discoDSP Retromulator 1.7 Adds Sound Canvas and Tracker Cores

Retromulator 1.7 Update Brings Two New Hardware Cores

discoDSP has released Retromulator 1.7, a significant update to its hardware emulation plugin. This version introduces two new cores since v1.5: the Roland Sound Canvas GS modules and a four-format module Tracker. Additionally, it adds host automation for every core, MIDI file and module playback, and offline rendering to WAV or MP3.

The update is available for macOS, Windows, and Linux in AAX, AU, VST3, and Standalone formats, plus iOS. The macOS deployment target is now 12.0.

Roland Sound Canvas Emulation

The 88emu core emulates Roland SC-88, SC-88VL, SC-88Pro, SC-8850, and SC-55mkII. These boards run their original firmware on emulated H8/500 and SH-2 CPU cores, using x86 and ARM64 JIT backends. The GP, LSP, and XP custom chips are also emulated.

Drum kit and tone names are read from the board ROM. The selected board is stored in the session, so reloading a project boots the module it was written with. A MIDI song player drives the Sound Canvas cores, playing standard MIDI files through the selected board. The song name and a 16-channel activity meter appear on the LCDs, with transport exposed as a host parameter. GS tone and drum kit names are shown for variation banks instead of raw bank numbers.

Tracker Core for Module Playback

The Tracker core plays XM, MOD, S3M, and IT modules. XM and MOD use the Fasttracker 2 replayer, while S3M and IT use the Schism Tracker player. Nuked OPL3 handles Adlib instruments. The program combo lists song positions, and the nav pill becomes play and stop. A 16-column meter shows the mixed audio of each channel.

The core can be driven via MIDI notes or keyboard. For instance, C0 restarts the song, D0 stops it, and C#0/D#0 step through the playlist. Note 24+n starts at position n. Tempo can follow the host playhead or incoming MIDI clock. Playlists can be built from multiple files, a dropped folder, or an .m3u/.m3u8 file. Import and Export Playlist functions are included. The playlist and its current entry are stored in the session, and songs advance even with the editor closed.

Host Automation and Offline Rendering

Every core now exposes a fixed pool of 128 host parameters with permanent IDs. These IDs never change, ensuring saved automation survives reloads in AU, VST3, and AAX. Sound Canvas songs and Tracker modules render offline to WAV or MP3 320. Tracker bounce uses SINC256 resampling for alias-free mixes. The Render Playlist function writes every Tracker entry into a folder in playlist order.

The standalone build also offers command-line rendering with options like –render, –board, –rom, –out, and –format. It also includes –list-boards and –list-tones for the 88emu core. File associations are registered for modules, playlists, and folders, opening them in the appropriate core. Multiple dropped modules become a playlist, and macOS dock icon drops work.

For existing users, this update adds substantial functionality without changing the plugin’s core identity. It remains a niche tool for those interested in authentic hardware emulation and module playback.

Features

• Roland Sound Canvas cores (SC-88, SC-88VL, SC-88Pro, SC-8850, SC-55mkII)
• Tracker core supporting XM, MOD, S3M, IT
• 128 host automation parameters with fixed IDs
• Offline rendering to WAV or MP3 320
• Command-line rendering in standalone version
• Playlist import/export and recursive folder scanning

Price
Not announced. Retromulator is a paid plugin, but pricing details for this update are not provided in the release.

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More info: discoDSP | Retromulator