I've got one of those! For anyone not up on vintage music technology this is a Japanese made drum machine from the very early '80s, which might help with the font ID. I need to check mine when I get home but I believe it has very slight serifs doesn't it? Off the top of my head I'd say it is a bit like ITC Serif Gothic, although when checking that I see it is a little too ornate & certainly doesn't have the angled crossbar on the e.

The closest i can get in terms of "feel" is Ronda, but that's not it either.
I guess it could be a font specially made for Roland.

PS.. Justin.. I'm extremely jealous! hehe. Do you make music?

This post was on matrixsynth.com today, and it shows a nice example of that font on the GR-300 manual (check out that z!)

http://matrixsynth.blogspot.com/2008/07/roland-gr-300_09.html

I could've sworn we had that font at the newspaper I used to work at, but maybe I'm confusing it with one of the many things it's similar to. It's got a very Ed Benguiat look to it. Sort of Benguiat Gothic mixed with a little Bauhaus. Maybe it was custom font.

aah yes, the tiny serifs are clearer to see on that manual. Makes me want it even more!

The 808 was a classic, especially in terms of how it revolutionised Electro music (we're talking early 80's NYC, btw) from diverse artists like Afrika Bambaata to early Depeche Mode and UK jazz funk band Freeeze (the track I.O.U. specifically). The 808 Kick and clap were killer in the clubs! I always dreamed of owning one of those when I was a teenager, only being able to afford it's poor cousin the Roland Drumatix. Nowadays, all the sounds it can do are available everywhere, especially complete sequencer packages like Propellerheads Reason.

I think the 808 still carries a lot of kudos though and as such may well still command a respectable price.

And where do you think 808 State got their name from...

JH

http://Serif Gothic Bold is closer than I thought now that I can see more examples of the Roland font. However it looks as if they've taken the bold weight & lightened it slightly, so it doesn't have the separation in letters like R & B that the lighter weights have. d, a & p have that slightly awkward "elbow". The e & that lovely z could be unique features of the customisation. Something doesn't look quite right about Serif Gothic's e.

There is something similar used by the ibuprofen brand Nurofen, although this uses a different capital E to the Serif Gothic one.

PS.. Justin.. I’m extremely jealous! hehe. Do you make music?

Most of my audio work these days is editing & sound effects creation, usually for artists making films or sound installations. I had some deep house tracks out quite a few years ago & I'm trying to get back into that side of things.

Pre-digital versions of Serif Gothic had that round ‘E’.

Pre-digital versions of Serif Gothic had that round ‘E’.

Thanks for that Jan. I've just dug out a 1989 Letraset catalogue & indeed it has both a rectangular & round "E". Not only that, it also has the slanted "e" used by Roland and that swashy "z"!!!

Also two versions of "a", "f", "k", "r", "s", "t" & "L".

What a shame they aren't in the digital versions!

Aah yes! Foolish of me not to have looked in my Letraset book before now... those special characters are indeed there.

Looks like I have some scanning to do! :)

Thanks Justin.
have fun with the music.