Roland bring the rhythms behind some of the most recognisable songs of the eighties straight into the DAW.
Roland have taken one of the most recognisable drum machines ever made and given it a new place inside modern production tools.
The CR 78 Software Rhythm Composer brings the sounds and patterns of the original CR 78 into the DAW, pairing those familiar rhythms with tempo sync, pattern editing and modern recall that make it far easier to work with than the hardware ever was.
First released in the late seventies, the original CR 78 stood out because it let users program their own rhythms rather than rely on fixed presets.
Its warm analogue voices and distinctive patterns soon found their way onto records that helped define an era.
You can hear its steady pulse on In the Air Tonight, and its lighter, more melodic patterns underpin tracks by Hall & Oates, where the machine’s simplicity became part of the song rather than a feature in itself.
Those rhythms have lasted because they leave space, allowing arrangement and emotion to do the heavy lifting.
In software form, that character remains intact, but the workflow opens up. Patterns can be edited step by step, accents and shuffle can be adjusted, and individual instruments can be shaped to sit comfortably alongside modern synths and samples.
You can keep things close to the original feel or push patterns further without losing the identity that made the CR 78 so memorable in the first place.
The interface keeps a strong connection to the original machine, with a layout that mirrors the hardware and optional skins that echo its classic look.
At the same time, automation and project recall mean patterns can evolve naturally as part of a track rather than being locked into a single loop.
For anyone who has admired classic drum machines or wondered why those early rhythm boxes left such a mark on recorded music, the CR 78 Software Rhythm Composer offers direct access to that history, now shaped to fit comfortably into the way music is made today.
Take a trip and check it out here.
