Roland D-05 Boutique synth is a remake of the D-50
The new Roland D-05 is the latest addition to the growing range of boutique synthesizers from the tech giant.
This time they’ve opted to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the launch of the original Roland D-50 by launching the D-05 remake.
Other Boutique range instruments include the Jupiter-8, TR-909, SE-02 and SH-101.
The D-50 first came out in 1987 and could be found on many 80’s and 90’s music. A digital synth, the D-50 combined sampled sounds and synthesis to deliver something often compared to the Yamaha DX7. It also had a joystick to control assigned parameters.
The Roland D-05 is a slimmer, more compact rendition of the original, much like all the Boutique instruments which emphasise portability as the big part of their appeal.
All the original presets are included on the Roland D-05 and the joystick is there too. The new version is even compatible with patches created on the original.
Of course the new models can all offer additional features that were not readily available 30 years ago; these include an arpeggiator and a 64-step polyphonic sequencer.
All Boutique instruments can be powered via USB or battery, have a built-in speaker and can used with Roland’s K-25M keyboard accessory or with any other MIDI keyboard. The D-05 is no different.
Cost for the Roland D-05 is expected to be around $ 349 (R 4,700)
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