Roland D550
in
Le grand Bleu?
To end the reign of the Yamaha DX7, Roland’s competitors produced the famous linear synthesis D50, which marked an entire generation, as evidenced by its use in the (very bad) film The Big Blue.
And it’s true that the D50 has a real personality, the main characteristic of which lies in a mixture of warmth and sonic precision. Roland engineers understood that it was time to rediscover the charm of analog synthesis and despite its entirely digital design, the D50, through its combination of 4 waveforms (which can be either samples or analog waves), produces an extremely dynamic and rich sound.
The D550 is the expander version of the D50. In hindsight, its sounds may seem dated, but it is still very useful to me in the studio when I need to add a “layer of varnish” to certain passages. Indeed, it gives off a kind of particular aura, very fine and clearly perceptible in the mix. The D50 was used a lot on Sarabandes, which is sometimes criticized for its overly digital keyboard sounds. On the contrary, I find that the mix of digital synths of the time with analog ones like the Sigma or the Bit one, is rather successful … but go and please everyone!