Roland has announced that its bringing software emulations of eight Boss effects pedals to its Roland Cloud platform for the first time, placing much-loved stompboxes like the OD-1 Overdrive, DS-1 Distortion and PH-1 Phaser in your DAW.
Since launching their first compact pedal in the mid-'70s, Boss's pedals have become some of the most popular on the market, carving out a reputation as reliable workhorses with an extensive catalogue that spans more than 140 different sonic flavours.
The new emulations developed by Roland span a variety of effects: drive and distortion are provided by the classic OD-1 OverDrive, SD-1 SUPER OverDrive and DS-1 Distortion pedals, while the PH-1 Phaser recreates Boss's simple but effective 4-stage phaser pedal.
A number of vintage and discontinued pedals are featured, including the ultra-rare SG-1 Slow Gear, a filter pedal designed to provide automatic volume control, producing a smooth volume swell by filtering out transients.
Also included is the SP-1 Spectrum, a short-lived single-band parametric EQ pedal from the late '70s, and the CS-1 Compression Sustainer, the company's first compact compressor pedal. These are joined by the TW-1 T Wah, an envelope filter pedal launched in the '80s.
The plugin versions feature authentic interfaces based on the original pedals, though additional control is available in the form of input and output levels and DAW tempo sync. Though the plugin is launching with a selection of eight pedals, Roland is planning on delivering an "ever-expanding selection of models" from its historic hardware line-up as time goes on.
We're glad to see Boss's effects making a transition to the software realm, but a little disappointed to hear that there's no perpetual license on offer for the plugin, which is currently only available as part of the Roland Cloud Ultimate membership tier.
An Ultimate subscription to Roland Cloud will set you back $19.99/month, but you can also snag three months for $49.99 or a year for $199, and new users can get a 30-day free trial. Roland Cloud Ultimate not only gives you access to the Boss Effects Pedal plugin, but also an extensive collection of software that includes emulations of Roland's most iconic synths, drum machines and effects.
Find out more over at Roland's website.
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