KVR Audio

lb24569 · Post by **lb24569** » Thu Oct 09, 2025 5:59 pm

This just dropped on their discord. HUGE news

seangm · Post by **seangm** » Thu Oct 09, 2025 6:14 pm

Damn nice

Matt67 · Post by **Matt67** » Thu Oct 09, 2025 6:24 pm

Sounds incredibly good. Unfortunately, I suspect that you need to own the Roland JP8000 or JP8080 to be able to use the plugin legally. At least that was the case with the previous Usual Suspects plugins. That means it's out of the question for me.

db3 · Post by **db3** » Thu Oct 09, 2025 6:40 pm

Some very talented people involved in that project.

Gam456 · Post by **Gam456** » Thu Oct 09, 2025 7:15 pm

Not sure if Roland will be agree with this

beely · Post by **beely** » Thu Oct 09, 2025 7:18 pm

Matt67 wrote: Thu Oct 09, 2025 6:24 pm Sounds incredibly good. Unfortunately, I suspect that you need to own the Roland JP8000 or JP8080 to be able to use the plugin legally. At least that was the case with the previous Usual Suspects plugins. That means it's out of the question for me.

There's a licence agreement you must agree to before you can (freely) download the system software from Roland's website. It's worth checking if there is any wording in there related to this, as I guess that covers the terms of use.

Usually it's along the lines of "we own this software, don't distribute this, don't reverse engineer this, we're not responsible for anything that might go wrong and use at your own risk", and I don't think there are many other significant terms. Obviously, if they say in there that only people that own the hardware can download and use the system software, that would be prohibitive - but I've not seen those terms in Roland's license agreements before. There's usually little that prevents someone from downloading software updates for hardware they don't own (which *usually* means you can't do anything with it anyway), nor is any proof of purchase or ownership required, and nor are those requirements stated in their license agreement.

Obviously, IANAL and everyone needs to make up their own minds about how they wish to proceed and what they are comfortable with. If someone has indeed seen an official Roland document that limits software system downloads to hardware owners, that would be useful to link up...

(It's possible that that system software download is not what is required to use this emulator of course, and is not expressly covered by those download license agreements.)

lb24569 · Post by **lb24569** » Thu Oct 09, 2025 7:30 pm

I assume this will follow the same approach as their Access Virus emulators. They provide only the emulator software itself, without supplying the Roland firmware (which contains the copyrighted IP) or explaining how to acquire it. This mirrors how game console emulators operate. Emulation is perfectly legal, provided the emulator developers don't supply the ROMs or offer information on how to obtain them.

mi-os · Post by **mi-os** » Thu Oct 09, 2025 7:49 pm

Matt67 wrote: Thu Oct 09, 2025 6:24 pm Sounds incredibly good. Unfortunately, I suspect that you need to own the Roland JP8000 or JP8080 to be able to use the plugin legally. At least that was the case with the previous Usual Suspects plugins. That means it's out of the question for me.

There is an alternative: Impact Soundworks Chro-Nyx

digitalboytn · Post by **digitalboytn** » Thu Oct 09, 2025 7:55 pm

Gam456 wrote: Thu Oct 09, 2025 7:15 pm Not sure if Roland will be agree with this

Shabdahbriah · Post by **Shabdahbriah** » Thu Oct 09, 2025 8:04 pm

looks cool... sounds great.

jwalkermed · Post by **jwalkermed** » Thu Oct 09, 2025 11:15 pm

I want Roland to release a 1:1 VST copy of the jp I can buy and then we will have the discussion about what is legal or ethical.

I'm all about buying stuff. I have way to many plugins and a too many hardware synths.

It's nice that these tools are available where there OG synths have been abandoned. This is preservation of history really. Any of these companies should feel flattered. It's free advertisement for their brands and doesn't cost them anything in the market.

tumface · Post by **tumface** » Fri Oct 10, 2025 1:57 am

jwalkermed wrote: Thu Oct 09, 2025 11:15 pm I want Roland to release a 1:1 VST copy of the jp I can buy and then we will have the discussion about what is legal or ethical.

Not only is it ethical, it's settled law (in the United States and every other country) that emulators themselves are legal. There's nothing left to discuss.

seafire · Post by **seafire** » Fri Oct 10, 2025 6:50 am

That video reminded me of the worst time in music.

EvilDragon · Post by **EvilDragon** » Fri Oct 10, 2025 7:11 am

Things are far worse today than back then xD

fidox · Post by **fidox** » Fri Oct 10, 2025 7:58 am

I owned Roland Jp-8080 and Yamaha An1x back in the days, when it came out. Purchased brand new, but later, the combination of circumstances was such that I was able to sell it. Still regret it very much.
Maybe An1x little more, that was a true beast of a synth.

The Usual Suspects Announce Roland JP-8080 Emulator (The Real Deal)