Vintage Synth Explorer

Roland • U-20 / U-220

The U-20 is nothing special. It is a digital synthesizer that uses ROM samples of pianos, brass, strings, bass, drums, etc. However it is built for professional use and is truly a quality instrument, even though its sounds may seem like dated-eighties synth pop cheese. It's got nice piano sounds, but they're not the real thing.

The U-20 features 6 part multitimbrality with a 7th drum part, plus 2 direct outputs and 2 stereo outputs. The 30 note polyphony helps if you take advantage of this synths multitimbrality for creating entire performances and ensembles. Digital reverb, chorus and delay effects liven up your sounds. Editing is simple, but there are no filters. With several performance features, the U-20 has a full 61 note keyboard with velocity and aftertouch. There's an on-board arpeggiator, a chord-memory feature and the U-20 accepts Roland SNU-110 sound library cards. It has been used by Prodigy and Astral Projection.

The Roland U-220 (pictured above) is simply a rack-mount version of the U-20. It has all the same sounds and features packaged in a compact single-space sound module.

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Posting Rules: Please keep your comments relevant! Do not post requests for help, do not use for sales, do not post unless you have something interesting to say about this instrument, or we may delete your post.

 

John

Posted 8 days ago

I didn't know anything about keyboards, went into a shop and walked out with a U-20 in 1989. I don't think it was right for me at the time- I wanted to be behind the scenes making electronic music rather than perform with it. I remember working that tiny little screen and pressing those buttons around and around, much like today's automated phone services.

In 1992 I hooked it up to whatever mac I was using with software called Perfomer I think and some sound rack. I was frustrated that it maxed out on 6 midi tracks, but looking back on it that was probably pretty robust. I never figured out how to use the memory cards and I wanted it to sample like a Fairlight.

I really liked the sounds- Endymion, Atmosphere, ... um, damn I gotta lay off the leaf. Oh yeah- I liked how they merchandised the bass sounds and some of those were a lot of fun. And it was fun to play through a distortion pedal of any kind.

Graham

Posted 8 days ago

I bought my U20 many years ago and im still using it today gigging!i mainly use the piano, strings and organ sounds. i cant see me ever parting with this keyboard, its stood by me. there was a time when i was doing a gig and my other keyboards were loked in storage, so i had to reliey on my U20 to get me through, IT DID!! its a great keyboard, and yeah the sounds are dated now, but what do you expect in todays technology.

Prophet

Posted 32 days ago

Teh u-220 was also used by radiohead.

Swen

Posted 35 days ago

I bought my U20 mainly for use as a master-keyboard, but there are sounds in this thing that still are quite very(!!!) usable. The keyboard is really good, has great feel in the part of velocity sensetivity while aftertouch ist not that great.
I really use the strings, organs and the acoustic piano, which is still great. I just cuts through and stands in the mix very well. One of the few pianos i know, that can mess with a distorted E-Guitar in a Hardrock-song and still will be heard above it.
But its true that most of the sounds are outdated by far today. But when your layer more parts and send them through external hardware you can get cool leads out of it, and especially decent pads.
I don't like it's pitchbend/modulation stick, but hey it's a Roland, what would you guess.

jim

Posted 119 days ago

Hi, in the U-20, where is the internal battery located?

Thanks, Jim

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