Hi what your thoughts about this famous sampler: Roland s-760 sampler
Can it be helpfull on modern tracks?

 

Spoiler: Videos

Videos
more Roland S-760 - production drum tones (L-CDX-01)

Sounds Like Saturation Roland S760 Digital Gain

Spoiler: Special Features of the Roland S-760

Special Features of the Roland S-760

The last instalment of the series already featured all the interfaces that its predecessors offered only as options. A monitor connection (S-Video... there are still new displays for that today), digital in/out, a mouse connection, and a remote control connection. In addition, there were four audio outputs and two stereo inputs.

As clearly visible in the image above, there is now a kit available for connecting an SD drive to the SCSI port. This, in turn, has a micro-SD slot and a USB port. This makes exchanging sample data via a PC child's play. Since the case simply plugs into the SCSI port, the small box can also be connected to the front using a SCSI cable.

The circuit board for this adapter is available online for as little as €70. However, you'll have to build the case yourself.

www.amazona.de/vintage-digital-roland-s-750-s-760-s-770-sampler-1989/#

 

Last edited: Mar 27, 2025

Excuse my ignorance, what’s it famous for?

 

It can be used for coloring, as some people swear it gives "sounds gooder" vibes to anything you put into it.

However, that's potentially going to be tedious if you're used to slapping VSTs on a track and getting instant results. Using it is going to likely change your workflow unless you're already used to outboard hardware being patched into a DAW, and willing to accept that hardware requires realtime or slower than realtime processing.

If you're after the Roland sample libraries specifically then using that sampler is a good way to play them back, though, as all the emphasis, loop points, and other settings are designed around that hardware, so that's the best way to get them to sound as intended, as dated as they may sound--although that might be exactly the sound you're chasing.

 

Roni Size used to use one. Great samplers, nice sound, good filters.

 

I used to have one. It sounds really good, has great filters (analog?). Roland’s CD library for it was also really good. Some of those sounds were recycled in their SR-JV boards.

Jungle and Drum’n’Bass guys as well as soundtrack composers used it a lot.

The only problem is that you absolutely NEED a fully loaded version with the extra memory, the video output board and an external monitor, since it’s a miniscule 1U rack unit. The mouse is also a necessity.

Some people say that its big brother, the S-770, sounds even better.

 

I had one about 23 years ago
Its a great sampler and does have the ability to impart a more colourfull overall tone to what you run through it
I think i ended up part exchanging it for an emu e6400 ultra or the 5000 " it was a long time ago so i forget"
If i remember correctly i swapped it because of emu,z ZPlane filters and the beat munging functions blah blah blah
It did take up some room though, due to the monitor for editing.
Back then i was going through hardware like a drought in the desert
and yes us DnB n junglists have fond memories of the s760 and all emu e series

 

I have it and use it occasionally. I agree with what @Rasputin said.

It is a but tedious to use (small screen) if you want to make your own sounds, but if you simply sample "quick and dirty" then sample back to DAW, it works great for that. I usually just sample a lot of sounds, a loop, or whole rhythm into it, then play it back into Reaper.

 

maybe that sampler got some noise in it that why it sounds better

 

Scroll to the middle - than further.
https://llamamusic.com/s50s550/unusual_samples.html

 

Its got a fat and punchy sound for bass and kick drums and even running it as a dac sounds better than most audio interfaces I've used.

 

It's a nice old school sampler. As stated already, if you're used to modern ways of sampling, it can be tedious (and slow) to use this.

But... It can be worth it as the filters are super nice. Think Daft Punk's "Homework" kind of nice (it's what they used back then).

As far as the small screen, you can plug an old bigger screen for ease of use (not those they sell these days), and for navigation a specific mouse exists. I guess it can be difficult to find those these days, but it makes it a lot easier to use. Note that you'll also need a Zip disc reader. And the installation disc.

And patience, as the process tends to be a lot slower than using - say - Ableton Live or a SP404 or a MPC.

 

i'd use one if I already had one. But it does not support FAT drives. You are stuck either sampling directly into it, or using a convertor for wave files to their proprietary format. Or using sample libraries already in its own native format.

You can put a Zulu or a Gotek drive into them to emulate the floppy drive. But you still cannot use wav files. You are still stuck converting everything.

 

Maybe you find (ask for) more info at:

FB -
Roland Sampler Information Exchange

 

.. and Yes, you can't compare a 30jrs old sampler with those with they make new Kontakt Libraries.

 

I have a Roland S550 haven't used it since the the late 80's I bought this, a Korg Trinity TR Rackmount ,a
YAMAHA TX81Z and 2 Yamaha FB-01 units. It's ridiculous how much stuff we accumulate and don't use anymore.

 

you can, old samplers sound better and don't have million features to destruct you from music

 

Digital filters, serie D50 and JD-800 like, amazing converters a bit less quality then the amazing S-770 big bro...sounds so punchy (the roland library TR serie sampling -drums- and also the bass are so amazing, better then any kontakt or emu cloud around made on 1986 aprox), mine is still here full expanded with monitor and mouse, sincerely is switched off since 2 years..because the MPC live sounds pretty amazing and pretty easy for sampling, anyway for punchy lofi iv found a nice toy from Sonicware the LOFI 12-XT very easy to composing, this old sampler is fashion only because is reppresenting a nice era...a nostalgia sound and use...i still even own 2 EMUs serie III and IV and some S-50 and S-550..but as i wrote..today make no sense.
The S-760 was usefull to me in the mid late 90's, I was using it for sound designe, sampling everything around my environment and then using the keymaps and samples on my XV-5080 (the roland cloud plugin is not a full emu of ...missing sampling part reading S serie).
Is not a simply easy ed iting and sampling, even with the mouse and video, strong reccomended: SCSI and a SCSI to SD toy and the floppy emu to load the OS.

 

just TVF digital resonant low|band|high pass filter from Roland D and JD series synths

 

Last edited: Mar 27, 2025

I have 2x S10 and a W30