The new boards and modules get in the ballpark for the vintage sounds but don't hold a candle-stick to the original synths from back in the day unless super tweaked in the board or studio. Like we still can't exactly figure or replicate how the ancient world built😮 pyramid's and monuments. 😊. Best to buy the real thing. Most musician connoisseurs like us can hear the warm and fuzzy difference these instruments make. I doubt 95% of New school musicians or audiences would ever know the difference even if tested side by side. 🤔. Anyway, I subscribe to the new tech but you must learn how delve into synth tech programming to get your own signature sound.
Sounds and emotion is why we play and compose. Many times, when I am totally emersed in performing and can just play the emotion without thinking of technique or the notes being played I must fight back the tears, my audience is quiet, and I know there is a very intimate sharing happening for there is absolute silence in-between the notes. Later people tell me they were crying and confirming that connection. Just a solo piano and the shared love between me and them. It is the same piano, the same song, but it is very different this time.
This is a good vid… thanks. Indeed Eric's "Soundtrack" patch is one of the most gorgeous sounds to come from a synth. I attended my 1st NAMM show in Anaheim in Jan '87 with my long-time friend and fellow synth enthusiast who also was working for the local Roland dealer at the time. As a representative of a Roland dealer you're encouraged to attend an event Roland puts on called the Roland Dealer Conference (typically the day or evening before the 1st day of the NAMM Show). Me and my buddy attended the event held (that year) at the Disneyland Hotel where for the 1st time in America, people (other than those who worked on the synth) were being presented the Roland D-50… not only the 1st all-digital synth from Roland, but the 1st synth to have programmable onboard FX other than either a simple delay OR chorus. Eric Persing was the presenter and the 1st patch to be heard was "Fantasia"… we were blown away at the gorgeous sound that would have required MIDI-ing 2 synth together and then applying some outboard reverb on the signals to achieve before this new marvel from Roland. FF to April of '87 and I received the 1st D-50 unit to arrive at the local Roland Dealer… my 2nd poly synth purchase 4 years after my 1st… the JX-3P. While I no longer have my original D-50 or JX-3P, along with the many other synths I do have are the 2-space rackmount equivalents of both in the D-550 and MKS-30. Again, nice vid on a synth architecture that really takes me back too (obviously) ;-)
@@Patrick-pv9pe - I'm familiar with the patch by the same name which appeared 1st on the JX-8P and it's a completely different sound to what came from the patch on the D-50. I've owned an MKS-70 since the early 90s and the soundtrack patch is great, but again very different from what Eric did on the D-50… so much so that I don't think they're in any way interchangeable in a piece of music.
I remember the first time I saw a D-50. The Pet Shop Boys were on a daytime TV show here in the US (I forget which one), and Chris had a rack with an S-50 on the top and a D-50 on the bottom. I knew they had been using an Emulator to write all of their albums years before the D-50 was invented (and the two Rolands probably weren't even plugged in), but at that moment, the mystique of the D-50 was burned into my mind for years to come. I ran to my local music store to find one (which I think was $2750 in 1988 dollars). That was the equivalent of financing an aircraft carrier at the time, so no D-50 for me! I think the first Roland I could afford was a D-70 in the early 90s, which had a variety of D-50 sounds, but it never quite had the sonic purity of the D-50. I will always have fond memories of late 80s Roland synths. After the Korg Karma came out around 2000, I never bought Roland again, and have been a Korg and Ableton man ever since. But you already remember your first love... I think the D-05 actually sounds thicker and more analog than the D-50, though it's probably just equalization. Even so, the Roland Boutiques are truly authentic and wonderful emulations of their preexisting hardware.
Yeah, it's probably due to the old D/A converters in the original, that just add a certain character to the sound. The D05 is still pretty close, but not identical sounding to the D50.
I recall a review noting that the V-Synth addon card that had a D-50 emulation was pretty much identical to the D-50 when the output was put on a scope, including some odd quirks. I would expect whatever code was on the card was effectively replicated for the D-05 so any difference is likely a mix of maybe slight differences in the DAC and the side effects of comparing an old recording and new recording.
I couldn’t resist and found a good deal on a used D-05 last week. It arrived over the weekend and am loving it. Not making the same mistake with the 2 D-50’s I regret selling.
Reasons to choose the original D-50 1)Keyboard with aftertouch 2)More buttons 3)Nostalgia feeling 4)You can find original D-50s on 2nd markets at D-05's prices
Woody, I was choking up listening to the original recording and I think the emotion was conjured up by a combination of things. This included the sound and the chord progression that you were feeling and playing at that moment. It all brings me back to my childhood and teenage years, and there is something emotional about the things that we wish we had or that we were, and how things can come full circle decades later. The music for the show Stranger Things also has a similar effect on me. Thank you for the way you connect us to music and sound through what you do.
I share your 'emotional' attachment to coveted keyboards. But it's not just the synth, it's the voices that emote such feelings from hearing the sound 'we' create with them. My ARP Solus used to emote such sounds, sadly it's stopped....keep up the great videos Woody.
Always appreciate your videos you are a good communicator. Myself, I use Roland’s Cloud for my D50. O K Chorale, Soundtrack, and Afterthought are a few of my favorite patches. Layering the Wavestation “Vox Concrete” with the D50’s “Sountrack” is an interesting sound! I also enjoy you videos on the Wavestation, and the JV-1080!
First presets are the deepest indeed Woody, and memorable indeed. 🤸♀️😅 especially those we were touched by that rhymed with our emotions within. Resonating with one's harmony inside 🐣 Thanks for at least seven years of amazement. ✌🎵😍 🌱
Hej Woody, Got my R-05 because of you, Could only have one good synthesizer, as I run portable studio in caribbean islands, and it was easy to get other presets programmed in to it. got even good values of the dexed vids you made. About the difference D-50 or D-05. Now back from Islands, still valuable synth to go to, speacially with neverending bell sounds to make christmas songs, But, ...The Origin D-50 has a faithfull soul, ...dont mind the tears! ... Thank you!
The d50 is not only an aural experience but a tactile and visual one too. It is a keyboard that screams quality and expense. The d05 is great in that it includes all the patch cards but I still prefer the original.
I own a D-50, D-05 and PG-1000, the D-05 is very good, i have no issue using it as a D-50 in a mix, you won't be able to tell, by all accounts it's a D-50 through and through. HOWEVER, by themselves the OG D-50 is just dirtier, all kind of artifacts and digital dirt, (even on dirty mode the D-05 is not as dirty) a couple of patches that ive tried did sound different (probably an error since they were 3rd party), but thats about it, roland did as good of a job as one can realistically expect with the D-05, the extra waveforms, presets and user allocations are very welcome and a big upgrade to the OG, however the 1/8" output on the boutique is a dissapointment bc it totally messes around gain staging, mostly i think any tonal differences people claim will come from that.
@@WalterGalindo Don't persist. This is ridiculous. You don't know what you are talking about. Watch and compare their Waveform lists, the original D-50 and the new D-05 both have 100 waveforms. I have a D-05. It does not have any additional waveforms and is 100% compatible with the original D-50. The D-50 VSTi, on the other hand, has a few additional waveforms. All the D-05 patches can be loaded into the original D-50 via SysEx messages and vice versa. But not all of the patches from the D-50 VSTi can be loaded into the D-05 and D-50.
I wasn't busy so I snagged a clip from today and from the original. Couldn't tell when one stopped and the other began. No two Mondays are they same, then of course, our perception changes from daya to day. Beautiful patch. Tomorrow it may make your eyes flood. It sounds like music that suggests events needing resolution.
The main sonic difference I can hear is that the D-50 has a slower harmonic oscillation rate than the D-05 at the mid-register and this could be the reason its sound is soothing, like a deep exhale. It's like the D-50 takes it time to evolve the sound in these harmonics. I can feel the "goosebumps" when you play the D-50 over the D-05 but the D-05 sounds just as great.
For me my first impression was that the old D-50 seems to have some reverb built in to make it sound fuller, but you may be right that the diffence is a slower harmonic oscillation. I noticed also a slight difference in loudness or volume, perhaps caused by different hull-filters (if there are some). There is definately a difference in the sound, the older D50 sounds better to me!
It's mostly up to you. If you're inspired you can make almost anything sound great. Of course good tools can put you in the right mood, but from what I can hear this sounds more than good enough for an alternative to a real D-50, and I've owned two original units.
I like the original D50 and I bought the 05 two years ago, but I sent it back. Last week I bought the Plug In and it's so cool :) Thanks for the Video.
Hey Woody I can't blame you for tearing up while playing the D50. In 1987 I was a not so struggling music student in college but a D50 was just out of my price range at the time. And although I have a Fantom 8 there are some sounds on the D50 that are very unique.
Love my D50, but also wanted a module version; while the D05 did a really good job, and probably close enough for most people, it was not entirely there; perhaps too polished, or too much a "re-envisioned" version of it? In either case, I was lucky, and managed to find a D550 in mint condition for around the same price as a D05.
I have D-05..and I will never sell it. It's amazing with a poly sequencer and a total of 14 banks of patches.✌🏻😅 There is a free software editor with virtual PG 1000..!! And you can download free patches everywhere..😏
I owned both the d50 and d05, compared the sounds through the same audio interface many times and I could not tell the difference. I then sold my d50 as having something newer and taking up less retail space was a win, however I do miss the d50s keybed
To me, the D05 sounds like a freshened up version of the D50. Crisp, and compressed some. Most modern sound engineers adore compression for some reason.
Had a D-50 last century and have a D-05 now. Maybe there are some minor sound differences, but my ears aren‘t what they used to be either. So I enjoy the little box as much as its big brother back in the day. Btw: that ingenious sound designer‘s name is Eric Persing. Pershing was a US general.
the real difference between D-05 and D-50 is not the sound of PCM waveforms, it is the sound of the effects. Some algorithms of reverberation sound very different on D-50 from D-05. I don't know how and why Roland had miss it but this is the main reason why both these synths are close but not the same (especially on some presets).
They both sound great. Woody, if there are any differences, I would say that the D50 patch sounds a lil' bit brighter, and louder than the D-05. However, sonically, inmho, for all intensive purposes, I feel that they sound essentially identical. Thanks for the vid'! 😎
Ever since I started playing Roland I've always loved the SoundTrack patch. It does pose an interesting question: What are some of the best presets ever made?
They both sound pretty close maybe with a slight edge going to the original D-50? It could be the audio on both videos were recorded slightly different? Definitely, my most favorite synth too! I'd buy one in a heartbeat if Roland made a 61 key version again. The keyboard was made in the 80's. I owned two, and traded one. It still has this timeless quality, and build. Sadly, had to part with my D-50 in the early 2000's when I couldn't get replacement parts. I'm glad I'm not the only person that likes keeping things in mint condition! Your restored D-50 is amazing. I'm drooling over here! Lol
yeah, originals becoming hard to maintain i think. correct, different recording techniques, but both digitally captured so I don't think either recording device is adding any magic!
Big kudos to Roland for their circuitry emulation and making a very faithful re-creation of the original magic of the D-50! Unfortunately, the following factors keep it from being a compelling addition to my studio: 1) Overall cheap physical design. I mean, seriously; I get the low-cost option idea, but still… :( 2) Unable to be rack-mounted. 3) Wasted space with those stupid touch-sliders on the left side. Largely useless and definitely less useful than more screen space and additional buttons would have been.
I remember D50 being 2 grands in the early 90s... maaaan that was a LOT of money, it's like 4 grands in today's money. But you kinda see why... cheap emulation is not even close. Instant difference. You can feel how D50 can make you cry. And D-05 can't. I feel ya bro, your hearing didn't let you down, it's true, it's damn true.
@@SPAZZOID100same as ZenCore by Roland, same sounds have different flavour of Fantom and MC101, different DSPs, different number of DSPs etc, will give different results
@@WoodyPianoShack there's something about old hardware... i think it's olden DSP chips etc. (it's like old radio that always have that vintage flavor to it's sound)
They're going to sound similar with those same samples playing back but the original has a subtle grace I dont hear recreated. I think the other comment is on to something with his remark about the slower harmonic oscillation in that upper mid warmth register.
I had the D-05 and like other boutiques it can be fiddly and I found it hard to get sounds from it that weren't crackly through the poor quality connections and power solution. Not sure if it was just my unit though because my boutique JP-08 and JD-08 synths are fine. Anyway I found no real advantage to it over the Roland cloud plugin other than perhaps the tactile feel of the vector joystick so I would recommend trying that before trying to hunt one of these down second hand.
There are only a handful of presets that move tough men to tears: "Digital Native Dance" (D-50), "Ski Jam" (Wavestation), Slap "Bass1" (DX-7), "SARARR" also know as "ARR1" (Fairlight CMI), and the "ORCH5" symphony hit (Fairlight CMI). An argument can also be made for "Loon Garden" (Emulator II).
I recently sold my Roland D50, I do however have the D-05 and the Roland Cloud version. To be honest I prefer the clean sound of the D-05 and cloud version.
The Dtronics brand..has made a controller similar to the boutique dimensions. But It cost around 300€☹️ There is a free software editor with virtual PG 1000 on the web. I have it..✌🏻
The d50 is such a great synth. I've had a lot of synths over the years. a lot. too many... And the only ones I haven't sold off and refuse to sell are the d550 (rackmount d50), dw8000, and alpha juno 2.
The D-05 definitely has that magic, which is why I was racing to buy it. It's kind of a limited but very unique sounding synth. Its sound is very inspiring and nostalogic. But if you used the original D-50, you probably want the same keys, the same design, the same size, the same device. It's like vinyl versus CD. A digitized vinyl recording can be burned onto a CD and it will sound 100% indistinguishable from that vinyl. But there is something special about the size and tactile expressiveness of vinyl and turntable. Sound-wise, the D-05 sounds the same as the D-50. But the appearance and cultural context are different. I love my D-05, I'm addicted to it (and yes, it also has its own special tactile material expressiveness that the VST doesn't have).
I had a D-50 in the 90’s and a D550 in the 2000’s, its a good synth but it depends on how you use it in the mix because it can be hard to fit it in certain genres because it hasn’t aged well. I do have a D-110 which is kinda a poor mans D-50 but I like its sound, it has its charm. All the D series synths are a bit odd but have their charm. The D-70 has nothing in common with the D series, just in name only.
Exactly the same. But there's something that only Plogue does which is a dedicated DAC setting for the synths. All Roland D50s sound the same but the DAC changes from synth to synth
Keff McCulloch used it a lot in the 25th and 26th season soundtrack of Doctor Who in 1988 and 89. It makes some appearances on the early seasons of Baywatch soundtrack
The D-05 has two sound modes. A faithful recreation of old D-50 sound with artifacts similar to an original with quality from 80's technologies or a clean digital sound as modern upgrade. Not much of a difference imho. But i think it does.
@@WoodyPianoShack there's also fact of being caught in the moment. I have programmed my D-05 with other sounds different to the roland palette of sounds and some really take my breath away. The sounds it's capable of and it's excellent emulations of some classic analogue synths etc. this is a great oberhiem alternative as it can faithfully recreate some classic oberhiem sounds.
Dear Woody, I've had the D70 in 1991 or 1992; can't remember. It had amazing sounds and was brilliant for my purposes. Now I wonder if the D70 is comparable with the D50? Have the chance to buy a D70 for small money. (Cheaper than the D05) So why don't use it as expander as the D05 is?
Soundtrack is one of my favourite patches of all time too. I’ve used it on a few of my own tracks. I first heard it on Gary Numan’s song ‘America’ from his 1988 album ‘Metal Rhythm’ which is pretty much 80% D50. Hear it here th-cam.com/video/s7VDb5osDY8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=g-t0Ck-VXAPT87Qx
I love my D-05 and it’s a game changer that SYSEX files of your own patch creations from a D-50, (I also own one), can be loaded into it!! In my humble opinion it is the chords you were using, not so much the sound that promoted your emotional reaction.
Short answer? Yes. And then some. The D05 has all the external card waveforms BUILT IN. Even better, the PG-1000 works better with this than it does on the D50.
It’s a tossup to me if the M1 or the D50 should get the “ most important digital synth of all time” prize. the M1 had great pads etc but was better at “ more like real instrument” sounds. to me the D50 wins to me due to its “ digital synthy pad stuff” they are still incredible and so influential in defining in what a digital synth could do🎉. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit but my v-synth XT is under-utilised as I use it as D50 probably 60-70% of the time.😊
don't overlook the dx7 in your shortlist! each one was most desirable on launch making the others almost obsolete overnight! so much innovation in just a few years
@@WoodyPianoShack Ha i knew i was missing out the dx (but thought comment was already too long). but Id suggest the DX was revolutionary & popular at the time but personally i think its influence beyond the 90s isnt really in the same class. my 2cents anyway..
I doubt a D-50 today sounds exactly like a D-50 did decades ago. As digital as it is, the D-50 still has aged amplifiers and capacitors. A D-05 is going to give the essentials of a D-50 but not be a perfect reproduction for aged electronics and older designed and manufactured components that were made to the lower standards of yesterday. Thus, I would rather not concern myself with its authenticity once it reaches an “effective replacement quality” to my ears. Sometimes good enough is good enough. The D-05 is beyond the threshold of good enough for me. Effectively, a suitable replacement.
Friend Wodypiano, how you enjoyed and felt that D 50 was not the same now. I think you no longer have it and you sold it, I still have mine and I will have it until the end of my days.
Nope, part of the D50 magic is the key bed. The D50 itself is magic. When I control my D50 from another synth is not the same ever. You need to be playing the keyboard.
I think the difference has to do with the synth outputs D/A converters. I am also a happy owner of a Boutique D-05 and also the D-50 VST. The VST sounds very clean, too clean but does the trick in a full track. Another great digital synth from Roland is the JD-800
Jean Michel Jarre used the D50 on 80% of the Revolutions album, wicked sounds that still sound great today!
Be that as it may, the best "presets" in the world were on the album Oxygene. 😉
The new boards and modules get in the ballpark for the vintage sounds but don't hold a candle-stick to the original synths from back in the day unless super tweaked in the board or studio. Like we still can't exactly figure or replicate how the ancient world built😮 pyramid's and monuments. 😊.
Best to buy the real thing. Most musician connoisseurs like us can hear the warm and fuzzy difference these instruments make. I doubt 95% of New school musicians or audiences would ever know the difference even if tested side by side. 🤔. Anyway, I subscribe to the new tech but you must learn how delve into synth tech programming to get your own signature sound.
OMD used it on Sugar Tax.
@@MegaBadgeman Sugar Tax was D50 and M1 preset tour :)
True. I blew me away when I found the actual JMJ sounds online and loaded them in my D550. I always thought he made his own sounds.
🩷🩷D-50🩷🩷
A very special synth.
Sounds and emotion is why we play and compose. Many times, when I am totally emersed in performing and can just play the emotion without thinking of technique or the notes being played I must fight back the tears, my audience is quiet, and I know there is a very intimate sharing happening for there is absolute silence in-between the notes. Later people tell me they were crying and confirming that connection. Just a solo piano and the shared love between me and them. It is the same piano, the same song, but it is very different this time.
The magic was inside of YOU all along. They both sound great to me.
very interesting point, food for thought!
This is a good vid… thanks. Indeed Eric's "Soundtrack" patch is one of the most gorgeous sounds to come from a synth. I attended my 1st NAMM show in Anaheim in Jan '87 with my long-time friend and fellow synth enthusiast who also was working for the local Roland dealer at the time. As a representative of a Roland dealer you're encouraged to attend an event Roland puts on called the Roland Dealer Conference (typically the day or evening before the 1st day of the NAMM Show). Me and my buddy attended the event held (that year) at the Disneyland Hotel where for the 1st time in America, people (other than those who worked on the synth) were being presented the Roland D-50… not only the 1st all-digital synth from Roland, but the 1st synth to have programmable onboard FX other than either a simple delay OR chorus. Eric Persing was the presenter and the 1st patch to be heard was "Fantasia"… we were blown away at the gorgeous sound that would have required MIDI-ing 2 synth together and then applying some outboard reverb on the signals to achieve before this new marvel from Roland.
FF to April of '87 and I received the 1st D-50 unit to arrive at the local Roland Dealer… my 2nd poly synth purchase 4 years after my 1st… the JX-3P. While I no longer have my original D-50 or JX-3P, along with the many other synths I do have are the 2-space rackmount equivalents of both in the D-550 and MKS-30.
Again, nice vid on a synth architecture that really takes me back too (obviously) ;-)
"Soundtrack" sounds way better on a JX8P/JX10/MKS-70 vs. the D-50.
@@Patrick-pv9pe - I'm familiar with the patch by the same name which appeared 1st on the JX-8P and it's a completely different sound to what came from the patch on the D-50. I've owned an MKS-70 since the early 90s and the soundtrack patch is great, but again very different from what Eric did on the D-50… so much so that I don't think they're in any way interchangeable in a piece of music.
I remember the first time I saw a D-50. The Pet Shop Boys were on a daytime TV show here in the US (I forget which one), and Chris had a rack with an S-50 on the top and a D-50 on the bottom. I knew they had been using an Emulator to write all of their albums years before the D-50 was invented (and the two Rolands probably weren't even plugged in), but at that moment, the mystique of the D-50 was burned into my mind for years to come. I ran to my local music store to find one (which I think was $2750 in 1988 dollars). That was the equivalent of financing an aircraft carrier at the time, so no D-50 for me! I think the first Roland I could afford was a D-70 in the early 90s, which had a variety of D-50 sounds, but it never quite had the sonic purity of the D-50.
I will always have fond memories of late 80s Roland synths. After the Korg Karma came out around 2000, I never bought Roland again, and have been a Korg and Ableton man ever since. But you already remember your first love...
I think the D-05 actually sounds thicker and more analog than the D-50, though it's probably just equalization. Even so, the Roland Boutiques are truly authentic and wonderful emulations of their preexisting hardware.
Very close but the original D50 sounds warmer and more organic, which I know sounds odd for a digital synth, but that’s how I hear it
me too
Yeah, it's probably due to the old D/A converters in the original, that just add a certain character to the sound. The D05 is still pretty close, but not identical sounding to the D50.
Agree.
It's the DAC. Roland nailed everything about their current emulation minus the DAC.
I recall a review noting that the V-Synth addon card that had a D-50 emulation was pretty much identical to the D-50 when the output was put on a scope, including some odd quirks. I would expect whatever code was on the card was effectively replicated for the D-05 so any difference is likely a mix of maybe slight differences in the DAC and the side effects of comparing an old recording and new recording.
I couldn’t resist and found a good deal on a used D-05 last week. It arrived over the weekend and am loving it. Not making the same mistake with the 2 D-50’s I regret selling.
I own a Roland D-05 and the Dtronics DT-01 programmer and it is a dream to work with them.
Reasons to choose the original D-50 1)Keyboard with aftertouch 2)More buttons 3)Nostalgia feeling 4)You can find original D-50s on 2nd markets at D-05's prices
Woody, I was choking up listening to the original recording and I think the emotion was conjured up by a combination of things. This included the sound and the chord progression that you were feeling and playing at that moment. It all brings me back to my childhood and teenage years, and there is something emotional about the things that we wish we had or that we were, and how things can come full circle decades later. The music for the show Stranger Things also has a similar effect on me. Thank you for the way you connect us to music and sound through what you do.
I share your 'emotional' attachment to coveted keyboards. But it's not just the synth, it's the voices that emote such feelings from hearing the sound 'we' create with them. My ARP Solus used to emote such sounds, sadly it's stopped....keep up the great videos Woody.
Always appreciate your videos you are a good communicator. Myself, I use Roland’s Cloud for my D50.
O K Chorale, Soundtrack, and Afterthought are a few of my favorite patches.
Layering the Wavestation “Vox Concrete” with the D50’s “Sountrack” is an interesting sound! I also enjoy you videos on the Wavestation, and the JV-1080!
First presets are the deepest indeed Woody, and memorable indeed. 🤸♀️😅 especially those we were touched by that rhymed with our emotions within. Resonating with one's harmony inside 🐣 Thanks for at least seven years of amazement. ✌🎵😍 🌱
Hej Woody, Got my R-05 because of you, Could only have one good synthesizer, as I run portable studio in caribbean islands, and it was easy to get other presets programmed in to it. got even good values of the dexed vids you made. About the difference D-50 or D-05. Now back from Islands, still valuable synth to go to, speacially with neverending bell sounds to make christmas songs, But, ...The Origin D-50 has a faithfull soul, ...dont mind the tears! ... Thank you!
The d50 is not only an aural experience but a tactile and visual one too. It is a keyboard that screams quality and expense. The d05 is great in that it includes all the patch cards but I still prefer the original.
I want the D05 so much!
I own a D-50, D-05 and PG-1000, the D-05 is very good, i have no issue using it as a D-50 in a mix, you won't be able to tell, by all accounts it's a D-50 through and through. HOWEVER, by themselves the OG D-50 is just dirtier, all kind of artifacts and digital dirt, (even on dirty mode the D-05 is not as dirty) a couple of patches that ive tried did sound different (probably an error since they were 3rd party), but thats about it, roland did as good of a job as one can realistically expect with the D-05, the extra waveforms, presets and user allocations are very welcome and a big upgrade to the OG, however the 1/8" output on the boutique is a dissapointment bc it totally messes around gain staging, mostly i think any tonal differences people claim will come from that.
The D-05 has no additional waveforms. It is identical to the original D-50. Additional waveforms are in the VST version.
@@Acrimonious_Snake it has the additional waveforms, it is known
@@WalterGalindo Don't persist. This is ridiculous. You don't know what you are talking about. Watch and compare their Waveform lists, the original D-50 and the new D-05 both have 100 waveforms. I have a D-05. It does not have any additional waveforms and is 100% compatible with the original D-50. The D-50 VSTi, on the other hand, has a few additional waveforms. All the D-05 patches can be loaded into the original D-50 via SysEx messages and vice versa. But not all of the patches from the D-50 VSTi can be loaded into the D-05 and D-50.
I wasn't busy so I snagged a clip from today and from the original. Couldn't tell when one stopped and the other began. No two Mondays are they same, then of course, our perception changes from daya to day. Beautiful patch. Tomorrow it may make your eyes flood. It sounds like music that suggests events needing resolution.
Adrian Scott made most of the great synth patches for the D50. He was every bit responsible - along with Eric Persing.
The main sonic difference I can hear is that the D-50 has a slower harmonic oscillation rate than the D-05 at the mid-register and this could be the reason its sound is soothing, like a deep exhale. It's like the D-50 takes it time to evolve the sound in these harmonics. I can feel the "goosebumps" when you play the D-50 over the D-05 but the D-05 sounds just as great.
For me my first impression was that the old D-50 seems to have some reverb built in to make it sound fuller, but you may be right that the diffence is a slower harmonic oscillation. I noticed also a slight difference in loudness or volume,
perhaps caused by different hull-filters (if there are some).
There is definately a difference in the sound, the older D50 sounds better to me!
Pretty sure it does ! and amazingly I believe the sounds are still relevant today :)
It's mostly up to you. If you're inspired you can make almost anything sound great. Of course good tools can put you in the right mood, but from what I can hear this sounds more than good enough for an alternative to a real D-50, and I've owned two original units.
I like the original D50 and I bought the 05 two years ago, but I sent it back. Last week I bought the Plug In and it's so cool :) Thanks for the Video.
Hey Woody I can't blame you for tearing up while playing the D50. In 1987 I was a not so struggling music student in college but a D50 was just out of my price range at the time. And although I have a Fantom 8 there are some sounds on the D50 that are very unique.
You da man, Woody.
I see why you were brought to tears. Sounds like something i've heard on a Prince song.
Love my D50, but also wanted a module version; while the D05 did a really good job, and probably close enough for most people, it was not entirely there; perhaps too polished, or too much a "re-envisioned" version of it? In either case, I was lucky, and managed to find a D550 in mint condition for around the same price as a D05.
i think you are on to something, and yes the 550 is perhaps the better alternative to the the d06!
D550 does not have the joystick nor the patches from the cards built in.
I have D-05..and I will never sell it.
It's amazing with a poly sequencer and a total of 14 banks of patches.✌🏻😅
There is a free software editor with virtual PG 1000..!!
And you can download free patches everywhere..😏
Good video. I watched it even though I really don’t like the Soundtrack preset. 😊
I owned both the d50 and d05, compared the sounds through the same audio interface many times and I could not tell the difference. I then sold my d50 as having something newer and taking up less retail space was a win, however I do miss the d50s keybed
To me, the D05 sounds like a freshened up version of the D50. Crisp, and compressed some. Most modern sound engineers adore compression for some reason.
Had a D-50 last century and have a D-05 now. Maybe there are some minor sound differences, but my ears aren‘t what they used to be either. So I enjoy the little box as much as its big brother back in the day.
Btw: that ingenious sound designer‘s name is Eric Persing. Pershing was a US general.
the real difference between D-05 and D-50 is not the sound of PCM waveforms, it is the sound of the effects. Some algorithms of reverberation sound very different on D-50 from D-05. I don't know how and why Roland had miss it but this is the main reason why both these synths are close but not the same (especially on some presets).
You are confused with the DAC. That's the only difference i hear.
5:16 That smile says it all.
They both sound great. Woody, if there are any differences, I would say that the D50 patch sounds a lil' bit brighter, and louder than the D-05. However, sonically, inmho, for all intensive purposes, I feel that they sound essentially identical. Thanks for the vid'! 😎
Ever since I started playing Roland I've always loved the SoundTrack patch.
It does pose an interesting question: What are some of the best presets ever made?
They both sound pretty close maybe with a slight edge going to the original D-50? It could be the audio on both videos were recorded slightly different? Definitely, my most favorite synth too! I'd buy one in a heartbeat if Roland made a 61 key version again. The keyboard was made in the 80's. I owned two, and traded one. It still has this timeless quality, and build. Sadly, had to part with my D-50 in the early 2000's when I couldn't get replacement parts. I'm glad I'm not the only person that likes keeping things in mint condition! Your restored D-50 is amazing. I'm drooling over here! Lol
yeah, originals becoming hard to maintain i think. correct, different recording techniques, but both digitally captured so I don't think either recording device is adding any magic!
Big kudos to Roland for their circuitry emulation and making a very faithful re-creation of the original magic of the D-50!
Unfortunately, the following factors keep it from being a compelling addition to my studio:
1) Overall cheap physical design. I mean, seriously; I get the low-cost option idea, but still… :(
2) Unable to be rack-mounted.
3) Wasted space with those stupid touch-sliders on the left side. Largely useless and definitely less useful than more screen space and additional buttons would have been.
Would love a D-05 but they’re stupid expensive and rare already.
Still got my D50 bought when first released. Don’t think I’ve switched it on in over 20 years
That well known string sound at 6:33 is also found on a cheap Yamaha rompler you can buy for £80 👍🏼
I love my D50. I've also got the PG1000 which gives it an extra dimension. My D50 will never leave me... untill death will seperate us😢
I remember D50 being 2 grands in the early 90s... maaaan that was a LOT of money, it's like 4 grands in today's money. But you kinda see why... cheap emulation is not even close. Instant difference. You can feel how D50 can make you cry. And D-05 can't. I feel ya bro, your hearing didn't let you down, it's true, it's damn true.
What on earth are you talking about? The D05 sounds identical and has all the waveforms & patches from the cards BUILT IN.
@@SPAZZOID100same as ZenCore by Roland, same sounds have different flavour of Fantom and MC101, different DSPs, different number of DSPs etc, will give different results
i'm with you, the 05 is just an emulation of the D50, even if it retains the same samples, algorithms and effects are re-created in software.
@@WoodyPianoShack there's something about old hardware... i think it's olden DSP chips etc. (it's like old radio that always have that vintage flavor to it's sound)
😃What Beautiful😃
Very nice video, I would be interested to know how the D-50 in the V Synth XT compares with the original D-50
i made a video about that, i seem to remember :)
They're going to sound similar with those same samples playing back but the original has a subtle grace I dont hear recreated. I think the other comment is on to something with his remark about the slower harmonic oscillation in that upper mid warmth register.
I had the D-05 and like other boutiques it can be fiddly and I found it hard to get sounds from it that weren't crackly through the poor quality connections and power solution. Not sure if it was just my unit though because my boutique JP-08 and JD-08 synths are fine. Anyway I found no real advantage to it over the Roland cloud plugin other than perhaps the tactile feel of the vector joystick so I would recommend trying that before trying to hunt one of these down second hand.
Aint no thing like the real thing.
There are only a handful of presets that move tough men to tears: "Digital Native Dance" (D-50), "Ski Jam" (Wavestation), Slap "Bass1" (DX-7), "SARARR" also know as "ARR1" (Fairlight CMI), and the "ORCH5" symphony hit (Fairlight CMI). An argument can also be made for "Loon Garden" (Emulator II).
I recently sold my Roland D50, I do however have the D-05 and the Roland Cloud version. To be honest I prefer the clean sound of the D-05 and cloud version.
True 👍 D-05 is a wonderful module. If only we had a multitimbral D-05v2 in a full-size PG-1000 controller case, that would be cool!
The cloud version Rocks. I'm in my studio recording Originals currently and have used it on several of my tracks.
The Dtronics brand..has made a controller similar to the boutique dimensions.
But It cost around 300€☹️
There is a free software editor with virtual PG 1000 on the web.
I have it..✌🏻
@@Sandelec-gm2cl Yeah, but imagine having it along with a D-05 as one hardware unit
@@Acrimonious_Snake yes..and I have bought the JD-08 too..😜
It cost less than the SH-01 with only one oscillator.
That's super close I think I have to find an original one now
The d50 is such a great synth. I've had a lot of synths over the years. a lot. too many... And the only ones I haven't sold off and refuse to sell are the d550 (rackmount d50), dw8000, and alpha juno 2.
The D-05 definitely has that magic, which is why I was racing to buy it. It's kind of a limited but very unique sounding synth. Its sound is very inspiring and nostalogic. But if you used the original D-50, you probably want the same keys, the same design, the same size, the same device. It's like vinyl versus CD. A digitized vinyl recording can be burned onto a CD and it will sound 100% indistinguishable from that vinyl. But there is something special about the size and tactile expressiveness of vinyl and turntable. Sound-wise, the D-05 sounds the same as the D-50. But the appearance and cultural context are different. I love my D-05, I'm addicted to it (and yes, it also has its own special tactile material expressiveness that the VST doesn't have).
i remember the original video. Such a great moment you caught there. So what's your verdict of the D-05 then, no magic?
I had a D-50 in the 90’s and a D550 in the 2000’s, its a good synth but it depends on how you use it in the mix because it can be hard to fit it in certain genres because it hasn’t aged well. I do have a D-110 which is kinda a poor mans D-50 but I like its sound, it has its charm. All the D series synths are a bit odd but have their charm. The D-70 has nothing in common with the D series, just in name only.
i used this on an unrealesed track :)
Can't wait to hear your track.
Exactly the same. But there's something that only Plogue does which is a dedicated DAC setting for the synths. All Roland D50s sound the same but the DAC changes from synth to synth
Was the Soundtrack pad ever actually used in a soundtrack?
now that is the question of the year!
Probably Orinoco Flow by Enya
@@ryan-heath not an actual soundtrack though is it. Yes its been used in TV, but after the track was made for an album/single.
Keff McCulloch used it a lot in the 25th and 26th season soundtrack of Doctor Who in 1988 and 89. It makes some appearances on the early seasons of Baywatch soundtrack
@@culttelevision wow thanks!!
And also one of Eric Serra’s favourite I would believe.
Similar but not identical. Had five D50 and the D550. Also a bit different in sound.
The D-05 has two sound modes. A faithful recreation of old D-50 sound with artifacts similar to an original with quality from 80's technologies or a clean digital sound as modern upgrade. Not much of a difference imho. But i think it does.
it does, and i have an old video testing them both. barely noticeable difference and certainly does not add any magic
@@WoodyPianoShack there's also fact of being caught in the moment. I have programmed my D-05 with other sounds different to the roland palette of sounds and some really take my breath away. The sounds it's capable of and it's excellent emulations of some classic analogue synths etc. this is a great oberhiem alternative as it can faithfully recreate some classic oberhiem sounds.
D50 is too good, tried only the VST version haven't even seen any of the hardware. But even the VST impressed me so much
the D-O5 is very good , no rubber problem with the original D50 ..
Sounds very similar. But does it have magic?
Dee-fifty still has that magic ring over Dee-zero-five 🤷♂️
Dear Woody, I've had the D70 in 1991 or 1992; can't remember. It had amazing sounds and was brilliant for my purposes.
Now I wonder if the D70 is comparable with the D50?
Have the chance to buy a D70 for small money. (Cheaper than the D05)
So why don't use it as expander as the D05 is?
Great 😊👍🎹
Sounds to me like the D50 has some harmonic distortion, perhaps a saturation plugin and a touch of high end boost would get them closer
What sound # and name is that?
You can also compare the Roland D50 with its software clone as VST, AU, AAX Plug-in.
d05 and d50 vst are running exact same software emulation afaik
IMHO there is a slight difference in the stereo width and effects on the D-05 compared to the D50, making the D50 sounding more open and "ethereal"
Soundtrack is one of my favourite patches of all time too. I’ve used it on a few of my own tracks. I first heard it on Gary Numan’s song ‘America’ from his 1988 album ‘Metal Rhythm’ which is pretty much 80% D50.
Hear it here
th-cam.com/video/s7VDb5osDY8/w-d-xo.htmlsi=g-t0Ck-VXAPT87Qx
‘Soundtrack’ on the D-20 sounds better in my opinion.
Skip the first 5 minutes to get to the point. You're welcome! :)
I love my D-05 and it’s a game changer that SYSEX files of your own patch creations from a D-50, (I also own one), can be loaded into it!! In my humble opinion it is the chords you were using, not so much the sound that promoted your emotional reaction.
The best thing is to have them both, lol
Short answer? Yes. And then some. The D05 has all the external card waveforms BUILT IN.
Even better, the PG-1000 works better with this than it does on the D50.
you also get the poly step sequencer on the 05... nice feature, arp in there somewhere too that was missing on 50
I totally get the whole tears coming out of nowhere at the slightest provocation. We women call it our menstrual cycle…..
I don't cry when I play but my neighbor's cats do ;(
It’s a tossup to me if the M1 or the D50 should get the “ most important digital synth of all time” prize. the M1 had great pads etc but was better at “ more like real instrument” sounds. to me the D50 wins to me due to its “ digital synthy pad stuff” they are still incredible and so influential in defining in what a digital synth could do🎉. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit but my v-synth XT is under-utilised as I use it as D50 probably 60-70% of the time.😊
don't overlook the dx7 in your shortlist! each one was most desirable on launch making the others almost obsolete overnight! so much innovation in just a few years
@@WoodyPianoShack Ha i knew i was missing out the dx (but thought comment was already too long). but Id suggest the DX was revolutionary & popular at the time but personally i think its influence beyond the 90s isnt really in the same class. my 2cents anyway..
I doubt a D-50 today sounds exactly like a D-50 did decades ago. As digital as it is, the D-50 still has aged amplifiers and capacitors. A D-05 is going to give the essentials of a D-50 but not be a perfect reproduction for aged electronics and older designed and manufactured components that were made to the lower standards of yesterday. Thus, I would rather not concern myself with its authenticity once it reaches an “effective replacement quality” to my ears.
Sometimes good enough is good enough. The D-05 is beyond the threshold of good enough for me. Effectively, a suitable replacement.
Imagine a Roland video almost being 9:09 in length...
haha i see what you did there, good one
haha, good catch!
Original do sounds bit more magical without any doubt.
they sound the same to my ears
in the mirror is d 50( a trick)
It certainly lacks a 30-year old dying output amplifier 👌😄
yeah, my 50 was on its last legs for sure
Am I the only one who doesn’t like the SOUNDTRACK preset on the D50?
yes.
;)
Yes
I'm not fond of it either, it sounds too much like a cat's miaow to me. The D-50 has many far nicer sounds than that.
Sawund?
The problem is they discontinued it and now used ones are way absurdly overpriced, you might as well drop the money for a actual D-50
finish your ceiling
I'm worried. Very confuse. Are U ok, dear Woody?
More and more hectic kinda stuff U come to present recently.
Midlife crisis?
same old stuff i normally put it as far as i can tell, i'm great thanks
Too much talking
Too much talking, not enough playing!
Friend Wodypiano, how you enjoyed and felt that D 50 was not the same now. I think you no longer have it and you sold it, I still have mine and I will have it until the end of my days.
good plan, enjoy!
Nope, part of the D50 magic is the key bed. The D50 itself is magic. When I control my D50 from another synth is not the same ever. You need to be playing the keyboard.
I think the difference has to do with the synth outputs D/A converters. I am also a happy owner of a Boutique D-05 and also the D-50 VST. The VST sounds very clean, too clean but does the trick in a full track. Another great digital synth from Roland is the JD-800