Roland Cloud is a subscription[1] -based collection of VST instruments and 'RVR' sample libraries launched in early 2018 by Roland.[2] [3] Instrument downloads and installation are handled by Roland's Cloud Manager software.[4]
The software instruments available via Roland Cloud also include features that were not available in the original hardware instruments from which they were based.[5] They are produced by Roland along with Virtual Sonics, an audio company founded by video game composer Jeremy Soule and his brother Julian.[6] [7]
Roland Cloud Manager manages the user's instrument library and sound sources, and auto-updates by default.[8]
Concerto is a plugin which allows the usage of Roland's RVR format instruments. These instruments include the FLAVR series as well as the Tera Series and others.
Roland Cloud Manager is available for both PC and Mac, and requires a 64-bit DAW.
Based on a subscription model, as of January 2020, users pay $19.95 USD per month to access the catalogue of instruments (£18.5 GBP, €21 EUR or ¥2190 JPY), with discounts for committing to 12, 24 or 60 months at a time (12%, 27% and 33% off respectively). Alternatively, users can purchase an instrument outright for a one-time fee.
According to the FAQs, an internet connection is required at least once per month in order to authenticate plugins in Roland Cloud.[9]
Patches are available for a number of the Roland Cloud instruments. These are additional configurations of the instruments.