Roland D-50 Cloud Software & D-550 Hardware Comparison

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@erichkohl9317 6 ай бұрын

Honestly I think I would fail a blind A/B test. I subscribe to the Roland Cloud, and the fact that I have access to all these sounds, and instruments (albeit virtually) is amazing to me.

@SeverityOne 6 ай бұрын

The D-550, though, provided it doesn't break down due to old age, will never need a licence, though. Or an internet connection. Or depend on Roland servers to be up. Or depend on Roland to exist as a company.

@Acrimonious_Snake 5 ай бұрын

@SeverityOne Some people have died since I last saw comments like this, you know. Nothing belongs to us forever, not even our body. Make music with what you have, don't collect equipment that collects dust. Eternity awaits each of us, but not in this life.

@SeverityOne 5 ай бұрын

@@Acrimonious_Snake Yes, that's all good and well, but look at the Roland VariOS. That's newer than the D-50, and less usable because the software no longer runs. And this happened in our lifetimes.

@Acrimonious_Snake 5 ай бұрын

@@SeverityOne Limited lifespan applies to ANY computer and software, not just Roland. How often do you buy a new smartphone, computer or OS license? But you only blame Roland, not Samsung, Apple or Microsoft. Then don't use computers lol. The Roland Cloud is a GREAT option and a great value for the money. Well, unless you're a collector.

@SeverityOne 5 ай бұрын

@@Acrimonious_Snake Oh, I'm a collector alright, but I'm also a software developer. I'm quite familiar with licences. With a licence, I get new features. Unless, of course, I'd buy a subscription, but I'm not a fan of that. So, even though we get them from work, I have my own licence for Jetbrains IntelliJ IDEA, an IDE used for software development. And I barely ever use it. But the difference is that, if I stop paying the yearly licence, I no longer get upgrades, but I can still use the software. However, either you completely failed to understand my point, or you deliberately steered it in a different direction. Yes, hardware breaks down, but often it can be fixed. However, if a company goes out of business, can you still use the software? I know that you can purchase licences for Roland soft synths. My concern is that, contrary to hardware that is just there, with software you have to jump through all these hoops because it's so easy to copy. That's my problem with software licences for musical instruments.

@karlthompson701 6 ай бұрын

What would really take it down to the wire would be to replicate the output stage of the D-550 (Burr-Brown PCM54 DAC, then four opamp buffers each for upper and lower output jacks) and build this so that it could be fed a bitstream from the computer plugin. Other things I’ve thought of trying to the cloud are adding a vintage sampler DAC emulator plugin like the inphonic RX950. The D-550 has it’s own internal reverb and chorus chips but these are operating in the digital domain prior to the DAC, I doubt Roland have emulated them perfectly but you could turn off the reverb/chorus on the hardware and plugin if you were testing to get the core sound the same. The difference between the plugin and D-550 in the video is about the same as when I make the exact same basic FM patch on my Korg opsix vs. TX802, the latter always sound better and I’m putting difference largely down to the DAC. Thanks for taking the time to make the video, it’s much appreciated.

@cgmagik9837 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching! Yes, so many ways that one could go about doing a comparison like this. Replicating the exact output stage of the hardware would be really interesting.

@Acrimonious_Snake 5 ай бұрын

It's strange that modern people feel nostalgic for early DACs and dying amplifiers from 30 years ago. There is nothing to regret, there is no need to emulate it. Plug your clear signal into a dead analog mixer and get the same thing.

@mafiashpagety 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for comparsion.

@tizwah 6 ай бұрын

The original sounds so much warmer and more "alive" than the cloud version. In the context of a mix it's probably immaterial which one you would use, but when listening solo it makes a huge difference imho.

@mrnolex 6 ай бұрын

Yup, in a mix it would be hard to pick which is which but singled out like this there is a clear thump, smack and crisp in some patches on the D550 hardware which is clearly missing in the cloud version. That's not to say it sounds worse but at least different. But I'm sure if you compare a handfull of D550's they may be different as well. Might also be the audio interface A/D creating that difference as well. Doesn't have to be the D550 hardware, though it probably is.

@cgmagik9837 6 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@Acrimonious_Snake 5 ай бұрын

I couldn't tell which one was real without watching the video. But what I do know is that my D-05 sounds rounder and clearer than the VST, with less digital noise in some presets (as well as better dynamic range and more accurate sample transposition in its modern Clear mode).