Hi guys

New to biab...I was wondering if any one has used the roland sound canvas va on a song.

I am about to purchase it...and would love to hear the quality of the bass drums etc.

Even a rough demo ..I have looked at you tube but would relly like to hear something from biab I did load the demo but by the time I figured out that you have to load it individually it expired any help appreciated.

Thanks

p.s. Think I put this in the wrong category first time....

Could you provide a link or description of this? The Roland Sound Canvas I know is a very old software synth and it does not work in 64-bit Windows. But if that's really it, there is a demo of it on this site called Dare to Compare.

here it is https://contentstore.roland.com/software/detail/sound_canvas_va/ released December 2015 I thought some guys would have bought it .

Thanks. This is indeed the update we looked for for so long. PG Music used to provide the first version of this for free. It fell out of favor when it would not run in 64-bit Windows. This one does, in the right combination with your OS and DAW.

I do not recall any talk about this yet on this forum. Anyone here tried it?

The English errors in the description do not encourage me. Likewise, it's only guaranteed to work with Cubase and Steinberg products. There are serious restrictions for SONAR, for example. The file it offers for more info on compatibility takes you to the very same information they already gave.

I saw nothing at all about the sounds being new. If they are the same as the old Roland Virtual Canvas, then you can hear how that sounds in BIAB here: http://www.pgmusic.com/dare-to-compare.htm

It looks like you simply need a soft synth.... No way would I pay the cost for sound canvas.

Grab Music Creator from Cakewalk when it's on sale for $20 and use TTS which comes with it.

To me, all MIDI sounds similar... minor tonal differences, but essentially the same. I think you'd be just as happy with TTS or Roland, or Coyote. I'd try to get a free, or low cost synth somewhere because a softsynth like TTS sounds better than the GM Midi sounds.

MC7 is normally $50... it's a great DAW and comes with TTS as well as a sweet sampler called Cakewalk Sound Center.... nice sampled sounds.... occasionally, they run it on sale for $20 but even at $50 it's a great deal. It's based on Sonar.

Ok thanks Mark and Giutar hacker.

What really interested me was when I saw this on roland website The plug-in also comes with SC-8820, SC-88 Pro, SC-88, and SC-55 sound maps, allowing you to replay files that were originally created with those Sound Canvas hardware modules.*...4 modules in one more spec here more details about the sound canvas... https://www.roland.co.uk/products/sound_canvas_va/

just to clarify contacted biab and it does work on this.

also another person on another forum has told me it works in acid...I owned two of these modules back in the day and used them when I was doing a solo act.

Hopefully they will send me a wee project using the sound canvas.

Matt,

see mine, John's, et al posts back this past Jan.

http://www.pgmusic.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=329626&page=4

biggest issue's back then were

1) when I tried to use the trial version with BIAB/RB/PT they were not allowing the plug-in window to be large enough to use (couldn't see any but part of part 1 to select patches) - PG just recently FIXED plug-in window sizing issues.

2) the drawbacks (still unchanged and unfixed by Roland) in ability to make bank and patch selects with Sonar Platinum

Finally, in my case since it DOES sound IDENTICAL to, and has IDENTICAL patches with, my existing SC-8850 I had no reason to fork over money for a SW copy of something I already had in HW - especially for just a GM module.

Frankly a MSRP of $125 for a somewhat dated, but nonetheless usable, Sound Canvas SW sound set, albeit one of only 2 or 3 (depends how and what you count) SW GM compliant plug-ins around (Coyote Forte, TTS-1 and Omnisynth for Sampletank 2) is a little on the high side (at least to me).

On the other hand, THIS Sound Canvas VA sound set (= SC-8850/8820 sounds 1:1) is generally better than all three of those (Forte, TTS-1, and Omnisynth 2 for ST2) .

Yes, that's just MY OPINION but I have ALL of the above SW items and can do "side by sides" with them.
Larry

There is A TRAIL version good for 30 days - download and TRY IT before buying it


https://www.roland.com/global/products/sound_canvas_va/downloads/


Good Luck
Larry

ok Thanks all

Hearing different views gives me food for thought

I haven't addressed the cost issue but I agree with the above posters, you should be able to do better.

At least now, colly, you can try it for yourself first. For me, the patch change issue not working in SONAR nixes it for me.

Thanks much, Larry.

Hi guys,

Since we still get asked about the old Roland Virtual Sound Canvas from time to time, I've been testing the Sound Canvas VA (trial) with BIAB, and can confirm that it's working very well for me (but only the 64-bit version).

There was an issue in older builds of Band-in-a-Box that would stop part of the SCVA's control panel from displaying correctly (since the plugins window didn't expand when the VSCVA's control panel expands), but that was successfully fixed with build 435. It now displays correctly, in every configuration.

I was unable to get the 32-bit version of the plugin to make any sound, but I read Larry's post in the other thread he mentioned, removed the 32-bit version (by deleting VSTiPuginList.ini from the BB folder), then added the 64-bit version, which worked with no issues. Thanks for the tip, Larry!

Works and sounds great, as long as you have a 64-bit machine with JBridge installed. I'm passing these findings along to the development team, hopefully something can be done about the 32-bit version being silent.

Thanks
Kent
PG Music

MAYBE you folks at PG could work a BUNDLE deal/bulk pricing with Roland on this plug-in??

Roland sells more units and BIAB/RR/PT users, who don't have or don't want external HW (or expensive soft synths that ARE NOT GM or have no intuitive GM mechanization's) but do want a GM COMPLIANT plug-in beyond, or as adjunct to, TTS-1/Forte, they get the S.C. VA at a more reasonable price.

Just a suggestion

Larry

Hi Larry,

Great idea, I'll be sure to pass that along.

Thanks
Kent
PG Music

Kent, thanks for your update. Is it your experience that the sounds of this new product are identical to the old sound canvas?

OK the following hot air post by me is almost useless but I have to make a minor correction to my Jan post on this topic:

The SC-8820, and by extension the Sound Canvas VA (SC-VA) that is the basis of the SC-VA, have ESSENTIALLY the same patch map as my SC-8850, not an IDENTICAL patch map as I stated earlier.

The built-in maps/sounds in the SC-VA, SC-8820, and SC-8850 for the CM64/SC-55/SC-88 & SC-88Pro are what they are - THEY ARE the same in all those units. The delta's are in the Captial tone variations. The "first" tones, Roland calls them "Capital" tones, and MOST of the extended (aka variations) tones on the SC-VA and SC-8820 are the same as the SC-8850. .

The SC-8820 is missing a whopping 32 tones (32 tones LESS than SC-8850) and they are ALL in the tone variations.


2. But more importantly, the SC-8850 uses more voices in some patches (usually stereo as opposed to mono samples in the cases where there are differences). Thus, some sounds are "fuller" or SLIGHTLY more detailed on the 8850 as opposed to SC-VA - with my tinnitus I can not usually even tell the difference.

A short list of some of these sounds that have more voices/samples in SC-8850 vice SC-VA/SC-8820: the FIRST piano and pianos w/strings and Pianos w/choir's; most organs; an attack (dist) guitar; a slap bass; ONE suspense strings; one Strings & Harp; 4 voices (vice 2 in sc-8820) for a LOT of strings and their variations: Strings, Ensemble Strings, Chamber Strings, Choir & Strings, Orch., Velo strings, first Slow Strings; some trumpet, trombone, and other brass variations, etc.

Again download the SC-VA demo (BEFORE PUTTING DOWN MONEY) and do your own audio comparison against the older VSC or TTS-1 or Coyote Forte or whatever.


Larry


EDIT

PS: Folks are welcome to download the SC-8820 (which has same sounds as SC-VA) and SC-8850 manuals and compare sound lists to find sounds with "number of voices" differences and look for those 32 missing capital tone variations

Hi Larry

Great info

I did download the demo but the time I found out how to get it into biab.

I.e. the 32 bit or 64 bit ,that and getting sent away from home on work commitments, my demo had ended.

Now it will not let me reload keeps saying demo has ended.

That is why I was hoping somebody could run a midi style demo for me using piano, bass guitar etc.

And maybe post it so I could hear how it is roughly.

It is a bit pricey tho as I've said before I have had a Roland module in the past (hardware) not an expensive one.

So im sitting on the fence trawling the net for any kind of samples along this line..

Hi Matt,

Take this with a grain of salt since it's a bit tricky to do a really effective test (I can't run the VSC and the SCVA on the same computer), but the initial sounds of the SCVA seemed a bit warmer and more realistic right off the bat on a simple tune using ZZJAZZ.STY. I get the impression that it's meant to emulate their hardware sound modules, rather than the VSC.

The SCVA also contains 1600 sounds from their different modules instead of the simple GS map that the VSC had, so there's a lot more flexibility (hence the price difference).

Thanks
Kent
PG Music

As far as getting the 32 bit to work, right on OP original link it states:


That's the second reason I hesitated to buy before ..

Colly

I sent you a PM (since you are new look at top of this page and see "My Stuff" blinking? Click on it, then "Messages"

Larry

Have to agree - that there are a lot, probably TOO MANY, caveats from Roland with this plug-in and this is v1.0.3, so they've done two (minor) updates/patches since my Jan look at it.

Even with those issues if this thing SOLD for a more reasonable $60'ish +/- ballpark I might pull trigger just to have a Sound Canvas GM/GS plug-in (even though it does duplicate my external HW) and even though I have multiple GM compliant and a few not so compliant plugin's.

I ALWAYS sketch out songs using GM - I found I was getting side tracked at inspiration time fiddling with this bass or that EP or B3 or this muted trumpet. and by time I was done I was trouble shooting PC technical issues, or plugin in quirks, or external HW menu settings, or multiple device volume matching, or EQ or .... I was too easily distracted!

Changing topics: I'd love to see Ketron take their SD-2 ROM and put a VST2 or 3 wrapper around it and sale that as a GM VSTi! I'd BUY it.

Larry

In a heartbeat!

I'd also like to see PG investigate with Ketron to sell these SD-2 HW units direct right here as well.

I think these GM HW modules which almost the last dedicated GM HW modules available would be an ideal partner with Band-In-a-Box. Especially now that Roland quite making GM HW modules (SC's and SD's) which PG use to sell.

Larry

Larry -

PGMusic used to sell the Ketron SD-2 units on their website (I think Mac got that going with them). I'm not sure why they stopped.

I completely missed that one - must have been having flashbacks then

Yeah, I think you got the price about right to really sell them.

Colly

related item:

if you have or get free Sampletank version 2.5 eSoundz has one of their many sales and the GM add in for ST 2 OmniSynth 2 is once again on sale for $5 US (along with ALL Sampletank 2 sound bank add-ins)


https://www.esoundz.com/sounds/omnisynth-2-sampletank-expansion/4736.html

also while the individual GM instruments in the library WORK in Sampletank 3 - Omnisynth 2 will NOT function as a GM bank

Good Luck