Roland Cloud

[shatteredmindofbob]

reload RCM repeatedly until it decides to show it to you.

...I had to reinstall it...

[Hyperbole]

reload RCM repeatedly until it decides to show it to you.

Thanks for the suggestion. I had to quit and relaunch Roland Cloud Manager a few times before the XV-5080 update finally appeared. I think I had to first update Roland Cloud Manager before I could install the v1.0.5 XV-5080 update.

In the end, I think I will just purchase Zenology Pro. I prefer its Visual Edit screen to the "Pro Edit"-style interface in the XV-5080 and JV-1080 plugins.

[JamminFool]

RCM is so stupid it will actually notify you that there are New Instruments Available, but then not show them to you until some future load...

[Echoes in the Attic]

RCM is so stupid it will actually notify you that there are New Instruments Available, but then not show them to you until some future load...

It's also the most confusing interface ever. I usually click about ten different things before I get to a view that has all my Cloud software in view.

[IvyBirds]

RCM is so stupid it will actually notify you that there are New Instruments Available, but then not show them to you until some future load...

Roland Cloud came out in September 2017

From the very beginning the #1 issue with the entire ecosystem has been RCM and it's the thing that ironically is the thing the entire ecosystem depends on to work

You would think after seven and a half years have passed which is an eternity in software timelines they would have fixed RCM

It really shouldn't be this hard

[D-Fusion]

RCM is so stupid it will actually notify you that there are New Instruments Available, but then not show them to you until some future load...

It's also the most confusing interface ever. I usually click about ten different things before I get to a view that has all my Cloud software in view.

I have a feeling that they made it this way in hope that you will go on a shopping spree every 30 days

I installed The RCM app after not using it for over 2 years because of all the new instrument updates to see how it is now.

And i agree. It is a total mess and the RCM App seems to get more bloated and worse for every new version in my view.

There is also a issue with the latest Zenology Pro startup times compared to V2.02.

It is a shame that they treat their loyal customers this way and i own almost everything in the Roland Cloud Catalogue but i have now uninstalled everything and I will wait until they get a usefull RCM App and removes the 30 day limit for my lifetime keys...

[victoria]

In the end, I think I will just purchase Zenology Pro. I prefer its Visual Edit screen to the "Pro Edit"-style interface in the XV-5080 and JV-1080 plugins.

Just be aware that the XV-5080 sounds in Zenology Pro are not 1:1 to the real thing or the XV-5080 VST, they're zen core recreations and some sound quite differently.

[ReiKru]

Can you tell a little bit more?

[IvyBirds]

Can you tell a little bit more?

The XV5080 hardware used Roland's implementation of data companding on the actual sample set, this was because on the 1990s data storage was still very expensive so it made the files smaller but in the process colored the sound in a way many people (my self included) found pleasing. In addition to that some of the samples that were posted over from the JV line also kept the lower bit depth of the JV series and is a mixture of 32k and 44.1k sample rates

When the original Fantom came out in the early 2000s memory was less expensive and they dropped the companding and went with the full 16-bit linear PCM audio with a sample rate of 44.1/48 kHz

When Integra 7 came out it used the Fantom engine and sample set in the PCM Engine, the filter was slightly different as were the effects from the XV5080 hardware

That is what was used in the XV5080 plugin, with Zenology they use the same sample set but the filters are different as are the effects so patches and presets that make heavy use of the filters and/or the effects will sound different than the XV5080 plugin which in itself sounds different than the XV5080 hardware. The more they are used the less they will sound the same and that is on top of the loss of the color that companding the data files for the samples brought to the table

All of that may or may not matter to you in the end and of course Zenology is highly capable of making timbres that XV5080 hardware and software, the OG Fantom, and Integra 7 couldn't so.

It should be the ultimate playground to use Eric Persing's fantastic sample library he created in the 1990s which are still very relevant 30+ years later. Sadly however it's tied to RCM which just blows and has super aggressive DRM over the content that makes using it have incredibly slow load times

[Hyperbole]

Just be aware that the XV-5080 sounds in Zenology Pro are not 1:1 to the real thing or the XV-5080 VST, they're zen core recreations and some sound quite differently.

Thanks for the heads up. They are close enough for me.

Roland has been recycling most of these sounds for so long that it’s amazing they have any fidelity to the originals. Even some of the hardware JV-1080 patches don’t sound exactly the same in the hardware XV-5080.

[beely]

Even some of the hardware JV-1080 patches don’t sound exactly the same in the hardware XV-5080.

The effects algorithms aren't 1:1, and Roland's translation of some of the parameters between algorithms in their own preset conversions isn't great. I had endless fun checking the conversion results of loading JV-1080 sysex directly into the XV-5080 hardware, and see what they do, and do not bother with, when doing my own conversion code... There are also some routing and modulation options in the JV-1080 that you can't do in the XV-5080 because of engine differences, although when I did a preset survey (programatically) very few presets took advantage of those and were affected.

Plus the XV has a higher fidelity, later revision engine than the earlier generation JV series, so it's not as grungy as the 1080 was.

The XV-5080 plugin is generally faithful to the 5080 hardware (running via it's digital I/O) except that the effects are derived from the Fantom, which is a slight variation on the 5080 MFX - most algorithms are the same, a few are slightly different in layout or options but can be tweaked to match), meaning that a small handful of presets don't sound identical to the hardware, but they are mostly only small differences in FX that don't really matter (imo). Other than that, I couldn't tell them apart.

The 5080 hardware sounds a bit nicer via analog outs than the digital I/O, I guess because whatever's happening in the output stage is somewhat flattering. Maybe some plugin can emulate that, though I haven't found one to date. And one thing you can do on the hardware you can't in the plugins is load Roland/Akai sample CD's, or run your own samples through either the S7XX, ox the XV engines, which is pretty fun.

But the plugin is pretty great for the bread and butter XV stuff, especially now Roland have fixed the Apple silicon performance issues.

[ReiKru]

Can you tell a little bit more?

The XV5080 hardware used Roland's implementation of data companding on the actual sample set, this was because on the 1990s data storage was still very expensive so it made the files smaller but in the process colored the sound in a way many people (my self included) found pleasing. In addition to that some of the samples that were posted over from the JV line also kept the lower bit depth of the JV series and is a mixture of 32k and 44.1k sample rates

When the original Fantom came out in the early 2000s memory was less expensive and they dropped the companding and went with the full 16-bit linear PCM audio with a sample rate of 44.1/48 kHz

When Integra 7 came out it used the Fantom engine and sample set in the PCM Engine, the filter was slightly different as were the effects from the XV5080 hardware

That is what was used in the XV5080 plugin, with Zenology they use the same sample set but the filters are different as are the effects so patches and presets that make heavy use of the filters and/or the effects will sound different than the XV5080 plugin which in itself sounds different than the XV5080 hardware. The more they are used the less they will sound the same and that is on top of the loss of the color that companding the data files for the samples brought to the table

All of that may or may not matter to you in the end and of course Zenology is highly capable of making timbres that XV5080 hardware and software, the OG Fantom, and Integra 7 couldn't so.

It should be the ultimate playground to use Eric Persing's fantastic sample library he created in the 1990s which are still very relevant 30+ years later. Sadly however it's tied to RCM which just blows and has super aggressive DRM over the content that makes using it have incredibly slow load times

Thank you for the detailed description.
kind regards

[Examigan]

I've posted the link to this before, but thought it may be useful once again:
The ultimate Roland JV, JD, XV F.A.Q. by Don Solaris
https://www.donsolaris.com/?p=404

[N 4 LIFE]

did anyone ever figure out don solaris real name? whoever he is, he's a genius.

[Aloysius]

Mick Jagger