Roland S770 Sampler - Is It The Best Hardware Sampler Ever Built?

Running through some of the Roland S770 Samplers features. This is applicable to the S range specifically the S770 S750 S760. I will upload a couple more videos on the S range including a proper introduction to the S range.
The Roland S range samplers are excellent due to their warm sound and filters as well as the interface which is very fast to use once you get used to it.

[@RaveyStabs]

Another great S770 vid Chris that shows the charms of old school sampling - thanks. I enjoyed the hook sound you delved into a bit at 22 mins in. Tracks like Infectious were a trip into atmospheric filter sound design with lush reverb behind it all and solid production, and that evidently comes from joyful experimentation and knowing your gear well.

[@MOOTANT1]

Still, have the original main riff sound from infectious. It's called Sound 5 :) The sound you're hearing starting at 21:40 is definitely in the same ballpark as Sound 5. About to create an introduction to sampling and patch creation in the S range. The video will be up soon.

[@RaveyStabs]

@@MOOTANT1 Cool. There's a lesson in there about not being too pedantic naming samples lol. Would be cool to see you pump out Infectious from the S770 in a vid! The other sound I really liked was the Taylor - Slide remix, sort of a crunchy synth brass/boosted mid-range sound going on with mad digital sweeps in the background (FM synth accident?!) and filtering. Again really solid track with unique hard-edged sounds.

[@MOOTANT1]

@@RaveyStabs I still have the sample data (Vocal) and the TX81Z which did the main bassline. Problem is I have no idea which Cubase/Atari floppy disk the song is on, and I have about 300 of them. Don't even know if they could still be read. A lot of my Zip disks cant be read now. I could always re-create it somewhat. ill think about it. Ahem, I think Slide uses the same sound, Sound 5 or Key3. I really put a lot of thought in to naming my sound.s..

[@RaveyStabs]

Ah no worries, yep bit rot may have set in. Zip/jazz drives/disks werent that reliable even at the best of times, lost several drives/disks. Have just installed scsi2sd in a S3000xl, what a joy in comparison.

[@MOOTANT1]

@@RaveyStabs I recently added the same SCSI you have to the S770. Glad to see the back of Zip and ext SCSI hard drives. totally unreliable for longterm use.

[@MOOTANT1]

I will create a couple more videos on the S770 which will include an introduction starter video. The reason I'm making these S range videos is because there are currently no useful videos about the sampler on KZbin. This one sampler is not the focus of the channel. Is the S770 S750 S760 Samplers the greatest hardware samplers ever built? You can only decide when you own one and have had experience with every sampler ever made :). But it's definitely up there in the top 5 imo. When released the S770 was well ahead of its time when compared to the industry standard Akai S1000 (at the time). I would say the S range has stood the test of time better than the Akai S1000.

[@NachtSchreck13]

I have owned or used the majority of hardware samplers over the years. The Roland S-770/750 are two of the best samplers ever made. They simply sound amazing.

[@saren6538]

And not the 760 ?

[@adiblasi]

I really enjoyed this video, as well as hearing your excellent samples! I agree -- the older algorithms, where the sample slows down with the lower notes, do add a unique charm to the sound!

[@JurassicTrance]

Just bought 3x S-760s and a DA-400 - very much looking forward to digging in!

[@Samplers]

Reading the S-770 manual now, I can’t help but hear it in your voice.

[@halvorlillesund]

Great inspirational video, made me fire my S-760’s again! More videos please!

[@Michael_Geyre]

Thanks for making that video I'll make a video where I'll compare sampling and transposition reactions between many hardware samplers, including the S770

[@MOOTANT1]

Cool, I will check that out if you post a link when its done.

[@isaacperry1793]

Great video, your right there's something about these old samplers ....

[@JimVentresco]

I dusted off my S760 with Digital kit and hooked up a Super Video converter to VGA adapter, and am happily using it again! I have missed it.. I needed a refresher in saving patches - thanks a bunch!!! 😎😎😍😍😃😃

[@asdasd-ub4lg]

Very useful. Thanks!

[@OPdbx]

Just grabbed an S-760 yesterday and it's really cool but hard to navigate as I don't have the monitor expansion yet. Your video was still quite informative so thanks!

[@MOOTANT1]

The screen is a must-have, as is the mouse. Sure you can operate it without them and really its sort of a par with the S1000 in that respect. But the monitor and mouse transform the experience.

[@DonSolaris]

S-770 was Roland's only sampler that had hand picked components (you buy thousand components and select best ones). No cut corners on this one. It was literally Roland's Rolls Royce of samplers. Now whether S-770 and S-750 sound different because of that, i believe one would first need to have a proper studio with proper acoustic treatment to conclude any differences in sound. Downside of S-770 is that early revisions with old RAM board have a MIDI bug. After every 30 seconds it will spit out one note way way off the grid (over 15 ms) which even untrained ear can detect. Strings however on this thing sound INSANE. No wonder Hollywood guys still use them to this day.

[@MOOTANT1]

They don't sound different on output but sampling into the S770 vs an S750 might produce slightly different (better?)results on account the S770 has pro end preamps/input stage. Playback though is identical. IMHO either of them. I used an S750 for the bulk of my records. Not sure about that bug you mention. I have never experienced it. The S770 I have responds super fast to midi, very accurate. S750 to but I think bcz this S770 has the timing chip added its timing might be a bit better. But all the Roland S range samplers have excellent mid response times. Your right that Roland didn't cut corners with the S770. Its some serious kit inside the unit.

[@DonSolaris]

@@MOOTANT1 Here is how to test the "bug" with S-770. Load a very short closed hihat sound or a beep in S-770 (has to be shorter that one 1/16th note). Start the DAW sequencer, set it to 140 bpm, set all notes to 1/16th (aka machinegun effect), make one 1 minute long bar full of 1/16th at fixed pitch and record the audio coming from S-770 into the same DAW 16bit/44k. Put it on google drive and i will have it analyzed for you. Cheers!

[@MOOTANT1]

@@DonSolaris Which bug? Are you talking about the transient cut off?

[@DonSolaris]

@@MOOTANT1 MIDI response issue. Here i detailed what happens: www.gearslutz.com/board/showpost.php?p=11145024&postcount=141

[@MOOTANT1]

​@@DonSolaris I used an S750 on all my record releases and never noticed such a bug.I made many records with an S750 and S760 but never an S770. I would use them for hi hats in every release, percussion and sometimes kicks. But the transient bug would prevent me using some kick samples. Can't say I noticed the timing bug The S770 is quite a recent addition to my studio and its only seen limited use so far. You're probably right about the bug though - but I wonder if its universal across S770's?

[@jonathanredman8497]

I bought a S770 with 4meg RAM for around £5k I remember. Having the monitor output was a godsend at the time. ❤

[@machinelanguage5108]

Immediately invokes memories of 4Hero and old Reinforced records tunes. Their main machines were Roland S-series samplers.

[@rorz999]

Ooh I didn't realise that. Just assumed they used Akai S series like most jungle guys

[@My_man_G_UK]

Are these the machines Dom and Roland became known for? Great content mate!

[@juno6]

couple years ago I bought another member of this family, the DJ70, for 35 dollars. Beautiful sampler.

[@Silverfishmusic]

Thanks for sharing this. I've had an S-760 sitting around that I was considering to sell. This video has made me realize that would be a mistake!

[@alphanumeric1529]

Haha, indeed. That would have been a mistake. What's your home address again?

[@antonisatwork]

@@alphanumeric1529 Hee-huu

[@smiljanicn]

@@alphanumeric1529 lol

[@dailyraillive1492]

Who put thumbs down on this? This is a mega machine thanks for posting. Great video. What are the spare, sockets for on the left!?

[@Abruzzo333]

There's a great thread on gearslutz in which one of the developers behind the Roland S series samplers chimes in and he goes into detail explaining why the S770 is the best sounding hardware sampler ever. He claims it's the only sampler where what you sample in sounds better coming out. Another note worth mentioning is that you don't need the original Roland monitor. Any monitor that has S-video should work. I have my S760 connected to an old Phillips flat screen that was lying around my dads house collecting dust.

[@MOOTANT1]

'He claims it's the only sampler where what you sample in sounds better coming out' I've never wanted to say that publicly - who would believe it.😏 But doesn't surprise me one bit. I used to use runner top loops in my tracks (still do occasionally). They were just drum loops with all the bottom end eqe'd out and 99% of the time pitched up to match the tempo of the track I was working on. Always sounded good, and always gave the track a vibey gear shifting energy. If I do the same process with any VST sampler, the vibe isn't there. Let's not forget chord hit samples & bass sounds etc. The S range playing back different pitches via one sample just has something about it. It's a cumulative effect also, One sound from an S range in a track won't make much of a difference, but half the sounds, or more coming from an S range in the track will have a vibe. If you have the link maybe you could post it.

[@Abruzzo333]

@@MOOTANT1 That's awesome. I totally agree and it's my experience as well with other hardware samplers I've used. I'm still fairly new to the S760. There's a fun video on here by Junkie XL where he goes through his sampler collection and demonstrates the quality he gets from playing different units, same concept as here....playing different pitches of sampled notes or chords. It's the first vid that pops up if you search 'junkie XL samplers'. I'll see if I can find that article because it's a very interesting explanation.

[@MOOTANT1]

@@Abruzzo333 Yes Im aware of the video 😉

[@Spudcore]

There is definitely a certain chunkiness to the sound of the old skool hardware samplers that you don't get with their software counterparts. I've been waiting for a software sampler that accurately emulates the circuitry and processing of the old hardware beasts. omg that sound at 25:32 makes me do an Aphex Twin face

[@philipm3173]

Frfr

[@rorz999]

TAL-Sampler is worth a look. Great plug-in

[@robertross7491]

Thanks for the video. Can you please tell me how the Pitch Key Follow steps (p134 manual); does it step in eights ie. one could pick 5/8? Roland manuals seem to have a tendency to be a little vague and only access to the unit reveals the actual ability.

[@stuartholden6163]

This is the sampler Rush used for live playback during their 90s shows. There's an article called "Rush Midi Secrets", to which their keyboard tech wrote about how he build redundancy in the system should one sampler go offline

[@lobit12]

any chance I would be able to get some of these one shot sounds in Roland format from you? looking for those kind of 90s sounds

[@questatesta]

Can you make a video of the tetris mode? You can find out more about it by looking up how to access "hacker mode" via the service manual. Supposedly it's somewhere in there and I don't think anyone has documented it online yet.

[@AT-eh2eo]

I would def love to see how this navigates without the monitor. I know it’s a pain, but I’m more likely to find just the sampler at first

[@MRcyclon1]

Thanks, very usefull video ! Where did you get "raw cut" samples ? I dont find any info about it on the internet...

[@JurassicTrance]

Thanks for the videos - very helpful. I've just obtained an S760 - looking forward to getting up and running. Is it possible to somehow enable the device to read SCSI from an SSD source via some sort of SATA -> SCSI converter?

[@MOOTANT1]

I use an SCSI card thing I bought from Chicken Systems. Works great highly recommended. I can't say if you would be able to do what your thinking. SCSI is a bit hmmmm. But if your tech-savvy Ill bet you could construct a SCSI box with an SSD drive inside. Do not go for Zip drives or an old SCSI drive. Chances are they won't last five minutes.

[@greganikin7003]

Great accent. Scotland forever!

[@plateoshrimp9685]

Love these samplers, there is no best sampler though.

[@Jim_KYB]

Fantastic samples. Any idea where I could get some of them? The pads with bird samples, instant Itali House.

[@smiauu]

those raw hit samples are awesome. are these from some sample pack?

[@ArthurElectric]

I tried the S760 once but too complicated without monitor and mouse. I have akai S1100,CD3000XL, S3000, Emu Esi 4000 Turbo…but stil need to learn to work with them

[@VikerTurrit]

i always come back to your Roland sampler vids and learn or..just enjoy:-) you had an E-MU sampler in the late 90ties too, for what sounds - loops?or filter synth action too? greetings

[@MOOTANT1]

I had an E6400 Ultra. Didn't gel with it. Not used at all.

[@VikerTurrit]

@@MOOTANT1 thx for answering :-) got besides my S-750 an E5000Ultra recently and this thing feels more like an synthesizer^^

[@falangistavaleroso9689]

@@MOOTANT1 I am offerred a Roland S330 I love, a 550, A760 and a rare 770, which one should I have? Also an Emu E5000 ultra for 250e, it might have the best filters right? Why you don´t like the E6400? thanks

[@MOOTANT1]

@@falangistavaleroso9689 I might be biased, but I would say the S770. The S330 is excellent as a 12-bit sampler but I would say it should be an addition rather than your main sampler because it does have a number of limitations, sample time being one of them. The S770 can produce music/sounds today that's on par with any modern production but at the same time has its own vibe (especially when using the filters). I personally didn't gel with the EMU E6400 but that doesn't mean it's not a great sampler. For me, the sound in comparison to the S770 wasn't as vibey and I think it was down to the filters. I wouldn't buy into internet mythology about Emus filters too much and the same goes for any old hardware samplers. Many say the Akai S612 LPF is incredible - but to me, it's a basic LPF dulling knob and in fact, the S range LPF is much better/vibey PS Don't forget the S7760. Sounds exactly the same as the S750 and S770

[@falangistavaleroso9689]

@@MOOTANT1 I will get an S760 then, is cheaper, 1 rack unit, and cute and since I do techno and is used for drums, the midi timing said of the S770 scares me. S770 looks a dated Betamax video. I missed an Akai S612 for 200 euros today, the add lasted 1 hour and I missed it, I offered him 300 but was already picked up. 300euros for an S760 is too much. Should I pass on the E-mu series E, 5000 and 64? thanks for answering. My fav sampler is Ensoniq EPS16+ in terms of sound, ideal for techno. My old Akai S3000xl was awful for kicks, it robbed all the low end. Was great for hi hats since it enhaces mid-high frequencies.

[@questatesta]

hey, I recently got a roland dj 70. Do you have any leads on getting a hold of some sample libraries for this machine? I was thinking of doing some videos of the dj 70 once I get the hang of it. Seems like there are even fewer in depth videos of it on youtube.

[@MOOTANT1]

Sample into the thing. Forget about multi-samples and all that business. Just sample one sound per patch. Go to town with it - don't be shy sampling sounds with long verb tails or even delays. Play those much lower and behold the beauty of what's going on. I think I'm going to do a video about this. Hardware sampling is all about sampling your own stuff - v important :) The Dj70 is a bit limited in some areas though. However it's a decent machine and of course, reads S range sampler format. If you gel with it consider picking up an S760. Cheap, lots of memory and as good as the S770/S750

[@questatesta]

@@MOOTANT1 I've been fooling around with just uploading some synth samples and sounds from casette tapes and it does sound marvelous. If I could find a rackmount unit from the 700 series I would totally consider upgrading, mostly because I don't need another keyboard in my studio. Unfortunately they seem to be pretty rare. But I'm alittle confused. Besides the opportunity to have a nicer display and some expanded memory, what exactly am I missing out on?

[@MOOTANT1]

@@questatesta The S760 is exactly the same as the S770/S750 except it has double the memory and the operating system has a few enhancements which are very useful. It's also smaller 1 U rack. It's not a cut-down version in any way. I would recommend it over the Dj 70 which has quite a bit missing. Ps Im def going to do a video v soon on what happens when we sample into almost all hardware samplers Vs software samplers. Of course the S range gas an added bonus compared to 12 and 8 bit samplers which I will explain in the video.

[@SgtPot]

Where can I buy this? Do I need a old PC or how it all works?

[@oscarmiguelotoyasegovia4916]

gracias a esta muestra de MOOTANT compré un S760 + adaptador de ratón, pero no se donde conseguir el monitor...

[@falangistavaleroso9689]

Cualquier monitor sirve.

[@cfcreative1]

I just got a Yamaha A4000 for $50 Canadian that is like $35 US dollars. You would probably like it if you don't already have it.

[@hexahexametermeter]

What adapter do you use for the SD card?

[@dxtrs_mnpltr]

Hi Chris, would you by any chance be able to tell me what key combination must be pressed at start-up in order to switch an S760 from “mouse-crt” to “panel” operation? I can’t find this anywhere so I cannot use the sampler :( ...I don’t yet have a crt or compatible monitor..

[@MOOTANT1]

I can't recall exactly - it's one of the F function keys. Do them all and you will eventually get it.

[@dxtrs_mnpltr]

MOOTANT It needs to be switched on while pressing the mode button 🗣

[@dxtrs_mnpltr]

MOOTANT Are you still planning in releasing a part 3 video? I’d luv to see how you sequence the performances and how you set everything up. I’m currently experiencing a latency issue where the sounds i’m triggering (from Maschine MK3) don’t play bang on time with the rest of the sounds in my project. It’s very frustrating. Does that happen to you too?

[@MOOTANT1]

@@dxtrs_mnpltr yes this does happen to me but I have generally overcome the issue. I do plan to create a video where all musical parts coming from the S770 are in real-time along with some VST generated sound and how I overcome latency issues. The latency issue is your sound card buffer settings and even with a low buffer setting of 64 or 128 you will still have latency. But I'm quite certain Maschine doesn't offer any individual track delays to overcome this issue.? If you could delay the midi sent out you would be able to fix it. TIP If you have another Daw: Midi record individual sounds/patches using only the hardware sampler. (Don't record the parts to audio) Add in a VST synth/drum machine or audio sources playing from your DAW at the same time the midi is being sent to the hardware sampler. Then delay the audio/VSTpart so that it plays back in time with the sampler parts. Or you can delay the midi/sampler parts so they play in time with the Daw parts. I will create a video on this but it's quite complex and likely wouldn't be universal for everyone's systems. I'm thinking about the best way to approach it

[@dxtrs_mnpltr]

MOOTANT Hey thanks a lot, that was very helpful! Maschine just has a general midi delay but not for individual tracks. I have Live too tho so I will try delaying the tracks and see how it behaves. I was thinking about getting an ERM Multiclock, although it’s quite an expensive solution..more than the actual sampler itself! I’ll have a look out for your next video 👍🏼cheers mate

[@atlantaguitar9689]

It was a good sampler at a time when there were lots of bad ones.

[@Novaheart1998]

The 770 is 16 bit, that is the biggest difference as the rest are all 12 bit. The 750 and 760 are also 16 bit. The 770 is the king of Roland Samplers. It is a magical sounding machine even today.

[@saren6538]

The 760 is 18bit

[@sapainca]

the Emu EII is 12bit (8bit data format with 4 extra bits via companding) but has dynamic range equivalent to CD quality because of clever gain-staging and use of switched capacitor filter on outputs. The Kurzweil k250 again 8 bit with 4 bits companding but crazy dynamic range 105db (above CD 16bit quality, before CD) via logarithmic based Curtis voice chips. Not everything is in the 'bits', for example casio were notorious for stating 16bit but never delivered 16bit performance out of the analog outputs. So forget about the 'bits' and listen to the sound. Same applies to lots of CD players and todays DACs which promise things in stats but do not present under real-world tests. @@saren6538

[@TVOvercast]

What do you think about the TAL Sampler?

[@TVOvercast]

@Muso Snoop this is why I have a EHX mainframe for that crush and an EHX operation overlord to process on the way in ;) I can't get my head around buying a vintage sampler today just for "vibe". If I already had one and learned my chops on such gear - I could see the appeal of keeping it old school.

[@shadowrage2593]

Which one has the "Quicksampling" the S770 or S760 ?

[@MOOTANT1]

They all do but I think the S760 refers to it as quick sampling

[@lobit12]

what sample library are you using in this demo? for the chordy hits specifically

[@MOOTANT1]

I think you are referring to the samples from Raw Cutz Library. You can get it at Loopmasters

[@shahedsaffari365]

@@MOOTANT1 I would be keen to know this too, specially the chord samples used in the dp4 video. Is it part of there super pack?

[@MuteMemoryFilm]

SMT = Sample Mix Table

[@dailyraillive1492]

Still the best.

[@scality4309]

Did you ever try the Yamaha A5000?

[@MOOTANT1]

Not personally but I have heard it does vibe

[@scality4309]

@@MOOTANT1 I got one, but the operating system is like hell. Hard to understand. Onboard FX are very good though from what i saw on KZbin.

[@alphanumeric1529]

Man, I went the wrong way back in the day. Yammy A3K. Ultimately stolen, of course. Does the s760 have a 13 pin output on the back? Like a circular port? Trying to find one of these low S samplers to work with my Akai AX60. Akai's master plan was to mate their analog synths with their digi samplers. Finding these old S samplers at a reasonable price is hugely difficult. But hey, you mentioned a really large sample library, was that a commercial library? Still available commercially? Any info would be great, thanks! Just found your vids, btw, loving them. I was trying to research the fx engine on my ensonique ASR-X Pro. I've heard it many times that it is basically a stereo DP4, but I don't a. know if that is true, b. think the engine is nearly as configurable. If it is the DP4 engine, I think they may have nerfed it, either for the market segment they were going after, or just to reduce processor overhead. Anyways, cheers for your vids!

[@MOOTANT1]

The S760 can do everything the S770 can and a bit more. The library im referring to is my own but you can get old Roland libraries which were sold commercially. However, IMO these old samplers are better suited for sampling your own stuff. Your Ensoniq has a built-in DP2. The S760 cannot connect to your Akai. Totally different machines.

[@GeneralDead1978]

Roland S750\770\760 SP700, DJ70 and DJ70 mk ii its all have the same core hardware like sampler\filter chip, control chip. DJ70/dj70 mk2 and S750 have almost the same dac schematic have the same dac chip (pcm54), only difference on output stage, s750 have more output.

[@MOOTANT1]

Yes generally that is true and playing back samples on any of those machines will sound the same.

[@amberfilms112]

Roland was the best. 4 grand there.

[@D02519568]

This video needs a warning for people with epilepsy.

[@Banzeken]

"kates bush" lololol what are some of these performances you have going on?

[@jovantrendmaker4722]

What about s 550 someone is selling it here for 100$

[@travellogger5080]

Hi. I am from a future!!! Guess what. Kate Bush is popular now. !!

[@amberfilms112]

S760 doesn't sound as,good, but it's,faster

[@adamthomas1246]

True...because I had both.

[@iaindelacroix4999]

Sorry this is nowhere near the 'best'. Compared to my SP-404A The storage, memory card, and operating system are a joke. This could be the best VINTAGE hardware sampler but there are many out there !

[@MOOTANT1]

Keep in mind It's from the mid 80's so it can't really compete with modern day hardware operating systems and connectivity. But in terms of sound, its A+ and you do get the mouse/screen operation which compared to other hardware samplers of the '80s feels a lot less archaic to work with. I probably should have said best sampler from the 80's. Of course that's only my opinion, I am biased with this machine :)

[@prufrockrenegade]

Haha the 404 can't even do a proper pitch change on a sample

[@iaindelacroix4999]

@@prufrockrenegade Yes but the 404A can. Haha !

[@donpoulos]

The 404 is a toy. A good sounding one but a toy!!!! Stick to RCA connectors hahahahahahahaha

[@iaindelacroix4999]

@@donpoulos No - You will find it is a linear wave sampler. Get back to your teddy bears and stop annoying the grown ups !

[@charliebuttocks2400]

I had one with hard drive video out and max memory 32mb an absolute beast and sold it for 400 pounds about 12 years ago