The TTS-1 is Cakewalk by Roland's version of the Roland Hypercanvas HQ. I paid around $120 (can't remember for sure) for the Hypercanvas a few years back, but it demands you re-insert the disk for verification at random times, which is unacceptable for live use. Then Cake started including TTS-1, which doesn't have that problem. It sounds much better than the ancient VSC, and is pretty light on CPU, so I have it on my laptop in case my SD2 goes down.

The SD2 really is a nice sounding GM module. It sounds fuller and more realistic than my Roland XV-2020. Based on SonicCell demos I've heard, the SD2 beats that too. Plus, it's so nice and small!

The other GM softsynth one might consider is Native Instruments Bandstand. It's discontinued, and not reliable for live use (in my experience), but for rendering at home it beats the VSC and TTS-1 (but not by much). But, if you want good, easy sound, get the Ketron.

It's a shame Yamaha isn't making a GM module any more. I've always like their sounds better than Roland.

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Ed Buckley,

I don't think the VI.ONE is a GM module. It is a sampler library, with, no doubt, some great sounds. But, from what I see on their site, you can't simply send a MIDI file to it and use it as a player. You would have to manually choose the instruments for each channel. That puts it in the same class as other high quality samplers, like Kontact (which is the underlying engine for VI.ONE), SampleTank, Dimension, etc. Great sounds, but not very handy for running MIDI tracks live.


Dave Burns
Lowell, MA