Roland Zenology Pro Review: Plugin With Zen-Core Hardware Synthesizer Power

Zenology Pro is Roland's new flagship synthesizer plug-in based on the same Zen core engine as the new hardware instruments Jupiter X / Xm, MC-707, MC-101, Fantom Series and more. It is exciting that you have the same features and sounds as in the hardware, only packed in a plugin.
In this video, I show you what the Zenology Pro plugin does, how it sounds, whether it is worth the money. I subscribed to the Roland Cloud for this review. This video is therefore not sponsored or no access was provided by Roland.
More information here: www.rolandcloud.com/
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[@kevinsturges6957]

This video was really well done. I’ve had the Zenology pro software for a few months and haven’t even explored this yet. Thanks for all your work here.

[@InVisionsynthmindscape]

Really fantastic sound I want to try it, the vintage emulation synths not only Roland by Cherry Audio also sound good, to combine this in a DAW there is a lot of fun in my opinion, very useful video as always thank you very much 🙂👍🏻

[@angelbeatzonthetrack1701]

HOW TO ARPEGIATE ??

[@AbideinChristFully]

What are the 2 main competitors for more complex sounds you mentioned at 36:00?

[@synthanatomy]

Omnisphere 2 and Falcon 2

[@AbideinChristFully]

@@synthanatomy Thank you for replying!

[@sub-jec-tiv]

Pigments is also great for complex sound design. I own Omnisphere and Pigments became my new go-to. Great design & sound.

[@chwilla]

Buy a permanent lifetime key means I may use it as a plug-in „offline“ in my DAW or do I always need online internet connection to the Roland Cloud service ?

[@synthanatomy]

You need the Roland Cloud service to verify it on your computer. It's not a classic license system where you just need to enter the serial.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

But once you do set it up, you can run it offline. It may try to “phone home” when you’re connected to internet. But if you aren’t near internet, you can still use them.

[@lwpweb]

how do you manage so low cpu power around 7%? On my i7 Mac the same patch (fat mask lead) consumes in Ableton 11 over 20% and this is the case in mostly all patches, sometimes often significantly more than 20% on ONE Track.

[@synthanatomy]

probably due of the i9 CPU in my MacBook Pro (2018) or different sound settings in Ableton Live. Or maybe other settings

[@lwpweb]

This is exactly the answer i expeced. Thank you. Neverthess 30% Zenology CPU Usage with an I7 is unacceptable for me. This is why in most cases i use HW Synths resampling to build up multitrack solutions. So a roland mc101 with 3000 sounds will one of these frontends to my daw using zero cpu.

[@notalkguitarampplug-insrev784]

If I understand, you can have Juno or Jupiter sounds in this if your buy lifetime key but you’ll have them if your buy Juno and Jup8 model expansions. That’s start to be expensive… thanks :) I’ll keep my TAL Juno and J8 :)

[@FaidedBTB]

So we can layer up to 8 sounds?

[@synthanatomy]

4 layers :)

[@LightersInc]

@@synthanatomy within each layer you can have 2 sounds right? so technically we can layer up to 8 sounds? is that what you mean by 4 layers?

[@synthanatomy]

@@LightersInc you have in total 4 partials (layers), on each partial (layer) you have either two PCM samples or a virtual analog synth. So you have 4 layers :) You can combine 8 sounds if you use only PCM sounds

[@LightersInc]

@@synthanatomy ah i understand, thanks for clarifying!

[@friendlynoise]

I like the Roland sounds and salute the new ways to manage them. It can be convenient for some people. But technically this is Roland repeating and remarketing their own products for the ...th time. “We design the future” must be the greatest joke in the music industry.

[@boxx8357]

Agree. Roland revel in sounds from their old discontinued synthesizers. Other companies are not better. The “new” Kurzweil K2700 sounds like an old joke. Nautilus is build on pc hardware from 2011, etc. The old manufactures of synths must change direction, before they are run down by softsynth packages, capable of producing new stunning quality sounds for a few hundred euro.

[@enderjed2523]

@@boxx8357 Honestly I'm surprised Roland hasn't tried reviving the MT-32, they've already done it for the sound canvas series.

[@MrBinsique]

Hello, thank you for this vidéo. Do you think the plugin is so complete as thé cloud version? Is it possible to acceed to all thé sounds without connections with thé plugin at 230€? Tank you

[@synthanatomy]

yes, you get all the sounds included in the Zenology Pro. Additional sound packs from the Cloud are not included

[@MrBinsique]

@@synthanatomy Thank you. And I will have access too all these sounds without wifi? I install all on my HDD? Thank you

[@synthanatomy]

@@MrBinsique if you buy them, you have them on your HDD. If you subscribe you can use them only as long you pay the subscription. Don't know but you need the Roland Cloud for the activation of the plugin. Without internet it doesn't work

[@MrBinsique]

@@synthanatomy thank you very much.

[@angelbeatzonthetrack1701]

how to confg arpegiator in zenology pro??

[@synthanatomy]

there is no arpeggiator in Zenology Pro

[@angelbeatzonthetrack1701]

@@synthanatomy oh DAMM

[@paulpost5597]

uptalk brrrr

[@pepinillosazucarados6743]

This has the same sounds frome their previous modules and synths !!! Why !!!!

[@ACABSTUDIOS]

I recently got the 101 and a lot of the sounds are the same as my 307 which was made in the 1990s lol. They just polished them up a little

[@olivierf.4931]

Nice demo! It shows precisely how Roland wants to rip us off by selling us a plastic box around this plugin for 4000 euros!

[@FuZZbaLLbee]

Just get the MC-101. Same synth engine 😋

[@notalkguitarampplug-insrev784]

@@FuZZbaLLbee but not the Keyboard Juno and others included

[@Anonymous-mn3td]

@@notalkguitarampplug-insrev784 You can plug a keyboard into the midi ports.

[@sub-jec-tiv]

MC101 and 707 don’t have the Juno and Jupiter filter models. They purposely left those out so you would have to buy a keyboard.

[@tuneunleashed]

I had a Roland Jupiter-X and Sold it! I use to love Roland for a short time. Now...I went back to hating them.

[@donaldpriola1807]

My gripe with this is that it's such a cash grab. While some synth makers supply an editor for free, Roland wants to bleed you dry through a subscription service.

[@BedlamAndBones]

No offense, but why does it seem like every reviewer of synth plugins utilizes the cheesiest presets as their demo examples?

[@Czyszy]

i like the synth sounds this plugin comes with BUT imho the majority of the acoustic patches, ESPECIALLY the brass and woodwinds sounds, sound lifeless, muddy and have super noticable looping points. :(

[@PeteKowalsky]

Wow - I really wanted to like Zenology Pro but now I'm not sure I even care about it. Those PCM partials (6:00-9:00ish) sound like utter trash - the *same* repackaged crap I can find in my D-20 from 1988. I'm sure they're just in there for completeness, right? The actual synthesis stuff sounds pretty cool for the most part, but that PCM stuff has to go... The patches around 22:00 - 24:00 are pretty cool. I feel like there just so many other soft synths that are just so much better though. Is this really worth $229 / or like $20 a month? I'm not sold yet, Roland, and I've been a lifetime customer. Roland should have the BEST software emulations of their own classic instruments and I shouldn't have to feel like their own instrument some half-baked ugly-looking cloud-based money-sucker that only sounds kinda passable "on the good sounds". I'm still not sure if I want to fiddle with Zenology or just forget about it - turns out the things that make the Jupiter X and Xm fun and inspiring don't seem to be captured at all in the software sound engine (i-Arpeggiator, etc). Hopefully Roland will make improvements and build it out more to stand on its own.. Thank you for the video and review, though I do not necessarily agree with all your conclusions except other soft synths do more complicated stuff and can sound better. ;)

[@Anonymous-mn3td]

You can pay ~$3/mo (or ~$30/year at once) for just the Zenology sounds without the editing options. If you're willing to put in a bit of elbow grease, try a modular environment (e.g. NSA freestyle / plogue bidule) and separate plugin arpeggiators / effects. Slightly more complicated at first glance than a hardware synth, but actually more straightforward since all the information is there at the same time. You'll also need a VST3 - VST2 wrapper for some modular hosts (e.g. freestyle, which I use - vst3shell largely works as a bridge though it doesn't pass sustain pedal through to zenology which sucks) - but the end result is pretty neat.

[@ovnis88]

VEry bad soft. The UI Is horrible.

[@montazownianr1]

Worst of all Roland engines and sounds ;)

[@synthanatomy]

thanks for your input, so you dislikes for the product ;)

[@montazownianr1]

@@synthanatomy Yes ;) Most of Roland synths are not my cup of tee.

[@synthanatomy]

@@montazownianr1 think that you are disliking the job of the KZbinr ;)

[@montazownianr1]

@@synthanatomy Not really, thanx to youtuber I know that this synth sounds bad lol

[@HOLODECK-MUSIC-PROJECT]

@@montazownianr1 i guess, he don’t really know whats he is talking about. Roland has build some of the famously sounding gems in history and this plugin here provide their legacy in a astonishing way. the ui is not beautiful, the cloud policy is crap, but there is no doubt about it, that the sound is superb overall.

[@lab-by-the-sea]

what you showed is a very expensive softwaresynth, if i am right it costs you 970 usd, and you have no guarantee that you can use it still in 5 years time... :-( if the cloud is gone all your investment is gone, and clouds can come and go quick as we all know ;-)

[@lab-by-the-sea]

@@prohine7060 Yes, i was thinking about buying that some time ago, roland would not even say it is online in 1/2 a year.means eventually you pay 1000 usd and it is gone im a few months. i had some software in the past were the developer does not activate the software you bought anymore, luckily it was only 50 usd in on case and less in others.but sadly this happens.developers should be forced to give you a permanent installation license if they loose interest in the product you have bought.