Have a chance to grab one for cheap, anyone have any thoughts on this synth? I know it’s very 80’s but from what I can tell in demos it’s capable of some of the nicest digital pads I’ve ever heard. Anyone using this synth for more modern productions today?
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It was everywhere when it came out and therefore I wasn’t terrifically interested in it at the time (I’ve been called a contrarian). My best friend pre-ordered one, though, and once I got past the overused presets and actually programmed the thing, it quickly showed its not inconsiderable merits. As with many old synths, things that seems like limitations are now welcomed as characterful quirks. The thick slathering of effects on the presets hid some lo-fi samples and loop points but they add a bit of interest interest, in my opinion.
The keyboard response was a bit sluggish, but as you’ve discovered, the machine’s true forte is rich, evolving, pads - thick as a San Franciscan fog, so such things are of little consequence. Interestingly, GaryNuman once said he wouldn’t swap 50 Minimoogs for his D50. He really liked that synth. As it turned out, so did I.
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Thanks for the reply, I’m going to go check it out later today and make sure everything is working right. Ha I know the presets have been used to death but I’m more interested in diving a little deeper to see what I can get. Like you said once you get past the presets it seems pretty unique from what I can tell.
Also really interested to see what happens running it though the analog heat and feeding some of those pads to the Octatrack to mangle.
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I think the dust has settled on the presets now, some 32 years later. They might even evoke a nostalgic mood… still, though, there is a lot of power under the panel - a world of sounds to explore. Well worth a look, if you ask me!
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Just got a D-05 (basically identical to the d50) really digging it. Programming is a bit fiddly without an editor or the pg1000 or whatever it’s called but not impossible. It’s very capable of some very warm sounds, but you can also make a real variety of patches with it.
Overall very happy with it. Best to keep in mind I’m still on honeymoon with it though, so I’m not exactly objective.
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I’ve been dying to try one but worry about how programmable it is without a software editor…
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It’s doable, you just have to spend a lot of time with the manual (it’s on the Roland website, they call it the parameter guide).
A lot of time.
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That’s something I don’t have a lot of right now. Maybe when I retire I can add it to the list of things to try. 
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I played a festival last week that Metronomy headlined - they were using a D-50 and I was amazed at how great it sounded. Was the star of their show for me.
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D50… digital but warm sound.
Initialize all preset and dive in the machine. A trip.
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Thanks guys, it seem like it has some sort of magic ha, I guess I’ll find out later today and I’ll let you guys know if I grab it.
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I ended up picking it up because the price was so good. Been messing around with it all night and I’m loving how warm it can be. Just going to have fun and I’ll let you know how I like it, so far so good.
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I picked up one in January of this year. It has the sound of my youth … man … time goes by … 
It’s great for pads and some experimental stuff too.
I would recommend not to stick to the “factory presets” only. Some are great, but also used too often. Using this very deep synth engine to create patches is very rewarding.
But the D50 has an interface, which is quite minimal and menu driven. The “hot-keys” are useful, but there is always some deep menu diving and page swapping. I would recommend to check out a software editor like the Midi Quest from:
I use Midi Quest for all of my ancient midi equipment, which makes live much easier.
Here is a web-space offering information about the D50 and a great selection of sound banks:
https://cultofd50.org/
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Yeah, I think people have covered it but without an editor, designing sounds is a bit of a drag (but not impossible, especially if you’re the patient type). It has masses of character though, I really like it.
Check out the “spectrum” waveforms.
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If I’m not mistaken wasn’t the JD800/990 basically a D50 with a programmer nailed on? I like my D50 and it can sound great, especially teamed up with some good quality modern fx but as has been pointed out editing isn’t the most joyous pastime! I’d take a JD800 (and I nearly have on a couple of occasions over the years)
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Yeah that was back in the era when Roland was just making the transition to the JV line from LA synthesis. I’m with you, I’ve wanted a JD-800 since they were launched.
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Yeah, I can remember lusting over them on the pages of Sound On Sound way back when!
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A great synth. Between the JD800, Ensoniq’s VFX series, and Korg’s Wavestation, it was a great time for sample-playback instruments.
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Can anyone that owns both the D-50 and the D-05 (or I guess the Roland cloud version) confirm that all the original samples from the D-50 are in the modern versions? I’ve been told the samples were not re-licensed…
Complete hearsay - I’m happy to be proven wrong, but I can’t find anything about this on the internet.
Just picked up a VFX-SD a week ago for $130. It’s so deep and surprisingly easy to edit. It’s fascinating how people at the time were very “sound/preset” focused and as such the GUI barely differentiates between classic waveforms, wavetables, and samples (with loop points) as “oscillators”. I have a feeling this class of deep LA synthesis-esque synths will get very popular in the next 5 years as cheap analog synths saturate the market and people realize you can program these with immense detail rather than just play presets.
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