Roland Sound Canvas VA
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| Type | GM/GM2/GS Software Synthesizer |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Roland |
| Release date | 2015 |
| Standards | General MIDI General MIDI 2 Roland GS |
| Parts | 16[1] |
| Max polyphony | 64[1] |
| Normal presets | 1608 + 256 user presets[2] |
| Drum presets | 63 + 2 user presets[3] |
| Effects | Reverb, Delay, Chorus, Two-Band global EQ, Global insertion FX based on BOSS effect units. |
The Roland-ED SC-8850 is a Sound Canvas unit released in 1999, notable for being the first synthesizer to support the General MIDI 2 standard as well as MIDI via USB.[4] It is the successor to the Roland SC-88 Pro. It is also the first Sound Canvas device to feature up to 4 voices per note, 64 individual parts (grouped in 4 pairs of 16), as well as 128 voice polyphony. It can channel 32khz 24bit sound to two separate sets of RCA outputs (selectable per MIDI channel via the onboard panel and SysEX), and has a pair of RCA inputs as well for passing through computer audio.
When connected to USB, the MIDI IN and MIDI OUT jacks act as a MIDI Interface for other instruments.
Two later versions based on this were made, the Roland-ED SC-8820 and the Roland-ED SC-D70 - they feature the same sample map as the 8850, but with a smaller sample ROM, up to 32 parts, up to 2 voices per note, and only 64 voice polyphony - all similar to the Roland SC-88 and SC-88 Pro that came before.
A VST version, called Sound Canvas VA was released in 2015 - based on the SC-8820. This version was first released standalone, then included with the Roland Cloud software-as-a-service subscription. This iteration is further limited to only 16 parts. This was discontinued on the 1st of September 2024, where it was no longer available for purchase.
Oddities
Discrepancies between Roland Sound Canvas VA and Roland-ED SC-8820
The Roland Sound Canvas VA is a software-based emulation of the SC-8820 Sound Canvas unit, utilizing the EPROM files from the original hardware. This means that the Sound Canvas VA is designed to be a theoretically identical software replica of the SC-8820, offering the same sound and functionality in a virtual format.