Sonic LAB: Roland Boutique D-05

Gaz Williams takes a look at the Roland Boutique D-05 - the reboot of the classic D-50 synthesizer from the 1980s.
With all the PCM library expansions, its like a fully loaded D-50 but in smaller form.
Check our Awesome MAX4Live Synth: bit.ly/wavejunction
Subscribe to Sonicstate on KZbin for new content!
bit.ly/SonicYTSub
Watch Sonicstate's Exclusive Series:
Sonic LAB: bit.ly/SonicLab
Meet The Makers: bit.ly/SonicMakers
Sonicstate Performances: bit.ly/SonicPerformances
Sonic TALK Podcast: bit.ly/SonicTalk
NAMM 2017: bit.ly/SonicNAMM2017
Website: www.sonicstate.com
Twitter: #!/sonicstate
Facebook: / wwwsonicstate
Instagram: / sonicstateuk
Podcast/iTunes: goo.gl/4uOFA5

[@HisXLNC]

Some may say the sounds are dated, but if you’re into vaporwave, this is the sound of the future.

[@halcyondaystunes]

ah, The Bob Ross of synths :D

[@acadams5]

HOW DID I NEVER NOTICE THIS

[@Jkeane1337]

Best analogy ever made

[@Nightingale1887]

Looked more like Charles Manson, up until he spoke.

[@Michael_Smith-Red_No.5]

"Little fluffy clouds, little fluffy clouds. Remember that it's okay to have happy accidentals. Sh sh sh . . .look at that screen, now you've made a little family of piano. Thingies. Where's my squirrel ?!?!"

[@Koettnylle]

Or possibly, the Karl Marx of synths if we're commenting appearance.

[@denecarter3667]

For those who dislike the ‘standard’ sound of the synth, you can switch it to ‘high quality’ mode which completely removes the 80s crunchiness. Add that to the portability, the wealth of free patches out there, and you’ve got a really killer synth with a unique sound that you can throw in your bag and use in a coffee shop without looking too ridiculous. Love it.

[@WoodyPianoShack]

I have a video coming up with A/B demonstrations of those two modes, most of you won't be able to tell the difference.

[@jdoo2252]

Genius review Gaz. Demonstrated all that was good and bad. 5 mins in and I had flash back to programming nightmares. Currently re-breathing into paper bag. Good to spread the misery to a new generation

[@buggzo]

Haha

[@offthewallsk818]

J DIver your failures are your own, old man. Patch base. No time to relive the frustration of your glory days.

[@2112jonr]

@@offthewallsk818 Do you ever get party invites?

[@offthewallsk818]

@@2112jonr nah. But sometimes I put party hats on all my synths and pour drinks in their Keybed a so I don’t drink alone and I have something to fix that week

[@JCBudro16]

Me at the start of the video: "Man, I never should have sold my D-50" Me at the editing portion: "oh...right..."

[@ClayMann]

Gaz is so good at these demo's. I never feel I'm being sold something which sadly Is all too common. We need more Gaz on the channel! I'm glad this exists and as part of a whole range there's that little sonic area it can add but we didn't want to go back to editing on an 80 character display or whatever it is. They added a sequencer so clearly they didn't care about an exact 1:1 replica. They should have put a load of the controls from the programmer onto this. In fact its mind boggling to me why they didn't.

[@lassejensen1210]

Totally agree with the feeling of not being sold something. Really refreshing and makes for a better, more neutral take on gear.

[@snolan1990]

Nick is great at the demos as well.

[@bboymac84]

Clay Mann yes I love Gazs charm in his demos.

[@random007nadir]

D50Librarian is a free PC based graphical real time patch editor (over MIDI) which also emulates the PG1000 unit. It makes accessing all the D50s parameters easy if you've got a nearby PC with MIDI.

[@EzyoMusic]

Neat! Makes me want to pick up a D-50. They're not that expensive.

[@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene]

Well done Gaz! Thank you especially for the editing section, been very curious about sound design on this oldnew synth.

[@illustriouschin]

My cat heard the first patch and thought another cat was in danger.

[@rachelar]

"Love Action" by Human League intro, played it to a street cat; he wasn't impressed.

[@kiko1935]

@@rachelar cat: I ordered the behringer cat you think I care about your silly digital?

[@Tallpaaaul]

I really want this! Great job as ever Gaz

[@bigmoneysteppa]

4 oscillator with there own envelopes. Best synthesis of them all and one of the very few that actually make sense.

[@SPAZZOID100]

steppa money crippled interface

[@Jason75913]

the 21st century digital Junos all have similar architecture, D-50/D-05 is their ancestor afterall this also goes for the Fantoms, FA, and JD-Xi

[@mc2engineeringprof]

Gaz compliments Nick so well for these reviews and they seem to select Gaz for those "better than toys" synths and controllers where he really knows how to differentiate the diamonds from the rough and Nick for the "let's see if the big plastic case is more 'plastic' or more 'big'". No easy feat for either man. In truth, Gaz is as technically astute as Nick is, and Nick is as right-brained an artist as Gaz is...but on each, you just need to listen a bit more closely to pick up on such. Still, I love watching both men go through the paces with each bit of gear. I'm an engineer with 3 master's degrees and undergrad degrees in engineering, physics, and mathematics and use those extensively in my day job, but I've also been programming synths since the early 1980's and composing engaged in music production as a "prosumer" since...so I know the struggle in straddling those two worlds...and it's real. But Nick and Gaz handle that balance with the wisdom and grace of at at once rocket scientists while also being Olympic gymnasts. This is what separates their videos from the rest who all seem to have lost the plot before the video is nary halfway finished. Great review Gaz...you and Nick keep up the great work. We'll be watching and listening...trust me!

[@justindrakecroft]

well said.

[@daikuone]

Agree with the way they stay the course. Most reviews are surface only, and Nick and Gaz do a great job of digging in.

[@haidar6280]

no one asked boomer

[@Ajonra]

Thank you so much for this video. I’m new to analogue synths and I’ve had this unit for about 5 months. I’ve been waiting for some type of tutorial to hit KZbin. After a while I just gave up and used the basic things I could figure out. I searched one last time before I was going to sell it and found your video. I’m so thankful for this video. You have a new fan.

[@nukubu9379]

Roland does not make analogue synths anymore.

[@thrashmetalz666]

@@nukubu9379 Se-02?

[@Momiyama808]

It's always a pleasure to see Gaz do a review. Cheers fam!

[@lassejensen1210]

Awesome job Gaz, always enjoy your reviews! Nick is also really great, but it is always nice to see you as well for a change of pace.

[@machiwoomiapoo]

Another great review Gaz. I'm glad you are doing the Boutique reviews. Your honest about what it can do and demonstrate the pros and cons very well. Thanks for doing this! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

[@st0rmchild]

I agree. He also has experience with all the original hardware.

[@analoguewings]

Just ordered a Kordbot. What synth were you demoing again?

[@gregorsmith]

Tremendous review and explanations! Thanks.

[@nickdestruct]

sucks they discontinued this.. scalpers been having a field day with gear the last 5 years.

[@X-101]

Im more interested in the Kordbot lol

[@Dogboy73]

Same here! WTF is that thing?! :D

[@acadams5]

I agree - Gaz, when are you going to demo/review the Kordbot?

[@fortheloveofnoise]

Not I!

[@arechfer]

waitting for mine...

[@Potterzilla]

Exactly what I thought upon opening this video, how much are they?!

[@SynthgodXXX]

Awesome demo Gaz!!! So going to get a D-05 after Christmas!! A++++++++++

[@MarshalArnold]

Love the D-05, a great addition to the boutique line 😎🤓

[@astrophonix]

I just want something with a joystick. Wonder if it can send MIDI cc so I could use it to control a VCS3 VST's joystick?

[@my4trackmachine]

I really feel like Gaz has come into his own as a reviewer. Great job and an excellent presentation of this synth.

[@10051969401]

great video! Thank you, very informative! Could you please, tell me how can I connect the Roland D-05 to the Roland VR-09 so that it can be controlled from the VR-09?

[@ProckGnosis]

Thanks Gaz...I've always wondered about this synth, but never felt I was missing it sonically (so to say), because so many romplers ended up covering the same territory, albeit with a slightly different approach, and a MUCH easier-to-work-with interface it seems.

[@milk_bath]

Did Roland ever release an effects box/rack with the D-50 effects algorithms?

[@meneerjansen00]

Great review al always. Positive yet critical.

[@thestourvalleysynthesizerc6543]

Gaz, you mentioned using it at home with the audio over USB. How did you find that as that would be my preferred method of interfacing with my Mac and Live if I got one. Thanks

[@MrRickyTee]

Another great and honest review from Gaz. I remember the D50 the first time round a real ground breaker. The D05 was never meant to be an analogue/VA type module so I think some of the comments about it have been a bit harsh. Its true that it does lend itself to a preset approach which is only a downer if its the only synth module you might have. However I'd imagine most users will have a number of different synths so I see it finding its place in combination with other sounds. Its come down in price recently and with such a small footprint I'd definitely consider adding it to my collection.

[@3rdPersonProductions]

Thanks for this presentation! This one is going on the dream gear wishlist for sure. Like how Roland kept to that early digital “hype design” 🕶️

[@BioSoftStudios]

Beautiful looking synth. I just sold my second ju06a and bought this d05, finally, a boutique with beautiful sounds and the ability to create user sounds, now that is a complete synth

[@marklinney5045]

Please can you tell me the model of the midi controller. It's unusual

[@Oceanwireaudio]

Nice work Gaz, really useful

[@edwardcotter7623]

Does anyone know if the USB port on the D-05 accepts midi in or is only for output? I'm tempted to pair this thing with a roli seaboard block, but for some reason roli is building those without anything but a USB midi out.

[@sonicstate]

yep MIDI io and Audio on USB

[@LeeVaiM]

he's so excited about synths I love it

[@bboymac84]

Can you guys go over the Roland DJ series? 808,505 or 202?

[@hiltonius]

well done, gaz! excellent!

[@Hirsbrochannel]

I love you Gaz and I need a Kordbot for my D-05... happy Christmas

[@marketingdisaster]

Gaz, you're the best. Thanks for this!

[@Freyelise]

There's a freeware called Ctrlr, which is like a universal midi controller. It works with presets called Panels, which are made by users and correspond to a certain synth model. The Panel for D-50 works 1:1 with the D-05, so that's a good way to get into programming this if you're interested.

[@EarmonkeyMusic]

I've been using CTRLR with the D-05 and it makes a huge difference. Everything is there. It still has a learning curve, but man it's way easier with 30-40 faders

[@DarraghRedmond]

Nice one Gaz, Wow some of those pads .

[@sonicultura]

I hope to see a tutorial from you guys on the KordBot! Happy New Year!!

[@thejuice1254]

You got Marooned on a desert island with alll the roland synths man!

[@cybernitemusic]

I’m curious what tech they use to emulate the sound.

[@trumjohannsmancave]

What a great demo! I am getting one😍🎹👍

[@americareal3]

PRINCE Use the D-50 Excessively... Very Prominent on the Love Sexy Album.

[@dinogoldie9716]

Has Roland discontinued the D05? Stores like Absolute, PMT and Andertons don't list it on their online stores. There's noticeably few for sale on eBay. If it has been shelved, can anybody reading this recommend a good/cheap polyphonic synth/sound module?

[@quantumeseboy]

My VC-1 card for V-Synth didn't sound as nice or am I imagining stuff?

[@Elevator-Sound]

Geddon Gaz, great review mate!

[@FreddyUnreal]

Anyone know what that controller is?

[@tuthuynuyen]

Please could you tell me what the midi controller is , never seen one like that , many thanks. Also Help! having difficulty changing patches past the number 8! I can see you go through patch bank 1-8 changing patches numbers. But that's only 8x8 , 64? I can't work out how to access the Rest of the patches! Re: diminutive size. Excellent for gigging when you don't have access to car, can transport via public transport in a small bag!!!!

[@sonicstate]

kordbot - I think Gaz mentioned it in more detail in the video

[@tuthuynuyen]

sonicstate, thanks so much , I froze the video and could just about read the name. No wonder Gaz is smiling so much, he had a kordbot. Massive delays on manufacturing as home made ... can't wait to get one ... Might be waiting a while!

[@mCKENIC]

Thanks Gaz!

[@bigmoneysteppa]

Nice work gaz.

[@NigDub]

Love the Gaz presented demo's! I wonder if it wouldn't be an interesting idea to compare filter/distortion boxes as there a lot around. Elektron Analog heat, Ericasynth Acidbox 3 , Jomox resonator,...

[@kevingamache1512]

What is that controller he is using? I had d50s and now have a d05. I usually use my remote 25 or one of my other boards. But I'm digging that ribbon. Maybe I should find the first Yamaha djx.

[@dirthawk]

Kevin Gamache isla instruments kordbot

[@kevingamache1512]

@@dirthawk Thanks

[@Individual_two]

Great review, Gaz! I have a soft spot for the 80's/90's digital synths and collect the rack versions. I think Roland did a very good job with the D-05 in replicating the D-50 and I may eventually spend the $350 it costs to add one. I know programming through the "keyhole" is a challenge and that busy iOS editor even looks daunting, but it is still fun to tweak up some custom patches. For non-programmers it is important to note that the D-05 comes with all of Roland's D-50 expansion card data installed, which could add up to some signficant money very quickly. Therefore, for the expansion card patch data alone, this is worth the money.

[@NoobMasterX1]

I think D 05 is the best in the boutique line.

[@Zeal808]

BestMasterpiece seriously...I don’t think most people even understand its capabilities

[@Nydusmusic]

Thank you!

[@joecool8674]

what's the controller he's using?

[@zlippery1]

That outro reminds me of the movie The Big Blue. Classic!

[@Andrezors]

The patch used with the sequencer was magical

[@hundovir]

You needed an enormous knob to program the D-50? It was a real MAN'S synth! ;-) Great review.

[@jloiben12]

It would be cool to see a 1080 boutique

[@SendyTheEndless]

I don't use presets much, but when I do, I use Soundtrack

[@williamshaneblyth]

what is the white box in front of it he is using to play it, never seen that before

[@AABattery]

ISLA Instruments Kordbot. Fresh from Kickstarter

[@dennisleeftink6279]

shane blyth KordBot

[@X-101]

Kordbot, it was kickstarted controller based around playing chords

[@MobiusVideo]

www.islainstruments.com/shop/

[@Rhuggins]

I love Gaz hes so eccentric i love it

[@looneyburgmusic]

The Roland D-5 had a "Chase" function as well, but I never bothered to compare with the D-50 to see if it's an identical effect..

[@definitelymiami7978]

I wonder if you could sync the vector joystick with something like a Yamaha TG33. Would be rad to have the D-05 and TG33 midi'd up and control the vectors via one joystick.

[@LeadingMotive]

definitelymiami Unfortunately, the D-05's joystick does not send MIDI. A real shame, it would have been great to control e.g. the VSTi Wavestation.

[@definitelymiami7978]

Too bad. Thanks for the info.

[@1995.hondacivic]

this might be a dumb question but does the d-05 come with a keyboard?

[@laneanderson9433]

Nah not unless you buy from a private seller or something selling the module and keyboard together.

[@leonardselzler360]

Sonic Lab reviews are the best!

[@_Thorsten]

Nice review

[@dusanvukasovic2525]

My only encounter with that kind of Roland was X5D, which was very attracting. I guess external editor (is there such thing?) makes D05 desirable. Unmistakable digital sound, though.

[@christophertodman8254]

Is it me or does this sound subjectively better than Roland's Soundcloud counterpart?

[@Jason75913]

The factory presets sound dated and shrill as heck, but other vids with people showing off custom patches have won me over. Love the sound. But it is discontinued and looks like it may soon become hard to find already, damn. It does seem like I may be able to closely imitate it with my Juno-DS, at least. So this recreation of a vintage synth is now a vintage synth itself, lol! edit: love how it looks like some kind of computer straight out of an '80s sci-fi movie

[@XanderEwald]

Thanks for the great review Gaz, was a pleasure to watch! I was sceptic if the D-05 would tick my box, but now I imagine it could work pretty well in a vapor wave or grime/bass music context. Will give it a try!

[@EarmonkeyMusic]

Damn. Maybe I need to hook up my Kordbot to my D-05...

[@thestourvalleysynthesizerc6543]

Roland D-05 or Novation Circuit Gaz?

[@bobacks]

Great review. Just bough one (been umming and erring for months) for £300 from Gear4Music.

[@EliasBendix]

Great review! probably the best out there and definetly my favorite! What is it that he's talking about that could connected to D-05 that you also could be connected to the D--50 that allows you to control all midi and stuff? sounds like he says PG 100... I want to be able to connect a "hold" pedal and figure out how to to control filter on the bar next to the pitch bend....

[@dirkkeersmaekers4343]

JM jarre made his album 'revolutions' almost completely with the D-50 only

[@VuotoPneumaNN]

That album sucks.

[@dirkkeersmaekers4343]

@@VuotoPneumaNN That album is great!

[@Selfdate24]

You are amazing : )

[@Novaheart1998]

Really nice. I had in the past a D50 and D550 and the only issue was programming them - it was kinda annoying but interesting for sure. You need to have paitience and enjoy sitting around fiddling with menus and buttons for hours, which I like. But I prefer knobs and sliders but I have other synths for that. Never had the PG 1000, that would have helped. I have several boutiques and I love em but I don't have this one yet.

[@Wil_Dsense]

Cool comment, yes I agree, having the patience to edit the parameters pays of once your playing the awesome self created patch and hopefully use it in a production. similar to how I experienced editing the patches on The volca fm for example, pretty complex to learn at first but it felt rewarding. Yeah I also have wanted to Get the D-05 also just found out it’s been discontinued -_- I got my first boutique JU-06a recently it’s very Cool, now am looking to Get another one (such as Jx-03) to pair up with midi for synth layering. Cheers

[@Fatdogrecords]

Decent review V powerful synth Will go lovely next to my Juno 60

[@supersquare]

Why are synth enthusiasts always so angry? Looking at you, commenters.

[@Jason75913]

mental illness

[@el_dani]

where's the review about this white keyboard?

[@volt7cooltangs701]

What’s the D-05 polyphony please anyone?

[@Jason75913]

16, if I recall correctly

[@trakrekkid]

Gaz's reviews are the best.

[@spookypen]

Glad I got one of these when I did, they are becoming expensive and hard to find...

[@RaquelFoster]

It's funny to hear Gaz going on about the D-50 being notoriously tedious to program... while the whole time all I can think is damn did they actually put a 16x2 rompler display on that thing? That's the best interface of any Roland Boutique! I wish my JX-08 had a display that showed me patch names! I actually programmed two of the banks in my XL-1 Turbo with the names from the JX-08 patches so I could scroll through the patches and see the names. Imagine if the original D-50 only gave you a 4-digit segmented display like Roland puts on most of their stuff these days. Nobody would even know the name of Digital Native Dance or Pizzagogo! But there were those 1995 Expansion Series modules with segmented displays. I mean honestly I think it's charming the way the M-DC1 Dance and M-VS1 Vintage Synth just have a 3-digit display. At least I can say I have something with a worse display than my JX-08.

[@fortheloveofnoise]

My only gripe is that it is not a 1/4th" audio out.

[@st0rmchild]

The 1/8" outputs are really just for chaining a few boutiques together for a quick jam session. Otherwise USB is a better choice for audio output. The extra set of DA/AD conversions needlessly degrades the signal and wastes a pair of inputs on your audio interface.

[@dmomcilovic9185]

Two years on and already going up in price.

[@marcthomas8192]

Great Video. I believe that digital is gonna a have a huge coming back once the analog hype has slowed down. There are many things that you can do with digital technology that don't work on analog circuit. The d 05 is an example.

[@bobafettuccine]

I've been really happy with the sounds I can get from this thing, but as a really tactile person, these button-menu based synth designs are a nightmare.

[@fnonaka]

No stereo line out? Just a phone out?

[@Elctrc]

I think the UX is unacceptable! BUT why nobody mentioned the Dtronics DT-01? Hopefully all the knobs you need.

[@lavaita9709]

It wasn't available at the time the review was done.

[@st0rmchild]

Great synth, but other than the joystick (which doesn't look like it can take much abuse), there's very little reason to get this in boutique form. If you're actually going to create and edit sounds, you'll want to do that on a computer anyway.

[@SanplerVarondaro]

que buen video saludos desde Tijuana

[@patientzero4889]

Hey guys! Will you be reviewing the MFB Dominion Club at any point?

[@hostnik777]

"The complete editing experience..." is exactly the problem. There really is no excuse to not try and improve the UI on a synth this deep. Especially on the software version!