Roland SC-88 Sound Canvas Demo MIDI files

[CirnoLikesMath]

I don't believe this is that these are the same samples in Windows 7 (MS GS wavetable) and Quicktime...

[fumecollector]

anyone can help me to instal vsc virtual soundcanvas to my windows 7?? thanks....pls send me tutorial thaks asap!

[5825gg]

the best module for a midi sequencer player....

[HDentmusic]

Thanks for the email.. I sent you one back

James

[yilito100]

Wonderful! I have my old SC-88 working good at present (2012) in combination via midi with the new Roland GR-55.

[waldguy]

I've got an SC-55 that hardly use anymore due to changing interests, but the thought of getting rid of it hurts too much.  Still amazed at the quality for an early 1990s product.

[HoneycombAgent]

My synthesizer is broken. These midi's sound like crap when I try to play it on my computer!

[djkoelkast]

Sounds a lot like the music in Theme Hospital!

[FjordMusic]

WHOA.

[schassis]

where did u get that and how much

[megamanfan3]

A Roland MIDI synthesizer was also used for Hudson Soft's "My Aquarium" and "My Planetarium".

[MichaelKhanTV]

Sounds like Capcom music. I read that the composer of Final Fantasy used this. And I can see why, this thing is amazing! Anyone know of any good synth/romplers used in the past for 90's video games such as this one?

[Doommaster1994]

@MichaelKhanTV Then there is the legendary Roland MT-32 which was used by many game musicians, then for SNES music, Marshall Parker (famous for Shadowrun's soundtrack) used a Roland MV-30. David Wise also used it in his Donkey Kong Country soundtrack. Paul Webb of Sculptured Software used Ensoniq EPS keyboards for his SNES music.

[MichaelKhanTV]

@Doommaster1994 Thanks for the info! I study a lot of David Wise and I've always been curious as to where he got his sounds from!

[myownservant]

Final Fantasy!

[bub777]

I started to notice Wiki was telling the truth about Nobuo Uematsu using an SC-88 for FFVIII (and onwards perhaps),when the fourth song kicked in.

[Penguindog55]

An orchestra in a box, Roland Sound Canvas, no studio should be without one.

[LampEight]

Anyone else think 0:37 sounds like the intro to Flashing Lights by Kanye West?

[Ninja6485]

@LampEight you shouldn't let people know you listen to kanye west. that's almost as embarasing as admitting you like pauly shore. although phantom of the mall WAS a good movie...

[nikwalnikwal]

why dont they make real demo songs..

[Penguindog55]

Roland Sound Canvas blows Cakewalk and all VST and Soundfont midi file players including Bandstand out of the water, the Roland Sound Canvas SC-55, SC-88 & SC-88pro blow Bandstand, Garageband, mixcraft and all and anything alike right out of the water.

[EgoShredder]

@Penguindog55

I once owned a Roland SC-33 Sound Canvas and my friend had the SC-88. I was about to upgrade to the SC-88 in 1997 when the Yamaha MU100R came out......... Suffice to say I currently own FOUR MU100R modules with SIX different PLG100/150 boards inside (PLG100-VL, VH, DX and PLG150 AN, AP, DR).

Roland sounds have a lot of smooth quality and polish, but are too slick and commercial sounding for my taste; too conservative. Yamaha sounds are more sharp and vibrant.

[Penguindog55]

@EgoShredder Isn't the Roland SC-33 very similar to the SC-55 ( same sort of sound engine ). You know, even though I own an SC-88pro myself I agree that the SC-55 is better ( even though an SC-88 also includes 90% of SC-55 sounds ). You said it, Roland sounds are of a smooth quality, I also own quite a few Yamaha keyboards ( including one with XG ), I personally prefer Yamaha for piano sounds and a few other sounds are nicer.

Do you still have the SC-33?

[EgoShredder]

@Penguindog55

I bought my SC-33 in 1994 (released '93 or '94?) and later sold it in early 1998, a few months after buying my first Yamaha MU100R; I now have four and had as many as EIGHT! Hahaha! Yep I am really over the moon with them, although there are occasions when my Yamaha SY55 and Kawai K1r, have to step in to sort out a mix where the MU100R is too crisp and digital sounding to gel properly.

I was going to buy the SC-88, not the Pro version as that may not have been out in 1997

[cuncakito]

I LIKE IT. CHANGES A ORDINARY DIGITAL SOUND IN A EXPLENDOROUS ORCHESTRA. ROLAND HAVE THE ANSWER. GREAT.

[Penguindog55]

The SC-88 is still as fresh and new as it was back in the 90s, Sound Canvas is definatly useable for all genras of music weather it's orchesteral, jazz or big band, lattan or reggee, perfect for ballads too. The SC-88 french horn sounds rather real you have to hear it to believe it. Without a doubt Sound Canvas will still sound modern and crisp in 20 years time.

[emilygclarinet]

The 3rd one sounds like a high school band piece.

[Penguindog55]

Better than shitty Garage band and better value for money than VST instruments.

[Penguindog55]

Better than Garageband yes but VST instruments is something different, yes VST instruments sound more superior to Sound Canvas but theres still room for both.

[names0009]

wHaT!? MIDI SOUND!?

i can't believe..

this is incredible sound...

[Penguindog55]

This is how midi files should sound.

[orborborb]

I added a link in the description to the original MIDI files

[Dreamcube017]

6:11 is soul caliber.

[Penguindog55]

Sound Canvas is never old, I prefer the SC-55 electric basses and guitars. SC-88 also has all the SC-55 sounds at the touch of a button.

[magermunson]

The Soundcanvas are good modules,but with one problem,the samples are only in 32khz and saved with ADPCM compression,this gives a little sandy look in the higher frequencies!^^

[pignanelli]

@magermunson Absolutely wrong. If you check, the sound canvas has full 18-bit samples at 44.1kHz sample frequency.

[magermunson]

@pignanelli

The D/A Converter are in 18Bit 44.1 KHZ.

All SC88Pro and SC8850 Soundcanvas has only 32khz Samples with ADPCM Compression,even the JV Synths use internal ADPCM Compression and most 32khz Samplingfrequencies.Only the XV5080 and Fantom use for the most Samples a better Format. The older Synths,like all LA Synths D50/D20 D110 or the Roland R8 Drum Machines use no Datacompression and have in the most cases the better sound by equal Patches!

[RaldyV]

The Roland SC-88. A legendary piece of equipment. Used Heavily in Nobuo Uematsu's compositions for Final Fantasy 8.

[Penguindog55]

Love the ethnic sounds and percussion kits, so many decent and useful sounds, I can't believe people don't use sound canvas in the studio anymore, or the fact that people would rather have a mac with garageband and logic. Logic is so expensive and garageband is crap, personally I prefer PCs for music creation, PC users get a wider chioce and in my opinion Cubase SX is one of the best music apps.

[Penguindog55]

I have a Roland SC-88pro, it's fantastic, it has superior brass and orchesteral instruments, some decent drum sounds and many other useable sounds including all the sounds of the SC-55 as well SC-88 sounds, but I prefer Yamaha keyboards for piano sounds.

[KJEboys]

This is MIDI only correct?

I have a Yamaha arranger keyboard (PSR-2100) and I don't like its sounds.

Can I hook the SC-88 up to my keyboard and use its voices/sounds while playing live?

[realgtro]

cool demo collection! I have one of these and it has a neat but still vast collection of sounds (quality varies of course). maybe I'll upload a couple of my own creations made with it sometime

[F1carsguitar]

These are for keyboards only? Can you connect to any keyboard as long as it has midi?

[orborborb]

it has a standard MIDI input, so yes anything with a MIDI output will work

[StudioBBH]

Good helpfull module as a quick sketchbook. I still use these kinds of sounds (like basses or e. piano's or even timpani) sometimes in combination with live musicians and the Vienna Library and of course all kinds of AU, e.g. from Native Instruments.

Alltogether enough to get really good-sounding productions.

ps.: This referee-whistle is kind of funny in the first orchestral part...

[orborborb]

Yeah, that whistle sounds like an error in the MIDI file to me, perhaps it was composed before the hardware was finalized?

I definitely have found that the care that was put into the playability of a sampled sound counts more than the number of kilobytes or megabytes. Of course the effort put into the arrangement counts even more! Many of the great samples in the Sound Canvas series originated Roland's U110 expansion cards, which actually sound better due to less data compression.

[PHeMoX]

Yeah, I actually got the U110. Too bad I've only got 4 PCM cards, but you are right, those expansions sound even better!! The SC88 is of course better sounding in most cases, but the ancestor U110 is worth buying if you can get the cards.

[sauermusicDE]

Thanks for uploading! :-)

[jackshoey]

Thanks, I am thinking of buying one of these and this really helps.

[wphanoo]

awesome sound ! this don't sound "midi-ish" at all, I think it uses a lot of GS voices (instead of GM)

[PHeMoX]

Yeah, but a good reverb does wonders as well, this SC has a very good reverb on it.

[Penguindog55]

The SC-88 does have good reverb.

[Penguindog55]

@wphanoo I like the SC-88 because of how it sounds