My First Synth
In 1987 Roland introduced the D050. To capitalize on the success they then released the D-10, D-20, U-110, U-20, and D-70. Each were slightly different but similar.
What I purchased in 1989 was the U-20. For a sequencer I purchased an Atari ST running C-LAB NOTATOR.
On the plus side
- The pad sounds. Fantasia sold this synth.
- Built in 6 part sequencer
Less than great
- The manual. What a mess. It was so bad that when your read about the synthesizer today, you STILL hear people mentioning how bad the manual was.
- Programming. Sliders? Nobs? What are those. What you want are dozens sub menus to scroll through. This was not a good synth for people that wanted to create new sounds easily.
- The piano sound. Let's ignore this ever existed.
The Roland U-20
| Company |
Model |
Price in 1989 |
Parts |
Poly |
Keys |
Analog/Digital/PCM |
| Roland |
U-20 |
$1800 |
6+1 |
30 |
61 Keys |
PCM |
The Atari ST
C-LAB NOTATOR
(Sequencing and notation system software) by E-Magic
C-LAB was created by E-Magic, which was purchased by Apple, who later discontinued in favor of Steinberg and Cubase.
