Musical tales from the last fifty years—directly from the people making it. What’s your story?
Since 1972, Roland and BOSS gear has been chosen by countless musicians to help bring their ideas to life. And with thousands of instruments launched over the past fifty years, our customers have some great stories* to tell. Here are a few of the submissions we’ve received so far.
*Submissions edited for format and clarity. The submission period has now ended. Thank your for your stories..
Paul Yates: Long Distance Collaboration
I’ve been playing Roland drums for 18 years and owned numerous electronic kits and pads. I started off with the TD-6 and have progressed over the years playing numerous models. These include the TD-8, TD-12, TD-20, TD-30, SPD-20, and SPD-SX. I currently use the HPD-20 for percussion and the TD-50 with the updated sound library for the drums. In addition, I use the RT-30K and RT-30 HR triggers for my acoustic setup.
My Roland story will hopefully inspire others to think about creating music differently. It started in April 2020 at the beginning of the pandemic.
Through social media, a group of like-minded people who’d never met came together. Our goal was to create a fundraising song in support of the National Health Service. We built the whole song in steps with each contributor adding their ideas on top of the last person’s. The drums went down first, and I started crafting out an arrangement. The end result was “Save our Heroes.”
I recorded all the drums using the TD-30. The last thing to go down was the HPD-20 percussion parts. Without the recording and exporting capabilities of our Roland modules, none of this would have been possible. Exporting the drum parts as separate stems provided the luxury of recording each voice in isolation at home. Roland technology made it possible to collaborate online.
The chemistry was amazing; it was as if we’d known each other for years. This led to an ongoing online collaboration. We call ourselves the LeAnne Burke Band. The members are me on drums and percussion, Ashley Dean on bass, Ian Jones on keys, organ, and brass, and LeAnne Burke who writes lyrics and sings.
In addition, LeAnne and I formed the duo Burke & Yates. Our release Two Sides features the TD-50 and upgraded sound sets from Roland Cloud. We’ve received a fair amount of local airplay including the BBC.
Perhaps you’re wondering if we’ve met in person yet? Well, at this moment, we haven’t, but hope to do so soon.
Alrick Huebener : A Pandemic Studio
I have used Roland and BOSS gear for many years, but at no time were they more important than during the pandemic. My Roland Rubix24 is the heart of my music production system for recording onto iPad multitrack apps.
My guitar and bass go through BOSS pedals, mainly a GT-1000CORE and an older SY-300 Guitar Synthesizer, which create a role of classic amp sounds and great reverbs and delays. Their tones and effects make me feel like I am playing through a great amp—sometimes in an intimate club, sometimes in a stadium, sometimes in outer space on a voyage to another planet.
I often use the BOSS RC-500 looper to create background tracks and chord structures to support lead guitar improvisation. The music created with these tools is then used as the audio track for videos or as a music track for spoken word vocals by poets I collaborate with. Music in a poetic context helps support the text and bring out feelings that are beyond the words.
The Roland and BOSS tools let me access sounds that range from classic guitar and bass tones to imaginative and ethereal sonic landscapes. During a very isolating time when so much of the live music scene had disappeared, this mini-studio kept me engaged with music and my creative friends.
Mark Warr : Musical Realization
I composed and recorded an entire album, Pictures on Water, on a Roland JUNO-G with expansion boards. The audio quality was so good that I was able to send the digital audio files directly to the mastering engineer, Nick Landis.
Two other albums, One Glance and Restructure used a Roland XV-5050 and a Roland JV-1010. The latter was an early rompler whose sound I still love. The XV-5050 gives you the world at your fingertips with S/PDIF out. Hard to beat that. I couldn’t have realized my musical ideas without Roland gear. Thank you.
Tony Drake: Cape Town Creativity
My journey with Roland started in 1980. I traded a home organ for a Roland SH-2 synthesizer, a Roland RS-09 string machine, and the classic BOSS CE-2 chorus pedal.
Soon after that, I tried a JUPITER-4 synthesizer. After struggling to get finances for a JUPITER-8 in 1983, I settled for a JUNO-60, which I bought unseen from the first shipment of JUNOs to South Africa. I was not sorry. The JUNO-60 served me well for about four years, after which I traded it in for a Super JX-10. In 1991, I purchased a JD-800, which is still the centerpiece of my project studio 31 years later.
In 2008, the notes on my JD-800 started sticking, and I contacted the South African Roland agent with the hope of getting it serviced. Imagine my surprise when—after providing my serial number—Roland replaced the entire keybed free of charge, some 17 years after purchase. Now that’s service.
I currently use the JD-800 and a Roland JV-1080 in my studio for regular recording and production work. I also use a Roland JUNO-Di and a VR-09 V-Combo on stage and was gifted a Super JX-10 plus PG-800 programmer. I enjoy experimenting with them when creating my content, alongside a GAIA SH-01 and an S-760 sampler.
A total of 42 years of creative joy with Roland synthesizers. I am keen to try the JUPITER-X and the new JUNO-X as soon as I get the opportunity. But for now, my JD-800 still ticks all the boxes for me.
Paolo aka Zoltar: Magical Machines
I’m Paolo, but you can call me Zoltar. I’m 50 years old, and I love Roland synths. My first Roland keyboard was an old D-10. It was 1991, and it was the beginning of a passion that continues today. After that, there were dozens of gorgeous machines like the D-50, almost all E-Series keyboards, the wonderful JUPITER-80, and tons of other unique and magical instruments like the DJ-70 sampling workstation! My latest Roland synth purchase was the incredible JUPITER-X.
Roland has accompanied me for over 12 years of piano bar performances with the E-Series. I was able to create my first album, Electro Dei. In this album, I used my old but very good DJ-70 that was given to me by my grandmother. I play it in memory of her. It also remains a fantastic sampler.
This year we started a new project: Cisum Ruoy Production. Our first single called “DiscoKristo” has been released and was made in large part with Roland products—JUPITER-X, JUPITER-80, D-50, and DJ70.
What wonder awaits us tomorrow?
Adrianna Krikl: My Favorite Synth
I had a JUNO-106 when I was a kid in the ’80s, and I regret the day I gave it up.
Roland recently released the JU-06A, a little replica of my favorite synth from my youth. This module can connect to a keyboard, but I’m using the Chord button with arpeggio function, along with some super-cool modern pedals I wish I’d had when I was a kid. Roland inspired me in my youth and has continued to inspire me decades later.
Nick Standing: Welcome to the Club
I’ll never forget the incredible gift my twin gave me on my 29th birthday, something I could never have seen coming. Since my teens, Roland gear has fascinated me—from the colorful BOSS stompboxes I took gigging to the crazy afternoon spent jamming on a JUNO-6 in Brighton. In hindsight, my friends and I should have pooled all our wallets to take that synth home.
My musical personas are Jabun, an ambient project, and Better Than The Book, a high-energy ska-punk band. Both are full of the sound of BOSS pedals, 808 booms, JUNO pads, and other synthy Roland sonic enhancements.
Better Than The Book’s second album Hopes and Dreams was my first release to feature that TR-08. My twin, working as a Roland representative, got me the unit for Christmas.
Sitting in the kitchen on my birthday, he gave me a brown envelope labeled “fragile.” Puzzled, I opened the small envelope. Inside was a small message which concluded with the words “Welcome to the club.”
My twin and dad exchanged looks and my twin pulled out a red flight case—a little bigger than a piece of paper and a few inches thick. “What the heck could this be?” I thought. He asked me to open it and look inside.
Within the red case was an appropriately aged but fully functioning TR-505 Rhythm Composer. Here was the sound of the synthwave tunes I’d been filling my ears with and my favorite of the classic digital Roland drum machines. I was gobsmacked, filled with adrenaline, thankful, and excited. My first piece of gear from before I was born. Welcome to the club, indeed: the vintage synth club.
It’s been an amazing addition to my studio for jamming, composing, and layering sounds and textures in my productions. There are already a ton of Jabun demos filled with the 505. Thanks to my brother for the gift and Roland for being a constant force of inspiration in my music.
Patrick De Rycke: Always Roland
I walked into a music store in the early 1990s and saw the Roland E-30. I started playing it and was very impressed by the pure sound and all kinds of possibilities. I especially appreciated the weight because lugging an organ was not so easy. So, I switched from another brand to Roland, starting with the Roland E-70.
This was really a new musical world that opened up for me. From then on, I didn’t play anything but Roland. I have owned these Roland instruments since 1991: E-70 keyboard, JX-1 synth, D-50 synth, G-800 keyboard, RA-95 module, and VA-7 keyboard.
I still own a JUNO-D synth, E-A7 keyboard, TD-9KX2 digital drum kit, and RH-300V headphones. Soon, I see myself swapping the JUNO-D with the latest FANTOM-6.
Before COVID, I played a few gigs with a fellow musician—I’m the drummer. However, I don’t do gigs anymore but keep busy in my home studio putting together songs via a DAW. And what’s the best way to do that? Roland instruments.
I know one thing for sure: mine will always be Roland instruments.
Kazuhiko Tanaka: 50 Years of Memories Starting with the System 700
I started with ham radio when I was a little kid and built some digital devices in high school. Around that time, I got inspired by a friend making a modular synthesizer and became interested in electronic musical instruments. Then at my local musical instrument store, I encountered the System 700 for the first time. My synthesizer career began at that moment.
In university, I founded a private microcomputer community and spent my days and nights creating microcomputers, DAC/GATE units, networks, and automatic performance programs. At a university festival, I borrowed a System 700 from Roland and performed Yellow Magic Orchestra, Paul Mauriat, and my compositions on stage. Since I was playing outside under the sun, I remember very well that my synthesizer got out of tune.
One day, when I was checking out the gear at the Roland showroom in Osaka, an Austrian consul with a composing hobby came in. He planned to retire and return to Austria. When he saw me playing the System 700 with the MC-8, he said, “Wow, this is cheaper than hiring an orchestra. I’ll buy one with my retirement money!” There were other episodes around this time. For example, the System 700 and MC-8 got installed at the computer academy where I worked part-time due to my demonstrations.
After getting a job, I bought the SC-88VL, MCR-8, JP-8080, XV-5050, UA-55, R-1, CS-10EM, JP-8080, and XV-5050. Currently, I lead a community called the Musashino Media Research Institute, which uses a network and various devices to create digital content. We plan to announce more content related to DTM in the future.
I heard that it is the 50th anniversary of the company’s founding. When I think about it, I have been using Roland products for about 50 years. There are more memories. I even jointly won a prize in a Roland contest with the song “One-Note Samba.” Roland instruments deeply impress me, which is why I continue to use them.
Attila: A FRAGILE Band
My Roland story started around 1990 when I was 19. I had a chance to get a Roland D-110 module—which I loved. But one day, I went in the diplomacy shop (there was no normal musical instrument shop in Hungary at that time), and I found several Roland U-20 expansion cards including “Sax & Trombone” and “Electric Guitar.”
I was in love because I had a song in progress based on a jazz guitar and a mellow sax sound. So, I bought those cards and spent all the money I had. Then I started to think about how I could buy a Roland U-20 for those cards.
As a child of a single mom, there was no chance to get it. We spent all summer selling ice cream and beer to get some extra money for the synth.
Finally, I had my desired U-20 in a nice hard case with a huge “Fragile” word on the side. (I bought it from a guy who travelled a lot.)
One day, after a beach concert at Lake Balaton, a girl came to me and asked, “What is the name of the band?”
I said, “There’s no name yet. We are just trying to find out.”
She replied, “Oh, I thought it’s FRAGILE…”
“You know what, this is the name of the band!” I said.
That’s how my band’s name was born.
A few months later, I had to leave FRAGILE to become a keyboard player for one of the most famous music groups in Hungary: R-GO. Then, Roland Hungary became our sponsor, and I had a chance to get a Roland D-70 and a JD-800.
Several years later, I became a film sound engineer. Nowadays, I have a JUNO-STAGE, and I’ve started thinking about buying a JUPITER-X or a JUNO-X. We’ll see, but I definitely need a hard case with a sign: “Fragile.”
Paul Harlyn: Big Synth Sound
In 1982, the band I was in was showcasing for the major NY labels. Our original songs were synth-heavy, so I set a goal to purchase the most powerful synth of the day. The Roland JUPITER-8 fit the bill with its powerful Unison Mode that could hold its own against our band’s big guitars and drums. Manny’s Music on 48th St. in NYC had one, and I went home a happy guy.
In 1984, a Roland rep invited me to attend the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim, CA. For the first time, synthesizers were patched together with this new protocol called MIDI.
A few months later, I took my prized JP-8 (Serial # 192077) to Dr. Sound in SoHo, and he installed 5-pin MIDI connectors and a corresponding daughterboard inside. Now my synth could have the best of both worlds: great expressiveness from its left-hand controllers and MIDI control coming from the new MIDI sequencers of the day.
Now 40 years later, my prized JP-8 still lives in my studio and is used on almost every record I produce. It is no longer about its big unison sound, but the more subtle filtered-down oscillators that make a track sound rich without covering up other elements in the mix.
With only a few thousand of these powerful JP-8s made, I feel I am a member of a select club of synth fanatics who can rely on this well-built synth working for another 40 years.
Bravo Roland for allowing your early ‘80s synth designers to dream big and create something without limitations.
Dave: Getting Calibrated
Since I was fourteen, I dreamed of recording my own album. Slowly, after getting a degree and a real job, I began to acquire the tools. I needed a rhythm section. So I acquired a Roland R-70 Human Rhythm Composer and learned how to sequence it—first by hand, then via MIDI. Real drum sounds were rare in 1992, especially if you had no kit.
I recorded to tape, but I needed to sequence bass sounds. The R-70, although capable, didn’t fit the bill for me without a computer (a hefty purchase at the time). I purchased a synth and found it had a 60 Hz hum. My Roland R-70 didn’t do that. So I took it back for another one. Same thing. The third time, I told the dealer I wanted a replacement from a different brand. An argument ensued. Eventually, I plugged that synth in at the store and at low volume—no hum. I told the guy to increase the output to 70% (recording level). We vibrated the whole store. That synth needed to be calibrated.
He said he’d make me a deal: for $80 more, he’d get me a Roland JV-880. Now armed with the R-70, JV-880, and a shiny new Pentium PC, I was ready to go. Much to my surprise, the patches were so realistic, especially the bass, that I ended up keeping my scratch recordings in the mix to my first album—self-titled Get Calibrated.
From then on, I have needed nothing else (other than a few computers, countless sequencers, and—of course—guitars and amps). Both are still working, and I still use them every week. I’ve done film projects, instrumentals—you name it. Versatile equipment.
Plug-ins are nice, but hardware that lasts 30 years in studio—that’s hard to find. My JV and R-70 are essential tools for making music the way I want to make it, yet flexible enough to work on new projects with new software. They’re like that old car that you’ve taken care of all your life and when you drive, it just works. And when it works, you know it’s good.
Phil Young aka Redacted: Chasing a Dream
In the early ’80s, aged 7, I loved the music of the New Romantic era bands. I watched them on TV with their banks of massive synths, and I remember thinking, “I want to do that.” Years later, I learned that the synths behind the music I loved as a child were JUPITERs and JUNOs.
Skip forward a decade and my interest in music and synths was still as strong as ever. It was now the golden days of rave and acid house. It was a fantastic time for dance music. Once again, I found out that it was Roland gear responsible for making all the sounds I loved; the hoover stab; that weird, bubbly, squelchy, hypnotic, burble; that incredible kick drum. I still had the same thought; “I want to do that.”
Life, work, and family got in the way of my dreams, but I was fortunate enough to own some of the gear I fell in love with all those years ago. My late wife bought me an original TB-303 instead of a wedding ring as she knew it would mean so much to me. She was amazing.
I‘ve owned, enjoyed, and sold most of the ’80s and ’90s classic Roland synths and in some cases bought them again years later (D-50—I’m looking at you). I’d had the gear, but it went no further than playing at home. I still really wanted to play live. I knew I had the ability. I just needed the right tools.
Once again, Roland made it happen, and the timing was perfect. I bought an MC-707 as soon as it was released, and I can honestly say I’ve never been more musically productive. I’ve struggled to get inspired while using DAWs, so to have everything in one hands-on box was fantastic.
I’m proud to say I’ve now fulfilled my dream. I play live—finally. The MC-707 is the heart of the rig. There’s a TR-8S in there, along with a couple of TB-03s. An MX-1 keeps everything tight and adds a nice touch of polish to the sound. The reception has been beyond anything I hoped for, considering it’s still a hobby at heart. However, I’m going to take it further and see where I end up. I can’t wait.
Richard Jackson: It Had to Be Roland
It was 1985, and I’d just started playing the keyboard (using a guitar tuition book) when I read about a competition run by Roland. I quickly wrote a piece and sent it off, using two tape decks and a home keyboard.
Of course, I didn’t win. But I did get a desk pen, which I still have to this day. However, the name and the culture stuck, and when it came time to buy my first synth for the group I’d joined, it had to be a Roland—the JUNO-6.
I wasn’t disappointed; the sound was amazing. It was also a baptism by fire. Not only did I have to learn and memorize over an hour’s worth of songs, but I also had to learn how to program the sounds. Then I had to quickly create each unique sound in the time it took for the guitarist to change his amp settings. Suffice to say, when the D-50 came out, I quickly upgraded.
And so began my synth history, taking in ten Roland synths and one piano along the way. I never made it big, though I did rack up nearly a thousand gigs—and always with a Roland synth or two. Today I play for pleasure, and Roland is still by my side.
David Gordon: Standing the Test of Time
A while back, I was in my local charity shop and saw a brown cardboard box with the name Roland showing between the flaps. Too small to be a synthesizer, but just as wonderful, I opened the box and found a Roland PMA-5 in excellent condition! I like to compose away from my computer. And my handwriting is terrible, so when I saw what I had, I was delighted. I could carry the device with me and compose complex songs easily. It had MIDI and the GM (General MIDI) sound set.
Ever since, the PMA-5 has gone in my pocket or my shoulder bag any time I go out to South Downs National Park or the beach. My compositions get fed into my synths or DAW later, providing a fast and simple way of doing what I do without a laptop. The GM sound set means I can get a very good idea of the overall sound, and a small MIDI keyboard or the touch screen allows me to get the parts in quickly and easily.
Yes, it was old-ish when I bought it, but it does the job well and is still going. In fact, I have run through batteries to a total cost many times the original retail price of the unit, and it is still reliable and better than some more modern tools for composition. My Roland PMA-5 is as close to perfection as one could ask for.
Steven Burgess: Off the Grid
I am a 58-year-old drummer who has been playing drums for over 40 years. My first Roland drum machine was the TR-626. Through the years, I have owned many Roland products.
Moving forward to today, I continue to play drums and have now added percussion to my repertoire. Starting with my homemade Cajon, I began looking for something that would allow me to do both. Enter the Roland HandSonic HPD-20. This wonderful device had plenty of percussion sounds, and, to my surprise, drum kits as well.
Living off the grid in a tiny house (49.24 sq meters), I can set up the HandSonic and it hardly takes up any room. This is perfect for my situation. Roland is the only company with a device like this, and it has helped me in both performance and practice.
The natural sounds are amazing, and work perfectly for my band. We play a variety of different styles of music, and the HandSonic fits in great. I am also working with my wife as a duo. The HandSonic plays a big role, providing drums and percussion and allowing me to trigger loops and melodic sounds.
Thank you, Roland. Keep innovating.
Rod Wesson: Synth Obsession Collection
I was born in a special year, 1972, a couple of months before Roland was founded. As I started to notice music, the synthesizer was beginning to change the music scene. All these fantastic new sounds came from amazing-looking machines I could only dream of owning.
Most synths were knob-encrusted monoliths with wooden ends. However, one was featured on the cover of “New Song” by Howard Jones: the JUPITER-8. The distinctive heatsink and the plastic cover in the middle were surrounded by colorful buttons and the large Roland logo on the back. As a youngster on a council estate, this was the pinnacle of synthesizers I thought I’d never be able to afford.
In 1990, a friend knew someone who was selling a synth for £80. Naturally, I went along and found this little grey synth with the word Roland on it. I asked for a demo, but strangely the guy was uninterested and just let me try it. It was my chance to own a Roland, so I handed over the money. I had arrived. My first real synth—the SH-101.
A few years passed, and I saw a JUNO-106 listed in a local paper. After a hasty phone call, it was mine. The next year, I found a beat-up JX-8P in the music shop. Then I got my first real job and my first brand new Roland—a JP-8080.
After that, I could not stop myself. Now I have nineteen Roland synths as well as the TT-99 turntable, R-26 field audio recorder, clothing, and more.
Why all this? I love the feeling of being immersed in sound, a similar fuzzy feeling in the chest like when I used to wait for my girlfriend (now wife) to appear for a date. Just get a jam going, put headphones on, and bliss!
I feel a special connection to Roland sharing the same birth year. All the synths keep calling to me through their looks and sonic power. Thanks for making my music sound great. I’m looking forward to the next 50 years.
Steve Winter: Musical Adventures
After a lifetime of playing in bands, the past 25+ years have been in tribute acts. I could never have been able to give the songs justice without my trusty Roland FANTOM at the heart of my rig. It feels like having an orchestra at my fingertips, with all the layers and splits available to me.
Whether I needed a brass ensemble, solo sax, or a particular Hammond sound, the Roland had it all. Whatever the next musical adventure will be it’ll definitely involve the FANTOM.
Stephan Köhr: Busting Bassoon Boundaries
My first Roland synth was in 1979 the SPV-355 rack synthesizer. I was studying to become a classical bassoon player and played keyboards and woodwinds in progressive rock and fusion bands. I played the bassoon a contact microphone on the bassoon reed. It wasn’t very reliable but worked most of the time. I even had some guitar effect pedals.
When I learned Roland had released a new pitch-following synth that accepted pickup and microphone inputs, I drove two and a half hours to a hot music shop to test the SPV-355. The pitch-to-voltage converter worked and sounded great, even if the synth wasn’t recommended for bass instruments like my own.
I played a lot of gigs with the SPV-355. This was great fun, because as a bassoon player you normally have no chance sonically against guitars and keyboards. Though the mid-’80s I recorded song demos for my bands with it.
In 1981, I got the amazing TR-606 and TB-303 duo. To have an autonomous rhythm section in my studio was amazing. I could program long, complicated songs with them, with irregular and changing time signatures. I also triggered my bassoon with my TB-303 when I wanted a “fatter” sound.
By 1982, I could finally afford a polyphonic synthesizer after working during a semester break. With that money, I got one of the first JUNO-6 synths in Germany. I covered it with sticky notes for the manual patch changes during live concerts. Most of them I learned by heart because the JUNO was so easy to program.
A big music store in Frankfurt went out of business in 1984. From the bankruptcy estate, I got an Axis portable keyboard, a Planet S MKS-30, and an MKS-80 Super Jupiter rack module. These spiced up my sound considerably. I still use the MKS-80 today, and it’s dear to my heart.
Since that time, I have owned and played a lot of Roland gear. My latest acquisitions were a JUPITER-Xm and an Aerophone Pro AE-30. I look forward to what the future brings to us faithful Roland users.
In a photo from the period I’m playing electric bassoon, while on the upper left in a keyboard stand is the SPV-355. To my right is the JUNO-6.
Marco Costardi: Creating Complex Sounds
My adventure with Roland musical instruments connected to my personal studio began back in 1988 when I bought my first Roland keyboard—a still perfect D-50. Since then, many Roland keyboards and expanders were added. Sure, programming some of them is far more difficult than creating sounds in Roland or other brands’ instruments, but the main goal is amusement. No big things are born easily.
Since 1988, my list of Roland instruments expanded with A-80, D-550, Fantom-S, JD-800, JP-8000, P-330, U-20, V-Synth, and a BOSS DR-670.
Sometimes I begin my daily musical experience planning to write some music. However, in the end, I find myself enjoying creating sounds more, at first on an instrument and then mixing them with sounds on another instrument. Finally, I sample those together to get a unique and even more complex sound. My preference for Roland is thanks to their warm, yet powerful sounds, which are useful for every musical style. Especially for my favorite: new-age synthetic sounds.
On the table: A-80, D-550, P-330, DR-670 . Left stand: JD-800, D-50 . Middle stand: V-Synth, Fantom-S . Right stand: JP-8000
Hidemi Yamamoto: A Sample of Fate
When the sampler appeared on the music scene in the mid-1980s, I thought, “I want to make sampled music like Art of Noise!” I was a college student at the time, and I used the money I’d saved to buy the Roland S-50.
In a picture of the apartment I lived in at that time, you can see the display output of the S-50 on the TV. Small TVs at that time did not have a video input terminal, so I had to pass it through a VCR and then input it to the antenna terminal of the TV.
The S-50 came with a library of five floppy disks, but the SE of the fifth disk, RSB-E, was the best, and I made a song with the momentum I liked. Later, I formed a band with a girl who listened to the song and praised it as “cool!” We made an independent CD and got married. We had our silver wedding anniversary a few years ago. Without the S-50, I would have lived a different life.
It’s been over 30 years since then, selling and buying equipment, and moving away from and returning to my hobby of music, but I still remember the sounds of the S-50 and S-series.
Rich-Marv Ellis: Hand Drumming from South Africa
In 2000, I toured the USA with a music and dance group from South Africa. Our tour bus stopped off in a small Alabama town. Along with the other musicians, we found a music shop and browsed around.
The other percussionist in the group called me excitedly when the salesman began demonstrating an electro percussion instrument very new to us. It was the Roland HandSonic HPD-15.
It was not until 2005 that I managed to purchase my very own HandSonic. This is still in my collection and has served me well at gigs and shows throughout the years.
Another Roland product I proudly own and put to good use is my EC-10M ELCajon Mic Processor. Much gratitude to the Roland brand for their innovative, futuristic vision and pushing new sound frontiers.
Ben Fuentes: Soundtrack of My Life
1983 – I was 12 years old and had been taking classical piano lessons for five years. MTV launched two years earlier, and I was already mesmerized! But in 1983, Duran Duran and Journey were in heavy rotation, and I was hooked on their songs, videos, and as a keyboard player, what Nick Rhodes and Jonathan Cain were playing. The sounds they were making just grabbed me. I saw the Roland logo prominently displayed on stages, and I was sold! That’s what I want to sound like. I couldn’t afford a JUPITER-8, but my parents bought me an EP-11 for my 8th grade graduation. I used it to play Van Halen’s “Jump” with friends at the school talent show, and that began an almost 40-year relationship with Roland.
1988/89 – My band in high school, Closed Mondays, played some school dances and local events. I had a part-time job and saved money to buy a JUNO-2, TR-505, R-8, and the D-50. (And I still have the R-8 and D-50, by the way.) I was programming my own sounds and beats and tried my hand at MIDI and sequencing. I would never be able to make it a career, but I was having fun!
2010-Present – After a lull in my musical journey, I now enjoy playing in cover bands in the NY/NJ/CT area. My gigging setup is all Roland—the JUNO-STAGE, FA-06, and the AX-Edge. My home studio houses a TD-15KVX, HD-1, JV-90, KC-150, a pair of KC-350s, and the D-50.
Through the years, my Roland gear has been reliable. They look great on stage. And I can get any sound I need. They just sound incredible! I have kids now, and I hope they’ll find as much joy in music as I have and that they’ll carry on as Roland users.
Thank you for being such a huge part of my musical career and the soundtrack of my life!
Eamon Standing: A TR-08 for Christmas
The year was 2017, and I’d just started a job as Roland Product Specialist. It all still seemed like a dream.
Earlier, the bassist from our first band sent me a message saying Roland had some job openings. I’d always wanted to work for one of the big musical instrument companies, so I took no time in filling out an application. And especially to work with Roland!
We all loved Roland gear. Our first recordings were done using an Edirol interface, and my twin brother’s pedalboard was full of indestructible BOSS pedals. Just like our heroes.
But time had passed since our first band, and my brother’s horizons had expanded into electronic music. He loved the sound of the TR-808, especially that bass drum boom, and was using 808 samples in much of his work.
The first product to get released while I worked for the company? I was giddy when I found out about the TR-08. I already owned a JP-08, its enticing orange lights too much for me to resist, but this was the perfect Roland for my twin. Before 808 Day 2017, it was torture waiting to tell him the news, now that I had the inside track.
When 808 Day finally came, my brother’s head exploded at the news of the latest Roland Boutique addition. I would soon get to play with one, learn how it worked, and chat about it with customers. I even made a video with David Åhlund when he came in for a visit; what a legend that man is.
But I knew what could top that excitement for my dear brother—to open a TR-08 for Christmas. The anticipation was excruciating as the box waited in the cupboard at home, but it would all be worth it. Seeing his reaction, I’m not sure I’ll ever top that Christmas present, though I certainly try.
My brother continues to create entire ambient albums with that little 808 (see below video). To this day, it’s always on his desk, sitting in the spot of honor. On mine, that spot is for my TR-606, an amazing eBay find from a few years later. But that’s another of a million stories I could share to celebrate Roland’s 50th anniversary.
Harry Spaeth: Lifelong Accordion Love
My lifelong accordion hobby began at age eleven and continues into my nineties. It started with a very old one, the first of six, and will end with the entertaining, diverse Roland FR-3x.
The FR-3x bought in 2009, needed for its lighter weight in my advancing years, involved a steep learning curve with its many exciting possibilities. I added an alpine accordion sound and many additional orchestra and organ sounds, filling its four User Sets. The ten User Programs created more.
I use the battery set-up for freedom from the AC/DC cord and secured a powered speaker and stand for playing in large spaces.
I especially enjoy the brass sounds for rendering the National Anthem and the five Service Songs, “Trumpet Voluntary,” and “Melody in F.” I play “Liebesträum” as a string quartet and “Panis Angelicus” and “The Hallelujah Chorus” with organ sounds. The alpine accordion is used for “Danny Boy,” “I’m Always Chasing Rainbows,” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”
For over a year, at my wife of 65 years’ request, I give her a half-hour concert each evening. I go through my memorized repertoire alphabetically, alternating between the gospel song/hymn list and the classic pop tunes list. She writes down the titles, and then we check her answers. (She especially enjoys love songs.)
At age ninety, I sense what a rewarding and satisfying hobby this has been.
Hector Lopez: Making Magic
El-magico here from Minnesota USA. I would like to share how Roland products had a great influence on my approach to playing guitar and using effects to change the mood of a music production.
Around 1978, I was a young guitar player living in Puebla, Mexico—about 100 miles from the big city of Mexico City. To me, it was a dream to take a day off and hop on the bus to walk around the music stores and check out all the new guitar arrivals.
My very first pedal was a Roland AS-1 Sustainer. It was built like a tank and really changed my way of playing. The next year, with some savings, I found a BOSS BF-1. It had amazing capabilities and added a new color palette to my playing.
Sometime after that, I was able to get an amazing BOSS DM-1. That machine had synthesizer and delay effects I could play with my guitar. Those pedals encouraged me to experiment with sound and look for something different and creative when working on a project.
More than 40 years later, I now live in the USA. I am still a big fan of Roland/BOSS products, and they make up more than 60% of my studio equipment. Thank you to Roland and BOSS for bringing to musicians and artists the engines of music creation.
Jeff Haynes: Waiting for JUNO
First of all, I’m sorry. I sincerely apologize to the poor guy who was always working the music store in the Towne Mall, located in Middletown, Ohio. This frustrated salesman had undoubtedly seen me about 100 times too many during the early 1980s.
But any embarrassment I felt regarding my lack of purchase power as a young teen was eclipsed by my need to get my eyes, ears, and hands on the store’s latest synthesizers. Sure, they had all the major brands. However, the Roland products quickly stood out for me. Especially the JUNO line. I became obsessed with the sounds and possibilities found in the JUNO-60, JUNO-106, and later JUNO 1 and 2—equipped with the PG-300 controller, of course.
Unfortunately, the savings from my weekly chores did not add up to a sale. So, I had to content myself with a few minutes of playing whatever JUNO was on display when my family went to the mall.
Several years and many miles later, my luck would turn. I was up to my old habit of haunting music stores when I found a used JUNO-60. Apparently, it had just come in, and I immediately pounced. And just as quickly, I learned that the love and respect I felt for the JUNO line was spread throughout the music world.
Because as soon as I picked up my long-awaited prize, a complete stranger approached me to be in his band. Yes, as I stood there carrying—cradling—my precious JUNO-60, finally ready to pull the trigger on a purchase, I was offered a job. This friendly guy’s logic was straightforward enough: anyone who knows the value of a JUNO-60 is a keyboardist worth having in the band.
And while I didn’t end up joining his band, I did play with plenty of others and on some great stages. These days my JUNO-60 lives on inside my SYSTEM-8 and remains an integral part of all my live and recorded performances.
What began with a JUNO-60 is now a setup including a SYSTEM-8, FA-06, MX-1, MC-707, and TB-03.
Susan Bewick: Passion for Music
I’m a singer/songwriter/lyricist/composer in all genres. I attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1976 to 1982, attached to the Medway School of Music.
After using various makes of instruments for composition of music, in 1992 I bought my first Roland keyboard. From that moment, I’ve been hooked on Roland Keyboards. I found that my Roland has everything I need from a keyboard. The sounds of the various instruments in the Roland feels like I have a full orchestra in the room.
I used to do small gigs in England. When I moved to France in 2001, I played in a French group Omasphere and with an expat group Nostalgie. I also played several solo gigs.
In 2016, after a huge house fire, my partner and I lost everything and had to start again. We bought a new house, and I began to convert a room into a recording studio. I then bought the amazing Roland FA-06 workstation. What an instrument—the best yet!
My workstation takes a place of pride in my studio where I create almost every day. Roland is my first choice. Thank you, and congratulations on your 50-year anniversary. Long may it continue. Music is my passion; Roland is my choice.
Gerd Wölfle: Inspiration and Motivation
Roland has had a big impact on my musical life. My first encounter with Roland was at the Musikmesse in Frankfurt in the early ’80s. Products like the JUPITER and JUNO series showed me the potential of electronic musical instruments. Later, I saw a JX-3P in a local music store, but I was on a limited budget.
Finally, at the end of the ’80s, I bought my first Roland. I was looking for the best natural sounds, and Roland’s PCM sampling technology convinced me. I made a lot of music with the U-110, U-220, MV-30, and Rhodes 660. During the first decade of the 21st century, my set of Roland instruments expanded more and more. I played a Roland digital piano and added arrangers like the E-60 or BK-7m to my studio. Always looking for the best sound quality, I finally reached it with the SuperNATURAL technology in my INTEGRA-7.
What would have happened in my life without Roland? Would I still make music? I am very grateful that Roland accompanied me on my path to music and the high potential of electronic musical instruments. Thank you, Roland, for all the inspiration and motivation you contributed to my musical life. I am looking forward to your innovations in the coming years.
My collage shows a selection of the Roland products I’ve collected over the years. I still own them all, and I am happy to know they will be at my side during the next years.
Nicholas Varley: Composing for TV on the JX-3P
I only ever wanted a Roland synth, having seen Depeche Mode play JUPITERs and JUNOs on stage. The JX-3P was my first synth and will probably be my last after I’ve sold everything else. I bought it new in 1984 in Manchester.
It was thrown out of a bedroom window by an irate relative in the ‘90s, but I got it repaired, and it still sounds glorious. I can get to where I need to be sonically in seconds, and it sits well in any mix.
The synth is featured on most TV projects that I’ve composed for, from the classic Power Rangers show to the hit cartoon series Molang.
It’s traveled with me for work in London, Johannesburg, and Marrakech, and now sits happily in my music room in Fontainebleau, France.
I’ve always been a fan of Roland gear, and I’m looking forward to getting my hands on the new JUNO-X. I’ve previously owned a JX-10, an Alpha JUNO1, a D-110, and a TR-505. But for me, the JX-3P is the keeper.
Happy 50th Roland!
