Roland Cloud Anthology 1987 versus Roland D50

Roland have at last released an official VST plugin of their legendary Roland D-50 synthesizer. Mysteriously they call it Anthology 1987, with no mention of the synth that's it based on. I have some theories about that... Anyway, in this video I play some favorite presets on the hardware and virtual instruments for a comparison of the sounds. Stay tuned for an in-depth review of Anthology 1987 and my verdict and thoughts on the Roland Cloud concept.

[Chris]

Your D50 demo video was what got me excited for this plugin. I did notice the lack of the chase and joystick functionality but Jeremy Soule (one of the department heads at Roland) mentioned that there was a full function D50 plugin on the roadmap for this year.

[thomaskolb]

"I can't dance to that tune, it sounds like they have used software plugins instead of original vintage hardware synthesizers", said no one ever. But a great comparison, thanks for taking the time!

[StoneyK]

Bonus points for playing some of the most classic riffs from British pop history.

[itsgoubie]

Roland Cloud is awesome. For many, including myself, it is the only way to play legendary synths like the Jupiter 8 or the Juno 60. I am having a blast! I haven't explored the D50 yet, that's why I'm watching this video, to get a feel for it

[Mind_Idiot]

S M A L L T O W N B O Y


Just picked up a D50 recently. joy to play so far!

[chrisstrobel]

The character of the hardwares D/A converters is whats missing with these samples.

[EspenKraft]

Love the little riffs of those 80s songs you showcase throughout the video. That Howard Jones "Natural" is one of my all time favorite intros! As for the plugin itself... well I've had the D-50 for so many years and the somewhat scruffy but nostalgic effects, and the electronic circuit the sound has to go through cannot be emulated good enough by this so even in a mix I could not use this to great success. The winner is clearly the original. Based on my own testing.

[jacquesmertens]

The VST plugin sounds more like a sampler than an engine that can actually generate sound.
They've even added an extra dose of echo/reverb to hide the imperfections. That's the usual trick all manufacturers use to make a sound more interesting to the untrained ear. Unfortunately echo can be added but not taken away.

[diamondfieldmusic]

Gotta say this and the "1985" (presumably a Juno) sound fantastic.
If you are after solid and authentic sounds (essentially presets) of these types of instruments to sit straight into a mix, then they work very well.
Was also impressed by the sound of the plug out VSTs (Pro Mars etc).
Looking forward to seeing what else they add over time.

[AnalogDreamJP]

The vst lacks high end frequencies and dynamic 'presence'. In the ' spacious sweeps' part this is quite noticable

[Lvkkie]

The sounds themselves sound really close, but I hear the difference in the effects. I hear a lot more clarity and presence to the reverb on the hardware D-50. So maybe for the future they can improve the effects, to make them sound more like the original. But the sounds are pretty damn close, if you ask me. Really nice comparison Woody! Can't wait for the Korg M1 hardware and software comparison. Keep it up!

[jonglass]

I thought the results were rather inconsistent. Some were quite close to the physical keyboard, but some were so far off that it was hard to say they were the same instrument. Maybe Roland will fix some of these things over time (one of the few advantages of subscription services, I guess). But I'm loving these videos. Like others who watch this channel, I discovered the Roland D50 as a poor college student, in a music shop, I used to frequent. One day, I went in, and there was a small crowd around this new keyboard, and the SOUNDS!!!! Absolutely amazing... And then I saw the price. :-) Oh well, at least now I can vicariously enjoy it through Woody. :-0

[TranceJedi]

great work Woody, i really enjoyed your last two videos, full of interesting facts and history of your three classic synths, well done Woody !

[thebreathalyzer]

Very cool. Some of the patches are quite close, more than I anticipated!

[KnapfordMaster]

The safety dance made me smile more than you can imagine :D

[MrBoembas]

Hi Woody, thanks for the Upload ! Some sounds in the cloud version do not sound like the original D50! And you just miss the dynamics. I Love the Orignal D50 Cheers From Holland !!!

[AdamTheAd-vancd]

Wow 6.25 reminded me of Gary Numans - Down in the Park . The filter on the D 50 is simply incredible .

[jonvincentmusic]

Some patches sound really close while others I'm left thinking if the designers of he VST heard the original sound at all and just guessed. I can see why it's not called a true D50 VST.

[SeverityOne]

Hmm. In some other video, I read about that for the D-50 plug-in board for the V-Synth they needed to find the code, and it came in at just under 1 MB (which, in 1987, was an awful lot of code). (Note: I don't know whether this was source code or object code.) So, unless they lost the code again, they could reproduce it in software, relatively easily. And then they expect you to pay a monthly subscription for a sample library, something that has been done countless times before? Roland need to have a firm talk with the people in the marketing department.

[gullyfoyle]

It made a very interesting comparison, Woody, thanks. Didn't know about the Roland cloud, too.
The only and real modelled option nowadays, is still the ROLAND VARIOS, that has a complete D-50 inside, that you can teak and program of course. :)