Roland Sound Canvas SC-55: 90s MIDI Excellence
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Date: 2022-04-14
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Comments and reviews: 10
Алексей
Today is catastrophic lack of compact GM Sound modules. Also nothing about custom user creted istrument wavetable load support. I wonder why. The only Great Thing on market in compact format which i could find is -MidiPlus miniengine-. But I would like to have same one, with ability to load my custom istruments, like it was with AWE soundblaster software SoundFonts -. SF2.
NOPE on market! But I'm shure it could be the bomb among street and amateur musicians from all over the world.
I like Roland brand and it's devices quality and traditional style, and my best dream that Roland could produce such MIDI sound module in a size of -MIDIPLUS MiniEngine Pro- but with loading custom user's bank like -. SF2.
reply
Today is catastrophic lack of compact GM Sound modules. Also nothing about custom user creted istrument wavetable load support. I wonder why. The only Great Thing on market in compact format which i could find is -MidiPlus miniengine-. But I would like to have same one, with ability to load my custom istruments, like it was with AWE soundblaster software SoundFonts -. SF2.
NOPE on market! But I'm shure it could be the bomb among street and amateur musicians from all over the world.
I like Roland brand and it's devices quality and traditional style, and my best dream that Roland could produce such MIDI sound module in a size of -MIDIPLUS MiniEngine Pro- but with loading custom user's bank like -. SF2.
reply
barbarianbros
About the Windows built-in Microsoft Soft Synth (still present in Windows 10):
-Microsoft bought the licence to use the original SC-55 (not mkII) instrument bank.
-Samples are heavily compressed
-MS Soft Synth poorly emulates the hardware effects of the SC-55: panning, reverb, chorus.
Thats why the Doom music sounds 'flat' on the Windows Soft Synth and pretty more 'live' on the SC55.
A little trivia: first batch of SC-55 released in 1991 were released shortly before the General MIDI norm was officially standardized. These models only have the GS logo and not the GM logo, and they are not 100% compatible with GM.
reply
About the Windows built-in Microsoft Soft Synth (still present in Windows 10):
-Microsoft bought the licence to use the original SC-55 (not mkII) instrument bank.
-Samples are heavily compressed
-MS Soft Synth poorly emulates the hardware effects of the SC-55: panning, reverb, chorus.
Thats why the Doom music sounds 'flat' on the Windows Soft Synth and pretty more 'live' on the SC55.
A little trivia: first batch of SC-55 released in 1991 were released shortly before the General MIDI norm was officially standardized. These models only have the GS logo and not the GM logo, and they are not 100% compatible with GM.
reply
eightbit
Nice video. I recently found myself in a position that I needed a synth. Well, I -always- needed one, but recently I acquired a MiST computer which has MIDI ports and can use one so I went on the hunt. I saw this video and this is exactly what I needed. I love the fact that standard RCA L/R audio can be mixed through this. just saves me working with a mixer or some cable madness. Simple. I found an SC-55 (earlier model, not MKII) for $140, so I hope it does what I need it to.
EDIT: SC-55 did not pan out. The battery as it turns out destroyed it! So, I found an SC-50. and it works. and the battery did not leak. And. it is GOOD!
reply
Nice video. I recently found myself in a position that I needed a synth. Well, I -always- needed one, but recently I acquired a MiST computer which has MIDI ports and can use one so I went on the hunt. I saw this video and this is exactly what I needed. I love the fact that standard RCA L/R audio can be mixed through this. just saves me working with a mixer or some cable madness. Simple. I found an SC-55 (earlier model, not MKII) for $140, so I hope it does what I need it to.
EDIT: SC-55 did not pan out. The battery as it turns out destroyed it! So, I found an SC-50. and it works. and the battery did not leak. And. it is GOOD!
reply
Natalie
I love the SC-55. Its tone is nostalgic, and it has this awesome balance between -cool 80s keyboard- and -uber-realistic digital piano-. The samples weren't just borrowed (and downgraded) for Windows PC's, but also for SNES and GBA games! The professional model (JV-1080) was in so many iconic 90s songs. Many of the sounds hold up today, and they're -vanilla- enough to not be distracting when they're overused.
I have a Roland Fantom-8, and while it's chock-full of modern-sounding presets and many sound design possibilities, it still has the old Sound Canvas banks as well.
reply
I love the SC-55. Its tone is nostalgic, and it has this awesome balance between -cool 80s keyboard- and -uber-realistic digital piano-. The samples weren't just borrowed (and downgraded) for Windows PC's, but also for SNES and GBA games! The professional model (JV-1080) was in so many iconic 90s songs. Many of the sounds hold up today, and they're -vanilla- enough to not be distracting when they're overused.
I have a Roland Fantom-8, and while it's chock-full of modern-sounding presets and many sound design possibilities, it still has the old Sound Canvas banks as well.
reply
NoneOfYour
I had Roland SC-55 and Yamaha XG software Synths on my PC back in the day, yet I found that for GM wavetable sounds they were beaten into a cocked hat by some dude in Japan who built his own and put it out as Shareware. It was called Wingroove - it was phenomenally popular, cheap, better than the professional competition, but the problem was it only played in Windows, not DOS.
It's a shame LGR does retro hardware and not software because a comparison and examination video of the different softsynths would be very interesting I think.
reply
I had Roland SC-55 and Yamaha XG software Synths on my PC back in the day, yet I found that for GM wavetable sounds they were beaten into a cocked hat by some dude in Japan who built his own and put it out as Shareware. It was called Wingroove - it was phenomenally popular, cheap, better than the professional competition, but the problem was it only played in Windows, not DOS.
It's a shame LGR does retro hardware and not software because a comparison and examination video of the different softsynths would be very interesting I think.
reply
Jack
I was very fortunate enough to have an SD-35 back in the 90s which incorporates a built in floppy drive
or you could connect it as a midi playback device to any computer via a midi to serial port.
I typically used it as an addon to my Yamaha PSS-790 and Casio CT-700 keyboards especially for pad
sounds but I also took advantage of it's midi playback and even used it to record midi files onto tape.
I also bought an SC-88 Pro in 2005 and I still use it.
reply
I was very fortunate enough to have an SD-35 back in the 90s which incorporates a built in floppy drive
or you could connect it as a midi playback device to any computer via a midi to serial port.
I typically used it as an addon to my Yamaha PSS-790 and Casio CT-700 keyboards especially for pad
sounds but I also took advantage of it's midi playback and even used it to record midi files onto tape.
I also bought an SC-88 Pro in 2005 and I still use it.
reply
Jack
Roland was something a gamer could not afford. If Roland made these midi interfaces thinking about gamers, then they failed all of us. I was getting far better sound from Soundblaster Extigy as it had chorus and reverb effects. Audio interface should never cost more then the computer itself, and I hope Roland learned a valuable lesson. Today gamers dont care about audio interfaces, and SoundBlaster 32 became the standard in every computer in the 90's.
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Roland was something a gamer could not afford. If Roland made these midi interfaces thinking about gamers, then they failed all of us. I was getting far better sound from Soundblaster Extigy as it had chorus and reverb effects. Audio interface should never cost more then the computer itself, and I hope Roland learned a valuable lesson. Today gamers dont care about audio interfaces, and SoundBlaster 32 became the standard in every computer in the 90's.
reply
barbarianbros
The compatibility with MT32 is only partial because SC-55 does not have memory to store custom effects/instruments. It only has the 'default' intstruments of MT32.
So if you play a game which is not using custom sounds, it will sound good: try Monkey Island 1 or Dune.
Sierra and Origin games heavily used custom instruments so they won't sound good with a 'MT32 compatible' device.
reply
The compatibility with MT32 is only partial because SC-55 does not have memory to store custom effects/instruments. It only has the 'default' intstruments of MT32.
So if you play a game which is not using custom sounds, it will sound good: try Monkey Island 1 or Dune.
Sierra and Origin games heavily used custom instruments so they won't sound good with a 'MT32 compatible' device.
reply
Chris
I still have and use the other version of this, the SC 155, ive never thought about using it like this. itsflat and has an onboard mixing desk, i still use it now, not so much the midi sounds themselves but as a mixer and midi interfce its great for my DAW through usb, ive never once considered using it as a soundcard outut for games. i might just give it a go on the old dos cames i have
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I still have and use the other version of this, the SC 155, ive never thought about using it like this. itsflat and has an onboard mixing desk, i still use it now, not so much the midi sounds themselves but as a mixer and midi interfce its great for my DAW through usb, ive never once considered using it as a soundcard outut for games. i might just give it a go on the old dos cames i have
reply
JasonWardStudios
I still have the same SC-55mkII that I bought back in 1996, and I love it! It made the sound tracks from games like Doom / Doom II, Warcraft II, King's Quest, and so many more so amazing! I bought it mostly for it's intended use a MIDI synthesizer to learn how to play and compose music, but having it as a superior sound system for my PC games was a nice added bonus.
reply
I still have the same SC-55mkII that I bought back in 1996, and I love it! It made the sound tracks from games like Doom / Doom II, Warcraft II, King's Quest, and so many more so amazing! I bought it mostly for it's intended use a MIDI synthesizer to learn how to play and compose music, but having it as a superior sound system for my PC games was a nice added bonus.
reply
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