Good day,
has anyone experience with Roland Sound Canvas Sd35? Is this good and reliable for gaming?
- Macintosh LC475, Powerbook 540c, Macintosh Performa 6116CD, Power Macintosh G3 Minitower (x2), Imac G3, Powermac G4 MDD, Powermac G5, Imac Mid 2007
- Cyrix 120
- Amiga 500, Amiga 1200
- Atari 1040 STF
- Roland MT32, CM64, CM500, SC55, SC88, Yamaha MU50
after hearing this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wquVqGhnrGg
and seeing this in wikipedia: SC-35 is a SC-50 with integrated MIDI sequencer (and SC-50 is a SC-55mkII without the Roland MT-32 patches)
Basically you'll get the same playback as a SC-55MK2 in games so I would say it's a nice GM/GS module if you can get at a good price and don't mind the form factor.
Thank you for the info! If the sound on the games is exactly like the roland sound canvas sc55 then i think it is a good choice if the price is good.
- Macintosh LC475, Powerbook 540c, Macintosh Performa 6116CD, Power Macintosh G3 Minitower (x2), Imac G3, Powermac G4 MDD, Powermac G5, Imac Mid 2007
- Cyrix 120
- Amiga 500, Amiga 1200
- Atari 1040 STF
- Roland MT32, CM64, CM500, SC55, SC88, Yamaha MU50
It's not based on the SC-50. The SC-50 did not even exist back then. It's based on the original SC-55 Mk.I with increased 28 voices like the Mk.II but still only 16-bit instead of 18-bit samples. Also, it completely lacks MT-32 mode.
I had one and sold it quickly. It runs into a buffer overflow almost every time, because it can only handle a very small amount of MIDI data. That even applies to MIDI files played back from the floppy drive. It's a fundamental design flaw of the unit. If you don't plan to use it as a sequencer (which is its main purpose), stay away from it!
oh! that overflow issue is a deal breaker then!
thanks for the input!
Could look into getting what I did at first. Look towards getting an MT-200 or MT-120. Both of those are also based on the SC-55 and sound pretty much just like one. If you do get an MT-200, make sure it has the full amount of memory inside (Not easy to know unless you open it up to see...) and has a FW of 2.0 or 2.01. The MT-200 also has the MT-32 mode on it but I never used it because so few games with MT-32 mode actually just used the default instruments. Most games used custom patches and the MT-200 and others with MT-32 mode can't use or load in the custom patches.
If you are just looking for a good GM/GS module then you might also consider looking into an Edirol SD-20. I got a few months back and to be honest, it has pretty much replaced the MT-200 for GM/GS playback. There are a few games or midi files that don't sound quite right on the SD-20 as apparently it doesn't have all of the GS instruments or at least they aren't mapped in the same places so for those instances, I still have the MT-200 connected up at the ready.
Midi Modules: MT-32 (OLD), MT-200, MT-300, MT-90S, MT-90U, SD-20
"Rise from your grave"
Whilst looking for a Sound Canvas module on our local Facebook marketplace, I came across a Roland SD-35. I tried to find some info on it, but there's hardly any available with regards to DOS gaming, this is pretty much the only post. I did however find a potential solution for the buffer overflow issue, hopefully this'll help others who experience the buffer full message.
SD-35, SB-55: 'bFL' (Buffer Full) Message
In order to record any MIDI information quickly, and/or in massive quantity,
you should turn Soft Thru off. This prevents the SB-55 or SD-35 from trying to
pass the incoming data 'thru' to the MIDI Out port which requires the processor
overload in some cases - depending on the speed and quantity of the data.
1) While holding the SET button, press the left SONG button.
2) Use the REW and FF buttons to change the display to 'oFF.'
3) Press the SET button to finish the operation.
In the end, I found an SC-88 Pro, so I bought that instead.
