>Can anyone comment on the differences between the Roland SoundCanvas
>products?  How do the SC-55, SC-155, SC-7, Boss Dr. Synth and SCC-1
>sound modules compare?  Some are listed as having 24 voice polyphony
>while others have 28.  Do these modules use different synth engines
>or maybe different sample sets varying in quality?  Do they all
>essentially sound the same?
>
>I have an SCC-1 sound card but I need a cheap module and am wondering
>if there is a module like the SC-7 that can produce exactly the same
>sounds as the SCC-1.

>Thanks in advance.


The Roland Sound Canvas became famous because it was the first
General MIDI , 16-part multi-timbral , built in chorus and reverb,
and with a reasonable price tag in 1991. From that time on, Roland 
developed an entire suite of products around the Canvas/GS standard.

  The specs of the Sound Canvas are impressive: 24 voice polyphony
and 16-part multi-timbral,317 sounds in the ROM. 128 General MIDI
voice in bank#0, 61 variations in bank#8,16..  128 MT-32 sounds
in bank#127 , nine different drum sets, and built in reverb and chorus.

  In Keyboard magazine, Sound Canvas get high points in Sound Quality
in General MIDI modules comparison, and 2nd place in piano sound
among 11 synthesizers ( 1st place went to Korg01/W )

Here are the list of products that use Sound Canvas :

- Roland Sound Canvas SC-55 : This is the original Sound Canvas
half-rack sound module. 
 
- Roland Sound Canvas SC-155: This table-top version has 8-sliders
to control parameters . There is one switch to choose between part1-8
or part9-16. 

- Roland Sound Canvas SCC-1 : This is a Sound Canvas on a IBM-PC
sound card . Now, Roland adds Ballad sequencer junior and Band-in-a-box
software to the sound card and calls it SCC1B .

- Roland SD-35 : A MIDI File player with Sound Canvas and 3.5" disk drive .
This is like having Sound Canvas SC-55 and a Sound Brush SB-55 in one box
of the size of a CD player.

- Roland JV-30 keyboard : A Roland synthesizer with Sound Canvas
sound engine, memory for user tones and performance setups such as split
 and layers functions.

- Roland SC-33 : Table-top sound module (without MT-32 emulation )

-  Boss Dr-synth DS-330: Same as Roland SC-33, about $60 cheaper, but has
 28-notes polyphony.

-  Roland SC-7 :  A computer sound module with 128 General MIDI sounds
 and 6 drum sets ( instead of 9) . It has a serial computer interface
 so ,there is no need for a MIDI interface card.

- Roland RAP-10 : IBM-PC Sound Canvas SC-7 on a card + 2 digital audio
 16-bit channels.

- Roland E-35 keyboard : The second-generation of auto-accompaniment
  keyboard, with 64 styles,card-slot and sequencer.
 
- Roland RA-90 : A table-top module version of the E-35

- Roland E-15 keyboard : Strip-down version of Roland E-35, no card slot
  for expansion
  
- Roland E-70 keyboard :  A Roland E-35 with more options and disk-drive. 

- Roland EM-303: An auto-accompaniment keyboard with 64 styles(more oldies
 styles), no expansion card slot , no programmable parameters .
  Six parts muti-timbral ,only channel 1 -5,10 are usable.

- Roland EM-305: EM-303 with a sequencer to record your performance, and
  more sliders ( volume control of each part)

- Roland JW-50: A keyboard workstation with Sound Canvas sounds , a sequencer,
 a disk-drive that accept Standard MIDI files, and 30 backing styles
 (3 patterns per styles) . Chords can be entered to construct a song 
 ( same as Band-in-a-box)


- Roland E-16 : New auto-accompaniment keyboard ( Roland name is Inteligent
 Synthesizer) with 64 styles , no expansion card slot. No GM/GS compatible,
 because only channel 1-5, 10 are usable.

- Roland E-36 : Roland E-16 + expansion card slot + one song sequencer .
  GM/GS compatible , can be used as a General MIDI sound module .

- Roland E-56 : Roland E-36 + sequencer ( 6 parts , 3 songs )

- Roland CM-300 : A Sound Canvas computer sound module.

- Roland CM-500 : A Sound Canvas + Roland MT-32 in one computer sound module.

- Roland SC-55mkII: The second generation of Sound Canvas sound module .
 Add 37 more new Variation Tones. Increased polyphony from 24 to 28.
 Add delay and flange to digital effects. Has the serial port as SC-7.
 Add stereo audio inputs to merge with Sound Canvas audio outputs.

- Roland SC-88 Super Sound Canvas : 56 voices polyphony.

- Roland JV-35 : Use SC-55mkII sound and has card expansion slot keyboard.