Roland Cloud - big change

[rezoneight]

Just some ideas on pricing...

TB-303: $149

thats a joke, right?

you can get a hardware version for a £129!

ABL3 is only €95...

You can't get a hardware TB303 for that much. You can get a Behringer copy that appears to have some issues, including shitty build quality.

BS, its an excellent unit

and yes, roland can charge what they want, and customers can also choose the better quality cheaper alternative

At least I am glad that there is someone out there, that figured out the concept of currencies and knows that 1 dollar does NOT equal 1 euro.

The price is a bit high, but I've tried a lot of Acid plugins and the Roland one is the only one that really vibed with me. . I'm not going to nag over 40 euros. (Correction: Pure Acid for IOS is really nice too but no vst unfortunately )
And the plugin does have advantages over the TD-3.
(Obvious ones are better integration with a DAW and as many instances as your cpu can handle.)

But the edit screen is a much nicer way to edit the sequence and you can edit the sequence while it's running. The TD-3 uses the original sequencing of the TB-303 which means that note information and time information are separated and if you want to edit the sequence you have to stop the sequencer. Also no overview of the sequence as a whole on the TD-3 but you have to go through the sequence step by step.
The Roland TB-303 plugin also has the revert play mode (sometimes yields real nice results) and the hidden panel with extra sound editing options.

So, I do see benefits to using the Roland plugin (even if you have hardware) . But to each their own.

Here in the US the TD-3 and the Roland 303 plugin are the same price. I'd rather pay for the plugin and not have to find room for more hardware that I wouldn't use often anyhow.

[noddog]

Hmm, I don't think the pricing for the lifetime keys of the various synths is that unreasonable. A hardware XV-5080 costs about $500 used and I can get the lifetime software version for $129. Probably under $100 during a sale. Isn't the software XV-5080 pretty much identical to the digital hardware?

Getting all 16 vintage synth licenses is pricey at over $2,000, so the next step is for Roland to come out with Roland Komplete - 8 synths for $499 or Roland Komplete Ultimate - all 16 synths for $699.

[v1o]

]

I know the Behringer MS101 doesn't sound like the original. They changed the circuit to cut costs.

citation?

Cannot vouch for the absolute accuracy of information but its in the very large MS101 thread over at GS. There are many pages of discussion on the circuit and how it differs from the Roland.

[whannel]

400MB download and install seems excessive just to view the lifetime key prices within a webpage based Roland manager, but the free drum libraries within the separate 661MB Zenology seem quite extensive - I'm not really sure what the $149 for a 909 gets us over what they are giving away free here?

The 909 preset seems to offer more sounds than what I think the hardware has if we play further up the keyboard, almost like an old MIDI drumset. I can't tell if they are samples or synthesis as using a bunch of them in a simple loop melts my CPU??

Looks like I'll have to sample them at their longest decay settings so I can tweak those on my own afterwards, kinda what I expect people would do on a free trial of the $149 software if they really needed to have it generate at a slightly different tone (although the free one lets it be set between and faily limited 415.3 and 466.1Hz tuning, maybe it is synthesis, but why a 661MB Zenology install?)

Also no idea why I have access to Fanton presets within the Roland manager if I can't see anywhere to load their .exz banks into Zenology if anyone knows more?

Keen on demoing any upcoming JP80x0 although maybe not for 1GB on a laptop with limited SSD space.

[DrGonzo]

Here in the US the TD-3 and the Roland 303 plugin are the same price. I'd rather pay for the plugin and not have to find room for more hardware that I wouldn't use often anyhow.

Not often you hear that argument, tbh. Usually most people feel hardware is more future proof and are even willing to pay more for that. But I can understand it in a very pragmatic sense.

/C

[sacer]

where to ?? Arturia V Collection 8 ??

They wish their Jupiter 8 emulation sounded half as good as Roland’s.

I have both (Roland and Arturia) and still far prefer the raw sound of Diva's Jupiter-8.

I have demoed the roland jupiter, but the Arturia Version sounds realy close to the roland version.
I have rebuild the Factory Library from Rolands Jupiter in Arturia and most prests sounds really really close.
I also Prefer Diva and especially Tal-Mod.

[fmr]

Also no idea why I have access to Fanton presets within the Roland manager if I can't see anywhere to load their .exz banks into Zenology if anyone knows more?

I think (but it's just assumption) that they extended the Roland Cloud platform also to hardware users, and are willing to make it the one and only platform for Roland useds (software AND hardware) to get updates, new sounds, updates, expansions, etc.). That's why there are tabs for hardware, IMO.

I, as an exclusively software user, didn't bother checking those.

[FotoxBr]

I own a MC-101. Some of the promotion illustrations I have seen about Zenology show some sort of interaction between Zenology software and MC-101 (and -707). I subscribed and downloaded the software, but this is not currently possible as far as I know. Only fantom, jupiter x(m) and rd-88 seem to be supported in some way. Any word about patch exchange with the mc range ?

[RasmusV]

where to ?? Arturia V Collection 8 ??

They wish their Jupiter 8 emulation sounded half as good as Roland’s.

I have both (Roland and Arturia) and still far prefer the raw sound of Diva's Jupiter-8.

I have demoed the roland jupiter, but the Arturia Version sounds realy close to the roland version.
I have rebuild the Factory Library from Rolands Jupiter in Arturia and most prests sounds really really close.
I also Prefer Diva and especially Tal-Mod.

I did a really quick and dirty comparison between the Roland and Arturia versions yesterday - 2 bar midi loop with fixed velocity, triggering OSC 1 sawtooth with all filters open.
I've not checked the frequency response, but after rendering both tracks in Reaper and normalising the volume, the only difference I could see and hear was that Roland is slightly louder. And the interface feels more fiddly, but that's a personal preference.
Think I'll cancel this one and stay with Arturia.

[zvenx]

Please forgive me if this has been asked and answered before.
Is there anyway to demo some of the Legendary ones now? (Specifically Jupiter 8 and XV 5080) or do I either have to have a subscription or buy them blind?
thanks
rsp

[RasmusV]

@zvenx, I signed up on the Pro level and got 30 days free. I assume you can cancel within that time frame, worst case scenario, it's $9.99 for the next month and then cancel if not happy.

[Robmobius]

Roland cloud jupiter 8 vs arturia vs Diva. Good vid this and very indepth.



Looks like Arturia have improved their version. But imo, Jupiter 8 and Diva are superior.

[Atlatnesiti]

Love the concept of Roland Cloud subscription scheme. I’ve been a user of this scheme from the very beginning - I’m so called “ultimate” user, so I have access to everything forever for incredibly cheap fee of $24 AU a month - that is $6 a week that equals to 1 cappuccino a week
I have 2 Loyalty plugins in my bag, but not planning to quit Roland Cloud.
Love it

[Spitfire31]

Please forgive me if this has been asked and answered before.
Is there anyway to demo some of the Legendary ones now? (Specifically Jupiter 8 and XV 5080) or do I either have to have a subscription or buy them blind?
thanks
rsp

@Rasmusv: According to my reading of the conditions for the Core, Pro and Ultimate subs, Jupiter 8 and XV 5080 are only included in the Ultimate version.

[zvenx]

@zvenx, I signed up on the Pro level and got 30 days free. I assume you can cancel within that time frame, worst case scenario, it's $9.99 for the next month and then cancel if not happy.

Ahhh thanks
rsp