Roland PMA-5 - "Pocket" touchscreen Sequencer - Mid 1990's era

[@EricPalonen]

I had this little beast before the DAW days and your track made me want to try your stem export workflow. With some subtle sonic shaping you made these sounds completely usable. I still have dozens of midi files I exported (well, recorded into cakewalk from the midi outs) that were composed entirely on it...this brings back all the memories. Great work!

[@CTRIX64]

Ohhhh Cakewalk (I used Home studio for a bit). Yeah - it's quite good when you can mix and eq out of the box.

[@draggonhedd]

Oh thats cool as hell. I love this weird 90s tech. Final track is pretty chill too. Nice job dude!

[@maspur100]

The most things I loved from PMA5 is the workflow, uniqueness of styles, and the usability of the sounds in common musical setup. While some users complained about the learning curve, I found that after a while the PMA5 seemed to work in sync with my brain, so creating full finished music arrangement within a few hours was much-much possible, easily. Nowadays I’ve wandered among modern DAW’s, and still haven’t found the same thing in terms of power within simplicity such as this. Even from Roland. No subsequent products even matched the PMA5 system.

[@gameon2000]

True, I dig this tiny grooveboxes, never could get my head around any DAW except for recording and mastering.

[@SumiitMelekaar]

U r a magician! Very patient and consistent. No wonder u make so good music with such small gadgets with limited ways to feed it. I wonder what u must be doing now with so much of technology around! Give us a tour of ur current gear and music too. Great!

[@MindGap-2020]

I've got one, still use it!

[@devjock]

When I was a youn 20 something lad, I went camping in France once, and I brought my RM1X, a small homemade adapter and several cordless drill batteries.. Let's just say we had sweet jams around the campfire. Whatever it is, if you can carry it, it's mobile.

[@deathybrs]

RM1x was a pretty good machine for such a thing, though to me, having owned one during its prime, you sound like you should still be a pretty wee lad.

[@devjock]

39 at time of me writing this comment..

[@deathybrs]

@@devjock Fair enough.... I was in my early thirties when I owned mine, but am only in my late forties now. Mine is actually still sitting next to my bed, I still drag it out to play with it, it's a FUN toy.

[@devjock]

Definitely. Mine developed a problem with the white keys though.. Unsure how to fix it. It's keeping me from jamming out with it. The sounds, effects and timing tightness were really great.

[@deathybrs]

@@devjock Dude, that sucks! Sorry to hear that. Might be worth taking in to a shop when you can spare the cash. I'm still tempted to try to get some of my more modern compositions loaded onto it just for fun.

[@rodent2001]

Great work and unbelievable sound from usual Sound Canvas engine

[@studiokadaver]

I remember seeing the display of this & spent hours drooling over the pamphlet

[@CTRIX64]

So do I! Old Future Music mag.

[@BradTheProducer]

This kind of device is what made me give up on making electronic music in the early 00's. I couldn't deal with the frustration of knowing what I wanted and not being able to get the device to play along. I'm just now starting to get back into it.

[@graghamstaylor2341]

I used to only input the Drum style track via the tiny screen on mine, & play all the other Tracks/ instruments on it from a velocity transmitting Midi controller, much easier & quicker & I got some very professional results out of my little PMA-5 back in the day, (I still have it but it's now in peaceful retirement, but this video has inspired me to try it out again!!)

[@uvoikimovundutrauerblume3302]

Respect for your patience .

[@braintrustbroker9255]

In this day and age, I didn't think anyone would want to use this strangely different sequencer. Your nice little video may have just saved a Roland PMA-5 from the trash! I was going to dispose of a NOS unit I aquired with issues a while back. Instead I upgraded the internal memory battery, and am now working on improving a screen contrast issue. Even have plans to add a backlight to make it the ultimate PMA-5. In a month or two when it's proven and ready I plan on selling on eBay. As for batteries: I would reccommend rechargeable lithium or just use the power supply.

[@puddle_puddle]

90s tech was so damn cool.

[@i.AmHymn]

Bought an original back...whenever it is they came out in the 90s...and made some BANGERS and luscious ballads on that baby! 🎧🎹 Over time the thing rusted out and won't come on! 😭 Luckily I backed-up everything to Sonar waaaay back when! 😎 Now, I'm finna order another one after all these years! 🎉🎊🥳 Oh chit, I've got to re-learn how to friggin' use it! 😲 Hymn

[@NPrescott]

Amazing track! I listened to it twice already! These things can be a pain in the rear to use so tonget that level of song out of it is amazing!! :)

[@GaitaPonto]

it sounds awesome. how many time did you spent learning how to deal with its UI?

[@pekkatolonen8964]

Just great! Im waiting for to get one from the post. Thanks!

[@ikworgek]

wow nice job! great sounds from this little box.

[@flare242]

Wow, i had no idea something like this existed. And i used pretty weird gear in my life. Cool video, thanks!

[@manudollfie]

You are great. This sounds awesome.

[@tweaklab]

Crazy stuff man. So groovy as always :)

[@joman66]

You ever used a Roland qy700 debuglive? Been eyeing one for years but they're only really in Japan and never under $400.

[@gameon2000]

I used and loved ny QY70 (QY100 with 90% capabilities) until it smoked on me because a faulty power adapter. Bought now PMA-5 instead. Love it so far, but gonna buy a QY again, this time a QY100

[@joman66]

@@gameon2000 Nice! I have a QY300 now but with a bad floppy drive and it has been reset so there's no presets and I cant save anything to it right now kzbin.info/www/bejne/e4Gxl6mgrqqWaMk

[@gameon2000]

@@joman66 I' m just ended up having bought 2 PMA-5 for 150€ (in total!) - both in mint condition, with manuals etc. I guess, I'm good for now 🤣

[@livvy94]

Makes me think of the Stylophone, but with MIDI support! I kinda want one xD

[@molowytch]

Awesome track!!!

[@tensortom5706]

Yamaha made (A long time ago) a pocket machine. I forget what it's called but it's awesome. This looks neat too.

[@senhorlampada]

TensorTom the QY series... qy-10, 20, 70, 100

[@CTRIX64]

@@senhorlampada I have the QY70 too ;-) SUper fun

[@bloodyhell6378]

I have a qy20 but the display died. Hoping to fix it someday.

[@gameon2000]

@@CTRIX64 what do you like better UI wise or sound quality wise? PMA-5 or QY70?

[@FIBONICITY]

5pin into audio interface usb to reaper?

[@lupinedreamexpress]

If I had one of these back then...well if you can't sleep in my house now, you wouldn't have been able to back then. :D

[@maxmatson1578]

Stick track, bro!👌👍 You really got a lot out of that thing. For some reason, I can see Luke vibert using something like this? I know Vince Clarke used to live once.🎹🎧💫😵👌👍

[@maxmatson1578]

Sorry, I meant to say sick track.😅

[@senhorlampada]

Dude... amazing!

[@joseph.nicolaus]

!!! ... coool ... cool Shpongling :)

[@DidToucour]

Can you say to me some modern device like PMA 5

[@FairchlldMusic1]

The iPad

[@namakudamono]

Cool track! I saw a girl performing live with one of these, a Korg Micro, and a Teenage Engineering op-1 a few weeks ago - she was crazy awesome.

[@ProDigit80]

Very cool, but even harder to do than trackers.

[@wizards001]

Are the pad sounds in gm? I have a Roland jd990 with the upgrade card, I wonder if the same sounds are in it. Liking the trance vibe

[@gameon2000]

Pads yes, but no, it's a SC-55 / MT-32 engine. Worse sounds out of the box than JD, but tweakable, as you can hear in the final track.

[@AndersEngerJensen]

Wicked!! 🤩

[@GL-uy3fd]

There’s now a PMA-5 dedicated facebook group, join the discussion! facebook.com/groups/524300471837527/?ref=share

[@robertfapswell3719]

Dope AF

[@charlesturner897]

Is this the same Roland that makes Roland DGA printers?

[@CTRIX64]

Yup! Very different division of the company tho.

[@0xssff]

is that you breathing? or is it a sample? lol

[@CyberCreeper22]

and here I am on my op-z still confused... the op-z is straight forward compared to this

[@neur303]

Lovely

[@rayray2001111]

Nice bass

[@johnjohnmurillo189]

Try it

[@Ryan-9000]

Sick

[@i.AmHymn]

PLEASE reveal your mastering process on this. 🖥👀🍿🥤 Hymn

[@gameon2000]

Mori Kante "Yeke Yeke" hommage in the end.

[@pitons1314]

I have one of these!

[@Tjousk]

Nice!

[@annother3350]

Love it

[@1dolar1note1]

Nice

[@eletronica1857]

the operation is frustrating

[@pepinillosazucarados6743]

I COULD HAVE DONE THIS TRACK IN 5 MIN WITH MY WHITE YAMAHA MONTAGE !!!

[@vanzipper6486]

😮❤

[@Dolores5000]

Hahahaha!!!! Fantastic!!!

[@10kfreemen]

Incred

[@ThreeBeingOne]

Nightmare fuel interface.

[@hypercube33]

0:22 awkward tapping

[@cTrix]

hay man I'm struggling a lot to make content because when people search cTrix they are finding you not me ha because of this I might have to make a New account witch I don't want to do

[@nkogliaz]

You're asking a channel that has over 24k subs (Yours has around 1k), as well as a music producer / artist (That has been around nearing around two decades at least), to change their name because you didn't take the time or consideration to look into whether or not the name 'ctrix' was in use? Good luck with that, lol.

[@cTrix]

hahaha no I was saying I'm making a NEW channel so there is no confusion haha read

[@CTRIX64]

@@cTrix I'll have to check your channel out man!! Funnily, I used to be "debug" but there were 100 other peeps, so I changed across to my demoscene handle to make it easier coz no one else had the name in 1998 :-P