as sophisticated oscillators) so I'll be dusting off the Proteus/1 soon.
@@patrikknoerr9777 I own them both too now! I had some success creating my kind of sounds on the Proteus with careful layering and so I bought a U-220 this morning ...for $60!
I still greatly prefer the Roland's factory presets but now I have a better understanding of how to create 21st century sounds using ROMplers, I'm getting over my prejudice! 😂
I bought (and still have) the D-20. I was hoping it would be the D-50 with a sequencer so I was disappointed with the sounds at first, but it proved to be a useful and reliable workhorse which still functions today.
The D-20 is in my opinion quite different from the U-series, but being from the same era a lot of people were using that as well.
Forgot I had a U-110 till I was packing up the studio for a big move 🙃
I kept my U110 through all the years mainly for its choir and somewhat harsh piano sounds. It has a certain "quality" (or lack thereof...).
Oh yes, that choir sound was amazing! At that point in time, I had a JX8P+PG800, a DW8000 and a TR505. Suddenly, those elusive sampler sounds were within our reach!
Awesome! Some sophisti-pop vibes here. 😎
Cheers! :D
I have the 110. I always thought it strange that the polyphony was 31 voice.
It is also strange that the maximum polyphony of the Roland U-220 is 30.
I used to have a Roland U-220 back in the '90s...It was my go-to piano sound until I got something better. But you need to make people aware that it has a real bad MIDI lag/delay, especially once you have a few simultaneous tracks going.
My U20 was the start of an excessive collection of synths. Sometimes I wish I never bought it. Before that I only had my Yamaha V50.
5:35 The attack times on the envelopes are noticeably slower on the u110 vs the u20 on every patch you compared (even the piano), which is surprising if the patches are actually identical. It definitely makes the piano definitely sound nicer on the u20 but I prefer the pads on the u110.
Wow, I thought I was the only person who noticed this! I keep both in my 'Eighties' studio for those precise purposes.
Could be a midi thing though
I noticed the same thing, but was unsure if it was Espen who hit the keys more gently when repeating the notes with the u110. Could we maybe hear the same demonstration with a U20 and U220 as well?
At the time, Roland should have made a sound module that was like the U-220 except that it had no motherboard sound samples and had 8 PCM card slots to accommodate 8 different PCM cards.
I really like the minimalist look of the U20, but considering the nature of it I’d only get one if it was fully loaded with cards
Lol, there’s another 2 rackmounts I own that I now don’t want to sell 😆 Cheers Espen 👏
Cheers! :D