Roland has announced that it is bringing emulations of four of its classic synths to Zenology and other ZEN-Core Synthesis instruments.
Roland continues making the past into the present with Model Expansions, the latest editions to its Cloud subscription service as well as ZEN-Core Synthesis-equipped hardware. The first emulation is the JX-8P, which is available now. It will be followed by the SH-101, Juno-106 and Jupiter-8. They will work in Zenology, a Roland Cloud instrument and the focus of the recent subscription price restructuring.
“Offering expanded polyphony and boldly modern interfaces, vintage-inspired Model Expansions capture the essence of legendary Roland instruments with astonishing realism and authenticity”, promises Roland.
The first instrument to arrive is an emulation of the ‘80s analogue polysynth, JX-8P. Released in 1986, Roland designed the JX-8P was to be the successor to the JX-3P and to compete with the Yamaha DX7 and other then-popular digital synths. The emulation will integrate the PG-800 programmer and will have modes to alter the level of ‘vintage’ it exhibits.
This is the first time that the JX-8P has been officially modelled by Roland. The emulation (along with the other four expansions) first appeared in the Jupiter X and X-m. In our review of the X-m, we called the JX-8P “brassy and smooth”. We’re excited to see this finally coming to the software realm.
Roland have also teased possible future Model Expansions, saying, “For future Model Expansions, the possibilities go far beyond vintage … from next-generation designs to hybrid instruments inspired by vintage synths or current hardware”.
Roland will include Model Expansions for Zenology in the Pro and Ultimate subscription tiers. All paid levels (including Core) start with a free 30-day trial of Ultimate. Lifetime Keys are also available for Model Expansions. Although you must be a current subscriber to buy a Lifetime Key, access will continue even after your subscription ends.
The JX-8P is available for download now via the Roland Cloud app. Roland will release the other instruments later in summer 2020. There will be a staggered rollout, starting with the SH-101 on July 16 and continuing with the Juno-106 on August 8 and the Jupiter-8 on August 31. For more, please visit Roland’s website.
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