Roland SC-55

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Roland SC-55 Sound Canvas

The Roland SC-55 (Sound Canvas) is a MIDI synthesizer sound module released in 1991 by Roland Corporation.

The SC-55 was the first sound module to incorporate the new General MIDI standard, which was expanded with GS drum kits and additional controllers. The synth used both PCM and the cut-down version of LA synthesis engine and had an Roland MT-32 variation bank, although it lacked programmability of the MT-32. The module was clearly aimed at PC music enthusiasts. It featured 317 instrument patches and 9 drum kits, and had 16-part multitimbrality and 24-voice polyphony. The selection of effects includes reverb and chorus.

Alongside the SC-55, Roland released the SB-55 (Sound Brush), an inexpensive MIDI sequencer module the same size as the Sound Canvas. Both the Sound Canvas and Sound Brush could be rackmounted alongside each other.

Roland also released a Roland SCC-1 sound card that essentially combined the SC-55 module with the MPU-401 in a single 8-bit ISA card. The card featured MIDI in/out/thru, as well as left/right RCA and 1/8th-inch line-level output jacks.

Other models with comparable tone generators include Roland CM-300, Roland CM-500 and Roland SC-155 sound modules. CM-300 and CM-500 models miss the LCD screen and extended controls of SC-55. Both models have external appearance nearly identical to Roland's earlier CM-32/64-series modules. SC-155 adds additional slider controls for master and channel level and panning. Additionally, CM-500 includes fully SysEx compatible LA tone generator similar to CM-32L's.

Further development led to Roland SC-55mkII sound module that features additional patches, raising the total number to 354 and extended polyphony of 28 voices.