Roland Cloud

[ChamomileShark]

I've written and deleted replies several times today.

Not that anyone cares, I really do think this thread has become unhealthy. I see people posting their grievences over and over again, that can't be healthy and really it's not going to shift Roland one inch. They've been around and successful for longer than most people have been alive. Yes they listen to customers but only to a point (as do any other largish company I know) Complain once or even twice, but keep doing it? What are you really trying to achieve? Are you really think you are doing this as a service to potential Roland Cloud customers?

Re Jon, I'm not sure what people are seeking to gain by picking apart his replies every time. Do you think you are going to achieve some moral victory? Where does that get you? One outcome is that his bosses will decide that his time is better spent elsewhere and we won't have any line of communication with Roland Cloud.

Ok, now I've wasted time here and so I'm off to do something more productive.

Night all.

[Teksonik]

Roland Cloud is very successful and is not going anywhere. I don't care if you buy it or ditch it.

So to me that comes across as "this is the way we're going to do business no matter what feedback we may get from users (or more importantly potential users) and we don't care if you like it or not.

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say that's not what you intended to convey but that's the way it reads to me.

I'm one of those who would love to buy some of your plugins but won't because of the Roland Cloud Manager. So the question is how much revenue is Roland missing out on by using the RCM and how much would they potentially lose if they dropped it? No one knows the answer to that question but market research is a tool often employed by larger companies.

For example I'd buy your D-50 in a heartbeat if it didn't require all the bloat (that the dozens and dozens of other great synths I own do not require).

What you have to consider is that no developer operates in isolation. These days we have a ton of bloat that different developers ask us to install just to use what are at the end of the day simple plugins. Native Access, UAD Connect, Pace iLok, Waves Central, CodeMeter, Roland Cloud, and on and on.

All that bloat can add up and have a negative effect on system stability and perhaps even security (apps that need a constant internet connection up/downloading who knows what in the background).

So you'll forgive us if we wish to handle our business in a way that attempts to assure the stability of our most important computer systems and the intellectual property they contain that we have spent countless hours of hard work creating.

As for KVR, I for one am grateful to have any representative from a major company participating here. It can be a beneficial situation for both the end user and the company...if handled correctly.

Yes KVR can be brutal but it's also a place that has its fair share of sycophant fanbois who frequently genuflect at the feet of certain developers. I am guilty of it myself.

So whether a developer gets their arse kicked here or their arse kissed here is up to how they conduct their business and the respect they show to people who spend their hard earned money on that developer's products.

[J Veronica]

Tearing apart a Roland rep who can't argue back is weak.

The comment further up about repeated complaints is valid. So for the last time, I'll say JX8P JX8P JX8P and be on my way.

[planetearth]

While I absolutely feel for the rage against Roland Cloud and its troubles, let's draw a line and not turn this thread into bullying a company rep.

I'm afraid it may be too late. Some have already done that, in what must be bordering on a violation of forum rules (if not an outright flouting of them).

Steve

[shatteredmindofbob]

What you have to consider is that no developer operates in isolation. These days we have a ton of bloat that different developers ask us to install just to use what are at the end of the day simple plugins. Native Access, UAD Connect, Pace iLok, Waves Central, CodeMeter, Roland Cloud, and on and on.

All that bloat can add up and have a negative effect on system stability and perhaps even security (apps that need a constant internet connection up/downloading who knows what in the background).

This is a really good point that doesn't come up often in discussions about DRM.

[bmanic]

Don't know what all the drama is about here but I'll just add my voice here and remind Roland that I too would be a potential customer if only their system for purchasing and operating purchased plugins was a whole lot better streamlined. Just look at how Korg does their business.. I've given them a whole heap of money because their plugins are easy to demo and easy to keep operational.

Roland Cloud experiences that I've had are the exact opposite and the direct reason I've never invested in it further. I'd even go as far and say that it has tarnished my "feeling" of Roland as a brand in general. It used to be one of those names/brands that I'd get some warm fuzzy feelings for (probably because the first synth I ever bought was a Roland synth) but that has not been the case for years now. Instead I get really negative vibes whenever I see the logo or hear the brand name.

[Bippo]

While I absolutely feel for the rage against Roland Cloud and its troubles, let's draw a line and not turn this thread into bullying a company rep.

Just in case that this was referred to me, I want to clarify that I have no reason to bully anyone, and that 100% wasn't my intention.
I don't envy Jon, he's got a tough job, and I don't forget for a second that there is a real human being behind the computer screen.
This has nothing to do personally with Jon, it's all about Roland as a company and the poor decisions that their management has done over the years with the roland cloud.
So yeah, nobody here is coming after Jon personally (at least not me), but we do have a right to express dissatisfaction (and in my case total desperation and a decision to abandon roland cloud).

With that said, the whole Roland Cloud ecosystem has some serious flaws that haven't been addressed for several years, especially the roland cloud manager which is just a trash piece of software that REALLY make people suffer.

Since the beginning of 2024, there have already been SIX new versions for the RCM, each version declares "important performance updates" that never solves the core issue.

It should have been abandoned and rewritten from scratch a long time ago, but instead Roland chose to exhaust their customers with almost monthly updates that should be done manually.

The 30 day authentication is completely useless, all the roland plugins are cracked and available for free anyway (like any other vst), so they just end up abusing their customers for no logical reason.
If native instruments/refx/korg/arturia/xln/steinberg/gazillion other companies don't require their customers to prove that they are not thieves on a monthly basis, the fact that Roland keeps doing it just make them look very bad in comparison and make their customers very frustrated.

It's evident that Roland took the easy way by ignoring what their CUSTOMERS want (better user experience with the rcm and new instruments) and focus on what is apparently more comfortable for them to do (releasing new rcm version on a monthly basis and an endless amount of generic sample packs that are just an easy way to milk cash).

If what Roland's representative got to say is "If you don't want to use Roland Cloud, that is totally fine with me" after customers have invested a good amount of their time and hard earned money on their products and customer experience and feel disappointed that all their requests were ignored for years, he should be ready to get some.
Welcome to the internet.

[IvyBirds]

Tearing apart a Roland rep who can't argue back is weak.

The comment further up about repeated complaints is valid. So for the last time, I'll say JX8P JX8P JX8P and be on my way.

Jon is more than capable to respond. No one is looking for an argument we just want answers without bull shit

For several years Jon himself has promised new things are just around the corner, but then now he says opposie sorry it's not my Department I don't know anything

One of those statements is a bold face lie

[IvyBirds]

One outcome is that his bosses will decide that his time is better spent elsewhere and we won't have any line of communication with Roland Cloud

Honest question and this is the frustration that lots of is feel. What line of communication do we have with Roland Cloud now? What kind of communication did we have with Roland Cloud for many years now?

We have a salesperson who pops in from time to time to sell subscriptions that's all.

We have a salesperson who promises that "tons of new stuff" is coming and it's been 26 months since the last intrument

The people you see complaining are probably the biggest Roland Fanboys there are, I know I am

I have loved Roland products since the 1980s. Played thousands of gigs using Roland Instruments. Over the years I have spent tens of thousands on Roland Instruments, when it works Roland Cloud is an amazing collection of instruments, and I like them so much I want more of them

There is no greater disappointment in the realm of music technology for me than the implosion and slow death of Roland Cloud. All I wanted to do is pay $20 a month and get an all you can eat ever expanding collection of Roland Instruments that just work, when that didn't work I flipped to annual subs to get two free instruments that are not useable thanks to RCM

I really enjoy digital Synths from the 1980s and 1990s. I have been using a Sound Canvas since it was new, it still features heavily in my music, Roland decided to kill it off as they can't be bothered to keep it going, so my lifetime key is worthless. Thank goodness I still have multiple hardware units

Anyway that's my Roland Cloud story of sadness and despair

[ozinga]

Around October I had 5080 and 1080 cpu spike issues. Support told me that an update soon will fix.
After so many years I finally quit my sub around Jan when it seemed that no fix is coming. I see that as of know there is still not a single update for those plugins.

Regarding the 5080 and 1080 plugins (and all SRX plugins) and the CPU spiking issues - They are known to impact higher end Apple M1 chips at this point. Roland support uses iMac’s, which aren’t impacted, and thus they won’t confirm the issue - even though everyone knows it’s an issue at this point.

Last I’d heard RC support had asked Roland to supply them with a Mac Studio they could use to verify the issue, but I don’t know if this request was ever granted. If it wasn't that would be an incredibly worrying thing..

Hey PAK and Ozinga. This will actually be brought up tonight with some of the higher ups in the dev team and there will be a discussion about what will be needed to locate why some users are experiencing this and others aren't and what will be needed to solve the issue.

Thank you for your patience, eventually this issue will be solved and I appreciate you reaching out about it.

Hi Jon,

Any news about this? It is going to be anniversary in a couple of months

[Liero]

AFAIK the development of Roland Cloud is an entirely outsourced "partnership" with another US company, which I place most of the blame on. They clearly just don't have the skills to make high quality audio products, and the whole process of wishing for updates and improvements from people who don't know how to design and execute is, in the end, a lost cause. I, too, was optimistic and excited about Roland products in-the-box but I've completely given up hope years ago and moved on.

Just imagine if Fabfilter were the coders behind Roland Cloud, it would be a totally different experience without all this crap.

[Aloysius]

KORG might be better.

[Effectsworks]

I really like the RC's emulations. But honestly, when I got my new mac recently I didn't even bother to re-install it as it's a ball ache to use. And I have several perpetual licenses. If it ever gets more user friendly I'll probably have another go.

[pepelogu]

Roland should take a look at what Softube is doing. Just as good emulations but far cheaper, less hassle, comes in bundles with other stuff, great big sales on a regular basis.

Same with Arturia. Great stuff for good prices and zero hassle.

[spacepluk]

FWIW seeing some people call out the bullying gives me some hope in humanity.