AudioPilz vs. Roland D-05: Boutique Nostalgia or Cheesy Knock-Off?

AudioPilz wastes no time diving into the Roland Boutique D-05, a 2017 limited edition that promises to bottle the essence of the late-80s D-50 in a box barely big enough for a sandwich. Right from the off, he’s clear: this isn’t just another lazy rehash. The D-05 is, aside from Roland’s own V-Synths and Cloud plugin, the only real way to get that classic D-50 flavour without selling your nan.

What you get is a full-on nostalgia trip—iconic presets like Fantasia and the infamous Pizzagogo are all here, ready to trigger your Enya flashbacks or soundtrack your next synthwave binge. AudioPilz’s approach is as irreverent as ever, poking fun at the D-05’s digital circuit behaviour marketing spiel while still acknowledging its place as a proper homage to the original. If you want late-80s cheese, this box delivers it by the truckload.

But let’s not pretend it’s all roses. AudioPilz lays into the D-05’s user interface like a punk at a prog-rock gig. The display is so small you’d need a jeweller’s loupe to read it, and the joystick feels like it was nicked from a cereal box. Digging into the menus is a cryptic affair, with complex envelopes buried deeper than your mate’s old rave tapes.

Connectivity isn’t much better—USB and audio ports are nothing to write home about, and the ribbon controllers are more gimmick than genius. Still, there’s a nod to the polyphonic sequencer, which adds a bit of modern spice, and at least Roland threw in all the factory patches and expansion cards. It’s a classic case of style over substance, but for preset lovers, there’s plenty to chew on.

This is where the D-05 struts its stuff—or stumbles, depending on your taste. AudioPilz serves up a trio of jams: arty techno, 80s elektro, and synthwave, each showing off the D-05’s strengths and its tendency to sound like a Laserdisc stuck on loop. The phase distortion-like flavour is there, and those classic presets still cut through, even if the joystick is an ergonomic disaster.

Crafting patches from scratch is possible, but only if you enjoy pain. AudioPilz recommends a proper MIDI controller over the boutique’s built-in keys, and watching him wrangle the D-05 is half the fun. Let’s be honest—no written review can do justice to the weirdness and charm of these jams. You’ll want to watch the video to hear the D-05 in all its cheesy, glitchy glory.