Sound Canvas CM-32P mode

[Ari]

As you may or may not know, the SC-55 MKII (and therefore, SCB-55) has a CM-32P sound set (Variation 126). It has 64 additional sounds, including several brass, sax, guitar and piano instruments.
Does anyone here know how to access them via sysex? Some of the brass and sax instruments sound considerably better than what the GM and GS mode instruments have to offer, IMO.

[Tom]

You don't need SysEx to access them -- Just use bank 126.  (CC0=126, plus the program number.)  Just as you would access the MT-32 set by using CC0=127 plus the desired program number.  CC0 must always be placed BEFORE the program number to access the variation banks.  XG is a bit different, where you have CC0 and CC32, plus the program number to deal with.  I always have to look it up before I start working on XG files.  (I have a little cheat sheet.)  XG overall seems a bit trickier to use than Roland MIDI; more options in XG for accessing the sounds.

The SC-55 (CM-300/CM-500) also has the CM-32P variation set, which surprised me.  I wonder WHAT sounds the SC-55 doesn't have that the SCB-55 does.

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EDIT
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Answering my own question...

SC-55
WaveTable synth, GS Patches (317) in ROM. 9 Drum kits. 24 voice polyphony. 16-Part multi-timbral.

SCB-55
WaveTable synth, GS Patches (354) in ROM. 9 Drum kits plus 1 SFX set. 28 voice polyphony. 16-Part multi-timbral.

[Juho Sippola]

I don't know why but with external modules you can't access the CM-32P sounds with button controls. The only way is by setting the bank to 126 with sequencer etc. The bank is not even documented in my SC-155 manual. On the other hand, that bank is clearly told to exist in functionally same SCC-1 synth's manual. Weird. Maybe it was a Roland decision to keep 100% commonality between SCC-1's and SC-55/155/CM-300 synth engines so that no changes were needed for unit production.

[Ari]

You don't need SysEx to access them -- Just use bank 126.  (CC0=126, plus the program number.)  Just as you would access the MT-32 set by using CC0=127 plus the desired program number.  CC0 must always be placed BEFORE the program number to access the variation banks.  XG is a bit different, where you have CC0 and CC32, plus the program number to deal with.  I always have to look it up before I start working on XG files.  (I have a little cheat sheet.)  XG overall seems a bit trickier to use than Roland MIDI; more options in XG for accessing the sounds.

In Cakewalk 3.01, it doesn't work quite the same way. Not that I've noticed, at any rate. You can choose the bank easily enough, but you have to dump a GS sysex message, or have your MIDI player reset to GS mode to be able to actually hear those instruments.

I've assembled a GS sysex message that accesses both the GS banks and the MT-32 bank (it even shows the correct instrument names when I play them with Vanbasco's MIDI player). It seems to access the CM-32P bank as well, but I can't be sure.

BTW, I recommend checking out Brass3. It sounds better than anything I've ever heard on the SC-55.

[Tom]

Wait a minute, here...this is an easy task in Cakewalk and Orchestrator (Win) and any DOS-based sequencer.

In Cakewalk or Orchestrator, you have to insert an "Event", in the MIDI Event screen.  I'm at work and can't look at the screen right now, but I've done several of the "complete soundtracks" with Cakewalk and it wasn't a problem accessing any tone.  

Ari, refer to the PM I sent you...or will, shortly.

I was able to access the CM-32P bank in the CM-500 without a problem.  (An external SC-55.)

I was playing with the CM-32P brass this morning, as a matter of fact.  I wanted to hear the SC-8820's variation on these instruments, but ran out of time and had to go to work.

[Alistair]

Yep, just insert a 'controller 0' (Bank Select MSB in later Voyetra versions) set to 126 and then a patch change..

I don't know why but with external modules you can't access the CM-32P sounds with button controls.

With my SC-8850, I can access variation 126.
I wonder why the SC-55 doesn't allow for it, though.. always intrigued me.

- Alistair