Four Degrees of Essential Digital Polysynths, Virtualized
As any seasoned synthesist and vintage voltage enthusiast will tell you, Roland’s history of developing groundbreaking, inspiring, and exciting synthesizers has cemented the company as one of the undisputed innovators of contemporary sound-design possibilities. With the Roland Digital Polysynth Collection, four iconic instruments are yours to wield, bringing time-honored sonics to the virtually limitless potential of modern DAW-fueled production. When classic ’80s-style digital sounds are on demand, the D-50 is armed and ready, while the JD-800’s distinctive palette of 1990s electro-tinged tones that once found a home with the likes of Pet Shop Boys, Depeche Mode, Underworld, Laurent Garnier, and Genesis (to name a few) has you covered. Plus, the inclusion of the System-1 and System-8 synth engines supplies you with a near-endless array of Roland’s state-of-the-art Analog Circuit Behavior technologies, balancing the unbounded potential of these engines’ sandbox-like architecture with the out-of-time timbres of each system’s distinguished digital design.
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D-50: legendary ’80s style, cutting-edge versatility
The Roland D-50 Linear Synthesizer was the powerhouse digital synth behind numerous iconic sounds of the late 1980s and early 1990s, spanning genres as diverse as pop, new wave, new jack swing, world, electronica, and more. The D-50 used a unique combination of sampled attack transients blended with digitally synthesized sustain to create some of the most realistic string, brass, and pitched percussion patches available in its day — a technique referred to by Roland as “LA Synthesis.” Powered by Roland’s Digital Circuit Behavior (DCB) technology, the D-50 software synthesizer is a stunningly accurate re-creation of the hardware unit, and it features a full selection of the original factory patches that defined the music of its era, along with a new cache of imaginative artist presets. While the sonic character of the D-50 is steeped in nostalgia, synthesists at Sweetwater have found that it sits nicely in a contemporary context, with fat pads, bright plucks, and lush atmospherics. The D-50 is a beast of a synth — unabashedly digital and deeply versatile.
JD-800: digital synthesis teeming with ’90s character
In 1991, Roland released the JD-800 Programmable Synthesizer. This fully digital, multitimbral synth featured a massive hands-on user interface that harkened back to early analog subtractive synths, representing a significant departure from the pared-down interfaces of the time. With its crisp digital sound, thunderous low end, and nearly limitless programmability with four multitimbral layers, the JD-800 was a favorite of top pop producers and film composers, and it remains an in-demand synth on the collectors’ market. Now, with the JD-800 software synthesizer, you can harness the power of this iconic vintage digital synth from the comfort of your DAW. Featuring 64 classic presets and 64 new presets from industry-leading sound designers, the JD-800 is an inspiring soft synth right out of the gate; however, with its expanded polyphony, it transforms the original into an even more formidable contemporary synth.
System-1: the herald of Roland’s virtual analog synthesis
The Roland System-1 virtual analog synthesizer changed the game with an uncanny reproduction of vintage synth tones powered by its groundbreaking Analog Circuit Behavior technology. While some users gravitate toward the System-1 to take advantage of Roland’s spot-on emulations of its classic synths via the System-1’s Plug-Out feature, others have enthusiastically embraced its native sound, which occupies a space between creamy old-school analog vibe and cutting modern synth attitude. The Roland System-1 software synthesizer offers the same sound and powerful soundscaping without the hardware; however, when used in conjunction, the hardware and software serve up deep integration, with bidirectional communication, so you can create, edit, and load presets on either platform and seamlessly move back and forth between them. Like its hardware counterpart, the System-1 software features two oscillators, a variable 2-pole to 4-pole filter, an LFO, an envelope generator, and three stellar effects (reverb, delay, and the audio-mangling “crusher” distortion). On top of that, you get an advanced arpeggiator with a scatter function that can be used as a modulator as well as a note generator. The System-1 has quickly become a favorite of synthesists at Sweetwater, and the software version is a welcome addition to Roland’s formidable lineup of soft synths.
System-8: boundary-defying sonic exploration
The Roland System-8 software synthesizer serves up the excellent sound and vast soundscaping abilities of Roland’s System-8 hardware synthesizer in a DAW-friendly virtual instrument. Powered by Roland’s cutting-edge Analog Circuit Behavior technology, the System-8 software boasts three oscillators, a high-resolution multimode filter, an LFO, an envelope generator, and three stellar effects (reverb, delay, and the audio-mangling “crusher” distortion). While some users gravitated toward the System-8 to take advantage of Roland’s spot-on emulations of its classic synths via its Plug-Out feature, synthesists at Sweetwater were enamored with its native sound, which is part old-school analog warmth and part new-school digital bite. The System-8 soft synth is excellent standalone, but when used in conjunction with the System-8 hardware, it provides a deeply integrative experience, featuring bidirectional communication and the ability to create and share patches seamlessly across platforms. It’s a must-have soft synth for modern music makers.