Roland Cloud GALAXIAS 1.9 adds CR-78 CompuRhythm instrument

Roland Cloud’s latest GALAXIAS update puts the CR-78 CompuRhythm back in the conversation, but this time inside Roland’s current flagship software ecosystem. Version 1.9.0 adds the vintage rhythm machine as a new Legendary instrument, turning a machine once known as a preset-era breakthrough into something you can layer, sequence, and build around in the same environment as other Roland classics.

That matters because GALAXIAS is not a single-instrument emulation. Roland describes it as a “Super Instrument” that lets users layer up to four instruments into Scenes, and it is built for combining favorite Roland sounds, including multiple eras of TR drum machines locked in sync. The platform includes over 20,000 ready-to-play sounds and is available exclusively with Roland Cloud Ultimate membership, which makes the CR-78 addition feel less like a novelty patch and more like a statement about which machines still earn a place in Roland’s living archive.

The CR-78 itself carries a special kind of weight. Roland says it was introduced in 1978 and marked a turning point by bringing user programmability to the standard preset-based drum machine. That history is why the instrument still matters to vintage synth and drum machine fans: it is one of the first programmable rhythm machines, and its warm, textured patterns became part of pop, rock, and electronic records that set the template for later machines.

In GALAXIAS 1.9.0, Roland gives the CR-78 practical depth instead of just historical prestige. The update includes 32 factory presets for the instrument and a new Scene Pack called CompuRhythmics, with 16 custom-crafted scenes. Roland also says the release improves graphic scaling performance, adds better support for high-resolution and 4K displays, clarifies Windows UI behavior, and delivers broader performance enhancements. Those are the kinds of fixes that determine whether a legacy-flavored instrument feels collectible or usable in a modern session.

Roland is also distributing the CR-78 outside the GALAXIAS headline through Roland Cloud Ultimate membership, a Lifetime Key purchase, or a free 30-day all-access trial. That combination makes the old CompuRhythm less of a museum piece and more of a working part in a larger studio system, which is exactly where a machine like the CR-78 can still make the most sense.