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Synth Icons
🎹 Synth Icons is the podcast where legendary keyboards come back to life. Hosted by producer and synth expert Andy Whitmore, each episode dives into the world’s most iconic synthesizers — from the lush analog power of the Yamaha CS-80, to the digital sparkle of the DX7, to the unmistakable sounds of the Korg M1.
Andy recreates famous riffs, compares hardware to modern software emulations, and reveals the stories, sounds, and production secrets behind the instruments that shaped pop, film, and electronic music.
If you're a synth enthusiast, a producer, or just love classic hits, Synth Icons lets you hear the legends for yourself.
👉 Follow for more synth deep-dives, blind tests, and studio stories.
🎧 Watch the full video versions on YouTube → @AndyWhitmore
Synth Icons
Roland D-50 – 20 Iconic Riffs You Know (But Didn’t Know Were D-50)
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
In this Synth Icons episode, Andy Whitmore dives into the digital, glassy world of the Roland D-50 – with 20 iconic riffs you definitely know, but maybe never realised were D-50.
Every sound in this episode comes from a real D-50, using classic factory presets like Pizzagogo, DigitalNativeDance, Staccato Heaven, Glass Voices, Metal Harp, Cathedral/pipe organs, Shakuhachi, Griitttarr and more. No other synths, no samples – just the D-50 doing what it does best.
🎧 Tracks & sounds featured include:
- Michael Jackson – Man in the Mirror (I-84 Afterthought)
- Enya – Orinoco Flow (I-44 Pizzagogo)
- Eric Clapton – Bad Love (I-77 O K Chorale)
- Gary Numan – America (I-37 Soundtrack)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation – Season 1 theme / OST (I-51 Glass Voices)
- Paula Abdul – Straight Up (I-15 Horn Section)
- Christopher Cross – Sailing (I-43 Basin Strat Blues)
- Taylor Dayne – Tell It to My Heart (I-15 Horn Section)
- George Michael – Faith (I-38 Cathedral Organ)
- Mica Paris – My One Temptation (I-15 Horn Section)
- Phil Collins – Another Day in Paradise (I-12 Metal Harp)
- Bananarama – Love in the First Degree (I-15 Horn Section)
- Mr. President – Coco Jamboo (I-16 Living Calliope)
- Boy Meets Girl – Waiting for a Star to Fall (I-21 DigitalNativeDance)
- Sabrina – Boys Boys Boys (I-15 Horn Section)
- Spagna – Call Me (I-15 Horn Section)
- George Michael – Father Figure (I-66 Shakuhachi)
- Pink Floyd – Run Like Hell (I-26 Griitttarr – reimagined on D-50)
- Michael Jackson – Dirty Diana (I-21 DigitalNativeDance)
- Michael Cooper – Shoop Shoop (Never Stop Givin’ You Love) (I-61 Staccato Heaven)
- Plus preset demos: Intruder FX and Staccato Heaven
Expect plenty of “wait… that’s a D-50?!” moments as these factory patches pop up in huge pop, rock and TV themes from the late 80s and early 90s.
🎹 More Synth Icons episodes:
- Korg M1 – Famous Riffs You Know (But Didn’t Realise Were M1)
- Sequential Prophet-5 – Famous Riffs You Instantly Know
- Roland Jupiter-8 & Jupiter-4 – Hidden 80s Synth Gems
- Hohner Clavinet D6 – Famous Riffs You Instantly Know
- CS-80 / Vangelis sounds and Yamaha DX7 specials
✏️ 1-to-1 lessons & synth help
If you want one-to-one lessons on how to program or produce in Logic Pro – or you’d like help programming synths (hardware or analogue-style VSTs) – head over to Andy’s website and get in touch.
📲Connect with me:
🌐 Website → https://greystokestudio.com/
📸 Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/andywhitmore2014/
📺 YouTube → https://www.youtube.com/@AndyWhitmore
👍 Facebook → https://www.facebook.com/AndyWhitmoreMusic
𝕏 X → https://twitter.com/andywhitmore
🎵 TikTok → https://www.tiktok.com/@andywhitmore9583
If you enjoy this D-50 special, follow the Synth Icons podcast, leave a rating or review, and let Andy know which synth – or which artist – you’d like to hear next.