Roland D-50 Celebration Moments with Eric Persing (Performance)

D-50 30th Anniversary Page: www.roland.com...
Eric Persing has had a unique and influential relationship with Roland Corp for two decades. He started as a product demonstrator in 1984, showing some of Roland's first MIDI instruments. He quickly became involved in the R&D side with Roland Japan, earning the title "Chief Sound Designer", and began contributing his design ideas, real-world studio experience and sound design expertise. Persing's skills have left their mark on countless classic Roland instruments.
He is the originator of many legendary Roland sounds that have become part of the vocabulary and lexicon of musical sound. These include the Factory D-50 sounds such as Fantasia, Soundtrack and Digital Native Dance, a majority of the JV/XP/XV series Classics, all the Factory JD-800 sounds, the original Juno "Hoover" sound and thousands of others.
In this video, we were able to catch up with Eric 30 years after the launch of the D-50 to celebrate his memories of our legendary synth.
D-05: www.roland.com...
D-50 30th Anniversary Page: www.roland.com...

[@harrisfrankou2368]

Eric is like 15 % of electronic sounds worldwide

[@kaizen5415]

..& if we're talking pop radio / movie soundtrack music..then Eric Persing / Roland sounds / Yamaha mixing is the sound of our entire lives

[@edjwise]

Eric Persing is one of the originals. A real master of the craft.

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

As a proud D50 owner i must say the Roland D50 is STILL a real Marvel in Synthesizer design. I have nothing but upmost RESPECT to everyone involved in designing this Synthesizer that is STILL to this day an absolute MUST HAVE for anyone who needs a real digital synthesizer flagship. No other digital Synthesizer sounded just as impressive. Others may have sounded similar but never really exactly like a D50. This Synthesizer and it's sounds have been a part of my life since earliest childhood. Almost no other Synthesizer warms my heart so much and i am always surprised what sounds you can still get out of it once you manage to understand the sound architecture. The built-in reverb was a VERY good choice because that really adds the signature D50 sound.

[@JamesCorbettMusic5000]

I’ve just got one and I agree, it’s such a characterful synth. Glassy and open, with reverbs that are usable in your recordings!

[@JTCPingas]

Even the Korg M1 to me doesn't have the same kind of charm and character that the D50 has.

[@mistu705]

perfect comment - i love the D50 sounds

[@issiewizzie]

see ....you young generation - "imagination is key". (layer your sounds )

[@MichaelSouhoka]

Oh yes, the Intro on Mariah Carey's "Vision of Love" uses D-50's Digital Native Dance elements.

[@CrownTO]

and Korg M1!

[@dulistanheman]

I finally found the guy who designed Roland amazing sound

[@FabrizioCaligaris]

Nice to hear how the sounds has been created.. I still have my D50, bought in 1987, perfectly working. I just changed the internal battery twice.

[@garys-617]

Fabrizio Caligaris I still use my original D-50 bought in 1987..... and its never had a battery change !!! :-O Unbelievable !

[@virgillesterlin]

@@garys-617 take care for acide with old battery downtown pcb

[@danjohnsonstudio]

Nail File + Bathroom + Digital Recorder + Eric = "And the Oscar for Best Original Score goes to..."

[@SlyHikari03]

Hehe

[@CKT1138]

I always did figure that Digital Native Dance was used to sell D-50s, because it seems like such a perfect sound to just set the keyboard to and leave inside a music store. Everyone in town could bang a key and be blown away immediately.

[@zxprophet30]

I still can’t believe my parents bought me this for my 16th birthday. So nice to hear it again

[@MrAzztech]

amazing thing its something iv heard all my life

[@veciimusic]

The grin on his face is because that he recalls the days when he designed those awesome patches.

[@step2191]

I would love to see Roland's vault full of their legacy synthesizers they have stored away. Mint condition, I can only imagine how many copies of each they have.

[@kiko1935]

Now I see where he probably began to lay the groundwork for Omnisphere by making a synth that makes use of layering different partials. I'm just guessing here but it makes a lot of sense.

[@SpectrasonicsVIDEO]

Bingo! It’s not an accident :-)

[@ringoze]

That reminiscing smile is priceless! Well done Eric.

[@suadcokljat1045]

I would like to hear under the hood story. About engineering the "LA Chip" and all supporting ICs design. Designing a complex fully digital DSP driven synthesizer in mid 80ties when home computers were barely capable of elementary graphics and sound (excluding the SID chip) sounds like great adventure...

[@kz1000ps]

I'll second this. I wouldn't even understand 80% of it but I'd still want to hear it

[@altfam56]

It was, and continues to be, and honor and privilege to know and have worked with Eric during our time at Roland together. Few hold a candle to his abilities in sound and application design...and what a team he has built! Bravo, EP!

[@HotStrange]

Mark Altekruse Wow super jealous man. That's awesome!

[@trollface1994]

i'm actually better at sound design than him.

[@PRODUCEDBYLILDOUG]

Hi Mark. Do you recall what synths came into play for the Boss Dr-5 drum machine? I've noticed a handful of the DR-5 instrument sounds are actually on the Roland D-50. I was wondering what other synths/keyboards were taken from for the production of the DR-5? I love the sounds on there. Thanks

[@revokdaryl1]

@@trollface1994 That's a pretty bold statement lol.

[@trevorwoodley3897]

@@revokdaryl1 you need to take his name at face value rather than his claim.

[@charbax]

I had D-10, and now I have FA-08, thanks a lot. Can we have some behind the scenes interviews more with Eric Persing but also with all the other inventors at the Japan HQ or Roland around the world where the keyboards are being designed?

[@zariisofficial]

This guy is a genius, My D05 comes tomorrow, so looking forward to using it.

[@wal74222]

Beautiful Jupiter 8 on Erics left. The greatest synth of all time!

[@jeshkam]

0:18 This sounds so much like Unsolved Mysteries or early 90s Martika or any rnb from that era.

[@wattage2007]

My God. This man's presets were behind so many hit records.

[@duxgarnifex3678]

Eric your contribution to sound design is unprecedented and the musicians around the world are forever indebted to your thoughtful sonic taste and understanding of the consumer of these patches. Fantasia is a nail file from your bathroom plus a few other whistles and bells that is Simply Amazing....

[@ramonalmeida3479]

They way he talks about things.. U can clearly see the passion :)

[@resofactor]

Looks like a good guy. Ditto. Could listen to guys like this all day. Just talking about their trade and what they love.

[@nathanieldiazrua]

I love Eric's huge smile of satisfaction on the opening shot!

[@ScottWozniak]

Eric is a gem. One of my heroes for sure. 👍🏻

[@JurassicTrance]

Nice! I remember watching Star Trek TNG and jumping out of my seat hearing Digital Native Dance used when Data first discovers his brother Lore.

[@peevee605]

Massive respect for Eric and his peers.

[@timothyd4y]

Such a cool video. His enthusiasm for his craft really comes through.

[@TryptychUK]

No Staccato Heaven!!?? My al time favourite patch on anything.

[@Jason75913]

That and Fantasia are two of my all-time favorite Roland sounds.

[@repairerofreputationsmusic]

Digital Native Dance will always be the Troll 2 preset

[@aloneranger3980]

Just pulled my D50 back out after 6 months of retirement while I concentrated on playing dobro. Still amazed and satisfied with it's sounds.

[@alexmartin4238]

Amazing video. Does anyone know any songs that use the "glass voices" patch? Sounds so friggin good :D

[@SmoothGrooove]

Soundtrack was one of my favorite sounds. Fantasia too! I loved the Shakahuchi sound for soloing as well but so did everyone else. I don't think any other recreation of it has actually matched the actual sound the D-50 made. The D-50 was my first keyboard and I still have it to this day! I haven't pulled it out in awhile but I still plan to use it in the future. No broken keys!

[@nrdesign1991]

This synth and its sounds were the sounds of my childhood. So many movies, games and story cassettes used this synth or recreations of it in their music. Especially the slow ambient soundscape music of Sierra Point'n'Click games really got me hooked on synthesizer stuff.

[@mana_beast_beats1114]

Cute floof

[@redcomn]

I heard tons of anime song use them back then.

[@MichaelSouhoka]

My favorite PN-D50-00 (factory preset) patches: Fantasia, Digital Native Dance, Staccato Heaven, D-50 Voices, Cathedral Organ, Soundtrack, Spacious Sweep, Future Pad.

[@khajub]

are these Patches also available in the D-50 Card Emulation in V-synth XT ??

[@MichaelSouhoka]

@@khajub Yes of course. But from many musicians opinion, the emulation for V-Synth XT sound has slightly different than the original hardware. Like the "Digital Native Dance" patch, the ethnic loop after the choir pad is not as good as the original sound. But this time, the new D-05 and Roland Cloud D-50 software VST plugin are successfully close to the original, with some new features available.

[@2steppa3]

1:44 the start of In The Air Tonight (Ben Liebrand Remix)

[@mistu705]

I heard the D50 1987 at the fair in Frankfurt and ordered one week at Sythesizer Studio in Wiesbaden - had to wait a few weeks - but then - those were and are still sounds - almost 40 years ago - I still play and love the sounds - programming easy and perfect for me - a milestone in the music world.

[@joogar]

Still no other digital synth to this day that can match the D50 sound wise,mine is definitely a keeper:),my advice is if you buy one hold on to it!,it may be old but having midi is a real plus as you can easliy hook up a sequencer as i have or any other midi compatible hardware for that matter.

[@pearcaravel]

Love that he's grinning almost the whole time.

[@BreannaMae]

The song Sirius by the Irish band Clannad used the patch he played in the intro of the video. Every time I hear someone playing that patch on the D-50, I find the song Sirius in my playlist and listen to it. That synth is so iconic!

[@NegativeReferral]

This guy is responsible for so many synapses in my auditory cortex...

[@revokdaryl1]

I wonder if Vangelis ever used the D50? I know he loved the Roland synthesizers and used the Jupiter 8 quite a bit. He also used the Yamaha DX7.

[@JamesCorbettMusic5000]

Yes, I think I heard it on intergalactic radio station a few times

[@saricubra2867]

He also used the JD800, the Korg WAVESTATION (basically the spiritual sucessor of the Digital Native Dance preset), SY77/SY99 (the D50 of Yamaha).

[@drew3906]

2:43 should have been a video game console startup sound.

[@lauratiso]

It reminded me of Windows NT startups.

[@KajoFox]

I've heard the D50 was used to make the PS1 startup, though I can't find any source to verify it.

[@SlyHikari03]

Digital native dance was used for the Startup for the CDI by Philips.

[@ZenithMusicNet]

Like seeing Eric really enjoy the new D-05. It looks and sounds amazing!

[@AH20XX]

He is smiling ear to ear!!!

[@xan1242]

TIL Eric Persing's voice is engraved in my D-20

[@supersquare]

The legend himself. I've never had my ass kicked by a product demo before!

[@stryker1999]

I first saw Eric demoing such gems for Roland like the JX-10 and RD-1000 S/A Piano. He was a one man maestro, orchestrating his compositions on a number of Roland keys, drums and effects. I was unaware how integral he was to Roland, as Jack Hotop is with KORG. He has thousands of patches and sample sounds on their gear. No wonder Spectrasonics is one of the key leaders in synthesis and sound design in the 21st Century. What an amazing soul God made.

[@Madison-ut6bz]

wow that seems to be how it works with history one man given the opportunity can influence alot for good God Bless that D-05 looks awesome!

[@thefool2007]

That synth is legendary.

[@nobel11]

"Made a lot of movies with that sound!" - Eric Persing

[@guywilkinson]

A joy to watch and listen, simply stunning 😲🎹🎶

[@AboveEmAllProduction]

Jd800. D50. Omnisphere. King

[@joeyquillen5804]

The use of the Soundtrack patch on Seal's "Violet" forever immortalized that sound, at least in my brain.

[@davethebassist13]

I heard it and immediately thought the same thing. Seal’s masterpiece.

[@mattnoble9421]

This man is a genius.

[@edouardmusic]

The fabled sounds of the D-50. What is there not to like about Eric Persing?

[@mateiradumusic]

one day I realized that a lot of the sounds and synths that intrigued me as a child had Eric Persing's hand in them. The hand of Midas - whatever he touches, turns into gold. Thank you Eric

[@WrvrUgoThrUR]

Cool Stuff! Let's get more people like Eric doing stuff they enjoy for a living, doing the stuff. World. Fixed

[@trevorwoodley3897]

That guy is a beast of a synth programmer/sound designer.

[@MrBlueHaze]

Grow to those magical sounds and. The great musicians that played them.

[@caprising4445]

Glass Voices was one of my favorites. I tweaked that one patch for several original patches in the old days

[@StatelineMusic]

I am still very much in love with my all-time favorite synthesizer: Roland D-50! It's still active in my current studio together with it's module counterpart the Roland D-550. Timeless piece of gear!

[@Puppetnation71]

An absolute mastermind.

[@bradleylinemihler]

Eric in the flesh! All my old fav patches from d50 to jv/xp

[@aliensporebomb]

D50 is pretty iconic in my opinion - the new module version ought to be pretty sweet. I managed to create a reasonable facsimile of the Soundtrack patch on the Roland VG-99 guitar processor - technically it shouldn't have been able to given that the 99 doesn't really have oscillators but being that the 99 doesn't know that I was able to get that sound anyway.

[@xkidmidnightx]

Dang... youve made all the sounds of my youth. Amazing.

[@Wulfcry]

Wow that is taking people to class I always wondered how they did it cause it was more then layering partials.

[@agerven]

Yeah, there were some awesome non-trivial patches in the original factory set :)

[@JamesCorbettMusic5000]

Just got a mint d50, love the thing

[@layon99]

the creator of the ps1 intro, legend

[@micahgmiranda]

I thought so. I was looking for this information

[@DaveMcGarry]

Wow! He did a great job, it's perfect 👌

[@GreenYoshi265]

It sounds very similar but it's not quite it. The PS1 BIOS has 3 sounds that are all combined with different attacks and delays, and that is how the original sound was formed.

[@najiramusic]

I started digging around and it seems the D50 was actually used for it. I think Digital Native Dance was used as a base for it but obviously it's a bit different

[@ufva8029]

Takafumi Fujisawa is the creator of the sound by this interview from Gameinformer: www.gameinformer.com/feature/2019/12/03/the-first-25-years

[@lewisjones4158]

He's a very tasteful player. Always some fresh and inventive playing

[@GrimVoxTech]

Still today, nothing else can replace the D-50 sounds (except the D-05). I hope they make a full 16-part multi-timbral, 256 voice D-50 version for the 40th anniversary! I'm about to make my own D-50 video on my YT channel soon!

[@agerven]

Very nice and interesting to hear this man talk about his involvement in the original D50 patches. Great to see his big smile while playing them, regardless whether on the original or on the new D-05.

[@ssahakian3KnightGuardian3]

‪Roland you guys did a fantastic job with the roland D50 Amazing I just bought one my self recently am proud of it quality it shows in your work roland Thank you I hope we see one just like the D50 in the near future proud of you roland thank you to everyone at Roland ‬

[@whocaress444]

I’d like a video like this on the M1

[@eplazai]

4:05 Enya's pizzagogo

[@LittleRichard1988]

I love that Fantasia sound, I have that sound on my Roland U-220 ( which was the main reason I chose a U-220 over the U-110 ). I know on the U-220 it doesn't sound quite as smoothe but still better than the JV-1080's gm Fantasia which also sounds close but still a bit off. The D-70's Fantasia also comes pretty close. When I first watched this video I was surprised to learn one of the partials in the D-50's Fantasia is based on nail file being thrown at a ceramic surface like a tile on the wall. It's good to know Roland remade the D-50 in a much smaller package if I ever did want a D-50 but I think I will stick with my Roland U-220 as it sounds close enough.

[@MichaelSouhoka]

Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" synth intro is from D-50.

[@SpectrasonicsVIDEO]

Michael Souhoka Yes, that was Eric playing on that track actually. :)

[@savanaviolenta]

Amazing sounding synth,and that intro of. Dirty Diana is killer.

[@MichaelSouhoka]

@@SpectrasonicsVIDEO Yeah. I recognized that sound because I heard that spectrum loop in the middle of the heavy intro sound. I guess that was a modification of "Digital Native Dance" or "Digital Sound" (patch 88 from card PN-D50-01) but adding some additional distortion or overdrive effects onto it. But my bottom line, Eric Persing was the man behind that! Thanks for letting me know. :)

[@network909]

Glass Voices made me cry...

[@starlust6726]

Send me a D-05 and I'll make a video showing my D-50 patches on it. In fact - I'll make a new entirely custom D-05 patch set for Roland to offer to users! kzbin.info/www/bejne/pXyzmauEabN7oqM

[@jhdrummer4815]

Wow, after many years of analog synth revival, now is the time of PCM. I can't remember how many times I have read only bad things about PCM in recent years.

[@lewisjones4158]

I love how happy these sounds make him!

[@richardstevens8839]

You can here a lot the D50 presets on Prince’s 1988 album ‘Lovesexy’ the little man had a lot of fun with the instrument on that album. Since the album is about self improvement and self discovery, so you could say it was stylistically and thematically similar as he was actually discovering and exploring the instrument - putting flesh on the bone so to speak.

[@andrewbird8624]

This was so wonderful to see! I remember this fella very well, too! Reminds me of so many different albums!

[@10051969401]

Great video! Tell me, please, is it possible to return to factory settings D-05 if changes were made earlier? Are the presets compatible with the D-50?

[@BillGrishaw]

so cool.. curious, i'd imagine the output noise has been remedied. the d50 was amazing, back in da day, but it the converters were a bit noisy, just a sign of the times. damn i am old. :)

[@JJDPROMEDIAPRODUCTION]

Eric should own half of Roland.

[@CharleyHorse33]

Thanks for this, that was good run-down of the must-haves (I think). I have a Arturia MiniBrute that I'm using with the Boss RV-6, I love the "shimmer" setting. I pondered the Moogerfooger and checked it out at Toronto's Moog store, but went with the Gronkinator. Mostly because I like saying "time to gronkinate..." Gonna watch part 2 now.

[@2steppa3]

Soundtrack patch is like a clear blue sunny sky and gentle breeze so beautiful but sometimes a hint of sadness in the sound.

[@SantaNMS]

The Roland D50, especially Digital Native Dance, was used in the 1987 TMNT series! I recognize many of the sounds from the D50 on that series!

[@MarcS4R]

what a legend

[@kevingamache1512]

Nice to see and hear the father of some of my favorite D50 memories. Awesome

[@DiabloInformer]

I wish I could meet this man and give him a hearty hand shake. Fantastic!

[@definitelymiami7978]

Eric is a total, total genius.

[@jonasness]

Sounds like a lot of fun Eric! Thanks for sharing and breaking down how you designed these sounds. Sometimes I dial in my Roland U-220 just to hear your demo tracks on there so I can relive bermuda shorts and hypercolor t-shirts. Thanks for everything you've done!

[@kevingamache1512]

The partials were truly the magic potion of this beautiful beast

[@Jason75913]

No kidding, the EGs and filter suck royally

[@robinwindsrygg9568]

Every time I'm out of ideas while recording a synth part I turn to the D-50, and I often find the "missing link" there, either in form of a pad or some texture sound that completes the picture.

[@joewilliams3025]

Digital Native Dance 👌👌👌👌👌

[@wiresounds135]

A Legend. Thank you Eric

[@ryanedwardmusic]

4:03 = Enya