If you like playing with virtual synths and are on iOS: I recommend checking out the open source Synth One app if you haven't already.
Roland 50 Studio
21–30 of 79 posts
Re: Roland 50 Studio
#22Wonder how good the emulation is compared to some of the other commercial solutions out there. Usually software implementations of this hardware don't sound right My current fav is Image-Line's Transistor Bass
The TR-808 and TB-303 sound pretty good to me. I was in an electronic rock/pop/avant garde trio throughout the 80s and we used those two devices (and a Sequential Circuits Pro One) a lot. I still have pattern notes I could use to reproduce our old patterns with these emulations. They sound pretty close to me, though you have to allow for the unreliability of memory.
I always look for how the filters sounds with Res set really high. Good analog filters have a sort of fuzzy quality to them, which I suspect (not an EE here, just guessing) is extra harmonics from how that circuit behaves under those conditions. A lot of software emulations just sound thin, this included.
I'm not an authority on the 303, though. I just like to play around with analog gear sometimes.
Re: Roland 50 Studio
#23Happy birthday, Roland!
Coincidentally, the whole winter I was striving to get one of their synths. With no luck, sadly (thanks, politicians! >:( )
The one thing I noted throughout Roland's history - is that their products suffer from underappreciation for some time until they stop being produced :D And shortly after some jump right to being legendary. ))
Re: Roland 50 Studio
#24I haven't had this much fun with a random find on HN in a long time. So pleasant. Such a treat. Thank you Yuri & Roland!
Re: Roland 50 Studio
#25Wonder how good the emulation is compared to some of the other commercial solutions out there. Usually software implementations of this hardware don't sound right My current fav is Image-Line's Transistor Bass
I just played around with it and the emulation isn't bad. What's really missing is any way to mute/solo instruments. Without that, you can't even do an ad-hoc performance. The instruments have been stripped down to their bare capabilities and are not even close to a full recreation, UI changes aside. And of course there is no way to save/load sequences or settings. And I found several bugs where certain parameters didn't seem to work or toggling one thing changed the parameters of something completely unrelated.
So for anyone who dabbles in these instruments, it's a fun toy for about 5 minutes and that's it. I suspect you can't expect anything more out of a promotional piece.
Re: Roland 50 Studio
#26the sound is cracking on my iPhone
Re: Roland 50 Studio
#27Super fun. I use a 303 clone in some of my stuff. The physical interface is just a big gumption trap for composing, and this web interface is actually 100x better. I will likely use this to compose and hack around, and then plug it into my physcal 303 for its part. The extra fun is modulating with the knobs. I use analog synths to get away from screens. Fun thing I've discovered that is specifically useful for the 30…
+1 for ZAMM reference.
Re: Roland 50 Studio
#28Wonder how good the emulation is compared to some of the other commercial solutions out there. Usually software implementations of this hardware don't sound right My current fav is Image-Line's Transistor Bass
I did SO much with Rebirth-338 back in the day. Its emulation wasn't so bad. I've tried getting it to run on Windows 10, but even after all the hacks I could find online, it just doesn't run quite right. It was made in the era of 800x600 resolutions. And even though there's a pixel-doubling patch available, it looks like hot garbage. Even still, this was a huge part of my music experimentation phase of life. (My yout…
I played with Rebirth on and off pretty much since it's been around and my opinion is that its sound is an homage to the real 303, at best. The spirit is certainly there but it's hard to make Rebirth sound exactly like a real 303 or hardware clones. I haven't played with any of the newer (as in, made in the last 15 years or so) 303 software implementations but I would suspect most of them are more faithful recreations.
Re: Roland 50 Studio
#29Out of the 4 instruments that are still locked I'd reckon three would definitely be Jupiter 8, Juno, and TR-909. I can't confidently guess the last one though.
I'll try them later at home. Do you think they'll sound as good as the analog counterparts? Hahahaa
Re: Roland 50 Studio
#30I've learned piano using my dear Roland FP-30, but now looking for an upgrade. Probably a kawai or Yamaha with warmer, more natural sound and more high end action.
Anyone have recommendations? P515? CA59? Other? Clp 745?