When "fan made" documentary completly demolishes anything that serious media or TV ever done. This is absolutely marvelous in quality and range of information and also in production level like spot on amount of talking and sound/music, editing, effects and so on. Hat down and huge respect.
@@AlexBallMusic I'm sure Rory Daniels approves! Fantastic documentary. Brought back so many memories of programming the JX3-P, Set me up for a DX-7, then an M1 and a D-50. Luckily by then I'd been programming Theatre Lighting boards across several Continents so "protocol" involved "mindset"
@Knobcore Actually the two worlds are closely related for a good number of reasons, just think about the fact that a lot of early computers and game consoles had a little synthesizer in them (the C64's SID, the Yamaha OPL2 and OPL3 in the PC/DOS world, the FM synthesis and squarewave-cruncher chips in game consoles, etc...), and all the great music that came out from such systems. Also add the fact that every digitally-controlled synthesizer, even analog ones, actually has a little computer inside, in the form of a full Z-80 system or based around an Intel/Motorola/whatever microcontroller.
And yet they refuse to recapture the market that would absolutely devour new, cheaper surfacemount recreations. Even if it were several hundred dollars more than other clones, people would absolutely 100% buy it. Unfortunately, they're more focused on the 'pro' market, who doesn't give an F about authenticity but rather performance features and convenience.
What really impresses me about this is all the demos you do. Anybody with enough patience can rattle off a bunch of Roland facts in front of pictures of synths, but you actually have the access to these instruments and take the time to demonstrate what they sound like. The difference that makes is huge.
Thank you! I'm in the very fortunate position where people are letting me access their instruments and so I'm trying to do the best I can with that opportunity. Really glad to hear that comes across. Thank you!
Indeed. It looks like you already made yourself familiar with a variety of such instruments for years. For a synth noob it is a real achievement to get even one sound out of the instrument that somehow resembles the musicians intent. A phase you left behind years ago, obviously.
Thank you for taking the time to index this marvelous video. I wondered if I had missed mention of my beloved MKS-80 and MPG-80 Programmer. Nope. Too many great products to cover them all, I suppose.
Great research, filming, editing, writing, narration, ... and he actually plays music. Amazing, amazing. A million thumbs up. This belongs on Netflix or something
_Amazing_ job, Alex!!! I enjoyed watching this so much, and special thanks for the shoutout at the W-30 clip in particular ;-) I can only imagine how long it took to put it together, and the patience and amount of research this entailed! Thank you very much for all your fantastic contributions to the synth world - (p.s. if you do decide to go for the Korg one... after a well-deserved looong rest! - I have a few of those to contribute as well :-D )
Thanks SO much for your help Paolo, your clips were invaluable! You're a huge resource of knowledge and equipment, so really grateful for your help. Korg - would be great further down the line, but it would be another monster. Think the plan is some of the icons who burned bright and faded fast as those stories are easier to tackle...
I've watched this with tears and joy and respect and regret. Thank you so much. I've learnt the name of a Man who, without me knowing, has touched my soul and diverted the crash of a teenage life, drove the spirit of my heady 20s and given me the warmth of great memories in my 30s, 40s and at the onset of my 50s. Ikutaro Kakehashi. I thank you. This has been a fortuitous discovery stumbling upon this video and I feel blessed to of done so. Thank you Alex. This is stunning. And DAMN BOY! YOU CAN PLAY A MEAN SYNTH! Again, Thank you. I'll never forget this.
I know I’m late to the game, but this documentary is bonkers. As someone just becoming interested in synths (I’ve been a drummer my whole life), I learned an incredible amount of information. Well done and thank you for this amazing piece of content!
Man: what happened? Dr: You were in a horrible car accident but you're going to live. Man: OH NO! Will I be able to play my Roland synthesizers? Dr: Yes you will! Man: Oh that's great! I could never play before!
I finally took the time to watch this film, and I'm so glad I did. Roland is never given enough credit for their groundbreaking work in the world of synthesis, and continues to push the technology forward long after so many of the legendary pioneering synthesizer companies crashed and burned. I especially love how the company's "failures" were only failures because they were so far ahead of their time. Ikutaro Kakehashi should be revered on par with Bob Moog, Alan Pearlman, Tom Oberheim, Dave Smith, and Don Buchla. Thank you for an expansive, beautiful documentary that finally compiles nearly all of the amazing achievements of Roland in one place, Alex.
Man, this is such a massive feat. I had goosebumps all the time, this is what I’ve been dreaming of making since I started collecting the old Roland brochures and magazines. All the goodies all rolled up in one! I’m stoked that I could contribute my tiny little VT-1 part, 😂😎🎹
I have absolutely no idea about 95% of the content of this video, but it's so mesmerising and captivating watching all those retro, vintage instruments, .. amazing, keep it up 👐
This was a proper documentary. The soundtrack is so intrically involved with the subject matter. Truly phenomenal- Subscribed. Current and former Roland player, with a Korg, Ensoniq and Sequential also floating around the house.
4 years ago today we lost Ikutaro Kakehashi, what a legacy to leave behind. Thank you for allowing us to express our creativity using your creations. Gone but never to be forgotten. Honourable mention to Alex on this monumental documentary, the research and time in his excellent skills to present us with what is possibly the best Roland documentary I've come across, so again, thanks Alex.
As I can’t fit it into the video description and there’s been quite a few people asking. Here is the list of who was composing and performing what: Alex Ball: TR-77, SH-1000, EC-10, RE-201, SH-5, System 700 (with much help from Sanj Sen), System 100m, RS-505, Jupiter 4, Promars, SH-1, CR-78, SH-7, TR-808, Jupiter-8, TB-303, TR-606, Juno-6, SH-101, JX-3P, TR-909, TR-707, VP-9000, System 500, System 1m, System-8, TR-8s, Boss HM-2, CE-2 and DM-2 JP Geersing @ Synthsandstuff: Jupiter-6 th-cam.com/users/synthsandstuff Paolo Di Nicolantonio @ Synth Mania: Ace Tone FR-1, Hammond XK-3c, RS-202, W-30, JV-1080, Jupiter-80 th-cam.com/users/SynthManiaDotCom Conny Johansson @ Asteroid Killer Music: Boss CE-1, JX-8P th-cam.com/users/AsteroidKillerMusic Synthetic Machines: System 100 th-cam.com/users/SyntheticMachines Peter Venuto / Synth Palace / SLURP: GR-500 / GS-500 th-cam.com/users/electricrainbowness Pea Hicks: MC-8 th-cam.com/channels/tJfsUa_J6DMp-p2eS7hp5w.html Brandon @ Zibby Bone: VP-330 / TR-727 th-cam.com/users/zibbybone Marko Ettlich @ Retro Sound: Additional VP-330 and D-50 music th-cam.com/users/retrosound72 Joe George @ Reverb.com: AFM100 Bee Baa Fuzz th-cam.com/users/reverbmarket www.joegeorgemusic.net/ Espen Kraft: MSQ-700 th-cam.com/channels/a5swc5zZU-xdI8T2RzhL4Q.html Anders Enger Jensen: Boss VT-1 TH-cam: th-cam.com/users/HariboOSX Ra Smith @ madFAME: DR-55, R-8 (heard but not seen), DDR-30, Juno-106 th-cam.com/users/madfameltd Woody @ Piano Shack: D-50 th-cam.com/channels/27jRFKGzztB9u9T5GkPH_g.html Reuben Jones: JD-800 th-cam.com/users/tucker10 Patrick Gill: JP-8000 th-cam.com/users/PatrickGillMusic Synth4ever: V-Synth, JX-10 th-cam.com/channels/NsgT_XxwSPdjRka1LD7RRw.html
What a great and unique documentary about Roland! THANK YOU and congratulations, it took me back a few years to my beginnings, when my brother gave me my first Roland Synth. And I used every free minute to work, then buy System 100 and 100M along with the two ARPs Odyssey and 2600 and the DX7. The songs you play here reflect exactly that time and I often got chicken skin while watching and listening. Since I had to choose between my girlfriend and making music, I chose what I loved at the time and kept my love for syth music. I caught the virus 46 years ago and am still totally amazed by space music! THANK YOU again for such moving retrospectives from the time of departure into new music and styles of my youth!!!🤩🤩🤩💚🤍💚👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏
Amazing work Alex, you put your heart and soul into everything you do! Thanks for this in-depth retrospective on Roland -- I'm honored to have been able to contribute. Keep up the great work as always!
Impressively well made! The units, the demos, the background information, all arranged in a clear timeline, even portraying the human behind that excellent company.
Your videos are quickly becoming a great resource for anyone wanting to learn about synthesizers, I came to see you recreate Daft Punk sounds on an MS-20 out of curiosity and I've gotten so much more wonderful content out of your channel since then: keep up the *fantastic* work!
This is so cool. I drooled over many of these synths, when they showed up in my local music store, back in the 70s. I was just in my teens, and could not afford them, but I poured over every brochure I could get my hands on. A few years later, I got a ARP Odyssey, and my journey began. Now I have the good fortune of being able to own a lot of good classics, and contemporary synths, thanks to Behringer and others. It’s a great time to be into synth music. Thanks so much for sharing this comprehensive overview of Roland gear. Best wishes for your continued success.
From someone who performed on a SH-1000 in the late 1970s to early 1980s, and who spent a lot of the 1980s in keyboard rooms drooling over the Jupiters, Junos, JXs and later the D-50, as well as all of the other Roland products, this is absolutely a fantastic film. I want to watch it in a theatre !
This documentary is of such high quality I don't think the Beeb could touch it. This is PHD strength knowledge, hats off (not high hats) to you and your insights. You've answered a whole load of questions I didn't even know I had, and at 48 years old, pretty sure everything in my growing up music life has just been finished off by this incredible YT video :-) thank you
I was feeling a bit down, but this made me so happy. Thank you for your energy making this. Thank you for Ikutaro Kakehashi and all the people at his companies. Without them we wouldn't have the music we love today.
That was the best documentary I have seen in years. Coming from a 60 year old who has never touched a synth in his life, your documentary held me with fascination the whole time. WELL DONE !! and thank you !
That was SOOOOOO cool when you rabbit holed the boss heavy metal pedal into the Swedish death metal scene … buzzsaw!!! I am a big fan of Entombed … that was awesome !!!
This documentary gives me way more satisfaction than any film could do... good memories of the sound of my childhood and awesome jams years later, technical & engineering insights, history of music and the tech behind, and finally some awesome handmade music. A big heartfelt Thank You!!!
That was an amazing documentary, made me realise that Roland probably was present in 80% of all of my childhood's favourite music. ♥ Thank you so much for putting all of this together, awesome work! 😊
As someone who grew up a punk and metal guitarist in the 80s and 90s and only later got into synths this fills a big gap in my education. Like everyone else I need more now on all the big hitters. Fascinating history especially of the rags to riches story
Fantastic show. Growing up in the 70s/ early 80s, these synth sounds were wondrous and still are. Best in depth documentary I've seen. Thanks you so much for sharing.
I started playing guitar, still do, but I was always drawn to the crazy sci-fi/cyber sounds. Dropped LSD and listened to The Prodigy Fat of the Land on headphones... changed my whole outlook on music, life as well. Wound up playing with the synths more than the guitars when we would go to music stores. I gotta pull out my recording equipment, my MicroKorg, JP-8080, Eurorack and some guitars and actually create a new track for the first time in over a decade. *Almost forgot my Arturia MicroBrute, Electrix Filter Factory (and other effects units), etc.
In the future, after the machines have risen up and defeated mankind, they will come across your synthesiser music and say *The fleshlings know the superior music of the Machine People. Perhaps they are not savage beasts as we thought .* The machines will decide to spare the human race from destruction, all because of your synthesiser tunes. Congratulations, you're the saviour of mankind and you don't even know it!
Thank you so very much for this concise and informative video covering the history of Roland and their many iconic synthesizers, drum machines, sound effects processors and so much more! Covering the time line, development and production of so very many Roland products truly lays out the how and why of where Roland has come from, and evolved along the way. You have done an impeccable job on this video! A tribute to the Roland companies, their staff, founder and products enabling many thousands to have fun creating music they love! THANK YOU!
🐙 thank you ALEX ! ive been drowning in a cold sea of synth facts & figures, reviews,opinions, bits n pieces.....until now. finally you have given me the gift of PERSPECTIVE. thru your beautiful KORG retro and now ROLAND, I "can see clearly now". thanx again my brother. i wish you PEACE LOVE AND ANALOG.
The story of Roland was fortunately recommended to someone with a few pocket operators. Knew there was a lot involved with a lot of personal favorites in music, but how many pieces there is is baffling.Thank you for this vast well of knowledge. Time to dive in! ✌🏾👽
Hats off to you. This is a brilliant documentary. Watched and enjoyed this immensely. Thankyou Alex for this wonderful work! I had a JX-3P and a D-50 years ago but didn't appreciate their legacy at the time. Seeing and hearing them again made me emotional. What a wonderful history and story.
'The bass that launched a thousand trips'... Chef's kiss for that delicious line, seemingly thrown away right at the end of the 303 segment. You could give a production company £250K to make this film and it would get nowhere how interesting, informative and just damn enjoyable this is.
Thxs a lot for all those memories ,when I used to have Jupiter-6 in early 90's(cost me 1800frcs,about150 pounds at that time),how great were those deep sounds!
Completely fabulous documentary. I don't think you have to be a synth nerd to enjoy this just a music fan. One of the best things I've ever watched on TH-cam.
This is such an outstanding retrospective, I’ve watched it twice! Having lived through much of this it really brought back the wide-eyed excitement of seeing these new products showing up in music stores and in the hands of band mates. Thank you for this!
Thank you so much for this history of Roland. Fantastic! You have an exceptional talent for your research, presentation and musical abilities. I have watched this twice in one day, The best thing I have seen on youtube by far. You should have your own tv show. Well done and thanks again. 👍
Thanks, I ve been looking for the song "Can't stop the rock" for twenty years but never heard the exact title on the radio, until now. Just knew it as the song with that voice transformer, organ, and electrified horse 🐴
I've lost faith/interest/obsession in music tech in general but bloody heck, this is a superb video! Started watching and could not stop. Nice production. @ 10:05 😎
Hey, great video!!! During the first 30 minutes I thought this video was made by Roland, but then as I realised that this whole production was made by a single TH-camr (with help from many people, of course) I was pleasantly surprised. I learned much from this. I will go on to see your other videos. Greetings from Buenos Aires.
Incredible documentary. As others have said, the kind of standard you'd think could only be provided by a broadcaster. Fantastic sourcing and programming of original instruments. Love the circuit diagrams and original magazine adverts. Wonderful work. A labour of love, truly.
Im _only_ 15min into this and im thoroughly impressed! This is made *amazingly well* and is wonderfully comprehensive!! Your effort in creating this _beautiful piece of art_ is recognized, appreciated and is only second chair to the importance of the subject matter(Roland/Boss) itself. *Thank you* for producing and uploading such a terrific video!!
This was incredible. He said a lot of jargon, and I have no clue what it meant, but it was so captivating I kept watching. I highly recommend listening to this with headphones. Dude is making bangers to prove a point.
This is absolutely genius! Thanks for this special trip through 50 years of electronic sounds and tunes - and a worthy tribute to Ikutarō Kakehashi. I'm going to miss my Juno 6 which I sold many years ago.
I miss my Boss RE-20 Space Echo pedal, dissapeared when I went through a divorce. Never getting rid of my JP-8080, or my first 2 Boss pedals, DS-1 and PH-2. One of the most influential musical instrument/gear companies, in my opinion.
@12:30... my jaw dropped... I already noticed the amount of great musical examples of things and the overall quality you've put into this documentary, but that moment was like "holy balls... this is amazing!" I'm also a musician and electronics designer and sound tech so I truly do appreciate this stuff on so many levels! Thanks!
That's an amazing documentary. Roland have continually smashed it and stood the test of time. The tonal options available from their range are absolutely mind-blowing.
I nearly invented Acid House, the "nearly" being that I didn't. But I had a Drumatix, a Pro-One, a Prodigy, a Jen SX-1000 and a Juno 106. And I loved twiddling with short fast sequences on the Pro-One while widdling the knobs around. But like an idiot, my "serious" attempts at music were 4-tracking sub-par 3rd rate Hawkwindesque attempts at psychedelic rock while bemoaning the hopeless inadequacy of my riddim section for that purpose. Despite the fact that I'd kept the analogue faith when everyone else got a DX7, I'd started off doing electropop and I adored filter sweeps. Oh, hindsight. What a thing it is. *edit* and I could've picked up a TB303 as well looking back. Everything analogue was in those precious years going for peanuts (as noted in the documentary).
When "fan made" documentary completly demolishes anything that serious media or TV ever done. This is absolutely marvelous in quality and range of information and also in production level like spot on amount of talking and sound/music, editing, effects and so on. Hat down and huge respect.
Thank you! Guess it's easier to make something without corporate considerations. Just throw up a camera and go.
It looks and sounds like a zillion bucks has been spent making it
@@drjazz7278 Thanks! Zero bucks were spent. Just petrol money and a lot of hours. :)
+1 Incredibly well made and entertaining documentary.
@@AlexBallMusic I'm sure Rory Daniels approves! Fantastic documentary. Brought back so many memories of programming the JX3-P, Set me up for a DX-7, then an M1 and a D-50.
Luckily by then I'd been programming Theatre Lighting boards across several Continents so "protocol" involved "mindset"
This was obviously a monumental task to put together. Massive props, this was fantastic.
Clint was here! That's how you know this video is fantastic :)
@Knobcore Actually the two worlds are closely related for a good number of reasons, just think about the fact that a lot of early computers and game consoles had a little synthesizer in them (the C64's SID, the Yamaha OPL2 and OPL3 in the PC/DOS world, the FM synthesis and squarewave-cruncher chips in game consoles, etc...), and all the great music that came out from such systems. Also add the fact that every digitally-controlled synthesizer, even analog ones, actually has a little computer inside, in the form of a full Z-80 system or based around an Intel/Motorola/whatever microcontroller.
haha read that, slowly, in your voice
what you said
"the synth flopped"
"5 years later the synth was everywhere"
even when Roland fails, they succeed
Can you imagine the rage of being a Roland marketing exec in the 80s and 90s?
“WHY do they only like our stuff AFTER IT FAILS!?”
@@mark.audacity they probably should have looked in the mirror, lol.
Well, Roland is Germanic name? And like Germans lost 2 of their wars in a row, everyone loves their products, especially cars!
And yet they refuse to recapture the market that would absolutely devour new, cheaper surfacemount recreations. Even if it were several hundred dollars more than other clones, people would absolutely 100% buy it. Unfortunately, they're more focused on the 'pro' market, who doesn't give an F about authenticity but rather performance features and convenience.
@@belushipumpkin sorry
What really impresses me about this is all the demos you do. Anybody with enough patience can rattle off a bunch of Roland facts in front of pictures of synths, but you actually have the access to these instruments and take the time to demonstrate what they sound like. The difference that makes is huge.
Thank you! I'm in the very fortunate position where people are letting me access their instruments and so I'm trying to do the best I can with that opportunity. Really glad to hear that comes across. Thank you!
@@AlexBallMusic You have a lot of talent composing and playing.
Alex Ball you are impressive, knowledgeable and talented! Thank you for sharing here with us all! A wonderful and engaging production!
I’m only a third of the way through and this aspect makes the documentary phenomenal. The demo with the giant modular synth is incredible.
Indeed. It looks like you already made yourself familiar with a variety of such instruments for years. For a synth noob it is a real achievement to get even one sound out of the instrument that somehow resembles the musicians intent.
A phase you left behind years ago, obviously.
I planned to quit watching this about every 5 minutes until I ended up watching the entire video. Great job!
idem LOL
It was too good. That guy was amazing.
Same here!
...congrats on your attention span level up
Me too!
Fantastic documentary. The BBC would be proud of this standard.
Thank you!
This is awesome, you should have a lot more views and subscribers!!!
Thanks Claudio, nice to see you here!
Fucking brilliant, mate.
Now do Korg.
Yes, please!!
After Yamaha, of course.
You didnt read the pinned comment, lol
Awesome idea! Yamaha also!
@David Harrell =)) And Behringer of course)
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:51 Ikutaro Kakehashi
1:41 Start of Ace Tone
2:02 R-1 Rhythm Ace
2:26 FR-1 Rhythm Ace
2:59 Ace Tone Organs
3:15 Kakehashi leaves Ace Tone and founds Roland
- 1970s -
3:35 TR-77 Rhythm
4:33 TR-55 and TR-33
4:40 SH-1000 (song)
5:40 AF-100 BeeBaa Fuzz
6:00 BOSS
6:16 EP-30 Electric Piano
6:24 RE-201 Space Echo and Ace Tone EC-10
7:56 SH-2000 and SH-3
8:05 SH-5 (song)
8:50 BOSS CE-1 Chorus Ensemble
9:23 System 100 (song)
10:04 System 700
12:03 System 700 Song
13:04 RS-202
14:00 GR-500 and GS-500 (song)
15:28 MC-8 MicroComposer
16:26 CR-78 CompuRhythm
17:12 Jupiter 4
17:57 ProMars
18:10 SH-7
19:08 SH-7 Song
20:18 SH-1
20:43 Song with CR-78, SH-1, Jupiter 4 and Promars
22:00 Paraphonic 505
22:16 Paraphonic 505 Song
23:22 System 100M
24:43 System 100M Song
26:03 BOSS DR-55
26:26 VP-330
- 1980s -
27:23 TR-808
29:14 Jupiter 8
30:14 Jupiter 8 Song
31:30 TR-606 Drumatix and TB-303 Bass Line
33:04 Juno 6
34:31 Juno 6 Song
36:11 Juno 60
36:21 SH-101
37:34 SH-101 Song
38:42 MIDI
39:15 Jupiter 6 Song
40:16 Jupiter 6
40:57 JX-3P and PG-200
41:47 JX-3P and PG-200 Song
42:46 MSQ-700
42:54 CMU-800R
43:20 TR-909
44:38 Roland's survival through the Yamaha-DX7
45:43 BOSS Stompboxes
46:37 HM-2
47:05 TR-707
47:57 MKB-1000 and MKB-300
48:07 Juno 106
48:57 Juno 106 Song
49:43 JX-8P
50:20 Super JX
50:38 Octapad
50:54 DDR-30
51:11 RD-1000
51:47 Acid
55:31 D-50
58:21 W-30
- 1990s -
58:55 JD-800
59:30 JD-800 Song
1:00:30 JV-80
1:00:46 JV-1080
1:01:06 BOSS VT-1
1:01:56 VG-8
1:02:10 V Drums
1:02:39 JP-8000
1:03:38 VS-880
- 2000s -
1:04:23 VP-9000
1:05:57 V-Synth
1:06:46 Jupiter 80
1:07:51 TR-8
1:08:04 Plug-Out
1:08:29 Boutique Versions
1:09:00 Song with modern Roland products
1:10:17 ATV A-Frame
1:10:36 R.I.P. Ikutaro Kakehashi
1:11:03 Outro
If I missed anything, feel free to reply!
Thank you for taking the time to index this marvelous video. I wondered if I had missed mention of my beloved MKS-80 and MPG-80 Programmer. Nope. Too many great products to cover them all, I suppose.
@@Brendici likewise the JD-XA. All of these iconic too. Regardless, what a great documentary! Congratulations.
Great research, filming, editing, writing, narration, ... and he actually plays music. Amazing, amazing. A million thumbs up. This belongs on Netflix or something
Thanks! Yes, always music is the thing that I'm interested in, rather than just making sounds.
_Amazing_ job, Alex!!! I enjoyed watching this so much, and special thanks for the shoutout at the W-30 clip in particular ;-) I can only imagine how long it took to put it together, and the patience and amount of research this entailed! Thank you very much for all your fantastic contributions to the synth world - (p.s. if you do decide to go for the Korg one... after a well-deserved looong rest! - I have a few of those to contribute as well :-D )
Thanks SO much for your help Paolo, your clips were invaluable! You're a huge resource of knowledge and equipment, so really grateful for your help.
Korg - would be great further down the line, but it would be another monster. Think the plan is some of the icons who burned bright and faded fast as those stories are easier to tackle...
I knew you would love this, Paolo! :-D
...and the music was so good, I'm coming back again just for that.
@@JyotiMishra I knew you would love this one too! :-D Hi, Jyoti!!! :-)
This should be shown on BBC 4. Best Roland documentary I've seen.
I've watched this with tears and joy and respect and regret.
Thank you so much.
I've learnt the name of a Man who, without me knowing, has touched my soul and diverted the crash of a teenage life, drove the spirit of my heady 20s and given me the warmth of great memories in my 30s, 40s and at the onset of my 50s.
Ikutaro Kakehashi. I thank you.
This has been a fortuitous discovery stumbling upon this video and I feel blessed to of done so.
Thank you Alex.
This is stunning. And DAMN BOY! YOU CAN PLAY A MEAN SYNTH!
Again, Thank you.
I'll never forget this.
I’ve watched this 3 times now and just marvel at your documentary skills, you really are extremely talented, surely the best documentary on Roland.
Thanks very much Andrew.
Even still today scientists are unable to "mix" latin and jazz rhythms
The eighth wonder of the world.
Bossa nova?
just get two of em, sync em up, then play latin and jazz rhythms at the same time
Perhaps thats why scientist don't make music, composers do? :P
This is one of the best video's Ive watched in a long time on YT. In fact, it is the best.
@@williamtopping indeed
Musicians in early 80s: ''303 is never gonna be useful for anything...''
Techno musicians: Hold my 909
A massive amount of work must have gone into making this. Hands down the best Roland documentary I've seen. Great work!
It did. Thank you very much.
One of the best historical synth vids I've ever seen. Amazing work.
thee $4k used wow
I'm a an 80s metal guitar freak, but this documentary is AMAZING. Please do more like Korg, Yamaha or Moog, etc.
Me too. And was very very upset that this document didn't say anything on my beloved GP-8 guitar multieffect unit, that I still have!?
I know I’m late to the game, but this documentary is bonkers. As someone just becoming interested in synths (I’ve been a drummer my whole life), I learned an incredible amount of information. Well done and thank you for this amazing piece of content!
Wow Alex, you're really raising the ante here, and you didn't even monetise it! Thank you :D
Roland story is a huge one! Think the video is monetised, but just the basic one, so doesn't always play an ad.
I canceled my doctors appointment to watch this. Writing this in case I die.
Hope the synths gave you life.
Man: what happened? Dr: You were in a horrible car accident but you're going to live. Man: OH NO! Will I be able to play my Roland synthesizers? Dr: Yes you will! Man: Oh that's great! I could never play before!
@@TheLarryBrown Dr. Zeus, Dr. ZEUSS.
Bro that's one of the funniest comments ever lol
I finally took the time to watch this film, and I'm so glad I did. Roland is never given enough credit for their groundbreaking work in the world of synthesis, and continues to push the technology forward long after so many of the legendary pioneering synthesizer companies crashed and burned. I especially love how the company's "failures" were only failures because they were so far ahead of their time.
Ikutaro Kakehashi should be revered on par with Bob Moog, Alan Pearlman, Tom Oberheim, Dave Smith, and Don Buchla.
Thank you for an expansive, beautiful documentary that finally compiles nearly all of the amazing achievements of Roland in one place, Alex.
And now I want Yamaha, Moog, Korg, Oberheim,...
R Cz I would especially like to see Oberheim, then Korg.
Joseph Wright I always thought Korg the name sounds like a 1980s synth tone.
Definitely Oberheim! 👍🏿😁
and PPG + Waldorf
Oberheim is amazing, but it would be a much shorter video
Man, this is such a massive feat. I had goosebumps all the time, this is what I’ve been dreaming of making since I started collecting the old Roland brochures and magazines. All the goodies all rolled up in one! I’m stoked that I could contribute my tiny little VT-1 part, 😂😎🎹
👊
Love your music, dude
I have absolutely no idea about 95% of the content of this video, but it's so mesmerising and captivating watching all those retro, vintage instruments, .. amazing, keep it up 👐
"The story of Roland begins in Osaka" (shows Mount Fuji) .-D
But honestly, what a memory trip! This is a great documentary. The love is showing.
Ha, yeah. I needed to find some rights free footage of Japan from the 40s and that was the best I could find. Poetic license.
This was a proper documentary. The soundtrack is so intrically involved with the subject matter.
Truly phenomenal-
Subscribed.
Current and former Roland player, with a Korg, Ensoniq and Sequential also floating around the house.
Thank you, I appreciate the support.
I was a teenager in the 80's. Seeing all of those synths, and drum boxes in action was awesome!
Just finished watching. If TH-cam give awards for straightforward scholarly briliant quality content.. it's yours
4 years ago today we lost Ikutaro Kakehashi, what a legacy to leave behind. Thank you for allowing us to express our creativity using your creations. Gone but never to be forgotten. Honourable mention to Alex on this monumental documentary, the research and time in his excellent skills to present us with what is possibly the best Roland documentary I've come across, so again, thanks Alex.
Every demo track you make Alex is a totally unique sonic and compositional gem. I just luv 'em all.
As I can’t fit it into the video description and there’s been quite a few people asking. Here is the list of who was composing and performing what:
Alex Ball: TR-77, SH-1000, EC-10, RE-201, SH-5, System 700 (with much help from Sanj Sen), System 100m, RS-505, Jupiter 4, Promars, SH-1, CR-78, SH-7, TR-808, Jupiter-8, TB-303, TR-606, Juno-6, SH-101, JX-3P, TR-909, TR-707, VP-9000, System 500, System 1m, System-8, TR-8s, Boss HM-2, CE-2 and DM-2
JP Geersing @ Synthsandstuff: Jupiter-6
th-cam.com/users/synthsandstuff
Paolo Di Nicolantonio @ Synth Mania: Ace Tone FR-1, Hammond XK-3c, RS-202, W-30, JV-1080, Jupiter-80
th-cam.com/users/SynthManiaDotCom
Conny Johansson @ Asteroid Killer Music: Boss CE-1, JX-8P
th-cam.com/users/AsteroidKillerMusic
Synthetic Machines: System 100
th-cam.com/users/SyntheticMachines
Peter Venuto / Synth Palace / SLURP: GR-500 / GS-500
th-cam.com/users/electricrainbowness
Pea Hicks: MC-8
th-cam.com/channels/tJfsUa_J6DMp-p2eS7hp5w.html
Brandon @ Zibby Bone: VP-330 / TR-727
th-cam.com/users/zibbybone
Marko Ettlich @ Retro Sound: Additional VP-330 and D-50 music
th-cam.com/users/retrosound72
Joe George @ Reverb.com: AFM100 Bee Baa Fuzz
th-cam.com/users/reverbmarket
www.joegeorgemusic.net/
Espen Kraft: MSQ-700
th-cam.com/channels/a5swc5zZU-xdI8T2RzhL4Q.html
Anders Enger Jensen: Boss VT-1
TH-cam: th-cam.com/users/HariboOSX
Ra Smith @ madFAME: DR-55, R-8 (heard but not seen), DDR-30, Juno-106
th-cam.com/users/madfameltd
Woody @ Piano Shack: D-50
th-cam.com/channels/27jRFKGzztB9u9T5GkPH_g.html
Reuben Jones: JD-800
th-cam.com/users/tucker10
Patrick Gill: JP-8000
th-cam.com/users/PatrickGillMusic
Synth4ever: V-Synth, JX-10
th-cam.com/channels/NsgT_XxwSPdjRka1LD7RRw.html
@@BBB-zy6er And 20:40
59:30 My era! This type of 80's production reminds me of the films, TV and memories of my childhood. So comforting!
What a great and unique documentary about Roland! THANK YOU and congratulations, it took me back a few years to my beginnings, when my brother gave me my first Roland Synth. And I used every free minute to work, then buy System 100 and 100M along with the two ARPs Odyssey and 2600 and the DX7.
The songs you play here reflect exactly that time and I often got chicken skin while watching and listening.
Since I had to choose between my girlfriend and making music, I chose what I loved at the time and kept my love for syth music. I caught the virus 46 years ago and am still totally amazed by space music! THANK YOU again for such moving retrospectives from the time of departure into new music and styles of my youth!!!🤩🤩🤩💚🤍💚👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏
The Roland company. ..thank you for all the great synths..
Amazing work Alex, you put your heart and soul into everything you do! Thanks for this in-depth retrospective on Roland -- I'm honored to have been able to contribute. Keep up the great work as always!
Thank you for your bits, was great to include those. Your choral V-Synth piece is wonderful.
This documentary needs a sequel especially with Roland's move towards subscription services for vintage synths.
Impressively well made!
The units, the demos, the background information, all arranged in a clear timeline, even portraying the human behind that excellent company.
Thanks you and thanks for watching.
Your videos are quickly becoming a great resource for anyone wanting to learn about synthesizers, I came to see you recreate Daft Punk sounds on an MS-20 out of curiosity and I've gotten so much more wonderful content out of your channel since then: keep up the *fantastic* work!
Thank you! I think these stories are worth telling as they mean a lot to so many people and the joy of 2019 is that it's possible to do that!
Most definitely! This post is astonishing and something that I never thought that I would ever see! Amazing work, Alex! Thank you....so much!!!
This is so cool.
I drooled over many of these synths, when they showed up in my local music store, back in the 70s.
I was just in my teens, and could not afford them, but I poured over every brochure I could get my hands on.
A few years later, I got a ARP Odyssey, and my journey began.
Now I have the good fortune of being able to own a lot of good classics, and contemporary synths, thanks to Behringer and others.
It’s a great time to be into synth music.
Thanks so much for sharing this comprehensive overview of Roland gear.
Best wishes for your continued success.
From someone who performed on a SH-1000 in the late 1970s to early 1980s, and who spent a lot of the 1980s in keyboard rooms drooling over the Jupiters, Junos, JXs and later the D-50, as well as all of the other Roland products, this is absolutely a fantastic film. I want to watch it in a theatre !
This documentary is of such high quality I don't think the Beeb could touch it. This is PHD strength knowledge, hats off (not high hats) to you and your insights. You've answered a whole load of questions I didn't even know I had, and at 48 years old, pretty sure everything in my growing up music life has just been finished off by this incredible YT video :-) thank you
This is one of the documentaries that I rewatch about 2 times per year because it's so good.
This was absolutely legendary. Incredible production......one of the finest videos ever posted on TH-cam.
I was feeling a bit down, but this made me so happy. Thank you for your energy making this. Thank you for Ikutaro Kakehashi and all the people at his companies. Without them we wouldn't have the music we love today.
That was the best documentary I have seen in years. Coming from a 60 year old who has never touched a synth in his life, your documentary held me with fascination the whole time. WELL DONE !! and thank you !
That was SOOOOOO cool when you rabbit holed the boss heavy metal pedal into the Swedish death metal scene … buzzsaw!!! I am a big fan of Entombed … that was awesome !!!
This documentary gives me way more satisfaction than any film could do... good memories of the sound of my childhood and awesome jams years later, technical & engineering insights, history of music and the tech behind, and finally some awesome handmade music. A big heartfelt Thank You!!!
My JP-8000 is my favorite synth i own! I was big into Trance in the 90s and early 2000s and still are and it was a beast....
That was an amazing documentary, made me realise that Roland probably was present in 80% of all of my childhood's favourite music. ♥ Thank you so much for putting all of this together, awesome work! 😊
As someone who grew up a punk and metal guitarist in the 80s and 90s and only later got into synths this fills a big gap in my education. Like everyone else I need more now on all the big hitters. Fascinating history especially of the rags to riches story
Awesome documentary! With the demos I felt like I was at a virtual museum exhibit!
Cheers!
Fantastic show. Growing up in the 70s/ early 80s, these synth sounds were wondrous and still are. Best in depth documentary I've seen. Thanks you so much for sharing.
Thanks for watching. Yes, a familiar sounds to so many of us, their influence is deep.
I started playing guitar, still do, but I was always drawn to the crazy sci-fi/cyber sounds.
Dropped LSD and listened to The Prodigy Fat of the Land on headphones... changed my whole outlook on music, life as well.
Wound up playing with the synths more than the guitars when we would go to music stores.
I gotta pull out my recording equipment, my MicroKorg, JP-8080, Eurorack and some guitars and actually create a new track for the first time in over a decade.
*Almost forgot my Arturia MicroBrute, Electrix Filter Factory (and other effects units), etc.
So great Alex. The best retrospective over the iconic Roland products ever.
Thanks Marko. Your 330 and D-50 bits are in there. 😎
Got another one planned I'll ask you about...
@@AlexBallMusic Yes I hear it. ;)
Ask me when you need anything.
And now Oberheim.... :D
Oberheim is the plan funnily enough! ;)
@@AlexBallMusic I know... :D
I still have my Grandad’s old TR77 he bought new back in 73’. Been using Rolands gear since day one. ❤
In the future, after the machines have risen up and defeated mankind, they will come across your synthesiser music and say *The fleshlings know the superior music of the Machine People. Perhaps they are not savage beasts as we thought .* The machines will decide to spare the human race from destruction, all because of your synthesiser tunes.
Congratulations, you're the saviour of mankind and you don't even know it!
So goodKj16V, you are a visionary fo sho... Be blessed my brother
I've read enough Stanislaw Lem to know where this is going.
Thank you so very much for this concise and informative video covering the history of Roland and their many iconic synthesizers, drum machines, sound effects processors and so much more! Covering the time line, development and production of so very many Roland products truly lays out the how and why of where Roland has come from, and evolved along the way. You have done an impeccable job on this video! A tribute to the Roland companies, their staff, founder and products enabling many thousands to have fun creating music they love! THANK YOU!
🐙 thank you ALEX ! ive been drowning in a cold sea of synth facts & figures, reviews,opinions, bits n
pieces.....until now. finally
you have given me the gift
of PERSPECTIVE. thru your
beautiful KORG retro and now ROLAND, I "can see clearly now". thanx again
my brother. i wish you
PEACE LOVE AND ANALOG.
The story of Roland was fortunately recommended to someone with a few pocket operators. Knew there was a lot involved with a lot of personal favorites in music, but how many pieces there is is baffling.Thank you for this vast well of knowledge. Time to dive in! ✌🏾👽
Hats off to you. This is a brilliant documentary. Watched and enjoyed this immensely. Thankyou Alex for this wonderful work! I had a JX-3P and a D-50 years ago but didn't appreciate their legacy at the time. Seeing and hearing them again made me emotional. What a wonderful history and story.
'The bass that launched a thousand trips'...
Chef's kiss for that delicious line, seemingly thrown away right at the end of the 303 segment. You could give a production company £250K to make this film and it would get nowhere how interesting, informative and just damn enjoyable this is.
This is a great video Alex, I love watching this as I eat my morning cereals. Congrats on a massive achievement! :)
Thxs a lot for all those memories ,when I used to have Jupiter-6 in early 90's(cost me 1800frcs,about150 pounds at that time),how great were those deep sounds!
1800 Francs? Pre-Euro France?
@@bmhater1283 For sure! Every analogic synth was cheap at that time.
Alex Ball, you should be a star... Hope you will keep on enjoying us like this for a long time !!!! Thank U mate !
This is one of the best synth videos ever. Thank you.
This is it. This is the best synthesizer channel on TH-cam.
Thank you!
Completely fabulous documentary. I don't think you have to be a synth nerd to enjoy this just a music fan. One of the best things I've ever watched on TH-cam.
This is such an outstanding retrospective, I’ve watched it twice! Having lived through much of this it really brought back the wide-eyed excitement of seeing these new products showing up in music stores and in the hands of band mates. Thank you for this!
Thanks Chip!
I'm absolutely blown away about the depth and amount of energy that went into this video. Fantastic job!
This was
What a wonderful journey I just got here through the Roland history. THANKS!!!
Thank you so much for this history of Roland. Fantastic!
You have an exceptional talent for your research, presentation and musical abilities. I have watched this twice in one day,
The best thing I have seen on youtube by far.
You should have your own tv show. Well done and thanks again. 👍
I was worried people wouldn't watch something this long, so the fact you watched it twice really makes me smile. Thank you so much!
OMG, what a fantastic film. I can’t express my appreciation for that great contribution for the synth community. Thanks so much, Alex!
Thanks. Glad you liked it!
Oberheim next?
When you watch a documentary right up untill the end... What a remarkable effort. Thank you Alex!
Thanks Tom, much appreciated.
This is one of many reasons why I like minimal wave, one of the few genres that still relies heavily on analog synths.
I've watched like 5 minutes of this, and can't believe how good it is... Dude, you're pure gold! Thank you for this!
Biodynamic it’s amazing these young people truly delivering the promise of the internet.
Thanks, I ve been looking for the song "Can't stop the rock" for twenty years but never heard the exact title on the radio, until now. Just knew it as the song with that voice transformer, organ, and electrified horse 🐴
What an incredible documentary. I can only imagine how much research, time and effort went into creating such a brilliant video!
I've lost faith/interest/obsession in music tech in general but bloody heck, this is a superb video! Started watching and could not stop. Nice production. @ 10:05 😎
Glad to have been entertaining in that context, thanks for letting me know! 🙂
What was the music being performed at 9:56? It’s haunting and compelling. I want to immerse myself in this sound!
@TheMaster13 th-cam.com/video/DyOt4DYO3B0/w-d-xo.html
@@AlexBallMusic ahhhhhhhhh... ****deeep sigh***** Thank You 🙏 Soul is actively being soothed 😊
Thank you. Best documentary ever. Roland 👑 rest in peace to Mr. Roland. Mr K. The legend we didnt deserve!!!!!
I sincerely wish I could like this at least 5 times. This was amazing.
Thanks Collin.
Hey, great video!!! During the first 30 minutes I thought this video was made by Roland, but then as I realised that this whole production was made by a single TH-camr (with help from many people, of course) I was pleasantly surprised. I learned much from this. I will go on to see your other videos.
Greetings from Buenos Aires.
Incredible documentary. As others have said, the kind of standard you'd think could only be provided by a broadcaster. Fantastic sourcing and programming of original instruments. Love the circuit diagrams and original magazine adverts. Wonderful work. A labour of love, truly.
Im _only_ 15min into this and im thoroughly impressed! This is made *amazingly well* and is wonderfully comprehensive!!
Your effort in creating this _beautiful piece of art_ is recognized, appreciated and is only second chair to the importance of the subject matter(Roland/Boss) itself.
*Thank you* for producing and uploading such a terrific video!!
Thank you very much, that's kind of you to say.
DUDE you are SO talented!
th-cam.com/video/IIOfaNtYxz4/w-d-xo.html
roland obviously deserves their own text book and course in music technology history course
Great documentary. I love Roland products. I am happy to own several of these since the mid 90's.
"Put on 'White Rabbit'. I need a rising sound."-Dr. Gonzo, Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas
This was incredible. He said a lot of jargon, and I have no clue what it meant, but it was so captivating I kept watching. I highly recommend listening to this with headphones. Dude is making bangers to prove a point.
This is absolutely genius! Thanks for this special trip through 50 years of electronic sounds and tunes - and a worthy tribute to Ikutarō Kakehashi. I'm going to miss my Juno 6 which I sold many years ago.
I miss my Boss RE-20 Space Echo pedal, dissapeared when I went through a divorce.
Never getting rid of my JP-8080, or my first 2 Boss pedals, DS-1 and PH-2.
One of the most influential musical instrument/gear companies, in my opinion.
@12:30... my jaw dropped... I already noticed the amount of great musical examples of things and the overall quality you've put into this documentary, but that moment was like "holy balls... this is amazing!"
I'm also a musician and electronics designer and sound tech so I truly do appreciate this stuff on so many levels!
Thanks!
Thanks! Yes that 700 is something else!
That's an amazing documentary.
Roland have continually smashed it and stood the test of time.
The tonal options available from their range are absolutely mind-blowing.
that first paraphonic tune is so nice. This is an incredibly great video. Love the score and how it fits in with the story. You're amazing!
Thanks. Yes, the 505 is really cool. Was great to get to play one.
I nearly invented Acid House, the "nearly" being that I didn't. But I had a Drumatix, a Pro-One, a Prodigy, a Jen SX-1000 and a Juno 106. And I loved twiddling with short fast sequences on the Pro-One while widdling the knobs around. But like an idiot, my "serious" attempts at music were 4-tracking sub-par 3rd rate Hawkwindesque attempts at psychedelic rock while bemoaning the hopeless inadequacy of my riddim section for that purpose. Despite the fact that I'd kept the analogue faith when everyone else got a DX7, I'd started off doing electropop and I adored filter sweeps.
Oh, hindsight. What a thing it is.
*edit* and I could've picked up a TB303 as well looking back. Everything analogue was in those precious years going for peanuts (as noted in the documentary).
Great doco. Thank you for the patience and forethought that went into making it.
Thanks for mentioning Charanjit Singh. He would have appreciated this a lot. Great video, good info and perfect demonstrations.
Even late in his life he did live concerts
I know. I was doing them with him.
@@johanzki Awesome!
rollingstoneindia.com/r-i-p-charanjit-singh/
we did like 43 shows in 2 years, all over Europe, US and India@Time Traveller
As a Roland fanboi, I salute you, sir.
🖖
As a fledgling Roland owner, I commend you on this video - the time taken to put all these beautiful instruments together must have been immense !!!