These are the best free Roland VST Emulator plugins to replicate the vintage hardware sounds of popular Roland keyboards and drum machines. These plugins are free Roland Cloud alternatives for music production.
This roundup of free Roland VST Emulators includes detailed lists of features, screenshots, and videos to see how the plugins sound.
Roland has a history of creating popular synthesizers, drum machines, and VST plugins. Roland has launched a cloud membership, where you can get access to many of their virtual instruments for a monthly or annual fee.
Best Roland VST Emulators
- PG-8X 2.0
- June-21
- Rolend Block-8
- 707
- Rolend PG-238
- Pterosaur
- Rolend SH-12
- Tromine 8
- Hell Drums
- SUPER-7
- Tromine 9
- Supersaw OSC
- Rolend Cronus
- Rolend SH-57
- Bitsonic TB-303
- Rolend JP-680
- KRM-101
- Rolend SH-75
- Rolend System 101M
- BL-303
If you don’t have the money to sign up for the cloud service, these Roland VST Emulators are a great alternative. I have included Roland Emulator plugins that work with both Windows and Mac. I’ve experimented with hundreds of free VSTs, and these free Roland VST Emulators are among the best.
Instructions: Click the links below to visit each Roland emulator. Look around each website for the download link or button. Do not install any suspicious software.
1. PG-8X 2.0
PG-8X is a Roland VST digital analog synthesizer with up to 12 voice polyphony capabilities. It also features hard sync and ring modulation.
There are two exponential envelop generators, an LP filter, and an HP filter.
Features:
- 12 voice polyphony
- Two DCOs with various waveforms
- Hard Sync and Ring Modulation
- Exponential envelope generators
- 24dB LP filter, 3-stage HP filter
- Stereo Chorus
Pros:
- Versatile sound options
- Polyphony for rich textures
- Envelopes for expressive sounds
- MIDI controller flexibility
- Sync and modulation capabilities
Cons:
- Complex for beginners
- Limited documentation
- Potential CPU usage (oversampling)
PG-8X | PC & Mac
PG-8X 2.0 VST Preview
2. June-21
June-21 is an easy-to-use Roland Juno synthesizer emulation plugin. It can read and play Juno 1 / 2 MKS-50 presets and includes Juno 2 factory “Preset” and “Memory” bank tones.
If you’re looking for a Roland Juno VST emulation plugin, June-21 is one of the best plugins. It will add Roland Juno / MKS-50 sounds to your tracks and is easy to use.
Great free alternative emulator to vintage hardware such as the Juno-60, ZEN-Core Hardware Jupiter-X Synth, Juno 106, Jupiter 8, SH-101, and the Zenology Pro software.
This is one of my favorite Roland-like emulators on this list because of its nice design and selection of sounds.
June-21 | PC / Linux
3. Rolend Block-8
Roland Block-8 is an emulation of the Roland System 700 Block-8 synth. This emulation is inspired by the real unit circuits but does not aim to sound accurate to the hardware synth.
Plugin | PC
4. 707
707 is a Roland VST plugin that contains over 16 samples taken from the Roland TR707 drum machine. It has an LP filter, distortion, chorus, and synch delay.
Features
- LP Filter
- Distortion Effects
- Chorus
707 | PC
5. Rolend PG-238
Roland PG-238 is an emulation of the Roland Alpha Juno synthesizer. It doesn’t aim to sound accurate to the hardware synths, but it still captures the essence of Juno’s sound.
The critical feature of Roland PG-238 is its ability to create rich, complex sounds. It doesn’t have any presets, so you’ll have to create your own sounds.
Plugin | PC
6. Pterosaur
Pterosaur is a Roland-inspired synth with 16 oscillators. Its detunable and panning oscillators create a rich, complex sound.
The sawtooth wave can be morphed into a saw/pulse hybrid, giving you tons of flexibility in your sound design.
Features
- Pulse Width Controls
- PCM Waves
- PCM Sync
- Sub Oscillator
- Condition Knob
- Super Saw
Pterosaur | PC
7. Rolend SH-12
Rolend SH-12 is a Roland emulation that aims to sound like the real unit circuits. It is not an accurate emulation, but it does sound like the Roland SH 1 & 2.
There are no presets included, so you’ll have to create your own sounds. This can be a bit daunting for some users, but Rolend SH-12 can be fun if you’re up for the challenge.
Plugin | PC
8. Tromine 8
Tromine 8 is a Roland TR-808 type analog modeling drum synthesizer with 17 drum sounds, including Bass drum, Snare drum, Claves, Rimshot, Maracas, and more.
- MIDI Support
- 9 Outputs
- Automation Support
Tromine 8 | PC
9. Hell Drums
Hell Drums is a Roland VST plugin that makes it easy to replicate the popular Roland drum machines from the 80s in your DAW.
It comes with 16 samples that have been recorded from Roland’s TR707 and TR505 drum machines.
The plugin also includes an LP filter, distortion, chorus, and synch delay to help you get the most out of your Roland drums.
- LP Filter Effect
- Distortion Features
- Chorus Effects
Hell Drums | PC
10. SUPER-7
The plugin includes an emulated supersaw oscillator, a 4-pole low pass filter, and shape-able envelopes. There are 20 presets included with the plugin to get started right away.
- 20 Software Presets
- 32 Voices Polyphony
- Shape-able Envelopes
- 4-Pole Low-Pass Filter
- Digital Analog Synthesizer
- Supersaw Oscillator
SUPER-7 | PC
11. Tromine 9
Tromine 9 is an amazingly powerful Roland VST emulator that gives you all the sonic power of the original hardware.
- Automation Support
- 9 Outputs
- MIDI Support
Tromine 9 | PC
12. Supersaw OSC
This emulator is based on the Roland Supersaw oscillator. It emulates just the oscillator itself with a basic ADSR envelope and output volume control.
The oscillator is not 100% like the original, but it is pretty close to the original in the mix and detune behavior. You will be able to achieve some nice and huge sounds with this one.
Supersaw OSC | PC
13. Rolend Cronus
Roland Cronus is a Roland Gaia emulation. The real unit circuits inspire it, but it is not aimed to sound accurate to the hardware synth.
Plugin | PC
14. Rolend SH-57
This emulation is perfect for those who want to create their own unique sound.
With no presets, this VST gives you the freedom to create whatever sound you can imagine. So get creative and see what you can come up with using this great emulation.
Plugin | PC
15. Bitsonic TB-303
Bitsonic TB-303 is an emulation for a bass line analog synthesizer with ten presets. It offers users an easy way to create and manipulate classic Roland TB-303 sounds.
The plugin comes with an oscillator, filter, and envelope controls. It also has an ADSR section. You can use the plugin in mono or polyphonic mode, making it great for various applications.
- 10 Basic Presets
- Stereo & Mono Mode
- Phaser
- Delay
- Filter
- Saw & Square Oscillators
- Portamento
Bitsonic TB-303 | PC
16. Rolend JP-680
This Roland Jupiter-6 / Jupiter-8 emulation gives you all of the classic sounds of those two legendary synths. It captures the essence of those classic Roland software synths and gives you a wide range of sounds to work with.
The plugin doesn’t have any presets, so you’ll need to create your own sounds. This gives you all the tools to make that classic Roland sound.
Plugin | PC
17. KRM-101
KRM-101 is a simple synth that was inspired by Roland SH-101. It can create some incredible bass and lead sounds to help you in your music production.
KRM-101 | PC
18. Rolend SH-75
This Roland SH-7 / SH-5 emulation aims for a different kind of accuracy.
While the real units had unique analog circuits, this emulation is inspired by their sound and behavior.
Plugin | PC
19. Rolend System 101M
Roland System 101M is an emulation of Roland’s large modular analog synthesizer.
It offers waveforms from the original System 100M, a new noise generator, and an analog modulation section.
The plugin has no presets, but users can create their own by shaping the sound of each oscillator, filter, and envelope.
Plugin | PC
20. BL-303
BL-303 can help you create those classic acid sounds that popularize the Roland TB-303.
Straightforward and easy to use, this Roland VST plugin is excellent for beginners and experienced users alike.
BL-303 | PC & Mac / Audio Units
Additional Free Roland VST Emulators
- Tromine Z – Tromine Z is an analog drum synth in the style of Roland’s TR-909.
- Transistor Drums 2 – A transistor drum machine is similar to an 808 or 909.
- Drumatic VE – Drumatic VE was inspired by sounds found on the TR-909 and TR-808.
- Tromine GT – It includes 16 analog drum synthesizers that include a bass drum, snare drum, hi-hats, and more.
- reTromine – Virtual analog synthesis is used to create 15 drum sounds in this plugin.
- Tromine C – Drum synthesizer VST Tromine C is modeled after Roland’s CR-78.
- Tromine 6 – Tromine 6 is a drum synthesizer based on Roland’s TR-606-type analog modeling.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Roland Cloud a VST?
The Roland membership is a cloud subscription service that gives you access to over 50 VST instruments created by the Roland Corporation. By installing the Cloud Manager software, you will get access to VST plugins for both Windows and Mac.
Is Roland Cloud Manager Free?
You can sign up for a free Roland account, which will give you access to Roland ZENOLOGY Lite Software Synthesizer, Zenbeats Music Creation Software, and a 30-day free trial of Ultimate with membership. The paid plans give you more access to VST instruments and offer a 30-day free trial.
In conclusion, the world of music production offers a vast array of software synthesizers, and Roland products have always been at the forefront of the music production industry.
The availability of Roland emulators has made it easier than ever to access the legendary sound of vintage Roland oscillators and keyboards.
Whether you are a fan of the Juno 106, Juno 60, Jupiter 8, or Jupiter X, you can now enjoy their unique sonic characteristics and experiment with sound design.
These plugins are excellent free alternatives to the paid Rolan Cloud plugins such as the Roland Juno-60, Sound Canvas VA, ZEN-Core Model Expansions, Roland JD-800 Model Expansion, and the Roland D-50 plugin.
I hope you found this list of free Roland VST emulators helpful.
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