Roland Cloud

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Creativemind
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23 Oct 2018

Hi All!

I want to purchase (as soon as funds permit) some Roland vst synths. Well the SH-101 is available as a vst but some of the others I wanted (D50, Jupiter 8 and Juno 106) are only available via Roland Cloud, i.e - subscription only. It's about £18 a month UK money which I couldn't afford.

What do people think of Roland's approach here? are subscriptions fair?

I suppose it stops piracy.

Thanks!
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fotizimo
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23 Oct 2018

I have been a subscriber to their cloud for almost a year. They have a few unique elements of their cloud offer which I like, although in the long run, they are a bit expensive.

The first, is that after every year of membership, you get to keep one of the VST instruments as your own. They are really expensive on their own, so this is a pretty cool offer, which I do not think any other cloud offer has.

They are constantly including new VSTs as part of their cloud offer. I think there are around 35+ various instruments they offer and they keep coming up with new ones all the time. This past week they added a JX device, and prior to that, they offered the only official 808 and 909 VSTs.

So if you are into the Roland sound, the cloud offer is really pretty good. I own a System-1m which works with the System-1 VST (just not as a hardware controller within Reason which I found out this week), but in other DAWs it allows you to use the actual hardware as a control device for the VST, or vica-versa. It really is pretty cool.

The downside of the Rolan VSTs is CPU power. They are hogs. The System-8 with 8 voices kills my machine just on its own playing a simple pad chord. It really requires you have some processing power if you want to make that thing sing.

I only use their Legend and Aira VSTs, so I can't comment on the ROMplers, but the ones I use are absolutely top notch, and the fact that you get to keep one per year works out pretty well.

If you like Roland, this is a no-brainer.
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Lizard
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24 Oct 2018

Pretty much what Fotizimo said. At first I was weary about the cost per month going into it but now that the arsenal is a much bigger palette of quality VST and sound the $20usd price seems small. There are very few that struggle with Reason... although they are pretty good ones. The only three my computer struggles with is the Juno-106, Jupiter 8 and the new JX-3P. All the rest seem to do fine. I have the Arturia Jupiter though which works wonderful. The SH-101, SH-2, D-50, Promars, 808, 909 and SRX devices work great. And as said before after 12 months you are allowed to chose one to keep forever. Not a bad deal I think if you are a vintage equipment head.

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EnochLight
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28 Oct 2018

I'm on and off again with Roland Cloud. I signed up at first, then cancelled after a couple of months because I thought their "pay 1 year = 1 keep forever license" was ridiculously overpriced ($240 USD for even an authentic Juno 106 emu seems hilariously too expensive to me). Then I ended up winning 1 free year of Roland Cloud in a Facebook contest.

And during that year I used it.... twice maybe? Hardly even twice. :lol: :? :shock: :o

So now I don't know if I'm going to sign up again, finish a 12 month period, grab that one license I really want, and call it a day. I feel like virtually everything offered in Roland's catalog has been done to death by other devs over the past 15 years, and Roland sort of missed the boat. But there's something to be said about having an authentic Jupiter 8 or Juno 106 in my rack, using actual Roland DSP - that's pretty sweet.

And massive CPU hogs! :lol: :lol: :lol:

Honestly, Prop's own "Rent-to-Own" deal they have with RE's is a far better deal, IMHO. Had Roland done that with their plugins, and priced them a little more realistic, they would have had my business without question.
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eusti
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28 Oct 2018

EnochLight wrote:
28 Oct 2018
So now I don't know if I'm going to sign up again, finish a 12 month period, grab that one license I really want, and call it a day. I feel like virtually everything offered in Roland's catalog has been done to death by other devs over the past 15 years, and Roland sort of missed the boat.
Did anyone do a D-50 emulation? Of course, again, usable on a mac.

D.

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eusti
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28 Oct 2018

eusti wrote:
28 Oct 2018
EnochLight wrote:
28 Oct 2018
So now I don't know if I'm going to sign up again, finish a 12 month period, grab that one license I really want, and call it a day. I feel like virtually everything offered in Roland's catalog has been done to death by other devs over the past 15 years, and Roland sort of missed the boat.
Did anyone do a D-50 emulation? Of course, again, usable on a mac.

PS: Am actually considering the D-05, but would be more content with a cheaper VST or RE.

D.

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EnochLight
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28 Oct 2018

eusti wrote:
28 Oct 2018
Did anyone do a D-50 emulation? Of course, again, usable on a mac.

D.
There were a bunch of freebies over the years, but most were PC. There's a Kontakt library out called Deepflight 2 that's got a lot of good D-50 content, though:

http://kontaktbanks.com/kb_deepflight2.html

I realize this isn't an emulation, though.
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Lizard
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28 Oct 2018

Roland has been emulated several times over on many of their synths or general sound and I attribute that to the body of work they have before them. But unless you are a vintage head you would not probably see the better value in these ones. If all you really did with these were surfing presets I don't think you'd of best pent your cash. If you like the experience of what it was/is like to work with these then there are none better right? The 808 they provide is RAW as it was to use when it first came out in the 80's. It does take it up a notch as a VST but dial for dial you get that.

I'll be coming up on 12 months soon of a subscription and when it comes I will chose the D-50. Unless I've been missing something there is very little faithful replicas of that synth and as far as their VST goes is one of the most CPU friendly. Love to ave the Juno 106 but until they optimize (if ever) their VST I can't see it being of much use in Reason.

On the scale though they keep adding new devices near every month and in the end you have a huge library that you pay for $20 a month. SO after a year yo pay what would be double what you expect for a VST (maybe close to triple) but you had the opportunity to use their whole index. Maybe they will allow members in the future an opportunity to buy selective ones outright. We will see.

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eusti
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28 Oct 2018

EnochLight wrote:
28 Oct 2018
eusti wrote:
28 Oct 2018
Did anyone do a D-50 emulation? Of course, again, usable on a mac.

D.
There were a bunch of freebies over the years, but most were PC. There's a Kontakt library out called Deepflight 2 that's got a lot of good D-50 content, though:

http://kontaktbanks.com/kb_deepflight2.html

I realize this isn't an emulation, though.
Thanks for this! Will investigate! :)

D.

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fotizimo
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28 Oct 2018

So I will be coming up on my 12 month soon, and plan on getting the System-1 VST as part of the year rent to own part. As an owner of the System-1m hardware, this VST allows be to backup, and manage presets onto my computer, and in DAWs other than Reason, I can use the hardware as a physical controller to the VST (or vica-versa).

I admit I do not use them as much as I want to, so may pause my subscription after 12 months, but I am going to see about purchasing either the Promars or SH-101for the plug-out part of the 1m hardware.
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aeox
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28 Oct 2018

Creativemind wrote:
23 Oct 2018

I suppose it stops piracy.

Thanks!
It doesn't.. all those vst were cracked.

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EnochLight
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28 Oct 2018

aeox wrote:
28 Oct 2018
Creativemind wrote:
23 Oct 2018

I suppose it stops piracy.

Thanks!
It doesn't.. all those vst were cracked.
The line from Roland Cloud?
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aeox
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28 Oct 2018

EnochLight wrote:
28 Oct 2018
aeox wrote:
28 Oct 2018


It doesn't.. all those vst were cracked.
The line from Roland Cloud?
Yes

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EnochLight
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28 Oct 2018

aeox wrote:
28 Oct 2018
EnochLight wrote:
28 Oct 2018


The line from Roland Cloud?
Yes
Well crap. That sucks (for Roland).
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Despondo
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29 Oct 2018

Also, be aware that on MacOS, some of their VSTs are VST3 only, and will not work in Reason without some kind of bridge.

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mooseharris
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05 Nov 2018

fotizimo wrote:
28 Oct 2018
As an owner of the System-1m hardware, this VST allows be to backup, and manage presets onto my computer
Just download the trial version. I have a System-1 and a System-8, and manage the presets using the trial version as a librarian. Roland even suggest this on their website.

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fotizimo
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05 Nov 2018

mooseharris wrote:
05 Nov 2018
fotizimo wrote:
28 Oct 2018
As an owner of the System-1m hardware, this VST allows be to backup, and manage presets onto my computer
Just download the trial version. I have a System-1 and a System-8, and manage the presets using the trial version as a librarian. Roland even suggest this on their website.
I tried that, but in the end decided I wanted to be able to use the System-1 VST as part of my project, and not just the hardware. In the reality, I like the hardware and the software.

Now I just can't decide which plug-out VST I would like to use on the System-1m
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Creativemind
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05 Nov 2018

Lizard wrote:
28 Oct 2018
On the scale though they keep adding new devices near every month and in the end you have a huge library that you pay for $20 a month.
I'd prefer pay though for each synth and have a third if not a quarter of the content but have synths I'd actually use.

I want the D-50, the Juno-106, the 808 & 909, the SH-101 & the Jupiter 8. Don't really want anythijg else atm.
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fotizimo
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05 Nov 2018

Creativemind wrote:
05 Nov 2018
Lizard wrote:
28 Oct 2018
On the scale though they keep adding new devices near every month and in the end you have a huge library that you pay for $20 a month.
I'd prefer pay though for each synth and have a third if not a quarter of the content but have synths I'd actually use.

I want the D-50, the Juno-106, the 808 & 909, the SH-101 & the Jupiter 8. Don't really want anythijg else atm.
The only problem I see with that strategy is that some of the VSTs are only available through their cloud offer, and the ones that are available to buy, are priced at the high end for VSTs.

The main Aria VSTs go for around $195 USD per device. In buying the System-1m hardware, I have found they give a one-time discount for a VST purchase of around $50 USD.

The Roland VSTs are excellent representations of the hardware, but whether through the cloud offer, or by buying, they are expensive. If you like the Roland VSTs, the cloud option is actually a really valuable offer.
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EnochLight
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05 Nov 2018

I will have to pay $480 USD (sub for 2 years) just to "own" the Juno 106 and Jupiter 8. That's almost laughably too expensive for what you get, IMHO. We're in Omnisphere 2 range at that price point...
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fotizimo
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05 Nov 2018

EnochLight wrote:
05 Nov 2018
I will have to pay $480 USD (sub for 2 years) just to "own" the Juno 106 and Jupiter 8. That's almost laughably too expensive for what you get, IMHO. We're in Omnisphere 2 range at that price point...
Or you could look at it from the point of view, that for $480 USD for two years, you get access to around 30 various VSTs including some that are not available for individual purchase. Plus after that $480 expenditure, you will get to keep two VSTs that would have cost you around $195 if you had bought upfront. So you basically would have paid $100 on top of the $380 you would have paid for the 2 VSTs, and gotten the others as well. There is true value there for the Roland software users.

I am not trying to sway anyone here, just pointing out that there are values beyond the monthly costs.

Personally I am going to jump off the train and take a VST with me, as well as use my hardware discount for a second VST. The are truly top-notch quality reproductions of the hardware they represent, I am just not using them as much as I thought I would.
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groggy1
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05 Nov 2018

mooseharris wrote:
05 Nov 2018
fotizimo wrote:
28 Oct 2018
As an owner of the System-1m hardware, this VST allows be to backup, and manage presets onto my computer
Just download the trial version. I have a System-1 and a System-8, and manage the presets using the trial version as a librarian. Roland even suggest this on their website.

Can someone explain the difference between System-1/Plugout and the Roland Cloud stuff? I tried looking it up online, but I was still confused.


E.g. if I just want some of Roland's VSTs, is it an option for me to by the hardware System-1? Can I just IGNORE the hardware, as long as I plug it in? (and therefore just use the software VSTs?)

I really don't like the Roland Cloud subscription model, so I'd love to just by System-1 if it lets me use VSTs (with a hardware dongle). But I can't tell from the articles online if it really works this way...

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fotizimo
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05 Nov 2018

groggy1 wrote:
05 Nov 2018
mooseharris wrote:
05 Nov 2018


Just download the trial version. I have a System-1 and a System-8, and manage the presets using the trial version as a librarian. Roland even suggest this on their website.

Can someone explain the difference between System-1/Plugout and the Roland Cloud stuff? I tried looking it up online, but I was still confused.


E.g. if I just want some of Roland's VSTs, is it an option for me to by the hardware System-1? Can I just IGNORE the hardware, as long as I plug it in? (and therefore just use the software VSTs?)

I really don't like the Roland Cloud subscription model, so I'd love to just by System-1 if it lets me use VSTs (with a hardware dongle). But I can't tell from the articles online if it really works this way...
So the plug-out stuff is meant for the Roland hardware. It basically puts the VST into the hardware which you can then carry inside of the device. So my System-1m has all of the features it comes with, but I can add the SH-101, Promars or SH2 VST into the unit, and with a press of a button, switch between the two. Obviously I need to own the VST to be able to enable this feature inside of the hardware.

While using the Roland cloud offering, I get access to all of the VSTs so I can send whichever is supported by my hardware (System-8 supports more options and up to three VSTs at a single time, while the System-1m only supports a limited set and one at a time).

These are the various Plug-out Roland Aira VST options for the Ststem-1 or System-1m devices:

https://www.roland.com/global/categorie ... thesizers/

This is the link for the entire catalog for the Roland cloud options:

https://www.rolandcloud.com/catalog

There is a section that shows the "Aira" VSTs as well as the "Legendary" devices, some of which can also be used as plug-outs depending on which hardware (system-8, system-1, system-1m) you might have.

hope this clears it up a bit.
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fotizimo
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05 Nov 2018

and for those looking to buy individual Roland Plug-out VSTs, here is the link:

https://contentstore.roland.com/aira/

The special price for the System-1, System-1m, system-8 owners is typically $50 USD off the shown price. I am not sure if you can buy other Roland VSTs included in the cloud offering, such as the 808, 909 and Jupiter synths, but i do not think so.
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mooseharris
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05 Nov 2018

No, you can't. The Plug-Outs listed in the content store are the only ones you can buy straight away, the Roland Cloud ones take a year, and are about £180/$240.

The TR-8 TR-707 expansion only works with the hardware, but the SH-101, SH-2, Promars, System-1 etc. work as VST/AU instruments. The Promars also works as a standalone, and weirdly, is the only one that does.

I had a real SH-101 and Juno-6 back in the early '80s, working two jobs before and after school to buy them. The Plug-Outs of the SH-101 and Juno-106 are faultless, but I was lucky enough to get a free SH-2 Plug-Out and it's the business for analogue bass. The Promars is excellent as well.

The System-1 has the SH-101 for free (although I still bought the SH-01A). The System-8 ships with a Jupiter-8, Juno-106 and JX-3P (again, I bought the Boutique units), and you can add all the Content Store Plug-Outs in place of the 3 that are factory installed. The System-8 is also the default controller for Roland Cloud. It gets complicated if you own a Plug-Out and try to use the Cloud version, as the Authoriser wigs out trying to process two separate licences.

Fotizimo, if you're going to buy just one, I'd say the SH-2, then maybe the Promars. I'd love the System-100M, but maybe another day. I'm also looking to pick up the D-05 having played a friend's D-50.

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