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This was the very first sample CD I bought. In 1991 or 1992, when this disc came out, sample CDs were just starting out, replacing the huge business of synthesizer sounds sold on RAM cards that had been popular the years before (remember the huge market of third-party sounds for the Yamaha DX7, Roland D-50, and Korg M1?).
The Datafile series was very popular because it was very versatile. It offered a one-stop solution for the early 90s samplist. Sounds drafted from the Datafile One were abundantly used in many hits of the day.
Zero-G Datafile One sound demos
Some classic loops including Funky Drummer that opens the set.
I LOVE THE D-50. After my Casio CZ-1000, it’s the first “professional” synth I ever bought, and it still ranks as my favorite synthesizer ever.
It’s the work of genius: at the time (1987), ROM was still expensive, and samplers were a lot more expensive than synthesizers (at least those samplers in the ‘high’ leagues, such as Emulator, Fairlight, Synclavier). The solution from Roland was to incorporate in ROM small snippets, very short “attacks” of real and classic instrument waveforms, place theme at the beginning of a sound, and finish off with standard, oscillator-based analog/digital synthesis. Since the first portion of a sound is the one that strikes us with a first impression of realism, L.A. (Linear Arithmetic) synthesis was very successful because allowed incredibly realistic results with very little ROM. The Korg M1 followed the year later with an improved ROM set, and was even more successful than the D-50 ever was. Short loops very also incorporated in the D-50’s 100-block ROM. Famous “snippets”, or transients as they are called include PCM 33 – Steam – useful to build wind instrument patches; PCM39 – Lips1 – used in many great trumpet and trombone patches; PCM 47 – Pizz – from which the great “Pizzagogo” patch is built upon; PCM 68 – Spect1 – classic example of LA synthesis, many patches use the Spectrum waveforms; PCM 95 – Loop19 – you’ll recognize this as being used in the famous “DigitalNativeDance” patch; PCM 98 – Loop22 – a complete, cool loop; and finally, the two “regular”, old style analog waveforms on board, used to “finish off” the patches (and sometimes, depending on the structure used, they are by themselves), WaveSAW – typical saw-tooth waveform, and WaveSQU , typical square waveform.
The D-50 is – in my opinion – together with the Yamaha DX7 and Korg M1, one of the three classic mid-range digital synthesizers of the ’80s. I fell in love with this synth the moment I heard the factory patch “Staccato Heaven” at the store, and had to have it. The sonic characteristics of this wonderful-sounding synthesizer are very particular: digital, with short loops that remind of early samplers, and analog-warm at the same time. A marriage made in synth-heaven.
The first patch one hears when powering up the synth is the very famous “Fantasia”, an amalgam of digital bells and warm synths, with a slightly detuned flavor. This patch is a perfect example of the sonic character of the D-50. Other famous patches include “DigitalNativeDance”, “Soundtrack”, “Pizzagogo”, and “Glass Voices”.
Also there were four factory sound expansion cards, that observed the following guidelines: Sustain Group, Decay Group, Sustain Group II, Decay & S.E. Group II (i.e., mallets, drums, reeds etc.) Go to the four Factory Sound Expansion Cards pages
New Age great Enya’s use of the “Pizzagogo” patch is an example of how well-suited to ambient/new-age (but not only, of course!) this synth is.
The D-50 was also the first synth to incorporate an on-board reverb/multi-fx unit, a fact that contributed to its legendary sound. Previous manufacturers (i.e., ARP with spring reverb on the 2600; Korg with Chorus/Ensemble/Phaser on the PolySix, Flanger on the Trident, DDL delay on DW-8000; Yamaha with _____ ) had started implementing effects to some extent, but Roland went full out – and Korg actually outdid them the year after with the best-selling M1.
The character of the D-50 sounds is one of richness, analog mixed with crystalline digital perfection, warmth, and an overall aural beauty that’s hard to follow. Recently, Roland’s own V-Synth reminded of the D-50 thanks to (in a few cases) the low-grade samples, the sonic character, and the amazing editing possibilities it offers -and now even includes a virtual D-50 in a card that you can boot off, to transform the V-Synth in a complete D-50.
Initializing the D-50: turn on while pressing “DATA TRANSFER” and “0” at the same time. This will clear the internal cache and solve MIDI problems.
LOADING SYSEX BULK DUMPS FROM CAKEWALK SONAR: The Roland D-50 is an older generation machine, so I found that when I’m sending sysex data from modern sequencers such as the one I use, Cakewalk Sonar, I get the “MIDI transmission error” message, because the synth cannot handle the speed at which the sequencer is sending the sysex data. The solution, found on Sonar’s sysex Help section, is to tweak the “TTSEQ.ini” file in the Sonar folder – basically setting the “SysxSendPacketSize” to 64 as shown in the screen print below. This makes the flow slow enough that the D-50 will be able to handle it.
ALSO IMPORTANT: When setting up the D-50 to receive the sysex data: MAKE SURE YOU HOLD DOWN THE “DATA TRANSFER” button when you press “(B.LOAD)”. Then you can release the two buttons and finally press “ENTER”. If you don’t keep the “DATA TRANSFER” button pressed at the same time, the bulk load won’t work. Finally, sometimes the D-50 will freeze after completing the data transfer. Not to worry. Just turn it off and on again, and it will go back to normal, with the new patches you just loaded in memory ready to play.
ALSO NOTE: SOME MIDI INTERFACES DON’T SEEM TO WORK WITH THE D-50 – This had me scratching my head! I was trying to load patches from Sonar to the D-50 via an M-Audio “MIDISport Uno” interface: I have used this handy little interface extensively with my laptop and never had any problem. BUT, with the D-50, THE “UNO” DOES NOT WORK, no matter what settings on the ttseq.ini file. After an hour of trying and getting MIDI errors, I switched to my older M-Audio USB MIDISport 1×1, and that WORKS FINE. In the past, I used an Opcode MIDI Translator that also worked fine. And I will try with the MIDI on the M-Audio FireWire 1814 and will report about that one.
Patch analysis: recreating the “Soundtrack” sound
It’s not an easy task… as usual with a lot of D-50 patches, it uses 4 partials, so it can be complex to recreate perfectly, but I’ll write down the most important parameters and most of all – provide audio examples (single note at useful range for this patch – C3, C4, C5, C6) – so you can try to emulate it on another synth.
Keep in mind that this is just an approximation, because there are several other parameters that would take forever to analyze… for instance, the envelopes of Lower and Upper Partial 1 changes dramatically by velocity release… Pitch envelope and pitch modulation… slightly different tunings per tone… there are different LFO rates… there are EQ and Chorus settings… there is slight filter aftertouch etc. etc… AND there is the on-board reverb processor, which modern processors or plug-ins are way too hi-fi to reproduce… I’d suggest getting a $50 older unit such as the [url=http://www.synthmania.com/rex50.htm]Yamaha REX50[/url] – You’ll have to ‘eyeball’ these parameters by ear as best as you can – and you really are going to need to see the patch on an editor to see what’s really going on. Anyway, here it is – To help a bit more, I recorded dry and reverbed versions.
Here we have a very cool monosynth from the early ’70s, the Davolisint!!!
It is a very compact and relatively light synthesizer, well built to last. It has an unusual design (perhaps the reason for this was to keep cost down), seen that while it has two VCOs (YES!), there are sadly no filters or envelopes.
Let’s do a rundown of the main panel:
From the left, there’s a funky looking lever labeled “EXTEND”. This is a pitch-bend lever, that bends the sound up to one full octave (you pull the lever down and the pitch goes up, go figure) It is a very useful features and allows the typical 1970s synthesizer expression. It is spring loaded and it returns to its original state, somewhat more slowly than we are used to have pitch benders return, these days.
Then there’s a set of seven white rocker switches labeled 32 to 1/2. These are simply the footage switches for the basic waveforms (similar to an electronic organ). You can have them all on at the same time, or mix and match as you please.
In the middle of the panel there are six sliders: the first controls the VCO 1’s pitch (fine tune, up 1 tone, down 1/2 tone); the next four control the vibrato frequency and intensity, independently for both oscillators. Then there’s VCO 2’s pitch slider: this offers a larger pitch excursion than OSC 1, going up one full octave, and down almost one octave (great for those detuned Moog-like synth lines).
To the right of the panel there are seven more white rocker switches: the first one turns on VCO 1, the second and third switch on vibrato and portamento, respectively, for VCO 1 (portamento is indicated with “T”). The fourth is the portamento switch for VCO 2. Then there’s a switch called simply “C”: what it does, it simply turns on the lowest C on the keyboard (on the white keys), to obtain a drone. Why this is, I have no idea. Maybe to tune the other instruments of the band? After the “C” key, there’s a rocker switch to turn on vibrato on VCO 2, and finally a last rocker switch to turn on VCO 2 itself.
A big red switch concludes the front panel. All the switches and sliders are clearly labeled with their functions.
NOTE: The keyboard only offers two octaves (the white keys). The grey set of keys (one octave) to the extreme left is simply a set of keys that act as momentary switches for the same controls that are being offered via the rocker switches. This is probably to offer the performer a more ample range of expression – i.e., it’s easier to engage the portamento momentarily, using the grey keys, and more expressive than just turning the rocker on the whole time. Well, this is also debatable.. I would probably have preferred another octave to play, rather than having this basically – repeated – set of controls.
Yes, but how does it SOUND??? Well, scroll down to hear examples from this Italian beauty; it actually sounds pretty good! While the main character is simple, the tones achievable and certainly fat, very expressive, and quintessentially ANALOG. In certain settings, and with the right technique, you can even achieve a Minimoog-type sound, and that’s a BIG compliment!!! Of course, this is a lot simpler than a Mini, but if you can’t afford the old faithful, this is a fun alternative!
Davoli Davolisint audio demos
(I ran the synth through a Lexicon MPX-1 multieffect)
The DR-770 is a direct descendant of the longstanding and popular Boss’ DR “Dr. Rhythm” line of drum machines that dates back to the minuscule DR-55.
The successor to the DR-660, the 770 improves on several aspects, including number and quality of samples, memory, and most of all, it features DPP, useful and lots of fun, especially in a live, jam or rehearsal situation.
The sample ROM is very generous, with many sounds to choose from, including vintage, jazz, hard, electronic, and ethnic samples – most people are not going to miss the expansion capability of other drum machines, such as – say – Roland (of which Boss is part of) ‘s classic R-8.
The 770 is an extremely compact instrument, with the buttons spaced pretty tight next to each other. Two alpha dials serve duty for volume and value changes. The inclusion of ambience and modulation effects is a big plus, especially for genres like reggae (the kits have great echo/delay effects on the right instruments) and electronica that can always benefit from them – as opposed to more classic styles like rock, that pretty much are okay with just a pinch of reverb.
In all, this blue wonder is a great tool for composing, and certainly great-sounding, and thanks to its large sample ROM, can be used in any recording or live situation that requires being able to provide percussion in several different styles.
Boss DR-770 audio demos
Here is the DR-770 on-board factory song:
and following are examples of the preset patterns:
Here’s a video demo of my Wurlitzer EP200. As you can hear, the 200 has that classic sound, used by so many bands (Ray Charles and Supertramp for example). The funk factor of this instrument is +1000, and while the sound is more aggressive, and faster-decaying than the Rhodes, is a legend of its own.
Wurlitzer EP200 specs
Although on the heavy side, it’s compact and portable;
Sample CDs + application in Acid style, including virtual instruments (4 CD-ROM set)
Magix Dance Factory specs(From the factory notes:)
Be your own DJ mix master and create amazing sounding dance mixes.
Dance Factory lets you be the DJ. Start jamming today and create awesome hit mixes and DJ loops. Record up to 32 tracks and experiment with the massive selection of sound samples included. And if you can’t find that perfect sample you’re looking for, create your own original WAV files for the funkiest sounds. You have total control so let your imagination go wild!
Pick your favorite dance style from techno, drum ‘n bass, trance, rap, gabba, pop, house, hip hop or rave. Create in all tempos ranging from 70 to 240 BPM. Drag-and drop samples, mix in a drum pattern, and then crank the volume. For the very best sound, modify reverb and flanger effects and add in your very own vocals using the Vocalizer. You’ll definitely blow your friends away!
So get your party started today with Dance Factory! Create dance mixes in minutes and save them as CD-quality WAVs. Listen to your recordings on your computer or burn them right to CD (using your CD recording software and CD recorder). Best of all, you won’t need hours of music lessons. Perfect for the music and dance lover in all of us.
Making dance jams has never been so easy!
(The package contains a few virtual instruments:)
BDM 2 Create bass and drum patterns.
Vocalizer Record your own vocals and add reverb, phaser and pitch effects.
DB 303 Synthesizer to create your own acid house loops with amazing effects.
Live Jam Choose your samples and jam in real time as you mix your track.
Melody Maker Produce new melodies with just a few mouse clicks.
Amazing Features!
Record up to 32 tracks Create your own WAV files 3,000 WAV samples included Mix Arranger for easy song creations Over 30 completed songs included Save mixes as CD-quality WAV’s Add effect for enhanced CD quality Sample Library for easy selection of samples Import WAV files from other programs
System Requirements:
Pentium 166 MMX – Windows 95/98 with 32 MB of RAM 800×600 high color graphics – 120 MB hard disk space 4 X CD-ROM drive – 16 bit sound card
Its electric piano became a standard sound in ballads and “smooth jazz” genres. Its bass was the standard bass sound, typically played in bouncy octaves. Its crystalline timbres were such a departure from the world of analog, that this synth was a super-hit for Yamaha in 1983, and spanned a long family of FM-based products.
The DX7 came out in 1983, sporting the new MIDI interface. The high quality of its digital sounds, velocity + aftertouch, the expandability, the thoroughly professional look, and the complicated programming interface, made the DX7 and FM synthesis take off in a way the was unknown before for synthesizers. Thousands of units were sold, and thousands of records have that distinct DX7 sound (especially for the electric piano, the bass, marimba and glassy, crystal-type sounds).
The DX7 was also the first synth that originated a huge “patch creation” business. Since it was cumbersome to edit, many programming houses were established, ready to feed the hunger for new sounds that players all over the world craved. Today, there are literally thousands of sounds available for the DX7.
Bottom line: together with D-50 and M1, the synthesizer of the ’80s
Yamaha DX7 audio demos
Factory internal presets (ROM-1 A MASTER GROUP)
ROM 1-B KEYBOARD AND PLUCKED SOUNDS GROUP
ROM 2-A ORCHESTRAL & PERCUSSIVE SOUNDS GROUP
ROM 2-B SYNTH, COMPLEX & EFFECTS SOUNDS GROUP
ROM 3-A MASTER GROUP
ROM 3-B KEYBOARD & PLUCKED SOUNDS GROUP
ROM 4-A ORCHESTRAL & PERCUSSIVE SOUNDS GROUP
ROM 4-B COMPLEX SOUND & EFFECTS GROUP
Yamaha DX7 photos
Yamaha DX7 patches
Don’t forget to press FUNCTION (SPACE) and then Nr. 8 to switch from UNAVAIL to AVAIL when loading patches from your sequencer, or the DX7 won’t receive the MIDI sysex.