Roland Releases Latest ‘Plug-Out’ Plug-In, PROMARS

Roland has released the PROMARS Plug-Out Software Synthesizer – a reproduction of the rare PROMARS synthesizer (introduced in 1979). Designed for Roland System-1, as well as Mac and Windows, the new PROMARS uses Analog Circuit Behavior to recreate the ‘incredibly warm, dense sound’ of the original. Here’s a video overview, with audio demos, from the 2015 NAMM Show:

Flashback Friday: The Great Synthesizer Showdown Of 1985

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4p7VIE9jQk The 27th Annual Grammy Awards, held thirty years ago, on Feb 26, 1985, featured an all-synth performance by the epic lineup of Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Thomas Dolby, and relative newcomer Howard Jones. The performance has been described as “The most ’80s thing that ever happened. Ever.”