Roland Cloud 2 Instruments for life

[EnochLight]

how do you keep those plugins at all? do you get the dll, installer + key or what?

(No, you don't get an installer or key. You get to maintain your 'unpaid' enrollment in Roland Cloud).

On Windows, you most certainly do get an installer - they're installed like any other VST2 through the Roland Cloud Manager app. But yeah, you have to log in to Roland Cloud to activate and keep it authorized.

[SLiC]

how do you keep those plugins at all? do you get the dll, installer + key or what?

Scroll up four posts and read what I wrote there. (No, you don't get an installer or key. You get to maintain your 'unpaid' enrollment in Roland Cloud).

Yeh, this isn't true, the cloud just downloads a regular installer (new plug or update) and runs it! Its standard stuff.

[mholloway]

Yeh, this isn't true, the cloud just downloads a regular installer (new plug or update) and runs it! Its standard stuff.

I'm not arguing whether or not it's "standard stuff."

I'm simply pointing out that active maintenance of a RolandCloud account and the RolandCloud app is required in order to use the "2 plugins" for life.

Some people seem to think they are going to get installers and activation keys, and then they will run their "chosen two" like any other plugin they own. that's not strictly true, due to the above: the required maintenance of the RC account and app.

I personally don't even have a problem with it, I'm just pointing it out because people are asking how it works / seem confused about it.

Quoting me and then saying 'this isn't true' is 1. incorrect, as what I said is *exactly* true and 2. just makes things more confusing for people here.

"Standard" plugins like ones from U-He do not require an active account with a Cloud program and active running of the Cloud program's app on your system. I realize that other companies like NI require "native access" and similar things, sure. But one guy here asked "do I get an installer and a key" and I said "no, you don't." that's just the facts.

[SLiC]

Yeh, this isn't true, the cloud just downloads a regular installer (new plug or update) and runs it! Its standard stuff.

I'm not arguing whether or not it's "standard stuff."

I'm simply pointing out that active maintenance of a RolandCloud account and the RolandCloud app is required in order to use the "2 plugins" for life.

Some people seem to think they are going to get installers and activation keys, and then they will run their "chosen two" like any other plugin they own. that's not strictly true, due to the above: the required maintenance of the RC account and app.

I personally don't even have a problem with it, I'm just pointing it out because people are asking how it works / seem confused about it.

Quoting me and then saying 'this isn't true' is 1. incorrect, as what I said is *exactly* true and 2. just makes things more confusing for people here.

"Standard" plugins like ones from U-He do not require an active account with a Cloud program and active running of the Cloud program's app on your system. I realize that other companies like NI require "native access" and similar things, sure. But one guy here asked "do I get an installer and a key" and I said "no, you don't." that's just the facts.

Fair enough, but saying you don't get an installer is not strictly true and there are a lot of people that already seem to think the plugs are 'virtual'; or used 'on line' and that you don't really 'get them' some how....you do, there is a standard (automatic) installer like NI and Arturia etc it just deletes the installation file on completion and they work just like any other plug in.

The 'cloud' is just the 'updater and copy protection' and I think there are plenty of other plugs that work this way they just don't call it 'cloud' (which in my opinion was a bad name for Roland, they could have called it the 'Roland Club' and it would have seemed much simpler!)

There is no ‘Roland Cloud’ - nothing is cloud based, it is just a plug in manager and copy protection!

[fmr]

Fair enough, but saying you don't get an installer is not strictly true and there are a lot of people that already seem to think the plugs are 'virtual'; or used 'on line' and that you don't really 'get them' some how....you do, there is a standard (automatic) installer like NI and Arturia etc it just deletes the installation file on completion and they work just like any other plug in.

The 'cloud' is just the 'updater and copy protection' and I think there are plenty of other plugs that work this way they just don't call it 'cloud' (which in my opinion was a bad name for Roland, they could have called it the 'Roland Club' and it would have seemed much simpler!)

There is no ‘Roland Cloud’ - nothing is cloud based, it is just a plug in manager and copy protection!

You're absolutely right in what you say. Roland Cloud Manager can be compared to what Native Instruments and Arturia have, since it installs and authorizes the plug-ins.

There is just one thing though. Roland Cloud is called that way because they had an idea in the beginning (which I thought was absurd, but they had it) to create versions of the plug-ins that would not tax much the CPU but didn't offer the best quality, and the user, once the work was finished, would call a render option that would work in the cloud. Tera Guitar and Tera Piano were supposed to work this way.

AFAIK, the "cloud rendering" was never implemented, and they seem to have abandoned that idea, and concentrated in offering the customers the best they could use IN THEIR OWN COMPUTERS.

So yes, what we have are real plug-ins, that work like any other plug-ins, and every once in a while, when we call one of them we are presented with a dialog box asking us to insert our user ID and password to validate them. That's all. We don't need to access the cloud for anything except for updating the plug-ins as we do with any other company (except for the vast majority, we use our browser, download an installer, and run it manually).

[Stefken]

how do you keep those plugins at all? do you get the dll, installer + key or what?

(No, you don't get an installer or key. You get to maintain your 'unpaid' enrollment in Roland Cloud).

On Windows, you most certainly do get an installer - they're installed like any other VST2 through the Roland Cloud Manager app. But yeah, you have to log in to Roland Cloud to activate and keep it authorized.

Well, what is a bit different is that this Cloud manager is pretty nagging. It just kept nagging that there is an update, so I unstalled it (i only have a free account). Other managers like native access don't nag like this.

The synths are still there. So yeah they are installed like any other vst2. Nothing cloud about it. And you can get rid of the manager app if you so choose to.

[noiseboyuk]

Stefken - you can disable those notifications in the Cloud Manager settings.

I have an odd problem with Cloud Manager - the interface is colossal. I think it’s because I have 4 monitors, with 1 above and 3 below, CM seems to think I have 1 ginormous monitor and scales itself so the font is 10,000pt. I have to move what I can see of the window’s top bar around just read what’s on a page. So far I’ve been able to get things done just about, though it is clearly absurd. Plugins themselves are all fine.

On this business of having to stay a member, I have no issues with it if it doesn’t cost me anything. So I’m in with getting two products on permaloan and a year to play around.

[SLiC]

Roland would probably make a lot more money if they just dropped the cloud name and said you buy 2 plugs for 199usd and get all the others free for a year and you download everything including use their plug in manager and authoriser....that’s it!

[EvilDragon]

I have an odd problem with Cloud Manager - the interface is colossal. I think it’s because I have 4 monitors, with 1 above and 3 below, CM seems to think I have 1 ginormous monitor and scales itself so the font is 10,000pt. I have to move what I can see of the window’s top bar around just read what’s on a page. So far I’ve been able to get things done just about, though it is clearly absurd. Plugins themselves are all fine.

Try playing with HiDPI options. Before you run CM, right-click it -> Properties, then Compatibility tab. At the bottom there you have "Change high DPI settings". Try different options here.

[Mr Arkadin]

Roland would probably make a lot more money if they just dropped the cloud name and said you buy 2 plugs for 199usd and get all the others free for a year and you download everything including use their plug in manager and authoriser....that’s it!

Far too simple and straightforward for Roland.

I'd probably go for something like that as long as once authorised that was it, no ongoing account needed (free or otherwise).

But I guess everyone's trying to get on the subscription train, but there comes a point for the not rich where you can only have so many subscriptions and something has to go.

[noiseboyuk]

I have an odd problem with Cloud Manager - the interface is colossal. I think it’s because I have 4 monitors, with 1 above and 3 below, CM seems to think I have 1 ginormous monitor and scales itself so the font is 10,000pt. I have to move what I can see of the window’s top bar around just read what’s on a page. So far I’ve been able to get things done just about, though it is clearly absurd. Plugins themselves are all fine.

Try playing with HiDPI options. Before you run CM, right-click it -> Properties, then Compatibility tab. At the bottom there you have "Change high DPI settings". Try different options here.

Thanks v much Mario, terrific suggestions. Sadly nothing worked, and I tried literally every combination of every setting that there was.

[SLiC]

https://www.rolandcloud.com/home/news/srx-dance-trax

Its out- downloaded and playing...

[noiseboyuk]

The Dance Trax expansion they say was a collaboration between Roland and Spectrasonics. Certainly many of the drum loops, hits and effects sound very similar to stuff in Stylus RMX. Yup, the Stylus core library is that old.

[polarsky]

Roland would probably make a lot more money if they just dropped the cloud name and said you buy 2 plugs for 199usd and get all the others free for a year and you download everything including use their plug in manager and authoriser....that’s it!

This. Don't see this as a sub anymore but dropping it would piss off people still on an active sub as the current deal gives you 2 instruments to choose right away. Wouldn't be surprised if they started selling extra credits to get more synths if the subs aren't cutting it.

Only issue is that the coding on this stuff is still a bit sloppy. The Windows installer is telling me I don't have Mac OS installed and it doesn't use the custom install folder but this was the same with the content store plugs. It puts the installers in your appdata roaming folder and keeps these on your system as well.

[SLiC]

I think they have been gradually trying to morph it in to something that people will accept. It has taken a while to find their balance. It still wont please everyone (what does, some people won't use iLok) but I think it will turn enough new heads to be a success.