Roland D-5

2nd Version has i bought it after hearing a friends.
The sounds are good has i've used it to make quite a few tracks.
The editing is quite easy but a patch editor is much better ,has it is easy to edit more sounds at any time.
The manul is quite good has it did'nt take me long to work the synth after reading it.

It is a multi-timbral unit and the keyboard action is good..
There were no built in effects.
It could accept a memory card and the keys are pressure sensitive.
There is no on board sequencer but is use a computer and other sofware to do that job..

Velocity and aftertouch are ok to use.
I find alot of the instruments realistic to use.
I have used it to make all types of music from funk to garagehouse.
The reaction to my playing is very good

I have always found it to be reliable.
I would use it in a gig situation but would have to use other instruments also to back it up.

I have not dealt with the company has it has always been a good instrument to use.

If it was stolen i would look for another one.
I have been playing creating music since 1989 and have a K1R an Akai S3000.
I find it reliable has i have had other keyboards and have sold them.
I chose the keyboard has it was the only one i felt was worth having at the time i bought it back in 89.
When it comes to making the music i get inspiration from the sound of the mix i am creating at the time...
All the music i have made using the synth from 89 upwards is still good to listen to..

Presets are ok specially the brass,strings, percussions. Piano presets don't sound well except the electric pianos. Good in making special sound effects. Difficult to edit voices/partials but an editor really makes a difference. Manual is easy to learn.

I was in a band and the chase effect is cool for live gigs. But needs more polyphony. Has a memory card slot but you'll have to be alert to replace the memory battery or you'll lose all your created sound. Its easy to use. No on-board sequencer. Maybe it was designed for live band performances.

Yes the sound is very realistic still except for the acoustic pianos. Works well i think for rock, dance and jazz music. Chase is the effect i often use, similar to echo, and very useful in creating "thick" sounds when playing in a live band.

Yes it is reliable and can still be used on gigs without back-ups. Its built tough and hardy suitable for traveling musicians. But my D-5 is very old and patch selection is a problem. Hope there still is a replacement available for the push-button assembly so that it won't gather dust in my cabinet. My D-5 has developed some sentimental value to me because its the first synth i bought with my hard earned money. My heart, soul and perspiration in my younger,trying-hard days as a musician.

No customer support in my country during that time (1990's). I still have my D-5 around but not using for years. I still have that problem with the push buttons getting stuck inside the chassis. Also have a problem with the volume controls (sliding). Tried to replace it myself but no similar replacement here in the Philippines.

I bought it when i was starting to be a musician and I think its worth more than its price then. But with all these modern synths around i would'nt buy it again. It looks very professional (still is)doesn't have that toy look. I wouldnt be ashamed, walking with other musicians, carrying it without its cover case.

Yeah, yeah, you've read all about how much the sounds suck....Keep in mind that this was an ENTRY-LEVEL synth - the bottom of the D-series line. Basically if you wanted to buy a synth in the late '80s and wanted something reliable for about $500, this is what you got....It's a bitch to program - even with the PG-10 programming module (which I own too...). This was the first synth I ever bought, and I have to say that I was really happy with it at the time as it was a great intro., to midi/synths.

It has very few features. It will load D-110 sounds so you can add to it assuming you have a RAM card, but those sounds aren't much better....

The only band I've ever heard of that used it was Jesus Jones. I don't think they used it for the sounds - I think they used it because it was cheap and you could bash the living hell out of it and it took quite a beating. It would probably work well for cheezy '80s new-wave music. The drum sounds are actually pretty decent - some of the bass sounds are usable - the organs are actually quite nice. Stay away from the piano presets....Oddly enough, the built-in demos actually sound pretty cool proving that you can get some useful tones out of it.

I bought mine new in 1989 or 1990 and it's still going strong. I let my kids beat up on it now and everything still works fine. The army ought to buy a bunch of these and attach them to their Hummvees - I'll bet they could take a bullet and keep on playing.

I own a bunch of Roland stuff - tons of Boss foot pedals and a W-30 - I've never had to call tech support. Say what you want about Roland but their stuff is about as indestructible as you can get.

I wouldn't buy one again since I no longer use it. I think it would make an excellent keyboard for someone younger that is just learning - you can probably pick one up used for less than $100. I've been playing guitar/keys for about 22 years (mostly guitar). All of my synth gear is old and outdated, except for my Matrix-1000 which I still love. As I said, this was my first synth and I was thrilled with it and thought it was a good value until samplers started becoming affordable. Call me sentimental but I just can't bring myself to sell my D-5....

This keyboard is very simple to use, set up like any modern master synth. There are two soundsets, A & B. Within each latter, there are 8 sound banks, each with 8 sounds (128 total sounds). Each sound has a bank and a sub number (So Set A, Bank 3, sound 5). It's very easy to master fast sound changing.

Volume and pitch bend controls are standard, and has easy access to key-change and the arpeggiator. Not very many controls, and since the keyboard is so hard to manually program, you can ignore the "programming" section (only 5 buttons anyway).

You cannot easily edit patches on this machine, but you can MIDI it up to your computer and edit the patches EASILY with a free downloadable program (simply do a google search for D-5 and hte program is a min hit result). The software program shows waveform and you can scroll up and down through the ENV's and LFO's just as you would on a knob-based analog synth.

The keyboard is pretty standard in terms of no-frills music-makers. It has 8 note polyphony, and velocity keys. There are no real effects, but there is a delay and an arpeggiator which are cool. The keyboard is very organ-feeling (very plastic, springy keys, no weight to them at all) which can be good, but can be bad. They are sturdy, not flimsy.

The D5 has the roland PC card-shaped expansion slot on the back, and cards are fairly plentiful and cheap on eBay. WITH THE AFORMENTIONED FREE SOFTWARE, YOU CAN UPLOAD NEW SYSEX PATCHES TO THIS SYNTH. THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF COOL SOUNDS ONLINE FOR YOU TO DOWNLOAD!

The synth has standard full-operatind MIDI in/out/thru (all channels, not just channel 1 as in older synths).

There is no sequencer or storage, just the synth section. This unit would make a very good MIDI controller as well!

I personally really like the sounds on this unit. DO NOT BUY IT IF YOU PLAN TO PLAY PIANO OR USE THIS BOARD IN AN ACOUSTIC-RECRATION SENSE. It is a SYNTHESIZER, meant to create new and unusual synthesized digital sounds.

The D5 has a large range of cool/odd sounds, including very good electric piano and Fender Rhodes sounds as well as some decent Hammond organ/jazzy organ presets. In a pinch, it could be used with a jazz group due to the above useable instruments.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, this board has ALL the cool de-tuned saw and sine horns/strings/lead synths that you hear in hard techno music like trance, industrial, and darkbeat/ebm. Also has all those droney high-pitched noises heard in trip hop styles (Think Portishead). Also does the "booms" and "alien spaceship" sound effects. This is a GREAT board for someone who is writing electronic music on their computer ala Acid/Cool Edit/Reason. It puts out some awesome electronic sounds, and also is a die-hard MIDI controller. A good stage board to link up to a computer or to play along with a techno backing track.

The only annoyance is the cheap 9v DC jack (the 3-prong cords found on most synths are desirable). Aside from this, the board is made out of cast plastic and aluminum in a very sturdy, small, rectangular box. No weird bulges or curves, very much a standard looking board. Built tough.

I've called Roland about guitar effects before and they were helpful. I wouldn't count on getting support for the D5, though, as it was made well over 10 years ago. Luckily, there's not much to break on this sucker!

This synth is worth it for a good price. I would suggest lookign for one in the range of 75-150.00. In this price range, the synths going against it would be: Yamaha DX21, Ensoniq ESQ1, Korg Poly800/DW6000, Kawai AX60. Out of these, I would suggest looking for an ESQ1 first due to it's sweet analog filter section. This board, however, despite many of it's bad reviews, is definatly a contender amongst the lower-prices 80's synths, ESPECIALLY if you are doing neuwave, techno, or indy rock and need all those sweeping, sometimes cheezy horn and synth sounds. I have used a whole lot of synths, and I must say, I found some sounds on the D5 that I couldn't be without... and remember, if you hate the sounds, all you need is a MIDI cable and there are thousands of newer, sweeter sounds just waiting for you to download them off the www!

Hit a note and play the presets, they suck. Really 80's and very unrealistic. Only usable in a dated rockband. Editing patches is hell. Browsing thru menu's sucks. Not intuitive. And also its filters are very weak. The editor works (search google), but isn't a masterpiece.

Polyphony should be enough. No sequencer,No built in effects, but heej... who needs an 80's reverb?????! Midi-features are good, especially chord play which makes it possible to play complete chords by one note. Thats about all its features!

Well, the sounds are really 80-ish. None of the instruments are realistic nor usable in ambient or experimental music. Maybe a dusty rockband could get away with its CHEESY sounds!

Its never gonna die. Made out of hard plastic with a solid metal plate on front. Some say the keys are broken, but i think they have been hard on this thingy. No problems here.

Never dealt with, but i think they suck.

I sold mine, because i only used it as a master keys, but i now own a yamaha cs1x with 6 midi controller knobs: lets freak! If you can get it cheap use it as a midi keyboard, if you dont need a midi keyboard, THEN DONT BUY IT!!! I give it a 5 because its very solid en looks nice. But the thing aint useful as a synth!

Hard Hard Hard. Life's too short to sit in front of this thing 'navigating' menus, so either get yourself the add on unit (can't remember its name but it tends to be quite expensive!), or get the D5 Editor availible from the web, and a MIDI cable. It's free and does a great job, you should be on your way to creating some ace sounds.

I love the action on this thing, my girlfriend also commented it waa a bit different from other synths and keyboards we had used. Not realistic or weighted... just... nice. It looks nice and unobtrusive, they resisted sticking too many big red / yellow buttons and squiggly typefaces which would have made it look really dated. It has MIDI, which was why I bought it in the first place, and transmits pitch bend, velocity, modulation and so on. You can expand it but I doubt I'll be doing that.

OK the sounds are technically quite crap (yes, the piano is SHIT!), but I find them charming and a refreshing change... no onboard FX but that shouldnt be a problem these days. I can't imagine the sort of band that would use this but bear in mind it will lay in a mix better rather than being a solo instrument. If you take that view, then it's good for organs, strings and swooshy synths.

Built like a brick sh#thouse (what IS a brick sh#thouse, by the way?!?!?)...

The guy I bought it from claimed the PSU was faulty, but I suspect it was just his actual 'wall wart' where the problem lay. It works fine with mine. And therefore I got a pretty nice reduction because of the 'fault'!

The case is brilliant. 'Tank' really does spring to mind here.

HA HA HA. Yes I am going to phone up and ask them about this. I believe roland employees have a neural cleansing every 3 years, to make sure any older products are wiped from memory. Thank god for the 'net.

To be honest I bought it as a MIDI controller, didn't know much about it, and was really pleasantly surprised by the sounds that came out. It looks nice and neat, feels good, has 'character' soundwise (might be good or bad dep. on your opinion!), and for #50 was a real bargain. If it were lost or stolen I might look into some of the other 'D' series of LA synths, as I believe I have stumbled across a very underrated series of instruments.

Easy to use and program. The programming/synthesis style is very similar to that of today's synth's. The only thing is that you are limited to using a small 1 inch by 4 inch screen, so it is not very intuitive. Easy to learn, but slow. The manual is NOT (in my opinion) that difficult to understand. Then again, I am quite well versed in "sound synthesis terminology" so I suppose that helps.

Polyphony is 32 partials (equal to "tones" in modern terminology). No built in effects or expansion capabilities. The D-5 is velocity sensitive, but not aftertouch sensitive. In my opinion, the D5 is a very basic synthesizer- the bottom of the totem pole when is comes to the D series.

Personally, I think the sounds are VERY DATED. The D series synths were ahead of their time back in the 80's, but by today's standards, no, I'll pass. I can emulate the EXACT SAME SOUNDS on any modern synth such as the Roland JV-80 or XP-30.

The metal casing is built fairly solid. However, these things have problems with broken keys...mine has 3 busted up keys already and I do not think this synth is worth fixing. I would not gig with this peice of crap.

From what I understand, if you have a question regarding equipment over 5 years old, roldand's customer service is just a waste of time. They should have a subdepartment spacificly geared towards older or vintage gear.

If it were stolen, it would only be a minor inconvenience. I would not buy another. Hell, any D series synth is OVERRATED anyways...I go by my EARS, not by senseless hype and "collectability". I bought this synth thinking LA was really a different kind of synthesis (like the difference between FM, subtractive, granular, etc). I was sorely disappointed. Anyone who says that is mislead...ALMOST ALL OF TODAYS ROLAMD SYTHS ARE LA SYTHESIZERS-- look at the architecure...On any JV synth, program the TVA on a PCM sample so you hear only the attack portion and a very short decay. Then, layer that with a square, saw or pulse waveform. Alter the synth waveforms any way you wish, freely using LFO's, TVF's (Resonance must not go higher than 50 or so, and do not apply the TVF to PCM instrument samples-- keep it off or use the LPF at about 105), PEV's and ring modulation. Now, listen. Suddenly, you XP or JV sounds like a D!! Duh!...This keyboard is CRAP, plain and simple. Good in it's heyday, but now it is outdated.

I've bought this one in 1995. This synth is very basic. Editing the patches is quite straighforward, since the D5 lacks a kinds of fancy effects. Yet, for such a simple instrument it sounds great!

When you hate the way the D5 sounds (different tastes) you can still use it as a full size master keyboard. Pressure sensitive, pitch, etc. It works fine with 16channeled GM-Midi, thought the D5 only uses 1 through 9 plus a rhythem channel. Memory cards for extra patches, no sequencer.

I especialy like the basssynth, which - in my humble opion - are as fat as a 303. I have used the D5 with all kinds of Dancemusic, but also in a punk/ska-band. The organsounds are very suitable for a rockband.

You can trow your D5 out of window and it'll still work. Two minor flaws: the buttons get jammed after a while (but you can always select patches via midi). 2nd of all: the adaptor isn't that well.

You probably have to own a D5 to appreciate it. It doesn't sound as realistic as a modern synth and the interface is bothersome to say the least. But once you've heard the sound of a D% you'll sold.

it was my first real synth, after some yamaha preset (DSR2000) keyboard, and i had no experience in programming sounds. Interface is is the way of constructing a boat in a bottle, but you soon get used to this. Now i have full sinth + 32kb ram card of my own sounds.

polyphony per sound 32 gets lower as soon you start to construct the sound. whilw you try to put some heavier sound into it with owerlaying the parts, polyphony goes down the drain. no effects, part of the repeating style presets_harmony, delay, basic down/up arpegio. no sequencer - workstation is just not the purpose of this synth.iwe get used to these plastic feeling keys. i liked it more than those hammer mechanic things on my other synths.

it is digital, but it uses the digital controled analog oscilators in cooperation with s+s. samples are outdated, so i completelly replaced my setup with only analog type patches,that i programmed, and maded mostly filter-velocity sensible. in conjunction with outer effect units, particullary the owerdrive, delay, phasing, flanging style effects it sounds heavy and fresh as any modern dance station.

i bought it used, and then it was already bumped on side, after that i used this for 7 years, and this still works, only the buttons seems to go little non sensitive...but it works perfectly. wonderfull workmanship. and that for ther cheapest D series synth!

i never needed one. even the battery inside still works.

Well, this certainly isn't a synthesizer for beginners, wannabes, or today's generation of players who are used to "analog" algorithm synths with plenty of built-in effects and retro-knobs for tweaking. This baby came out in 1989, and is part of the famous Roland D-50 family of "Linear Arithmetic" synths. (D-10, D-20, D-100, etc.) These synths are known for having a boring, drab interface. As stated by other reviewers, you must have either the manual or a PC patch editor for this baby. Otherwise, you might as well pretend you're in 1983 trying to program a Yamaha DX-7. Yes, it is THAT complicated.

Believe it or not, there are plenty of great sounds to be had from this unit, you just have to spend lots of time programming them. Some of the presets are worthy of going "on tape"...because, they're phuqin' phat! Particularly, "Fat Lead", and "Funk Bass" (which sounds like The Bee Gees "Jive Talkin'"). It's 32 note theoretical polyphony, and many patches use all of that power. The few effects, "Chase" and "Harmony", and an apreggiator are pretty kick-ass. Especially for 1989. While this baby is digital (part of the first generation of wavetable synthesizers), some of the sounds are decidedly "analog". Has "pre-Genreal MIDI" MIDI...no sequencer. Action is okay, no touch sensistivity. If anybody has some old Roland cards for this, please contact me...can't seem to find any on Ebay!

The Strings, Pads, and Basses are very good. The Pianos sound very dated at this point (1989), but if you're Mike Post and your trying to write that "Doogie Howser" theme music, the electric piano patches on here will satisfy! Like I said before, no aftertouch...couple of effects, (arpeggiator being most important) and if you're trying to revive that late 80's pop sound (even some hair bands used this synth), this is a must have!

One of the most reliable keyboards I have ever laid my hands on. It's been droped, kicked, drop-kicked, two keys broken off in a fit of musical rage. Roland made, and still does make some high quality instruments. Never played a gig with it yet (I'm a guitar player primarily) but when I do this baby will be able to withstand even the sharpest of glass, and the most repulsive drunk and hecklers.

Gee, maybe as a goof or a hoax, I should call Roland US tech support and ask them about this synth...just for shits and grins. I'll tell them I'm Emperor Hirohito from beyond the grave.

If this were lost or stolen, I WOULD by another...I got a great fuckin' deal in the first place. They're still cheap as hell to find. Who could pass up this kind of sound for these prices, plus the realiability and durability of the unit? Plus, I would go the whole "nine yards" and purchase a used D-50. These Roland LA synths were heard all throughout the late 80's/early 90's are countless albums from Van Halen to Erasure to Mike Post. For 200 bucks or less, who could complain?

I've had this for 10 years and it's finally starting to make sense to me. The manual is essential because the presets plain suck. But I've finally started digging deep and pulling out the pcm and synth sounds which are within the machine...It turns into something else entirely. The loops are great for electronica and such after they've been processed and tweaked. Really cool stuff. But you gotta be patient and refer to the edit manual constantly-all the lists and the explanations of the various structures are contained within. Takes a hell of a lot of time, but you can be plesantly suprised. A nice variety of sounds can be had. If you can figure this machine out, analog and fm synthesis seem incredibly simple. Never knew there was a patch editor for this, I'll have to look around. Overall a tough board to crack, but worth it

Features: very little. I use this as mainly as a midi controller for my set up, so the arpeggios,especially "random" are nice to use on boards which don't offer this (yamaha dx-21, sequential 6 track). Chase function can be interesting at times, but I've never used it in a composition (that I can recall), modulation sucks, will not modulate with any noticable effect on any presets. Even after tweaking, I have yet to find a good use for the mod. switch on here. Haven't had any qualms with the midi on here seems to work fine for my needs and I've got 5 pieces daisy chained together without a midi thru box!!

see above, I use this for the strings and loops I dig out of it, but has a couple other presets which are ok as well. Nothing I'd search out though. For home grown sounds though, it rocks. I'm suprised how modern they can sound

It's been used and abused but still kicking. Had to replace a couple of broken keys last year and clean the contacts. But has never died on me yet. This was my main keyboard for 7 years, through several bands and traveled around the country on several occasions. It keeps going and going...

Well the tech found some keys which fit it last year direct from Roland while The item has been out of production since the late 80's...so whats the problem?

I would not look for this again, I'm looking into a korg ms2000 and throwing everything else away. I haven't had the heart to part with this so I'm glad I've found new uses for it. I also play a juno 60, sequential 6 tk,yamaha dx-21, fender rhodes, hammond m-101a, hohner pianet, univox compac2, etc...It was worth what I paid considering the amount of use I've gotten out of it. At todays prices, it's worth the 100-200 price tag if you have the time to spend on it

ALL HANDS DOWN THE EASIEST, MOSTEST, BESTEST, GREATEST INTERFACE IN THE
IN ALL THE GALAXY!!!

32 NOTE POLYPHONY IS MORE THAN ENOUGH. IF YOU NEED MORE THAN HANG UP
BEING A MUSICIAN. MIDI? IT INVENTED MIDI. NO SEQUENCER, BUT IF YOU
NEED A SEQUENCER TO MAKE MUSIC CONSIDER A DIFFERENT LINE OF WORK.
IN ORDER TO PLAY THIS SYNTH YOU MUST BE WORLD WIDE LIVE!!!

10 (ten) IT HAS THE GREATEST, BESTEST, HOSTEST WITH THE MOSTEST SOUNDS
IN THE HISTORY OF MANKIND (and I'm not just whistling dixie here kiddies)!!!!

I'VE THROWN IT OFF BULIDINGS, ROLLED OVER IT WITH MY MOTORCYCLE, AND
SAILED THE SEVEN SEAS ON IT. SAIL OF THE CENTURY WITH GERALDO RIVERA
WOULD NOT HAVE MADE IT TO GIBRALTAR WITHOUT THIS PIECE OF THE ROCK.
YOUR IN GOOD HANDS WITH D5.

NO COMMENT.

A TRUE SYNTHESIZER. IT'S IN THE TOP 5 OF ALL GREATEST SYNTHESIZERS TO DATE.
LOOK AT THE NAME IT SAYS "D5(TH) GREATEST SYNTHEIZER OF ALL TIME, RAAWWW!!!!)

the presets won't make you come in your pants, i'm afraid. editing patches is not fun with the crummy roland interface, but there's at least one editor out there (the one i use, dunno the name, was written for the d-10 but works with the d-5 as well). i don't have the manual.

theoretical polyphone is 32, like all other roland lineair arithmetic stuff i know of. usually, you'll be using 4 "partials" (waves) per voice because this tends to sound a bit non-descript otherwise, so polyphone will be 8 voice. no build in effects, the d-5 is basically the d-10 minus the effects. MIDI capabilities are good. it has no aftertouch, however, and it has the roland combined pitch/mod wheel which i find crappy. opinions differ though. no onboard sequencer, but an onboard arpeggiator is fun, and the chase function (which is kind of a MIDI-delay with programmable 'feedback' and 'time') is cool.

well, without effects this tends to sound a bit bland, at least to 21th century ears pampered by build-in effects! but add a little reverb and some basic chorus/phasing etc. and it comes to life. in fact, there's probably not that much difference between the d-50 and the d-5. the 5 has many more waves (just like the d-10 and d-20), but de d-50 maybe had better DAC's, i dunno. you can program some great pads on this by transposing the otherwise overused samples, and there are some good analog sounds in here (analog as in moody+burbly as opposed to phat+squeeky - he, talking about music is as effective as dancing about cooking...). you won't get the lush, raspy strings. you won't get 303's. some sounds do have a oberheim-y quality to them (in an alliased, digital sort of way - hehe). overall, it's nice to have one of this series in your arsenal, because nothing sounds quite like it.

it's plastic. no problems though

i paid $100 for it, which is about right. don't pay too much for this or any other early digital consumer synth! at least not until their retro-value starts to soar... this belongs to the first wave os s+s synths, and as such, it's part of history.

i don't know how to play peeano style keys very well so I had trouble with the playing part, but otherwise it was fine, you know...

excellent features! has everything I'd ever need...wonderful sounds =)

the piano patch stands above the rest as terribly realistic...this particular patch was the reason I purchased it! other things like bass and synth leads are somewhat limited though...

well, once most of a fishtank was emptied onto the top surface, while it was on. The unit prevailed! I'd say that's enough quality for me.

well, I had some difficulty with roland. repeated tries to contact customer service using a number I got out of a magazine just directed me to a 1-900 porn service. They were not helpful. Well, not in THAT way. YOu know what I mean. Right? Right.

I've been pretty happy..no complaints =)

The presets on this set of keys are preety rokin. The bass tones are buzzie and the strings mellow. Piano on this synth lacks realisum but the thing is coming up for something like 15 years now so you can't really complain. The editing options are ok, mine didn't come with a manual but i know how to do eveything if that gives any idea of ease of use ?

They keys are a little clunky but i know that the one i own has had some hammer and i don't know if this could have casued this to happen. There are no effects on this synth and there are no expansion board capabilites but then the D-5 was the lil baby in the line up. MIDI seems to work fine, I've had it in a loop comprising of a PC (cubase) and an EMU ESI-32 sampler and as yet not even a little glitch. They keys are velocity sensitive but there isn't after touch.

Like i mentioned earlyer the Bass are really good if your looking for that 80's sound (sort of late 80's erasure sounding). The strings are quite amazing to say when they were constucted but the Piano is, well... something tells me you wouldn't fool even the deafest of granma's with those. Lots of interesting little sounds that can't really de discribed (youll just have to buy on and see) I still love it for it's bass's.

Ok, well... i'll start with the fact it looks like an ex-school unit, quite what this was doing there i'm not sure but the fact that "F**K off mrs lings" and the sound "pluck" has been changed to, well.. think about it. This all with the ade of a compas point, also the keys had there names written on them one time in the past which have scince been removed with whta looks like......wait for it..... Wire wool and tipex !!!! The corners are preety much bashed through and the buttons aren't quite as "easy prees" as they once where, but, after all this they thing STILL WORKS !!!! (oh, did i mention that a broken key has been replced at one time) what is it with these and broken keys !?!?

Customer support, whats that again ???, serios;y though, this units just to old to warrent the cost of keeping it "active" in the roland corparation. If your very lucky they may have a stray spare part but i very much doubt it.

Overall for the price i personly paid the word "bargin" springs to mind. The sounds are at the usual "roland" standard and if your's works then all the better (i had to wiggle some dry / broken) connecters in mine to get the "whole" system working" the main board in these seems to live on, on and on though. A good synth from the 80's for a good price now. Comapred to my other synth "Yamaha CS1x" it isn't as addaptive BUT sounds tottaly different which is exactly whta i was looking for. as for making music those bass lines (how many times can i say this, lol) rock. the little un placeabule sounds fit any where (youll under stand if you buy one)

The manual was pretty hoopty...Patch editing was a real chore.

Lousy action...lack of any kind of sequencing was a big minus.
Had to use the 'power beat' patch to fake a click track when recording. Then only way
to adjust the speed was to use the arpegiator holding down one note. ACK!

Awful all the way around

Well, back when I was spilling my beer on it all the time at gigs, it did hold up
for a couple of years.

Don't but this thing...even used!

The key to this unsupported keyboard is to dig up a copy of "Ballade" for DOS, and an original Roland MPU-401/MPU-IPC MIDI controller pair. With this combo, the old clunky D-5 really comes alive! You can program great drum tracks, tweak the waveforms, and control 8 tracks of synth sequences using standard notation and a great software mixer.

Once again, the Ballade software is crucial. With the right software, you can bend the synth waveforms into your own custom sounds and store them on your computer hard disk. The velocity sensitivity is nice to have since custom waveforms can be made to change dramatically or not at all based on how hard the keys are pressed. Don't expect it to ever feel like a piano no matter how long you tweak it though -- this was velocity version 1.0.

The organ and pipe sounds get pretty ripping, and the drum sounds are cool (since they are actual samples.) Don't expect too much depth and realism however in the violin and piano. Think 80s low-fi indie pop rock.

I've had this keyboard forever (12+ years,) and its still ticking. I too broke a key because of stepping on it... Mine never fell out of a truck however. The biggest problem is keeping track of the power supply and MIDI controller, because without all the accessories, you don't get the full functionality.

I've never really had to get support... I suppose I would be interested in replacing the broken key, but where would I get one? Also, good luck finding an MPU-401/MPU-IPC or Ballade software when you misplace the stuff! Roland pretty much doesn't sell any of these accessories anymore, and ebay doesn't seem to have much supply.

I love my D-5! The drum machine serves my needs very well and the syth allows for poppy organ and synth bass overlays all in one device that connects to any old x86 master! I bet there are other more modern devices that can do all this, but I'm not interested in the cost of finding such solutions.

Fine, fine to use. Except I bought it used w/ no manual. Anyone have one? Only three keys need replacing. Anyone got a junk one for sale?

32 note
Velocity Sensitive
ROM/RAM cards
MIDI in, out, thru

Great sound fx, poor piano, guitar sounds. Overall pretty good.

No it's on my work bench right now. I am looking for parts. #$#@!

Ha ha ha, ROLAND doesn't even keep manuals. There is nowhere to buy parts. They suck.

No if it was stolen, I would use the insurance to buy some beer.
Been playing like 7 years.
I hate that it is broken and not GM.
I wish it still worked because it makes an OK MIDI controller for my Kawai K1r.

Welcome to the land of the Multi timbral linear synth...state of the art in the80' right? the d-5 presets are pretty chewy and thin at points. Everything has an underlying distortion sound to it. great for making very grindy synth and string sounds.Overall the D-5 is much like the Chevette, or the AMC gremlin..ugly little contraptions that are underpowered and have no options..yet we feel the need to race the guy with the Corvette at the stop light for about 20 feet. It is reliable, durable, and easy to use If you just want to turn it on and noodle around. It has the best Grindy sounds you can buy for the money(i saw one on digibid.com for $140) So if you want another peice of gear..or a synth that doesn't turn you into another knob twidling geekoid...buy this underpowered mistake by Roland..After cursing yourself for buyin such a menace, You'll learn to love this thing..and You can watch the tech heads in other bands jaws hit the floor when you pull this sucker out and make Grindy ass 8 bit noises...Let them eat cake! Editing the patches is much like standing in a line that is a circle....many many scrolls going on that share buttons with other functions not terribly hard, but if you don't have a manual it could give you a brain cramp. The manual is in two parts Performance and Edit(Wohoo) Written I suppose by very angry men who are not very descriptive and want to make you suffer...chuck the manual after a month you'll be better for it

The action on the keyboard(when i bought it new in the late 80's early 90.s was stiff and not very sensitive..the touch sensivity is the difference between dropping a brick on your foot and dropping a cinder block..Expansion is a no go..no disk drive..sequencer, effects, metronome, your luck if you got a dc adapter in the box(yes dc)You can get new sounds for the card slots..good luck though..Roland pretty much abandoned the D series right after it came out..especially the d-5.Midi is pretty scarey if you can get it to talk to anything other than a mr coffee. this baby came out before general Midi so it is manual mapping time.

Instrument sounds are like this..some engineer thought that this sounds like and oboe..and this sounds like a string. so you have sounds that an engineer made for himself..they are fairly flat, thin and expressionless with little or no decay..But there is hope..if you make your own sounds you can make the most kick ass grindy ass noises known to man or god. I used it in my Industrial band to pick up where no guitar was and used it in a metal band to pick up when the rythm guitar player was too drunk to play. So if you spend a rainy day punching tiny buttons and looking at the 1 inch screen you can kick ass and take names and spend a hell of a lot less then you would on a vintage Arp, Moog, or the 90's cheesy ass over priced Nord Lead...oh yeah and the pitch bender funtions are super easy to change...24 notes in either direction(you can do the Stabbing Westward octave bends)

I bought my D-5 new when i was 15 and too young to know any better. The d-5 has pretty much a thin metal shell and durable bender.. It has an LED so temperature does not make it freak out like my Korgs when it gets hot or cold. the buttons after 11 years of everyday use still all work and I only had one key break(that was because i stepped on it) I have dropped it down the stairs thrown it on the floor..and had it fall out the back of a ryder truck and it still works..the only proble i have is it uses a dc adapter..they burn out about every 2 years....I have used it at a gig without backup

Funny story..i did something very bad once that cause the keyboard to make only one sound about a year ago while editing in some long lost menu....I called the tech support number in California..and after the guy was in shock that i had a d-5 ..he was able to fix my problem in 5 minutes after he stopped laughing...i would say they are on the ball

Overall the D-5 is much like the Chevette, or the AMC gremlin..ugly little contraptions that are underpowered and have no options..yet we feel the need to race the guy with the Corvette at the stop light for about 20 feet. It is reliable, durable, and easy to use If you just want to turn it on and noodle around. It has the best Grindy sounds you can buy for the money(i saw one on digibid.com for $140) So if you want another peice of gear..or a synth that doesn't turn you into another knob twidling geekoid...buy this underpowered mistake by Roland..After cursing yourself for buyin such a menace, You'll learn to love this thing..and You can watch the tech heads in other bands jaws hit the floor when you pull this sucker out and make Grindy ass 8 bit noises...Let them eat cake!

Like D10 and D20 but not discdrive, sequencer or effects. Nice EPs and bass-sounds and some pads. 256 waves in memory. No entry slider but many parameters -> editing not easy/fun. So get PG-10!!! (Programmer, 8-sliders etc.)

Polyphony is 32. Some sounds eats that pretty fast! Keyboard action is not the best, quite light. 61 touch sensitive keys. There is NO effects. There is one card-slot for PCM and RAM-cards.

Acoustic sounds not good, cool bass sounds and EPs. Many organ sounds, pipeorgans, jazz etc. In performance-section some nice sounds. Good for rock music. Nice to play.

Needs better drums and acoustic sounds.

I haven't been problems.

It's VERY worth what I paid. I love editing, there is so many parameters. I had PG-10 and it was fun to edit own sounds. I have Roland XP-10 and D-5 is just what I need, wish there would be more polyphony.