Mysteries of the (soft) JD-800

[yorkeman]

I'm a complete noobie here, but have been using Roland kit for many years. I have a JD-800 I bought about 25 years ago (recently completely re-furbed)
and am thinking of of either replacing it by / adding the software synth. I feel I'm being rather thick, but the Roland web site is totally opaque of information to make this decision.
* I'm not sure of this is available as a stand alone, local VST independent of Roland Cloud, or only available via the Cloud service
* There appears to be conflicting information as to whether any 'local' version is the same as the cloud one.
* I have been unable to deduce the cost for whatever options there are
* The manual I have managed to download is either wholly inadequate of the software version is a pale shadow of the real thing (the User manuals for the latter run to 404 pages)
* I have a over a thousand JD patches - will they work in the software version, with the standard 108 wave forms; Have Roland brought in any of the card (of which I have 7) waveforms ?

Any pointer as to where to look for this info would be most gratefully received.

PS: I doubt if I will be able to bring myself to sell the hard synth, which is a tactile thing of beauty [all hail Eric Persing]

[Foksadure]

* I'm not sure of this is available as a stand alone, local VST independent of Roland Cloud, or only available via the Cloud service
* There appears to be conflicting information as to whether any 'local' version is the same as the cloud one.

You can buy a "lifetime" licence online from 3rd party sellers but you'll need the Roland Cloud client (a proprietary store) to install the VST anyway, after having registered an account.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/roland_cloud_jd_800.htm

There is no such thing as a "cloud version": these are all VST plug-ins that get downloaded and installed on the computer.
It's the licence that get managed online, not the calculations.

* I have a over a thousand JD patches - will they work in the software version, with the standard 108 wave forms; Have Roland brought in any of the card (of which I have 7) waveforms ?

Nope. This is not a real JD-800 emulation, just their latest ZEN-Core engine (as used in Zenology, MC-101/707, MV-1, Jupiter-X and Fantoms) doing an impersonation of one.
Before going stand-alone with a taylor fit UI, the JD-800 was made available first as a Model Expansion for Zenology and the Jupiter-X:

https://www.roland.com/global/products/ ... expansion/
https://static.roland.com/assets/media/ ... ng03_W.pdf

There's a good comparison video between the OG and the JD-08 (which is almost 2 instances of the Model Expansion in a box) out there: https://youtu.be/6EO3dOkVOZI

Some people are working on patch translation between the OG (SysEx) and the JD-08 one (MIDI CC) though.

https://gearspace.com/board/showpost.ph ... tcount=719

Roland will most likely introduce DLC later for the extra waveforms or JD-990 enhancements, for a fee.

[yorkeman]

Thank you for your prompt and informative reply. I had imagined that it would be more like the Korg Wavestation software model, which allows any of my sysex hardware patches to be used, but without sysex this is not going to be the case; I don't now view the VST as a 'replacement'. Maybe it's cheap cost means it might be an addition, handy for convenience when using the standard banks.

"This is not a real JD-800 emulation"
This is the critical piece of information for me to understand where it is coming from.

Ok, I think I can decide from here. You have solved in a post what I spent ages navigating the labyrinth that is Roland's web site to (not) find - appreciated.

The JD is my last piece of hardware (other than my Arturia midi controller - no aftertouch) have moved everything 'into the box' about 18 months ago, and my mindset is still about 20 years behind where it needs to be ... too many years fighting the Wavestation SR and the Matrix 1000 which had about 20 buttons in total between them.

[Foksadure]

too many years fighting the Wavestation SR and the Matrix 1000 which had about 20 buttons in total between them.

I know what you mean, being stuck in the early Y2K gear tech myself.

Yet, if you want hands down control on classic hardware synths with decent MIDI implementation, the electra.one touch + physical controller is a great asset.

Tons of user developped profiles:
https://app.electra.one/

[BrianMcClelland]

Hi, yorkeman! Brian from Roland Cloud here. I just wanted to offer some information on this. The JD-800 instrument from Roland Cloud is our official JD-800. There are two versions, a ZENOLOGY Pro Model Expansion for use with the your favorite Roland ZEN-Core hardware and in ZENOLOGY Pro in your DAW, and a Legendary Series JD-800 for standalone use in your DAW.

While some members have mentioned that the JD-800 plugins do not have SYSEX import, or the full expansion set of the JD-990, it is indeed our official soundset from the original JD-800 with all of your favorite patches.

To use the JD-800 instrument, one must first have a Roland Account (free to sign-up through the link here: https://www.rolandcloud.com/roland-account/signup/ ) then download Roland Cloud Manager (free to download through the link here: https://www.rolandcloud.com/catalog/ess ... ud-manager ). Once you have an account and are logged in, you can access the JD-800 either through a single purchase license, called a Lifetime Key, or through a Pro or Ultimate membership ( for more information on pricing and features of membership, check out the page at: https://www.rolandcloud.com/memberships ). We also have expansions for the JD-800, including the Cosmic Model Expansion Sound Pack, and the JD-800 Don Solaris Signature Collection, which are included with membership as well.

Feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Thanks! 😊