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.

Synth2001

December 6, 2011 @ 2:14 am

The U220 is a great bread&butter machine.Incredible inpiration machine an affordable price.A Must from the 90,s

Stiruam

October 11, 2011 @ 2:33 pm

I'm about to cry now. My beautiful synth has loose springs and I'm doing my best to save this AWESOME PIECE OF INSTRUMENT. The warmth can be found in the JP8-sounds (e.g. brass). The harmonic lead is one of the better sounds I've ever heard. Furthermore, the waterfallkeys are way better then it's successors. I'm hoping to find a synth with simular keys. Anyone?
Downsides: it's almost impossible to change the sound ("yeah, it's wavetable, dumb*ss", I know) and, even I can't deny: the pianosound is really bad (though better with a bit of shaping).

dave tutt

July 6, 2011 @ 3:02 pm

Interesting synth but not exactly great in its sounds. Some are fine though. I have one in for repair and it seems that the keyboard (rather like the EP-3/5/7 piano's) is not particularly good especially when filled with orange juice and left for 3 years! In addition the synth sound module dies which, given the lack of support from Roland and the expense of parts from almost anywhere else means this is not a good second hand buy and is likely to be in this instance at least a scrap instrument. Shame really.

johannes

June 9, 2011 @ 1:15 am

Awkward little synth here in the sence that it never had any sort of true warmth to it at all... Also, its contemporaries surpassed it with more realistic sounds to be sure! Even the overlayed new age M1 kicked its butt in and rubbed dirt in its face! YIKES!!! I remember it having some not so glorious Jupiter 8 samples on it too... You only got a trace of Jupiter 8 unfortunately with no punch whatsoever... Oh, lets just put it this way... If the ship was sinking (and rolands certainly started to by this time) It would undoubtedly be the first thing I would look to throw overboard!!! :p

Markus

June 5, 2011 @ 12:00 am

"Nothing Special" are you guys for real? Must be a Moog luver.

I totally agree with you fred "Great piano, amazing strings especially"

I'd never part with it, i've used it in almost every production I've ever done.

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