Giulioz VirtualJV, free Roland JV-880 synth rompler emulator plugin for macOS and Windows - November 10, 2025

Giulioz VirtualJV is a new open-source, free emulator software for macOS and Windows that brings the Roland JV-880 synth rompler to your DAW.

DSP emulators are all the rage. Started in the retro gaming world, it has also become a topic in the synth world. The best known are The Usual Suspects, a developer collective that revives virtual analog classics using open-source DSP emulators. Their latest project is the JE-8086, an emulator for the famous Roland JP-8080 Synthesizer.

Giulioz is also no stranger to the scene, having already successfully emulated the Roland MKS-20 and MS-80 vintage piano modules, as well as the Microrack Reverb. In a more recent project (VirtualJV), Giulioz is working on another Roland rack unit, the JV-880.



Giulioz VirtualJV
As a reminder, the Roland JV-880 is a Synthesizer rompler and is a rack-mount version of the JV-80 keyboard. As a sound source, it uses sampled content (waveforms…) that can be layered to powerful multi-timbral instruments.

Like a traditional synthesizer, it offers filters (TVF), an amp (TVA), multiple LFOs, onboard effects such as chorus, delays, reverbs, and micro-tuning capabilities.

Giulioz uses a modified version of the open-source DSP emulator for the Roland SC-55 sound module, developed by NukeYKT SC55, for his VirtualJV project. This modified version adds support for the Roland JV-880.

To make this possible, the engine emulates three ICs: the Roland PCM chip, Hitachi H8/532 MCU, and Mitsubishi M37450M2 MCU.

As with other emulator plugins, there’s a built-in obstacle that puts it in a legal gray area. It requires the original Roland JV-880 ROM file. Without it, it won’t work.

Before the emulator police start complaining again: no, I don’t distribute ROMs or links on my website. I’m just discussing the emulator and the possibility that it exists.



Installation
Giulioz offers the VirtualJV emulator with a layered UI that provides access to all the parameters of the original Roland JV-880. And there are plenty. It’s definitely easier to program than on the original hardware.

Installing VirtualJV is somewhat tricky and requires patience. Although it comes as a VST3 and AU plugin, it’s not an entirely straightforward undertaking

Users in forums like KVR Forum report that one must pay attention to the placement of the folders as well as the VST and AU plugins.

Additionally, it is essential to note that the internal sample rate of the hardware unit is 32kHz, which plays better with a DAW configured for a 48kHz sample rate. You will find jitter if you play it at 44.1kHz, say users.

During the first run you will be able to open the destination ROM folder. Copy your ROMs there, restart the plugin, and wait for a minute for the first load to happen (waveform ROMs need to be descrambled and copied to a cache, which may take a minute). Have fun!

First Impression
The emulator wave continues unabated. If this trend continues, in a few years we’ll have revived all the well-known “vintage” digital synthesizers for our DAWs. The Roland JV-880 isn’t exactly a synth I’m passionate about, but it’s great that the option now exists.

Giulioz VirtualJV emulator plugin is available for free download from GitHub. It runs as a VST3 and AU plugin on macOS (native Apple Silicon + Intel) and Windows. You have to find the ROM for the Roland JV-880 yourself.

More information here: GitHub

Source: https://synthanatomy.com/2025/11/gi...and-jv-880-synth-rompler-emulator-plugin.html

 

Been using it for a few months now... its fantastic.

My only gripe is there isnt a search and recall feature implemented yet. If you have all the roms installed, it is A LOT of patches to sort through. Without tags or search it can be a bit mind numbing to find the right patch to start with. The other issue is loading saved projects with instances VirtualJV. It maintains the original patch you used for the track but it isnt highlighted so youre stuck having to find again the rom it was located in. Not entirely a deal breaker as the sounds are fantastic but it is time consuming. Only work around Ive found is to name my tracks with the rom and patch id if I need to recall it.