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The ultimate digital synthesizer. A digital so powerful that I, as an analog purist, would be proud to own. (In fact, it is on my hit list.) The following review is based on my many hours of playing with a D50/PG1000 at a local music store.
The D50 requires no introduction, as it stands among the most popular of all synthesizers ever along with the Yamaha DX7 and Korg Wavestation.
Soundwise, the D50's presets have been used to death and sound cliche' nowadays (as does the Wavestation's). Although the DX7 sounds more visceral and alive than the D50, the D50 has one attribute that blows away the Yamaha--the PG1000 programmer.
With the PG1000 programmer, synthesists are given the opportunity to quickly and painlessly edit (with practice) sounds on the D50--creating complex digital patches of innumerable variety. This ability to edit with the PG1000 makes the D50 the most powerful of all digital synthesizers.
Compared to the D50, the Korg Wavestation and its many clones sound muddy and wheezing. Personally, the D50 kills the Triton regarding sound quality (I compared them side-to-side out of the same speaker set, with no effects). The digital harshness and roughness of the D50, compared to a modern digital synth, actually makes the D50 sound more lifelike and vital than anything contemporary.
However, I still think the Yamaha DX7 sounds better than the D50--but, without an equivalent programming unit, the D50 is a better purchase. (However, there was a European made DX7 programmer made by Jellinghaus--I would kill for one of these! In absence of availability, the D50 wins by default.)
The bottom line is that, for my purposes of creating music, the D50 crushes anything modern with a combination of guts and easy programmability. A classic, that keeps getting better (once you delete all the presets and make your own). A must have for my collection.
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