Members kpatz Posted August 29, 2008 Members Share Posted August 29, 2008 Trust me, it is about its sound, not because of the Enya patch. I bought my D-550 because I wanted Staccato Heaven, and not the stale sampled version on my Motif. Well, not really, but it was a deciding factor. Also, the "Enya patch" isn't the Pizzagogo that came in the box, it was tweaked some, reverb added, and layered with something like a DX7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChristianRock Posted August 29, 2008 Members Share Posted August 29, 2008 Ahh... the mellow D-50 sawtooth. Here's the story about it....It is more like a bug in D-50 that i've discovered. For some reason Roland engineers didn't implemented full filter cutoff control. When you set filter to be fully open at 100%, it is actually NOT. It is at about 80%. Solution: Apply full envelope to the filter. Set filter env sustain to max. And... now you have the sharp Saw wave that pierces through the mix. This might actually be the answer to the question I asked in the previous page. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Teoman Posted August 29, 2008 Members Share Posted August 29, 2008 As a proud D-50 owner I also have to say that it is a special synth. I wish I had the PG-1000 programmer though. Having said that I feel that DX-7 is also as special as the D-50. I liked it much more than I can imagine. The soft synth that resembles the D-50 tonally to my ears is the Zebra-2. It has the dark, thick and warm character of the D-50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members orangefunk Posted August 29, 2008 Members Share Posted August 29, 2008 My friend no S+S synth have the features of D-50. Laugh as you like, then download the manual. D-50 is a VA synth with primitive sample playback section. Has lo/fi samples and awesome glass / crystal sounding converters. And you can't cover D-50 with other S+S synths because none of them (minus V-synth) have the Pulse Width Modulation. D-50 does. Available for saw wave too. Nothing against the D50, but every mp3 (including the ones in this thread) don't exactly set me alight in 2008... the D50 was so different in 1987 and thats why it sounded so great... What you talk about is not important to my music creation.. I'm more interested in the act of making and performing music and collaborating than the CPU/binary behind a DAC and converters... do you think Joe Zawinul and Herbie Hancock are interested in all that? I doubt it For me a lot of the talk here at HC is like reading a book and for whatever reason being obsessed by the first font in the index and "only" the first font... then seeing other books that have that font and arguing why the book from 1987 has a better font than the same book from 1997.... My point... perhaps we should be debating more about books and not fonts in indexes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Todzilla Posted August 29, 2008 Members Share Posted August 29, 2008 I bought mine back in 1987, for a sum of money I'd rather not contemplate now. It was, and continues to be, a great synth. Yes, its sounds are somewhat dated (given its ubiquity in soundtracks, jingles, pop stuff), but it was a nice response to Yamaha's FM synths, which up until the D-50 were ruling the market. Mine has been pretty bullet proof over the years, although it is finally exhibiting occasional key contact problems (and there's no keybeds being manufactured to fix it, so I'm kind of just playing it into the ground). I have a D-550 for when the old keyboard finally becomes unplayable. I found it easy to program once you grasp the concepts of its different modes and it has aftertouch, which is really cool. It'll even do some squishy quasi-analog voices reasonably well. If it's in good shape and less than $350, you should seriously consider it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundwave106 Posted August 29, 2008 Members Share Posted August 29, 2008 For me a lot of the talk here at HC is like reading a book and for whatever reason being obsessed by the first font in the index and "only" the first font... then seeing other books that have that font and arguing why the book from 1987 has a better font than the same book from 1997.... If you are a sample, realistic instrument type of guy, the D-50 was trumped by the M1 and other ROMplers a long time ago. For us soundscape folks, the D-50 actually has held up very well over the years -- right up until the VST era for me, at least. And I think it's less about CPUs and DAC and more about two independent two-osc synths with resonant filters, ring mod, six LFOs, decently complex envelopes, and FX. It's not a bad piece of kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Don Solaris Posted August 29, 2008 Members Share Posted August 29, 2008 I'm more interested in the act of making and performing music and collaborating than the CPU/binary behind a DAC and converters... do you think Joe Zawinul and Herbie Hancock are interested in all that? I doubt it They are interested in sound. And D-50 is exactly what gives it - unique signature sound. If one is expecting it to sound like a rompler, i think he should better look elsewhere. The key to the sound of the D-50 is how it tries to emulate something else, but misses the mark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nightsynth Posted August 29, 2008 Members Share Posted August 29, 2008 The D-50 was a notable advacement in technology at the time. It changed the rules just as the DX-7 did. Take it for what it is/was and if it lends itself to your current creativity, than great. If it doesn't, you should find something else. It came out in 1987, the same time the DX-7 II came out. As I recall, at the time, those were the two primary synths that you saw on 'friday night videos'. If you listen to music from that time, it is apparent the difference in perception of what a synth was supposed to be and what it was supposed to do in contrast to now or previous to that. Jupiter 8s (for example) were also selling for peanuts around this time ($400-$500). People just wanted something else from synths at that time. It was a great time of advancement in technology, though I guess it could be argued that the technology may have competed with the practicality of what was musical. Nonetheless, it created a different direction in pop music, whether you enjoy the era or not. If you weren't there, it may be hard to relate. Everyone can relate to how desirable a good analog synth is because that's what's in vouge again. People can imagine the '70s and imagine how it was to play a lush analog. But keep in mind that in the '80s (particularly by the late '80s) people were looking to expand into different pallettes of sound other than yet another analog subtractive synth. Just my perception... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members orangefunk Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 If you are a sample, realistic instrument type of guy, the D-50 was trumped by the M1 and other ROMplers a long time ago. For us soundscape folks, the D-50 actually has held up very well over the years -- right up until the VST era for me, at least. And I think it's less about CPUs and DAC and more about two independent two-osc synths with resonant filters, ring mod, six LFOs, decently complex envelopes, and FX. It's not a bad piece of kit. As a musician I just see the D50 as offering a certain glassy sheen of sounds... nice but kinda hollow and somewhat flabby... the FM being another way, and sampling being another, analogue being another,and so on... when I last played it in 1995 or whatever I liked some things (actually the organs and pads were pretty nice), but not like I did in 1987 when Digital Native Dance and Soundtrack positively floored me. I think something like a Yamaha EX5 would offer way more (different engines for a start) in spades for a similar price and that also has a definite D50 flavour to it. But yeah, the D50 is an okay synth, but its got limited appeal in 2008 I feel... even the D50esque voices in my RD piano suffice for most applications I'd ever need... plus I'd wager the filter in the RD is more realistic than the D50s... But like I say, I the D50 was a synth that I feel Roland got aesthetically perfect... it looked great in 1987 and still looks great now (if kept in good condition).. can't say that about the Korg M1 and its bretheren... I liked Jez's idea of getting a DX7 and D50 for his 80s cover band... mainly because it would be a cheaper alternative to taking out a modern workstation keyboard plus the patches would be very of the time and the two keyboard configuration is very flexible. Also if they got damaged you wouldn't be heartbroken too much... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members orangefunk Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 If you weren't there, it may be hard to relate. Everyone can relate to how desirable a good analog synth is because that's what's in vouge again. People can imagine the '70s and imagine how it was to play a lush analog. But keep in mind that in the '80s (particularly by the late '80s) people were looking to expand into different pallettes of sound other than yet another analog subtractive synth. Just my perception... I was one of those guys in 1987. I had a Juno 60, CZ5000, JX8P at the time and my band partner had a DX7, Juno 106, TR707 and so on... the D50 sounded totally different to anything we had... A friend of mine had one and I was alwaysa round his house... my partner hated it though.,.. at one stage we talked about selling a lot of our gear and buying an Emulator III at Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gus Lozada Posted August 31, 2008 Share Posted August 31, 2008 I dunno, guys. You are just convincing me to keep adding hardware to my setup. ... A D50, a M1 and DX7... ... but first, find an ensoniq SD-1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Don Solaris Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 If you have Korg M1 you could sell it to some Gruperos ...and earn some BIG MONEY! I'd replace M1 with N1R anytime. It's peanuts these days and it fits the smallest parcel. Includes practically all waveforms of M1, and teh-Universe patch, yet offers a lot more. It's my working horse here in the studio along with S3000XL (which is used for drum samples), these two are daisy chained and always turned on whatever i work on. As of Ensoniq stuff you might try ESQ-1 or SQ-80. There is a VSTi software version which is almost identical sounding (minus the CEM filter and some waveforms). Sounds so good that i use it to program patches on it and later transfer them into SQ-80. Over 80% of them sound the same as long as you don't touch the filter resonance. VSTi download: http://itec.uka.de/~buchty/sq80/dnld.php?what=SQ8L-v0.91b.zip Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members benmate Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 The D-50 was a lot of fun. A little weird to program, but you get use to it. Anyway, I ended up selling it a few years back and decided to make a tribute song for it:http://www.atyourdoorsteprecording.com/music/Benjamin_Rogers/d-50_edit_vol_comp.mp3 Aside from the drum sounds which were mostly DX-7 sounds, and my silly occasional vocals, the entire track is all D-50. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dr.Wu Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 Myst was written on a Trinity, just FYI There was a clip about the making of the original myst soundtrack and it was done on a proteus keyboard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members evildragon Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 Myst, the game? It included a lot of Trinity, I have that issue of Keyboards somehow, there's an interview with the guy who made the music, and he mentions all songs were basically inspired by various Trinity sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members midi Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 I dunno - it sound ok in '87 - but in today's world not so sure... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Paolo Di Nicolantonio Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 Myst, the game? It included a lot of Trinity, I have that issue of Keyboards somehow, there's an interview with the guy who made the music, and he mentions all songs were basically inspired by various Trinity sounds. I don't think so... I also remember - like Dr. Wu - an E-mu keyboard being used for Myst (I had the original game on CD-ROM and the interview etc.) Also, the Trinity came out in 1996, and Myst was already being sold by that time The D-50 is my favorite synth ever. A classic machine... powerful, classy, distinct... FLAWED, sure.. but that's part of its charm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members evildragon Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 Then it's Myst II in question. I'll check it again, and quote if necessary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members whitepapagold Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 Then it's Myst II in question. I'll check it again, and quote if necessary. It would have to be. Myst was prior to the Trinity as our esteemed moderator pointed out. No question about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Paolo Di Nicolantonio Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 It would have to be. Myst was prior to the Trinity as our esteemed moderator pointed out. No question about it. LOL thank you for the compliment, just found something on this: it's actuall "Riven" that has the Trinity - this comes from the composer: "I should mention, for those techies who are interested, both the Myst and Riven musics were recorded on a hilariously low budget. In other words... not much equipment. On Myst I used a Mac, some midi software I don't remember, and Proteus MPS+. All mixing and effects (like reverb, echo, equalizer, etc...) was taken care of within the Proteus. For Riven I took a step up and got a Korg Trinity and a Yamaha VL1. Once again, mixing and effects were taken care of within the synths." from http://www.mystobsession.com/?page=Robyn%20Miller%20Interview I have to say, I haven't played Myst in more than 10 years (still have the CD-ROM somewhere in the house) and I remember the soundtrack to be fantastic... I'd like to listen to it again, and see if I can recognize the Proteus sounds - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members evildragon Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 Yes, that's the interview! Riven, right. I got completely off track, sorry guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Don Solaris Posted August 31, 2008 Members Share Posted August 31, 2008 "I should mention, for those techies who are interested, both the Myst and Riven musics were recorded on a hilariously low budget. ...cut... For Riven I took a step up and got a Korg Trinity and a Yamaha VL1. Yamaha VL-1 was $8900 then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members augerinn Posted September 12, 2008 Author Members Share Posted September 12, 2008 I dunno - it sound ok in '87 - but in today's world not so sure... Well, she cleaned up real nice. Just a battery was all that was needed. Backlight OK, no leaky caps. Played with it for about an hour tonight, and only the factory pre-sets. And you know, there is something about it. A certain personality, that's for sure. I mean, AI2 and other Romplers do the evolving, ambient, sound track kind of stuff too. But the D-550 has got a little magic to it. This is a fair, un-biased opinion. Actually, if anything, I was skeptical, and was expecting less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members deadvolvo1 Posted September 13, 2008 Members Share Posted September 13, 2008 D-50/550 patch library is what you need..... I have one, its 10,000+ sounds or something and 14MB if you want it. Includes commercial sets, like Voice Cyrstal, Sound Source Unlimited, Valhala, etc. Get an M-256E and copy the patches you find that you like or find interesting to the card. You don't have to do a lot of programming to discover just how much those "cheesy" PCM samples can be manipulated, and how versatile the oscillator section is. Practically everything that can be done with a D-50 has been tried in that library, so if you want to really explore that thing, I highly recommend going through a few of those SYX files. I agree with you.....Something magical in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members KingVidiot Posted September 13, 2008 Members Share Posted September 13, 2008 Yep I drooled over it in the stores while in high school. I was happy to finally get one last year and it is magical. I would love to check out deadvolvo1's patches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.