mikantsumikiwi's Reviews

Has all of the content included from the K2000

I already gave my review on using the K2000 and relying on this replacement helped me a lot though.

The pros that it has all of the content and memory fully expanded which is amazing.

A Fun Midi Box.

I have bought this Roland Midi Module for around 200 USD and i got to say, it sounds really great.

Between this or the Yamaha MU, I was making sort of a decision on which one I should buy and it was quite hard.

However, I did prefer the sound of the sound canvas more and it was a lot more common to find GS midi files.

However, it does not mean the Sound Canvas is better then the Yamaha MU series midi modules.

Since they are very different from each other, however, I will give my opinions on this device and share some pros and cons.

The Pros:

That you can use a lot of the older sounds from the previous SC models, like the original 88 and the SC-55 soundset, however there are details on how I feel about that in a few in the con section.

64 Voice Polyphony!

Some improved orchestral Sounds from the previous models, as I felt the woodwinds and brass sounded more expressive than before.

You can have around 32 midi channels and sadly that requires you to connect another midi in cable.

Still it is quite cool overall.

Regardless, in terms of general midi play and it actually plays very well, you can also make your own tunes obviously.

The compatibility from the previous models can help with certain midi files, there some stuff i will mention in cons later on.

The last note I can share is that there is a rackmount version which has 128 user patches which you can make your own sounds then in the 88 pro.

However the original 88 pro is easier to find than the SC-880 since they are getting a bit more rare these days.

This module was used by a lot of Japanese composers during the mid 90s to early 2000s, notably being used in video games like RPGs and certain Japanese related games, this or the original SC-88 are commonly used.

The Cons:

The XG mode is not the greatest, i recommend buying a Yamaha MU module if you want a better representation of it.

It really is not too great really in my opinion.

The SC 55 soundset does not include all of the GM presets from the original, some presets are replaced with SC-88 sounds like the strings and honky tonk piano, so far a few instruments have been changed.

If you want a more accurate representation of the SC-55 i recommend buying a SC-55 MK 2 which has improved polyphony and an improved dac. I heard a feature called Capital Tone Fallback was removed in the MK2.

Either way both SC-55s can be good enough if you want a more accurate soundset.

If you are expecting to make patches on this module sadly it's not that possible in this box, however its rackmount variant does have a patch mode which allows you to make new sounds and save them later on.

I think the last con i can say that the sounds are "dated" in today standards, if you are expecting very realistic sounds in a midi device like this one tough luck, stick with sample libraries or newer VSTs if you want those.

How ever it does not mean the 88 pro does not have it own use, since it perfect for old retro games or for pc midi based music for dos games like Doom and etc. Even through that will count as a pro but still.

I will mention, don't have high expectations if you want to get a modern sound out of the 88 Pro.

In my conclusion:

I been using and playing with this module since i got it around April 2021 before i moved to a new house and i do want to thank Speedy video for getting me into this module, it been a great device to use.

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A wonderful synthesizer that have power

This keyboard was a great buy i have bought in Reverb, i gotten the k2000j model which is the south korean model but it exactly the same as the US model.

it also a keyboard that should be used for programming your own sounds and also have many amazing effects included and it really recommend to learn VAST as well as you can create very nice and interesting complex presets.

You can also have two expansions like Contemporary and Orchestral but they do required the daughter board which also includes soldering.

if you don't want to do that, it best to have a person who very experienced with soldering and all of that stuff.

But regardless this is a to go keyboard with midi control which also feels nice and smooth.

It does get hot for a while and i recommend not touching the outputs through when using it for a hour or so.

My final pros that i have in mind, you can actually imported your samples via CD-R through SCSI drive which also makes things easier.

There also a another way to store your samples via a Gotek Floppy Emulator or anything similar.

You also can upgrade the rom to 64 MB which gives you so much memory in fact.

My cons is the display, in my opinion it has a nice interface but the display is really hard to see without any light.

I recommend getting a backlight mod for the k2000 that makes it easier to use.

Installing the expansions can be a hassle to deal with if you have no experienced with soldering and all certain requirements.

It best to buy the k2000 with one of the expansions included which make's things easier.

The 24 voice polyphony is also a bit of a con as it pretty limited for today standards but it uses a special voice stealer that makes the polyphony more tolerable.

Some sounds will be outdated in today's world of music product, but some presets like the piano and acoustic guitar do standout the most.

Due to them sounding very realistic for the time.

My final cons is that it uses AAA batteries instead of the coin watch batteries which can leak when not being used for a long time.

The floppy drives tend to die once for a while but that can be resolved via Gotek Floppy Emulator.

Other then that, i love this keyboard very much based on how it feels and etc.

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A amazing synth but does have some cons.

My experience with the tr-rack was fun to use, it did allowed me to experiment when it comes to music making and i am pretty happy how this synth came to be when using it.

I do have some pros and cons on it that i want to talk about.

Pros:

Amazing Sound quality

Great selection of presets or patches.

Excellent Filters

Impressive Effects.

Includes the TRI-PBS Boards (But no sampler function)

Looks pretty great.

Has a selectable patch category.

24 bit Sample quality.

Cons:

The LED Interface

The lack of the GM mode which was originally on the keyboard version but also impossible to import through SYSEX.

32 Voice Polyphony (While it a okay amount of polyphony but by then other brands switch to 64 voices)

Lack of a Value Wheel.

Making Patches and presets is impossible unless through a editor.

The multi timbral mode not displaying the patches names, making it hard to remember which patch is which.

Cannot use the A or B banks to load your custom patches.

Has no sampler option.

Tiny buttons

I believe that all of the pros and cons i can give for this synth.

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Great Exotic Sounds

I really find this expansion very interesting, it really contains a lot of well sampled ethnic instruments from between Asia, Europe, Africa, South America. It have a lot of variety sounds and there is some unique pads that i have heard in expansion too, i was very impressed with some of the samples from certain instruments like the sitar and a lot of percussive instruments and also strange Synth Sounds.

I really recommend this expansion if you are looking for Exotic sounds as it really unique.

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A Rather Okay Expansion

I only use this expansion for the keyboard sounds like rhodes and some synth sounds, but the expansion is not bad in my opinion but a lot of it waveforms would later be used on the newer JV/XV models. It does have some unique sounds and presets through, it not bad through.

I think your better off with the Session Expansion or Super Soundset which contained more unique sounds, if you are looking for some keyboard sounds and some synth sounds it for you.

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A wonderful Orchestra Expansion

I have dearly enjoyed using this expansion card, i really find it orchestral sounds more useful then the ones on the default jv orchestral sounds. If your looking for realistic sounds then it not for you, but if you want to make JRPG inspired music then it for you considering it has a lot of classic sounds from 90s games.

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Sounds cool

The effects are rather nice for the synth, there so many iconic sounds you will found in Goldeneye and Banjo Kazooie. Overall it a pretty alright synth.

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Great Vintage Synth sounds.

I really love using this for many synth based tracks, while it very difficult to find because of it rarity status.

I still enjoying it as it a great Expansion Card from Roland

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A great emulation of the Sound Canvas.

I been using this thing for a while, it really have that video game 90s sound i wanted to have for it.

Overall it have almost all of the Sound Canvas presets, but it don't have the ED series presets sadly.

I still enjoy using it what ever i need extra drums.

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A good VST version of the JV1080 but have a few issues i have with it.

I do praise the original jv1080 for it interesting sounds from the 1990s, to this day i still own the original next to my computer.

The vst version is a great emulation of the rack, but i have a few issues with it.

I feel like it lacks SYX Export, in which you can't use your original saved JV1080 patches.

Some of the sounds are different, but there is a glitch in the preset the Vanishing that sounded very distorted and somehow static like for some reason.

It lacks the original GM bank but been replaced by the JV2080 bank instead.

The reverb sometimes in certain presets can be stuck at default but you can disable it easily.

There no JV80 expansion cards at all.

The pros i can give for it, that a lot of the sounds are better then the original JV1080 in terms of sound quality.

It much more easier to program.

It have a Category select which makes it easier to use certain instruments such as pads and leads.

Overall it a useful synth if you want pads and synth strings.

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The first orchestral VST i ever used.

It may have some of the JV1080 Orchestral sounds, but i tend to use it for percussion and woodwinds and brass just in case i don't feel like recording anything with jv1080. There some rare cases where i use the strings and keyboard and percussion sounds.

Overall it good for musicians who want to make orchestral music in there early start.

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My very first synthesizer

I always been very impressed with the DX7 of the way it was used in many wonderful film and TV scores.

It was the very first synthesizer i ever bought when i have enough cash to afford the money on.

The electronic pianos are the best preset of the whole thing.

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My most overused Audio editing software.

This thing always been useful for me in terms of recording my synthesizers and editing out noise that i find pretty much annoying. I am still using it today as it been pretty much useful for me.

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My first Synth Rack

I use this synthesizer a lot in my covers and remixes, i consider it as a favorite of mine.

I use 4 expansion cards, Vintage, Pop, World, Orchestral, in which my favorite VG Composers Grant Kirkhope and Graeme Norgate use it on there work a lot in the early to mid 2000s.

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