Testing Roland Cloud : CPU usage Zenology VS Plugout

Testing Roland Cloud : CPU usage Zenology VS Plugout
The #Roland Cloud is offering different type of VST and AU virtual synths and drum machines. From the legendary (plugout) using ACB (Analog Circuit Behavior) to Zenology using ABM (Analog Behavior modeling). They all sound great, each with their own sounds of course but mostly with their own CPU usage. How do they perform on my old MacMini(2 cores i5)?
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[@squeakD]

Zenology isn’t as CPU intensive as the others you showed, but for what Zenology is (essentially just a VST rompler), it still uses more CPU than it should. Many of the sound expansions file sizes are quite small, but users typically report Zenology using 20% or more CPU with just one single instance “sitting in idle”. What Roland needs to do is better optimize Zenology for computer use and provide a multitimbral mode with 16 parts so just a single instance can be run. They also need to add a reverb.

[@rickyhoffmann5793]

concordo pienamente, inoltre dovrebbero implementare il program change!

[@diegoguadalupi7836]

Thank you man, great work to clarify, thumbs up!

[@tommymandel]

Thank you, Merci! Very useful intelligent explanation of the different user contexts for these cool Roland technologies.

[@ericspivey8729]

Excellent, thank you for making this clear! I stop making music in 2008, So now I'm jumping back in and have a better understanding. Thank you. 👍. Old E

[@bigmac4948]

Thanks,! Your series on the System 8 and Roland cloud intelligent and on point.

[@Nu-trix]

You are welcome!

[@antgeeze7129]

Awesome! Thnx a lot

[@cliffchappers]

Thanks. Nice explanation. Very useful for me. Will Patreon today.

[@Nu-trix]

After you asked for it, I opened my Patreon www.patreon.com/nutrix . Still learning all it can do.

[@gabrielagrelasantos1677]

Thank you !!! Regards from Brazil

[@equinox1304]

Hi love the channel and content. One quick idea to test on your system - Open an instance of the SYSTEM-8 Plugin and go to the option button. Choose the optimize for lower CPU usage setting there. I wonder if that may help. I work with Roland and this is a nice setting that most folks don't know about. I hope it helps a bit!

[@Nu-trix]

Thanks, that is great! I’ll try it out.

[@Nu-trix]

Tried it and it drop the cpu usage dramatically . But this is not available in all plugout vst plugins.

[@KordTaylor]

This is great. Thank you very much. One suggestion is to cut these longer pieces into a few shorter pieces. This topic has been a personal frustration for me btw. At first I wa so happy that I could get a good Roland plug-in of a Jupiter that could also be used and programmed from a hardware synth. I thought they would just optimize the that for less CPU. But instead it sounds like they are starting anew with Zencore. It’s a very hardware-based mentality I think but should all work out. The current flaw is that their hardware Zen stuff is not as fun and requires LCD menu-diving where the SYS 8 and boutique units were the 1 knob per feature that I’d wager most synth-heads prefer. I feel it was a step backwards.

[@CGI.VR.Producer]

I'm late to the party...great topic! I noticed that your description has a typo. You refer to "Analog Behavior nodeling". I think you can edit the text here in KZbin.

[@Nu-trix]

Thanks for pointing it. It’s now fixed.

[@ChazSeamus28]

Since this video Roland has added tons of new patches, instruments and endless effects. The Zenology Synth has a search option to find any sound you need fast. Btw I have 22% cpu usage with 3 instruments loaded and playing but I do have a 3 year old i7

[@russ8889]

In reality the actual synths our out of most people's budgets and new music producers may have never owned a analog synth,So this is as close as it gets,if you're a purest old school synth person I guess the real kit has that sound but it seems Roland have worked on getting this right for old and new alike.

[@gurtana]

Is there a way to buy the plug-out synths, but without the Roland Cloud subscription? I just want the plug-outs, not the monthly sub.. And incidentally, do these synth plug-outs go cheap on sales or black Friday deals?

[@Nu-trix]

Using a free Roland cloud account, you can buy Lifetime keys of the different synth you want. They had a discount for the holidays. I don't know when it will be back. Keep checking Roland twitter for announcement.

[@NatLifeSounds]

Did you tested Zenology VST vs any of ZEN Core Hardware synths? Interesting to hear a difference

[@Nu-trix]

I’m testing right now the MC-101 Zenology. It should be in a video soon.

[@NatLifeSounds]

@@Nu-trix interesting to hear if it have a difference

[@diegoguadalupi7836]

I visited the Roland Cloud website and I was expecting to find a VST to but Roland gives me only the option to do a subscription, either monthly or annual. Is there a way to buy a VST without the subscription?

[@Nu-trix]

You need to open a Roland cloud account (free). Then you can pay “a la carte” for only the plugin you want.

[@Nu-trix]

You will be able to download the Roland Cloud manager to download free stuff and the one you bought.

[@diegoguadalupi7836]

@@Nu-trix cheers

[@MrCartershow]

You freeze and use is sample stems instead, a lot of producer work this way. But yeah is sad ! And that why I prefer analog gear no vst problem.

[@danielfisch389]

It will be interesting to see (and hear) if the upcoming model expansions (Juno 106, Jupiter 8, JX-8P etc) using ZEN technology will or will not sound better (= closer to the vintage hardware) than the ACB emulations

[@Nu-trix]

I’m also waiting for the Zenology Pro version. It should be out in the fall.

[@kaitsu9608]

They have released juno for zenology, and imo it does not sound as good as legendary version. But pro will be cool, like having an integra in vst form

[@danielfisch389]

@@kaitsu9608 I already own the Integra LOL... But I agree, as do many other users, that the Zen versions of vintage classics sound less authentic than the older ACB emulations. Which makes sense, cos ACB recreates the analog circuits digitally, whereas Zen/ABM models the behaviour of vintage synths. Zen is less heavy on the CPU but the legendary series (I own five plugins, including Juno and Jupiter) sound more accurate.

[@Nu-trix]

That is why I hope they release Zenology for iOS. It would be great!

[@kaitsu9608]

@@danielfisch389 yeah, acb sounds amazing. its a tradeoff, obviously for cpu usage. it seems roland plugins are designed to be running all the time, which makes sense in boutique boxes etc. but oh do they sound great...

[@IanWaugh]

Hey New Tricks - I got a System 8 and have been looking at the Cloud but it confuses the heck out of me! I really don't like subscriptions but I think the outright buy prices expensive 😢 At the end of the day EVERYTHING is just software 😀

[@Nu-trix]

If you are looking for more than 2 plugouts, I suggest you take the monthly membership. You can always stop the membership when you want… the plugouts will stay in your System-8.

[@IanWaugh]

@@Nu-trix Cool, thanks 👍

[@DarrenJohnMusic]

I have a newer I7 with 32 gigs of ram and it struggles with these instruments.

[@fitagoraz]

The sound of those made me love VST's but the cpu usage is so frustrating..because the sound is even better than hardwares like old boutiques (Jp-08,Ju-06)

[@Nu-trix]

Still Roland offers inside the plugin a couple of controls under "options" to set the voices (from 2 to 8) and/or active the "optimize for lower CPU usage" for slower computers. So we all can use it.

[@vanngo04]

@@Nu-trix Not all hero's wear capes!

[@michaelgrier]

Didn't really see much about the CPU usage. I expected to see charts and graphs, but I'm a performance guy.

[@_boof]

Get an m1 or wait for the new one. There is a significant reduction in CPU using one. The CPU meter barely moves.

[@ImplosiveCatt]

CPU hog because of being "really detailed" or really not optimized? How do you know which one is it?

[@Nu-trix]

By listening to the detailed sound quality. The ACB were originally created for dedicated hardware not for computer.

[@ImplosiveCatt]

@@Nu-trix "Detailed sound quality" That is just a meaningless word salad. The Roland plug-ins sound good, however, the question is, do they justify resource requirements? From my experience, Roland is notoriously lazy on the software counterparts. There are even more faithful and far less demanding third party emulations of their hardware. That's why your easy "detailed sound quality" loophole does not explain why their plug-ins are so CPU demanding.

[@SMAAAASHTV]

It's a little of both. Surely the code could be optimized to use less CPU , but this would mean Roland needs to have a team work on it to do that. It seems to me that Roland is simply content with the plugins just working and aren't interested in making it better optimized.

[@ImplosiveCatt]

@@SMAAAASHTV I think they are more interested in selling their hardware option rather than just a plugin.

[@HighMonkeyMonk]

It's also a CPU hog on my macbook pro with 16 gigs of memory... :\

[@manti1923]

Yeh all songs can't run on computer cause of the high CPU usage of the program

[@overload8741]

Nice video! I eard Jupiter XM and got a Boutique JP08, i feel like ACB i way better more colors, and when i eard the Plugins is sound better to from ACB to Zenology (what you get in a Jupiter x or xm) but wow 3500€ for a Jupiter X is realy to much, at price i get a Prophet rev2 and a Summit last month, and summit come with 2 analog filter 2 overdrive pre and post + a distortion... Roland demanding to much for his hardware stuff i feel...

[@Nu-trix]

I’m really interested to see where Roland will take Zenology and zen core devices it is very promising but still the promises need to be fulfilled.

[@overload8741]

@@Nu-trix J'avais oublié que tu parle français, donc je rep dans ma langue natale lol, je trouve que le son des nouveaux Roland Jupiter X et XM sonne plus froid que les anciens Boutique JP08 ou System 8 avec le plugout. Et surtout ça coûte vraiment chère, mais pour avoir comparé mon ancien boutique JP08 et le plugout Jupiter 8, je trouve que les 2 sonne différents quand même, tu me diras si tu en as fait l'expérience, mais par exemple au niveaux du cross mod rien avoir je trouve, et le son Hardware ah un coté plus claquant plus chaud type analog quoi. J'aurais vraiment aimer que Roland continue avec l'ACB et offre avec la vrais Polyphonies de 6 à 8 voix comme a l'époque, des petit module sans clavier ou avec mais histoire de rester dans une gamme proche du prix, je ne comprend pas pourquoi Roland n'ait pas rester sur cette lancer, j'ai eux 6 boutique en tout et quand j'ai les ait revendu c'est partie super rapidement, ça veux dire que ça marche et que les gens achètent. Je trouve que leurs marketing n'ai pas stratégique

[@Nu-trix]

@@overload8741 Je crois comprendre que Roland met en place une vaste solution permettant des échanges simples entre logiciel. cloud et appareils physiques. Le ACB semble trop demandant pour cela. Le ABM répond mieux à cette vision. Pour eux, je perçoit qu'ils considèrent qu'ils ont déjà fait leur récréation de leur classic avec les boutiques et maintenant ils positionnent leur écosystème Roland pour la prochaine décennie. Mais c'est simplement ma perception.

[@overload8741]

@@Nu-trix Oui je pense que tu as raison, mais je trouve que l'ACB sonne mieux et c'est dommage d'avoir laisser ça de côté, je pense qu'ils auraient pu s'investir un peu plus de ce côté la, les boutiques c'était sympa mais ils auraient pu en sortir des model plus pousser dans la polyphonies. Mais un Jupiter X à 3500€ franchement je trouve qu'ils jouent trop de leurs notoriété et c'est dommage qu'ils ne sont pas rester dans la ligné des petit synthé abordable avec l'ACB ça sonnais super bien mais 4 de polyphonies je pense qu'ils auraient pu faire mieux et sortir de vrais clones avec plus de polyphonies. Le polychaining était mal conçu, j'avais 2 JP08 et 2 JX03 le problème c'est que ça passé de 4voix l'un et ça prenait le relai 4voix l'autre mais un patch avec de la release provoquait la coupur de voix, ils n'ont jamais fait de update pour changer ça c'est vraiment dommage. Peux être en faisant un relai de 1voix un synthé puis 1 autre voix l'autre comme un échange aurait été préférable...

[@dodgingrain3695]

Its simple, zenology is essentially just a sampler while the others are high quality VAs. Zenology is essentially the same as Halion or Falcon or Kontakt just with Roland samples.

[@Nu-trix]

Zenology is a synth engine based on the entire Behavior of the synth. It is not a sampler

[@dodgingrain3695]

@@Nu-trix No, its a sampler in the same sense that Halion, Falcon, and Kontakt are samplers. The waveforms in zenology are not algorithmically generated, they are samples.

[@Nu-trix]

@@dodgingrain3695 No, Zenology is the software version of Zen Core technology. Zen Core uses real-time algorithms to generate sounds. It can also play back PCM sounds. It becomes really avious when using the new Zenology Pro. It can do virtual analog, supersaw, pcm and more. I’ll do a video about it soon. Of course, some Zenology packs are recreations of the JV-1080 series, it then uses PCM samples.

[@najinelson6742]

System 8 sounds awesome, but for me also way too high cpu usage. If Roland does not change that, they will have less customers. That's Roland's challenge to make better cpu usage

[@Retcuouf]

The sound from hardware is much better, the virtual instruments Ned too much cpu, very bad working, I buy used hardware for lower prices the is too expensive, hardware is much much better, sorry dude! I try , but is absolut nothing for me!