"The CR-78 Software Rhythm Composer brings an iconic Roland instrument into the future. Designed for modern production, it delivers expressive rhythm programming with unmistakable analog character. Introduced in 1978, the CR-78 was the world’s first computer-controlled programmable drum machine, shaping the sound of pop, post-punk, disco, and electronic music with its distinctive tonal signature and human feel."

 

https://www.roland.com/global/products/rc_cr-78/

 

Hmmm.. This is the same "rhythm section" you would expect to find in a color-glo organ. Easily reproducible with just about any soft synth worth a dam these days. Just as with everything else these days that is "vintage" the tinker-toy audio that these things produced is now "quaint" and "warm". Samples for these things are everywhere and rolands' sound sources for this one are pretty much the same.

Roland is no different than any other corporation looking to make $$. If they see there's a market they will sell VST's of their grandma's farts if there was dollar and a cent to be made...

 

People still lap that shit up, its fun to use.

 

Well, yeah.. If a group released it I'd probably grab it...

 

I actually really like Cherry Audio's version, so I'm not sure I need another one. I actually like this drum machine a lot (thanks to Jean Michel Jarre - the first electronic artist I ever listened to) and considered buying Behringer's RD-78 knock off. What can I say, I love the 'vintage' sound, and that's the type of music I try to make now. I'll definitely try the Roland one if it drops on the sister site, since they of course make the original CR-78.

 

Roland CR-78 Plugin Is Out! The Legendary Rhythm Composer Reborn

The legendary Roland CR-78 Rhythm Composer — heard on countless classics — is now available as an official plugin in the Roland Cloud!
Using Roland’s ACB analog circuit modeling tech, this software brings the iconic sound of the 1978 drum machine into your DAW with modern features like pattern editing, sound mixing, tuning controls, DAW tempo sync and more.

You can run it as a VST, VST3, AU & AAX on macOS and Windows.
Available now via Roland Cloud Ultimate or as a lifetime license (intro price available through Feb 28, 2026).

 

Yawn yawn yawn yawn. Yawn. “Tinker toy”. Someone doesn’t know their music history. Looking forward to this! Legendary, historic unit, used on so many classics. The modern updates sound excellent. If you’ve heard the Roland Juno-60 or TR-808 emulations you know it’s the freakiest accurate emulation of hardware - they have actually included the thermal circuit noise! It sounds like no other hardware emulation I have ever heard. Puts Arturia to shame.

 

Last edited: Jan 21, 2026 at 9:52 PM

I mean, its a fun machine but its one of those cases I see no point of using a VST instead of racking my own drum preset.

 

looks fun. Lots of patterns to start with and easy tweaking, otherwise i would have no interest, as i already have quite a few versions.