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| Page 2 of 5 |
1. Introduction
In my mind, the name Roland is almost synonymous with MIDI. I know that is probably a really contentious point, and before all you Yamaha, Emu and Korg fanatics send me scathing flames via the email, let me explain. 
My first initiation into PC MIDI technology came about because of computer games. I had heard a lot about a soundcard called the Roland LAPC-1. It was always an option in most of the games I played and it always came highly recommended. Eventually, I saved up enough to get myself one of these babies, and hooked it up alongside my Sound Blaster 16. The first time I heard the opening sequence from Wing Commander, I was almost blown away. If you have played the game before, you may recall that the opening Origin screen was accompanied by the sounds of an orchestra tuning, before launching into the full Origin theme. With a SoundBlaster, there was no way to know it was an orchestra playing, but with the Roland LAPC-1, it felt like you were standing in front of one.
Using Linear Arithmetic technology, it really kicked my Sound Blaster 16’s FM synthesis to oblivion and back. Eventually, as all things in PC history, that too faded into obsolescence, and was replaced by the General MIDI standard.
So how does MIDI work?
In essence, a MIDI file contains nothing more than recorded keystrokes (say, from a sequencer or keyboard) that tell a MIDI instrument how and what to play. For instance, you could instruct a MIDI instrument to play middle C note with a duration of 2 counts. You would also need to specify the instrument, say #25. Because you only store keystrokes and commands, the files are much smaller than say, a WAV or MP3 file.
When a MIDI synthesiser receives this instruction, it then reproduces that note using whatever tone generation technology it is equipped with. FM synthesis was a really bad way to model real instruments and most of the time, the instruments sounded really tinny and hollow, not at all like the real thing. The LA Synthesis system however modelled the attack, sustain and decay parameters of each instrument, and was able to recreate sounds more faithfully.
The problem with the original MIDI standard was that it merely allowed peripherals from different manufacturers to physically connect and talk to each other but there was no standardisation of the instrument set (or patches using the official jargon). For instance, patch number 5 could be a church organ on one synthesiser but a french horn in another.With General MIDI, the major manufacturers sought to reach a rudimentary agreement so that this would not happen. So patch #1 would always be an Acoustic Grand Piano on all General MIDI devices.
This meant that General MIDI (GM) files created on one machine should play back pretty much the same on other machines. Of course, each manufacturer used different tone generation technologies so there would still be some variations.
My first foray into General MIDI was a short-lived product called MIDI Blaster from Creative Labs. On paper, the specifications sounded quite impressive but in reality, it just bombed. Not surprisingly, Creative pulled the plug on this product less than a year later. Eventually, I decided to invest in a Roland offering, and bought the SC155, and was amazed at the difference. The Sound Canvas series also came in all shapes and sizes, ranging from full-blown rack mounted MIDI modules (SC-55 et all), to computer modules (CM series which were designed to be controlled by a PC) and to ISA soundcards (SCC-1) and daughtercards (SCD-15) that plugged into WaveBlaster connectors on soundcards.
The thing is, while most games supported the General MIDI standards, many of the game music composers were using Roland Sound Canvas modules in their original composition. So, there were still slight differences in nuances and overall volume levels when played back on other GM modules. In addition, the instruments modelled on the Roland Sound Canvas just came out with more life and warmth, something which the MIDI Blaster could not convey.
Yamaha too had great success with the Yamaha DB-50XG waveblaster daughtercard. I have one of those and can confirm that the sound quality is on par with the Roland modules, but the only problem, as I mentioned earlier, was that most games were still designed with the Sound Canvas modules in mind, and to really experience what the composers wanted, you were probably better off with a Roland module.
As CD-ROM games became more widespread, so did the use of CD-audio soundtracks and other streaming audio technologies. I have always maintained that this was a step backwards. With ingenuous use of MIDI soundtracks, composers could vary the theme used in a particular part of the game seamlessly and that adds a lot to the immersion within the game. I remember getting quite annoyed with the audio skips which occurred each time the streamed music was looped in games like LucasArts’ Full Throttle and preferred the GM soundtracks used in their earlier Sam & Max and Day of The Tentacle games. Sadly, as the demand for MIDI soundtracks ebbed away, so did interest in Roland’s Sound Canvas range, which was a real shame.
MIDI has enjoyed a brief resurrection in recent years when Microsoft decided to incorporate some form of MIDI technology in their DirectX API. With DLS, games programmers could even download their own instruments for use in game soundtracks, and allow all soundcards to sound virtually the same. It is a real testament to Roland that Microsoft licensed their software synthesiser technology for use in DirectX. Sadly, I have not really seen a great deal of inroads in this new API and hope that the next LucasArts Monkey Island game will be able to use DLS to greater effect.
Things in Roland also did not remain static. Roland built on the success of the Sound Canvas series and began to introduce the JV series of professional synthesisers. These provided expansion ports for additional sound modules that could be plugged into the systems, and other high-end features, such as digital outputs.
But there were still those of us interested in combining the use of PC and MIDI for amateur recordings and playback, and the JV series was just too expensive an option. Enter Edirol, a subsidiary of Roland that specialises in Desktop Music Publishing (DTMP). Under Edirol, the Sound Canvas range has been reborn under the new Roland ED brand.
The two new entrants to the Sound Canvas family
To mark their return, Roland has produced two fantastic sounding modules: the SC-8820 and the SC-8850, finished in champagne gold like some other products in the new Roland ED range.
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