Roland D-50

The D-50 was the first affordable synthesizer to combine sample playback with subtractive synthesis. The engineers at Roland determined that the most difficult component of an instrument's sound to simulate realistically is the attack. To better emulate realistic sounds, the D-50 included almost 100 attack samples in ROM. The synthesizer played back an attack sample which was dove-tailed with more conventional subtractive synthesis to create the sustain of the sound. This dual-use method was required in 1987 since RAM was so expensive. Roland did, however, incorporate a number of "texture" samples that could be mixed into the synthesized sustain-part of a patch. These sustain samples gave many D-50 patches a lush and airy quality.

The Roland D-50 was awarded a TEC Award for outstanding technical achievement in musical technology in 1988.^[6]

Although the D-50 was among the first non-sampling machines to be able to produce sounds with sample-based characteristics, it was not long before many synthesizers on the market began using similar methods to create sounds. Roland later released a series of lower-priced keyboards and modules that allowed musicians who couldn't afford the relatively expensive flagship D-50 to have some of these sounds (Roland D-10 (1988), D-110 (rack version of D-10) (1988) D-20 (1988), D-5 (1989), MT-32). Though these lower priced D-series synthesizers did not contain the full "LA" synth engine, each was 8 part multi-timbral, and Roland doubled the number of onboard PCM samples. Roland also produced the 76-key, 6-octave "Super-LA" D-70 (1989-1990). With the D-70 Roland removed the digital synthesis section, which was replaced with full-length, more realistic and natural sounding samples, including an acoustic piano, which the D-50 lacked. The D-70 also had an expanded filter and effects section and was 5 part multi-timbral. Even with its improvements, however, the D-70 was unable to catch up with the dominant workstation of the time—the Korg M1—and failed to become the next Roland flagship synthesizer.

The D-50 produces a hybrid "analog/digital" sound: one can use traditional square and saw waveforms together with PCM samples of actual acoustic instrument attack transient, modified by LFOs, TVFs, TVAs, ring modulator, effects, etc. This breakthrough led to the creation of totally new sounds never done before on either purely analog synths or digital samplers.

Each D-50 sound ("patch") was made up of 2 "tones" (Upper and Lower) and each tone was made up of 2 "partials". Each partial could be either a "synthesizer waveform" (a square with variable pulse, or after manipulation by the filter, a sawtooth) and a filter or a digital PCM waveform (sampled attack transient or looped sustain waveform). The partials could be arranged following 1 of 7 possible "structures" (algorithms), with a combination of either a PCM waveform or synthesized waveform, with an option to ring-modulate the two partials together. The synthesized waveforms could be pulse-width modulated and passed through a digital mathematical approximation of a low-pass filter, allowing for subtractive synthesis. The lower and upper parts could be split or played in dual on the keyboard. The Dual configuration allows two 8-voice polyphony Tones (two Partials each) to be played from separate MIDI channels as a limited bi-timbral mode (no full Patches with both Upper and Lower Tones available) .^[7]

Not only was the synthesis method new; the D-50 was arguably the first commercial synthesizer to include digital effects such as reverb, adding to the characteristically bright, rich, lively and sometimes realistic sound, featured on countless records of the period. Each of those effects had 10+ variations with editable parameters usually found in dedicated rack effects processors rather than keyboard synths. It was also at the forefront of the change of the look of a typical keyboard player on stage: instead of being surrounded with multiple instruments, with more versatile instruments and the continued adoption of the MIDI standard, they were starting to appear with only one or two keyboards, typically a D-50 with either Yamaha DX7 or Korg M1.

The D-50 was fully MIDI-compatible, though it transmits on only one channel. The keyboard was velocity- and after-touch-sensitive, and the keys were slightly "weighted" with metal for a higher-quality feel. It included 64 patches on-board, and storage of 64 more patches was available through optional expansion RAM cards. It uses a CR2032 lithium battery for memory backup.

For its sound and build quality, and the unique synthesis method it featured, the D-50 has remained popular to this day, with the resale value of good condition examples remaining relatively high. Its synthesis engine, in more or less updated forms, was used in Roland's JV and XP series synths, among others. Furthermore, in 2004, Roland released a VC-1 expansion card for V-Synth and VariOS synthesizers. It contained a modeled and updated D-50 synthesis engine and the original operating system, including factory- and all Roland "expansion cards" patches. Since the newer DAC chips sounded "cleaner" with less noise output and overall higher bit and sample rates, it included the option to simulate the D-50's "rougher" output.

The D-550 is a rack-mount version of the D-50, with fewer front panel controls, no joystick and sliders. It employs the same sound circuitry (the main circuit board is exactly the same in both, labeled "D-50/D-550")

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Sampling (signal processing)

Sampling (signal processing)

In signal processing, sampling is the reduction of a continuous-time signal to a discrete-time signal. A common example is the conversion of a sound wave to a sequence of "samples". A sample is a value of the signal at a point in time and/or space; this definition differs from the term's usage in statistics, which refers to a set of such values.

Roland MT-32

Roland MT-32

The Roland MT-32 Multi-Timbre Sound Module is a MIDI synthesizer module first released in 1987 by Roland Corporation. It was originally marketed to amateur musicians as a budget external synthesizer with an original list price of $695. However, it became more famous along with its compatible modules as an early de facto standard in computer music. Since it was made prior to the release of the General MIDI standard, it uses its own proprietary format for MIDI file playback.

Korg M1

Korg M1

The Korg M1 is a synthesizer and music workstation manufactured by Korg from 1988 to 1995. According to Sound on Sound, it is one of the bestselling synthesizers, selling an estimated 250,000 units.

Yamaha DX7

Yamaha DX7

The Yamaha DX7 is a synthesizer manufactured by the Yamaha Corporation from 1983 to 1989. It was the first successful digital synthesizer and is one of the best-selling synthesizers in history, selling more than 200,000 units.

Roland VariOS

Roland VariOS

The Roland VariOS is a production environment with audio editing and sample playback, released by Roland Corporation in 2003. It is based on the technology from the VP-9000 VariPhrase processor, and features the ability to mount two expansion cards.

The D-50 was introduced in 1987 as the popularity of the Yamaha DX7 was starting to decline, resulting in the D-50 becoming the most popular synthesizer on the market until the introduction of the Korg M1 the following year.^[8] The D-50's synthesizer-on-top-of-samples-and-through-effects innovation was an influence on the M1, which went on to become Korg's top selling keyboard, until the release of the Korg Triton. In fact, this scheme was a common method of digital keyboard sound creation for more than a decade, until ROM and Flash RAM were finally inexpensive enough to store entire samples or multisamples.

The presets of the D-50, authored by Eric Persing and Adrian Scott, were well received by the artists' community, and most of them can be heard on numerous commercial albums of the late 1980s. The D-50's factory presets have enjoyed a long legacy, such as "Digital Native Dance", "Staccato Heaven", "Fantasia", "Pizzagogo", "Glass Voices", and "Living Calliope" . Some other D-50 presets live on in every machine that conforms to the General MIDI specification, including "Fantasia" (alternatively called "New Age Pad"), "Soundtrack", "Atmosphere", and "Nylon Atmosphere".^[1]

The "Pizzagogo" preset has a lively plucking strings impression. It was used in the song Englishman in New York by Sting. Following that, Enya's song Orinoco Flow famously featured "Pizzagogo" with emphasised attack. The band Queen featured "Pizzagogo" in the song The Miracle. [1]

The Roland V-Synth and V-Synth XT can load a card which emulates the D-50. In this mode, they copy the D-50 almost perfectly, although they lose the more sophisticated V-Synth capabilities.

On September 8, 2017, Roland announced the Roland D-05, a miniaturized version of the D-50, as part of their Boutique series. The instrument includes the original presets of the D-50, plus all of the ROM expansions Roland created for it. The instrument was released in October 2017.^[9]

Also in 2017, Roland released a VST plugin version of the D-50.^[10] via their Roland Cloud website.

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Korg M1

Korg M1

The Korg M1 is a synthesizer and music workstation manufactured by Korg from 1988 to 1995. According to Sound on Sound, it is one of the bestselling synthesizers, selling an estimated 250,000 units.

Korg Triton

Korg Triton

The Korg Triton is a music workstation synthesizer, featuring digital sampling and sequencing, released in 1999. It uses Korg's HI Synthesis tone generator and was eventually available in several model variants with numerous upgrade options. The Triton became renowned as a benchmark of keyboard technology, and has been widely featured in music videos and live concerts. At the NAMM 2007, Korg announced the Korg M3 as its successor.

Eric Persing

Eric Persing

Eric Persing is an american sound designer, professional synthesist and producer based in Los Angeles, California. He is best known as the Founder and Creative Director of the music software and virtual instrument company Spectrasonics. He has been a major contributor to all of Spectrasonics' products, including Omnisphere, Keyscape, Stylus RMX, Trilian, Atmosphere and Trilogy.

General MIDI

General MIDI

General MIDI is a standardized specification for electronic musical instruments that respond to MIDI messages. GM was developed by the American MIDI Manufacturers Association (MMA) and the Japan MIDI Standards Committee (JMSC) and first published in 1991. The official specification is available in English from the MMA, bound together with the MIDI 1.0 specification, and in Japanese from the Association of Musical Electronic Industry (AMEI).

Englishman in New York

Englishman in New York

"Englishman in New York" is a song by English singer-songwriter Sting, from his second studio album ...Nothing Like the Sun, released in October 1987. Branford Marsalis played soprano saxophone on the track, while the drums were played by Manu Katché and the percussion by Mino Cinélu.

Orinoco Flow

Orinoco Flow

"Orinoco Flow", also released as "Orinoco Flow (Sail Away)", is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Enya from her second studio album, Watermark (1988). It was released on 3 October 1988 by WEA Records in the United Kingdom and by Geffen Records in the United States the following year. The song topped the UK Singles Chart for three weeks and received two Grammy Award nominations for Best Music Video and Best New Age Performance at the 32nd Annual Grammy Awards.

The Miracle (song)

The Miracle (song)

"The Miracle" is the fifth and final single from Queen's 1989 studio album of the same name. It was composed by the entire band, though Freddie Mercury and John Deacon were the main writers. It was released as a single on 27 November 1989 and it was the band's final single release of the 1980s.

Roland D-05

Roland D-05

The Roland D-05 is a synthesizer first manufactured in 2017. It is a smaller version of the Roland D-50 which was produced in 1987. The D-05 is part of the Roland's Boutique range of new and recreated synths. This particular Boutique module has additional functionality compared to its bigger brother. There is the addition of a Micro USB port that MIDI and audio from the unit can both be transmitted to and from a connected computer.

Virtual Studio Technology

Virtual Studio Technology

Virtual Studio Technology (VST) is an audio plug-in software interface that integrates software synthesizers and effects units into digital audio workstations. VST and similar technologies use digital signal processing to simulate traditional recording studio hardware in software. Thousands of plugins exist, both commercial and freeware, and many audio applications support VST under license from its creator, Steinberg.

Roland Cloud

Roland Cloud

Roland Cloud is a subscription based collection of VST instruments and 'RVR' sample libraries launched in early 2018 by Roland. Instrument downloads and installation are handled by Roland's Cloud Manager software.