[thoroughly appropriate jazz]
Greetings and welcome to an LGR MIDI music thing!
This time we’ve got a lovely piece of retro kit I just got in from Osaka, Japan:
the Roland Sound Canvas SC-55ST, that sold for
around 400 US dollars upon its initial introduction in 1993. Also sold under Roland’s
Edirol brand, the SC-55ST was a cost-reduced alternative to its luxurious older sibling,
the SC-55. Considering that beautiful beast sold for twice the price at the time, this
ST edition was an alluring prospect. Particularly so to PC gamers seeking a somewhat lower cost
MIDI music solution, since the 55ST offers the exact same sounds as the full-fat Sound
Canvas, without those front panel controls most gamers didn’t need anyway. So yeah,
$400, $800, whatever! Either way, now your music could sound like this in 1993.
[“Trip Through The Grand Canyon” by George Stone]
Ahh, that classic Sound Canvas soundscape, all in a package half the price of the functionally
identical SC-55 Mark II. The major concession being that, other than the missing front panel,
the SC-55ST outputs 16-bit audio instead of the 55’s 18-bit. Something the everyday
user probably wouldn’t notice considering the abilities of the average desktop computer
speakers at the time. Reference-quality studio monitors, these ain’t. The other notable
differences come around back, with only a single MIDI input and RCA line-level output,
no MIDI out, thru, or auxiliary input like the 55. Again though, being geared more towards
MIDI playback than music production, the typical SC-55ST user wasn’t going to be missing
those anyway. Besides, you still got the same serial I/O section for connecting it directly
to a computer. This way, you could connect it to your machine without pesky MIDI cables
or a processing unit like the MPU-401. All you needed was the Roland serial interface
cable, compatible software for Windows, DOS, or Mac OS, and you were good to go. Certain
games may need a bit more but yeah y’know that was the idea anyway. And in this particular
bundle from Japan, an assortment of software was provided for the NEC PC-98 series of computers,
along with a pair of headphones and glorious amounts of documentation. Unfortunately, mine
was just the sound module and cables in a box. Cool by me
since I got a good deal on it, just over 4,000 yen for everything.
Though, you may wonder why I wanted this to begin
with since I already own an SC-55 Mark II and an SC-88, both of which I’ve covered
on LGR, and both of which are far more capable. Well, beyond the fact that my impulse control
is dangerously close to zero when it comes to retro Roland hardware from Japan? The biggest
reason is because I think it looks fantastic in its clean off-white plastic shell. Yeah
it also came in dark gray like many other Sound Canvasses, but when I saw the bright
white variant I couldn’t say no. It’s similar to Roland’s Computer Music series,
like the CM-32 and the CM-300, which also came in a similar beige housing and no front
panel controls, being cut-down versions of the MT-32 and SC-55. Unlike those however,
the 55ST is a proper single unit half rack device, meaning that its height is the same
as a 1U rack mount module but its width is about half that, at nearly 22 centimeters
or 8½ inches. Which is awesome, I love collecting half rack MIDI modules since they’re all
so different but the same basic size. Thing is though, I almost never need to touch the
additional controls and connections they provide. At least on a DOS PC, where my main motivation
is playing MIDI soundtracks to classic computer games like Duke 3D.
[Duke Nukem 3D theme plays]
So yeah, other than volume, I rarely ever end up adjusting the settings on the SC-55
or 88 when it comes to games. As a result, I’ve actually ended up moving these beefier
Sound Canvas units into my synth setup, and that’s a whoooole ‘nother can of musical
worms, completely unrelated to my PC MIDI playback stuff. So this left an opening on
my desk for something more suited to beige-covered 90s computer gaming, and the SC-55ST fit the
bill perfectly! Pretty much just plug and play and look good doing it, not much more
to it than that. Power on the left, volume knob on the right,
and a 3.5mm stereo headphone jack beside that. Excellent.
[Duke 3D theme triumphantly plays again]
Mm, that’s sounding good! Just like the SC-55 Mark II,
the 55ST here is a digital ROM-based sampler, or Rompler,
providing 28 note polyphony, 16 voice multitimbral playback,
with 354 built-in sounds, 9 preset drumkits, 1 sound effects kit, and it’s General MIDI
and Roland GS compatible. And despite its lack of controls, it also supports the same
MT-32 compatibility as its larger, more expensive relatives. But since there are no front panel
controls, the 55ST relies on software to switch things around. The program GSPlay is one option,
MIDI Commander is another, but either way you can send over MIDI and SysEx commands
and get a rough approximation of the MT-32’s LA synthesis.
[imitation MT-32 music plays, badly]
As with the SC-55 Mark II,
this is not something I often take advantage of due to its inconsistency.
I’m fine hooking up a real MT-32 as needed.
It really is all about those crispy Sound Canvas instruments.
So grab a drink, sit back for a minute and enjoy!
[multiple MIDI tunes play for a while]
Isn’t this thing great? Sure, it lacks a mesmerizing glowing orange screen, but there’s
something so cool about such an awesome sound coming from such a plain-looking little box.
And the way it blends in seamlessly with the other retro PC hardware on this desk is just *kiss!*
Fits in perfectly with those Roland MA-12C speakers, as you’d expect seeing
as they were sold at the same time as the 55ST, ah it just makes me happy when things
match. Still, it goes without saying that if you can acquire the more fully-featured
Sound Canvas units, and enjoy the prospect of buttons, knobs, and LCD screens? Then I’d
say go for it! They’re a lot of fun to use and the additional controls and I/O provided
make for a more complete MIDI experience, especially if you wanna make music instead
of only listen to it. And of course, there are more modern routes to take like Roland’s
VST plugin, the Sound Canvas-VA, or big ol’ brutes like the SC-8850 that features built-in
USB and doubles as a deadly weapon. However, if you’re like me and have come to appreciate
the simplicity and clean lines offered by a half rack device like the 55ST, then it’s
a satisfying thing to have on-hand. It can also be notably cheaper than the higher-end
Sound Canvas units, so if you’re looking to get in on that sweet Roland MIDI goodness
for a bit less cash, it’s worth putting the 55ST on your radar. Either way though,
I’m just happy with it as a dandy desktop doohickey, so enough of this ramble,
I'm off to play some DOS games.
[Doom II gameplay commences]
And if you enjoyed this LGR thing then great! I’ve got plenty more where this came from,
including a number of existing Roland reviews, with more stuff going up each week here on
this channel. And as always thank you watching!